Title: Winter Lights
Summary: A happy winter holiday in Greenwood Village.
Rating: K+
Genre: Friendship, mild romance
World: Post EBF4


Lance, Matt, and Natalie crunched through the light dusting of snow on the floor of the forest on their way to visit Anna. The watery morning light was clear and aside from the occasional evergreen, all of the trees were bare of leaves. The three stopped in surprise when they entered Greenwood Village. The people and idols of the town bustled everywhere, setting up decorations or admiring ones already put out. Everyone was smiling and wearing bright, festive clothing. The idols had small wreaths of woven sticks painted gold and silver and sparkling ribbons wrapped around their bodies. The sounds of flutes playing cheery music drifted through the trees.

Lance glanced around, "I didn't know Greenwood had a winter festival."

"Weird that Anna didn't mention it," Matt agreed, "I wonder if they'll have food."

Natalie grinned, "Trust you to think of food first. Besides, we haven't seen her since summer and this is a surprise visit. Why would she tell us about a winter celebration way back then?"

A random villager paused in his trek past the village entrance with an open box in his hands. He blinked at the sight of the three standing there before breaking out in a smile. "Here to see Anna?" the man called over. His smile widened when they nodded and he jerked his head towards the food court, "She's setting up over there. It's a great time of year to stop by; this evening is the start of the Festival of Winter Lights. Anna will be happy to see you, by the way. She's missed you guys quite a lot."

Natalie grinned and thanked the man for his help. The mage led the way over to the food court only for them to pause in confusion when they arrived. The three glanced around, but ranger was nowhere to be seen.

"That's weird, the man said she was over here somewhere," Matt said with a confused frown.

Lance shrugged, "Maybe she just moved to somewhere else?"

A sudden rustle and a jingle in the trees overhead had the three looking up. They grinned as they spotted Anna hanging upside down in a tree, fixing a string of paper lanterns to the branches. She had a silver ribbon braided in her green hair; a small silver bell bauble held the braid tied. Other than that, her outfit was a light grey tunic with a green vine pattern stitched on the hems. The ranger's tongue was poking out from between her teeth in concentration as she finished tying the end to one of the leafless branches. With a small cheer she got the knot of the lanterns string tied and tilted her head up to look down at the ground. Anna's eyes widened at the sight of her three friends grinning up at her.

"Natz, Matt, Lance!" Anna cried in delight, "I had no idea you guys were planning to stop by! Gimme a sec and I'll be down." With that she swung herself upright and nimbly jumped to a lower branch before dropping to land in a crouch on the ground. The ranger stood up with a bright smile and launched herself forward to give her three visitors hugs. "I'm so glad to see you! How have you guys been? Did you fight anything cool? Ticked off any new gods? Gotten lots of loot? Did Matt get high again?" she asked rapidly as she pulled back.

Natalie laughed, "Slow down! First off it's great to see you, too! You look to be doing well."

The ranger grinned, "I've been good; bored, but good. What are you three doing here? Not that it's a problem, of course."

"We just thought we would swing by since we were in the area," Matt said with a grin.

"It looks like you're pretty busy, though," Lance commented. He waved a hand around at the many decorations that had been set out, "What's this Winter Lights Festival about?"

"Traditionally, it's a celebration to give thanks to the earth as it rests and pray for a bountiful next year. We perform a ceremonial song and dance that praises and blesses the spirits of the forest," Anna explained. She gave a small shrug, "It isn't really the main point of the festival anymore, even if it's the main event. We still do the rituals, of course, but now it's mostly just a celebration to keep people's spirits up during the dark months. Nothing better than a big party to make people smile! There will be lots of food, songs, dancing, bonfires, story-telling, rituals, and so on."

The ranger hesitated, glancing back at a box sitting open on one of the tables behind her with more paper lanterns poking out. Turning back she gave her friends a sheepish smile, "We're a little behind schedule for decorating with the usually laziness to blame, though. You guys can go warm up at my house, if you want; I'll head back as soon as I'm done here."

