Okay, maybe this'll be more than three chapters, seeing as I feel particularly Christmasy this year. n.n Last year it took me until like,
three days before to even feel like it was...oh well. n.n That, and my sister wanted more...n.n I love my sissy...
O.o'
Er...I own nothing? Enjoy! n.n'
Oh, and I've decided to make Kratos tell one or two...X3 eheheeheh...
Fables
Kratos drew back and sighed before looking upon the tree he had set in their living room of sorts. Anna inspected it a minute, deciding for
herself whether or not it was satisfactory. After a minute the brunette smiled and then nodded, pleased.
"Great!" she chirped. "It's just right!"
Kratos said nothing and brushed some needles off of his glove, examining the splendid pine they had managed to procure. It was a good
seven feet, wide and supple, and though it took up most of the 'living room' it was still a very nice sight to see.
"I'm so glad we have windows in here, I can't take it so dark..." Anna sighed in relief.
Thankfully, the family had managed to find a small home in the past week. By small, as in it had what was needed and nothing more, but it was
better than the basement they had stayed in previously. It was to their great luck that the seller of the house had been so charitable as to sell
it to them quickly, seeing as the time of year it was and their small son. It had cost them almost all the money they had, but Kratos easily made
up for that by slaying a monster that had been terrorizing a popular travel route by which people went to see their families. The mayor had
been more than eager to hand over a few thousand gald.
"It looks great! Now let's decorate it!" Anna chirped.
Kratos couldn't help but smile a bit as his wife flitted over the meager box of ornaments they had purchased, her enthusiasm was
unending...he supposed that was what he loved about her.
"Hm...we don't have a lot," Anna bit her lip, "...Oh!"
Kratos sighed, she had an idea.
"Kratos, come on! We're going to go out and collect pinecones!"
"...Pinecones?" he asked.
"Yes," she nodded, "we can decorate them with ribbons and hang them on the tree!"
"...I-"
"Can we Daddy? Pwease?" Lloyd tugged on his pant-leg.
"...All right," he smiled softly.
"Great! Let's go!" Anna grinned, giddy at the very thought.
After they were all 'bundled up', Kratos lifted Lloyd onto his shoulders and they went out into the light forested area nearby their new home.
They began to collect any bits of forestry that could possibly be an ornament, Lloyd rushing to his father with a branch of a fir tree.
"Daddy! Look what I gots!" he said. "Daddy! Daddy!"
Kratos knelt down on his knees to look at his son's face, the boy grinning ear to ear.
"See! Isn't it pretty?" he grinned.
"Yes, it is..." he said softly.
"Lloydie, that's just a branch," Anna said, smiling slightly.
"...But it's..." the boy's face fell.
"Anna, why...why don't I tell Lloyd a quick story?" Kratos said.
"What?" she stared, mouth agape. "You want to tell him a-!?"
"Is that so surprising?" he asked.
"Well, yeah, kinda," she laughed, "but...sure, go ahead!"
"A story?" Lloyd looked up at his father.
Kratos smiled and took the branch from Lloyd.
"Lloyd, did you wonder why some of the trees are green in winter, but the others are not?"
The boy shook his head, eager to hear what his father would say.
"...A long time ago, all the trees stayed green all year long..."
The surroundings changed, though the snow was still there all the trees where bright and green again.
"W-woah! Kratos, did you do this?!" Anna gaped.
"...I suppose I did..." he said slowly, "..."
"Keep going! Keep going!" she grinned.
"Yeah!" Lloyd grinned as well.
Though unnerved, Kratos decided for once to disregard it as he lifted Lloyd into his arms.
"Every year in fall, before the snow would come, the birds would all head south where it was warmer,"
The snow disappeared, though the air was still crisp and cold.
"There was once a little bird..." Kratos slowly looked to his wife.
"What?" she blinked.
The angel smirked.
"A bird named 'Anna',"
A little brown bird appeared in Anna's place, Kratos and Lloyd disappearing from the 'story'.
"What the-?! Hey!!" Anna chirped, irritated.
Come now, Lloyd likes it, Kratos chuckled.
Yay! Daddy story now!
