Let me just start this by saying it was supposed to be a little treat for those who review the story this is based on, Hatred&Redemption, and quickly turned into this behemoth. I also felt like I owed everyone another Christmas present, so here you go. H&R: Christmas Edition
It was snowing in Bruma. Winter had struck long ago and had held onto its claimed territory. Now in the middle of the cold season, two figures were wandering through the sparse trees just outside the city. One carried an axe, and the other looked much like a very fat child from a distance.
"Why are we doing this?" a very annoyed voice rang out, breaking the peaceful silence. Apart from feet crunching in the snow, there hadn't been a single sound in over twenty minutes. The entire world was blanketed in white and seemed content to remain sleeping until the last possible minute.
Hale rolled his eyes and looked behind him. The Bosmer was bundled in as many layers as possible while still being able to move. The sight made him smirk and wonder just how cold she really was. "Its tradition. You've never put up a tree and given presents to friends and family before?"
The wood elf gave him a look that clearly said no before shaking her head. "I have never participated in this ridiculous tradition for some holiday I've never heard of." she replied, wiggling her numb toes. They were hunting for a tree small enough to put in the house Hale had purchased several months back. Kali couldn't help but wonder what possessed men to go out, find a tree, and bring it home with them. Yet alone do it at an ungodly hour in the morning.
"Pity, you've missed out on a lot of fun. You'll be excited when you see what I got you." Hale called out, cheery now that he had set his eyes on the perfect tree. It just happened to be in the middle of a snow drift at least three feet deep. "Alright, Kali. There's our tree. No go hack it down." he joked, trying to hand her the axe.
"No."
"Yes, where's your Christmas spirit?"
Kali snorted and rolled her eyes. "Until this morning, when you woke me up obscenely early, I didn't know about this holiday." She replied and watched in amusement as the hulking guard tried to wade through waist deep snow to get at the little fir tree growing in the center. He got stuck several times and nearly hacked half his face off with the axe before he finally got into position.
It took a great deal of maneuvering before the fir was hacked from its trunk and tied with a length of rope. Hale tugged at it, wading through white powder. "Let's go back, I'll teach you how to decorate this and then we can put presents underneath. Tomorrow morning we'll open them and have a feast fit for an Emperor." He immediately regretted his word choice and glanced at his companion to see her reaction.
Kali sucked in a breath at the mention of an Emperor and felt pain sear through her chest. Martin and her had become friends, despite their numerous arguments, and had been there when he had turned to stone. Although it had been months ago, she couldn't shake the sadness that came with the memory of his sacrifice.
Without a comment, she turned and followed Hale back into the city. Her focus was entirely on the ground in front of her as she bit back the memories of the past year. So much had changed for her, and while she'd never admit it, even under torture, she thought of her companions as close friends. Her mind wandered to presents and she contemplated getting something for Hale. He deserved a gift or two, but she had not one clue as to what he would want.
"So these presents…What are they usually?" she asked, digging for some hint of what to get him.
Hale smirked, though his back was turned to the elf. "Just something that the person you're giving it to wanted or needed."
Kali frowned and shook her head. Unfortunately, she couldn't wrap common sense and place it under the tree for him. A catalog of ideas went through her mind; a new sword, armor, new boots, but nothing seemed right. A headache was brewing around her temples as she thought long and hard before sighing. Hopefully, she could find something in town.
After dragging the tree for almost an hour, they stopped outside of Bruma's gates. Both stood there, looking up at the walls and Kali hesitated for a moment before looking at the area where the great gate had been opened. The shudder that went down her spine was obvious, even with all the layers she had on. The nightmares that had taken place there were bad enough, the memories were even worse.
"You know what Kali? We should bring a present to Martin sometime." Hale was careful to step out of her reach before speaking. Even after living with her for a while, he was surprised when she looked at him and half-smiled before nodding.
They had finally reached Hale's house and the fir was looking a little worn from the long drag by the time it was finally set up in the wide space next to the dining room. The Imperial tied it tightly with ropes, securing it in position using the laws of physics, of which he knew nothing, but after some wrestling it stood proudly. While his back was turned, Kali had tried to sneak out the front door and ended up with her head caught in his arm while he chuckled.
"You can't leave yet, we have a tree to decorate!" he boomed, obviously happy with the day's success.
Strings of tinsel went up before brightly colored globes were hung on the branches. Kali hadn't been very active in decorating, as she had already broken six of the ornaments that Hale had kept in a box in the basement. Instead she had contented herself by standing on the nearby shelf and placing a bright gold star at the very top, according to Hale's instructions. Why they were doing this, she still didn't know. In her attempts to understand the holiday and its traditions she had unearthed some bothersome news though.
Apparently, a fat man in a red suit would come down the chimney tonight and leave presents. Kali was curious as to why home invasion was an event Hale was looking forward to and even more confused when he said they had to go to sleep early or else he wouldn't come. Despite a year of learning to trust the man she was currently sharing a residence with, she still couldn't accept the idea of a stranger entering while they slept. So she devised a plan. A plan to kill this man named 'Santa'.
