Of Christmas, Eggnog, and Cool Hats
Don't sue me for the total crappiness of the title. I really couldn't think of anything better.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
"No… I think the tables should be over there. By the windows."
"No, no, no. The tables go over there. Don't you know anything about décor?"
"Oh, come on. You can look out the window while it snows, enjoying the tranquil scenery… what's so bad about that, Marquess Ostia?"
"Nils will be attending this party, Eliwood. The odds of the snow remaining tranquil when he and Nino get together are about as good as the odds of Ninian cheating on you."
"Okay, point."
Eliwood sighed and pushed several strands of hair out of his eyes. It had seemed so simple when he had first thought of the idea. Rent the biggest hall available in Ostia, invite all his friends from together for a big Christmas bash, and party the night away.
Of course, it was always easier in the conceptual stages than actually doing it. And most of the hired help seemed slightly less competent than your average Black Fang member.
Beside him, Hector yawned slightly as he glanced around the room. "When are they supposed to start arriving?" He asked in a bored tone.
"'Bout an hour." Eliwood said. Scratching his head, he turned to Hector. "I know I've prepared everything this party could need, but I can't help but get the feeling I've forgotten something…"
Hector folded his arms as he sorted through his own mental checklist of what every decent party required.
"Lights?"
"Yeah."
"… Music?"
"Yeah."
"Food?"
"Of course."
"You sent out the invitations?"
"Yes."
"Hmm… booze?"
"Ye- oh, shit."
Hector shook his head. "In your own words, you have about an hour. Hurry. Up."
Meanwhile, on a carriage from Etruria…
Pent glanced out the window, staring at the passing scenery with interest. Strange, the flora and fauna around here appeared to thrive very well even in the light blanket of snow covering the ground. Then again, if the legends were true about Sir Roland and the Durandal, it was only natural that the wildlife in this area would be especially vibrant.
Beside him, Louise, patted her burgeoning belly. Their child was due soon, and Pent had expressed some doubts about her coming along.
She had sweetly replied that if he ever mentioned her ever being incapable of doing a certain task that he was certainly more than capable of, he would find the business end of a Silver Arrow where the sun don't shine.
After that, he quickly made a mental note: Louise is scary when pregnant.
Behind her, in the back seats, sat Priscilla, napping to pass the time. Her parents hadn't been very happy about her running off again, but he had managed to convince them by assuring that she would be perfectly fine, and in any case, she had her own 'escort'.
Which brought him to the last and forth passenger on the trip. His student and adoptive son hadn't exactly been thrilled with the prospect of journeying to Lycia for a Christmas celebration. Frankly, it was only after Priscilla herself requested he come along as her escort once again that he had relented.
Right now, he was engrossed in yet another book, only occasionally glancing up to see if they had arrived yet.
Pent sighed and settled back into his chair. They would be reaching soon, and he best rest a bit before arrival.
Meanwhile, en route from Ilia…
"How long, exactly, have we been flying?" Heath called over the raging gale.
"Two hours, give or take ten minutes." Fiora called back.
"Swell." He muttered. Hyperion didn't like cold. Cold made him sneeze. And when he sneezed, he got into bad moods. And when he got into bad moods, bad things happened, including but not limited to, tossing his rider around, trying to bite said rider, and generally not paying attention to where he was going.
Which accounted for him ramming into a rock outcropping later and getting a big boo-boo. Big boo-boos are not good.
"Sis, you okay?" Fiora called to Florina, who was lagging behind noticeably. Upon hearing her call, Florina sped up until she was even with her older sister.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just saving a little bird I found." She said as she held up a tiny robin, shivering with cold.
Fiora stared at the bird for a while, then shook her head. "Sis, I'm sorry, but I don't think it's gonna ma-"
"Heads up!" Heath called as Hyperion swooped down, snatching the robin and ingesting it in one quick swallow. Florina stared at the clump of feathers in her hand that had once been a tiny member of the avian species. "…"
Fiora shook her head at the indignity of it all, and urged her Pegasus onward.
Yet another meanwhile…
The gates of Heck were open. (Not to be confused with the gates of Hell. I'm not even sure if hell has gates.)
