Elena kicked her feet over the edge of the pier, folding and unfolding the letter in her hands for what must have been the tenth time. She felt the paper crinkle, tracing over the words again as if she hadn't already memorized its contents.

Dear Elena, it read, The trade negotiations with Maarswick are going well, and we just have a few more things to iron out. Who knew old Lars could talk so much! Anyway, you'll be happy to know that I should definitely be back by Navidad. I can't wait to see you again.

-Naomi

Short, to the point—Naomi had never been one to be indirect, and her letters back home were no exception. She'd been away on diplomatic missions as Chancellor for nearly the last two months, and though the frequent letters were enough to stave off the worst of the lonely, hollow ache that had started in her absence, Elena had still found herself quickly missing her and wishing her own duties as Queen had allowed her to go along. Still, the promise of being back by Navidad had been her anchor, something she could hold onto in anticipatory excitement, and now, late in the evening on Nochebuena, she was decidedly running out of time.

It wasn't that her Nochebuena had been unpleasant. She'd spent the bulk of it with her family, celebrating in all their traditional ways, which was definitely a nice change of pace from the last few years of chaotic holiday seasons, and she'd gotten to see and exchange gifts with Gabe and Mateo, but it just wasn't the same without having Naomi there, too. So, after her family had finished the most involved of their traditions and after the guys had been seen off (amidst their playful bickering about which of their parents they'd visit first), Elena had decided to take a walk herself, ostensibly to see how the festivities throughout the city were going, but really just to see if Naomi's ship had come in.

She'd been disappointed to find that it had not. It wasn't completely unexpected—a heavy, soup-like fog had settled in over the bay as the evening wore on, and that would obviously make it harder for ships to dock, even delaying the harbor's typical Nochebuena celebrations. Naomi could've been sitting just out of reach for the last several hours, and Elena would have no real way of knowing. Farsight didn't show her anything other than just Naomi, standing on the deck (she'd checked), and the jaquins were unwilling to fly her out there when they couldn't see what they were doing (understandable, but still frustrating).

Sighing, Elena leaned forward, frowning into the fog with her chin resting in one palm, the letter still clutched in her other hand. At this rate, 'back by Navidad' might not be happening, after all. With that reluctant admission, the young queen pulled herself back to her feet and brushed off her skirt. They'd be missing her back at the palace, by now. She'd said she wouldn't be gone too long.

But still.

She turned toward the city, casting one last, longing look back out at the bay, and—she paused, squinting at the blurry mass that had appeared deep within the fog. Blinking, she watched the shape come closer, the outline becoming clearer, and realized with a jolt that it was a ship. Someone was trying to dock, even with the weather what it was!

Elena fumbled for her scepter and raised it high, shouting, "Glow!" The light shone through the fog like a miniature lighthouse and illuminated the bow of the ship as it cut through the clouds and glided into place along the dock, just inches from scraping against it. She kept the spell going even after the ship came to a halt and turned her face upward, already preparing a flurry of questions for the captain. What were they even thinking?

Her carefully crafted words were whisked away, though, when the light from her scepter caught on a bob of blonde hair and a pair of bright, blue eyes.

"Ahoy, there!" Naomi called down, grinning, and by the time Elena had found her voice again, she'd already dropped down from the deck and opened her arms.

"Naomi?!" Elena blurted, and with a delighted squeal, she threw herself forward into the hug, snuggling against Naomi's shoulder and relishing in the feeling of her squeezing back just as hard. "I wasn't sure if you'd be able to dock tonight with all the fog," she went on, pulling back to look her in the eyes, but keeping a hand anchored on Naomi's arm. She paused, though, frowning, as the reality of the situation came back to her. "Seriously, you could have crashed on the rocks with the weather like this."

Naomi snorted. "Because you've never done anything risky, ever, right?" she teased, and Elena bit her lip to stifle a sheepish giggle. "But I was completely fine. I've been in and out of this port so many times I could dock here with my eyes closed. Besides," she went on, more gently, "I did promise someone I'd be back by Navidad."

"You were cutting it kind of close," Elena pointed out, but she smiled, squeezing Naomi's arm. "But I'm glad you made it."

Still smiling, they pressed their foreheads together, and a moment later, they were kissing, soft and warm and filled with two months' worth of "I miss you"s and "I love you"s.

"Feliz Navidad, Naomi," Elena murmured when she finally pulled back. "Welcome home."

"It's good to be back," Naomi softly replied, and with one more joyful giggle between them, they linked arms, and headed toward the palace together.