Kali moved towards the door once the tree was finally decorated to Hale's liking. Even if it meant they put lit candles on the tips of the branches. They looked ready to fall if one were to so much as breathe in their direction and she had protested against using them. Unfortunately, brawn won over common sense once again, but only because Hale put her back in a headlock and threatened to sing the hideously cheery "Christmas Carols" he had been humming all day. "I'm going out, don't burn the place down with the candles you put on the tree…idiot." She murmured before slipping out into the cold.
Hale laughed and shifted his attention to the fireplace. They had started a fire early in the morning when he had woken up. Now it had died down until just red coals remained. He'd have to go out and get more firewood before the house got down to its usually chilly temperature. Everything had to warm and comforting, not too mention fun, for Christmas morning.
His excitement was based solely on his past experiences from childhood. The celebration of Christmas was barely noticeable when he was living in the Imperial City. He had seen maybe one Christmas tree in a window a year. Now that he had Kali as constant companion, he felt obliged to show her just how much fun a season of giving and being happy with friends could be like. He owed it to her after she had taught him how to cook more than broth with a couple chunks of meat thrown in. In fact, he hadn't become violently ill after eating in months and he valued that alone at three presents.
The Imperial glanced cautiously at the door before going to secure the deadbolt. He couldn't have that nosy woman sneaking up on him while he wrapped the presents he had gotten over the past month. Tiptoeing down the stairs, he shut the door to his room after entering and moved a heavy chest full of weapons in front of it. Now that he was certain there was no way for the weasel to worm her way in, he carefully extracted her gifts from underneath his pile of underclothes.
First came the ring enchanted with a spell for increased personality, then the doeskin shoes he had found lined with shearling, a blue silk shirt, and then last were the pair of daggers he had commissioned. The handles were carved with images of battles; each combatant's eyes were set with gems that glinted in light. The blades themselves were carefully etched until the story of their quests were carried on both weapons, it had set him back quite a pretty penny, but he felt completely confident she would love them.
Kali, on the other hand, wasn't having as much luck with her gift hunting. She had already purchased a dark green shirt and a new set of bracers, but other than that she was running out of ideas. Her eyes narrowed as she searched yet another shop for things to buy. In her case, money wasn't the problem, but finding something the guard needed, that was turning out to be incredibly difficult. Slinking around the shop, her hands wandered over fabrics and she paused when she felt one particularly soft.
"Can I help you, elf?" the shopkeeper asked, slightly suspicious of the Bosmer.
Kali glanced at the man before down again. "I want this. Wrap it up for whatever holiday it is."
"Christmas?" the Nord asked, confused. He looked at what her hand was on and cocked an eyebrow. "You want a child's blanket?" Dark brown eyes drifted to the wood elf's belly and he smiled.
Kali's mouth opened and she looked again at what her hand was on. The idea of having a child made her physically ill and the look the older Nord was giving her as he gently extracted the small square of embroidered cloth was equally disturbing. As the blanket was tucked safely inside thin paper and then wrapped in thick brown and tied with a string, she still couldn't come up with an excuse. When she exited the shop, she heard the man call out congratulations and wondered how she would explain this to Hale.
"Oh shit." She muttered, shaking her head. Now she was grateful for the holiday wrapping, no one else would know what dirty secret was tucked under her arm with the other packages.
Her last stop was the mage's guild in hopes they had something new in stock. Her hopes were confirmed when she saw curiously green leaves and little red berries in the display. The lady behind the counter told her they were called 'Mistletoe' and were used for traditions this time of year. Kali hesitated before nodding and buying the green plant. If Hale wanted traditions, she'd give him enough to choke on. A glint of metal caught her eye and she turned to look at a helmet tucked in a corner. It was beat to hell and back, but the design was unmistakable. It looked identical to the one Hale had been wearing at the beginning of the long quest to save Tamriel.
Once again she had the items wrapped, though the mage insisted on leaving the mistletoe out of the paper. Instead, she tied a red ribbon around it and told Kali to hang it above a doorway.
Kali left the shop feeling utterly drained and desperately wanting to go to sleep. Her eyes drifted up to the sky and blinked in surprise. Purple had taken place of the clouds and the moon was already hanging above her. Though the sun wasn't quite set yet, it would only be an hour or so until complete darkness. Her mouth set itself into a frown as she ran through the list of things to do in her head. Presents were checked off, as was the food, that had been taken care of when she first started shopping but there was one thing left undone and for the life of her, Kali couldn't remember what.
She reached the door to Hale's house and looked at the smoke curling out of the chimney. Instantly, her eyes widened and she nearly broke the door down in her haste to get inside. The commotion she created when she snapped lockpick after lockpick was enough to bring Hale to the door.
He made the mistake of standing in the way when the heavy wooden barrier finally opened and Kali nearly knocked him to the ground in her frenzy. She haphazardly through the gifts down in the vicinity of the tree and moved towards the fireplace. "Did you lock the door?" she asked without turning around.
Hale glanced at the door, the presents on the ground, the food spilling out of a cloth sack, and then finally at her. "Yes?"
"You idiot! What if that Santa man had come while I was trapped outside! You would have been killed!" she hissed, grabbing a fire poker and ramming it up into the dark chimney.
