A Christmas of Enchantment
An Enchanted Forest Fanfic by SJO
(Note: I don't own Patricia C. Wrede's Enchanted Forest Chronicles or any Christmas stories/carols/specials I happen to refer to.)
Chapter One: In Which Mendanbar and Daystar Get Their First Christmas Tree
"Let's see." Willin looked at his list and then up at the hallway. "Halls sufficiently decked with balls of holly--check. Silver bells--check. Chestnuts roasting on an open fire--check. Jack Frost . . . summoning Jack Frost!" A tiny, blue brownie appeared before Willin and playfully bit his nose. "Ouch!" The brownie laughed and flew away. "Jack Frost nipping at people's noses--check." He looked somberly at the chorus of fairies singing "Joy to the World." "Yuletide carols being sung a choir--check. Fair folks dressed up like Eskimos," he looked at his own garbs and shuddered. "Check. General feeling of Christmas in the air--check. Shining star hung upon the highest bough . . . " He looked around but didn't see such a thing. "Uh, shining star hung upon the highest bough?"
"What bough?" a grumpy voice called from the study.
"Oh dear." Willin ran from the great hall to the study. "Don't tell me his majesty hasn't gotten a tree yet!" he cried up to the gargoyle.
"All right, I won't tell you. But I will say this--if one more of these pesky pixies order me to be joyful, I'm gonna spike the eggnog with a little fairy dust, you hear me?"
"Has even spoke of the subject?"
"How should I know? All I hear is the shrieking voices in my ears. 'He rules the world with truth and grace?' I can't tell you what sounds more graceless.
Willin was ignoring him. He caught sight of the king, queen, and prince outside--playing in the snow.
"Oh, sire," he sighed.
Mendanbar whisked Cimorene across the frozen waters of the Green Glass Pool. She giggled. "Isn't this our first Christmas?"
"Second," Mendanbar answered quickly.
"Really? You sure?"
"Yeah. Remember when the wizards shut me up in that door? One of the things that pulled me through was thinking about our first Christmas."
"Oh. That was forever and a day ago for me. Well, it is our first Christmas with the whole family being together."
"Yeah, that'll be good." Mendanbar looked through his forest. "It always amazes me how the forest just knows that it's December."
"Daystar does love snow."
At that moment, Mendanbar felt a ripple of magic in the air. "Speaking of." He turned quickly around and flicked his wrist just at the right time. A snowball was hovering right in front of his face. Just beyond the snowball, the prince looked at his father with glee. Mendanbar grinned mischievously. With another flick of his wrist, the snowball went flying toward Daystar. The prince ducked, but the snowball hit him, as if it had been targeted.
"You're not gonna get away with that!" Daystar laughed while packing another ball of snow.
"Daystar, you must be careful with this snow. It's magic, you know."
"I kinda figured. It doesn't feel very cold."
"Exactly. And if you try to make men and angels out of this snow, they come to life and--"
"Really? Cool, I need to try that!"
"No, Daystar, you don't understand."
"Your majesty!" Mendanbar turned to see Willin. "I cannot believe that you so recklessly forgot your duties!"
"Willin, it's Christmas! Even kings have a right to get in the Christmas spirit and have a little fun with their families."
"But you have yet to choose a tree for the Great Hall, and the ambassador will be here in a matter of hours! You know how particular his tastes are. He always pressures the whole castle. We always need a little Christmas right this very minute!"
"Oh! Oh, the ambassador! I forgot. I'll get right to it, Willin."
"Ambassador?" Daystar asked.
"Ambassador Kringle. He's from another part of the world. I don't know if he's a wizard or what he is, but he has a good heart. He comes by every December to borrow a little magic to help him on his journey."
"Ambassador Kringle. Santa Claus?"
"That's what he is to the kids. To us, he's Ambassador Kringle. Willin would have our heads if we ever called the ambassador by his private name. I personally don't think he'd mind, but you know. And now, I suppose you and I need to find a tree."
"Oh, a right of passage for father and son," Cimorene smiled. "I'll leave you to do that."
"You sure, Darling? It's fun walking through the forest in December."
"I'm sure. I'll fix some cocoa and Cherries Jubilee for the ambassador. He's probably tired of Christmas cookies by now."
Mendanbar quickly twisted a strand of magic, and he and Daystar appeared in the heart of the forest. Disembodied voices sang, "God Rest Ye Marry Gentlemen" all around them.
"Everything in the forest loves caroling," Mendanbar smiled.
"Now that's wild."
"What?"
