The Snow Queen's Throne // Calena

[Deleted]

It was really too cold for most people to want to swim.  That was perfectly fine with Ygraine- a few comments about how she just had to take one last dip before winter set in was enough to free her from the gaggle of acquaintances she had fallen in with from previous years.  She climbed the otherwise empty stairs from the fourth floor two at a time, composing herself for a moment before she strolled through the door and out onto the roof, careful to look as though she weren't too eager.  She wasn't sure where Emrys was- he'd abandoned her once he got tired of being the only guys amidst giggling girls, some of whom weren't so subtle about flirting with him.  He'd figure out where she was if he needed her though, despite cell phones not working.

She kicked out of her sandals and sweat pants, then pulled the thin, oversized sweater she'd been wearing over her head.  Beneath she wore a clean, streamlined one-piece.  It was an athlete's suit, quicksilver and black and tight as a second skin.  The pool wasn't really big enough for a proper swim but she walked up to the deepest area and jumped in, legs together and eyes closed.  The chilly water closed around her like death's fist but she started moving before she had even properly adjusted to the temperature.  The longer she waited the longer it would take.  

She couldn't really swim laps in a pool this size but she was determined to wear herself out.  At least she would get a lot of practice turning around.  Her hair, tightly braided back from her face, hardly darkened underwater.  Underwater she was a creature of alabaster and mercury, onyx and moonlight.  At least, that's what Emrys had mused once when he'd been playing with creating poetry while she worked herself to exhaustion in the water.  He preferred to swim for enjoyment.  She never got anything useful done when he swam with her.  It always dissolved into games of tag and splashing wars, and whatever tricks he came up with.  

The short length of the pool and thoughts of her brother started an idea in the back of her head as she cut through the water.  It just didn't feel like she could get up any good speed.  She came up at the end near the stairs and filled her lungs, then twisted and pushed off beneath the water.  How many passes could she make holding her breath?  She wasn't entirely sure, but she had no reason not to find out.  Honestly, the number didn't matter.  It was the burn in her lungs and the pounding of her heart that mattered, and the instinctive, gut level panic she had to fight.

Finally she breached the surface again, shoving herself out of the water and catching her elbows on the side of the pool.  She leaned there on the edge, gasping for air, shivering in the chill breeze made colder by her wet skin.  The relief and the release of tension washed over her in a wave of endorphins.  For a moment her mind was blissfully blank.

CALENA ROSE SATDATHOREN

[CALENA ROSE SATDATHOREN]

485 WORDS FOR @ygraine | OUTFIT | RISE BY KATY PERRY | TEMPLATE BY MYTH

Days like today made Calena almost thankful that she didn't have to sped the night in the mansion that housed the Guild of Shattered Sight. Almost thankful that she didn't have to sit through another dinner with Symon as he dragged on and on about himself...almost thankful that she didn't have to listen to sam grown every time he moved due to the beating she gave him...almost thankful that she didn't have to listen to Lydia's shrilly voice every minuet of every day. Yes, as much as Calena resented having to be a student at this reached place, it had it's perks. The mock-fight she had with Sam not an hour ago had left it's toll on Calena. While she was the obvious victor of the match, he had managed to get in a few good strike, and she could feel her right shoulder and left ribs getting more bruised by the second. Lucky for her, the cold temperature outside meant that the outdoor pool would be empty. Calena longed for a good hot soak, and the sure to be vacant pool would make for the perfect location for the fire-starter to lose herself for a bit

Not even bothering to make a stop in her room, Calena made the assent up the stairs from the first floor, anxiously waiting to peel her sweat-soaked clothes from her salty skin. The evening had started like any other, with Calena, Sam and numerous other guild-members training in their patted training room. But then came Symon, in more sour of a mood than normal. He would sometimes enjoy watching his minions train, although very rarely did he show any interest in anyone. But today...today Symon had a devilish grin in his eye as he strode in the room, Lydia at his side. When he stopped by her and called Sam over, Calena knew things were about to get rough. And of course, when he demanded they 'show everyone what a real fight looks like' Calena all but lost it...and rather than taking her wrath out on the source Symon, Sam was instead the target. While Sam put up a good fight, and even got the first hit, Calena made sure she got the last one...with a flaming hot punch that was sure to leave a mark.