"Want some help?" Natalie offered with a smile, "If nothing else, we can pass things up so you don't have to climb up and down all the time."

"That would be awesome, thanks," Anna said with a grin, "Let me head back up the tree and I'll describe what I need. There should be a long hook leaning against the wall just inside the food shop you can use to pass things up."

The ranger swiftly climbed back into the tree and requested the first item: a string of various-sized clear, glass balls. As she twined them into the branches she called down, "I think there's some mulled cider warming inside, if you want to grab some, Matt. There might even be a few cookies, as well. Nab me a mug, too?"

"Cookies!" the swordsman cheered. He paused briefly, glancing at Matt and Natalie, "Do you guys want some cider and cookies?" The two said yes for some cider and he dashed off inside.

Lance rummaged through the various decorations in the box and passed them out to Natalie. "So what have you been up to, Anna?" he asked.

"Eh, the usual: killing monsters in the woods, tending to problems the idols bring up," Anna replied. She stood up on the branch she was decorating and leapt to another tree. She snagged a branch and pulled herself onto it. Snow showered down from the limb as she kept talking, "It's been boring, really. Everything kind of has been after our quest to get the jewels back. How about for you guys, anything interesting happen?"

Natalie sighed, "Not really. We heard about a mountain covered in powerful monsters that we might head for next. You're welcome to come along, if you want."

Matt came back with four mugs of mulled cider, two in each hand, and three cookies stuffed in his mouth. "Mm, thrs marm mrelly grud," he mumbled around the food in his mouth.

"Mind repeating that once your mouth is cleared?" Lance asked sarcastically as he accepted his mug of warm cider and set it on the table.

The swordsman poked the cookies all the way in his mouth, chewed, and swallowed them. "I said these are really good," he repeated with a content smile. He held a mug of cider to Natalie, "The drink is good, too."

Natalie passed another string of paper lanterns up to Anna before accepting the drink. She took a long appreciative sip and sighed in contentment. "I haven't had mulled cider in years," she said with a smile.

"Really?" Anna asked, "We have it every winter here." The ranger stretched out precariously on the branch she sat on to lay out the lantern string. She grinned, leaning back, "There, that should do it for the food court! Thanks for the help, guys."

"No prob-" Matt's sentence broke off in a shout when Anna's arms waved as she lost her balance on the branch and began to fall.

Lance jumped forward just in time to catch the ranger before she hit the ground. "And that's why we use ladders," he said as he set Anna back on her feet.

"Technically, you can slip off ladders, too," Natalie reminded, "Are you okay, Anna?"

Anna's face was a little pale, but she nodded. "A little shaken, but I'm okay. Thanks for the catch, Lance; you spared me a nasty injury," she said to the gunner with a grateful smile.

Lance flushed and mumbled into his mug. He held the last mug Matt had brought out to the ranger, who accepted it with another smile. The gunner then turned and moved to sit at one of the tables. The other three joined him and they sat there sipping their drinks. Finally, the chill wind drove them to abandon the food court for Anna's house.

As they walked through the village, people greeted the three visitors with smiles and laughs. Most of the decorations had been put up; candles that burned with witch-fire crackled in various colors around the village and strings of lanterns and baubles hung all around. Idols bounced around with rings of bells jingling on their arms. Many people sang lilting songs of glittering snow and warm fires.

"Sorry for the mess; I wasn't expecting any guests," Anna apologized as she let them in. She laughed and amended, "Actually, even if I knew you were coming, it would probably still be a mess."

She moved to stoke the dampened fire. Soon, the flames flickered higher and warmth washed over the four gathered around the stone fireplace. The ranger moved to a closet and pulled a number of mismatched blankets out and distributed them before settling down in between Lance and Natalie. The four friends sat in silence, simply enjoying the heat and companionship.

Finally Natalie spoke, "So are we going to need to dress up? I don't think I have anything that will really fit for a traditional celebration." She had a slightly upset look on her face.

