Ho ho ho! Merry Christmas. I just want to point out that, this isn't a canon chapter, but rather a little, I don't know, fun story that I wanted to put up for Christmas. Don't think of any of this as what will actually happen in F&B. I'm feeling good today.

You know, I was surprised at first that Ylisse even HAD a Christmas. Well, Nagamas, but that's not the important part. They had Christmas here, and even had the Santa outfits. That was the important, but strange part. I wasn't complaining.

Chrom and Sumia thought it would be fun if they had all of the Shepherds dress up in Santa uniforms and do a little Secret Santa thing. We all drew names out of a Santa hat, and I had to get a present for Lissa. I had no idea what to get for the princess. Usually, I just gave money as a gift, because I was not creative when it came to gift-giving, but I figured that a few golden coins wouldn't cut it this time.

I plotted through the snow-covered streets of Yllistol. Winter came fast. A week ago, the fields of Ylisse were vast and green. Now, they were covered in a foot of snow. It hadn't snowed in increments, either. All of this white shit was from the past two nights.

Ylisse didn't decorate like we did back home, but that was probably due to the technological differences. They still had lights adorning the houses, with lanterns hanging from where the roof overlapped. It was beautiful here, and so peaceful. There was almost nobody in the streets, making it seems like there was nobody in the city, but a quick through one of the windows showed a happy family enjoying a Chris—er, Nagamas dinner. The windows let out an abundance of golden light from the inside, so the snow on the streets was always showered in their brilliance. If it wasn't so damn cold and I wasn't in a hurry to buy Chrom's sister a present, I would have just wandered the streets for a few hours, taking in the winter-laden city. I couldn't describe how beautiful it was.

"Please be open, please be open, Gods, please be open," I muttered, rounding the corner to the business district. "Oh, thank the gods." In front of me was a jewelry shop, and I figured that the princess of Ylisse wouldn't mind a nice bracelet or ring or something.

I opened the door, and there were three men inside. One of them was behind the counter, talking to another one of the men, a guy who was likely in the same situation as me. The third guy gave me the "sup" nod, and an understanding passed between us. A beautiful thing, the way humans understood each other like that. The guy buying something thanked the shop owner and left, giving me a nod as he walked by. I waited patiently for the other guy to finish his purchase, and as soon as he left, I stepped up to the counter.

"What are you looking for?" the merchant asked, placing his hands on the counter and smiling peacefully.

"Uuuuuum, how about that pendant?" I pointed to a silver pendant with a deep blue crystal embedded in the center.

"That will be 400 gold." I would have spit out my drink if I'd had one. 400 gold? That was more than a sword! Jesus Christ, this Secret Santa business was going to make me broke. Haha, that was a lie. I had plenty of money. But that price was still outrageous.

"Okay, what about this ring here?"

"250." Fuck.

"This ring?"

"300." Shit.

"Alright what about this bracelet?"

"330." Piss.

"Man, cut me some slack," I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "Alright, what about these earrings?" I pointed to a pair of silver earrings. They didn't have much in terms of colour, but their swirling designs looked pretty neat, so Lissa would probably like them.

"250."

"Dammit, whatever. Deal." I handed him the gold and he placed the earrings in a small white box, then tying a blue ribbon with gold accents around it in a bow. Neat. "Thank you," I said, smiling. "Merry Nagamas." Shame the guy was working today, but I didn't have time to worry. I needed to get back to the palace.

I tried to follow my previous footprints as best I could, while going as fast I could. Snow had started to fall, again, but it was very moderate, coming down slowly and calmly. There wasn't even a breeze. By the time I got back to the palace, my clothes were covered in snow. At least I wasn't wearing my outfit, yet. I ran to my room and slipped out of my now soaking clothes. On my bed was the Santa outfit. I was going to have to thank Robin for putting it here for me. I pulled the red pants up, slipped the coat over the white t-shirt, pulled the brown boots on, and topped it all off with the classic red hat. I looked in my mirror, pulled the red, fingerless gloves on, then slid Lissa's present into the coat pocket and jogged downstairs.

