Felix stopped in front of Aurora and rested one hand against the railing, his breathing still slightly uneven from the routine he'd just completed. He looked at her for a moment, clearly pleased with the expression on her face.
"So?"
Aurora tilted her head. "So what?"
"Do you want to try?"
Her eyebrows lifted. "Try what?"
"Skating."
Aurora stared at him for a second before shaking her head.
"Absolutely not."
Felix laughed. "Why?"
"Because I don't have skates?" she said, not sounding so sure of her answer herself.
His smile became suspiciously smug.
"Actually..."
Aurora narrowed her eyes. "Actually what?"
"I thought ahead."
He pushed away from the railing and walked towards a bench beside the rink. A small black bag sat on the floor beside it. Felix crouched down, unzipped it and pulled out a pair of skates.
Aurora stared at them.
"Felix."
"I brought them for you."
"You brought me skates?"
"Yep."
She looked from the skates to him. "How did you know my size?"
"I asked."
"When?"
"That information is classified."
Aurora laughed. "You're ridiculous."
Felix held the skates towards her.
"And they're my favourite colour," she squealed, her face lighting up as she accepted the skates.
Her expression softened as she looked at them.
"You remembered."
"Of course I did."
For a moment, Aurora simply looked at him.
"Thank you."
Felix grinned. "You're welcome. Now, is there any other reason why you can't join me on the ice?"
Aurora rolled her eyes, a smile tugging at her lips.
She then sat on the bench and began putting them on, carefully tightening the laces while Felix waited nearby. Once she was ready, he offered her his hand and helped her stand.
She took one cautious step towards the ice.
Then another.
The moment her blade touched the surface, her entire posture stiffened.
"No," she whispered.
Felix laughed. "What's wrong?"
"I'm going back."
"You've been on the ice for three seconds."
"Three terrifying seconds!"
Felix shook his head as he skated closer to her.
"Relax."
"I'm relaxed," she said, stabilising her breathing.
"You're gripping that railing like it's keeping you alive."
Aurora glanced down at her hand, which was wrapped tightly around the railing.
She slowly loosened her fingers.
"Happy?" she asked, an obviously forced smile plastered across her face.
"Very," he replied with a laugh.
Felix extended one hand towards her.
"Come on."
Aurora stared at it for a moment before placing her hand in his.
"Slowly," he said.
"I know."
"Small steps."
"I know."
"Don't look down," he cautioned.
Aurora immediately looked down.
Felix laughed. "I literally just told you not to."
"I like knowing where my feet are."
"You'll learn."
He began guiding her forward, skating backwards while keeping a steady hold of her hand. Aurora moved cautiously, placing one foot in front of the other as she tried to find her balance.
"That's it," Felix encouraged. "Keep your knees slightly bent."
Aurora adjusted her stance.
"Like this?"
"Exactly," Felix approved.
She pushed one foot against the ice.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then she moved forward.
Her eyes widened.
"I did it."
Felix smiled. "You did."
Aurora looked at him, clearly surprised by herself.
"Again."
He laughed. "Now you're enjoying yourself."
"Maybe."
"You definitely are."
She rolled her eyes, but her smile gave her away.
They continued around the rink, Felix patiently showing her how to shift her weight and control her movements. He demonstrated each technique first, gliding a short distance before turning back to her and explaining what she needed to do. Aurora copied him carefully, sometimes getting it right and sometimes wobbling enough to make Felix laugh.
"You're enjoying this far too much," she said after one particularly shaky attempt.
"I'm enjoying watching you learn."
"That sounds suspiciously like an insult."
"It's not."
"It sounded like one."
Felix smiled. "Try again."
Aurora took a breath and pushed off.
This time, she managed to glide several metres without his help.
She stopped and looked at him with a triumphant smile.
"Did you see that?"
"I did."
"I did it by myself."
"I know."
Aurora laughed, her earlier nervousness almost completely gone.
Felix smiled.
For a moment, neither of them said anything.
Aurora looked around the quiet rink before turning back towards him.
"I can understand why you like this."
Felix's expression softened.
"The ice?"
She nodded.
"Yeah."
He looked across the rink.
"When I'm skating, I don't have to think about everything else."
Aurora watched him carefully.
"The business?"
"That. My family. Expectations. All of it."
He looked back at her.
"Out here, it's just me and the ice."
Aurora smiled faintly.
"I think everyone deserves a place where they can breathe."
Felix held her gaze for a moment.
"Exactly."
The quiet between them lasted only a few seconds before Aurora looked down at her skates.
"Alright, Mr Figure Skater. Teach me something else."
Felix's smile returned.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes," Aurora affirmed.
"Because the next one is slightly harder."
Aurora straightened.
"How hard?"
Felix grinned.
"You'll find out."
She immediately narrowed her eyes.
"Felix."
He laughed.
"Relax. I've got you."
And this time, when Aurora pushed away from the railing, she did it without hesitation.
...
By the time they left the rink, the sun was high above Eldlyria and the city had begun to wake properly. Aurora stretched her arms above her head as they stepped outside, enjoying the warmth of the morning after spending so long surrounded by cold air.
She glanced at Felix.
"That was fun."
Felix looked at her.
"Actually?"
"Don't ruin it."
He laughed. "Food?"
Aurora didn't hesitate.
"Yes, food!"
They started walking through the streets of Eldlyria without any particular destination in mind. Neither of them was in a hurry, and there was something strangely refreshing about having nowhere they needed to be. For once, they could simply walk beside each other without worrying about where they had to be next.
They eventually found a small restaurant and decided to stop for something to eat. Felix held the door open as Aurora stepped inside, and they found a quiet table near the window.
As they waited for their food, the conversation wandered from skating to architecture, from childhood memories to the strange habits they had picked up over the years.
Felix told her about some of the most embarrassing moments he'd experienced while learning to skate, leaving Aurora laughing so hard she had to put her drink down.
"You're laughing far too much."
"I'm sorry."
"No, you're not."
"Not even slightly."
He shook his head, smiling.
Aurora eventually returned the favour by telling him about some of the ridiculous problems she'd faced during the early days of setting up King's Architectural Firm.
"You mean people actually thought you couldn't build the company yourself?"
"They didn't say it directly."
"They didn't have to."
Aurora smiled. "Exactly."
Their food arrived, and the conversation continued between bites and laughter.
There was no grand plan for the day, no formal dinner and absolutely no pressure.
Just food, conversation and a long walk through Eldlyria afterwards.
And somehow, Aurora found herself enjoying the simplicity of it more than she expected.
Today, they were simply two people enjoying an ordinary Sunday together.
And neither of them seemed in any hurry for it to end.