"A pear tree in the snow?"
"Of course. It's got a partridge nestled in there somewhere."
"Oh yeah, of course. Why don't we get this one? Something different."
"Nope. Doesn't suit his taste."
"Hey, that's a neat one. It's made all out of poinsettias. Those are Christmas flowers, aren't they?"
"Willin's probably up to his elbows in poinsettias. We don't need anymore."
As they walked on, they finally came to a portion of the forest that was entirely evergreens. Pieces of fruit hung on the branches, decorated by animals, and many also had colorful lights of magic blinking to the sound of the music.
"This is incredible."
"Yeah."
"So which one are we going to get?"
"None of these."
"Why not?"
"You'll see."
Daystar looked in wonder at all the trees and couldn't believe that Mendanbar was passing them all by.
"Here we go."
Mendanbar stood in front of a small evergreen that looked rather ratty.
"This is our tree?"
"Yep. The ambassador has a soft spot for this kind of trees. He calls them Charlie Browns. I don't know why."
"But this tree instead of all these grand one in the forest that could fill our whole great hall? He wants this one?"
"Let me show you something." He walked over to the lower branches of the tree. "You see this? This is where a deer that had nothing else to eat came to nibble on a branch. And this gap here is where a rabbit running from hunters hid overnight. All these other trees we saw are proud and show-offy, but this tree sacrificed its beauty to provide aid to those in need. The ambassador believes such a tree should deserve the greatest place of honor."
"Wow."
"Yeah, one thing about Ambassador Kringle, he does have a huge heart. He often teaches me a thing or two."
"But then again, when we take this tree, where will the deer eat and the rabbits hide?"
"Good question. I think most of the proud trees will remember how they're supposed to behave and will humble themselves a bit to provide."
"Oh."
"All right, on three. One, two, three, PULL!" Quickly, he and Daystar yanked magic strings in the air, and the tree disappeared.
"That was quick. I thought we were going to magically cut it down."
"Well, that makes it easier to put it back in the forest after Christmas.
"Oh, OK. Well, since it didn't take long, can I go visit Shiara? I think she'll like a walk in the snow."
"All right, but be back to the palace in an hour. You don't want to miss the ambassador."
"Yes father." Mendanbar transported himself to the castle as Daystar transported to the edge of the forest, toward the Mountains of Morning.
(Note: I don't own Patricia C. Wrede's Enchanted Forest Chronicles or any Christmas stories/carols/specials I happen to refer to.)
Chapter One: In Which Mendanbar and Daystar Get Their First Christmas Tree
"Let's see." Willin looked at his list and then up at the hallway. "Halls sufficiently decked with balls of holly--check. Silver bells--check. Chestnuts roasting on an open fire--check. Jack Frost . . . summoning Jack Frost!" A tiny, blue brownie appeared before Willin and playfully bit his nose. "Ouch!" The brownie laughed and flew away. "Jack Frost nipping at people's noses--check." He looked somberly at the chorus of fairies singing "Joy to the World." "Yuletide carols being sung a choir--check. Fair folks dressed up like Eskimos," he looked at his own garbs and shuddered. "Check. General feeling of Christmas in the air--check. Shining star hung upon the highest bough . . . " He looked around but didn't see such a thing. "Uh, shining star hung upon the highest bough?"
"What bough?" a grumpy voice called from the study.
"Oh dear." Willin ran from the great hall to the study. "Don't tell me his majesty hasn't gotten a tree yet!" he cried up to the gargoyle.
"All right, I won't tell you. But I will say this--if one more of these pesky pixies order me to be joyful, I'm gonna spike the eggnog with a little fairy dust, you hear me?"
"Has even spoke of the subject?"
"How should I know? All I hear is the shrieking voices in my ears. 'He rules the world with truth and grace?' I can't tell you what sounds more graceless.
Willin was ignoring him. He caught sight of the king, queen, and prince outside--playing in the snow.
"Oh, sire," he sighed.
Mendanbar whisked Cimorene across the frozen waters of the Green Glass Pool. She giggled. "Isn't this our first Christmas?"
"Second," Mendanbar answered quickly.
"Really? You sure?"
"Yeah. Remember when the wizards shut me up in that door? One of the things that pulled me through was thinking about our first Christmas."
"Oh. That was forever and a day ago for me. Well, it is our first Christmas with the whole family being together."
"Yeah, that'll be good." Mendanbar looked through his forest. "It always amazes me how the forest just knows that it's December."
"Daystar does love snow."