When she finally made it to the rooftop and opened the door, she was surprised to find the pool occupied by one very fair haired girl. Her blue-green eyes were blazing at the thought of sharing the space. Taking a deep breath to contain her disappointment, Calena opened her mouth just as the girl was starting to prop herself out of the water. I suggest you leave...Things are about to get really hot She said and called flame to her hand for dramatic effect. Wouldn't want that pretty face of yours getting burned now would we? She added dryly.

Hope this gives you something to work with!

[Deleted]

Ygraine didn't hear the sound of the approaching girl, too wrapped up in the slowing beat of her heart and the sweet rush of air in her lungs. Her head lifted abruptly when the other girl bean to speak though, her body going still in the water for a brief moment. Then her shoulders straightened and she twisted in the water until she leaned against the edge of the pool with one elbow, her body stretched out comfortably in the water, facing the speaker. If she'd been on a chair, she would've been lounging. She met the intruder's eyes, cool and not letting a hint of her inner thoughts through.

Smile, Ygraine. Smile until it hurts and then keep smiling.

She smiled. It was a very good smile, well practiced. It reached her eyes, crinkling the corners and putting a bit of brightness in those pale blue orbs though it didn't really warm the iciness. For a moment she considered leaving. What she'd come up her for was spoiled. Solitude ended, her best bet was to preserve her dignity and relinquish the pool with grace, as though she had already intended to be leaving.

Something about this chick's attitude had her hackles of though. Ygraine had been raised to be dominant. It was hard to back down from a challenge. So instead she made a slight gesture towards the water, sparing the flaming hand only a slightly curious glance. "Come on in, the water could use some warming up." Her voice was light and breezy, the cadence carefully planned to be casual, unintimidated.

Emrys would've laughed it off. He'd have gotten in the girl's face. But this was a pissing contest and Ygraine was just irritated enough about being summarily ordered out of a public area made her more than willing to throw her hat in the ring. "The pool is free for the use of all students."

Her gaze did flick occasionally to Calena's hand. Her father was a firestarter. That was the gift her mother always said she should have had. It would have made her the perfect heir. She kept her curiosity guarded behind the pleasant smile, but she couldn't help the glance. She wondered what it felt like.

CALENA ROSE SATDATHOREN

[CALENA ROSE SATDATHOREN]

650 WORDS FOR @ygraine | OUTFIT | RISE BY KATY PERRY | TEMPLATE BY MYTH

Telling Calena Sardathoren did not handle not getting her way lightly. In fact, she couldn't remember the last time anyone other than Symon told her no. And this girl did it with a smile on her face. A fake smile, but a smile none the less. "Come on in, the water could use some warming up. The pool is free for the use of all students." So kind...controlled, it was enough to make Calena's ears burn. This girl had guts, Calena would give her that. The question was...how easily did she burn? The fire starter noticed how often the blonde looked at the flame still dancing in her hand, hey eyes revealing a hint of envy. Calena knew that this girl was not gifted, it was her job to know that. Which could only mean one thing...a shifter. Shifters normally took on personality traits of the animals they could change into. This fair haired maiden was clearly trying to be dominate, and that fake but ever-trying smile gave her 'need to please' feeling away. Yes, Calena was almost certain this girl was some kind of dog. No...a pup. A poor little pup that has never turned away from.

Symon had no real use for shifters, though their animal-sides could be fierce. Sometimes that made them strong fighters. But not this delicate flower of a pup. She was pretty, that was for sure. and that only made Calena dislike this girl more. Pretty...just like Lydia. Oh that very thought made Calena's hand itch for the knife that was in her boot. One quick movement and this pretty girl would be no more. Calena still remembered the tile she tried to do the same with Lydia. It was a little over a year ago, and Calena was already in a sour mood. She had displeased Symon, and he was quick to teach her a lesson...which included a nice black bruise on her left cheek. And in walked Lydia, in a pretty dress that had all of her male guild mates looking. She was stopping and flirting with each and every one, but the guys knew better of course. They knew she was off limits, but that didn't stop them from shooting her a witty smile. Then she saw Calena, flashed that signature smile, and made a comment about how powerful the man who blued her pretty face bust have been. Calena threw the knife before Lydia even saw it...and it would have handed right in her throat if Sam hadn't seen her move and knocked the girl out of the way. Calena stormed off after that, not even bothering to look at the scene she made. But no one was here to save this little dove...and the thought was tempting. but killing was messy...wasteful. And Calena had no way of knowing who knew the girl was up here. And honestly, Calena wasn't paying any attention when she was walking up so she had no clue if anyone saw her making her way to the roof either. And Symon might very well kill her if she made such a mess...so this girl was lucky. She would not meet her maker by Calena's hand. Instead, she had another idea.