Everyone else was already in the meeting room, chatting and drinking. "Wow," I said, taking in the room. A massive Christmas tree stood in the corner, decorated with tinsel and ornaments, and with little glass balls filled with fire magic, according to Ricken. On top of the tree was what appeared to be an angel, but on closer inspection was one of the old fashioned manaketes, wings outstretched, dragonstone held in front of her. I suspected it was Naga. There were a few tables, all covered with the same red and green tablecloths, with various drinks and foodstuffs. Then there was the congregation of Santas in the room, talking and laughing and getting drunk on eggnog.

I ran up to Chrom and Sumia, who were talking to Vaike and Cherche. "Good evening, you guys," I said, clapping Chrom on the shoulder.

"Ah, Zach, good to see you," the Exalt said, smiling. He gave me a once-over and his smiled widened. "Good to see that you're wearing your Festival suit, as well." Ah, right. In Ylisse, the Santa suit was customary during Nagamas, known to some as the winter festival. It was red because according to the story, there was once an Anna a millennia ago who decided that, in honour of the Hero-King, she would give away her entire shop's stock of items. So, every year when Nagamas came around, people dressed up in red to do the same. Sort of. Didn't mean that the modern day Anna's failed to make a profit from selling the outfits.

"Yeah, man. Why would I want to not be included in something like this?" I asked, gesturing to the crowd of Santas. All of the guys were wearing outfits nearly identical to mine, with some deviations. For instance, Chrom's coat was emblazoned with the brand of the Exalt. The girls were wearing Santa skirts, instead, and their coats were more like jackets, and didn't come all the way to their waist. At least their boots and hats were the same. I was certain Krystal was fine with this change, however, considering that it was less exposing than her normal clothing.

"Did you end up getting a gift?" I took the box out of my pocket and wiggled it in front of him before placing it back into my coat. "Okay."

"When are we giving these things away, anyway?"

"Be patient, Zach," Sumia chimed in, giving me a smile, too. "It won't be too long, I promise."

"Alright. So what do we do until then, just talk, drink, and eat?" They both shrugged, and I sighed. "Alright, well, I'm going to go find Robin." The snickering and mumbling between the happy couple as I turned around didn't escape me.

"Yes, I'm sure he is," I heard Sumia whisper to Chrom. It was surprising that they didn't know Robin and I were already dating. I didn't dignify them with a response, however, instead continuing on my way. I wound my way through the crowd, searching for Robin's head of snow-white hair. That proved difficult due to the white fluff that lined everybody's clothing.

In the end, the tactician found me. I stood on my toes to look over some of the Shepherds' heads, and jumped a little when someone placed their hand on my shoulder, pulling me back down. I didn't get to turn around willingly, as the hand was joined by its twin, and I was spun to face their owner.

"You look ridiculous," Robin said, giving me a little push.

"And you don't?" I countered, and she gave me another push. "I'm kidding, you look great." The skirt showed off most of her legs, and the red and white worked for really well for her. She had some strands of hair framing her face, while the rest was kept up in her Santa hat. Sure, she didn't have Sumia's curves, but I'd be damned if she wasn't as cute, if not more so.

"You look alright, too," she said. "Here, take a drink." Robin held a wineglass up to me, and it was filled with a creamy-looking drink. "It's eggnog." I gave her a strange look, and she said, "I'm not lying."

"I know," I said, tilting my head back, as she had put the glass right up to my face. I took the glass from her and took a drink from it. I would have taken more, but she snatched the glass from my hand after I'd taken just a sip.

"It's so good," Robin moaned, downing the remainder of the glass. I almost asked if she'd ever had eggnog before, but stopped myself. Stupid question. "Why don't they serve this year round?"

"I couldn't tell you," I said with a chuckle, shaking my head.

"I'm getting more." Great. Robin, our leading tactician, was addicted to eggnog. I followed behind her as she navigated through the crowd, forging her way to the table that held the eggnog. "Yessssss," she whispered, filling her glass again.

"Robin, you have a problem," I informed. The same table also had an abundance of chocolates and other candies, so I was grabbing a handful of those to snack on. "How many glasses have you had?"

"Four."

"And how long have you been here?"

"Five minutes."

"Robin!" I wasn't given a response. I looked to the tactician to see her, downing what would be her fifth glass of eggnog in as many minutes. When she put the glass down, I swiped it from her, saying, "You are cut off. No more eggnog for at least an hour."

