Ice Princess

Frowning slightly, Savannah's blue eyes swept over the frozen lake, gnawing on the inside of her cheek. It was beautiful here, she had to admit, even as she pulled her thick cloak closer around her and the little dragon tucked into a large sweater pocket close to her chest. Beautiful and freezing.

Taking a little step closer, she watched, eyes wide and brimming with unbridled innocence, as the skaters practically danced across the frozen surface. She wanted to do that. She wanted to try, she decided, jolting herself from her sudden decision. 

You'll do great, Savannah.

"But it's frozen water," the Gryffindor murmured, eyes caught on a giggling pair. "And I don't like water." 

But like you said, it's frozen water, Honey urged. You'll be fine.

She'd be fine. After all, they were all fine, weren't they? They were all having so much fun.... She inched forward, her grip on her rented skates tightening. 

But if it cracks...

Savannah flinched away from Ava's voice, biting down harder than she planned on, blood beginning to trickle into her mouth. Spitting it out and staining the surrounding snow pink,  her gaze flitted down for a fraction of a second before they rose again, obsessively scanning to ice for even the tiniest crack. 

"Its rather scary," the girl spoke up softly, looking out at the frozen water before turning back to the person besides her, "Isn't it? The prospect of going out there."

Tilting her head she frowned at the water. It some how seemed so much easier to picture herself out there when she had been with Lena in the room of necessity. Perhaps she had felt safer then merely because she had, had some control over the room.

Here everything was out of her control.

"They say, or think that it will be safe, because the water is frozen... but what happens if it turns out it isn't? No one ever seems to think of that. Or at least they all act as if they don't."

The blonde felt as if she was born to travel, or at least she had a high amount of endurance that poked their way through her veins. She had been going to about three different countries this week, yet she didn't feel too weary. Then, she was going back to Russia tomorrow. Finally, she was getting to relax in the most Lena way possible: ice skating.

It was the first time in a while she had chosen to wear real ice skates, yet they felt no different than the ones she had illusioned. (Conjured, rather; it was hard to think of a suitable verb for what she does.) Yes, they did seem more materialized, but they worked just fine.

That was all the reassuring she needed, at least for now.

She knew that the lake was liquid during summer, but now that the lake was ice, Lena couldn't help but wonder: What would water underneath the ice be like? She's experienced it before, as a child, but those memories were so altered she could barely feel the sensation anymore. She wanted to submerge herself, and envelope herself in the frostbite, the rush of the water igniting her veins, cooling her down to such an extent that she would knock herself unconscious.

As her feet glided on the ice, her eyes fell on mops of brown hair, and the blonde cracked a smile. She glanced at the face, and nodded; she knew them. Both of them. Effortlessly, the Uchitel flounced her way towards her, weaving her way through the pairs and friends in her path.

"Sav?" she questioned, studying the pink snow, "why is the snow pink?" Turning towards the other brunette, she grinned, "Faye! Love your hair."

Savannah jumped, the sudden sound of a voice beside her startling the Gryffindor, and her arms wrapped around her chest instinctively, shielding Dia. But as she looked at the girl, who looked around Juliet's age, her gaze softened and slowly, her arms returned to her sides.

"It is," she nodded in agreement, "But it looks like so much fun...." She gave her head a small shake, Ava's voice suddenly louder as he spoke of people falling right through the ice and no one being able to save them.

"It's just - so much can go wrong," Savannah squeaked out, hugging herself again, the skates dangling from between her fingers, "It's exactly that. People don't think that sometimes you need to think of the bad things. The worst case scenario's real, nothing's stopping it from happening."

A tiny frown pulling at her lips, the girl rubbed at her cold and red cheeks. At the sound of her name, she blinked up, for a moment not recognizing the voice, "Lena!" She cried out, brightening up instantly and waving. Merlin, she hadn't seen the girl in so long. It was good to see her.

Glancing down at the snow, she shrugged sheepishly, bringing a gloved hand up to her mouth, "I bit my cheek." She shrugged, glancing back at the dark haired girl, "Faye, that's a pretty name. Reminds me of fairies. Ooh," she grinned, a sudden idea taking hold, "are you a fairy?"

