Dancing On Ice

Knight in Shining Armour

It wasn't a transformation per say, but both Aeralie and Kazimir could say for certain they'd never seen someone's hair change through around fifteen shades of colour in under ten seconds as their body tensed up, blazing light burning from the eyes before they crumpled into a heap.

Kazimir caught Dalton just in time before he hit the floor, gathering him close and pushing his hair – which had settled on a deepest shade of black – back from his pale face.

"Is he alright?" Aeralie asked quickly, coming over to bend over them.

"Just stunned, I think," Kazimir said.

"Well, he hasn't grown a tail, how disappointing."

Both Aeralie and Kazimir looked at Icadora.

"He won't," she said calmly, "He has never been in his merman form and he has none of his power. His body does not know how to change without his Heart."

"So how do we put it back?" Aeralie asked, carefully taking the necklace from Dalton's limp hand and examining the clasps that held the jewel in place.

"STOP!"

Aeralie pulled the necklace aside just in time to stop the queen snatching it from her grasp.

She looked up at the queen, glaring, to see Elaina staring at her with a strange, mad horror in her eyes as she lunged for the necklace again.

Aeralie swept to her feet and out of the way, hiding it behind her back and moving away each time Elaina tried to grab it.

"Stop this! Give it back!"

"It's not yours," Aeralie said calmly.

"It's mine! It must be mine! You don't understand! Give it back!"

"You're not a mermaid. It has no use to the likes of you."

"She can't control him without."

Aeralie looked at Kazimir who was looking at the queen.

Kazimir looked at his mother. "It's true, isn't it?" he said, eyes wide, "if you give your Heart away, the person who has it has control over you? That's why he let her hurt him, why he never defended himself. He couldn't."

"It's certainly true that losing your Heart to someone means they have dominance over you," Icadora said, her voice low and cold as she looked at the queen. "How did you hurt him?"

Queen Elaina almost recoiled from her, then lashed out at Aeralie, catching her hair and yanking her forwards, scrambling desperately for the necklace.

Aeralie, without even thinking about it, slapped her. Hard and jarring as if she intended to strike sense back into her; she hit her hard enough to knock her over.

"Stop that, it hurts!" she snapped, rubbing her head.

Icadora let out a breath, walking towards the downed queen, taking the necklace from Aeralie as she passed and stopping at Elaina's feet.

"Did you raise my son with abuse as a way to get back at me?" she asked calmly. "Did you truly stoop so low?"

Queen Elaina stared up at her, eyes wide.

Icadora looked down at her for a time, then held out a hand.

"Get up," she ordered, "A queen does not lie sprawled on the floor like a common peasant. What would your sister think if she saw what you've become? A raving lunatic chasing people around and pulling hair like a spoiled child. Get up."