"No! No," she cried, losing all disposition. I held the glass above my head, and she stood on her tiptoes, trying and failing to reach it. "Give it back, come one!" She tried jumping for it, but I raised it a little bit each time by going on my toes. I couldn't help but laugh at her struggle.

"No, you're cut off," I repeated. "Stop trying, I'm taller than you."

"Zach," she hissed, "give it back."

"Not a chance," I said, still chuckling. I leaned forward, saying, "You need to stay away from the eggnog."

"If you don't give that back," Robin threatened, "I'm going to just drink straight from the bottle, and you can't stop me."

"Actually," I smirked, leaning in closer. "I have two hands. I can just pick that up, too." The tactician frowned, crossing her arms and glaring at me. I sighed, but my smile remained. "Are you really trying to guilt me right now?" Robin stayed silent, turning away from me. I waited patiently, but didn't lower her glass, in case she was tricking me and was waiting for the opportune moment to strike. When she said nothing for roughly thirty seconds, I figured I'd messed with her enough. Almost. I was still going to moderate her eggnog intake. "Robin?"

"You're an asshole," she muttered, keeping her back to me.

I sighed again, and set her glass down on the table. I put my arms around her, draping them over her shoulders. Robin remained difficult, and I pulled her against me. "You're being overdramatic," I said, but she ignored me. "Chrom and Sumia don't know we're dating, yet." More silence. "We aren't exactly hiding it." The silence persisted, so I gave her a quick kiss on the top of her head. "See?"

"That's because Chrom is an idiot sometimes." I could hear the smile in her voice. "Did you know he tried to recruit three more soldiers to the Shepherds last week? He said they were great people who fought for Ylissean lives."

"Mmm. You told me."

"I told him that a soldier's job was to protect the people."

"Wasn't he drunk, though?" I recalled. "Even Chrom isn't that oblivious when sober."

"Those soldiers were the ones that paid for his drinks," Robin admitted. "But that's beside the point." We stayed like that for a long time, with her in my arms. We didn't stand in front of the snack table for the entire time, of course. We walked over to one of the walls, and I leaned against it, her against me. "Can you get me another glass of eggnog?" she asked, and I was tempted to say no, but figured the joke would just ruin the moment. I got a "Thank you," when I handed it to her.

"How are you enjoying your first Nagamas, then?" I asked, spinning her around. "Is it as good as Chrom promised it would be?"

"Well, the night's still young," the tactician said, grinning. "But so far, it's been pretty nice." After a moment, she followed the answer up with, "Is it not your first Nagamas, as well?"

"It's my first Nagamas, I suppose, but back home, we had something nearly identical called Christmas, so I knew what I was getting myself into."

Robin looked away, then, opting to place her head on my chest. I wrapped my arms around her, and she wrapped one around me, with the other holding her glass of eggnog to the side. "By back home, you mean Earth, right?" I nodded. "I thought so."

"I wish there was some music."

"Why, so you could show off your dance moves?" Robin joked, chuckling to herself.

"You know I can't dance, Robin." She laughed again. I rested my head against hers. "Can I have a sip of your eggnog?" She held the glass up and I took a small drink, then she lowered it again.

"What's in your pocket?"

"I bought Lissa earrings; they were 250 gold."

"Oh my gods, why did you get her something so expensive?" she asked, pushing back a bit to look me in the eyes, so my arms slid to her lower back.

"I was pressed for time," I said, but she smirked.

"So she was your secret gift recipient?"

I nodded. "Yeah. I got it right before coming here. It's a shame that the guy had to be working on Nagamas." When were we giving these away, anyway? It had been an hour already, and I was getting curious as to who got me a gift, and my curiosity only grew when I thought about what it would possibly be.

Robin raised her glass, offering me another drink. I shook my head, and she shrugged, downing the rest of the glass. "You know, I think it was a mistake to drink all that eggnog."

"Why?"

"Because most of them weren't just eggnog." I raised an eyebrow, inquiring further. She sighed, leaning back in and resting her head on me again. "I mixed most of them with a bit of Feroxi ale."

"Robin."

"I may be drunk I'm sorry."

"Back home, you wouldn't be old enough to drink alcohol. Did I tell you that?" Robin shook her head. "Yep. You wouldn't be legally able to drink until you were 21."

