AN: (By trollseatfish): I live! Good morning, Star-shine. The earth says 'hello!' (trollseatfish takes out note cards after receiving several blank stares. First one reads "Clear throat.") A-HEM! I am a lazy ignoramus who can never write her author's notes on time… Wait. I think my sister wrote my note cards. Rewind. .sdrac eton ym etorw retsis ym kniht I .tiaW …emit no seton s'rohtua reh etirw reven nac ohw sumarongi yzal a ma I

Okay, moving right along. Hope you guys are having a holly-jolly Christmas! Please read and review! Watch out for dusty shovels.

Review Returns: (by lelaofbast, (I'd better do these if you want coherent sentences.)) wildace keladry: Glad you're enjoying it. Confusedknight: That's alright. Please keep reading. Seyyada: Thanx for pointing that out. I honestly didn't think anyone would notice, and I think I will go back and change it. Pink Squishy Llama: Owen's jollyness is the best! Thanks for reading. (trollseatfish: I love your pen name!) imakeladrygirl: Thanks. Aly the Spy: Thanks for R and R ing. Mage of Dragons: Tripping up the stairs. My life story. I didn't do so hot in ballet either. They had us up there singing "All I Want For Christmas is my Two Front Teeth. Thanks for your review. X17SkmBdrchiczxx: Glad you like it. Please keep reading.

To All: (Here is my Christmas speech:) Thank you all, and Merry Christmas!

(trollseatfish: That was all? It was dumb. It was terrible. It was obvious. It was short… I LOVED it.)

(Christmas speech can be found in "The Muppet Christmas Carol. We don't own that either. (The speech, not the movie. We have that on DVD.) Just thought I'd clarify. Anyways, R & R. like good little readers…)

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A Midwinter Story
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By the
LADIESofQUEENSCOVEandJESSLAW:
lelaofbast
And
trollseatfish
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Chapter Four: Headaches
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Midwinter Present
475
Midwinter Past
453
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"Practice was very repetitive and not too exciting," Roald said.

"Yeah, we kind of settled into a dull pattern," Merric added.

"Until costuming," Kel said.

"Oh yeah," Owen added. "That was funny."

A week before Midwinter began, the pages were in Neal's room, finishing up their book work for the next day. During the evening they were called two at a time for the final fitting of their costumes.

Merric burst into the room and collapsed on the floor in laughter.

"What's so funny?" Kel asked. Merric didn't stop laughing.

"Neal … costume … hilarious," he giggled. When he calmed down, he explained, in great detail, what Neal's costume looked like.

A few minutes later Neal came into the room. The other pages averted their eyes to their books, Kel and Merric concentrating on a difficult math problem, trying to keep straight faces.

"Is that rouge?" Owen asked at last. Neal looked as though he was going to say something snotty, but he stopped mid-thought.

"How do you know what rouge is?"

"Yeah, how did you know?" Maira asked her father.

"I have two little sisters," he said. "Before I went to the palace, they used to like to play 'ball,' and dress up as fancy ladies.

"My sisters had lots of little containers of face paints and shiny things," Owen explained.

"Say no more," Kel said, holding up a hand.

"Didn't you ever play dress-up?" Owen asked.

"Of course I did. I'm a girl."

"Oh," Owen said, dejectedly.

"So Neal," Roald asked, "How is your costume?"

"I'm not telling." Neal shoved the bundle he held into his little dressing room and closed the door.

"If you think I'm going to make Lalasa press that the day of the play, you're mistaken," Kel said.

"I'll hang it up later," Neal mumbled, wiping at his face with his sleeve, which was now turning from white to pink.

"Hang it up now," Kel said pointedly, turning back to the algebra problem.

"Yes, Mother," Neal drawled. Then he stuck his tongue out at her back.

"I saw that," Kel announced, without taking her eyes off of her work.

"Mama, have you and Uncle Neal have always been close?" Bess asked.

"Mmm-hmm," Kel said. "Although I can't imagine why."

Neal, who was behind Kel's chair at the buffet table stuck his tongue out at her, just as he had all those years ago. And just as Kel had done, she said

"I saw that."

"Our dress rehearsal was miserable," Cleon said.

"Lord Adente was stressed out, He kept barking orders at us. Nothing anybody did was right," Kel said.

"Except for dear, sweet Clara," Neal said. "Lord Adente sure did play favorites."

"Queenscove!" Lord Adente yelled. "How many times must I tell you, the Sugar-Plum fairy would not be casting dirty looks at the Flowers of the Kingdom!"

"Joren and I were just having a philosophical discussion," Neal argued.

"I do not care what Joren of Stone Mountain did; we are discussing your behavior. Now, I want you to repeat your warm-up exercises thirty-two times in that corner," the dance instructor said, pointing behind him.

"Yes, Sir," Neal said, mimicking the man's accent. With a curtsy he retreated to the far left corner.

Kel ducked, her head barely missing Owen's foot. She sighed, wishing that all the practicing had paid off a little bit more for poor Owen. She just hoped that his sisters wouldn't tease him too badly.

"Hollyrose!" Adente shouted.

"Yes, sir?" Merric answered, scowling.

"How do you manage to stand without toppling over? If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times, posture is key. You should take lessons from young Jesslaw here. I'll bet he could walk with an entire tea tray on his head without losing a single piece."

"Too late for that," Merric mumbled. "He's done lost all his pieces."

"For your insolence you may join Queenscove in the corner."

"Hello, fellow inmate!" Neal called cheerfully.

"Silence!"

"Yes Warden," Neal mumbled under his breath.

"Gentlemen, we are two days away from our performance, and I've yet to see much improvement. Do you want to shame yourselves before your families and worse, the King?"

"Again, too late for that," Merric said.

"Not another word!" Adente bellowed. Then he noticed the other pages looking on. "Return to your practicing. One, and two, three, and four…"

"Oh my," Nora said.

"Painful to hear, isn't it?" Kel said.

"Just consider yourselves lucky," Lord Raoul said. "You didn't have to watch it…"