Dancing On Ice

Parting Warnings

"I want to go home."

Kazimir choked on the mouthful of lettuce he was forcing himself to eat despite his revulsion of the vegetable that hadn't lessened since his childhood, and looked across the table at Aeralie who was busily focusing on her own salad.

She skewered a prawn and took a dainty bite – her heart not in the monotonous act of feeding one's self.

"Home? Now?" Kazimir asked.

"I want to go home," Aeralie repeated, eyes flicking to her right.

Kazimir glanced up towards the head of the table.

Dalton sat at the head and Daphne was too his right hand side, both engrossed in their own conversation and forgetting everyone else around them. Princess Mai didn't seem concerned by the fact that one: she was being ignored and two: her younger sister had taken the seat that her rank entitled her too.

She was busy sparring with Princess Zola about something dance related.

Kazimir, who had arrived late – losing track of the time in his hunt for the Heart – had taken a seat near the end of the table, opposite to Aeralie.

He hadn't asked why she was at the end of the table rather than near the head. Her tense shoulders showed clear enough she didn't want to be next to Dalton anymore.

"But what about the Heart?" he asked.

Aeralie sighed and gave him a patient look. "What about it?" she asked, "It's not our job to find it – or them. Your mother asked to me to take a look. We looked, we found one, she says it's the wrong one. It's not our concern anymore. We've never had anything to do with Hearts. Leave it to those who know what they're doing – like your mother. Our job is, and always has been, the entertainment of the sea and the sinking of ships. We really should get back to it."

"But to just leave..."

"I don't understand why you want to stay," Aeralie said, frowning at him, "If I'd said this a few weeks ago, you'd have thrown us over the edge of the cliff within five minutes. Why are you so resistant now?"

Kazimir looked back at her, then flicked his eyes away. He didn't have a reply for that because he didn't know. He knew, as well as she did, it didn't make sense.

Being on land was not a new experience for him and he'd never wanted to stay before.

There was nothing to stay for.

His eyes flicked up the table towards Dalton.

Dalton happened to look at him at that moment and smiled.

Kazimir nodded in polite reply and looked at Aeralie.

Aeralie's frown had deepened. "You're not falling for him now, are you?" she asked – though there wasn't much belief in her tone and the shiver of revulsion that ran down Kazimir's spine at the very idea confirmed it.

"What's a truly awful thing to suggest," he said and Aeralie shot him a small smile.

"I thought you liked the pirate captain anyway," she said.

"I don't like any of them."

"Sure you don't."

"What does that mean?"

"Oh, there's Cole."

Kazimir instantly glanced over his shoulder towards the doors that hadn't moved and could practically feel Aeralie rolling her eyes at him.