"That's true," Faye nodded her head agreeing, "Though maybe... well maybe even if we're scared, we need to try things. People often miss so much of their lives because of fear. Then you find yourself sitting at the end of it wondering..." the girl trailed off, her eyes distant, "Wondering where all your time went, where all those miss opportunities might have taken you."

Surprise crossed the young girl's face, earsing the seriousness of her previous thoughts, as she heard a familiar vioce. A bright smile crossed her features, "Lena!" At the other girls compliments she ducked her head with a vibrant flush. Her hand ran unconciously through her hair, "Thank you, I thought... it might have been time for a change. I was thinking of growing it out too... I don't know yet."

Her bashfulness turned into quiet amusment at the new girls - sav? - excitment. She let out a soft laugh and shook her head.

"No, there's nothing that special about me. I suppose my parents just liked the name," about the only thing they liked about me, "I'm just Faye. And you are... Sav? Is that short for something else?"

"Oh," Lena replied, sighing with relief, "thank Merlin. Anything worse and I would have gotten you on an express ride to St. Mungo's. It would suck if the first time I saw you since Hogwarts, I had to transport you to the sick bay." She chuckled briefly, pausing as she gazed at the snow once more, pondering upon a thought, before tilting her head back upwards, "You sure it isn't bad? I-I don't mean to sound inquisitive nor overprotective, but just in case..."

The blonde smiled, "I like it. Brown looks a lot more cheery on you." She shrugged her shoulder nonchalantly, though her smile was still firmly stuck on her features, "I think you should try that out. I've always wondered what you'd look like with long, flowing hair." She swiftly added, "Sometimes I wonder what I'd look like if I shaved my head, but that's other stories..." She sang "... for other times."

As the two girls spoke, Lena scaled figure eights, close behind them, the feeling of her feet on the ice gave her a nice warm feeling she had ached to have again. She took deep breaths, smiling as the man-made breeze brushed her cheeks.

She tilted her head at the older girl, nodding slowly at her words. That made sense. If by the time she was old and greying, what if she spent all her time wondering how it could have been? She needed to just live in the moment from now on. "I guess when you put it that way..."

Her gaze turned back to the ice, beginning to chew on her cheek again. "Of course there's something special about you." Savannah snapped her gaze back to Faye, offering her a tiny smile, "Everyone's special." She hummed softly for a moment before nodding, "Sav's short for Savannah."

She laughed along with Lena, shaking her head amusedly, but the idea of being sick terrified her. She rather enjoyed being happy and healthy. What if something happened? Her gaze found its way back over the ice. "I'm fine," she laughed softly, "Really."

She giggled, images of Lena with a shaved head running through her head.

Faye couldn't help the impish grin that spread over her face, "But I thought blondes were supposed to have more fun?"

"Yeah," she murmurmed under her breath, not intending for others to hear hear, "I'm the girl that didn't die."

A frown tugged at her lips for a moment, before she shook it off, placing a smile back on her features. She was tired of frowning.

"Tell you what Savannah; I'm not a big fan of water - frozen or not - either... so lets say... we try it together?"

"I thought blondes were supposed to be the dumb ones, which is why they have more fun, apparently," Lena mused, wrinkling her nose, "oh never mind. Damn the stereotypes, right? Hair has no part in your personality! Though I do prefer gingers..." She chuckled, a small blush lining her cheeks.

"It helps if you know if you're special in a good way, or special in a bad way," added the blonde, and blinked at what Faye called herself, "y-you're not... you don't have it anymore?" She then turned back towards Sav and smiled, "I'm the self-proclaimed Queen of Uchitel, and lots of people call me names. I think the Unwanted Redhead calls me something worse but that's okay, another five points off Hrabrost."

As she scaled figure eights, an idea stormed its way through Lena's door. She skated far away from other skaters, and performed a cartwheels on the ice. The blonde landed on her bum, crying with laughter.