For the lesser informed among you, Heck is the place for minor transgressions. Such as drinking the last cup of coffee and then not pausing to make a new one. Or drinking milk past it's expiry date.
A byproduct of this rule is that most video game villains end up here. After all, no matter how much chaos you wreak, no matter how many towns you destroy or people you kill, it's all stuffed into a screen with flashy lights. None of the damage actually spills out into the 'real' world.
Thus, it was a clerical decision to shovel all video game sins under the category of 'minor', and any villain that died in the video games appeared in Heck, just as whole and twice as miffed that all his hard work didn't even get him (or her) a ticket into the Prince of Darkness' realm.
Instead, they had to contend with Bob, who was the watchman for the gates of Heck. And boy, he smelled something awful.
Now, back to the story.
The gates were open. Mainly for letting out several guests who had received invitations to a Christmas party. Bob wasn't very pleased with it, but frankly, Bob sucked at fighting. And besides, the order came from 'on high', and he had little choice but to follow them.
"Aggghhh…" Ephidel groaned as he stumbled through the gates. "Free! Free! I'm a free morph again!"
Lloyd and Linus, both of whom were classified under 'morally ambiguous', were already standing at the entrance, waiting for the others. "Took you long enough." Linus muttered to Sonia. "What happened, the perfect being lost her way?"
"Silence!" She snapped.
"… She wanted to put on make-up." Limstella said emotionlessly as she walked past the two feuding people.
"I said silence! Stupid doll!"
"You are a 'stupid doll' yourself, you know." Ephidel informed her as he strode past, stretching.
Meanwhile, Lloyd raised an eyebrow and waved at a familiar figure. "Yo, dad." He said.
Brendan Reed managed a smile as he glanced at his sons. "Long time." He said. "Long time."
There was a flash of light, a vortex carved itself into the air, and Nergal stepped through, yelling something back at whoever was on the other side of the portal. "Yeah, you heard me! You think you're so badass just because you summoned a big meteor? Big whoop! And you! You're that girly man that got beaten by a Saiya-jin ripoff! You call yourself villains?!"
Unfortunately, any reply forthcoming was cut off as the portal closed on itself, rendering communications between here and 'there' highly unfeasible.
Not pausing, Nergal turned, straightened his robes, and walked off, grumbling to himself. With a shrug, the others did likewise.
Behind them, the gates of Heck closed with an ominous 'clang!'.
Then it opened again. "Oi! Take this guy with you!' Bob called, and punting, he sent a figure adorned in red hurtling towards the center of their group.
"………" Kishuna said as he stood up and dusted himself off.
"Yeah? Same to you, buddy!" The gates closed once more.
And with one more meanwhile… (last one, I promse!)
It stood in the gloom of the mist. Powerful. Imposing.
A structure built in ages past. A testament to the culture and power of the race that had crafted it many millennia ago. And this ancient structure was beginning to glow.
From deep within the abyss, a fiery light pulsated, filling the great cavern with an unearthly hue. A deep rumbling resounded through the stone halls. What secrets could this great construction hold? What is about to pass through into the world of men?
A kid with crimson eyes and light green hair hopped through, whistling a jaunty tune as he took in the sights of this world. Grinning, he skipped down the great stone structures, ready to return to old friends.
All was silent.
Then Nils dashed back, tossed an 'Out of Order' sign through the portal, and sealed it off. "Whew." He murmured to himself. "Nearly forgot about that."
"Got all the stuff?" Hector questioned Matthew as his aide dumped several crates of alcohol by the food table.
"Yep. Should be enough to last the night, and if it isn't we got spare." Matthew grinned as he prised open the lid of the crated with a dagger. "Ah, yes. Vintage. My favourite." He smirked as he lifted the wine to the light.
Eliwood walked past, rubbing his hands slightly. "Ready?"
"Ready." Hector affirmed. The hall was now adorned with festive decorations, candles flickered, lighting the area, and the food tables with groaning under the weight of enough delicacies to make Nils himself swear off sugar for the rest of his life.
"All set to make this the perfect Christmas party." Matthew chirped as he raised a glass in toast.
