Chapter 1

Dr. J. Drosslemeyer packed his bag and lifted the keys to his shop from his work bench. The moon was full and high in the evening sky already casting an ethereal glow on the freshly fallen snow as a few final flakes drifted down peacefully from the heavens. He shook his cloak out and tossed it around his shoulders, adjusted his goggles and locked the door, taking care to keep his bag of gifts close and safe. He was running a bit behind schedule. The party would already be in full-swing by the time he could reach the mansion.

"No harm in arriving fashionably late." he chuckled. "I'm off to the Mayor's annual Christmas party. Don't wait up," he said to his empty shop.

His lips curled into a sly smile in anticipation of his god-daughter's response to her coming gift. He chuckled to himself.

"Such a special young woman deserves a gift just as special."

In fact, it was her very uniqueness that helped him know that something amazing would occur.

Once his gift was in her arms, her life would never be the same… and he was counting on it. He had done so much wrong in his life; had a lot to atone for and tonight could well be the night where this one gift could make everything right. It was risky, but it was a chance he had to take.

"After all, time is a friend to no man; I think my dear child has waited long enough." He grabbed his cane.

Locking the door, he tucked his cloak closer, put on his top hat, and hailed the nearby carriage, daring to hope his presumptions would prove correct.

"Christmas is a time for miracles."

The carriage made its way down the rocky road of the country and onto the frosted cobbled pathways of town to his destination. Mayor Darlian's Victorian style mansion sat next to Town Hall; its large, wrap-around porch adorned with festive greeneries and classic poinsettias potted and positioned perfectly between angelic statues. The lights danced through the stained glass and cast ethereal illusions on newly-fallen snow. Evergreen wreaths with big red bows and crimson holly berries hung between every window; garlands connected every gable. Each year on Christmas Eve, a party was thrown and each year was grander than the previous one. As one entered the grand house, the warmth of the holiday exuded from corners of the rooms. Garland was wrapped around every pole and banister, lined strategically with crimson bows. The coachman called to the horses and the rig gave a final lurch as it came to a stop. J grabbed hold of the toy bag, clenching his metal fingers around the velvet material.

"Yes," He chuckled to himself as he opened the door of the carriage and stepped out onto the icy curb. "Tonight is indeed their night."

Life was bustling more than usual in the mansion. Tonight was the evening of her family's big Christmas party. Every year, Relena and her parents would work as hard as they could all year long to help ensure the prosperity of the town. The party was more of a benefit gala to raise funds for the continued development and betterment of the town. This year, a few of her father's associates had invited their colleagues and business partners as a show of solidarity toward his charitable effort. Though Relena wasn't much of a social butterfly (and the idea of strangers coming to the party unnerved her) she would do as she had done all her life and put on her party dress and smile and mingle as was expected of her. Besides, it was hard for her to be in any sort of bad mood on Christmas.

'Afterall,' she thought, 'it's only once a year and I intend to enjoy it to the fullest!'

Green garland garnished with holly berries that echoed the style of the outside wreaths wound around the banisters of the elegant, grand staircase which consisted of dark-stained hardwood and polished marble. The edges of the bay and arched windows in the various rooms were equally adorned to continue the esthetic motif. Electric light (the newest fashion) had begun to phase out the use of candle-light, but the candelabras and chandeliers were still just as grand as ever with festive sprigs of holly dangling tastefully. No expense was spared and no corner left without decoration to ensure that the mayor's holiday ball would be the talk of the New Year. Relena often felt that her father's opulent taste was a bit much.

'You could almost buy the entire orphanage for the same price as the party.' She shook her head. When she had brought this to her father's attention, he seemed to brush off her words as childish nonsense.

"You are far too young to understand the way the world works, Relena." He patted her head. "I am the mayor. I have certain things expected of me."

"But, papa-"

"Besides, we invited the orphans. Don't they deserve to enjoy the finer things, if only for an evening?"

Relena could neither argue with him, nor did she think it would do any good to do so. Her parents were loving, attentive and gave her all she could ever need. She was very grateful for all that she had but she wished, deep down, that there was more she could do. Christmas was the one time of year where such a thing seemed possible.

