Rochelle L. Sharpe

Chapter Ten: The Ice Surprise.

“There is one more thing you have to do to make your clichéd snow day complete,” Ashlyn says after lunch.

“What’s that?” I ask, turning to her.

A cheeky grin spreads across her face. “You’ll see.”

My curiosity is piqued.

We rug back up. This time Hemlin and Lyndaria join us.

“Do I get a hint?” I ask as we cross a field of snow.

Poplyn has placed himself between Ashlyn and I as we walk.

“We’re almost there,” she tells me.

We round a bend and I see it. A large pond covered in ice. My stomach dips and I pause.

“You want to go ice skating?”

I’ve never done it before, and I don’t want to make a fool of myself in front of Ashlyn. Or Lyndaria, for that matter.

Ashlyn stops beside me. “C’mon. It will be fun. I’ll hold your hand.”

“Well, if that’s the case.” I grin at her and she laughs.

There’s a small wooden shack at the edge of the pond. Lyndaria produces a key and unlocks the door. Inside are shelves with skates on them. More than enough for us all, plus some. I half hope there won’t be any my size, but if I’m getting to hold Ashlyn’s hand, I’ll squeeze into a pair if I have to.

Olen and Poplyn swoop in first to grab their skates. Olen pulls out a different sled from the one we used earlier and Flint jumps onto it. Olen parks it beside the pond so Flint can watch him skate.

Ashlyn hands me a pair. “These are yours. Lyndaria ordered them for you when she knew you were coming.”

“Thank you,” I tell Lyndaria, and she nods.

There is a wooden bench beside Flint, and we go over it to put over skates on. Olen is already skating, while Poplyn waits for Ashlyn on the ice.

“I’m fine, Poplyn,” Ashlyn tells him. “Go and skate.” He nods and does just that.

Lyndaria and Hemlin skate off together, hand in hand.

I sit beside Ashlyn, and she explains how to put the skates on. After I lace mine up, I stand. Ashlyn hops on the ice first, turning and holding out her hand to me. I take it, stepping onto the ice. Nerves squirm in my stomach, even as Ashlyn holds my hand. I almost slip and Ashlyn steadies me. Heat rises to my cheeks, and I duck my head so Ashlyn doesn’t see.

She shows me how to move my feet and we glide forward. I almost slip a few more times, but I eventually get used to it. We skate around the pond much slower than the others.

Though Poplyn keeps an eye on us, he doesn’t try to separate us.

“This is kinda fun,” I admit. It’s made all the more fun by the fact that I get to hold Ashlyn’s hand.

 “I love Ice-skating,” Ashlyn says. “It’s one thing I miss when back home.”

I make a note to find the closest ice-skating rink when we get home and take Ashlyn to it. It might not be quite as good as the real thing, but it would be better than not skating at all. Where we live, it’s probably hours to the closest one. We could make a day of it though. Maybe it can even be a date.

Ashlyn stays by my side, hand in mine, as we make countless loops around the pond. As much as I want to keep holding her hand, I tell Ashlyn I want to take a break. If she loves ice-skating so much, I want her to have a turn without lugging a newbie like me around.  

Lyndaria and Hemlin are already resting on the bench, and I sit beside them. Olen and Poplyn joins us.

Ashlyn skates out to the middle of the pond. She begins a dance, gliding along like a ballerina on ice, graceful and elegant. Sound fades and all I can see is her. Emotion stirs in my chest. She is so so beautiful as she sways and glides and spins. She could give a professional ice skater a run for their money.

I’m mesmerised, and as I watch her, I pray that one day soon, she’ll want to be mine.  

#

The six of us sit around the fire sipping hot chocolate, Flint by Olen’s side. Ashlyn leans against me, her arm against mine, which earns me intermittent glares from Poplyn. Lyndaria’s back is pressed against Hemlin’s chest, his arms wrapped around her, and I wish I could be that close to Ashlyn.

As it is, I have to resist the urge to kiss the top of her head. If we were alone, I probably would.

“Today was the best!” Olen says, earning smiles from everyone.

“Was good,” Poplyn says rather seriously.

Ashlyn laughs a quiet laugh before looking at me. “How about you? Did you have a good day?”

“The best,” I tell her, parroting Olen. “It really was.” I lower my voice. “Any day I get to spend with you is the best.”

Ashlyn blushes and Lyndaria clears her throat. “And you, Ashlyn?”

Ashlyn looks at her aunt. “It was the most fun I’ve had in a long time.”

“I’m glad to hear it.”

The clock above the fireplace chimes.

“It is time to get ready for the Hallowed Service,” Lyndaria announces, standing. Olen and Flint head to his bedroom.

I place my mug down and stand, holding out my hands to Ashlyn. She slips hers into mine and I pull her to her feet. After giving my hands a quick squeeze, she bends down to grab our mugs and takes them to the kitchen.

“I’m not going,” she says, avoiding looking at Lyndaria.

Lyndaria takes a step forward. “Why not?”

Ashlyn fills the sink with water. “I don’t want anyone to know I’m here except for those who absolutely have to.”

Lyndaria frowns but doesn’t argue. She turns to me. “I hope you are planning on attending.”

I want to stay with Ashlyn, but if I want Lyndaria to accept me, I need to go. Besides, I am curious to see what the Hallowed Service is like on this world. “I am.”

She nods and goes to her room.

Hemlin claps me on the back. “You are in for quite the experience.”

I give him a closed lip smile, my eyes drifting back to Ashlyn. All the joy radiating from her earlier is gone. I’m once more wishing I could wrap my arms around her.  

#

The Hallowed Service is held in a plain wooden building. It is dark inside. A man with a candle leads Hemlin, Olen and I to our seats. Men sit on one side, women on the other, so Lyndaria is led to a seat across the aisle from us.

No one speaks, except to say thank you, as each person is led to a seat.

I’m surprised it isn’t cold in the building, but somehow the floor is warm beneath my feet.

After everyone is seated, a man steps to the front and lights a candle.

“Light has come into the world!” he declares.

“Praise the Light!” the congregation shouts in unison.

The man lights two more candles and everyone stands.

Hemlin leans toward me. “We have the service at night, with only three candles, to remind us to keep our focus on the Light.”

I nod, but I’m not sure if he can see me. “Right,” I whisper.

They sing three songs, none of which I’ve ever heard of. There are no hymn books, so I can’t sing along. They do sound nice, though. I play guitar and sing sometimes at my church back home. The only instrument they have here is a piano.

The pastor, or whatever he is called on this world, asks us to sit, so we do. He gives a stirring sermon, and I wish Ashlyn could hear it. It was heart breaking watching the joy slip so easily from her eyes at the thought of anyone knowing she was here. I know she still carries a lot of trauma from saving this world. Lyndaria hopes she will come back and rule one day, but if she doesn’t heal from the trauma, she never will.

(Stay tuned for chapter eleven!)

© Rochelle L. Sharpe, 2025.