A thudding was heard at the door. "And here come the guests." Hector said, a wry smile on his face.
The party was in full swing by the time Pent knocked on the doorframe. Not that Erk cared very much, anyway. He was huddling inside his cloak for warmth, and desperately wishing he was back home in castle Reglay, curled up by the fire with a nice book.
Priscilla had more or less been the sole reason for his agreeing to come, and he was determined to make up for it by being as grumpy as was humanly possible.
Stepping through into the inner hall, he heard Priscilla gasp in delight as she stared around at the brightly decorated area. Familiar faces threaded their way through the hall, dancing, mingling, stuffing their faces, or generally just hanging around.
Shaking his head, Erk stepped into the hall, hoping he wasn't in for too bad of a time.
"Existentially, I believe beer is better than wine."
"Still, socks are better than creamed cheese."
"That much is obvious. But you must always remember the three important factors in comparison. The first is height, the second is weight."
"And the third?"
"Potatoes."
"What the HFIL are you guys talking about?" An irritated Rebecca snapped to the two goofballs sitting opposite her on the couch. One of them, ostensibly her brother, was busy arguing with her fiancé, otherwise known as Wil. Both of them were busy acting like escapees from a mental asylum.
"We're just passing time until Cap'n Fargus decides to let up on the beer." Dart said as he jerked a thumb in the direction of the rest of his crew, which were currently behaving in a manner that reminded many of hyenas surrounding a kill.
Rebecca sighed again, and turned to glance out at the window. A fair number of people from the great adventure they had been on hadn't turned to show up yet, and she was wondering if…
She stopped and rubbed her eyes. Then she stared out the window again. Nope. No mistake.
Nergal was walking up the path, looking irritated at the snow piling up all over the place. Trooping along behind him were his morphs, looking snazzy in their black robes. Except for mute-o boy, of course.
Behind them strode Lloyd and Linus, decked out in battle gear, and looking exceedingly bored. And hot. At least Lloyd did, Rebecca thought dreamily. Then she whacked herself. Bad Rebecca! She thought. You're engaged! And these are supposed to be bad guys! Shaking her head to clear it, she looked out the window again.
Brendan Reed of the Black Fang walked behind them, followed by a whole host of Black Fang members, most of whom bore battle scars. And some of them looked mean. Rebecca gulped. The last thing they needed was for the hall to get trashed by a bunch of Black Fang.
Grabbing her bow, which she had left by her side ever since coming, she hurried over to the door, silently notching the her arrow.
Nergal stepped through, gazed at his surroundings, and…
Eliwood walked up, looking frazzled. "You didn't tell me you'd be bringing half the Fang!" He muttered, looking past Nergal's shoulder. "I don't think we'll have enough suppl-"
Nergal waved his hand. "Please. I'm a Dark Druid. If needed, I can warp to wherever I want and get you your refreshments."
"Fine, fine." Eliwood grumbled as he stepped out of the way, letting the whole troop pass through. Lloyd smiled as he took off his trenchcoat and left it on one of the racks, while Linus flipped his sword over to a doorwarden.
Rebecca blinked, shook her head, and decided to go rejoin Dart and Wil. If for nothing else other than the sake of her mental health.
"Okaaayyy…" Eliwood muttered to himself as he looked through the list of invited guests. "Most of them are here by now, including some uh, unwanted interlopers." He added as he looked up to where Jerme was busy engaging in a pie-slicing contest with Guy.
Hector glanced down the list. "Hmm… we've yet to see Nils."
"Yeah, Ninian was really excited about seeing him again." Eliwood sighed as he ran through the list once more. "Your wife's sisters aren't here yet either."
"She not my wife!" Hector hissed at Eliwood. "We're just friends!"
"Sure, and that's not an engagement ring on her hand." Eliwood replied distractedly as he indicated Farina near the balcony. Hector mumbled something under his breath and snatched the list away from Eliwood. "Who else?" He asked irritatedly.
"Well, Heath, for one. And then Nino's not here. And pretty much by extension, Jaffar isn't, either."