Glancing back at the flame still dancing in her hand, her face morphed into a smile. Oh, darling Calena started as she as she walked closer to the pool. Looking the girl right in the eye she bent down, sticking her hand in the pool. Didn't your mother teach you not to play with fire? Around her hand, the water started to bubble, steam filling the air. You're bound to end up getting burned She said, her face in a wicked smile.

I know...she is a b****. At least...on the outside.

[Deleted]

The other girl was relatively easy to read for Ygraine. It was also very clear to Ygraine that she'd never played dominance games with shifters- she was petulant, petty, and it didn't come across very strong. The shifter wondered if there was anything to her besides fire. She watched coolly as the other girl approached and plunged her flaming hand into the water. Around her hand the water began to steam and bubble and Ygraine watched with unabashed curiosity. She was legitimately interested to see how the girl's gift worked. Still, she'd seen a pot of water boil- this was a pool. She imagined it would take a long time to heat up this much water. She suppressed an eye roll at the trite dialogue, instead the only hint of her disdain was a slightly lowering of her eyelids, so she watched the girl briefly from beneath a veil of pale eyelashes.

"My mother is an excellent teacher," she mused, the words falling from her lips blandly. They were true, in a way, though she may have resented the woman for her methods. Ygraine dropped from her casual pose on the edge of the pool so she was free floating in the liquid, letting it come up over her shoulders to protect her from the nip in the air. She wasn't sure, but she though the water had begun to get perceptively warmer. "But I'm afraid I was never taught to show my belly to bullies."

Perhaps it was a little gauche to be calling the stranger on what she was doing, but Ygraine didn't like being intimidated. Especially by methods that were, in her eyed, crude and brutish. There was no tact or craft. She did not bend under force like this. In addition, she didn't really like being condescended and this girl who couldn't be much older was all sorts of condescending. Somehow Ygraine suspected that they wouldn't get along if they encountered each other in the future.

Already she was planning out possible futures from this point, depending on what the other girl did. She wasn't really planning to do anything if she'd called the gifted's bluff. If she got hurt though, she thought that could be grounds for getting the other girl kicked out. That would neatly solve this problem in and of itself. She'd take a little pain for that. Either way she had a feeling Emrys would take exception to this little scuffle. She'd have to make it clear to him that he needed to stay out of it- she wasn't willing to let him get hurt just because he felt the need to defend her from some slight.

It never crossed her mind to lie to her twin, even by omission. They had no secrets between the two of them.

CALENA ROSE SATDATHOREN

[CALENA ROSE SATDATHOREN]

605 WORDS FOR @ygraine | OUTFIT | RISE BY KATY PERRY | TEMPLATE BY MYTH

How dare she. How dare this fair-haired pup undermine Calena’s gift like it was some parlor trick…narrowing her eyes as if she could do so much better. My mother taught me a lot of things, showing my belly to bullies was not one of them She said as she slid herself back into the water, her hair floating around her looking very much like a show queen. If Calena were younger, she might have been worried that she wouldn’t actually be able to heat the water quickly. Younger, and less trained. However, that wasn’t the case, and Calena showed no fear...no worry. Instead, she choose to take this girl’s doubt as a complement…an opportunity to show her what a someone forced to train their gift so heavily that it neatly killed them was capable of.

The average pot of water took around 5 minutes to boil on the stove. Calena could make that same pot of water boil in less than 10 seconds. While a pool was larger than a pot of water, water had the quality to heat water, and Calena was confident that she would be able to hear the entire body. In fact, she would guess the water was already around 80 degrees and rising at a steady rate. Of course, if she was in the water herself, then it would hear up even more rapidly, as her body itself reflected the heat of her flame. The hotter her flame got, and the more of her gift she used, the hotter her body got. It became quite the problem when Calena started to train her gift, and Symon even had to have specialty made fire-resistant training clothes made for her. If anyone were to touch her skin right now, they would end up with a third degree burn.