At that moment, Mendanbar felt a ripple of magic in the air. "Speaking of." He turned quickly around and flicked his wrist just at the right time. A snowball was hovering right in front of his face. Just beyond the snowball, the prince looked at his father with glee. Mendanbar grinned mischievously. With another flick of his wrist, the snowball went flying toward Daystar. The prince ducked, but the snowball hit him, as if it had been targeted.
"You're not gonna get away with that!" Daystar laughed while packing another ball of snow.
"Daystar, you must be careful with this snow. It's magic, you know."
"I kinda figured. It doesn't feel very cold."
"Exactly. And if you try to make men and angels out of this snow, they come to life and--"
"Really? Cool, I need to try that!"
"No, Daystar, you don't understand."
"Your majesty!" Mendanbar turned to see Willin. "I cannot believe that you so recklessly forgot your duties!"
"Willin, it's Christmas! Even kings have a right to get in the Christmas spirit and have a little fun with their families."
"But you have yet to choose a tree for the Great Hall, and the ambassador will be here in a matter of hours! You know how particular his tastes are. He always pressures the whole castle. We always need a little Christmas right this very minute!"
"Oh! Oh, the ambassador! I forgot. I'll get right to it, Willin."
"Ambassador?" Daystar asked.
"Ambassador Kringle. He's from another part of the world. I don't know if he's a wizard or what he is, but he has a good heart. He comes by every December to borrow a little magic to help him on his journey."
"Ambassador Kringle. Santa Claus?"
"That's what he is to the kids. To us, he's Ambassador Kringle. Willin would have our heads if we ever called the ambassador by his private name. I personally don't think he'd mind, but you know. And now, I suppose you and I need to find a tree."
"Oh, a right of passage for father and son," Cimorene smiled. "I'll leave you to do that."
"You sure, Darling? It's fun walking through the forest in December."
"I'm sure. I'll fix some cocoa and Cherries Jubilee for the ambassador. He's probably tired of Christmas cookies by now."
Mendanbar quickly twisted a strand of magic, and he and Daystar appeared in the heart of the forest. Disembodied voices sang, "God Rest Ye Marry Gentlemen" all around them.
"Everything in the forest loves caroling," Mendanbar smiled.
"Now that's wild."
"What?"
"A pear tree in the snow?"
"Of course. It's got a partridge nestled in there somewhere."
"Oh yeah, of course. Why don't we get this one? Something different."
"Nope. Doesn't suit his taste."
"Hey, that's a neat one. It's made all out of poinsettias. Those are Christmas flowers, aren't they?"
"Willin's probably up to his elbows in poinsettias. We don't need anymore."
As they walked on, they finally came to a portion of the forest that was entirely evergreens. Pieces of fruit hung on the branches, decorated by animals, and many also had colorful lights of magic blinking to the sound of the music.
"This is incredible."
"Yeah."
"So which one are we going to get?"
"None of these."
"Why not?"
"You'll see."
Daystar looked in wonder at all the trees and couldn't believe that Mendanbar was passing them all by.
"Here we go."
Mendanbar stood in front of a small evergreen that looked rather ratty.
"This is our tree?"
"Yep. The ambassador has a soft spot for this kind of trees. He calls them Charlie Browns. I don't know why."
"But this tree instead of all these grand one in the forest that could fill our whole great hall? He wants this one?"
"Let me show you something." He walked over to the lower branches of the tree. "You see this? This is where a deer that had nothing else to eat came to nibble on a branch. And this gap here is where a rabbit running from hunters hid overnight. All these other trees we saw are proud and show-offy, but this tree sacrificed its beauty to provide aid to those in need. The ambassador believes such a tree should deserve the greatest place of honor."
"Wow."
"Yeah, one thing about Ambassador Kringle, he does have a huge heart. He often teaches me a thing or two."
"But then again, when we take this tree, where will the deer eat and the rabbits hide?"
"Good question. I think most of the proud trees will remember how they're supposed to behave and will humble themselves a bit to provide."
"Oh."
"All right, on three. One, two, three, PULL!" Quickly, he and Daystar yanked magic strings in the air, and the tree disappeared.
"That was quick. I thought we were going to magically cut it down."
"Well, that makes it easier to put it back in the forest after Christmas.
"Oh, OK. Well, since it didn't take long, can I go visit Shiara? I think she'll like a walk in the snow."
"All right, but be back to the palace in an hour. You don't want to miss the ambassador."
"Yes father." Mendanbar transported himself to the castle as Daystar transported to the edge of the forest, toward the Mountains of Morning.