The Secret -Not-so-Secret Yulemas Gift
Secret Santa: Mihashi-Harumi-chan
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In the middle of Bern, with winter bearing down on the entirety of an army and its camp followers, one red-headed woman was up to an impossible task, a very, rather terribly difficult, almost altruistic task set before her when she came up with the idea of the army, if it could be called that, barely two companies really, having a Yulemas celebration.
The idea had come with little prodding when Priscilla had chosen to look at her calendar, the one counting how many months ago she had originally set out from Etruia all through the year. Her eyes had danced upon the thought of being able to share her most favorite of holidays with everyone around her, after all, Yulemas only came one time a year and it was celebrated by Saint Elimine, herself!
Talking with the tactician of their army, a feat that Priscilla had found extremely daunting at first, had actually been the easiest part of her yuletide planning. Their tactician, a young woman who had been the assistant for Ostia's main tactician, had even seemed to enjoy the idea of their group having a holiday break from the fighting for even one night. Getting the three lords to agree, Priscilla assumed would have taken time, but a day after the lordlings had thought it over, they had come to the tactician with their decision and the tactician had given her the signal to go ahead and start looking for Yulemas supplies at the next town, even alloting 3,000 silver for a budget!
On the evening of Yulemas Eve, Priscilla had ended up beyond stuck and in trouble despite all her feelings of exhuberence at setting up the tents with decorations, finding a large enough tree to decorate and making a bonfire pit big enough for the celebration. She had gotten everyone else in the army invested in seeing the Yulemas party and participating in its reception.
The pumpkin pies were baking, to be ready for tomorrow. The meat all prepped for cooking in the morning and pancake ingredients set aside to be used during the morning's roll call. There had been no recent battles and their wounded were relatively able to move and come in the main tent that they had set aside for the present giving and the mess hall so they wouldn't miss anything. There was spiced wines and elderberry casks waiting to be opened and shared. Priscilla, with the help of Sain, the most hopelessly chivilarous knight if there was one in Lycia, had even set up mistletoe on tent beams and doorways.
The feeling of accomplishment was readily under Priscilla of Cornwall's belt, but her main reason of anxiousness had been none of the above. In fact, her nervousness wasn't from a bout of the flu or a cold setting on. Oh, no. Nothing was as simple as that.
Priscilla still didn't have a present for Raven, her long-lost brother who had joined up with their army only a few months ago and to whom the young troubadour had been trying tirelessly to re-integrate herself with.
Indecisively, for Yulemas eve, Priscilla could only stare at the hot chocolate she had bought earlier and think upon just how exactly she still hadn't come up with a gift for her brother with only the resounding thought of, 'I am the worst sister in all of Elibe,' being chanted as her mind lingered over the memories of the last few weeks.
LLLL
Immediately after receiving the 'go ahead' from their tactician for the Yulemas celebration, Priscilla had started a list, a rather long list of what she needed to buy first. The top of the list had her brother's name, but after sitting down the first few nights, not sure of exactly what he would want, the troubadour decided quickly to set it aside and get a few of the other objectives complete first.
LLLL
After the first week of buying things as the group traveled, working on getting a few of the Yulemas songs together, Priscilla looked at the list again and decided that just perhaps she should ask some of the other warriors and comrades of hers what they think she should get him for Christmas.
While getting the ingredients for the Yulemas dinner, Priscilla had taken Lucius with her. Her brother's vassal and closest friend was a confidante of her own and to whom held no grudge against anyone that she really knew about. Shopping in the market that day had been relatively a calm event with little disturbance to their needs as they went about the day that Priscilla had been uncertain when best to speak.
When they came across a weaponsmith's shop, she paused to a standstill and stared at the window in thought. Lucius, having noticed his friend pausing, turned around to face her with curiosity in his blue eyes. Silence and the clang of a hammer on heated metals reigned between the two until Priscilla spoke in a shy voice.
"What do you think Raymond would like for Yulemas?" Her visage was still trained upon the tools of war in contemplation, seeking each blade for an answer she didn't have yet. The monk, a gentle soul at best, sidled up to her from the distance between them, face appearing beside her own in the glass.
"I think he would not want anything made for war from his beautiful and kind sister." His arm wrapped around her shoulder, pulling her tiny body into his side as the monk pulled them into walking again. Priscilla, for all her desires to get her brother something he may need, realized the folly in giving him something deadly as they were still fighting about Raymond trying to get revenge. "He will love whatever you give him but I think if you want to try and garner Lord Raymond from his chosen path, you must use tools of peace instead."
