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Karla was bored with embroidery, as usual, but there was absolutely no chance she could sneak off today, with her governess on high alert. She had to stifle a smirk, picturing the prim lady finding green, wiggly tadpoles in her freshly filled washbasin. Karla was almost sure she'd actually heard the squeaks of horror as she dashed for her bed to feign innocence.
Lady Goble obviously couldn't prove that her charges had been responsible for the displaced amphibians, but her pinched expression and utter vigilance meant Karla and her embroidery were being watched every breath. Morton was off somewhere with the swordmaster, probably laughing. It was so unfair. Maybe if she pricked her finger, so it bled on the white linen...
"Excuse me, Lady Karla," the governess said, "I must fetch more of this silver thread." In spite of the genteel words, her sharp eye pinned Karla to the settee. "I trust you can... persist here until I return?"
"Of course," purred Karla, "Wherever else would I go?" She thought she heard the woman grumble something about Hell as she left the room. Karla flopped over on the settee with a soft moan, shoving the embroidery stand away so she could pull her legs up.
"You aren't very good at this," said a voice, nearly startling a shriek from her. She jerked upright to find a small, frilly girl peering at her embroidery and giggling.
"Who are you? Where did you come from?"
"I'm Jaenelle. You're Lady Karla?"
"Where did you come from?"'Karla repeated, raising one eyebrow and glaring.
Jaenelle shrugged, "Terreille, originally, but you don't really want to hear all of that boring story, do you? Wouldn't you rather visit the unicorns?"
She knew she shouldn't. "I really... Did you say unicorns?"
Jaenelle nodded conspiratorially. They both looked up as the click of heels announced Lady Goble's impending return, and Jeanelle silently held out her hand. Karla took it, expecting to run for the veranda, or at least crouch behind the settee, but instead she...Blinked. Into a forest clearing, surrounded by towering trees. Where were they now? She hadn't been taught to travel yet, and this girl was surely a little younger. "How..."
Karla trailed off, as Jaenelle grinned and whistled loudly, pulling Karla onward. Hooves thundered toward them.
"Welcome," whispered a merry voice inside her mind. In moments, white fur became distinct against shadowed snow, and a crystalline horn caught sparkles of sunlight between the branches.
"Kaetien!" Jaenelle cried, running toward the unicorn. "Come meet my new friend Karla, Lady of Glacia. Karla, meet Prince Kaetien, of Sceval. He's the fiercest unicorn in the worlds."
"Lady Karla," acknowledged the prince in his mind-voice, bowing elegantly.
"Prince Kaetien," she returned, curtseying automatically
"You flatter me, lady," he said soundlessly, clearly speaking to Jaenelle but letting her hear, his eyes laughing.
"You love it," parried Jaenelle, who grabbed a handful of pearly mane, swung onto his back, and held out her hand to Karla again.
Soon they were flying through the forest, the chill air whipping Karla's braids behind her. Oh, how she laughed, delighted to be free of the drawing room and the vigilence of Lady Gobel. "Thank you!" She shouted to be heard over the wind and the drumming of hooves.
*
The Unicorns' shelter was a massive cave, with skylights directing shafts of icy sunlight down into the rooms. A central hearthfire blazed, where elders gathered with books or bowls of refreshments, and unicorn foals gamboled around them. Prince Kaetien introduced his guests, and Karla marveled at the warmth with which these venerable unicorns greeted them, regaled them with stories, fed and fussed over them. Eventually, they settled down to listen to a group of musicians who drummed with their hooves and plucked tall harps with their mouths. "Better than embroidery?" Jaenelle asked, her mind-voice full of smug mischief.
Karla nodded. Then, astonishingly, she felt Jaenelle reach for her a third time, but instead of holding out her hand, she offered mentally.
Closing her eyes, as the swelling music seemed to transform into a conduit, Karla allowed her mind-self to cross it. "Everything's better than embroidery, but this... This is brilliant!" She found Janelle's fingers and squeezed. "I've never had a friend like you before."
"Me neither," said Jaenelle, a spike of bitter loneliness flavoring the words before she smiled inside and out, squeezing Karla's fingers in turn. "Best get you home before dark."
"Jaenelle?" Karla thought as they blinked into her stuffy Glacia drawing room, "How did you find me?"
"Geography lessons," she laughingly replied. "Good night!" By the time she could reply, Jaenelle had already disappeared. Karla emerged blinking and yawning from the dim drawing room to find Morton dining with their uncle.
"Hungry, sleepyhead?" He asked, reaching over to tug on one of her windblown braids.
"A little," she lied. "Where's Lady Gobel?"
Morton snorted, and their uncle rolled his eyes before speaking, a smile hiding in his words.
"Halfway back to wherever she cane from by now, I imagine. Tadpoles, Karla? Can't you be more subtle than that?"
More subtle? "I'm sorry, Uncle." Not more obedient, more subtle. She could do that. "I'll write the apology after supper."
"That's my girl," He said, before asking the footman to serve the next course.
*
"Jaenelle?" She whisper-thought as she tucked her carefully-worded apology into its envelope and addressed it. "Can you come ice skating tomorrow?"
"Can you teach me how?"
"Yes! Come after breakfast, I don't have lessons tomorrow."
"That sounds like so much fun," Jaenelle's voice glowed with the idea of pink cheeks, twirling, and the scent of hot chocolate.
"Can you stay the night? There is plenty of room here."
There was a long pause before Jaenelle replied. "I want to, but I don't think my parents will allow it."
Karla winced. "Next time, then. See you tomorrow!"
"See you then!"
The next morning was bright and cold, but there was no wind, thankfully. Karla put an extra layer of stockings on, and her coziest wool dress.
As she headed for the drawing room, she smiled. So much for embroidery!