Dancing On Ice

Aeralie

Aeralie folded her arms on a length of driftwood that bobbed on the surface of the ocean, a castoff of a shipwreck from the days before. The storm that had brought down the ship had long passed on and the surface was now calm and quiet, skies above a dazzling blue, barely even a cloud to be seen and only a few birds breaking the azure. It was one of the last nice days she'd see for a while now. Storm season was on its way, probably not even a week left and grey stormy skies would dominate the world for months. One top of that, the La Luna waves would begin.

She settled her cheek on her folded arms, looking towards the horizon, enjoying the rock of the gentle sea.

Beyond that horizon was a land.

On that land was a palace.

And in that palace... she wondered what he was doing that day.

Her streaming hair shone gold in the light, the streaks of violet through it tangling in the gentle swells that passed her by, not paying her any mind – the sea had long since given up reminding her that she should not have broken the surface.

She glanced towards the sun, which had risen some hours before and willed it to hurry so she might see the moon again.

She had waited all night to watch the moon set, followed by the sunrise and she wanted to see the cycle again.

Though, on that note, hadn't she promised Todal she'd come back once she'd seen the moon?

Well... she hadn't said which moon, it would be the true full moon tonight, how could she miss that? The sea rippled along her arms, the sun shimmering off her pale skin, tinted the faintest of faint violets like her hair, brushing over her lavender tattoos and touching her amethyst Heart of The Sea.

The sea mentioned that something was coming but she already knew a pod of dolphins would be passing.

It wasn't until something wrapped around the base of her mauve tail and wrenched her down with a scream that she realised it had meant something all together more important then a dolphin.

She opened her eyes, startled, fingers curling like a claw, water starting to whirl in her palm, ready to smack the shark that had dared bite her, when she spied billowing while hair drifting out of the way of multi-coloured eyes set into an unimpressed, irritated face and she winced.

That was certainly not a shark.

But it might have been better to face the shark.

"Do you know what time it is?!" her dearest friend, favourite cousin and most prolific nagger of all the seas snapped, glaring at her, hand still locked around her long tail and giving it a sharp shake.

"Hello there, Kaz, how nice to see you this fine morning! What are you doing all the way up here? How's your morning been?" Aeralie said with a forced laugh, trying to free her tail, her fin, like flowing, sheer silk, flicking rapidly.

"My morning? How's my morning been?" Kazimir asked, turning and starting to swim back downwards, taking Aeralie with him, driftwood and all. "Oh let's see. First I had to clear up the bodies of that storm the other night since two got stuck in the towers of the palace, which was wonderful! Then I had to join the Old Crab for breakfast so he could rattle on about the good old days. Then I had to look into the wilting of the flowers in one of the gardens and then I was supposed to get a break but you know what?"

"Must I guess?" Aeralie asked, arms folded, allowing herself to be dragged downwards through the water, hair billowing out around her head.

"I was asked to go find my wayward cousin because a certain princess can't be where she's needed when she's supposed to! And apparently I'm the only one who she listens to. Funny! I've never noticed you listen to a word I've ever said."