Skating on Thin Ice- PG
‘Arthur, where are we going?’ she asked, her teeth chattering as she pulled the collar of her coat more tightly about her neck.
He didn’t answer her, his only response was to wrap his arm more securely around her shoulder.
‘Arthur?’ she pleaded.
He sighed, ‘it’s a surprise’
‘But where are we going? It’s bloody freezing’
‘I told you to come prepared’
‘But you didn’t tell me what to prepare for’
‘Don’t you like surprises anymore?’ he asked, looking down at her, his bright blue eyes wide and filled with what looked like hurt, but the smile which played across his lips gave him away.
‘You know I do, I’m just not such a fan when I feel like my ears are succumbing to frostbite’
‘Well it’s a good think I came prepared’ he said, swinging his rucksack off his shoulder and rummaging around in it for a moment as they continued to walk.
‘Here’ he said triumphantly, pulling something from the bag.
‘Er no Arthur, just no’
‘Would you rather lose your ears?’
‘Well it would mean I wouldn’t have to listen to you talking about the latest footie scores’ she teased.
He feigned a look of affront and pulled the woollen hat onto her head despite her ministrations.
He stepped back to admire his handy work.
She scowled up at him.
‘The pompoms suit you’ he grinned, ‘and those earflaps will keep your ears nice and warm’
She didn’t respond, her lips tight, her forehead creased.
‘Come on Gwen, it’s not that bad’
‘It has Thomas the Tank Engine’s face on it’ she exclaimed, her voice a little higher than normal.
‘It was mine when I was a kid, and it was the only spare hat I could find’ then he grinned, ‘besides you look cute’ he said, pressing a swift kiss to her still pouting lips.
He took her hand and they continued their walk down the embankment, the city lights reflected in the dark waters of the Thames.
‘I suppose I ought to be grateful’ she said after a moment.
He glanced at her.
‘That you weren’t brought up in the era of the Teletubbies- because that would have been really embarrassing’
He grinned and pulled her closer into the warmth of his chest.
They turned down a street, fairy lights crisscrossing the road, suspended above them between the imposing to the building on their left and the equally imposing one to their right. The bustle of late Christmas shoppers pushed them along and within a few minutes Arthur had extricated them from the tide of people making their way towards the nearest underground station. They stood in front of Somerset House.
She exhaled deeply.
‘Like it?’ he asked with the same trepidation which had consumed him all those months ago when he had surprised her for the first time.
And then she shot him that self-same smile which she had bestowed on him then.
‘It’s amazing, I can’t believe I have lived in London my whole life and never been here,’ she said, her eyes wide as she surveyed the impressive building, the lit pillars, the looming Christmas tree and… the ice rink. Her face fell.
‘I know right’ Arthur said, not having noticed her sudden change in countenance, ‘it’s a brilliant idea isn’t it?’
‘Er’
He looked down at her, confusion in his eyes.
‘You know,’ he said slowly and deliberately, ‘the idea of having a temporary skating rink here, right in the centre of London?’
She couldn’t say anything, she couldn’t bear to disappoint him.
‘Guinevere?’
‘It is a great idea’ she assured him, ‘but not for me’ she added, the statement sounding more like a question.
‘What?’
‘I’m sorry Arthur’
‘But it’s a Pendragon Christmas tradition’ he said, ‘Morgana and Leon and my Dad are coming to join us later’
‘Yeah but…’
‘I don’t get it Gwen, I thought you’d like this’
His imploring eyes broke her, ‘I can’t skate okay?’
‘Seriously? That’s what you’re worried about? That you’ve never skated before’
‘Correction, I have skated before and that is why I don’t skate’
‘What happened?’ he said, the glimmer of amusement in his eyes at her rather indignant tone of voice.
‘I was eight and my Gran had knitted a scarf for me which was miles too long and it got caught round my skates within the first five minutes of me getting on the ice, I fell over, knocked myself out and broke my arm. That is why I don’t skate’
Arthur was torn between laughter and sympathy and something in his face must have informed her of this.
‘Don’t you dare laugh at me Arthur Pendragon’ she said, giving him a shove.
He couldn’t help himself now, ‘I’m sorry Gwen’
‘It really hurt’ she said slight affronted by his lack of concern for her former self, but the sight of doubled up with laughter soon had her giggling too.
