They found shelter when they came up to the bottom of the mountain.

There was an opening on the side of the mountain. It looked almost too perfectly placed for them. Still, Seokjin gathered sticks to light fire for light and warmth— for himself, of course. Jungkook set up a place to rest.

"How are we meant to climb this mountain?"

Jungkook jumped at Seokjin's unexpected voice and he eyed him from the ground— he was sitting down, watching the sun as it set in the distance. Seokjin had snuck up behind him with sticks in his hands.

"Well." Jungkook nearly wanted to scoff. "I have ice. We make bridges and staircases out of ice all the time. It's the easiest way to build!"

Seokjin deadpanned as he lit the sticks up with his hands. "I don't walk on ice as an everyday practice," he said with a hint of irritation in his voice. "How do you expect I would walk on ice? And up a mountain? What if I fall and die?"

"It's simple to walk on, but now that you mention it... What a terrible way to die that would be, right?" Jungkook snickered.

Seokjin lit the fire even brighter, probably wishing it was Jungkook's face instead of a bunch of sticks.

"I'd almost dare you to do it, Ice boy."

"Stop calling me that," Jungkook huffed in return. "I'm so kind as to build a staircase for you and all you can do is be rude?"

With the light now there, Seokjin opened his bag and took out blankets and a small pillow, setting them out on the other side of the fire— far away from Jungkook.

He sat there on the blankets, also waiting for the sun to set. There was nothing else to do. Jungkook thought he'd eventually go mad.

That's how they spent their night, though. Quiet as the sun disappeared, quiet as the fire slowly died down, and quiet as they both fell asleep.

——

Jungkook stood back from the mountain, aiming to where he wanted the staircase to be.

"Make sure to make it safe. I don't want to die."

He waved Seokjin's words off. "Shh. I'm doing it." He held his hands out and built up his energy— he'd probably waste lots of it just doing this. With one big motion, ice was flowing from Jungkook's hands, a long ice staircase building itself up to the very tip of the mountain.

"How beautiful."

Jungkook turned to Seokjin and furrowed his eyebrows. "What did you just say?" He was surprised by such a compliment on his powers; on ice in general. But... the voice hardly sounded like Seokjin's.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

Confused, Jungkook stared at the older. Even as Seokjin made his way to the first step, Jungkook stared at him in disbelief. He was so sure he'd heard someone say something. It was so loud and clear— amazed, even.

Maybe Jungkook was hearing things.

The only bad thing about the staircase was that he had to help Seokjin up it. He looked like an old lady. At first, he simply walked up and waited for Seokjin, who held tight onto the railing as he tried not to slip.

He was so slow.

"Do you need help?"

The prince finally looked up at Jungkook. The younger was many steps ahead, he seemed to notice, because he huffed when their eyes met from so far away.

"Can't you just pillar us up to there?" he asked. "Something like that?"

Well...

Jungkook used so much energy already, though. But Seokjin was taking ages. The guards were waiting back at the entrance and by the time they got up the stairs, the week would already be over with at his rate.

"I used so much power for this staircase and you won't even use it?"

Seokjin looked down to his feet, then back behind him. "I've walked up less than ten stairs, Ice Boy. Come on, just do it."

Though he really wouldn't feel so fine after doing it, Jungkook sighed as he did what the prince asked for. Only because he was so damn slow.

He made two ice pillars below them, their feet strapped into the ice as the pillars went higher and higher, all of the land drifting further and further from their view.

The mountain was tall, but any mountain is. Really, it was just a regular ol' mountain. The pillars weren't too high up, so it didn't take much, but then Jungkook had to make a bride to the top of the mountain as well. Everything just seemed overpowering to him.

Bye-bye, stairs.

Hello, bridge.

They both broke the ice off of their feet and Jungkook was quick to pass over the bridge. Seokjin wasn't as slow on the bridge as he was on the stairs, but he held onto the thick railing and actually held on for his life.

When they got to the mountain, the top was somewhat flat.

But there was an ice sculpture.

A statue, made out of stone, but it was an ice symbol. It was there for Jungkook. But instead of fooling with it, he sat down by the statue to rest. He never uses his powers for such big things like this. He wasn't prepared for it, so he needed a quick rest.

"What is that?"

He glanced at Seokjin as the older came near. "Statue."

Seokjin huffed. "What are you doing? Aren't you going to do something with this? Look. It's one of the sigils."

Sigil. Right.

"I'm resting. I told you I'd drain my energy if I made the pillars. Just get the sigil out for me."

Seokjin simply stood there. "Oh," he let out. He went to the other side of the statue and sat down as well. "I think only you can pull the sigil out. We'll just... sit here for a while, I suppose."

Oh. But that would be weird.

Instead, Jungkook stood up and went to the statue, forcing himself to have enough energy to pull the rock slate sigil out from the middle of it. His grip was loose on it, but he still was able to pull it out.

"Let's go."

He walked towards the other side of the mountain, just as the map showed, but Seokjin was quick to get up as well, "Wait. I thought you needed to rest?" Jungkook shrugged as he came up to the edge of the mountain.

"Wouldn't want to waste a day because of that."

He held his hands out and forced himself to use his powers to pick them up by the feet again, carrying them down the mountain— which had such a beautiful sight and it would be nice to enjoy, but they needed to get along with the path.

When they reached the bottom of the mountain, it was only then that Jungkook felt almost too weak. He couldn't even break himself out of the ice like Seokjin so easily did.

He struggled to pull himself out.

"I didn't realize how much you'd be using your ice to do these things," Seokjin muttered as he walked up to him. "Look at you. You think we could pass the lake right now?"

Oh, right. Jungkook was going to bridge across the lake as well. He forgot.

Seokjin crouched by Jungkook's feet and used his own strength to pull the younger's feet loose. It took a bit of melting the ice and having to break it, but Jungkook's energy was clearly used up after he was free, even with Seokjin's help.

"Let's just rest," Seokjin told him. "All we have left is the lake and the sigils. If you have to use your power for the lake tomorrow, then I don't want to fight you without a fair game."

Fight. Jungkook had also nearly forgotten that the pendant was going to be fought over. But why was Seokjin playing fairly so suddenly? He wasn't going to just last night.

And... He wants what could be a four-day trip to last even longer? Terrific.

"Let's just find somewhere to rest and eat.

Seokjin nodded. "Let's."

~
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