Author's Note: I do not own any of the characters/locations mentioned; that honor goes to Level 5, Studio Ghibli and Bandai. Just putting that out there in case anybody is hunting the site for copyright infringements...

So, on a completely unrelated note, who saw the Ni No Kuni 2 trailer that was literally just released yesterday? I was a bit bummed that it takes place way in the future instead of exploring a different parallel world with our favorite characters (no Swaine -_-). I am also really curious to know if it reveals any events that happened to our favorite characters in the past, but I won't get my hopes up. That's why I have fan fiction!

I didn't think this connecting material was going to get so long, but one thing just seemed to lead to another, and now instead of having one chapter on Yule I'll have at least two. I guess it's all necessary to develop a sense of Cassiopeia's character and the interactions between her and Gascon.

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"We've got to be getting close, right?" Gascon yawned, reclining in the small aircraft's passenger seat with his feet on the dashboard and his map draped across his lap. He had decided as soon as he saw Cassiopeia weep to abandon any attempts at acting princely. It wasn't going to help her loosen up, and it was way too difficult anyhow. Besides, they were simple travelers now, no need to go acting haughty and give their identities away…

"Yes, it shouldn't be long now. Everything below us is covered in snow," Cassiopeia agreed, peering out her window at the ground below. "As soon as you see the lights from the village, we'll get closer and find somewhere to land."

"Somewhere REAL close…" he added, frowning. "Really, you have no idea how cold it gets, and here we are without jackets. I never thought to bring any. I didn't plan on coming back here after nearly freezing to death last time!"

"Can it really be that bad?" she looked over at him quizzically.

"Probably not, I'm just not partial to the cold," he sighed, rubbing his head. "I wore a coat every day in Castaway Cove, if that gives you any idea."

"You mean the town where everyone wears bathing suits? You must have looked pretty funny!" she giggled. Then, she looked thoughtful. "So, if you don't like it here, why is this our first stop?"

"Well, I promised we'd see everything, so we're getting Yule done first. The place certainly has a unique style about it, no denying. You haven't done it all if you haven't shared a room with a tomte! Besides, it was the closest place I could figure to send a message back to Hamelin. The sooner I can warn my brother, the better."

"I see…" she murmured. "He planned on me sending you back within a day or so. I hope he won't be too upset with us…"

Gascon snorted. "He shouldn't be. With your airship, it won't take nearly as long as I first imagined. He can survive two weeks or so without me. He's been doing it for all these years!" He scratched his chin thoughtfully. "The only reason I need to send that message is so he doesn't think I ran off on him again. I admit, that's pretty plausible…" Then, squinting, he noticed the soft yellow glow of the village lights below. "Hey, I think that's our destination."

"All right, decreasing altitude," she replied, beginning to shift gears. She was so focused on the task at hand that she didn't notice him studying her movements with interest. To Gascon, airships were still a relatively new thing. There were very few of them in existence. They had been a major technological breakthrough in Xanadu shortly before its fall, but apparently the civilization of Nazcaa had designed them thousands of years before! If he hadn't already been aboard the Iron Wyvren, he would certainly have been childishly giddy. At least now he was able to contain himself to some degree. Still, as he observed, his brain was operating at light speed, attempting to discover the purpose for each button and lever as she activated them. Perhaps, if he learned enough, he could build his own. Then, people could easily travel without the aid of magic…

His thoughts were interrupted as their craft touched down in an open field a couple dozen yards from the town gate. However, instead of coasting to a stop, it came to a jarring halt, sending them flying forward into their seatbelts and causing Cassiopeia to yelp. They sat in their seats for a moment, shocked, before finally reacting. "What happened? I know I haven't landed in a while, but…"

"It was probably the snow," Gascon grumbled, unfastening his seatbelt. "I doubt it was packed down and we probably just sank into it and got stuck. Already this stupid island is out to get me…"

"Oh, I'm so sorry Gascon, I should have known that…"

"Don't apologize, Peia, I would have done the same," he waved. Then his eyes widened. "I-I mean, Cassiopeia!"

She looked at him with a new interest, teal eyes studying his blushing face. "No one has ever called me Peia before."

