On Thin Ice || Emma & Ewan
emmawatsonldn​:
Even for Emma, it had been a stupid decision. It was something she had been wanting to do since it had started up for the year, when the rink had opened but it had always been a family thing, something she had done with her younger sisters. Unfortunately, the twins had become far too independent as of late and had decided that they were too old to go ice skating with their uncool big sister. That was, of course, unless she somehow found a way to bring her ‘fit’ friends. Since that was never going to happen, Emma had all but written off the idea of going ice-skating, hoping that one of her friends would bring it up at some point and she could invite herself along. But, with less than two weeks till Christmas, the topic had never come up and, as a result, she had never made it to any of the rinks in the city. And so it had been no wonder that she had given in so quickly when she had passed the Hampton Court Palace ice rink, pulling her car into the nearest space and pulling her hat down over her ears. If she was going to do this, she was going to do it without being bothered by hoards of people; today, she wanted to be anonymous.
With her glasses on and her scarf wrapped tight around her neck, the actress was near invisible as she joined the crowd and queue, handed over her own shoes in exchange for a pair of skates and changed into them, before tentatively moving onto the ice. Her gloved hands grasped at the sides as she tested her weight, gaining confidence with every glide. Soon enough, the actress was zipping across, taking in the magnificent views of Henry VIII’s palace. It really did feel like her worries left her the second she skated, like she could easily be the ‘old’ Emma, the one who had gone to Argentina with a smile on her face and not the one who’d returned two years ago. Time seemed to fly past and it felt like mere moments had gone when the a voice came over the system, alerting her and the rest of the icy revellers that their time was up. Shuffling back towards the hut to retrieve her shoes, Emma lost her footing, her blade slipping as she stumbled and fell, the skates throwing her forwards as she let out a scream. She was certain she was going to hit the ground when she grabbed onto the person in front of her, her heart in her throat as she muttered an apology.
Ewan didn't intend to go skating when he entered the Hampton Court Palace rink. He had been driving around his motorbike when the sign caught his attention. The thought of ice skating hadn't entered his mind at all since he arrived in London, but seeing it now piqued his interest. He parked his bike and coolly entered the place. With his hands in his coat pocket to keep warm, he walked around, occasionally striking up a conversation with the people and staff there. To his delight, not many recognized him as he talked to them about Christmas gifts and how many cookies Santa probably ate on Christmas eve.Â
When he reached the actual rink, he stood by the glass and watched as the skaters enjoyed the freedom of the ice. He stared in awe as they moved in free-flowing grace, their faces showing that they had nary a care in the world. When he heard over the speakers that their time was up, he headed for where the people seemed to be exiting. He wanted to take a closer look at the rink and maybe even test it out if he found enough courage to do so. He was taken by surprise when one of the exiting skaters emitted a high-pitched scream and fell into his arms. He struggled to support bother their weights. "Hey, you alright?!" he asked, slightly flustered and worried for the girl.Â