Lucius was right in his words. Raymond would not want something war-like from her. She concluded as they walked down the market road to the main road, that she would need to ask someone else.
LLLL
A day or so after her initial trip with Lucius, the army had chosen a town to stop in for the next two weeks, to resupply and rest until the end of Yulemas. The decorations had started to come together as she had been decorating the tents in her off-time, away from the medical tent with a helper when she can grab one. Today's helper is Sain, the romanticist knight of Caelin, and the most obvious flirt in all of Elibe.
Usually Sain, for Priscilla, came with a storm of questionable intents, such as whether the knight was being serious or perhaps if he was just one to give loads of compliments. In truth, the troubadour took his pretty versatile words with a grain of salt after the fourth or fifth time she saw him carousing yet another one of the fellow women warriors.
With his help, they were putting up lengths of pine along the tent poles. His height gave him an advantage over some of the other people she thought to have asked for help from and he listened well to her instructions as she reached for the last box they had. With Sain on the stool next to her, waiting for whatever was about to be unfolded, Priscilla came across the wild idea to ask him.
'Sain might actually have a good idea,' She thought to herself. She looked over her shoulder at the cavalier, unsure of what to say first, but decided she was getting no where being shy about her question.
"Sir Sain, I have to ask an impertinent question, but…..what do you think I should get…." She paused, unsure if she should mention her familial relationship with Raymond. As Raymond was a private person though, she doubted he would want the Lycian League's secondary-gossip mongerer to know the truth. She opted for something more general in her words instead. "...someone who is rather important to me?"
She promptly turned her head away, mostly in shame at her impertinence in asking such a rather awkward question, but Sain was a man and she was sure that he may have some insight into the male psyche that she hadn't. The troubadour waited a few moments for any sort of reaction, but she was only given silence. Sighing, Priscilla turned her eyes to the last box and decided to just open it and be done with this embaressment that she had wrangled herself in. She was being right down improper for herself.
Opening the last box, she blinked in her surprise. There were boughs of mistletoe in the entire box! She hadn't even thought of mistletoe. A hand clasped her shoulder as the unmistakable heated breath of a man settled along her ear, causing her to blush red at the implications of his closeness. The wisps of bangs and stubble rubbed against the underside of her ear as Sain's soft voice started talking in her lobe!
"I have no doubt your special someone would endure the burning of ten thousand suns for just the gift of your smile. For you to be so courteous as to think upon them in this time of celebration, is so very kind. My answer is to give them a maiden's kiss! It will invigorate them and make their battles swift and victories many!" His whisper was soft but urgent and Priscilla couldn't handle it anymore! Thankfully for Priscilla, but unfortunately for Sain, all of a sudden his stool had lost its balance and he had ended up falling backwards and landing awkwardly on his wrist with a loud yowl. Standing above the fallen Sain, a shadow that loomed across his body and to what seemed the tent walls appeared, belonging to the garnet-haired brother of hers. His arms were crossed as he stared in a manner that Priscilla was certain could impale and flay the cavalier beneath him alive.
Sain scooted away on the ground awkwardly from her brother as she watched in curiosity. Raymond wasn't the least bit frightening to her. She had seen him since her infancy as her big brother who had always looked out for her. The knight's eyes were wide and the troubadour couldn't tell but she thought he might have been sweating.
"H-h-hi R-ra-Raven! I'm going to go….." Sain paused, scuttling even further trying to find the exit, which was a yard away from his form. Raven pulled his sword out of the scabbard before plunging it into the ground in front of him, both hands resting at the top of the hilt as he glared with waves of anger roiling off from his shoulders towards the unfortunate target of Sain. "T-the- door! I'm gonna go through the door! No worries! I'll be all out of her, I mean, your hair!"
With the loud flap of the tent door and the amazing speed of the knight lifting himself right fast off the ground to get out the door, Priscilla turned to her brother with a small smile. Raymond had come to see her, despite the circumstances of Sain leaving. Her brother didn't say anything for a few moments before reaching down and righting the stool, taking a second to dust off the top before sitting down and looking up at her with exasperation in his face.
"I heard you arranged for a Yulemas break." He sighed as he spoke. Her brother, usually so reticent, tended to only speak at length with her and Lucius at most. To her though, it was a treat and a blessed one at that when he spoke to her first. She nodded her head towards his statement, waiting patiently to see if he would say more. He gave one more sigh after a few moments. His hand reached out to hers for a moment, hesitating before heading towards the box in her hand and plucking out mistletoe.