‘You’ she said, administering a swift jab to his side, ‘are evil’
‘How about I make it up to you later tonight?’ he asked, his eyes innocent, his twitch of the eyebrows much less so.
‘Fine, I suppose that’ll have to do’ she said with the kind of playful smile which still had the ability to make his stomach do backflips.
‘Right, well let’s go get our skates on’ he said, taking her by the hand.
‘Woah, Arthur I am not going on that ice rink’
‘Look Gwen, there are hardly any people and you’re not even wearing a scarf this time’
‘Arthur’ she whined, but the resolve in her eyes was melting away.
‘Guin-e-vere’ he said seriously, ‘do you honestly believe I would let anything happen to you?’
He had broken what was left of her resolve and what’s more he knew it, the triumphant look in his eyes told her as much. He really was infuriating.
‘Just give me half an hour, I’ll give you a quick lesson and if you don’t like it then you can stop’
‘Fine’ she said, ‘but if I end up in a cast you are explaining to Freya why I’ll be messing up all her wedding photos’ she feigned a scowl before adding with a smirk, ‘but I forgot, you and your face are going to be there so I needn’t worry’
‘You wound me Guinevere’ he said theatrically, clapping a hand over his heart. ‘Now, come on, no more stalling’ he says before dragging her off in the direction of the rink.
‘Arthur it’s slippy!’ Gwen squealed in a very un-Gwen like manner.
‘Yeah, that’s because it’s ice’ he replied, taking her glove covered hand and only just resisting the temptation to roll his eyes.
‘Right, now I just want you to push away from the side’ he said calmly.
‘Why?’ was her response as she clung desperately to the rail.
‘Because you can’t bring the rail with you’
‘I am not letting go’
‘Gwen, I’ll hold both your hands ok?’
‘No’
‘Trust me Guinevere’ he said with his big blue eyes imploring.
She bit her lip and took his other hand, letting go of the side, her heart in her mouth.
‘Well done, now all I want you to do,’ he said as skated skilfully backwards, checking over his shoulder every few seconds to avoid the other skaters, ‘is slide along like you’re on skis’
‘I’ve never been skiing’
He looked at her in surprise, ‘I’ll have to take you sometime. Dad’s got a chalet in the Alps, we could go in January’ he said enthusiastically.
‘I’ve got my management training in January and you’ve got half a dozen meetings every week’
‘Oh yeah’ he breathed, clearly disappointed, but then he shrugged, ‘we’ll just go next year’
He says it so nonchalantly, the words just come out. He doesn’t look embarrassed, he doesn’t even glance up at her face to check he hasn’t said something wrong. And despite the fact that at that moment it was minus one, her nose was pink with cold and her toes felt as if they were about to drop off, a deep warmth stole over her.
‘What’s up?’ he said, looking up from her skates and into her face.
‘I love you’ she replied, beaming.
‘Glad to hear it’ he grinned back, ‘so now just try and glide’
‘Oh just that?’ she said sarcastically.
‘You have lino on your kitchen floor right?’
‘Yes’ she replied tentatively.
‘Imagine you are sliding on it’
She laughed, ‘I never do that’
‘You forget, I know you rather well Guinevere’
She blushed, ‘ok, I hardly ever do that, and it was just me failing miserably to do the moonwalk’
‘Sure’ he drawled, with a twitch of his eyebrows.
She shot a feigned scowl at him from underneath her Thomas the Tank Engine hat, but tried hard to imagine that the ice was just lino and her skates were just socks. She pushed off with her right foot, then her left.
‘You’re doing it Gwen’
She ignored the vaguely patronising tone in his voice, choosing instead to grin at her own sense of accomplishment.
And then they were moving faster and she felt panic consume her as Arthur slackened his grip on her hands.
‘Don’t you dare let me go Arthur Pendragon’
‘I couldn’t even if I wanted to’
She looked up at him, ‘that is quite possibly one of the most vomiting inducing things I have ever heard you say’
‘Actually I meant I can’t let go of you, you’re holding my hands so tightly I think you may be cutting off circulation’ he laughed.
She laughed with him, neither of them paying much attention to their skates. There was a sound of grating metal on metal as Gwen’s skates caught Arthur’s. They fell. Fortunately for her, Arthur broke Gwen’s fall and she just ended up splayed in his lap. She looked up from his crotch to his face, her cheeks rather flushed, ‘Arthur are you ok?’
