Above the Winter Skies [English Version]

6

"Come on, don't be such a spoilsport!" Nova stood at the foot of my bed, hands on her hips, amusedly glaring down at me. I groaned and rolled over to the other side.

"Just another half hour," I whined.

"No way! You'll miss everything! We've already left the coldest part of Skaldengard behind, and today's weather is amazing, it's actually warm! They've set up sun loungers on deck, come on!" Blinking, I forced my eyes open. Never in my entire life had I slept so comfortably, and I really didn't want to get up ever again. This bed was heaven, it was more than that. But the prospect of sun and warmth finally persuaded me to throw back the covers. My head pounded as I sat up.

"For heaven's sake," I gasped.

Nova grinned and handed me a glass filled with a clear, faintly greenish shimmering liquid. "Drink this, it'll make you feel better."

"What is it?" I eyed the concoction skeptically.

"Hangover remedy."

I didn't hesitate and gulped it down. It tasted awful, but I didn't mind if it would help. Last night, after my performance, Nova had talked me into two more glasses of wine, and by the time we left the bar just after two, I was quite intoxicated. While I had drunk with Nevis before, it had never gone beyond a slight buzz.

After my performance, the evening had rushed past me at breakneck speed. Unfortunately, I hadn't seen Cassiel again, but there had been no unpleasant incidents either.

Already, I was looking forward to tonight. I was afraid of running into Michael again, but I also hoped to see Cassiel again.

Something hit me in the face and snapped me out of my thoughts.

"Here, put this on," said Nova, who had been rifling through my wardrobe.

"These aren't my clothes," I protested after unfolding them. It was a pair of loose, wide trousers made of a thin fabric and a short-sleeved top, both in white.

"Don't be silly, of course not," scolded Nova. "Your clothes are too warm anyway; they've been sent for laundry yesterday. I think you'll get them back in a few days. No, your wardrobe has been replenished."

To confirm, she flung open the wardrobe doors and stepped aside so I could see inside. I was quite taken aback. The wardrobe was crammed full to the top with clothes.

Silently, I slipped into the clothes and went to the bathroom, where I splashed cold water on my face and brushed my teeth. Looking in the mirror, I could see that my black eye was already looking much better this morning and was slowly turning greenish. Another day or two and there would hardly be anything left of it.

Twenty minutes later, I was on the deck with Nova, the rear part reserved for us humans.

As during departure, there were some people here today, but noticeably fewer than yesterday.

"What happened, why are we so few?" I asked, surprised. "Don't the others want to enjoy the sun?"

"They might want to," Nova grinned. "But they can't. The servants and kitchen staff have to work during the day, of course. I told you, we have the best job on the ship!"

She swung onto one of the sun loungers and stretched out her legs. Now I noticed, only we dancers were here. We had the entire deck to ourselves!

Sighing, I settled onto the lounger next to Nova. I was glad she had dragged me out of bed. My head still pounded, but this was beautiful. Gentle sunbeams filtered through the clouds above us, and although a cool breeze blew, it hardly affected us on the loungers; it just swept over us. In return, the delicate rays warmed us surprisingly quickly and strongly.