"I am here!" Nino laughed as she conked Eliwood on the head. "You just didn't notice me coming in because you were too busy with that list of yours."
"Oh, hi, Nino!" Eliwood smiled. "But, uh, where's Jaffar? I don't see him…"
"I've been here for ten minutes." Came a voice from behind them.
"YAGGGHHH!!!" Hector howled as he leapt straight into Eliwood's arms. Which rapidly caused the red-haired Lord to collapse onto the floor in an ungainly fashion.
As Jaffar stared at the two of them impassively, Eliwood managed to crawl out from under Hector, looking slightly mangled. "Don't do that." He said to Jaffar.
He could have sworn he had seen the Angel of Death smirk.
Priscilla glanced out of the window. It was beginning to snow again, and the ground was once again being covered in a blanket of purest white.
Smiling slightly, she leaned over and breathed onto the glass pane softly. Instantly, a patch of moisture condensed on the cold pane of glass, earning a grin from her.
Lifting one hand, she brought it to the window, and slowly began to trace a picture on it. Working carefully, she finally lifted her finger from the cold glass, and beheld her latest creation.
It was a freaky face, so eerily distorted it looked like Hawkeye had sat on it, with swirly eyes and a tongue sticking out from it's proportionally oversized mouth. A giggle escaped her lips as she stared at the picture.
"Still playing the part of a little child, eh, Priscilla?" Came a familiar voice from her back. Turning, her eyes widened first in shock, then in joy.
"Lord Brother!"
"Thought I told you to stop calling me that." Raven asked in an offhand manner as he handed her a brightly wrapped package. "Merry Christmas, sister dearest." He said.
Accepting the present gladly, she looked up into his face, her own shining with joy.
"Lord Brother… you're… you're smiling…" She said in wonder. She couldn't remember the last time she had seen him smile.
"Yes. Yes, I am." Raven said.
There was a pause. Then…
"This is making my face hurt."
Heath arrived at the door, pausing only to shake snow off Hyperion's wings before entering. Behind him, Florina and Fiora were busy leading their Pegasi to the stables. Not that Heath needed to do such things.
"Hyperion?" He said. "Stables. Go." The wyvern belched slightly, then flew off into the night. Who knew how many horses he'd scare the pee out of, but no matter. Turning, he entered the hall.
The bathroom doors opened and Hawkeye stepped out. "You just had to warp us into the bathrooms, didn't you, master? And the female one, no less!"
"Shut up." Athos grumbled. "You don't hear Bramimond complaining."
"He hasn't said a word since arriving."
"That still counts as not complaining." Athos replied haughtily.
"Whatever"
"I dare yoush to hic kish Limshtella and tell her ya in luvsh with her!"
"No! Hee hee!"
"Well, I now doublesh daresh joo! Hic"
"I shaid no, Shohicnia!
"Yeah? Welsh, I double dogsh dare you!"
"Okay, fine! I'll hic do it!" Ephidel snapped. Standing, he staggered over to where Limstella was sitting and calmly sipping from her mug.
"Hey, Limshtellash!" Ephidel giggled drunkenly. "I gotsh a naish Krishmas present for ya! hic!"
"What is it?" She replied emotionlessly.
With that, Ephidel leaned over and planted a kiss right on her morph lips.
The resulting blast of energy blew Ephidel through a wall, two tables, and a window.
"Morphs definitely can't hold their liquor." Lloyd observed as he watched Sonia giggling at the misfortune of Ephidel before falling off her stool.
"Then again, neither can most people." He shrugged as he noted his brother completely inebriated, head facing down on the table.
"You think you can?" Came a reply. Lifting his eyebrows, he caught sight of a burly man grinning at him. "Bartre's the name. I challenge you to a drinking contest!"
Lloyd smiled. "Why, that's something I won't be turning down." Snapping his fingers, he signaled for ale to be brought over, settled himself down next to Bartre, and began.
"Milady Florina?" Heath asked courteously as he bowed.
The timid Pegasus rider jumped slightly at the mention of her name. "Um, c-can I help you?" She asked nervously. Heath was nice and polite and all, but still, he was a guy. And a natural extension was that she was terribly nervous around them.
