That night, when everyone was asleep, Issy sneaked down to the rink. The lights came on automatically the moment she stepped on to the ice. With a surprised rustle, the ice dragons popped their heads over the side of the music box inquisitively.
Issy skated over to them. ‘Hi,’ she said. ‘I’m sorry it’s so late, but would you play my competition music for me, so I can practise?’
The ice dragons chirruped at her. They began turning wheels and working levers and a moment later Issy’s music began. She made a face at how light-hearted it was. It wasn’t at all the mood that she was in any more.
Quickly Issy did her warm-up stretches. Her heart pounded hard as she began her routine, stroking her blades across the ice and picking up speed. Her first jump was the double axel. She waited for the beat in the music. Now! she thought.
Just as before, something inside Issy seemed to go cold and her feet stayed on the ice. She slowed down, her hands feeling clammy. She wiped them on her skirt and took a deep breath. OK, so she hadn’t done it that time. No big deal. She’d just try again. But the same thing happened the next time, and the time after that. Over and over, Issy tried the jump, only to stop herself at the last moment. She just couldn’t bring herself to do it.
After almost an hour, Issy felt close to tears. It was hopeless! Maybe she’d never be able to do a double axel again. Finally, discouraged, she skated across to the music box.
‘Thanks,’ she said. ‘I … I suppose I’ll go back to bed now.’
The ice dragons chirruped in concern. With a flutter of wings, they hovered above the box, gazing worriedly into Issy’s eyes. She tried to smile. ‘I’m fine,’ she assured the little creatures. ‘I’m just tired, that’s all.’
As she skated off the rink, Issy sighed. She had woken up the poor ice dragons for nothing. The competition was tomorrow … and she was still no closer to doing the jump than before. What was she going to do?
The next day, the other girls in the Ice Owls dorm woke up with squeals of delight. Their costumes for the competition had arrived, delivered during the night by the frost fairies.
But Issy gazed glumly at hers. She had designed a bright-blue skating dress with jewels sparkling across the bodice, and lighter-blue feathers at the skirt and sleeves, like a bluebird. It had seemed so pretty when she first drew it … but now all she could think of was how much she was dreading the competition.
‘Look at me!’ exclaimed Maisie, whirling about the room, holding a dark-red dress.
Milly’s dress was a beautiful bright yellow and Jo’s was bright pink with fluttery sleeves. Jo smiled across at Issy. ‘Nice dress.’
‘Thanks,’ said Issy, smiling back. ‘So’s yours.’ At least we’re friends again now, thought Issy, even though I stuck up for Sophy. She was glad that she had been brave enough to do it.
She sighed, fiddling with one of the feathers on her dress. She knew she should go back on to the rink and practise some more before the competition that afternoon, but she couldn’t bear to. It was bad enough being afraid to try the double axel when she was on her own; the last thing she needed was everyone watching her!
*
After breakfast that morning, Sophy gave Issy a long look and then pulled on her arm. ‘Come on,’ she said. ‘I think we need to go somewhere!’
Issy looked at her in surprise. The other girls were on their way to the changing room, chattering excitedly about the competition that afternoon. ‘Don’t you want to practise with the others?’ she asked.
Sophy shook her head firmly. ‘Nope. I’ve had enough of practising for now, and so have you. You look like you need some cheering up and I’ve got a great idea for it!’
Issy hid a smile as she remembered Jo saying almost the exact same thing. Somehow she had a feeling that Sophy’s idea of cheering her up was going to be very different!
‘OK,’ she said eagerly, relieved not to have to worry about her jump for a while. ‘Where are we going?’
Sophy’s hazel eyes flashed mysteriously. ‘Follow me!’ she said.
The two girls got dressed in warm jackets, scarves and boots. Soon they were walking through the woods, their feet crunching over the snow. Issy leant her head back and breathed in deeply, smelling the sharp tang of pine.
‘This is great,’ she said happily. ‘You were right, Sophy … it’s just what I needed.’
Sophy laughed. ‘Hey, we’re not even there yet!’ she teased. The girls walked a bit more, climbing over a snow-covered fallen log. When they came to a bend in the path, Sophy got behind Issy and put her mittened hands over Issy’s eyes.
‘OK, ready?’ she said. ‘Forward!’
Giggling, Issy took a few stumbling steps, guided by Sophy. They went around the bend and Issy’s eyes widened behind the mittens. What was that flapping, squeaking noise? It sounded like …
Sophy took her mittens away. ‘Ta-da!’ she whispered.
‘Oh!’ breathed Issy. Fluttering in front of them were half a dozen baby ice dragons! Their nests were in the trees above and they were tumbling about in the air, beating their wings wildly as they learnt how to fly.
Issy laughed out loud as she watched them. They were the cutest things she’d ever seen! One of them, no bigger than her little finger, landed at her feet, panting for breath.
‘Hi,’ whispered Issy, kneeling down and stroking his pale-blue back. He blinked with pleasure, blowing ice crystals from his nostrils.
His mother appeared, swooping down and picking him up. Taking him back up to the nest again, she placed him on its edge. Issy watched as he paused for a moment, looking nervous – and then he jumped! His wings flapped wildly as he tossed and turned in the air. The little dragon landed in a heap in the snow, but as soon as his mum picked him up and put him back in the nest, he tried again. And then again and again, until he managed to fly right round the tree!
Looking delighted with himself, the baby dragon landed back in the nest. Issy was so pleased, she felt like clapping him, but she didn’t want to scare him or the others.
The girls watched the ice dragons for ages, laughing at their antics. Finally they sensed that the mother dragons were becoming restless at having them there and they stole quietly away.
‘Sophy, thanks so much,’ said Issy, squeezing her friend’s arm. ‘That was the best surprise ever.’
Sophy grinned at her. ‘I had a feeling you might like it!’
But as the turrets of the school came back into view, Issy’s high spirits faded. Seeing the baby ice dragons had been wonderful … but she still had to perform in the competition that afternoon. She shivered.
‘What’s wrong?’ asked Sophy.
Issy took a deep breath. ‘It’s just … well, you were right,’ she confessed. ‘I’m scared of doing double axels now. And I’ve tried so hard!’ She described how she had sneaked down to the skating rink the night before. ‘I’m so afraid of falling again that I freeze up,’ she finished sadly. ‘I get to the jump and I just can’t do it.’
‘But Issy, that happens to everyone sometimes!’ exclaimed Sophy.
Issy felt like crying. She wiped her eyes with her mitten. ‘Well, it’s never happened to me before. I don’t know what to do. Even Madame Letsworth said she couldn’t help me, that I had to do it myself. Well, I can’t. I’m hopeless.’
Sophy stopped and faced her. ‘You’re not hopeless,’ she said firmly. ‘You just have to keep at it!’
Issy sighed. She knew that Sophy was trying to make her feel better, but she had tried so many times already! ‘Anyway, I suppose it doesn’t matter how I do,’ Issy said sadly. ‘I obviously don’t have what it takes to be the Ice Princess after all. She has to be brave and I’m so not.’
Sophy gave her a friendly nudge. ‘Don’t be daft! My dad always says that being brave doesn’t mean not being scared. It means being scared, but doing something anyway.’
Issy’s forehead creased. It was kind of Sophy to try and cheer her up, but how could you be afraid and brave at the same time? It didn’t make any sense!
She could hear the other girls practising their routines in the distance. ‘Come on, we’d better get back,’ Issy said reluctantly. ‘The competition will be starting soon.’