"Sain got these didn't he?" She nodded again, hearing a grunting snort in response. Raven took his time before speaking again, dropping the mistletoe back in the box. "You should watch out when people try to trick you for their own means, otherwise you'll just be led around by the nose."
Nodding, Priscilla eyed the box in thought. Should she put up the mistletoe? Raymond might not like them and she, technically, hadn't planned on it. The waiting for anything more to be said lingered with each second that the troubadour thought of the miniscule plants ready to be tied to poles and cause mass mayhem around camp. Her answer came relatively quickly in the form of the last thing Raymond would say to her for the day.
"They'll go to waste if you don't use them…..Be sure to not end up under one." With his words, and stony silence that followed, the little sister of Lord Raymond of Cornwall got busy with tying up mistletoe on beams while her brother watched her and kept an eye out for Sain de Caelin to come sneaking back to finish his flirting with her.
LLLL
The next chance she got to ask someone was when she had ended up discussing with their tactician, Seras, on whether or not they should do a Secret Elimine present giving. The tactician had quickly agreed and had set out to make a list of who should do whos when Hector came barrelling in with his retainer, the tall Sir Oswin behind him.
"Seras! Who put up all the mistletoes?! I just had to kiss Oswin!" The tactician looked up from her list as Priscilla crumpled from his outrage and booming voice. She supposed she may have put the mistletoe up in strange places but she knew that was the most fun to do. The woman at the desk only raised an eyebrow before Hector turned his dark blue gaze upon the young woman in front of the desk. "Was it you?"
Before she could answer, Seras's voice piped up with a wide smile on the woman's lips.
"AH-HAH! All done! Now, everyone has a partner! Since you three are all here, I should give you your secret Elimine people at this moment." The confused faces of the three were the only reactions that the red-headed woman behind the desk received, before the loud tearing of parchment met their ears and the woman hastily waved a peice of paper at both Hector and Priscilla. "Here! Here! Take it and go get something! Make sure it's wrapped up with the name on it so people don't get confused when it's put under the tree!"
Priscilla stared at the name on the slip of paper. Who knew that she was already looking for a present for Raymond? Raven's chosen name was written out with the black ink that Seras cherished. When she looked over towards Lord Hector and his retainer, she could see pink upon the lord's cheeks.
"By the Saint, Lyndis?! You really want to put me through torture, don't you, you wench?" Seras only shrugged handing another strip of parchment to Oswin. Hector leaned over to peek at Priscilla's name before making a face that reminded her of a ten-year-old being forced to hold the hand of a girl he disliked because of 'cooties'. "At least it's better than yours."
The troubadour frowned. Her brother was a very good man and she knew she would rather have her brother than Lady Lyndis, no offense to the woman in particular, but she had more invested in her brother than the woman warrior.
"If I had Raven, I would know immediately what to get him." Hector smirked, putting his parchment into his doublet to stay hidden. Knitting her eyebrows up at the liege lord, Priscilla tilted her head in confusion.
"What would that be, milord?" The idea of Hector having some form of insight into her brother's chosen preferences might have been outlandish, but after striking out twice, Priscilla was ready to take any idea into consideration.
"A swift kick in the arse."
She left without another word.
LLLLL
A day or two after that conversation in the tent and everyone in the camp being busy with present giving preperations, Priscilla over-seeing the final touches upon the Yulemas decorations with Hector and the cavaliers having brought back a tree for the camp to decorate in the main tent.
Helping her was Erk, who she preferred to be around most days, that is if her fellow medic was not in tow. It was honestly nothing she had against Serra de Ostia, except that where Priscilla was soft-spoken, Serra was loud, where she was polite, Serra was brash. Serra's strong personality was the cause of wary for the usually demure troubadour for anyone who was this brash, especially in court life, was considered a fop at best and a terrible fool at other times. Erk, the mage who had escorted her from Etruia as part of his training under his adopted father, seemed to always be around the outgoing woman more times than not. Priscilla had learned easily that she was to find that she would rarely get time with Erk away from Serra's ever-cheerful boisterous persona.
Today, for the most part, was her and Erk working on putting the decorations on the tree. Serra had went to go get them some hot chocolate for their efforts from Rebecca who was in charge of the Yulemas feast. With Erk looking down from the top of the ladder, waiting for another ornament from her on the ground, Priscilla chose he might be the best to ask. He didn't know Raven was her brother, but she had no doubts his response would not be as silly as Sain's nor as angry as Hector's. Erk was a voice of reason amongst the army and there were not many who didn't ask his opinion on minor matters.