It had gotten quiet. It seemed everyone had reserved themselves to quiet talking. The drinking was over, the tables mostly vacant. Almost everybody had separated into their respective couples, or at least with someone who Robin had been not so discretely trying to set up. For instance, Dylan was chatting happily with Tiki, the dragonkin enjoying talking with another shapeshifter.

I wasn't sure if it was Chrom's idea or Sumia's to speak up now, but whoever it was really ruined the calm mood, sending the room into utter chaos with two words: "Gift time!" It was a man's voice, so I was inclined to believe that Chrom was to blame for this mess. As soon as I heard the words, I wasn't able to hear anything else. The room erupted with hooting and hollering.

"Meet back here when we get our gifts?" Robin shouted to me. I nodded, and we disengaged, spreading out through the room. Finding Lissa was going to prove difficult, considering she was the smallest Shepherd. The chaos of the room didn't help at all. When I finally found her, she was standing to the outskirts of the crowd, waiting patiently for her gift.

I snuck up behind her and, taking the box out of my pocket, tapped her on the shoulder. Lissa jumped, but smiled when she saw me. "Ooh!" She eagerly undid the bow and opened the box. "Oh my gods, Zach! How much were these?"

"250 gold."

"Holy wow! Thank you so much!" Lissa cried, pulling me into a tight hug. "Merry Nagamas!"

"Merry Nagamas, Lissa," I said, and she let go. I expected to get my gift on the way back to Robin and I's meeting place, but was confused when I made it there emptyhanded. Robin was already waiting for me when I got back. In her hands was a book. "What's that?" I asked, pointing to it.

"A book on Ylissean holidays." Robin was beaming at the book, already flipping through its pages. I smiled, too. Whoever got it for her must have been talking to her a lot, as the tactician had been very intrigued about holidays ever since Chrom first announced this party. She'd been talking about wanting to know more, and I was planning to get the book for her, but someone beat me to the punch. "Tharja gave it to me." Ah, that makes more sense. "Y'know, I'm pretty sure she rigged the drawing so she would get me." She moved to slide the book into her cloak, momentarily forgetting that she was wearing her Santa outfit right now and instead just holding the book in her armpit. I chuckled at the reflexive motion, and her face went a little red. "What about you? What was your gift?"

"I haven't gotten it yet," I mumbled with a frown. My curiosity was burning, but nobody was even walking toward us. "Maybe they forgot?" I hated not knowing who got me something. This was torture. Robin let out a relieved sigh. I glanced over to see her looking at her side. "What?"

"Oh, nothing, I just," she brushed the side of her coat off. "I thought I bent a page of my book when I closed it, but I didn't."

"Ah." Maybe my secret Santa was just having trouble finding me. I didn't exactly stick out the most, so it was an understandable reason. But as time passed, I grew more and more impatient. "What the fuuuuuck," I whined, leaning my head back against the wall. Everyone else had their gifts already, and was enjoying it. Except for Robin, who kept her book closed, waiting patiently with me. We were both leaning against the wall, side by side, overlooking the room.

"This is kind of strange," she admitted, leaving the wall's support to stretch her arms.

"Yeah, man, I blow like 300 gold on a pair of earrings for Chrom's sister, and nobody gets me anything. How is that fair?"

"Isn't Nagamas about giving?" Robin asked cheekily, grinning at me.

"Fuck that noise," I said, "I want presents!" Robin moved in front of me and placed her left hand on my shoulder. I instinctively moved to put my arms around her and sighed. "This sucks. Where is my present?" I asked once more, closing my eyes. I felt Robin move her right arm up, and I thought she was going to touch my face, but the contact never came. I opened my eyes to see her looking at me with the smallest, most peaceful smile and the softest look in her eyes. Her eyes flicked up, and I followed them. In her right hand, dangling right above our heads, was a clove of mistletoe.

"Your present is right here."

Merry Christmas, everybody! This little story is just something that I wanted to write for Christmas. The idea popped into my head this morning, but the only part that was planned was the very very end.

It's a little rough and fast paced, but that's because I wrote it all today and wanted to post it while it was still Christmas, so there ya go!

Merry Christmas!

All of the Bells jingled out of the building.