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Bitter temperatures had never bothered Princess Krill. They did not make her shiver or chatter her teeth or layer her clothes. Rather, the cold felt welcoming, soothing and, well, natural for a child of the ocean. Even when she had invited Elder outside, she wore no shoes and a blue dress that her cloak hid. Her fiancé, meanwhile, had met her in the gardens while donned in a thick coat, shin-high boots, a scarf, a head wrap, and plush gloves. He looked the slightest bit displeased, yet followed the Lekian’s lead around Nuar Castle anyway.
Sometime between the Garden’s end and the Sky Bridge’s gate, Krill noticed an unusual sight. She stopped on the stone road behind Elder and studied the gray sky. At first, she thought the white flecks that fell from above were a play of light from the obstructed sun. Yet the longer she starred, the more certain she became that the flecks were real, and they sunk her stomach.
“Is the sky falling?” Krill asked in a broken voice.
Elder turned towards the Lekian then blinked slowly—like her fear was nothing more than a joke that was lost on him. But then some realization must have stirred his logic; the distance behind his golden eyes ironed into a stern stare.
“The way your question is worded is both accurate and inaccurate,” Elder answered, frank. “What you see is snow, which is rain that freezes before reaching the ground.”
“Snow?” Krill’s attention returned to the flecks that thickened around the couple. When one spec neared her, the Lekian held out a hand, and watched in wonder as it melted against her bioluminescent skin. “This is water? I did not know water had other forms.”
“You were not taught the three basic states of water?” If Elder could be surprised, Krill knew his tone would had risen.
“No,” she answered. “In Leku, we need and experience water in one form—liquid. Perhaps our ancestors wanted to forget about the others because of their tie with the surface?”
“That sounds highly illogical and stupid,” Elder replied bluntly. When Krill twisted her head in his direction, she noted that his dark brows furrowed a bit. “Water in any form should be valuable knowledge to Lekians. Why would they deny that?”
The princess shrugged.
“What do your studies focus on then,” added Elder, “if not the full capacity of water?”
“Traditional dance and sculpting, mostly. We are taught mathematics, etiquette, and language, which some are more skilled at then others. We also study art critique, make-up, and fashion.”
Now, Elder’s brows fully furrowed. “Why?” he asked, monotonous. “Very little of those skills are vital for survival.”
“Lekians seek beauty rather than survival.”
“And now your people have lost the knowledge of water’s three states.”
Krill’s smile grew strained, yet she managed a chuckle. “True. But we have a chance to relearn such knowledge, if you teach me.” Her grin encouraged Elder to continue while she walked about, trying to catch more snow. Still, a moment passed before the Arrulian spoke up.
“Water has three states: solid, liquid, and gaseous. Water in its native state is liquid, while heat causes it to evaporate into the air and cold causes it to freeze into a solid.”
“Wait”—Krill faced Elder—“if cold causes water to freeze, why is the ocean not solid?”
“Salt.”
“Salt? Oh, the mineral that differentiates the ocean from land water?”
Her fiancé nodded. “Salt is an anti-freezing agent. It prevents the ocean from becoming a block of ice.”
“All of it?”
“Well,” Elder paused, gaze drifting to the surf beyond the cliff beside them, “I have read of exceptions, though the theory is hypothetical. No one has seen anything of the sort.”
“Not even a Lekian,” added Krill. “What did you mean when you said I was both right and wrong about the clouds falling?”
Elder’s golden eyes found Krill again. “When water evaporates, it is lifted into the atmosphere. There, moisture accumulates until it grows too heavy. Then it rains, returns to the ground. When temperatures drop low enough, the rain becomes snow. So, in a roundabout way, the clouds are falling.”
“So we are always surrounded by water.”
“Crudely put, but yes.”
A smile widened Krill’s dark lips, as if she had just received a grand present. She knew she sensed water around her, but never suspected it existed in the air she breathed or the clouds she prayed for. While not as plenteous as a brook or the ocean itself, it was a comfort knowing she could never be separate from it, even when surfaced.
Laughing, the Lekian spread her arms then began spinning in tight circles. She released all thoughts until only the sensation of magic and water remained—a bubbly, calm feeling. When her eyes reopened, snow circled her in a white tornado. It was not threatening, but playful. And as she eased to a stop, she concentrated on maintaining its momentum. Spearing a look in Elder’s direction, the princess directed the tornado towards him. He fell backwards and white flecks covered him from head to toe like a man of snow. Krill thought he looked cute, although his dead expression lacked her enthusiasm.
“Thank you for the lesson, Elder,” she said. “Now I have something to practice! How about we go inside, so I can tell Flounder?” Still grinning, Krill cleared the snow off Elder, directing it over the cliff’s edge. She captured her fiancé’s plush arm, helped him up, and then guided him to Nuar’s entrance with one thought in mind.
How sad; it seemed her future husband hated the cold.