Heath smiled. "I was wondering… if you'd do me the honour of having a dance with me?"
Florina blinked. "What? Oh, no! I-I can't dance at all! I have two left feet! I-I… uh…"
Heath chuckled slightly. "Really? Well, neither can I. I guess you'll be a good companion for me with my two right feet."
Florina blinked and flushed slightly. "A-alright." She began. "But please don't… don't expect too much from me…"
Heath brushed some of his hair back. "Frankly, I think I've been underestimating you all this while."
Lloyd threw his head back, draining yet another mug of ale, before slamming it down onto the table.
In front of the two contestants, a massive mound of empty mugs was beginning to grow. And neither contestant looked like they were anywhere close to giving in.
A crowd of people was beginning to form around the pair, and bets were changing hands.
"20 gold on Lloyd."
"Oh come on! He's a twig!"
"So you're going for Bartre?"
"Heck yeah! Put me down for 20!"
"You said it!"
Nils stepped through the door, panting and obviously out of breath. "Am I… am I late?" He managed.
"Nope, you can enjoy the party all you want." Eliwood laughed.
"Ugh." Nils muttered as he stepped through the hallway. "I'd forgotten how long it took to traverse continents in human form. Ended up having to become draconic and fly here."
"Wait, you… became draconic?"
"Uh, yeah."
Eliwood massaged his temples. "Um, Nils? Remember that little incident with the Durandal and Ninian? You know how much Lycia had to cough up in therapy bills after that?"
"Uh…" Nils rubbed his head sheepishly. "Heh heh…"
Bill rocked back and forth slowly in his fetal position. Behind him, the frozen and pretty much obliterated remains of his house demonstrated was a testament to what happened about half an hour before.
"Big…" He mumbled to himself. "So big…"
Little kids should NEVER suddenly morph into big honkin' iguanas and fly off. He thought. Not without permits, anyway.
"Nils!" Came a glad shout, and suddenly Nils found himself in a tight hug. A few seconds later, the person stepped away, allowing him to see that it was his sister.
"Ninian?"
"Who else?" His sister said playfully as she inspected. "How's it like on the other side?"
"Pretty good, if you don't count Chariss acting like a retard again." Nils smirked. Then he blinked. "Ninian, you're… pregnant."
"Took you long enough!" She laughed. "Yes." She said more softly, as she patted her belly. "Yes, I am."
"So you two got busy, huh?" Nils turned to Eliwood, an impish grin on his face, which rapidly caused Eliwood to turn the same shade as his hair. With a squeal of laughter, Nils dashed off into the thick of the party.
"I missed him so much..." Ninian sighed happily.
"You know how bloody difficult it is to get snow out of your robes?"
"Don't even get me started."
"All in all, I prefer sand."
"I prefer nothing but a quiet hall where I can practice my arts in peace." Nergal leaned back, while Canas, facing him, took another long drink.
Silence reigned once more as the two of them sat back, thinking. Nergal was the first to break the silence.
"You know, you're pretty good at Elder magic. Would you like to become my pu-"
"No."
"And they accuse me of being antisocial?" Nergal muttered as he took another long drink from his mug.
"No way they can drink that much!" Both Lloyd and Bartre were currently neck and neck in the contest, with neither even seeming the least bit likely to stop.
Sain shook his head in wonderment. "Fifty seven mugs each. Fifty seven."
Then, Lloyd paused. "I… feel something." He said slowly. "A… tingling in my fingers…"
"Aha!" Bartre crowed. "He can't hold his liquor! Ahahahahaha!" Then he fainted.
"…"Lloyd stared down at Bartre. "I guess I win, then." He said.
CRASH!
"Ha!" Hector crowed. "Six! Beat that!"
"Just you wait." Dart snapped. "I'll beat your record by so much, they'll speak of it for years to come!"
"What's going on?" A rather confused Brendan asked Legault, who was lounging nearby.
"Hm? Oh, hi, Commander. Anyway, those axe users over there are having a little competition to see who can knock over the most beer bottles with a throw of the Hand Axe."