He grimaced, ‘I dunno, is it possible to you break your bum?’
He didn’t answer her, his only response was to wrap his arm more securely around her shoulder.
‘Arthur?’ she pleaded.
He sighed, ‘it’s a surprise’
‘But where are we going? It’s bloody freezing’
‘I told you to come prepared’
‘But you didn’t tell me what to prepare for’
‘Don’t you like surprises anymore?’ he asked, looking down at her, his bright blue eyes wide and filled with what looked like hurt, but the smile which played across his lips gave him away.
‘You know I do, I’m just not such a fan when I feel like my ears are succumbing to frostbite’
‘Well it’s a good think I came prepared’ he said, swinging his rucksack off his shoulder and rummaging around in it for a moment as they continued to walk.
‘Here’ he said triumphantly, pulling something from the bag.
‘Er no Arthur, just no’
‘Would you rather lose your ears?’
‘Well it would mean I wouldn’t have to listen to you talking about the latest footie scores’ she teased.
He feigned a look of affront and pulled the woollen hat onto her head despite her ministrations.
He stepped back to admire his handy work.
She scowled up at him.
‘The pompoms suit you’ he grinned, ‘and those earflaps will keep your ears nice and warm’
She didn’t respond, her lips tight, her forehead creased.
‘Come on Gwen, it’s not that bad’
‘It has Thomas the Tank Engine’s face on it’ she exclaimed, her voice a little higher than normal.
‘It was mine when I was a kid, and it was the only spare hat I could find’ then he grinned, ‘besides you look cute’ he said, pressing a swift kiss to her still pouting lips.
He took her hand and they continued their walk down the embankment, the city lights reflected in the dark waters of the Thames.
‘I suppose I ought to be grateful’ she said after a moment.
He glanced at her.
‘That you weren’t brought up in the era of the Teletubbies- because that would have been really embarrassing’
He grinned and pulled her closer into the warmth of his chest.
They turned down a street, fairy lights crisscrossing the road, suspended above them between the imposing to the building on their left and the equally imposing one to their right. The bustle of late Christmas shoppers pushed them along and within a few minutes Arthur had extricated them from the tide of people making their way towards the nearest underground station. They stood in front of Somerset House.
She exhaled deeply.
‘Like it?’ he asked with the same trepidation which had consumed him all those months ago when he had surprised her for the first time.
And then she shot him that self-same smile which she had bestowed on him then.
‘It’s amazing, I can’t believe I have lived in London my whole life and never been here,’ she said, her eyes wide as she surveyed the impressive building, the lit pillars, the looming Christmas tree and… the ice rink. Her face fell.
‘I know right’ Arthur said, not having noticed her sudden change in countenance, ‘it’s a brilliant idea isn’t it?’
‘Er’
He looked down at her, confusion in his eyes.
‘You know,’ he said slowly and deliberately, ‘the idea of having a temporary skating rink here, right in the centre of London?’
She couldn’t say anything, she couldn’t bear to disappoint him.
‘Guinevere?’
‘It is a great idea’ she assured him, ‘but not for me’ she added, the statement sounding more like a question.
‘What?’
‘I’m sorry Arthur’
‘But it’s a Pendragon Christmas tradition’ he said, ‘Morgana and Leon and my Dad are coming to join us later’
‘Yeah but…’
‘I don’t get it Gwen, I thought you’d like this’
His imploring eyes broke her, ‘I can’t skate okay?’
‘Seriously? That’s what you’re worried about? That you’ve never skated before’
‘Correction, I have skated before and that is why I don’t skate’
‘What happened?’ he said, the glimmer of amusement in his eyes at her rather indignant tone of voice.
‘I was eight and my Gran had knitted a scarf for me which was miles too long and it got caught round my skates within the first five minutes of me getting on the ice, I fell over, knocked myself out and broke my arm. That is why I don’t skate’
Arthur was torn between laughter and sympathy and something in his face must have informed her of this.
‘Don’t you dare laugh at me Arthur Pendragon’ she said, giving him a shove.
He couldn’t help himself now, ‘I’m sorry Gwen’
‘It really hurt’ she said slight affronted by his lack of concern for her former self, but the sight of doubled up with laughter soon had her giggling too.
‘You’ she said, administering a swift jab to his side, ‘are evil’
‘How about I make it up to you later tonight?’ he asked, his eyes innocent, his twitch of the eyebrows much less so.
