Hey, you guys! This is a piece for the FFXII Winter Contest from the FFXII forum: Final Fantasy XII Options Open! I hope you enjoy this story and please review! I hope I win the contest, but if not, I am sure having fun trying! This is a story about Larsa and Vayne at Christmas time! Also, in this story, the "you-know-what" is nothing vulgar. This takes place during FFXII . . .?

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy; I only love it. I also do not own Santa Claus.

Christmas with the Solidors

Chapter 1: The Plan

"Oh, it is so close to Christmas!" Larsa cheers gleefully. "What shall we partake in first? Decorating, caroling, snowball fighting . . .?"

"Larsa, I have an much more grand idea for us to do first," Vayne says generously. "We shall go visit Santa Claus."

"What? Really?!" Larsa gasps in happy surprise. He places his gloved hands together and smiles hugley at Vayne. "You will take me?"

"Sure. We will go when you are ready."

Larsa hugs Vayne tightly with joy. "Oh, thank you, Vayne! I love you!"

"Lord Vayne, Lord Larsa, your breakfast awaits the two of you in the dinning room," Judge Bergan announces.

"Let us go eat now, Larsa,"Vayne says, tired of being hugged. "The sooner we eat, the sooner we get to see Santa Claus."

"Yay! I cannot wait!" Larsa cheers as he lets go fo Vayne. Larsa happily skips down the stairs and slips on a step, causing him to slide down the rest of the long staircase in a sitting position.

"Larsa!" Vayne calls to him. He hurries down the stairs and to his brother's aid. "Larsa, are you alright?"

"No!" Larsa sobs, still sitting on the bottom step and covering his face with his hands.

"I will get Dr. Cid. You stay here, okay?" Vayne instructs, and then leaves.

After a few minutes, Dr. Cidolfus rushes over to Larsa with a medical kit in his hands. "Lord Larsa, you must be escorted to my lab for examination. Can you walk?"

"No," Larsa cries.

"I shall carry him, then," Vayne offers. He lifts Larsa into his arms and carries him to the lab with Dr. Cid. Inside, he sets him in a bed gently.

"Lord Vayne, it would be best for you to leave," Dr. Cid says.

"Very well," Vayne accepts. He leaves the room and walks down the hall.

"Vayne," Gramis syas sternly while walking toward Vayne. "Why have you nor Larsa come to breakfast?"

"Larsa . . . has aquired an injury," Vayne explains sincerly. "I had to take him to Dr. Cid."

"What? An injury?" Gramis asks in alarm.

"Yes, and unfortunately, he will not be able to partake in any activities today," Vayne adds.

"Oh, do not think you are getting out of spending time with Larsa!" Gramis scolds, suspecting his son. "When he recovers, you will let him enjoy this holiday, or you-know-what will happen!"

"Y-yes, Father," Vayne replies, slightly shaken.

Ten minutes later, Vayne and Gramis enter the lab to visit Larsa. They see that he is lying sadly on hsi back in the bed while covered up with a white sheet.

"How are you, Larsa?" Gramis asks.

"It hurts," Larsa moans.

"He will be unable to walk for about a day or two," Dr. Cid says while strolling into the room cooly. "He was lucky, though. If he had nto landed on his . . . er, bottom after twisting his leg, he would have broken his leg. Instead, he has a minor injury in his leg and is hurt pretty badly in the other place."

"Will I still get to see Santa?" Larsa asks.

"As soon as you recover," Gramis assures. "And Vayne shall accompany you. Until then, you will go to your room and the servants will take care of your needs for you."

After Larsa is changed from the hospital gown back into his normal prince clothing, a servan carries him to his room and into his bed. Vayne goes out into the snowy courtyard to meet with Judge Ghis all the while.

"How did it go?" Ghis asks, leaning idley against a stone wall.

"Not quite as planned," Vayne replies unhappily. "His leg did not break."

"Did you not place the invisible secret substance on the step?"

"Yes, but he only twisted his leg and slid on his bottom the rest of the way down. In other words, he will be able to go in a couple of days or so."

"So you mean . . . you still have to let him be merry or whatever or you will have to deal with . . .you-know-what?"

"Unfortunatley. I wish I had never done it to him, now."

"But, was it not worth the laugh?"

"I suppose we will just have to see."

"Lord Vayne! You will catch cold if you do not hurry inside!" Judge Zargabaath calls to him. "You need your strength for dealing with Larsa."

"Yes, you are quite right," Vayne sighs.

Meanwhile, Larsa is whinning in his huge, comfortable bed while Emperor Gramis is speaking with him.

"Father, it is just not fair!" Larsa whines. "I should not be hurt at this time of year!"

