Chapter 2: In Which Shiara Learns Why Firewitches Don't Play in the Snow
The walk up the Mountains of Morning is normally very difficult, but since Daystar was such close friends with Shiara, it only seemed to take a few minutes. He hardly realized that he was out of breath and headed straight for the Dragon King's Cave.
As he reached for the handle for the bell, he saw a new sign had been hung, right next to the message Cimorene had written years ago. The sign read, "This cave is closed. Happy Holidays!" Daystar rang the bell anyway.
"Go away! Can't you read?" Shiara yelled from inside the cave.
"Shiara, it's me!"
"Oh. Come in then," she answered reluctantly.
Daystar came in to see her hanging gold tinsel. "Merry Christmas Shiara!" he cried joyfully.
Shiara tossed her brilliantly red hair. "Bah! Humbug!" she scoffed.
"Oh, come on, Shiara. Don't tell me you have that attitude."
"Well can you blame me? Every year around this time, the Mountains of Morning get infested with vibrating beetles. The nasty things keep getting in my hair."
Such an insect lighted on Daystar's finger. It looked like a firefly, and it made a humming noise that vibrated all down his hand. "Oh, I get it!" he said laughing. "A real humbug!"
"It's not funny. Those things are so gross."
"Well, you do like Christmas, do you?"
"I can take it or leave it."
"What? You can't be lukewarm about Christmas. You either love it or you . . . don't."
"Look, my family wasn't big with any of the holiday stuff. Every day was pretty much the same as the next."
"That's weird. I know firewitches celebrate Christmas. They're famous for making fire ornaments and for playing Christmas pranks with fire magic. If I remember correctly, one such prank is the reason of San--I mean, the ambassador's lead reindeer's, uh, famous deformity."
"I'm not saying we didn't celebrate it. We acknowledged holidays, like maybe we lit a few candles and had seconds at dinner. But Christmas never was, as you said, 'merry.'"
"That's a shame. Well, why don't you take a walk with me? I just saw how the Deep Woods looks like in December. It's magnificent. You'll never see anything more Christmas-y in your entire life."
Shiara stopped working and looked again.
"Plus I know some great sledding hills from the days of my youth. Or I could conjure a sleigh for a romantic ride."
"Well, I guess I can spare fifteen minutes, but no longer!"
"OK. I'm on a schedule as well. Let's go."
As they walked out of the cave, Shiara looked hesitant. "Snow? I better not."
"What? How come?"
"I don't know. My brothers and sister and I never played in the snow. We never discussed why. I liked looking at it though."
"I've studied firewitches, and I know snow doesn't hurt them. Come on."
He took her into the forest. Shiara gasped and walked ahead. "You're right, Daystar. This place is beautiful."
"Think fast!" Daystar used his magic to make another snowball and sent it hurtling to her. He laughed as it hit her hair.
"Hey! Where'd you get that water balloon, and why did you hit me with it?"
"Water balloon? That was a snowball. I love snowball fights. I couldn't get Dad in one either."
"Well, I could get you in one." Shiara formed a snowball, but it turned into water in her hands. "Hey."
"Check this out." Daystar pointed at their footprints. Shiara's looked slushier.
"What's the deal?"
"I didn't know firewitches melt snow."
"Maybe that's why I'm never allowed to play out in the snow."
"Well, that stinks. Doesn't make much sense, either. We can still walk." Just then, Daystar heard sleigh bells. "Oh, the ambassador! I gotta go."
"What ambassador?"
"I'll tell you about it later. I'll send you back."
He quickly twisted a magic thread to send her away, then another to send him back to the castle. He didn't even notice that all the Christmas trees were drooping and that the snow was starting to melt in places not even near where Shiara was standing.
The walk up the Mountains of Morning is normally very difficult, but since Daystar was such close friends with Shiara, it only seemed to take a few minutes. He hardly realized that he was out of breath and headed straight for the Dragon King's Cave.
As he reached for the handle for the bell, he saw a new sign had been hung, right next to the message Cimorene had written years ago. The sign read, "This cave is closed. Happy Holidays!" Daystar rang the bell anyway.
"Go away! Can't you read?" Shiara yelled from inside the cave.
"Shiara, it's me!"
"Oh. Come in then," she answered reluctantly.
Daystar came in to see her hanging gold tinsel. "Merry Christmas Shiara!" he cried joyfully.
Shiara tossed her brilliantly red hair. "Bah! Humbug!" she scoffed.
"Oh, come on, Shiara. Don't tell me you have that attitude."
"Well can you blame me? Every year around this time, the Mountains of Morning get infested with vibrating beetles. The nasty things keep getting in my hair."
Such an insect lighted on Daystar's finger. It looked like a firefly, and it made a humming noise that vibrated all down his hand. "Oh, I get it!" he said laughing. "A real humbug!"
"It's not funny. Those things are so gross."
"Well, you do like Christmas, do you?"
"I can take it or leave it."
"What? You can't be lukewarm about Christmas. You either love it or you . . . don't."
"Look, my family wasn't big with any of the holiday stuff. Every day was pretty much the same as the next."
"That's weird. I know firewitches celebrate Christmas. They're famous for making fire ornaments and for playing Christmas pranks with fire magic. If I remember correctly, one such prank is the reason of San--I mean, the ambassador's lead reindeer's, uh, famous deformity."
"I'm not saying we didn't celebrate it. We acknowledged holidays, like maybe we lit a few candles and had seconds at dinner. But Christmas never was, as you said, 'merry.'"
"That's a shame. Well, why don't you take a walk with me? I just saw how the Deep Woods looks like in December. It's magnificent. You'll never see anything more Christmas-y in your entire life."
Shiara stopped working and looked again.
"Plus I know some great sledding hills from the days of my youth. Or I could conjure a sleigh for a romantic ride."
"Well, I guess I can spare fifteen minutes, but no longer!"
"OK. I'm on a schedule as well. Let's go."
As they walked out of the cave, Shiara looked hesitant. "Snow? I better not."
"What? How come?"
"I don't know. My brothers and sister and I never played in the snow. We never discussed why. I liked looking at it though."
"I've studied firewitches, and I know snow doesn't hurt them. Come on."
He took her into the forest. Shiara gasped and walked ahead. "You're right, Daystar. This place is beautiful."
"Think fast!" Daystar used his magic to make another snowball and sent it hurtling to her. He laughed as it hit her hair.
"Hey! Where'd you get that water balloon, and why did you hit me with it?"
"Water balloon? That was a snowball. I love snowball fights. I couldn't get Dad in one either."
"Well, I could get you in one." Shiara formed a snowball, but it turned into water in her hands. "Hey."
"Check this out." Daystar pointed at their footprints. Shiara's looked slushier.
"What's the deal?"
"I didn't know firewitches melt snow."
"Maybe that's why I'm never allowed to play out in the snow."
"Well, that stinks. Doesn't make much sense, either. We can still walk." Just then, Daystar heard sleigh bells. "Oh, the ambassador! I gotta go."
"What ambassador?"
"I'll tell you about it later. I'll send you back."
He quickly twisted a magic thread to send her away, then another to send him back to the castle. He didn't even notice that all the Christmas trees were drooping and that the snow was starting to melt in places not even near where Shiara was standing.