"I hate dressing up," Matt whined, "Please tell me we don't have to."

"I second that. I'm not doing anything sparkly," Lance grumbled.

Anna laughed, "You don't have to dress up, don't worry. The only ones who have to wear any kind of costume are the ones who participate in the ritual blessing the spirits." She grinned at the put-out look on Natalie's face, "I have a few ribbons we can do your hair up with, if you want Natz. I might even have a spare dress we can put you in."

The mage's face lightened into a bright smile. "Yes," she cheered, "I've missed having you around, Anna. All the guys ever want to do is kill stuff and eat it."

"Hey! Killing and cooking your own food is very manly," Matt exclaimed defensively. He drooled slightly as he added, "And tasty."

Lance rolled his eyes and mumbled, "Not to mention necessary."

Natalie pouted, "Well I'm not a man, and half the stuff we eat makes us sick."

"Don't worry, Natz. We can be girly, and there will be food that won't make you sick," Anna assured, her lips twitching as she suppressed a laugh. She threw a glance at Matt and added, "As long as you don't eat too much, anyway."

"No such thing," Matt refuted with an easygoing grin.

They fell silent again, going back to simply sitting under warm blankets in front of a warm fire. Matt stretched his arms over his head and flopped to lie on his stomach, resting his head on his arms. He let out a lazy sigh and stared into the flickering flames. Natalie flopped down on her back beside him and stared up at the ceiling. Finally Anna stood up and moved to her closet, earning her a glance from Lance. She rummaged through her clothes for a while and withdrew a long, blue and white dress.

"Here Natz, try this one on," the ranger said.

Natalie scrambled up with an excited look on her face. She accepted the dress and vanished behind a curtain. There were a few moments of rustling and then Natalie stepped out wearing a long dress with a white skirt, blue corset, and blue patterns on the sleeves and hem. Anna looked her over for a moment and nodded. It was a little tight around Natalie's bust, but not too bad. Anna held up a sliver ribbon with a grin and Natalie smiled. The men watched with raised eyebrows at the girlish display before shrugging.

Before long, Anna had woven the silver ribbon into a braid in Natalie's hair. The mage glanced over her shoulder with a bright smile, eyes sparkling. She twisted and gave Anna a hug before turning to Matt and Lance. She grinned and the men smiled back.

"You look good, Natz," Anna said with a smile.

Lance shot a look over at the ranger, "Are you going to dress up, too?"

Anna shrugged, "Nah, what I'm wearing is good."

Natalie pouted at her, "No. You're dressing up, too. That way, I don't feel silly."

"Fine, fine," Anna laughed.

The ranger rummaged about her closet again and pulled out a long, light gray dress with silvery thread embroidered in the hem. She vanished behind the curtain and swiftly tugged the dress on before stepping out. Natalie nodded her approval, eyes flicking over the ranger's form and her already braided hair. Lance let out a sigh and exchanged a glance with Matt who shrugged. Neither man understood what was so great about dressing up, and figured they probably never would.

Anna's head tilted and she turned to look out her window. "Looks like they're getting started; the bonfires are being lit," she announced. "Food probably won't be out for another hour, but I bet they'll have some snacks."

Matt scrambled up and bolted out the door at the first mention of food. Lance rolled his eyes as he headed after the swordsman, though he paused just outside the door to wait for the girls to catch up. Together, they walked to the gathering of people around the largest bonfire. Already, some people were dancing while others played songs on wooden flutes and ceramic ocarinas. A few people chimed into the music with clapping or singing.

Anna grinned and tugged her friends closer to the warmth of the blazing flames. Natalie laughed as she was dragged along, and even Lance broke out in a smile. They spotted Matt near a group of people beside one of the long tables where small snacking foods had been set out. The swordsman waved to them with a handful of chips in his hand and a soft drink can in the other. Natalie broke off to go stand with him while Anna dragged Lance to sit near the fire to watch the dancers. After a few minutes she was singing along with the other villagers, a brilliant smile on her face.