"Well...uhh, Cassiopeia…five whole syllables, uh, it doesn't flow spontaneously," he looked away. "I'm sorry, you are the Queen of Nazcaa…"

"Well, people have called me 'Pea'. You could too, I wouldn't mind," she suggested shyly. Truthfully, when people called her Cassiopeia, they were doting on her due to her royalty. Her father called her Pea, and it was the name she provided Oliver, who became a close friend to the embodiment of her goodness. It didn't seem unnatural for Gascon to use this less formal address for her.

"Well…the thing is, when I think of Pea, I think of the little girl that was separated from you. You are not a little girl, you are…well…"

"Then call me Peia, please. I really don't mind," she assured him, grabbing his hand.

His face turned three shades redder. "Okay, if it's really alright with you…" He abruptly got up. "I'll just…go see how badly we are stuck. Hang tight." He jerkily yanked on the door handle and hopped out, slamming it behind him. Cassiopeia remained, looking bewildered. What was that about?

He wasn't gone more than thirty seconds before he reentered the airship. The color of his face was back to normal, possibly in part because of the sudden drop in temperature. "That's going to take a lot of digging, I'm afraid," he shivered.

"Well, let's just get to Yule and see if we can find some help."

"And some coats!" he moaned. "To the Cat's Cradle, first thing."

"The what?"

"Oh, that's right, you haven't been out and about in a while. It's a chain of inns for travelers. I should have gotten a frequent visitor card for all the times I've stayed in them while with Oliver. Anyhow, we'll have a place to sleep and some warmth until we can find those coats. Then we'll actually be able to ENJOY the place."

"Okay, sounds like a plan. Let's go!"

"Are you ready?" he warned. "The snow is deep and the wind is blowing snow pretty hard."

She clenched her fists. "I'm ready for anything! You are the one who's not going to be ready!" She flashed a teasing smile in his direction, and he felt a bit embarrassed for all his complaining. Esther would have called him names which would have made him angry and he would have complained even more. Cassiopeia had an entirely different effect on him, and suddenly he felt the desire to man up.

"Forget what I said, I've handled worse. On the count of three, we jump out and make a break for the gate. One…two…"

"THREE!" she exclaimed, throwing off his count and getting a jump on him.

"Why you little…wait up!" he called, now struggling to get his door open.

The two gave it their all to make it the short but difficult distance to town. The snow came mid-calf, which didn't bother her too much with her boots. Gascon, however, immediately felt the snow making its way into his shoes. "Damn snow…" he muttered darkly, trying to push the thought of his freezing, wet feet to the side. In a matter of minutes, they made it to the towering city gate, Cassiopeia arriving a full thirty seconds ahead of her companion. "Slowpoke!"

He shook his head. "You win, I admit defeat. But you'd better let me lead now, I know right where to go."

"Okay, lead on," she beamed, tucking her hands in her pockets. She wouldn't admit it to him, but all his gripes about the cold were starting to make sense…

They pushed open the gate and closed it behind them again, waving a greeting at the full-grown tomte gatekeeper. Snow had collected on his fur, but he showed no sign of being bothered by it at all. In the typical Yule dialect, he inquired about aiding them in any way while Cassiopeia looked on in awe. She had of course seen pictures, but to see a tomte in person left quite an impression, Gascon had been right about that. Meanwhile, Gascon politely declined the offer, stating that he had visited the town recently and knew right where to go. Thanking the helpful gatekeeper, they continued straight to the Cat's Cradle.

"Is that…the inn?" Cassiopeia asked in disbelief. The building before her seemed to be made entirely of ice!"

"Yep. You'd be surprised how warm it can get in there. The natives of the area really know what they are doing with their construction," he nodded, opening the ice-sculpted door for her and gesturing grandly.

As soon as they entered the lobby and closed the door behind them, they noticed the temperature difference. A crackling fire danced merrily in the hearth behind the reception counter, lending a warm glow to the silvery space. "Good evening, and welcome to one of the Cat's Cradle chain of purremium inns! We purride ourselves on our purracticality and purricing! Are you in need of a room?" the clerk inquired, her cat ears twitching.

"Yes, we need two rooms for the night…" Gascon began, digging into his bag for money.

"Two? Wouldn't it be more efficient to share a room?" Cassiopeia asked innocently.

Uhhh…. "Don't worry, I brought plenty of money. You can have your own space," he answered quickly. The clerk gave him a strange look, causing him to scowl. "TWO rooms please. And if you could, is there anywhere we could purchase some winter apparel?"

"You might try at the Hootique. They open by 8 in the morning," the clerk suggested. Then, she added "I wouldn't recommend leaving the inn until then."

