SofiaxHugo

Episode 1: Enchanted Ice Dancing

"You want me to what?" Sofia asked, her giant blue eyes blinking up at me incredulously.

I sighed. "You don't have to look so surprised. You've danced with me for other enchanted ice dancing championships." She had danced with me in most of them, actually, because most of them required at least one partner dance.

Sofia was staring at me as if I had asked her to punch me in the face. "This isn't The Tri-Kingdom Area Skating Festival, Hugo! All one hundred and thirty-eight kingdoms compete in the Disney Olympic Winter Games! This is the biggest competition of all!"

"I'm perfectly aware of that, Sofia. What does that have to do with it?"

She tossed her head, causing her auburn curls to bounce indignantly on her slender shoulders. "You should pick a better skater than me to be your partner!"

Now it was my turn to be incredulous. "What?"

"You need a better partner if you want to get anywhere in the Olympics, Hugo! Your kingdom has never even competed in the Ice Dancing division before!"

"A 'better partner'?" I repeated skeptically. I couldn't think of anyone I would rather skate with.

Sofia glanced down the rink, where a tall, slender blonde was practicing her quintuple axels. "Amber's a better skater than I am. Why not ask her?"

I managed to avoid visibly cringing when she suggested I dance with her older sister. "First of all, you're every bit as good an ice dancer as she is, and, more importantly, because she's not my best friend."

That got her attention. Her cheeks flushed in a way that made my smile widen of its own accord. She opened her mouth and closed it again without making any sound, her eyes darting to one side. I watched her thoughts fly across her face and waited for her to break the silence.

"All right, I'll skate with you," she said, offering me a brave smile.

I let out a breath I didn't know I'd been holding and a swarm of butterflies erupted in my stomach. Thrilled and relieved, I dashed forward and swept her into a hug. With practically no effort I lifted both of her feet off the ground and swung her in a circle, before setting her gently back on the ground. "Thank you, Sofia," I said without releasing her from my grip.

"I just hope I don't hold you back," she murmured uncertainly into my coat.

"You won't," I promised, finally stepping back and ending our hug. "You'll only have to learn one routine, and we have a whole year to practice. The DOWGs are only held every three years. That's plenty of time to prepare a four-minute dance."

"If you say so," she replied, shrugging at me with that adorable uncertain half-smile that she so often gave me when I pushed her out of her comfort zone on the ice.

Ever since that winter when I was eleven years old and Sofia introduced me to ice dancing, I had been skating every winter from the first snowfall to the spring thaw. Under my dad's ever-enthusiastic coaching, I had won at least two championships a year since I was fourteen. Sofia was my partner of choice anytime I needed one, which meant she had helped me to win at least half of my awards. Sofia was a strong skater, if not the most naturally gifted, for which I was more than enough to compensate.

I took to ice dancing as if I were born for it; I was already an excellent skater because of hockey, and used to maneuvering in the air on a flying horse, which easily transitioned into flying on my own. Once my dad realized my potential as an ice dancer, he became even more fanatically supportive than he had been about hockey in my childhood. There would have been no possible way I could compete for the Disney Winter Olympics at nineteen without his persistent help, and I was convinced there was no possible way I could win at the Disney Winter Olympics without Sofia skating beside me.

Sofia was waiting for me on the rink, so I hurried into my skates and glided out onto the ice. With one push of my blades I was already building speed, and leaned forward as I rocketed toward Sofia. She gasped and looked terrified, but didn't move. I grinned and pushed harder and leaned forward further. Then, moments before my helmet connected with her stomach, I thrust one blade into the ice and sailed upward, my blades making a graceful arc in the air above Sofia's head. I tucked my arms and as my body flipped over her, it rotated four—no, six—and a half times, and I landed on my left blade, still facing Sofia, but behind her. I looped around and skated back to her as she slowly turned to look at me, ashen-faced and breathing heavily.

"What was that?" she asked.

"I haven't given it a name yet," I replied, casually circling her. "I thought we could put it in the routine."

"You could've warned me!" she scolded, pouting at me and putting her hands on her hips.

Even if I had tried to hide my laughter, which I didn't, I would not have succeeded. She looked so cute when she stuck that bottom lip out, sometimes I would make her mad on purpose just to see that adorable face. But Sofia knew it was all in good fun, and in no time at all she was giggling with me. After a moment, her face went blank.

"Wait, you haven't given it a name? As in, you made it up?"

"Sure. At least, I don't think anyone else thought of it first." I pirouetted on one blade, pretending to ignore the look she was giving me.

"I guess I didn't realize you were allowed to make up your own moves..."

"Why not? I've read the DOWG rulebook and there's nothing in it about inventing your own moves." I circled her again. "That means it's allowed."

"Not being in the rules isn't the same as being allowed," she protested, putting her hands on her hips.

I promptly slid my arms under hers and swung her around. "Sure it is. Even if we don't get points for it, it'll still be awesome."

Sofia squeaked in surprise and skated out of arm's reach as soon as I put her down. I laughed and held up my mittened hands. "Okay, I'm done messing around. Let's warm up."

She smiled at me. "Okay."