'Anything is possible at Christmas.' Her Godfather always said. And somehow, it rang true. Christmas was a magical time of year...

In spite of everything, Relena allowed herself to fully enjoy the festivities and inhale the warm, rich scents of cinnamon and fresh pine. She all but danced her way over to the refreshment table to pilfer a well-decorated sugar cookie, delighting in its sweet taste as she took in the entire atmosphere. The lights, the songs, and the overall feel as the spirit of Christmas brought her more joy than any other time of the year. It seemed almost as if it were made for her, or she for it.

The grandfather clock in the parlor struck six o'clock announcing the official starting time of the party. Her father had always wanted to ensure that any and all children brought along to the party would have ample time to enjoy the festivities and so scheduled the party for the early evening. The party itself never really started until around seven, but there were games and small events to entertain the young ones.

This year, she was seventeen and it was her responsibility to oversee said childish merriment while the adults discussed current events in the main hall. The children from the local orphanage attended every year as part of the effort to spread hope and goodwill to the next generation. Although Relena enjoyed helping brighten their lives, part of her resented still being counted as a child.

'Do you still see me as a child, father?' She sighed.

It was only for an hour or two and then she would be allowed to rejoin the adults for the remainder of the party. The guests began arriving on schedule in fancy horse-drawn coaches all decked out for the season - with bells and their own form of festive greenery. The most prompt and prominent of the expected company, her father's long time friend Marshall Noventa, his wife and granddaughter, were usually the first to arrive. She and Silvia had always gotten on well enough. They were often the only girls present around their own age and had much fun sneaking snacks and hiding away behind the Christmas tree. There were other girls there, of course, and young men as well. Mostly, she tried her best to be cordial to the former and avoid the latter.

'I just don't know what to say to boys.' She sighed and shrugged and adjusted one of the wreaths on the wall. Silvia often teased her about her reluctance to mingle with the young men, an occurrence that never failed to leave her blushing and Silvia laughing.

"I swear, Relena, the way your face pales when they try to speak to you is so amusing! Just talk to them!" Her friend would say.

Still, Silvia was the only person she could count as a genuine friend. As the daughter of the mayor, Relena found that the majority of the young women present tried to emulate her and remarked regularly on her sense of style and how fortunate she was to have such a father. A few of the young men in the last year or so had begun to show interest in her, but she found them utterly droll or pompous young braggarts. Silvia had begun to have her fair share of interest shown from the same group of individuals as well - proving many admissions of admiration were not entirely genuine. Besides that, part of her felt as though her heart were already taken by someone… someone she'd never met… someone from her dreams...

Truly, there was only one guest that attended every year that she looked forward to seeing: her godfather, J Drosslemeyer. He attended every birthday and Christmas; each time, he brought her a present more fabulous than the last. J was the town locksmith, clock-maker and toy-tinkerer. Most of the village spoke somewhat cruelly of him; rumors spread as to how he lost his leg and arm and why he needed goggles to cover his eyes. In spite of his appearance, however, the kind old man had always been good to her and treated her as his own daughter. As a child, she imagined that he was some sort of mystical being trapped in her world where he used his powers to make the everyday lives of the people better in the smallest of ways.It had been a silly thought then and an even sillier thought as she grew older, but part of her wished to believe it.

To be sure, she did not daydream nearly as much as she used to. But sometimes, visions carried over from the time when she slept: magical castles and enchanted lands where houses were made of candy and roads were paved with chocolate. Rivers flowed with sweet mead and herbs and spices of the holiday season grew as wildflowers. Some of those dreams were lovely; laden with peaceful thoughts and childish enjoyment...

But, sometimes, they were dark.