She looked over at Faye, a slow smile spreading across her face. She wasn't alone. There was someone else here who didn't like water. And doing it together.... Savannah liked that idea. And Lena could skate. She could teach both of them.

Grinning, the Gryffindor nodded. "Let's do it."

Looking back at Lena, a tiny smirk pulled her lips up, "It must be good to be queen. Even if you're just self-proclaimed." Her forehead creasing, the girl tilted her head, "The Unwanted Redhead?"

Watching the eldest girl skate, her eyes widened at the cartwheels she preformed. "Wow," she breathed. Opening her mouth to say more, she watched the Uchitel fall, and almost instantly, laughter bubbled up from her throat.

Faye blushed, ducking her head, and nervously running hand past her hair, "No.. or well I mean... I don't think so. I've been... better, for a while now. I suppose I can't say for sure," of course she could say, but Professor Pyrrhos had helped her, she did not feel she should disclose something that is not hers to share, "but I don't... I don't think its coming back."

Letting out a breath she watched Lena zoom away, she smiled in amusement at the girl fond herself on her bottom. Lena always had been... energetic.

"Should we try then?" she held out her hand to Savannah a small grin on her face. "We can just... step together, yes? On three?"

"It does give me a warm, fuzzy feeling at night, knowing that yes, I could be the Queen of Uchitel, one day, someday," mused the Uchitel, sliding herself onto the ice, feeling one with it. Even though it would one day kill her, the rock solid frozen water let her dig into it, and her eardrums immediately detected something moving below.

Lena bobbed her head slightly at the joyous news of Faye's never-returning disease. She didn't like seeing her friend suffer. Vividly, she still remembered the visit she had made to St. Mungo's to see her, how hysteric she was. At least... at least that was one weight off her shoulder. She should be happy. And somewhere in her heart, she was.

As the two brunettes got ready, the Uchitel slid herself out of the way, raising her thumb in the air to show that she was ready.

Savannah glanced sideways at Faye, a large grin spreading across her face. Nodding, she pulled on her skates, making sure to lace them up properly before checking that Dia was still safely snuggled up close to her in the sweater pocket.

Straightening up, she glanced back over the ice. She was going to do this. She was going to ignore Ava and just - do it. Letting out a deep breath, unable to hide the worry that was beginning to seep back onto her face, she gave her head a quick shake.

She needed to stop worrying so much. She'd be fine. And with that, her grin was back. Taking Faye's hand, she nodded, her grin back in full force, "On three," she agreed. "So, one..."

Faye grinned, closing her smaller hand around the younger girl's. The fear was bubbling up in her again, every few moment she'd glance nervously at her destination, but it didn't maste her - take control.

She had Lena, and Savannah.

"Two," she said repeated slowly, looking at the girl again and then back out to the ice. "Three."

Without another hesitation Faye closed her eyes, and stepped onto the ice, hoping and assuming that her new aquaintence would follow her.

As the two girls began to make their way onto the ice, Lena counted mentally with them. She wanted nothing more than for them, to be at the end of it all, safe. Oh - and to love the ice as much as she did. If they didn't by the end, then it was fine with her, though. At least they tried.

A shadow hovered above her, and she growled. Wincing, the shadow darted across the ice and it relieved the blonde. The shadows were blocking her from Faye and Savannah, and she wanted to see their moment of glory.

"Three," she said along with the older girl, shooting a small smile her way before stepping onto the ice alongside her.

Merlin, ice was weird. It was all slippery and impossible to get a good hold on. Her grip on Faye's hand tightening, Savannah swallowed hard as she stayed deathly still, almost too scared to breath in case that sent her off balance and falling over.

"So, um, Lena," she glanced over at the Uchitel Queen, "How exactly do you, you know, move?"

Faye grinned slightly as her feet hit the slippery surface. IT was solid! It really was solid. THis wasn't water...

It was something else entirely.

It was magical.

Still, she wasn't entirely ready to let go of the other girls hand.

"I think a lesson in moving, might be helpful," she giggled.

The blonde chuckled at her friends, "Didn't you guys put on ice skates? I can't seem to get a very good view from here. If I look anywhere but up, my neck is going to crack."

