Burning Ice, Melting Heart

Chapter Two

"It's merely a dream, my sister."
  A smooth pebble sliced through the cool spring breeze, skimming the water's edge.
  "Recurring nightmares are more common than you may think..."
  Another pebble sailed through the air, this time skipping three times across the pond surface before diving into the glass-like water below. Elpidio narrowed his eyes.
  "Are you even listening, Turandot?"
  Turandot rested her head on one hand whilst nonchalantly fiddling with her pile of slippery stones.
  "Of course I am."
  Elpidio let out a sigh. Being a young man nearly twice his sister's age, he seemed to lack resonance with younger persons. Turandot tossed another pebble towards the pond. Fallen blossoms of a nearby tree bobbed up and down with the ripples created by the pebble.
"Brother," she asked,"Why don't flower petals sink like the pebbles do?"
She turned her head to face him, her eyes huge with curiosity and expectation. Her brother smiled.
"That's because the petals are of a lower density than the water."
"Density?"
"That's right. Density."
"And pebbles sink because they're denser than the water?"
"That's correct."
A mischievous smile crept onto Turandot's face.
"Does that mean that you're dense, my brother?"

Elpidio didn't know how to swim.

Her brother's smile faded, before lighting up his face once more. He leaned back against the trunk of the weeping willow, resting the back of his head against the coarse bark.
  "I guess you can say so."

  The resounding cry of the gong announced the arrival of dinnertime. Elpidio got up from his seat and turned to leave.
  "Let's go. Father wouldn't want us to be late."
  A pebble pierced the pond surface with a loud splash, followed by another, then another. The man paused and looked back. Turandot stood at the water's edge, cradling her pile of smooth stones. One by one, they slid down her sleeves and into the pond, leaving powdery trails of dried mud all over the pastel blue fabric. Elpidio shook his head in disgust. How could a princess behave in such an unrefined manner?
  "Don't let Father see those stains, or you'll never hear the end of it," he cautioned.
  Turandot brushed the dirt off her clothes and returned to her brother's side, her eyes twinkling like they always had.
  "I'll roll up my sleeves the next time."

Elpidio and Turandot briskly entered the dining hall. Everyone was already seated at their respective places; the Emperor sat right at the top of a flight of stairs with his own personal table while a few ministers and other wealthy nobility who had been invited to dinner lined the bottom. Servants weaved in and out of the numerous rows of tables, carrying trays of food, napkins, and large jars of wine. Elpidio hastily made his way to his usual seat next to his twin Ernesto, who sat with his arms folded staidly. Turandot remained at the arched doorway, surveying the cacophonous crowd.

  Something was a little different.

  Her eyes fell upon a shady spot of the humongous hall--her usually peaceful sanctuary where she could have her meals without being noticed. The once subdued corner was now flooded with bright light. A pair of aliens occupied, quite comfortably, a large space right next to her seat that had once been left empty.
  "Turandot, our daughter!"
  The Emperor beckoned her towards him. Turandot took a deep breath as she entered the hall. Her fingers curled tightly around a polished pebble, hidden beneath the folds of her cascading sleeves.
  "You called, my father? What is your will?" she asked, bowing.
  The Emperor beamed in approval. He pointed in the direction of the two strangers.
  "As you know, dear daughter, the nomadic People of Tartary have come to rest within the borders of our country, and we are delighted to have the valiant King of the Tartars, as well as his fine young son, here with us for dinner today.
  "We bid you, give them a courteous welcome to our land for their extended period of stay."
  "Yes, my father."
  Putting on a felicitous expression,
Turandot turned and made her way towards the two guests.