There was a shadow that lingered in the back of her mind. Something always went wrong in those dreams: candy melted and ashes flew where frosting snowflakes once fell. She could hear screaming; someone calling out her name…

Panic swirled around her. Someone held her close and lovingly stroked her hair and whispered soothing words. There was fire near them… screams… she could hear people yelling. The arms around her tightened, cradling her closer. It was a woman, her voice so warm and familiar… The woman said something, muffled and soft, but all Relena could hear was her name

"...Relena…" The flames rose in front of her and she was alone. Crying. Searching for the woman as her name in that voice echoed around her...

She would wake up in the morning only to feel a continued sense of dread and trepidation. She always felt that whoever called out for her still needed her and wanted to reach her if at all possible. She learned long ago, however, to not discuss these dreams with anyone.

"But they're just dreams!" She chastised herself in annoyance.

She hated how weak those nightmares always made her feel. Only her godfather seemed to understand and would often lighten her mood with tales of a magic land similar to the one she dreamed of. Her father had often chastised the old man, in spite of their friendship, for giving her such frightful stories to fuel her nightmares. Her Godfather would merely offer an ornery smile in response and reply:

"But what is life but a giant story constantly being written and dreamed of?"

Relena had many times imagined herself in the world of his stories, helping on the harrowing quests. It all seemed so fantastic and chased the shadows of her nightmares away. Though she had outgrown her ability to believe in such fairy stories, she never tired of hearing them. So, it was his arrival she always anticipated and his presence at the party that truly allowed her to enjoy herself.

"You must be Miss Relena." The voice came from behind her so suddenly that she found herself startled. She turned to find a young woman around her age standing in front of her. Her dark purple, off the shoulder gown accented the pallor of her skin. Her platinum hair and matching forked eyebrows had been allowed to grow to absurd lengths, but did not take away from her chilling beauty. Chilling was, perhaps, the best word Relena could find for this young woman as her cold, grey eyes locked with Relena's own aqua.

"My apologies, I do believe I startled you." Relena jarred herself out of her shock and then shook her head.

"Indeed, I was far too lost in my own thoughts. It is unbecoming of a hostess, Miss…?"

"Catalonia; Dorothy Catalonia. My Grandfather came tonight to represent the interests of his benefactor and made me come along. Although, I must say, I am so glad he did!" She suddenly linked arms with Relena and gave her a sickening smile that sent a chill down Relena's spine. "I have a feeling we will be fast friends." Relena found herself being ushered into the ballroom with the adults. The taller blonde led her through to a small cluster of people.

"Grandfather!" Dorothy called. "This is she!" The man in front of her turned to face them. He was tall and well-built, clearly a military man of some kind. His white hair had a receding hair-line that led down to mutton-chop sideburns and a well trimmed beard. He looked down his long, thin nose at her, his eyes studying her closely.

"Oh, indeed? Darlian, is this your daughter? Why she is far lovelier than you made her out to be. Indeed, a rare beauty."

"Yes, Duke. This is my daughter, Relena. I am afraid all of the credit for her looks belongs to her mother."

"Indeed." Dermail smiled but Relena could almost feel a sneer in his words.

"Miss Relena, This is my grandfather, Duke Dermail."

"Your Grace." She curtsied to him and as her eyes met his, she felt the same chill race through her.

"And such manners. I can see why you are so proud of her. She is a credit to you and your wife." He reached out a hand as if to raise her chin, but before he could reach her, the door flew open. The lights flickered, smoke filled the room! And just as quickly as the disruption began, it ended. In the center of the room stood her godfather. Relena smiled and ran to him, throwing her arms around him in greeting.

"Godfather! You made it!" Relena wrapped him in a joyous hug.

"Of course I did, child! Have I ever failed to appear at such occasions?"

"No, of course not. I just always look forward to your arrival."

"And you will be just as equally satisfied with the gift I have for you this evening. There is one for every child in attendance of course, but for you, my child, I have a special gift; very important given that you are now nearly an adult." He smiled at her and she could swear she saw his goggle-covered eyes twinkle. "Now, come; it is time I dazzle the little ones with stories of Etherea. With the help of my lovely assistant, of course." He offered her his arm and she took it all too eagerly. She smiled, glad to be away from Miss Catalonia and her uncle as she walked with her Godfather into the parlor.