German speak
Thoughts
Chapter 1: Frost
I let out a long sigh as I descended from my icy tower and mentally braced myself as I entered the dark toyshop.
I hated the fact that in order to get into my home I had to walk past row after row of deformed slave toy makers, past the huge furnaces that stank of hells fire and past the dark evil elves with whips in hand just waiting for an excuse to whip one of the many slaves working in here. In the beginning my own workshop had been part of the huge castle that my husband and I lived in but had to be remove when my powers caused the place to get so cold that not even the Christmas demon could stand it, so I had been force to move it here to the dark village.
"Please…kill me…" A boy in his early teens said weakly.
He like so many of the slaves that had begun to change into nasty looking monster like toys, her husband had once told her that the process was slow and painful from start to finish and everyday some slave or another would beg her to end it for them.
"Get back in line before you are punished." I said emotionless and walked away not really caring what became of him, all those who were forced into slavery here had been evil, their souls beyond god's grace.
"Mistress." Greeted one of the huge demonic looking teddy bears that guarded the entrances to the dark toyshop. I nodded in greeting as exited the dark workshop and was outside in the frozen court yard I let out a long breath.
I really hated the workshop, it was always so depressing to have to walk through their day in and day out, but it was part of her husband's job, so she had to suck it up and dealt with it.
I quickly made my way across the icy court yard, the castle loomed over head like an intimidating figure, but I had always found it magical in that dark sort of way.
Letting out a sigh of relieve as I entered the warmth of living room, I took off my long white fur coat and set it on the coat hanger by the door then gripping the red velvet rope by the huge fire place pulled on it to summon a servant. A girl about ten years old dressed simple in a grey dress and an iron collor entered the room holding a silver tray with a tea pot and two tea cups on it, I watched as she carefully sat it down on the table between the two chairs by the fireplace and waited until I was seated before carefully pouring me a cup of the richest hot chocolate ever to be made, then stood waiting as I sipped at my drink.
"Do you know where your master is?" I asked after a moment.
The girl paled at the mention of my husband and was probably thanking her lucky stars that I had picked her out of the yearly line up to come and work in the castle and not in the toyshop or the coal mines.
"Um…No mistress I'm sorry but I don't know where the master is at this moment. If you like I could go find someone and finds out for you." She said nervously.
"No I want you to go and find him, he probably has lost track of time and needs to be reminded. When you find him, you are to tell him that your mistress says it's time for him to stop working for today and to join me for supper."
The girl paled and began to hyperventilate but she left to do here task, the servants of the household knew better then to plead or argue with me when I wanted something done, I was a kinder master to them then my husband but I could be just as cruel when the mood struck me.
I finished off my drink and poured myself another cup and stared into the chalking fire. It wasn't that uncommon for Krampus to lose track of time while he worked, in fact back in the early days of their marriage he wouldn't return to the castle for days because he was so caught up in his work and would forget to stop, she had often times had to send someone to remind him to take a break or to come and eat.
It had annoyed her to no end but he was her husband and she did love him faults and all, just as he loved her.
The girl came back ten minutes later looking scared and wanting to me throw up as she shakily made her way to my side to take the now cold pot hot chocolate away.
"T…The master is on his way." She said quietly and at my nod and all but ran out of the room.
Reaching to the side of my chair I pulled out my embroidery that sat in its normal place inside a large brown basket and picking up where I had left off yesterday, began to work on the forest scene I had been working on while waiting for sounds of hooves clicking against the stone floor.
Fifteen minutes later the main door of living room opens and standing there in all of his demonic glory was Krampus dressed in his normal red overalls and blood stained red coat so much like this 'brothers', it was unnerving.
Krampus moved farther into the room and stripping of the filthy coat threw it on the floor for a servant to pick up and get clean, he sat down in the large chair next to me with a long sigh.
"How was your day?" I asked as I put down my work.
"Not productive I fear, Nicolaus hasn't finalized his lists yet so I ended up drilling the boy's for most of the days." He snarled and glanced around. "Where is the hot chocolate? Didn't one of the slaves bring it out yet?"
I rolled my eyes and picked up my work again.
"Yes and had you been here on time, you could have gotten the first pot. Now you have to wait till after dinner." I said and paused as I noted the guilty silences.
"What did you do?" I demanded and put my work away knowing that this was about to turn into a fight.
"Nicholas and Agatha will be joining us for dinner." He said and cursed as I quickly stood up.
"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME SOONER!" I yelled and ran for the rope, pulling on it furiously.
I need to do so much! I had to make sure the grand dining room was cleaned, check and make sure we had enough food, pick out a dress to wear, have some kind of entertainment arranged…..
"Everything is being taken care of my beloved, all you have to do is have a bath and pick out a gown." He said and when three servants ran into the room and came to a screeching stop, pointed on clawed nailed hand at them.
"Go prepare a bath for your mistress as well as for myself." He ordered his thickly accented voice sounding menacing.