"Lord Erk," She started when Erk's low voice interrupted her as she reached up to hand him another painted ball. The glass ornament was picked up with no trouble from her hands as his dark violet eyes trained upon her and a frown became apparent, though on Erk it was hardly misplaced as his usual stoic face turned to a frown at any sense of displeasure.
"Just Erk." She smiled softly. She had forgotten he disliked formalities about him, despite being the adopted child of the Sage General of Reglay. The redhead continued shortly after reaching for another one of the glass ornaments to hand him as she knew the time to ask him would be limited if she didn't want Serra to end up arguing with him and interrupting her.
"My secret Yulemas is a man. What do you think I should get him?" Erk held the glass ornament in his hand, concentrating on the ball before a small mage-light filled it, casting a soft glow much like the others that were on the large fir tree they were putting them on. He stopped for a second after finding a place to put it before answering.
"I can't decide that for you, but if he's special to you, like I think he is since you've been asking around about it-" She opened her mouth in the start of asking whom had been saying she was asking around when Erk continued, "Sain talks, by the way- I would give him something no one else could give him. Perhaps something handmade." The mage shrugged when he finished, reaching out for the next ornament from her hands.
"Is that what you really think, Erky?" Erk's rather relaxed, for once, form tensed up out of the surprisingly sneaking form of Serra coming out from the other side of the tree. The mage blushed, looking down at the pink-haired cleric with a hiss between his clenched teeth. Priscilla let out a soft sigh before a rueful smile crossed her pink lips.
"Serra! What have I said about sneaking up especially when there's delicate work to be done?" The cleric snorted derisively, shrugging her petite shoulders at the mage, one pinky cleaning out her ear. The two could be considered inseparable and for a moment, a dark roiling of jealousy perked up in Priscilla's stomach. She wished she had someone that she could be considered inseparable to, but her only companions, Serra, Erk, Lucius, Sain, Heath, and Raymond had fellows they preferred to stay nearer to, leaving her often alone, much like she had been in her life.
"Listen, Priscilla, if you're gonna go and get something for someone you like, make sure its from the heart. You can't just go and make them something and then get sad if you didn't make it with all your heart! People can feel things like that!" Despite her tone, one of chiding wisdom, Priscilla knew that Serra was trying to be helpful as much as she could. Erk snorted, rolling his eyes upwards with each word Serra uttered, muttering under his breath with, "Why wouldn't she make it from the heart? Are you dense or really this oblivious?"
LLLLLL
The last person she had ended up asking was Heath, the wyvern knight from Bern who had hidden behind his wyvern as soon as she had come into the stable tent to only greet Legault the Hurricane, though some whispered he was a blackheart and traitor, who smiled with such guile that Priscilla felt she had walked into some sort of honeyed trap. Heath's hair, a bright teal with a shock of white, peeked above the shoulder of his dragonling.
"H-have you seen Heath?" The thief only nodded his head towards the bright teal patch of hair that was visible. His smile widened and for the life of her, Priscilla was sure that his teeth were sharpened into points, but Legault was Heath's friend and Heath was her friend.
"Well, well. Isn't this a surprise to see? Heath, you should come greet the little troubadour out from behind your pet." She could hear the knight groan as he smiled hesitantly, poking his head finally out of his hiding place. His face was tinged red and the troubadour noted that he seemed to look almost afraid of her. She inwardly frowned at this, but continued on her quest. She had chosen Heath because he was down to earth and he was kind but taciturn at times. The knight reminded her so much of Raymond sometimes and she knew that he would have good insight as well.
"H-he-hey there, P-Priscilla!" He was fidgeting as he spoke, taking moment to glare at Legault's silent laughter as the thief watched the exchange between the two. "H-how...How can I help you?"
"I...I need to ask a question, a rather...an impertinent one if you don't mind me asking." Heath nodded solemnly, looking down to whatever he seemed to be holding onto from behind his wyvern. The knight turned his gaze fully onto his cloaked friend, speaking without hesitation at the unasked question of privacy.
"Hey, don't you have a gift to wrap for the tactician?" His friend's composure slipped only a fraction before a chortle left his lips and Legault waved a hand in farewell.
"I'll get right on that. I wouldn't want to intrude on your..." A large cheshire grin warped the man's face with glee. "...special moment of trust and intimacy." Heath rolled his eyes towards the heavens while his friend left the two of them alone. The silence was almost comfortable as Heath seemed to ease with the absence of the teasing rogue from their conversation. His cheeks were still burning though, a sign of fever Priscilla would be sure to ask about after she asked her important question.
