"Ten more steps and I'm turning back."

"It's just over here, I promise!" Rayman beckoned, excitement very clear in his voice.

"You said that five minutes ago too." she mumbled, but trudged forwards across the endless white void nonetheless.

Ly had always been very curious of what it was like outside the Fairy Glade, but the past day more or less convinced her that snow just wasn't her element in any way. Even with the giant coat covering her from head to toe, the oversized scarf, the boots, the gloves, and even a thick hat helped very little against the unfamiliar amounts of cold seeping through every tiny, even slightly uncovered inch of skin. She had been lightly shivering since they stepped out of the warm cabin, and every step just reaffirmed her belief that, with all due respect, Helena of the Nymphs was crazy to live anywhere near such temperatures.

Nonetheless, she continued onwards after her friend, as the last thing she wanted was to get lost in this sparkly white hell. Rayman's sense of direction was the only thing she could rely on to get back. She could easily discern one tree from another in the Glade, but out here, she may as well be lost in abyss. At least he certainly didn't have any problems, rushing through the snow as he would do anywhere else. Barely even needed the coat he was wearing.

"We're here!" he called out, conveniently from behind yet another snowy mound.

Ly groaned and hastened her steps as much as she could. Normally, getting to him would have been as easy as leaping across, but she would usually do so in clothes that didn't restrict every attempted motion. As soon as she managed to climb past this final obstacle, she had to admit the sight was worth the trek.

A pond stretched across the snowy landscape, frozen still in this weather. The sun was just high enough to cast its light upon the ice, granting it the appearance of a lake of pure crystal. It was rare to see water frozen in the Glade, much less in such a volume. Rayman looked very proud her amazement and wasted no time in shamelessly abusing the possibilities. He leaped forward and landed right upon the ice, gracefully sliding forwards from the momentum.

The fairy stepped forward as well, partly to follow and partly because the sight was just far too fascinating to ignore. As soon as her boot landed on the lake though, the shift in her weight caused her foot to slide forwards. She cried out, frantically waving her arms to regain her balance, but it was no use. Her sight shifted from the lake, to the clear blue sky as she fell to a sit, luckily still just in the middle of the snow.

"You alright there?" she heard briefly as Rayman slid by on one foot, trying his absolute best not to laugh.

"...of course I am." she grumbled.

His concern touched her deeply and she wanted to repay him with a nice, friendly and swift smack upside the head. To do so though, meant she had to stand up again, which quickly proved to be a very difficult task. She leaned forward and tried to get up, but just couldn't figure out how to adjust and merely danced along the ground for several moments, while sliding deeper into the makeshift ice rink.

Ly's cheeks quickly filled with indignant red and she attempted to get up once more. This time, her efforts sort of paid off, but as soon as she would steady herself, a horrid wobble in her legs did short work of her hard-earned victory. Rayman showered her with tips from the sidelines, but after a while she just tuned him out entirely, determined to achieve a standing position on her own.

After several more attempts, she finally managed to stay upright for a little while and for the first time, she managed to keep her balance as well, albeit slightly wobbling all the same. Seeing Rayman zipping across the lake steeled her resolve and following his example, she took another step forward. This proved to be a difficult task, but one she wasn't about to shy away from. With every step, she would grow bolder, more confident and more firm on her feet.

The cold hardly seemed to matter any longer, as the thrill of such an unfamiliar challenge proved more than enough to heat her right up. Redoubling her efforts, she managed to slide forwards on her feet this time. It wasn't as graceful as Rayman's movements, but it was definitely better than her attempts thus far. Ly laughed and continued, even losing her hat in the fervor of this newfound enjoyment.

It didn't last much longer though. She grew overconfident and sped up far too much in one go to control it. Her giggle turned into a loud cry as she wobbled violently, before the boot once again turned against her. Her foot left the ground and her whole body lurched backwards. She closed her eyes, anticipating a quite nasty fall, only to feel something crashing into her from behind. The fall was inevitable, but the landing ended up much smoother, sliding across the ice in a sit, rather than trying to mimic an overturned spider.

"Careful now, you could have hurt yourself back there." she heard, his voice forcing her eyes open.

His intention may have been to gracefully catch her, but that proved a little too much even for him. Instead, they were both in a heap on the ground, just barely careening to stop. They both looked at each other for just a moment, before they started laughing. She pulled the limbless close and embraced him for the effort at least.

He enjoyed the affection for a moment, before backing out and standing up again, holding a hand out for her. Ly grinned and took it, letting him slowly and gently bring her to her feet again.

"Now, just try to relax, okay?" he said.

Ly nodded and let him dictate her every step from then on. One tentative step after another. A slide, one short, one long. A spin and a fall, then immediately back to her feet again. Another spin, another fall, but he was right there to pick her up again. Another slide, more confident than before. The wobble turned to firm stance as they both raced across the ice.

Hand in hand they continued, their motions steadily turning into something akin to a dance. Where he learned the steps, she would never know. Where she picked up on them, she didn't care. The quiet winter serenity was all that mattered as their laughter echoed along the snowy lands for hours on end.

"Thank you." she sighed, wrapping her nearly frozen fingers around the warm mug.

"Go slow, or it'll burn your mouth." he warned, placing their coats near the fire to dry up.

"Experience?" Ly asked, reaching up to brush the leftover droplets from all the rime on her hair.

"More than I can count." he said, settling down by her, but only after procuring a thick blanket.

The fairy was still shivering wildly, but the warmth around her did its best to seep into her bones as quickly as possible. Both of them were too caught up to realize they'd been out longer than healthy, especially for a fairy who has hardly stepped beyond the borders of the Fairy Glade before. By the time they returned, Ly could swear even her breath was like ice. Rayman made sure upon returning to warm her and the cabin up as quickly as possible though. As always, his friend's plight was paramount.

Of course, he wasn't about to go unrewarded though and once she was all snug, he sat down and snuggled right up into her arms, letting the warm cloth drape across both of them.

"Thank you."

"You already said that." he chuckled, squeezing a couple droplets from his floppy hair.

"Not just for this. For... just everything really. For bringing me out here." she said, embracing the limbless. She paused, then continued with a grin. "For not letting me back out."

He leaned back further and returned the grin. "It's what friends do. They listen, they help and they'll make sure to push you out the door, when there's no other option."

They shared a laugh and just sat around afterwards, while warmth seeped back into their tired, still shivering bodies. Before long, the only noises in the cabin were the crackling fire and the soft snores of the two would-be ice skaters.

Hope you like it and thank you for reading! This was originally a Fictober 19 entry, with the theme of "It will be fun, trust me". I sadly didn't manage to finish the whole month due to personal reasons, but hey, there's always next time. Visit my tumblr at woodsofblight for more!