The blonde's eyes fell on a ghostly silhouette of her grandmother, chuckling in the distance. A scream escaped her lips. Her lips began to quiver, and her arms reached for her knees as Lena rolled around on the fragile ice. "G-God," she muttered, "o-oooh..."

Nodding along with Faye, she laughed along with her, the Gryffindor's eyes glimmering.

"I did!" Savannah beamed, raising her free hand before pointing down at her skates. Lifting her gaze back up to the blonde, she tilted her head, confusion sparkling in her blue eyes, "Wait," she began slowly, "Why's that?"

Flinching away from the sound of the girl's scream, her eyes widened frantically, "Lena? Wh - What's wrong?" Swallowing hard, she stepped carefully towards the girl, praying that she wouldn't fall flat on her face.

Forgetting for a moment her worry, Faye slid and wobbled her way over to the older girl.

"Lena? What's wrong?" she looked around her, confused and panic crossing her face. Her glace turned to Savannah her own expression was reflected back on her. The other girl had no idea what was going on either. "You're scarying me a bit. Le, please... tell me whats wrong."

Lena shook her head nonchalantly, though she stammered as she spoke, "N-Nothing... just... m-my illusions... you know how sometimes they go f-fuuunny? Yeah. It was one of those times." She chuckled, childlike laughter echoing. "Nothing major, Faye. Don't be scared. Something tells me I'll be having a lot of these soon."

The blonde sat up to show that she meant what she said, and begrudgingly got to her feet. "We are going to skate, yes? And skate we shall!"

"You're scaring both of us," Savannah nodded, tearing her fearful gaze away from Lena to glance back at Faye. It was terrifying her. She'd been fine just moments ago...

"Illusions?" the Gryffindor's brow furrowed. "What - you can make illusions?" She tilted her head, her expression impressed for a moment before it flicked back to worry. "But why did this happen?"

It was only begrudgingly that she allowed the subject change. Because after all, she was here to skate. And Lena seemed to be better now. "Okay," she nodded, her eyes still watching the older girl curiously. Pulling herself up to her feet, she was hardly on them for a moment before she found herself back on the ice, rubbing at her behind.

"Or maybe I'll just stay here," she laughed, "The ice seems to like me."

Faye wasn't entirely sure that that reasoning was any more comforting, but although she had only known Lena for a year or so, almost two now really... for as long as she had been sick, she knew one thing.

The girl was stubborn. There was never a point in arguing with her.

"If you're sure then," her tone held all her uncertainty, but still her willingness to the let it go, if that was really what the older girl wished.

Faye, having still managed to stay on her feet, let out a little giggle at Savannah.

"Oh, I'm sure it will let you go if you ask nicely," her grin turned back to Le, and it took an effort to not let it go concerned again, "Right, so how do I do this? Just.. slide my feet forwards? Or am I supposed to pick them up."

Glancing around she tried to figure out what everyone else was doing, but none of it was giving her any clues. It was all a blur of limbs, moving at different times in different directions, that she just could not tell.

"I'm fine, Sav," Lena replied firmly, putting her foot down. She gazed at the both of them.

Lena smiled once more when the young Slushatel had inquired her on how to skate. "To demonstrate..." began the blonde, she glanced all around her, and slowly put one foot forward, gliding gently on the end. She then did the same with the other, and continued to do it slowly. "Just glide your feet gently, Faye, Savannah. Don't worry about anything else."

Grinning up at Faye, she shook her head amusedly before peering down at the ice. "Ice?" Savannah asked uncertainly, though her lips curved into a smile at the silliness of talking to an inanimate object. "Please, let me go. I mean, I like you too, but right now, I'd rather skate on you that sit on you, if that's alright." Nodding, she stood up, and much to her delight, stayed upright this time. "Thank you, ice." She grinned down.

Nodding at the eldest girl, she watched her demonstration, determination shining in her blue eyes. She could do this. Blowing on her gloved hands, she slowly moved forward, one small step at a time.

"Hey!" Savannah whooped, excitement brightening her face. "I did it! I can do this!"