"Larsa, you have done nothing but whine since Dr. Cid examined you!" Gramis gripes. "You are very lucky! Besides, if you had not been skipping like a little girl through the flowers, you would never have fallen in the first place!"

"Here is your breakfast, Lord Larsa!" Judge Drace says, handing a huge tray of food to the young boy. "I hope you feel better shortly!" she adds while bowing, and then exits the room.

"Now eat, my son. I shall see you in the eventide," Gramis says calmly while leaving.

Larsa eats everything in the large tray, and then puts it aside and out of the way. Bored, he falls asleep about thirty minutes later.

Vayne slips into Larsa's room after a guard informs him that he is asleep and quietly approaches his bed. He slowly pulls the covers off of Larsa and grabs his hurt leg.

"Mm . . . Vayne?" Larsa mumbles as he opens his eyes. "What are you doing?"

"I was just, um, checking on your leg," Vayne lies quickly.

"Do not twist it like that. Dr. Cid said that it could damage it worse to do things like that."

Vayne lets go of Larsa's leg, angry that his plan of breaking it himself was ruined. "Larsa, when do you think you will be well enough to see Santa?"

"In about two days. My leg should be better by then."

"But you must sit in Santa's lap. How long until then?"

"Well . . .," Larsa ponders aloud. "I am hurt there more than my leg, so . . .about a day or two longer, perhaps?" he estimates sadly.

"Well, there is still about a fortnight left until Christmas. I am sure you will still ahve plenty of time to enjoy yourself."

"Oh, Vayne!" Larsa exclaims. "Look! I made a snowflake this morning!" He grabs a cut-up sheet of paper from off of his nightstand and holds it up for Vayne to see.

"Oh, well, that is lovely," Vayne fakes, uncaring.

"I am going to make more and hang them around the castle for decoration!"

"Um, yes. You do that. I am going to the kitchen now." Vayne leaves the room and heads down the hall.

"I am so miserable!" Larsa cries, his head leaned over dispairfully. "I wish I was not in so much pain . . . or at least had someone to whom to speak!"

Judge Ghis enters the room and looks at Larsa happily, though Larsa cannot tell becaus of his helmet. "Hello, young lord."

"Hello, Ghis," Larsa sighs sadly, Ghis not being a person he would particularly like to speak with.

"I heard about the accident. Everyone has. Do you need anything?"

". . . ," Larsa replies.

"What is it?"

". . . Nothing." (he was going to ask for a cookie, but was too embarassed by Ghis' presence; they do not get along well in this story!)

"Why do you sulk? You should be smiling!"

"Smiling? About what? I cannot smile when I am in such pain!"

"Because all of us are! Since you are hurt, none of us have to put up with your annoying childish bliss and your babyish Christmas stories!" Ghis explains.

Larsa's eyes fill with water as he looks at Ghis with a hurt look on his face. "So you are joyous in my time of pain? Then so be it! Now get out!" Larsa grabs a few gil from his pocket and throws it at Ghis, hitting him in the chest and denting his grey armor.

"Now you blew it, you brat," Ghis chuckles. "I am going to inform your father of your behavior towards you elders."

Ghis leaves the room and enters Gramis' study to talk to him and sees him writting some documents. "Mi'lord, Larsa is in need of a lecture, I do believe," Ghis informs.

"What? What happened?" Gramis asks.

"I told him how sad it made me feel that he ws depressed and hurt and I told him to smile, but . . . he became upset and hit me with gil! Look at my newly-polished armor!"

"Thank you for informing me, Ghis. I shall have a word with him forthwith!" Gramis says, getting up angrily and headed toward the door. When he enters Larsa's room, he stops and glares at him.

"Father, Ghis was --"

"Shut-up!" Gramis yells. "You never talk to your elders with disrespect! Do you understand me?!"

"Y-yes, but --"

"And you never ever hit them!"

"Father, he said hurtful words to me!" Larsa argues.

"Oh, he told me the whole story! You are just being disrespectful now because you think you will not get punished in your current condition! Well, you are wrong!"

"Father, please!" Larsa begs. " I am sorry!"

Gramis grabs Larsa, jerks him out of bed, and spanks him over his knee five times. Afterwards, he puts him back in bed.

"You dissappoint me, Larsa. I had hoped you would turn out better than Vayne, but I guess I had my hopes up too high."

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So what do you think? A bit of a pointless chapter I guess, but I wanted everyone to know how wicked Vayne and Ghis are in this story. Next chapter: Larsa sees Santa Claus, but the person dressed up is someone he knows from the main FFXII character cast! Could it be Balthier? Penelo? Basch? Fran, maybe? Or is it really someone like Vossler or Al-Cid? Well, what are you waiting for? Review!