After a couple of hours, the main dinner was set out. There were entire pig roasts, platters of chicken, baskets of fresh bread, and bowls of salad and fruit. Matt immediately claimed four legs of chicken for himself along with half a loaf of bread. He grinned down at Natalie as she sighed at him and snagged some food for herself. The pair passed Lance and Anna on their way to the food, and settled down by the fire. They were joined by Anna and Lance a few minutes later, by which point Matt had already finished his food and was eyeing Natalie's. He grinned at the ranger as she sat down.

"Best festival ever," Matt said with satisfaction.

Anna laughed, "You'd say that about any celebration with lots of food."

Lance snorted, "The only thing that could make this better for him would be if there was some beer."

Natalie shuddered, "No. No beer for Matt. He'll start challenging trees to duels, I just know it." She grinned over at Anna and added, "The food is really good, though. And everyone's so cheerful!"

"Yup, this is a favorite holiday for Greenwood," Anna said with a wide smile. "And don't worry about the beer. We've had too many problems in the past with drunken shenanigans to have it out anymore."

Matt shrugged as he sipped his soft drink. "Whatever, this stuff is good, too," he said. His eyes drifted to the people still twirling about in the open space between the bonfires. "So when do they do the actual blessing ceremony?" he asked.

Anna tilted her head, "Usually at the end. It probably won't be until midnight, maybe even later. Until then, people do what they're doing now. There might be some games or contests going on, but I'm not sure about that."

"What kinds of games?" Matt asked with a grin.

"Umm, marksmanship, tug-of-war, eating contests," Anna listed slowly, eyes shut in thought. "I think there are some others, but we usually only do those three."

"Are we allowed to join?" Lance asked with a gleam in his eyes. "And are guns allowed?"

Anna shot him a glance, "Yes and yes. I bet my archery is better than your shooting, though. We might have to put Matt on the opposite team from us in tug-of-war. It wouldn't be fair, otherwise."

Natalie laughed, "I say put him on a team by himself. He'd probably still win."

Matt grinned, "I'd like to try that."

"Sure, I'll talk to whoever is running it," Anna agreed with a chuckle as she stood up. "In the meantime, want to dance?"

Natalie sprang up, "Yes!"

Lance and Matt exchanged uneasy looks. Lance shook his head and Matt did the same.

"I don't know how to dance," Matt said with a shrug.

"I wouldn't be caught dead dancing," Lance said flatly.

Anna and Natalie pouted at them.

"But it's fun!" Anna protested.

Natalie nodded, "I can teach you to dance. It doesn't really matter what you do so long as you have fun."

Matt heaved a sigh and stood up. "Fine, but I am not apologizing for any injuries."

The mage grinned and snagged his hand to tug him out. Anna snickered as she watched Matt stiffly follow Natalie's examples. The swordsman looked highly uncomfortable, though he grinned when Natalie shot him a smile. Soon he relaxed and moved fluidly, the balance he used in battle aiding him. Anna turned her eyes back on Lance who remained stubbornly seated.

"Aw, come on," Anna pleaded. "It'll be fun!"

"No," Lance huffed.

"Please?"

"No."

"Pretty please?"

"No."

"Why not?" Anna asked with her hands on her hips.

Lance arched a brow at her, "I don't want to."

"But why?" Anna said with a pout.

"First off, I don't have anyone to dance with. Second off, I don't like dancing," Lance said. "You can go have your… fun. I'll be right here, cheerfully sitting."

Anna grinned and said, "I'm dancing with you, and I refuse to take no as an answer."

Lance snorted, "Try and make me dance, and I'll make you dance. At gunpoint."

Anna rolled her eyes and grabbed Lance's wrist. With surprising strength, she hauled him to his feet and began dragging him out to where the others were dancing. Lance dug his heels in like a stubborn mule, forming two furrows in the hard ground, and halting Anna's pull. The ranger heaved on his arm, but found him immovable. Finally she let go and turned to look at Lance.

