In film people could jump from impossible heights into water and not suffer a single injury. On camera, which everyone knew was sensationalized, the liquid was a forgiving cushion that would save heroes and heroines from a deadly fall- and in some cases even shield them from bullets if they were lucky. Rhiane knew about movie magic but had not known how wretchedly inaccurate it had made this particular scenario to the less educated. The princess elect was genuinely surprised when she struck the surface of the water and found, even with Luke beside her breaking the tension with his own body as he descended slightly quicker, it was [i]not[/i] as gentle as imagined. What thrill there had been in leaping off the cliff, with the sensation nothing but air around her, and feeling more free than she thought possible, had ended in the slap of her ungraceful collision with the pool. It was not enough to make her regret but it did make her consider that she ought to have paid more attention to how people dove on broadcast or even how the crown prince angled his limbs. She had been so lost in excitement she had not spared a single thought about physics.

Frigid water embraced her before sucking her downwards. The shock of its temperature as it enveloped her, the unexpected force of hitting the surface, and the conscious knowledge she was sinking when she could not swim made her reflexively gasp. There was no air that filled her mouth but instead a taste of the cold ocean. Rhiane had thought all her instincts for self-preservation had been callously murdered when she entered the contest. Much to her chagrin they came alive as she flailed and struggled towards the light above her. She made absolutely no progress in this effort and, despite realizing Luke was probably nearby, she had a hard time discerning anything in the depths beneath her. For a split second she considered that he was not there, that he had seized his opportunity no matter how disadvantageous, and that she would be joining Edwin and her mother in whatever afterlife might exist.

A strong arm wrapped around her waist and hauled her upwards. As they broke above she coughed up the water that had been breathed into her lungs and willed herself to relax in his hold. Although she was loathe to admit it he was, in that moment, a Prince Charming. It was true that there was little romance in a literal leap of faith- and the landing had been slightly terrifying- but the short flight and his rescue made it worth it. She would not soon forget how wild, how happy, how unburdened they had been when they let their childish bravery and desires alone drive them off the edge. The memory was burned already into her mind of how she had flown. Luke had benefited himself from his proposal but he had also taken a risk in being her savior even if he believed it a small task. People were not generally inclined to be even minimal protectors of the former farmer. That he was, ulterior motives or not, made him all that more attractive than when he had been chastising her for thinking too highly of herself.

"[i]Ms. Black[/i] had someone offer to teach her to swim, but he hasn't followed through yet," she croaked before clearing her through of the last of the water. "And if you keep calling her [i]Ms. Black[/i] she's going to stop responding to it altogether since I have it on good authority not even her employees call her that." There was the slightest twinge of annoyance in her voice that she hoped conceal the reddened tint of her ears and faint blush on her face as she was pulled to the shore. The last thing she wanted was Luke to know she was slightly smitten with his consideration, their shared enjoyment of the adrenaline rush, or the musculature that she could feel behind her back as she was smoothly carted towards the beach.

When he indicated it was shallow enough to stand she somewhat reluctantly moved her legs underneath to do so. Rhiane could not quite determine if she found the breeze or the water itself more chilling but she was [i]freezing[/i] regardless. Stripping out of her shirt and pants had seemed wise before she took the plunge but now seemed folly. She could only imagine what they looked like. What little make-up she wore had been stripped off and by the time they climbed back to the hovercraft they would be covered in sand and salt and thoroughly disheveled. The princess elect was glad she was not nude. It would have created an image that she was not ready for anyone, much less the discerning crown prince, to see.

"It would mar your Prince Charming reputation to not save a damsel in distress," she agreed as she hugged herself and started to walk up the shore and out of the water. It was definitely colder outside of the pool but she would not find any warmth by staying where she was. Shivers traveled down her spine as she wrung out her long hair and tried to keep her teeth from chattering at the initial blast of the breeze on wet skin. Once the season shifted she might have to ask for another visit to the island so as to appreciate it in all its glory. There was something lost with the advent of winter approaching. Their journey would be even more refreshing if it had offered reprieve from oppressive heat than challenged their ability to maintain functioning core body temperature.

"Except for the part where I could have drowned, I rather liked it," Rhiane admitted aloud. "But I'm not sure if the jump was quite as nice as proving to you that I could do it without becoming a shrinking violet, which ironically was the name of my equally brave mother. Can we head back to the hovercraft? If my feet start to go numb we're fucked no matter how dashing you are," she said, gesturing to the rocky outcropping which had their vehicle perched atop it. "Unless, of course, you have a smoldering glance that will melt the stone to give us some better handholds and footholds."