Dancing On Ice

Smiles on The Ice

Kazimir looked at him quickly and Cole smiled.

"No, I'm not Dalton's half-brother and that's not why I watch out for him. My father is, in fact, also a pirate – the occupation runs in the family. My Ma became one of his ladies after I was born, after Dalton was born to. That's how we got to know each other. We were both living in the palace and were both miserable with the situations we found ourselves in."

Cole tilted his head to the side, looking up at the sky as starts started to bloom.

"I resented being the unwanted child of a concubine. Dalton was a lonely kid who no one noticed. We became fast friends and it stayed that way ever since."

"What's the king like? He's clearly a lover of the ladies."

"He's a womaniser," Cole said bluntly, "Maybe I'm biased because I side with Dal, but I think he's an awful person. Ugly and cruel – not physically of course. He's very handsome but... well I don't like him, even if he did set my mother up for life."

Kazimir looked away, across the lake as the sun set still lower and the ice turned red in the firelight.

"What's your mother like?" Cole asked and Kazimir stood up.

"An exile," he said simply and walked away, stepping onto the ice and gliding away.

In a second, he released a long, slow breath and a smile formed.

This.

This was one of the few things he loved – truly loved – about being human. The ability to transform his body, to gain legs, gave him something he could never possibly hope to do in his true form.

He slid across the surface of the lake, taking his time, it had been a while since he had last skated but it came back to him as easily as swimming.

Perhaps he could still do the spinning jumps he had learnt over the years.

It only there was music.

He missed music.

There wasn't enough music on land.

Cole stayed on the shore, watching Kazimir as he glided away, smooth and easy as if he spent every day of his life on the ice. He knew when he had been forgotten.

Kazimir started to dance, flowing along the water, graceful as rippling waves in the middle of the sea, lose hair flaring around his face, shadowing it but not hiding that smile.

He hadn't seen Kazimir smile like that.

He hadn't really seen Kazimir smile actually.

But he was smiling now.

Lost in his own little world as he span across the ice, arms out to guide him, his steps light and sure, switching from one leg to the other, warming himself up.

When he jumped, he launched so high and so far, Cole sat bolt upright, sure he could crash, but Kazimir landed perfectly, knee bending for a second to stable himself before floating backwards, hands pushing into his hair, pulling it from his face, revealing relaxed features, closed eyes and contented smile.

He was so happy on the ice.

Perhaps it was something he did often at home.

He certainly seemed to feel more comfortable with the ice than anywhere else.

Heck, maybe Cole should have been jealous of that frozen chunk of water.

A hand on his shoulder made him glance up to see Dalton and the others.