That same afternoon, Snow Miser and Nina finished making a light lunch and waited for Ignatius Thistlewhite to come over. They didn't have to wait long before the doorbell rang. Nina answered the door and greeted Ignatius with a friendly handshake. "I'm glad you could make it, Ignatius."
"You can call me Iggy, just like in school." He told her as they walked inside.
Snow Miser was sitting on the couch in his real form. "Hey, Iggy. Long time, no see."
Iggy stopped in his tracks. "Gosh...I still can't believe you're here." He looked at Nina. "Sorry. I'm just shocked you're dating Snow Miser."
"Well, not just dating," Nina told him, and showed him her engagement ring.
Iggy's eyes widened. "You two are getting hitched?"
"We sure are!" Snow answered, proudly.
"Congratulations!" Iggy exclaimed, both in happiness and surprise.
"Thank you. Have a seat," Nina invited their guest. Once they were all seated, she asked, "So, how do you two know each other?"
"It was 10 years ago. A couple of Santa's elves came to Southtown and asked me and a bunch of other kids if we believed in Santa Claus. He was pretty upset because he thought no one cared about him, so he wasn't going to deliver presents that year."
"10 years ago. That's when we had that snowfall here," mentioned Nina.
Iggy nodded. "After that, I met Santa Claus, himself, but I didn't realize it was him at first. One of his reindeer had gotten taken to the dog pound, and the mayor told the elves that if they could make it snow, he'd make sure the reindeer was released. The elves asked Mrs. Claus for help, and she wanted to talk to somebody who could make it snow."
"And that's where I came in," Snow said, proudly. "Because of me, Southtown had a white Christmas!"
Iggy pokerfaced. "Uh...Yeah."
"What?"
"You and your brother wouldn't stop fighting, and you made Mrs. Claus so mad that she went to your mother just so you two would cooperate."
"Oh...Right. A minor detail," Snow said, embarrassed. "Well, it all turned out okay in the end, right?"
"Yeah, I guess so, since Santa ended up delivering presents, after all."
"So, that's the story about how I saved Christmas," Snow boasted, playfully.
Nina shook her head, smirking. "Okay, dear. Whatever you say."
"How did you two meet?" Iggy asked.
"It's a long story. Why don't we tell you while we have lunch?" Nina said.
With that, the three went in the dining room. As they ate, Snow Miser and Nina told Iggy how they met and fell in love. Iggy listened, intently. When they were done, he said, "Golly! That is a roller coaster of a story! You two have been through a lot."
Snow, who was sitting by his fiancee, reached his hand over to hers and kissed it. "Yep, but it was all worth it. I wouldn't trade Nina for anything."
Nina smiled at him.
"How is Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus? Do you guys ever see them?" asked Iggy.
"Yeah, quite often," Nina answered. "They're doing okay."
"I wonder if they remember me."
"I'm sure they do. We can tell them you send your well-wishes when we get back to the North Pole," Nina offered.
"That would be great. I'd really appreciate it."
"Say, would you like to come to our wedding?" Snow Miser asked him.
"Me? Sure. When is it going to be?"
"December 23 at the North Pole," Nina answered. "We could arrange for you to get you back home by Christmas Eve."
"Okay. I can do that. I'll be on Christmas break then."
"Speaking of, how is your job?" Nina asked.
"I like it. I enjoy teaching and being around kids." The young man looked concerned for someone who was speaking highly of his job.
"What's wrong?" Nina asked.
"Well, lately, a lot of kids have been down in the dumps. It's really worrying. I've tried figuring out what's been going on with each of them, but I can't get a straight answer. One day, everything was fine, and the next, it's like a wave of sadness just hit them all."
Nina became quiet. She thought of what the Great Ak had said, that the Shapeshifter spread unhappiness to children. There was a great possibility that he had reached the children of Southtown.
She took a deep breath and assured Iggy, "Whatever is going on, things will turn out okay."
"I hope you're right. It's hard seeing children so sad. Kids are supposed to be carefree and happy and have a good childhood."
Nina nodded. "That, they are."
Iggy suddenly got an idea. "I know what might help! The Spring Fair is coming up this weekend! You remember those, don't you, Nina?"
"Yep. I sure do."
"Spring Fair?" Snow asked.
"Every year, Southtown has a fair to welcome the beginning of Spring," Iggy explained. "People in town come together and sell food and play music, and some even set up games. I could take my class to the fair. That should cheer them up!"
"Music, you say?" Snow asked, interested. "Hey, Nina, you and I could go and play a few songs. What do you think?"
"I think it sounds like a great idea, Snowy," she replied.
"Uh..." Iggy looked unsure. "No offense, Snow Miser, but some of the kids might be a little...scared if they see you."
Snow gave him a warm smile. "We can't have that. Not to worry. I've got the answer. I'll just change into my human form when we go."
Iggy looked relieved. "Great. The more things going on at the fair, the better. It'll be a great distraction for the children."
"We'll do what we can," Nina said. "Besides, it'll be a lot of fun!"
Later, after awhile of visiting and catching up, Iggy said he had to go home. Before he left, he took one last look at them as he walked out of the house.
Ignatius Thistlewhite, who 10 short years ago was only a boy, recalled how odd it was to meet Snow Miser, Heat Miser, Mother Nature, Santa, and Mrs. Claus. He remembered seeing Snow Miser dance, towering over him, and how he argued with his brother and eventually was forced to compromise with him so it would snow in Southtown for one day.
As Iggy said goodbye, he watched Snow Miser put his arm around Nina as they waved to him. It was difficult to process that this same demigod, who was somewhat frightening the first time he saw him, was engaged to one of his old classmates and even outwardly showed her affection. Life truly was full of surprises.