12 Days of FanFic Christmas #4 is Scarlet Queen! Also I should probably point out that this story contains the phrase "dress a tree", which is a direct translation from what we Swedes say when we decorate a Christmas tree. Thought it sounded more cryptic and fun ;)
Enjoy!
"Will, what is all this for?"
Anastasia was staring at the trees that Will had ordered be brought inside the castle, spruces all of them, leaving a trail of needles behind them as they were dragged through the halls. Will looked up from beneath the branches of one of said trees, his hair full of needles but his mouth opened in a wide grin.
"Thought I'd teach you a fun holiday from Storybrooke", he replied. Anastasia looked sceptically at the trees. She could not understand why they had to bring them inside; they looked much better outside, as part of a forest or garden. Now they just looked misplaced. Will rose and shook the needles out of his hair before walking over to her.
"Trust me", he said, "you're going to love it. But I'd very much like it to be a surprise."
"You mean this isn't all?" Anastasia asked, looking behind him at the trees and trying to figure out what else he could be doing to them. Or was he going to bring something else into the room as well? Maybe this holiday, which she still did not know the name of, meant bringing the forest inside for a few days? Would he be bringing moss and bushes and animals as well?
"Ana", Will said, drawing her attention again, "trust me? Please?"
Anastasia studied his face for a while. He looked excited, and younger, like the boy she had met back in the Enchanted Forest and fallen in love with, against her mother's wishes. The thought caused her to sigh in defeat.
"Fine", she said. Will grinned and gave her a quick kiss on the lips.
"Now, just leave me to it for a couple of hours and I'll tell you when everything's ready", he said, before almost pushing Anastasia out through the door and closing it in front of her face. Anastasia very much did not like being shoved backwards, or being kept away from a secret, but perhaps she would be able to keep herself at bay for a few hours. Maybe.
She walked back towards the throne room and seated herself on her throne. It had probably been less than a minute when she stood up again, marching over to the balcony and opening the doors. The cold air of Wonderland winter hit her like a blast and she quickly rethought her decision, heading back inside the room and closing the doors behind her. She sighed; how would she be able to wait for a few hours when she was bored after only a minute or two?
She called on her handmaid, hoping she would be able to suggest something that would keep her mind from what Will was doing inside that room. Her handmaid was a younger woman named Beatrice, with tanned skin and deep-red hair that curled around her face. Anastasia had taken an instant liking to her at her second coronation, when she became the White Queen, when Beatrice had told her and several other women the most amazing tales of love and loss.
"How about a game of chess, Your Highness?" Beatrice suggested when Anastasia asked her for something to do. The blonde quickly agreed and ordered the chessboard to be taken out.
"Is everything alright, Your Highness?" Beatrice asked, studying Anastasia intently.
"What is Will doing in there?" Anastasia replied, her voice half a sigh, half a groan. "He's been in there for ages!"
"His Highness is preparing what he calls a Christmas celebration", Beatrice replied. Anastasia frowned. Christmas? That definitely did not sound familiar.
"He refused to tell me anything about it", she said and pouted. Beatrice's brown eyes gleamed and she quickly rose.
"How about we try find out as much as we can, Your Highness?" she suggested. "No one knows exactly all of it, I'm sure, but every servant in the castle has heard something about it."
Anastasia's mood lifted instantly and she quickly followed her handmaid through the corridors of the castle. They decided that Beatrice should be the one to question people as they had doubtlessly been ordered by Will not to tell Anastasia anything. Anastasia would stay behind, hidden in the various nooks throughout the castle. She knew them all perfectly well and had no trouble doing exactly that. From a distance she heard Beatrice ask innocent questions about Will's preparations and soon her handmaid came back to deliver the answers.
"It seems he's going to dress the trees", she whispered.
"Dress them?" Anastasia asked, frowning while she imagined will draping clothes on the spruces. A disturbing thought.
"Let's ask someone else", Beatrice suggested, obviously also bewildered by this answer. Anastasia nodded in agreement and the two continued on through the corridor.