"Oh, I see…" A tiny smile found it's way onto Brendan's face. Walking over to the group, he asked, "Mind if I give it a try?"
"Sure." Hector said as he passed a Hand Axe to Brendan. "Knock yourself out."
Brendan stared at the bottles stacked up in front of him, and took a deep breath. Raising his arm, he swung it forward and let fly.
The Hand Axe zipped forward, smashing into a few of the bottles, and shattering them.
"Four?" Hector said. "Not bad. Of course-"
He broke off suddenly, as he noticed the Axe beginning to whirl back towards the bottles. With a resounding crash, another set of bottles were shattered.
The axe boomeranged a third and final time, and smashed the bottom set of targets into tiny shards, before flying back into the waiting hand of Brendan Reed.
"F-f-fifteen?" Dart sputtered incredulously.
"All in the wrist." Brendan grinned.
Nergal was drunk. Very, very drunk.
He was so drunk that he was busy telling Canas his life story (of a thousand years), while the Druid tried desperately to keep awake by supporting his eyelids with toothpicks. He wasn't very successful by any standards.
"Sho then, I like, brought my shon and daughter hic back through the portalsh thingy so I could have shome hic bonding time, but then they were going through that phase hic. And then they ran away! What wash I to do? hic I sent out shome Black Fang troopsh… but then that shtupid girl and her friendsh killed all my soldiers! It'sh not hic fair!" Nergal complained.
As it so happened, Nils was walking by at that particular time. Poor, poor, mamkute…
Nergal managed to catch sight of the young bard and immediately jumped on him. "Shon!" He cried, as he wrapped his offspring in a tight hug that nearly scared three thousand years out of him.
"I lovsh you sho much!" Nergal continued his drunken ranting, while his son desperately tried to wriggle out of the his grasp. "I wanted to go call you, hic and then I'd hic takesh you out to the Red Shox gamesh… and we'd have good bonding time ! hic" Nergal finally let go of Nils, then leaned down so he could look him in the eye. "You knowsh I love you, shon?"
This was the sort of question you really, really didn't want to answer, Nils reflected. Running a finger inside his collar, he offered a silent prayer, and replied hesitatingly, "Well, uh… well, despite the fact that you did send your men out to kill us, drain our quintessence, and all that, I know that deep down, really really really really really deep down, you… love us."
The above statement was all that was necessary to cause Nergal to break down in tears. "I knew my little boy loved me! I knew it!" Then he hiccupped once more, and passed out.
Nils decided to back away slowly from the unconscious magician.
Lucius laughed slightly as he picked another morsel of food from the spread. "Milady Priscilla, who haven't changed a bit. Still as beautiful as ever."
Priscilla shook her head. "Still can't match you, though."
This elicited a tiny chuckle from him. "True, true. By the way, how's that escort of yours?"
"He's not a possession of mine!" Priscilla looked at Lucius strangely. "And I suppose he's off enjoying the party somewhere."
"Is that so?" Lucius scratched his head. "Funny, but last I recall seeing him was when he was at one of the tables moping."
Prisiclla scratched her head, puzzled. "Moping?" She glanced around. "Uh, could you… hold on a minute? I need to…" Her last words trailed off as she ducked into the crowd.
Lucius shook his head and returned to spooning delicacies onto her plate.
Red.
It was all red. He was covered in it.
He was in ecstasy. He was drowning in pools of the crimson liquid, grinning maniacally as he stared at the oozing mess in front of him.
His blade flashed silver, as he raised it slowly, his long dark hair partially obscuring his vision. He holds it there for a timeless instant. Poised. Ready.
To strike.
Plunge deep, deep, deeper past the soft outer layer of brown, deep into the body, laughing as the knife is now stained crimson.
A scream.
"Karel! What on Elibe are you doing to that cherry pie?" His siser cried in dismay and disgust.
Slowly, the world around him reverted into focus. He was standing, spattered from head to toe in bloodred cherry sauce. The carving knife he was holding was also covered in red, and the pie in front of him could no longer be actively considered a pie, except by the most generous of people. Most would refer to it as a mess of pastry and fruit pieces.
"Uh…" he said.