"What is it?" His voice was gentle, reminding her of the summers she spent outside at tea parties and along walks in the courtyards in Etruia, bringing her a warmth she hadn't felt in her soul during the harsher and colder weather of Bern. The troubadour smiled gently, playing with her index finger with her other hand as Heath's eyes took her in.
"What would you get someone?" The question was almost unheard as his wyvern chose at that moment to sniff at Priscilla rather loudly before setting her head down, leaving Heath little room to hide behind the massive shoulders. The knight leaned forward, almost lying on top of his wyvern's shoulder width, cheeks darkening even more. He shifted on his toes, trying to get comfortable against his resting drake. As soon as he seemed comfortable again, the knight looked up at Priscilla who waited patiently for her answer.
"Well, something they liked."
And she was back to square one.
LLLLL
The snow that was falling was somber and quiet to which the young healer could relate. The only thing she could think to give Raymond had been something of war. She knew if she had bought a sword, she would be branded a hypocrite by her brother for her constant need to see that he did not drive himself into a grave marked by revenge. For such a woman, she really thought of herself as hopeless.
In the main tent where people were gathering around to share stories by the tree or to linger near the sweet food for their dessert, Priscilla only felt envy. Lyndis and the lords were talking about the campaign from the previous season where they had to rescue Caelin, while Ninian and Nils entertained their knights with music and Yulemas carols. The togetherness of everyone in the tent was more than she could bear at the moment. Taking her mug of hot chocolate and regret for not deciding on a present, Priscilla left to only be greeted by a rather rare sight, one she did not ever think she would see in her life time. In the middle of the camp, where if anyone really chose to look, were Erk and Serra, sitting beside each other in front of the large bonfire. Serra's Bishop ring, the one she had hopped around and made anyone with eyes look at five times a day as soon as she had received the promotion from the Church of St. Elimine in Ostia, was on Erk's finger that was resting on the bubbly woman's waist.
For some reason, a pang of loneliness rang throughout Priscilla's heart and she scurried away from camp, not quite sure where she was heading but heading to a place only a tiny bit away to finish her drink and think to herself. When she finally found herself up the hill, near the river where they had been doing their laundry for the last two weeks, the troubadour sat down, turning to face the camp. The lights of the mage globes glittered, reminding her of the Yulemas celebrations she had spent in Etruia's capital, with the voice of their songstress still coming strongly from the main tent, echoing serenely throughout the valley. Her celebration was beautiful and she had noticed all too easily how everyone, except perhaps the most taciturn of their entire army, had taken to it. It was a view she could look on proudly.
Despite the figure of her brother trudging up the path she had made before stopping her dead in her tracks. She paused in her sight-seeing to zero in on her brother, gulping softly in dread. She didn't want to tell him that she had no present for him! He would likely not care but it was the thought that counted!
The soft slide of his legs against the snow kept getting closer and closer, causing the redheaded woman to shut her eyes in hopes he didn't admonish her too much for leaving camp. The sound stopped as soon as it got close. She opened her eyes slowly, tearing up at her brother.
"Lord brother, I..." He didn't say a word, only watched her with a curiosity that she was sure was made for someone who thought she was being quite pathetic and weak. "I...didn't get you a present. I didn't know what to get you..." Her weak words broke her down, the shame and admittance causing her to fall inwards towards her knees in defeated tone. Tears were falling freely out of her eyes onto her winter leggings with each sob."I-I'm so sorry, Lord Brother!"
She sobbed hard at her helplessness in the choices she had when the calloused fingers of her brother slipped under her chin, leading her up with a strength her body automatically followed. Raymond had done this often when she was a child, crying her eyes out. He pulled her to standing up in front of him, looking up at him. His other hand held her cheek, rubbing the tears from her skin in uncharacteristic kindness.
"Thank you, for bringing me Yulemas once more." She blinked, tears falling silently before his arms wrapped around her shoulders and held her to his warm body. Years of distance between them seemed to disappear in this strange acceptance of something she hadn't even thought was a present, but dwindling memories of their family and Raymond's enthusiasm for Yulemas pressed forward that he had once loved the holiday too.
His arms, keeping her to him, caused her tears to prickle along her eyes before fully starting to sob once more, not out of sadness but out of happiness. Raven, for his part, smiled. This had been the best gift his little sister could have given him.
A happy memory to end the year on.