Throughout the following hour they found out more and more cryptic information. Apparently Christmas was a celebration of a baby born in a stable, or it was a celebration of winter, and it involved turkeys and pigs and wax candles. And, of course, trees that were supposed to be dressed.
"Whatever this tradition is it sounds very strange", Anastasia said as they walked back towards the throne room.
"Indeed, Your Highness", Beatrice said, before suddenly stopping. "I saw Bernard back there; maybe he knows more."
Before Anastasia could protest Beatrice had hurried back through a side corridor to catch the other servant. A while later she came back, but this time she did not look confused; rather she was beaming with happiness.
"Good information at last, Your Highness", she said in a hushed voice. "Apparently this holiday has to do with giving presents to those you love."
"Oh", Anastasia said and felt herself smile. That sounded really sweet, actually.
"Do you think I should prepare something for Will as well?" Anastasia asked. Beatrice nodded.
"I think you should. Let's go and plot it out, Your Highness."
The sun had long since set when Will entered the throne room, where Anastasia and Beatrice had been spending their time after their inquisition.
"Ana", Will said with a smug grin, "it's time."
"Of course", Anastasia said and rose, taking his arm and allowing him to lead her towards the room where he had been working through the day. Her mind was trying to come up with various alternatives for how it would look, especially concerning the dressed trees. Will stopped her in front of the door.
"Close your eyes, love", he said, winking at her, "or it won't be a surprise."
Anastasia smiled, holding back a laugh, and did as he said. She heard Will open the door and felt warmth and light hit her face, as well as the delicious smell of food. Will guided her forward, his hands on her shoulders.
"Open your eyes, Ana", he whispered in her ear. Slowly she did exactly that and gasped in awe at the sight. It did not look at all how she had imagined it. There was a fire crackling in the fireplace and the spruces stood placed out through the room, but they did not wear clothes. Instead there were glittering garlands, candles and shimmering orbs hanging from their branches. On top of each spruce was a golden star. In the middle of the room stood a table filled with all kinds of food; turkey, roast pig, pies and sausages.
"Will", she breathed, "this is beautiful."
"It's Christmas, love", Will said. "My favourite holiday from Storybrooke. I thought it could be something for us to do every year."
He pulled her further inside the room and pulled out a small box wrapped in golden paper from beneath one of the spruces.
"This is for you", he said. "Merry Christmas, Anastasia."
Anastasia carefully removed the paper and opened the box, gasping at the sight of the pearl tiara resting inside.
"Will, this is so beautiful", she said and reached up to kiss him. As she did she pulled out her own gift from a pocket on her skirt. Will looked surprised to see it.
"Wait, how did you..."
"Beatrice found out that this had to do with giving things to the people you love", Anastasia replied. Will chuckled.
"I should've known."
Then he unwrapped the package she had brought him and gaped at what was inside.
"Ana, this is... wow."
"Do you not like it?" Anastasia asked, worried that she had given him something bad. The next moment Will swooped her up in his arms to kiss her.
"Ana, this is the most beautiful gift I've ever received", he whispered as he pulled back. Tears were gleaming in his eyes as he placed the small framed painting of the two of them on their wedding-day, backed up by Alice and Cyrus. Anastasia knew that he had wanted something with the four of them; even if he had not said it out loud he had always looked a bit sad when they had talked back at when they were all together. She had thought it was impossible to make something like this now, eight months later, but Beatrice had pointed her in the direction of a very skilled painter among the servants who had been able to compose this through Anastasia's descriptions and the paintings that did exist of each and every one of them. That man definitely deserved to be the royal painter instead of a kitchen worker.
"I'm glad you like it", Anastasia now said as Will tore his gaze from the picture, "and I think we should make this into a tradition. We'll do Christmas every year. Everyone in Wonderland should. And next year I want in on all of this."
"I doubt I could keep you away", Will replied with a grin, before they both filled up their plates with food and ate in front of the fireplace.
Please review!
Also reminding you all that the poll is still open until tomorrow, so there's time to vote for your favorite couples!