Focusing more of her energy on the power flowing through her hand, Calena continued to rapidly increase the temperature of the water, with it nearing 100 degrees now. In the back of her mind, she couldn’t help but think about Sam, and what he would have done in this situation. No doubt he would have left, not even bothering to utter a single sound to the girl. While she could pull rank on him, she knew he would be scolding her now for her rash and harsh decisions. She looks like the tattling type. If you hurt her, you know she is going to report you He would say, in a tone a little too intimate for their positions. And then you will get kicked out. And think about how mad Symon would be then. He would warn. That thought made her shiver…what Symon would do to her. He was the one who promoted her, and placed her here…he was the one who wanted her to provide him information on each and every gifted student who walked the halls. Indeed, her place here was very valuable to Symon…and he hated losing valuable things more than anything.

Surely she is smart enough to get out before she gets hurt Calena told herself, refusing to show weakness and back down. A pup like her must have some amount of vanity, which means she wouldn’t want anything to mess up her pretty face She added, the water sure to be coming close to 110 degrees now…a temperature that normal hu8mans couldn’t stand for more than a few seconds…a minute if they were really strong-willed.

Third time is the charm!

[Deleted]

For a brief while, the water was comfortably warm and Ygraine relished it. It was actually nice. She could see steam beginning to rise from the surface as the cold air touched the quickly warming surface of the pool. Her arms and legs moved slowly, treading water to keep herself afloat. The speed it was heating was intimidatingly fast though and Ygraine had to give it to the other girl- she knew what she was doing. Not that Ygraine had any intention of being scared off. She had a point to make.

Your actions reflect on me, Ygraine. I don't ever show weakness and you'd better not either.

Her jaw tightened a little as the water reached normal hot tub temperatures. She liked lounging in hot tubs but right now it was quickly approaching the threshold of uncomfortable. Typically her mother kept their hot tub tapped out around 105 degrees. Sometimes they nudged it a degree or two warmer if they were trying to soak out the aches of sore muscles. The pack all seemed to appreciate it at around those temperatures, with a few who would've liked it cooler.

Now it was getting hard to breathe. She realized it gradually, and mentally put it down to the steam rising from the surface. It was the heavy humidity that felt like it was clogging her lungs, that and the faint burn of chlorine that bit at her nose and eyes. Her skin started to feel tight and uncomfortable and she had the unsettling mental iage of a hot dog dropped in boiling water and splitting it's skin.

This wasn't boiling though. She'd had her hands plunged in boiling water before and this didn't come close. She she relaxed into it despite the prickly, burning sensation on her skin. Her fair skin flushed easily in the hat and it wasn't something she could control so she didn't bother to try and hide it.

There was an awkward scrabbling, loud and distracting from the door to the roof. Ygraine stilled in the water, head tilted in an active listening pose. Then the handle was smacked open and a long legged, fox-colored dog trotted out across the pool decking, not even sparing a glance for the gifted girl on the edge of the pool.

"Emrys!" Ygraine's voice was bright with genuine pleasure, a truly warm smile crossing her face. She pushed herself to the edge of the pool and levered herself up. The cold air felt sweetly refreshing against her tender, over-heated skin. She looked badly sunburned and moved a little stiffly, trying not to show that she hadn't come out of the water unscathed. Emrys trotted over to his twin, sniffing her suspiciously and submitting to her hands ruffling through his fur and tugging playfully at his ears. She dropped her forehead to the top of his head, then released him and walked over to her discarded clothes. She didn't put them on except for her shoes for the walk back to the dorm- she didn't want to feel cloth chafing her scalded skin until it had a bit more time to heal.

"It was a pleasure meeting you, miss...?" She raised an eyebrow, making the pleasant farewell into a question, wondering if it would be so simple to get the other girl's name. She didn't think it mattered. There couldn't be that many pretty blonde firestarters about her height in the school.

CALENA ROSE SATDATHOREN