"I want to dance," she said to him with a small, sad frown. "Just one? Please?"

Lance groaned and muttered, "So begins the guilt trip." He released a sigh and said, "Fine, but only one. That's it."

Anna cheered and snagged his hand again. Lance followed her out onto the grass and they twirled around with everyone else. Natalie's jaw dropped when she saw them, but she shut it again at a glare from the gunner. Matt grinned and gave them a thumbs-up. Anna affected not to notice Lance's glare. Instead, she beamed up at him and a light blush flared on his cheeks as the glare faded. As promised, after one dance, Anna let go of Lance and followed him back to the bonfire.

"Thanks, it was fun," Anna said with a bright smile.

Lance grunted, "You're welcome." He hesitated and added, "It was actually kind of fun. I'm not going out again, though."

Anna shrugged, "That's fine. I'm pretty sure Natalie would faint from surprise, anyway."

Lance snorted, "She's going to tease me about this for weeks. I just know it." He sighed and turned his eyes back to where the mage was still dancing with Matt. Both looked incredibly happy. "Think this will do it for them?" he asked Anna in amusement.

The ranger laughed, "I hope so. I'd thought they would have figured out their relationship by now, but maybe I underestimated Matt's obliviousness."

Lance nodded, "I'm tempted to duck off from the team for a while; see if that works on pushing them together."

"It might, if tonight doesn't open Matt's eyes," Anna agreed. "If you do, I need to go out to a specific mountain range to get some special materials. I was planning to go alone, but you could come with me."

The gunner glanced at her, "Sure, I'd do that anyway. Now then, shall we go check out the games? I still need to prove my bullets are better than your arrows."

Anna grinned, "Sure, let's go! Get ready to lose."

"I think that's my line," Lance smirked.

The ranger stuck her tongue out at him, and led the way to the archery range. Sure enough, several targets had been lined up at the far end of the field and someone was judging several people's accuracy. Not far away, two large groups of people were attempting to haul the opposing team across a line. A rope stretched taut between them. Anna and Lance stood side-by-side and drew their weapons, eyes set on the far targets.

Anna shot a look at Lance and said, "No targeting visor. It's cheating."

Lance rolled his eyes, "Having superior gear is not cheating. But, fine, I won't use it. I don't need it to beat you anyway."

"We'll see about that," Anna snorted.

The ranger nocked an arrow on her bowstring, drew it back to full draw, and sighted her shot. The motions only took a few seconds. With a hissing-thrum, the arrow was off and slammed home in the center of the target. Anna nodded with satisfaction and shot Lance a challenging look. The gunner arched a brow at her as he loaded a single bullet into his gunblade. He raised the weapon, shut his left eye, and pulled the trigger. A crack sounded, and the bullet split the shaft of Anna's arrow to slam home as well. The judge called out as such with admiration in his voice.

Anna pouted, "Darn. So who wins?"

Lance smirked, "I think I do, because I'm awesome."

"No more awesome than I am," Anna huffed. "You hit the same place I did."

"It's a tie, then?" Lance asked with a shrug. "I can live with a tie."

Anna nodded her agreement. At that moment, Matt and Natalie came onto the field, heads turning as they searched for their friends. Their hands were still linked, much to the amusement of Lance and Anna. Finally, the pair spotted them and grinned as they headed over. Matt finally released Natalie's hand, causing the mage to pout.

"So can I beat the whole village at tug-of-war now?" Matt asked eagerly.

Anna laughed and moved to speak with the judge over by the rope. The earlier game had ended and the team on the ground were both laughing and cursing as they detangled themselves from their allies. The triumphant team moved to help them up, all grinning and laughing as well. The judge listened to Anna explain what she wanted with a skeptical look on his face. Finally, he nodded and called out the new game to the other people.