The three servants rushed to obey their master but I was still panicking, my husband for all of his good intentions couldn't plan a descent event outside of Christmas if his life depended on it.
"Are you sure you have arranged everything?" I demanded. I did not want to look like a fool in front of Agatha Claus, that old bitch would never let me live it down if she saw how horrible the entire evening would be because of bad planning. From the moment I had met Nicholas fifth wife I had hated her, she had thought herself so above both my husband and me, and had no trouble going out of her way to point out how much better she thought she was.
"You have ordered the grand dining room cleaned?" I demanded. "Had the silverware polished and the best chine set out? The floors cleaned and polished? Arranged tonight's meal and the entertainment? Had the liquor cabinet stocked?"
At his nod I let out a long sigh and prayed to whoever would listen that Krampus wouldn't make a fool out of me by trying to do something nice.
"Fine! But I swear Krampus if I have to hear one snide comment form Agatha tonight because of your planning I will make you sleep out in the stables for a decade!" I threated and turning away marched off to our private chambers for my bath.
Nicholas and Agatha arrived on time at eight o'clock, the couple pulled up to the castle on their little red slide all nine reindeer wearing silver bells that magically kept them from being killed in a blizzard while flying, two of Nicholas's elves hopped off the back part of the slide then moved to help Nicolaus and Agatha get out of the slide.
No one moved to take the reindeer to the stables because Krampus's demonic reindeer would try to kill them if the group got close enough and Nicholas's pampered animals wouldn't defend themselves, instead they would scream for their handlers to come and safe them, which would not only get the reindeer killed but their handlers as well. So they nine reindeer would remain out front where it was (Somewhat) safer for them.
"Krampus how are you!" Nicholas greet as he and Agatha entered the audience chamber.
I forced myself to smile as Nicholas kissed my cheek and moved to hug my husband, all the while going on and on about how good it was to see us and that he was so happy to be here and that he should come over more often.
It was all a lie.
If Nicolaus and Agatha had it their way they would never come to these dinners that were mandatory for both Krampus and Nicolaus to attend as part of their jobs. When they had both become immortal part of the bargain was for them to have four dinners a year were the two would come together 'as friends' and console each other about the burdens of their individual work, which in all honesty I thought was complete bullshit.
What burdens did Nicolaus have with his job…answer none. He wasn't the one who all children feared and hated, he wasn't the one who had to either force the evil children into slavery for their crimes or send the directly to hell!
"Frost you look lovely. How have you been?" Agatha asked and smile a false cherry smile that I hated.
"I'm well Agatha thank you for asking." I said and watched as she ran a finger across a wooden side table and rub her long fingers together looking for dust but finding none.
I forced myself not to snap at the old bitch and consoled myself with the fact that she would only be around for maybe twenty years or so and then she would be dead and gone just like all of Nicolaus other wife's.
Unless the old decrypted bitch manages to give the fat bastard a child before then.
Unlike me Agatha had to play by a whole different set of rules, in order to gain immortality she had to give birth to a son of Father Christmas then she would be able to live forever as Nicolaus's wife and birth him even more bastard children.
"Dinner should be done soon, lets retire to the dining room." I said and turned to lead the group down the hall and into the massive dining room.
Dinner was a quiet affair with one of the servants playing the harp quietly as we ate three courses of salad, a large goose with a chestnut sauce and for desert chocolate caramel cake with blackberry on top. I smiled and tried to make idle chit chat with Agatha while Krampus talked about the upcoming holiday and the long list he was sure to end up with at the last possible moment.
"So Frost you and Krampus have been together since you were seventeen?" Agatha asked abruptly and I blinked in surprise.
"Just about yes." I finally answered and wondered where she was going with this.
"Well it's just that in all that time you two haven't managed to have a child…but Nicky and I have two together."
I gritted my teeth and smiled calmly at the bitch. I knew this game well, since she couldn't find anything wrong with my house then she was going to try and pick at my relationship in order to piss me off.
"Well Agatha, I was given immortal when I married Krampus, unlike you I don't need to rush to have a child and while you have given me two beautiful nieces you have yet to give the family a boy and you going on what now? Forty?" I said sweetly showing off my teeth as I smiled wider at the look of outrage on her face. I was getting to her and wanted to kick her while she was down, so I smiled even wider at her.
"I would hurry up if I were you, you wouldn't want to have a child late in life now would you?"
Agatha looked ready jump across the table and hit me but Nicholas gently but a hand on her shoulder in silent warning against saying anything.
After another hour the couple left with Nicholas promising to send over the finalized list tomorrow, I snorted at that because knowing Nicholas, he would wait until the last moment to hand over the list.
"Come to bed beloved, we have our work cut out for us this year." Krampus said and lead me away.
I sighed as I felt the brush run slowly through my long golden hair and closed my eyes, I loved it when he brushed my hair… sometimes I couldn't believe that this being was actually mine.
"What are you thinking about?" He asked as he ran the brush down my hair again.
"You…me…how we came to be." I said and smiled. " Do you remember?"
"Of course."