Ice Queen

It was still early in the afternoon on Owl Day when Dorien checked his pocket watch, grabbed up his coat and a few small bundles, and left the house.

It was cold, but clear, and the early afternoon sun felt good on his face. The short walk to the Shade was pleasant, and even the normally drab surroundings were livened by a thick carpet of snow.

Dorien had always loved the winter. The cold was invigorating to him and the snow brought with it a promise of new life in the coming year. It was a time of renewal and second chances. The gods knew he needed one of those.

He made his way to the address he'd written down in his notebook, a small, nondescript apartment on a side street that looked as if it had seen better days. Hesitating only briefly he knocked on the door.

Misery opened the door, wearing at least two sweaters and a pair of gloves. "What do you want-" she began sharply, before realizing it was Dorien. "...No, actually, that question stands. Did something explode overnight?"

"Only my holiday spirit!" Dorien said cheerfully, not caring how corny he sounded at the moment, "I was hoping I could persuade you to accompany me on a recreational outing. I promise it won't involve fungus."

Misery was still a bit suspicious, tilting her head to one side slightly and looking at Dorien as though maybe he was high. "What sort of recreational outing?"

Without a word Dorien handed his apprentice one of the packages he'd been carrying. It was wrapped in festive red paper and a bow.

Misery opened the package gingerly, peeking inside. "... Skates?"

"Skates!" Dorien confirmed, "I thought you might appreciate a day of fun. The Ousel is nearly frozen over, the sun is shining for once... Come on, you can't live up to your name ALL the time."

"I've never gone skating before," she said uncertainly. "I'll probably fall and break my neck."

"There's nothing to it. It's basically just controlled falling. Plus you have blades on your feet. I'll teach you everything you need to know."

Dorien smiled and spread his hands.

"C'mon, you're not going to make me look like an idiot by going alone, are you? Besides, it's been two years since I've gone and if I crash on my ass you'll get to make fun of me, and I know how much you enjoy that."

"Well, when you put it like that..." Misery smiled and nodded, before grabbing her coat and hat from a rack near the door. "Lead the way," she said, once she was bundled up and ready to go.

Dorien lead the way south through the back streets until towards the river. Dorien smiled as they walked, making their way through the drifts of snow.

"So how is your holiday going so far? Or do you even celebrate the festival days?" he asked.

"It's not really a big thing for us, other than some days off for some people," Misery said, trudging through the snow. "The whole idea of everyone having holidays on the same specific days every year is kind of weird, for Shadar-kai."

"I suppose it would be," Dorien said with a nod, "But I enjoy it. It's one of the few times when people around here are genuinely nice to each other. That may sound odd coming from me, I guess."

"Aww, you softy," she said, nudging him with her elbow as they walked. "Soon you'll get back to hiding in your room and hating the rest of the world, though, right?"

"Absolutely," Dorien said with a wink.

A minute later they found themselves exitting the back alleys onto a grassy embankment that lead down to the Ousel. The shores had frozen solid, and even the center of the river had a thin coat of ice on it. A handful of young kids were already out on the ice, sating, pulling sleds, and generally having fun, but there was still plenty of space left for newcomers.

Dorien took a few steps down the embankment and offered his hand up to help steady Misery on her way down.

"Whatever you do, don't go out too far towards the center. The ice is thinner there and you could fall through. And believe me, on this side of the city you don't want to do that. You'll smell like sewage for a week."

"You're making this sound more appealing every minute," Misery said, sitting down on a flattened snowbank to put on the skates. "Don't forget the part where I could drown, or freeze to death."

Dorien opened the other bundle that he'd been carrying and began putting on his own skates.

"Nah, I'm sure someone would throw you a rope or something... probably..." he said with a grin, "When you get out on the ice, take it slow. Just try to stand and get used to the balance for a minute. Then we can try moving. I promise once you get the hang of it, it's incredible."

"That's what guys always say," Misery replied with a smirk.

Dorien chuckled. He could tell from her sarcasm that Misery was beginning to loosen up a bit, and that was good. He genuinely wanted her to enjoy herself for once.

"Yes, but unlike the rest of them I'm not going to get insecure about how many other guys you've skated with."

He finished lacing up his skates and stood up, slightly wobbly, and gingerly stepped onto the edge of the ice. He held out his hand to Misery with a wink.

"C'mon, try just the tip of the skate. Just to see how it feels."

Misery narrowed her eyes at Dorien's double entendre, but gamely took his hand to try and stand up. Her feet almost slid out from under her, and it was only by shrieking and grabbing on to Dorien's arm with both hands that she managed to avoid falling. "Slippery and hard," she said with a breathless laugh once she was more or less upright. "That's how it feels. Also like if I don't do this right, my ass is gonna be sore for days."

"Relax," Dorien said with a smile, "If you don't loosen up you're gonna hurt something."

He hooked one arm around her waist and held her forearm with his other hand, letting her lean on him for balance.

"Just concentrate on standing for a minute..."

Misery leaned against him, trying to stay steady on her feet. It felt nice to have his arm around her, and for a moment she relaxed and just allowed him to support her. Even though she still worried the ice underneath them could give way at any moment, it was nice to pretend that everything was all right for a little while.

"All right," she said at last, when she started to worry that the moment was going on an awkwardly long time. "I'm ready. Take me for a ride, big guy."

Dorien laughedand carefully pushed off with his back leg. Misery wobbled for a moment, but he kept a firm grip on her and a moment later they were gliding slowly but steadily across the ice.

"Let me know if you need me to slow down..." he said, keeping them close to the shoreline. A ways away a few local kids were pointing at them and giggling as they skated along , but he ignored them, concentrating instead on how good it felt to be this close to Misery. His hand tightened slightly on her forearm and he turned to look at her face, watching her expressions as they glided along.

At first, Misery was absorbed in not falling, trying to move her feet just enough to keep them gliding along but not so much that she stumbled on the slightly uneven ice surface and dragged them both down. After a little while, though, she was able to look up occasionally to watch the other people skating, or enjoy the view across the river. Once she risked looking up at Dorien, only to find him looking back at her. She gave him a little smile before looking back at her feet.

"You don't have to stay and hold me up," she told him. "If you want to go your own way, I'll manage."

The longer they skated together, the more light headed Dorien felt and the more his stomach started buzzing. It was a feeling he knew all to well.

"What if I don't want to?" he asked quietly.