Karla shook her head. "Honestly, brother, you are really starting to worry me."
"Ah, Kent!" Sain called. "Why the straight face? Tonight is a night for merrymaking!"
"Sain." Kent acknowledged, before turning to face him. "Have you forgotten that we are knights of Caelin? No matter the occasion, we must always retain an aura of decorum and dignity."
"Ah, you're no fun." Sain muttered, although he knew it was hopeless. Every year, every Christmas bash or New Year's Party, or whatever it was, his friend acted like he had an oblong wooden instrument firmly lodged up his posterior.
Turning to leave, he caught sight of Fiora hanging near the window. His first instinct was to go over and apply his charms on her, but as he glanced back at his fiery haired companion, an idea slipped into his mind.
Sidling up behind Fiora, he quickly finished the banana peel he was eating, and dropped it just behind her. Then, catching Kent's attention, he gestured for him to come over, which he did with a sigh.
When Kent was close, Sain turned to Fiora. "Excuse me, dear Fiora, but would you excuse us for a minute?"
"Of course." Taking a step back, foot met banana peel, and Fiora was sent on a collision course with the floor.
If not for Kent, of course. Grabbing her shoulder, he managed to haul her back to her feet.
"Th-thank you." She gasped.
"My pleasure, milady." Kent said, before turning to Sain. "Sain? You wanted to-" He stopped. Sain was gone.
"Typical." He muttered. Turning to Fiora again, he asked. "You alright?"
"Yes, I'm fine. Thanks." She smiled.
Just then, another song started up, this time a romantic Ilian ballad.
"Oh, I love this song." Fiora murmured. "Reminds me of home."
"Indeed?"
"Uh-huh." Fiora said distractedly. Then she turned to Kent, a shy smile on her lips. "May I repay my knight in shining armor with a dance?"
Kent glanced around slightly for a moment, then shrugged mentally. What the heck. "I believe I'd enjoy that very much." He said.
From the pillar behind the two, Sain pumped a hand into the air. "Yes!" He said.
"Hoo, boy, we're late." John muttered as he shoved his wet cloak onto a rack, letting the slush drip from the material to the floor.
"Well, if you'd read the maps more carefully, we'd have got here on time!" Cass snapped in reply as she shrugged herself out of her own cloak.
"John! Cass!" Came the glad shout as Eliwood strode up to meet them. "Glad you could make it."
"Playing host with us so soon?" Cass laughed, the twinkle in her eyes ever present. "Shouldn't you be waltzing with Ninian or something?"
"No, not really. She's teaching her brother the finer points of human dancing."
"Ah."
John allowed one of rare smiles to enter his face. "Well, I hope we're not too late. Has Bartre devoured all the food yet?"
"As a matter of fact, no. Come in, come in! I'm sure everyone'll be happy to see you."
"Don't mind if we do." Cass walked past, into the hall.
"This is undignified."
"Since when did the Angel of Death care about dignity?" Legault asked in an offhand manner as he carefully fastened several clips to Jaffar's cape.
"You do realize that if it weren't for Nino's sake, I would disembowel you right here."
"Yeah, yeah…" Legault muttered. Then, standing back, he admired his handiwork. "Perfect, even if I do say so myself."
Jaffar would have given anything to sink into the earth and disappear. But no, that was not to be. With a sigh, he ducked out from behind the corridor and emerged to the populace at large.
And was immediately greeted by a squeal of delight from Nino. "Jaffar! You look so cute!"
"You don't wanna know how many pillows I had to stuff in there to make him look like Santa." Legault whispered to a snickering Rebecca.
"…" Jaffar closed his eyes. Maybe if I keep telling myself it's all just a dream it'll all go away.. He thought.
"Sir Oswin!"
The Ostian knight turned to see Priscilla looking around worriedly. "What is it, milady?" He asked.
"Have you seen Erk around?"
Oswin thought for a long moment. "No, I cannot say I have."
"Oh… thanks for your time, anyway." She departed.
Erk sat on the roof of the building, occasionally lighting a fire with his tome to keep himself, if not warm, then not on the edge of freezing over.