Hale shut the door before bursting out in laughter. "Santa would kill me?" he asked between snorts. Only after she had paced the entire house and poked at anything even remotely suspicious did Kali come to stand in front of him.
Hale glanced down with a wide grin and studied the face tilted towards him. The scars were constant reminders of the past, but the smile was new. "What do you want, little woman?" he asked, knowing she cringed when he called her that.
She rolled her eyes and went to tidy up the mess of presents on the floor. Her fingers were just getting the feeling back into them when she grabbed a soft present and groaned out loud. The baby blanket.
Hale heard and paused setting the table for dinner. "Something wrong?" he asked, having rarely heard the elf make a noise of protest when he hadn't prompted it.
"No! I mean, no. I just…have to take this one downstairs." Kali replied and quickly got to her feet. She was staring holes into the packaging and didn't notice Hale had stepped in front of her until she ran into a damp shirt that smelled like sweat and trees. "Move." she demanded.
"No, you can't take a present from under the tree once it's been placed there. That's the rule." he proclaimed, thankful Kali had no idea he was making this one up. It was mean, but he was curious to find out what was inside. Once she slipped it from view, chances were he'd never see it again.
A growl was heard as Kali replaced the present and stomped down the stairs to the sanctuary she called the basement. While Hale had offered the bedroom, she had picked to sleep under the stairs instead. That way she could easily defend the both of them at night, as well as slip outside without the Imperial ever knowing she had left. Frustrated, confused, and just plain worn out, Kali flopped herself down on top of the small bed before closing her eyes.
Hale hummed a carol as he stirred a pot of stew over the fire. It was Kali's recipe; although the guard added a few spices in an attempt to one up the elf. She had disappeared over an hour ago, but Hale didn't mind the quiet. All his secretive presents were hidden at the back of the tree and he doubted she would have searched for them anyways.
He set out the bowls and headed down the stairs to find her curled into a ball with almost all the clothing layers on a pile next to the bed. She was snoring quietly and he almost felt guilty for waking her up. Instead, he leaned against the wall and watched for a minute or so, wondering if she was ever this peaceful and quiet during the day. "Hey, sleepyhead. Food's done. Come and get some." He called out and watched as she bolted from the bed.
She almost beat him to the dining room and sniffed the steaming bowl. "Thyme?" she asked, before sneezing. "And dill? What are you doing to my food?"
Hale took his seat and sipped a spoonful. "I put poison in it." He declared and laughed when she shook her head and defiantly put a full spoon in her mouth. They ate in relative quiet for the rest of the meal and said goodnight to each other before heading downstairs.
Kali stayed awake through almost the entire night, drifting off in the early morning hours only for Hale to shake her awake. She groaned and sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes and massaging her aching shoulder. Old injuries flared in the cold and sleeping on them did nothing to help the pain. "What? Is Santa here?" she asked, still groggy.
"No, but he came. Come on, let's go open presents!" Hale was excited and proved it by almost pulling Kali up the stairs. He sat in front of the tree and patted the ground next to him. The first present he handed her was the shirt, which she nodded thanks for and set in a neat pile next to her. Hale's version of stacking up his presents was completely shredding the wrapping and then tossing the gift behind him. He thanked her for all the gifts, especially the helmet, when he got to the baby blanket.
He had been expecting another shirt, but after discovering what was inside the brown paper, his jaw dropped. "What is this for?" he asked, narrowing his eyes slightly in her direction. His face turned to one of shock when he realized just how red her cheeks were. Even if her face was buried in her hands, he could still see the flaming red.
"I didn't know what it was!" she called out, unable to look at Hale for the time being. She was surprised when he draped it over her head and let out a rumble of laughter.
"Its perfect size for you!" he laughed again before handing her every present except the last two. The first one he handed her clanked and once it was open, she laughed a little before punching him in the shoulder. He had given her shackles as a joke. The daggers came next and he watched her face carefully as she unwrapped it.
Kali saw the hilts first and took her time admiring them before sweeping the remaining paper away from the blades. Her eyes widened and she gasped a little as the likeness of Martin, Hale, and her stood out against a background of Oblivion gates and various daedra. She tested the weight in her hand and then carefully placed both weapons down next to her before turning to Hale. "Thank you. I mean it." she murmured before running a finger down the silver blades.
Looking around, she snapped her fingers and searched for the elusive plant she had purchased. Her hum of annoyance got louder the longer she went without finding it until Hale noticed.
"What happened?" he asked, getting to his feet. He looked around for anything Kali could be searching for and heard her move to stand in front of him. Glancing down, his eyes froze on what was clutched in her hand. "Mistletoe?" he asked.
Kali glanced down at it and nodded. "Can you hang it up for me?" she asked before noticing the look of pure confusion on his face. "What? The lady at the mage's guild said it was a Christmas tradition. Is it not?" she was quickly becoming flustered.
Hale took it from her hand and held it above them. Careful not to bump into her, he lowered his lips to hers. "Merry Christmas, Kali." He mumbled before closing the distance between them.
Review this then head on over to the original H&R for the real story! I do not own Oblivion.