“So why are you here?" Diamond asked him. His grip tightened on her hand, sending sweet delicious tingles up her arm. “My father sent me.” This raised my hackles.
“My father sent me as well.” We both looked at each other and then looked away. “My father sent me here hoping that I would find some insight on my obsession with heat. That it’s not natural and neither is my lack of interest with socializing.”
“You're mingling with me.” His gruff voice answered.
“That's different.”
“Then possibly it's the people that they want you to socialize with, and not the people that you want to be around.”
She paused and turned to him, her eyebrows furrowed, thinking about what he said. “No it's pretty much everyone I know.” She thought about it for a second. “Yeah, everyone. Well,” she shrugged. “Except you.” Then she grinned. “But there's still time for that to backfire.”
He chuckled, a deep baritone laugh and then continued walking, guiding her along. “Have you always had this fascination with heat?”
“As long as I can remember. What about you?” she questioned. “Why are you here?”
He pressed his lips together, not looking at her and then quietly revealed his secret. “My Dashes are off. I can't seem to get a hold of them.”
“Mmm, I can see where that might be a problem. And your frozen heart-”
“I do not have a frozen heart,” he argued.
Diamond let go of his hand and turned in front of him before he moved any further. She placed a hand on his chest. “Have you ever thought…”
“What is it?”
Sucking in a deep breath she continued. “Did you ever think that perhaps your heart wouldn't be so cold if you had someone to share it with?”
No emotion showed as his face cleared. He took her hand from his chest and gathered it back in his own. Slipping his fingers through hers, he urged them to keep walking. “I have often thought of this, but that's all.
“Oh.”
Not knowing what to say about that, Diamond settled for glancing around the tunnels at the symbols etched into the walls. They passed a niche port-gate where fairies flew out when they were done with their walk. Not everyone goes the whole way.
The two of them walked in silence until they reached the end where the tunnel maze led to a great cavern with blue and light blue high vaulted ceilings that moonbeams filtered through like a natural light.
Graupel turned to her with a tender smile. “I'm going to study some text on the wall over there." He said pointing across the space to the icy cave wall.
Diamond gave a hesitant smile before nodding. "Ok."
He gave her hand a quick squeeze before letting go. Diamond sensed the loss but looking at him, she couldn't tell if he did as well.
Diamond fluttered over to another wall with interesting writings and pulled out her throw blanket. She then proceeded to sit down and grab a parchment book out of her bag. She sat and read as Graupel looked for ways to find his Dashes.
Diamond couldn’t concentrate on her book, her eyes kept straying to Prince Grauple. Sighing, she closed her book and fluttered her small wings, moving across the icy floor toward him.
She delicately dropped down beside his tall frame and watched as his lips moved as he read the ancient script that had been preserved on the glacier wall. He hadn’t even noticed her, as his brows bore downward in concentration. She wanted to smooth the worry wrinkles in his brow, help him somehow.
She laid a light hand on his shoulder which had him swinging his gaze her way. He grimaced with embarrassment. “Sorry, were you saying something?”
Diamond shook her head and withdrew her hand, letting it drop back down by her side. “No, but you seem to be studying those ancient texts pretty hard.” She gave him a hopeful grin. “Is there something that maybe I could help you with?”
This was so out of character for her that in a nervous habit, she bit her lip.
Prince Graupel stepped aside and she was sure he was going to decline her help. Very well, she’d take back her offer before he could turn her down. She let go of her lip, and smoothed out her dress as she looked anywhere but him. “Nevermind, my prince. I can see my help is not wanted.” She then went to move away, but he slipped his hand into hers, stopping her retreat.
“Don’t go. I could use… some help.” He sighed the last bit as if he faced defeat.
Taking him in,she saw the worry lines across his forehead, dark circles under his eyes, and the hardness in him that he needed to let go. His mouth pressed, dark eyes steady on her own. “Say something.”
Thinking back to earlier, she nodded. “I have an idea. In Zen class, you seemed to be forcing yourself to find the Dash peace.”
His face transformed in a pleased one. “So you watched me in there.” It was a smug statement, one she would ignore.
“I think we should start there.” Tightening her grip on his hand she led him to the middle of the Glacier Cavern. Letting go, she gestured for him to sit. “This spot is as good as any.” She watched Graupel hesitate as he glanced around, looking for any others who would see him.
“There’s no one here.” she reassured him, with a pat on his shoulder. “Plus, it’s later in the day, almost no one comes here at this time.”
Pressing his lips, Graupel pushed his long royal coat back and gracefully sat in position, then he watched her do the same.
“Fold your legs and rest your palms on your knees.”
Diamond directed as she smoothed out her dress and did just that. “Now close your eyes…”
She watched as his long white eyelashes swooped downward dusting his upper cheeks and secretly wished she had them.
“Now what?” He muttered, his face scrunching up, tensing.
Diamonds lips twisted as she watched him. “You have to relax before you zen hover.” She dropped her voice to a soothing whisper. “Now, I want you to concentrate on your toes. Flex them a few times, then go to your legs. Adjust them to where you feel comfortable.” she saw a flicker of movement under his eyelids. “Don’t roll your eyes.”
He chuckled. “Fine.”
“Now straighten your spine and adjust your hips.Take in a deep breath and hold it for a moment before exhaling. Let your wings relax and slightly move in a rhythm. One… two, three. One… two, three. It gives you a slight swaying motion that increases relaxation.”
She watched him do this, as his worry wrinkles disappeared, his breathing deepened, and his Zen hover was beyond perfect. She was proud of him.
Abandoning her position, she slowly flit around him and in soft tones, she went on. “Without speaking, I want you to take a quick status of how you’re feeling and try to hold on to that for the next part.” Diamond took a deep breath and paused in front of him. Leaning in she whispered, “Feel the bitterness in the air.... the quiet whispers of snowflakes falling. Echos of the glacier. The sweet smell of pure fallen snow. The shifts. Now bring your palms up and gather up winter and make it snow.”
Diamond grinned when the first flurries fell and flew up higher into the tippy tops of the glacier, twirling around making small flurry funnels. She giggled, but then twirled into strong arms. Graupel was there with a smirk. He let her go as he flipped in the air, chuckling. It already started to snow. “I did it!” he laughed, coming back to her. His gaze had lighted deep within himself. “It’s been so long since I could form such snow as this.”
Hearing him say that, it almost made Diamond believe that his frozen heart had melted, but she still had doubts. It was such a small snow fall.
Prince Graupel took a hold of her and danced in the air. She laughed, amused with his outrageous behavior.
The two of them finally calmed down and settled on Diamond’s blanket. Her stomach growled and she dug into her bag, bypassing the human trinkets she brought along and pulled out her snacks. She offered him an iced strawberry she bartered for at the trading post.
He took it, giving her a dazzling grin. “Thanks.”
She kept quiet and nodded, bringing out her own.
It seemed like only moments later the ground started to rumble and icy boulders started to tumble to the ground.