‘Fine, I suppose that’ll have to do’ she said with the kind of playful smile which still had the ability to make his stomach do backflips.
‘Right, well let’s go get our skates on’ he said, taking her by the hand.
‘Woah, Arthur I am not going on that ice rink’
‘Look Gwen, there are hardly any people and you’re not even wearing a scarf this time’
‘Arthur’ she whined, but the resolve in her eyes was melting away.
‘Guin-e-vere’ he said seriously, ‘do you honestly believe I would let anything happen to you?’
He had broken what was left of her resolve and what’s more he knew it, the triumphant look in his eyes told her as much. He really was infuriating.
‘Just give me half an hour, I’ll give you a quick lesson and if you don’t like it then you can stop’
‘Fine’ she said, ‘but if I end up in a cast you are explaining to Freya why I’ll be messing up all her wedding photos’ she feigned a scowl before adding with a smirk, ‘but I forgot, you and your face are going to be there so I needn’t worry’
‘You wound me Guinevere’ he said theatrically, clapping a hand over his heart. ‘Now, come on, no more stalling’ he says before dragging her off in the direction of the rink.
‘Arthur it’s slippy!’ Gwen squealed in a very un-Gwen like manner.
‘Yeah, that’s because it’s ice’ he replied, taking her glove covered hand and only just resisting the temptation to roll his eyes.
‘Right, now I just want you to push away from the side’ he said calmly.
‘Why?’ was her response as she clung desperately to the rail.
‘Because you can’t bring the rail with you’
‘I am not letting go’
‘Gwen, I’ll hold both your hands ok?’
‘No’
‘Trust me Guinevere’ he said with his big blue eyes imploring.
She bit her lip and took his other hand, letting go of the side, her heart in her mouth.
‘Well done, now all I want you to do,’ he said as skated skilfully backwards, checking over his shoulder every few seconds to avoid the other skaters, ‘is slide along like you’re on skis’
‘I’ve never been skiing’
He looked at her in surprise, ‘I’ll have to take you sometime. Dad’s got a chalet in the Alps, we could go in January’ he said enthusiastically.
‘I’ve got my management training in January and you’ve got half a dozen meetings every week’
‘Oh yeah’ he breathed, clearly disappointed, but then he shrugged, ‘we’ll just go next year’
He says it so nonchalantly, the words just come out. He doesn’t look embarrassed, he doesn’t even glance up at her face to check he hasn’t said something wrong. And despite the fact that at that moment it was minus one, her nose was pink with cold and her toes felt as if they were about to drop off, a deep warmth stole over her.
‘What’s up?’ he said, looking up from her skates and into her face.
‘I love you’ she replied, beaming.
‘Glad to hear it’ he grinned back, ‘so now just try and glide’
‘Oh just that?’ she said sarcastically.
‘You have lino on your kitchen floor right?’
‘Yes’ she replied tentatively.
‘Imagine you are sliding on it’
She laughed, ‘I never do that’
‘You forget, I know you rather well Guinevere’
She blushed, ‘ok, I hardly ever do that, and it was just me failing miserably to do the moonwalk’
‘Sure’ he drawled, with a twitch of his eyebrows.
She shot a feigned scowl at him from underneath her Thomas the Tank Engine hat, but tried hard to imagine that the ice was just lino and her skates were just socks. She pushed off with her right foot, then her left.
‘You’re doing it Gwen’
She ignored the vaguely patronising tone in his voice, choosing instead to grin at her own sense of accomplishment.
And then they were moving faster and she felt panic consume her as Arthur slackened his grip on her hands.
‘Don’t you dare let me go Arthur Pendragon’
‘I couldn’t even if I wanted to’
She looked up at him, ‘that is quite possibly one of the most vomiting inducing things I have ever heard you say’
‘Actually I meant I can’t let go of you, you’re holding my hands so tightly I think you may be cutting off circulation’ he laughed.
She laughed with him, neither of them paying much attention to their skates. There was a sound of grating metal on metal as Gwen’s skates caught Arthur’s. They fell. Fortunately for her, Arthur broke Gwen’s fall and she just ended up splayed in his lap. She looked up from his crotch to his face, her cheeks rather flushed, ‘Arthur are you ok?’
He grimaced, ‘I dunno, is it possible to you break your bum?’