Royal Games

Chapter 31

Friday afternoon is chilly. Pale frost, which would shimmer and sparkle if only the white blanket in the sky would disappear, covers the ground. The sun is nowhere in sight, unable to give any warmth or comfort.

I'm bundled up in a thick black coat, and a cream set of gloves and scarf. My dagger is tucked inside one of my fluffy brown boots.

"You look like a penguin." Zoey comments, trying to supress her giggles as she wanders down the stairs of Ash House.

"Well, look who's talking, Santa." I joke. In her bright red coat, charcoal boots, and white earmuffs, she could easily be a stylish Mrs Clause.

Zoey glances down at her outfit. "Does it look gimmicky? Should I go change?"

"You look great." I assure her. "Are you ready to go?"

"Just let me check my bag." She rummages around in a white handbag patterned with silvery embroidery. "Yep. I'm ready. Do you know if Brielle is joining us?"

"I assume so." I say as we walk out the house. I'm counting on Megan bringing Brielle because I haven't spoken to her about tomorrow yet. I really hope Brielle will want to get ready for the ball together.

My roommates and I are going out on one final group outing before the end of term. There is a temporary ice rink in the local town, which we all agreed on going to. Me and Zoey were done with studying by lunchtime earlier. We'll meet Eliza outside her last lecture, and Megan will join us at the rink a little later on.

"How's drama going?" I ask.

"It's so much fun." Zoey gushes. "We do, like, all the history of theatre and technical stuff and all of that in the lectures. And then in most of the seminars we do proper acting. There's this film module I'm really looking forward to next year. Oh, and I think we'll have the same classes for Shakespeare."

"Definitely some of them." I agree. "I'm studying Shakespeare for the entire next semester. Are you the same?"

"Yep. How's English?"

"Going well. Although this semester has all been essay techniques and what to analyse in a text, so some of it's been a little boring. It should be a lot more fun next semester."

"Hi." Eliza says, walking over to us.

"Hi. Are we late?" I check my watch.

"No. The class was let out two minutes early. You were right on time."

"Right then. Let's go get the bus because I'm freezing." Megan complains.

"And you'll still be freezing waiting for the bus to arrive." I point out.

"And at the rink." Eliza adds.

Megan sticks her tongue out and the three of us laugh.

Nearly thirty minutes later, we arrive at the ice rink, set up for a month in the local park. The ice shines in shades of silver and white, despite the lack of sunlight. The surface is uneven, littered in swirling grooves etched from blades both skilled and unskilled.

Excited children clamber over the ice ungracefully, laughing as they fall. A few couples skate around slowly, enjoying each other's company more than the sport. One girl in a sparkling teal leotard spins extremely fast, holding one leg behind her head.

Me, Zoey, and Eliza each hire a pair of skates and hobble onto the ice.

"Woah." Zoey says, flailing her arms about trying to stay upright.

"Maybe try holding onto the side." I suggest.

She grabs for the side and steadies herself. "Thanks. How are you two not struggling?" She asks me and Eliza.

"I went skating all the time with my family when I was younger." Eliza says.

"I haven't don't have much skating experience, but I had a good teacher when I've been in the past." I state. "Have you ever skated before?"

"No." Zoey replies, scrunching up her face. "I thought it would be easy."

"That's only how the professionals make it look." As I speak, I watch the girl in the leotard complete a jump, spinning two rotations in the air before landing backwards. Zoey and Eliza watch too.

"I'd love to be able to do that." Eliza comments.

"So would I." I agree.

"I'd just like to be able to stand without holding on." Zoey wails.

"You'll get the hang of it." I reassure her. "Just glide, one foot in front of the next."

Me and Eliza glide slowly across the ice, staying close to Zoey as she stumbles around the rink. Gradually, Zoey becomes steadier on her feet. She lets go of the side, and Eliza and I take turns holding her hand. We skate a bit closer to the centre of the rink, leaving the edge to the increasing number of flailing children.

"Hey, guys." Megan calls, hand in hand with Brielle.

"Hey." Zoey greets excitedly, letting go of my hand to skate over to Megan and Brielle. She makes it all the way across the width of the rink without stumbling. But bumps straight into the side. "Ow!" She exclaims, clutching her stomach after the impact.

Eliza and I stop closely behind Zoey.

"Are you okay?" I ask.

"No. I'm in pain." Zoey wails.

"Drama queen will be just fine." Megan says. Zoey glares at her.

"We'll get some skates and join you on the ice." Brielle says, steering Megan away from Zoey.

"That really hurt." Zoey rubs her stomach.

"Can you still skate?" Eliza inquires.

"I sure hope so."

"Come on then. Let's do another lap while Megan and Brielle sort their skates." I suggest.

The five of us have a lot of fun on the ice. Zoey trips Megan over, and Megan returns the favour. Me, Eliza, and Brielle simply watch and laugh to the other girls' dismay. Like Zoey, Megan isn't much of a skater. But Brielle has a few tricks up her sleeve. She can skate backwards, as well as slalom-style, like a skier darting back and forth round flags.

"Impressive." I say as Brielle does the backwards slalom.

"Thanks. I have a friend back home who does skating lessons. She's so much better than me, but she's taught me a few things." She replies.

"So, tomorrow. I'm sure you want Megan's outfit to be a surprise, so I was wondering if you wanted to get ready with me? We can do each other's hair and makeup."

"Sure. I'll bring some chocolates or something for us to share."

That was easier than I thought it was going to be. "Sounds good. I want to be real friends, rather than just acquaintances."

"So do I." Brielle agrees.

"Hey." Megan skates over, grabbing hold of Brielle's arm to anchor her as she stops. She gives Brielle a peck on the lips, keeping her hand on Brielle. Both girls give each other beaming smiles. "Fancy teaching me and Zoey how to skate properly?" Megan asks Brielle.

"Anything for you." Brielle answers.

"When you're done, can you teach me to skate backwards?" I inquire.

"Yeah, sure."

Megan practically drags Brielle away.

We spend another half hour on the ice, before heading over to our favourite café, Snack!, for cakes and a bit of warmth. By the time we get back to campus, I almost feel like I'm living a normal life. All the drama of my royal life seems like a distant memory.