The days before the Solstice party had flown by. Adam had spent as much time with Androma as possible. They flashed each other secret smiles across the dining table, touched fingers whenever they passed, and left notes for each other in books in the library. They'd even stolen a few quick kisses behind bushes and doorways in the moments before the ever-present guard caught up with them.

Adam smiled to himself as he pulled on the clothes his valet had laid out. He'd never admit it out loud, but he was glad Teela wouldn't be there tonight, or else he might feel bad not dancing with her or spending time with her and their friends. Tonight was for Androma, and he didn't want any distractions. He'd even already asked Androma to help him distribute presents, which had elicited a squeal and hug from her.

And if all went well, there would be a midnight kiss. Adam smiled to himself. He hadn't told Androma about that tradition yet, but was planning to after giving her his present – a small glass perfume bottle she'd admired in the market.

XXX

As they stood by the tree that night, presents in hand, Adam suddenly had a vision of him and Androma as adults, her standing next to him at some future Solstice, him tall and kingly, she soft and bubbly.

"Here?" she asked, moving into Teela's usual spot next to him. Adam smiled. She really did fit into the palace, he thought to himself.

The warm feeling, unfortunately, did not last long. With Androma not knowing the names of the children, the pace was much slower than in years past. Orko had joined Trevan in bringing a steady stream of packages to the bench next to Androma, so that soon Androma had to dig through the ever-growing pile to find the correct one, repeatedly asking Adam to spell the next child's name. Adam also started to feel more self-conscious than usual, knowing Androma was listening as he took his moment to chat with each child as he handed them the present.

After 20 or so children – less than half of the line – Adam could sense that Androma was tiring of the process, as she no longer was complimenting each girl on her dress or telling each boy on how handsome he looked. After a few more, she tugged on Adam's arm and he lowered his head. "Is there any way this can go faster?" she murmured in Adam's ear, "There are many more fun things we could be doing." Suddenly something wet flicked on his earlobe and into his ear cavity.

Instinctively Adam jerked away and rubbed his ear, then belatedly realized that it had been Androma's tongue in his ear. Yuck, he thought, then I wonder if that tasted like earwax. She was giving him a measured look and the next child in line was openly gaping at them. "Did you just put your tongue in his ear?" Zebenia asked loudly, with the wonder and openness that only a six-year-old could exhibit. A few adults standing nearby waiting for their children turned to look at Adam and Androma, and Adam could tell some were suppressing smiles.

Androma turned bright red, and Adam felt as if the world went into slow motion. Before he could intervene, Androma leaned down, bringing her face close to Zebenia's. "Hasn't anyone taught you any manners?" she hissed in a barely-controlled voice. As she stood back up, glaring at the people around them, Adam saw her fists were clenched and for a moment he was afraid she would strike someone.

Zebenia's eyes widened and a look of horror came over her face. Adam quickly grabbed Zebenia's present and drew the girl to the side, putting himself between her and Zebenia. He crouched down to look her in the eye. "Zebenia, just say sorry to Lady Androma and then go open your present, ok?"

Zebenia peeked over Adam's shoulder, squeaked "Sorry, my lady" at Androma, and turned and ran across the room to her parents, clutching her present to her chest. Adam looked behind Androma and caught Orko's eye, knowing that whatever the little magician did, it would break the tension in the air.

Orko, of course, had no idea what had just happened and floated over to chat. "Hey guys, isn't this fun? I'm so glad I didn't go to Trolla this year. Hey, I have an idea to make the presents look even more beautiful!"

Androma tore her angry gaze from Zebenia's retreating back to Orko. "What?" she asked, and Adam realized she hadn't seen Orko in action yet.

"Don't worry, Man-at-Arms always takes the brunt of Orko's magic tricks," Adam assured her, then turned to Orko. "Go for it!"

"Snithers and swakes, Solstice falls on the land, make these presents even more grand!" Orko chanted, ending with a flourish of his hands.

Everyone in the vicinity, including Adam, held their breath. Suddenly the ribbons on the present in Androma's hand started growing like vine tendrils around her arm. She dropped it with a shriek. Adam looked back at the presents piled on the bench and saw that ribbons were growing rapidly on all the other unopened packages and down the bench's legs, and that Trevan was slowly backing away from them. "Orko, quick, reverse the spell!" Adam yelled.

"Gobbles and geeps, that's causing a stir. Return the presents back to the way they were!" Orko chanted feverishly.

The ribbons stopped growing and, a moment later, a loud snap was heard and all of the wrappings – ribbons, paper, and bows – vanished from the presents in the room.

"ORKO!" Adam's father yelled.

Orko passed a hand where his forehead should have been. "Just a moment Your Majesties, I'll cast another spell to get the wrappings back…"

"NO!" Adam, his parents, and Man-at-Arms yelled in unison.