Matt's face split in a wide grin, "Yes!"

He sprinted over to his end of the rope and picked it up, his feet spread in a wide stance for stability. The villagers of Greenwood along with Lance, Natalie, and Anna all picked a spot at the far end. The villagers looked surprised at only having on opponent, thinking it would be an easy match. Anna warned them otherwise, and told them to start tugging as hard as possible, as soon as the match started. Matt grinned at them with laughter in his eyes as they eyed him, still skeptical. The judged glanced across everyone's stance and grip and called to start.

Instantly, Matt heaved back on the rope. There was a brief moment of resistance as everyone else heaved back, but the villagers hadn't listened to Anna. They had underestimated Matt and as such, even with Lance, Anna, and Natalie helping, they were hauled off their feet and were dragged forwards a pace before Matt stopped. He raised both eyebrows at their stunned looks.

"Try again?" he offered with a smile.

The villagers scrambled up with nods and got into position again. This time, they had proper grips and stances, and their faces were set with determination. The judge called to start again. The struggle lasted a little longer. Matt's feet dragged forwards a short ways as the combined efforts on the villagers attempted to pull him down. Matt's face was red as he heaved back as hard as he could on the rope. The stalemate ended when Matt dug his heels in even deeper and gave a mighty tug, jerking the opposing team off their feet again. He let go of the rope and rubbed his hands on his pants to rid the feeling of the rope from them.

"That was amazing," one villager laughed as he struggled out from under two others. "I can't believe one man can beat all of us!"

Lance grunted as he stood up. He eyed Matt's triumphant look and sighed. "It's because he has no brain to speak of, just more muscle," he muttered.

"You're just jealous that he's stronger than you by far," Natalie chuckled.

Anna stood up and grumbled, "Who needs that much strength?"

Lance nodded his agreement. Before anything more could be said, a loud call rang out, calling everyone to the bonfires. The people in the clearing abandoned what they were doing and began filing towards the flames. Lance shot a curious look at Anna, who shrugged.

"It's gotten really late," the ranger said as she started walking. "They're probably starting the blessing ceremony now."

They followed the villagers and joined them in the loose ring around a group of people in fancy robes with swirling body paint decorating their arms, legs, and faces. There was a moment of silence, and then an old man began to chant in an unusual language. The words were lilting and strange, and caused a wave of mana to sweep over the audience. Dancing, gold and silver balls of light of various sizes formed in the air and appeared in the strings of clear glass and paper lanterns set out all over the village, lighting up the trees and buildings.

The other robed figures added their voices to the chant and they raised their arms to the sky. With a final word, they all fell into bows, and were followed by the watchers. Applause rippled out and a few villagers murmured their thanks and prayers. Anna turned to her friends with a grin as people began to move off for their homes.

"And that's it! Did you have fun?" she asked.

The other three nodded with matching smiles.

"Lots of fun, thanks," Matt said.

Natalie tilted her head as she watched the balls of light that still glittered in the air. "Are those remnants of the spell the man was casting?" she asked.

Anna shook her head, "There was no spell. That was just an ancient prayer. These balls of light are quite literally the spirits of the forest; the plants, the stones, the earth, the water, and the animals. The fact that they showed up means they approve of our people and will continue to keep the forest healthy."

Lance watched the twinkling lights, "They're pretty."

"They'll hang around for a few hours before they go back to being invisible," Anna said as her gaze flitted across the village. She turned to the others, "Ready to get some sleep? I think I have enough room at my house for all of us to squeeze in. Two people will have to sleep on the floor, though."

The others nodded, and Matt and Lance volunteered for the floor. They all walked to the ranger's house, smiling and cheerful. It had been a wonderful celebration.


A/N: Happy holidays, everyone! Stay safe and cheerful! ;D

Also, I would like to thank a recent guest reviewer who has been leaving reviews on all of my work! I wish I could respond to you directly, but since I can't, I hope this will do! You are an awesome person, and I really appreciate your support!