"You don't have to tell me twice!" he rolled his eyes. "Do you serve dinner here?"

"Of course. Would you like to order something right away?"

"Yes, two bowls of that soup you are so well known for. Oh, what's it called…the one that's actually kinda cold…uses that one flower…"

"Yes, we serve that here, but it is a very gourmet dish. It is a bit purrricy."

He looked back at Cassiopeia, who was already distracted by the snowman off to the side of the lobby. "We're here for the whole experience. Two bowls of that, then. And some coffee."

"Very good. That brings your total to 1,150 guilders. I threw in a free coffee," she responded, looking as if she had done something very generous.

He peered into his wallet. Uff. Maybe once they got somewhere warm they could sleep in the airship… Trying not to make a face, he handed over the necessary money.

"Thank you. Here are your keys…" she pulled out two sets of keys and handed them to him. "We will send your food up as soon as it is purrrrepared. Thank you for your patronage."

Gascon quickly stuck his wallet back in the back and approached Cassiopeia, holding out her set of keys. "Come on, our room's upstairs. You should have the one right next to me."

"You know Gascon, I really don't need all that extra space if it would save you money…" she said skeptically.

He was about to ask whether her father had taught her anything about staying away from men, especially when it came to sharing a room, but thankfully he recalled that she had been orphaned as a little girl. Probably no birds and bees lecture… "It's…just not done. Girls always get their own room. I for one agree that it's a good idea."

Begrudgingly, she took the keys. "If you say so. You must know something I don't."

He gave a nervous laugh. "Yeah…just…trust me. Let's go. The food should be coming soon, and it's definitely something travelers are supposed to try when they visit Yule. You can't find it anywhere else."

"Wow, that sounds wonderful! Thank you Gascon. I…" she stopped, looking a bit ashamed. "I don't have any money right now, but once I do, I will certainly pay you back."

"Don't worry about it, it's on me, okay?" he reassured her. She nodded unsurely, but he brushed it off. "Let's go."

Within the hour, they were seated at a small table in Cassiopeia's room sampling the world-renowned stew of Yule. (Gascon had to explain to her that it was okay to eat dinner in her room, he just couldn't sleep in her room). Between sips of the chilling-yet-warming stew, they discussed their plans for the next day. "So, first things first we'll head to the Hootique and get some coats, boots, and mittens. Then, we'll find a messenger bird station and let Marcassin know what's going on. Afterwards we'll have to find a way to unearth your airship before it rusts out underneath." He sighed. "And hopefully once we get that done we can actually do something fun! Is there anything you have in mind?"

She looked thoughtful. "Well, there is one thing I always wanted to see…" She stopped, frowning.

"What is it?" he wondered after swallowing another mouthful.

"I…I'll tell you tomorrow, okay?"

He looked at her strangely, but didn't press for details. "All right." They continued eating in silence before Cassiopeia broke it again.

"Gascon, I know we haven't even been gone for more than a day, but I'm already having the time of my life. I've never actually left Nazcaa, I've only ever watched it from afar. I'm really glad you offered to help me." She smiled into her bowl of stew.

"Wow, it sure doesn't take much to impress you, does it? All we've done is fly in your aircraft, get it stuck in some snow, and then hike through it to town."

"And eat stew," she added.

"And eat stew," he amended with a chuckle.

"You shouldn't laugh you know, Gascon."

"Why's that?"

"You know just how much those little things mean after living your life trapped in the palace, don't you? I won't pretend I know all the reasons you ran away, but looking at you…" she raised her eyes to his "I think I might have an idea."

He studied the table. "That's me, Prince Gason, the least princely of princes, always up to my elbows in grease and shenanigans…" he paused. "I'll have to tell you some time, but it's getting late. We should get some rest."

She nodded, but looked a bit disappointed, as if she were on the verge of solving some kind of mystery. "I suppose now this is the part where the man has to go to his own room, isn't it?"

"See, you're learning quickly!" He rose. "Goodnight Cassiopeia. If you need anything, I'll be next door, just knock." With that, he exited her room and gently latched the door behind him. That left her sitting alone, feeling confused; why was she so bothered that he hadn't called her Peia?

Meanwhile, on the other side of the wall, Gascon's mind was spinning as he prepared for bed. Only one day with her, and he had already gotten so close to telling her those kinds of secrets... Damn.