Leaning back, settled himself against the chimney or whatever it was, allowing himself some backrest. The roof was pretty much flat, which allowed him to sit without much trouble.
More snow was still falling, covering the ground in a shining blanket. He saw Nils leading Eliwood outside into a snowball fight, while Ninian stood at the sidelines laughing.
He should have been happy. Not miserable.
Should. Didn't.
Sighing, he drooped his head slightly down.
"Erk?"
He blinked. He knew that voice. Lifting his head, he caught sight of Priscilla standing by the roof entrance, staring at him. "What are you doing out here?" He asked.
"I should be the one asking you that." She said softly. Walking over, she sat down next to him, chin resting on her knees. "What are you doing out here all alone? In the cold?"
"I'll be alright."
"Erk… come in. Enjoy the party. Enjoy Christmas."
"No thanks." He managed a sad smile. "You go and have fun, Priscilla. No need to worry about me."
"Erk… what's wrong? It's Christmas. Even if you are sad, it's the one day of the year you should enjoy yourself and be merry, right?"
"Christmas…" He said softly. "It's never… it's never been a time of cheer for me."
Priscilla didn't say anything. She merely placed a comforting arm around Erk's shoulder, silently urging him to say more.
After a pause, he did.
"It was Christmas that year… when my parents told me they didn't have enough money left to support me." He sighed. "I didn't believe it at first. My father didn't see any future in burying myself in tomes and books. I thought they didn't want me anymore. I thought… I wasn't good enough to be accepted by them." He shook his head. "Then they heard of Master Pent… he was willing to accept a student. They sent me there. Christmas never held joy for me." He glanced down to where Eliwood was being pelted by multiple snowballs. "It just reminds me… I'm a peasant living in a world of lords and nobles. T just reminds me how… alone I am."
Priscilla stared at this for a few minutes, before something clicked. "Erk… you're not alone. We're your friends, aren't we? All of us? We went on our journey together. We stuck through thick and thin…" Her voice trailed off as she noticed her words having little to no effect on him.
She sat for a few minutes before trying again. "Erk, even if… your real parents aren't there for you anymore… you have others, right? Like my father… he's not my biological father, but he treats me as well as any one could. You have Lord Pent… you have Lady Louise. They'll stay with you…" She trailed off again. Finally, she mustered her courage, trying to tell Erk the one thing she'd never had courage to say to his face.'
"You have me."
At this, Erk lifted his head to stare at Priscilla quizzically. "I have you?" He repeated.
Priscilla mentally smacked herself.
"Hey, why'd you look so ashamed of yourself?" Erk asked. "I don't mind having you with me."
Priscilla blinked. Was he… Did her really
"In fact…" Erk slowly grasped Priscilla's hand in his. "I'm a little glad. I like you being near me. It… comforts me."
Priscilla blushed as she suddenly her boots immensely captivating. "Erk… I… I never knew."
"Tell you the truth? Neither did I." Buoyed by his words, she looked up to see him smiling at her.
Priscilla leaned against Erk, feeling the warmth of his body even in the chill of the winter night. "Oh, Erk… I don't want this moment to end…"
"Okay, everyone!" Cass called. "On the count of three, we all shout Merry Christmas! Got that?"
"One!" John called.
"Two!"
"Three!"
"MERRY CHRISTMAS ONE AND ALL!" They all shouted as one.
"God blash ush, efryone!" A very drunk Nergal put in.
"Ya shaid it buddy." Athos replied.
Erk and Priscilla smiled as they heard the din in the hall below them. Unfastening his cloak, Erk swept it over Priscilla's shoulders, her smile of thanks all he needed to feel warm inside.
"Merry Christmas, Erk." She said.
"Merry Christmas, Lady Priscilla." He replied.
Okay, I'll admit this isn't my best work, nor is it close. I really had to rush near the end of this to make the Chrismas deadline.
That said, it's still a pretty decent piece of work in my eyes, so, I hope you enjoy it.
To anyone mad that a character you liked was not in here, I'm sorry. Maybe I'll add ina few more of them in an edit someday.
Author's notes done? Good.
Read and Review, please!