Ahem, there was a little bird named Anna who was going to head south, but she had broken her wing.
"Hey! I didn't hurt you!" Anna chirped, her wing in a sling.
The little bird was in trouble, she needed to find somewhere warm to stay since she could not fly-
The birdie going to freeze!?
Don't worry, Lloyd, and listen,
...'Kay... Lloyd mumbled.
So she went around to all the trees, asking for shelter.
"...I'm going to ask TREES?"
You made me fight undead laundry. Yes, you are going to ask trees.
"Oh...fine," she huffed.
Anna hopped over to the first tree, looking up at it.
"Uh...Hey, mind if I stay in you for the winter?"
But the tree was not happy, it wanted to spend winter alone without any birds.
"Stay in ME? All winter?" it scoffed. "So you can peck at my bark for bugs, and stink up my branches? No way!"
"W-what? You-! You stack of firewood! I'll freeze!" Anna cried, angry.
"Not my problem, birdie, look somewhere else," it said.
"Yeah? Well-! ...I'm arguing with a tree," she said.
Yes, and you're also a bird, now go ask the next one.
"...You're getting it for this, buster,"
Mommy's not gonna do the story...? Lloyd whimpered.
"...Okay! Fine! Next tree...hey, Mister- um...Maple!"
"Yes?" the tree asked.
Yet again, the bird asked for shelter, and yet again the tree rejected her.
"What? Of course not, you should've flied south like the other birds," it scoffed.
"But I can't fly!"
"Well then, it's survival of the fittest now isn't it?" it scoffed
"Why you-!"
Anna, no swearing in front of the child.
Daddy! Why are all the trees being mean to Mommy-Birdie?
Because they are not nice trees, Kratos said don't worry, it will get better.
Kay...
The bird continued asking the trees, but all of them said no. Days had past, and the first snow began to fall...
"...Well this stinks," Anna said, shivering.
She hopped past a pine tree.
"Hello there, little bird, what's wrong? Why haven't you gone south?" the pine asked.
"I broke my wing and I can't fly," she said, "now I'm going to freeze."
"Aw....well, you can stay in me if you like,"
"SERIOUSLY!?" Anna chirped.
"Of course," the tree said, "make yourself comfortable."
So the bird went into the pine's branches, and though she was protected from the snow, she was still very cold.
"Brr...." Anna said. "Sure, I didn't freeze YOU."
No, but you quite literally sent me into the fire.
"Picky picky!"
She was still cold, so the kind pine offered her its needles to make a nest.
"Oh no!" Anna said. "I couldn't possibly! You're already shielding me from the snow!"
Hearing this, the fir tree which stood next to the pine spoke up.
The fur tree? It growded fur?
...No, that's just its name, Lloyd.
Oh...but it'd be cool, right? Fur trees would be softed, and warm...
...Yes, most likely.
"Please stop talking about warmth..." Anna shivered.
"You are cold?" the fir tree heard. "If you are, then I don't mind giving up some parts of my branches to make you a nest."
But the little bird refused.
"That's okay, I'm not THAT c- ACHOO!...Okay, thanks..."
"No problem," the fir tree said.
So the bird made a nest, now warm and dry.
"Sweet-! I mean...tweet! This worked out nice!" Anna grinned.
Hee hee, Mommy said 'tweet'!!
...Yes, she did.... Ahem, so, the little bird was all set for a few hours before she became hungry.
"Oh yeeaaahhhh...what am I supposed to do for food?" she sighed. "Man this stinks, I hate you, Kratos."
I love you too, Anna,
Why does Mommy hate Daddy!?
"O-oh no! I didn't mean it, sweetie! I'm sorry!"
Your mother was joking, Lloyd,
Oh....so what happens next?! What?!
Heh, well, it was then the spruce tree, which stood on the other side spoke up.
"Food? Huh...well, I have some berries you can eat," the spruce tree said, "feel free."
Again, the bird refused.
"I couldn't take your berries!"
"Nonsense," the tree said, "I have plenty! Help yourself!"
"...Gee, thanks!" Anna chirped.
And so the pine, fir and spruce trees sheltered the bird as the snow picked up. After a while, Celsius swooped by, bringing the heavy snow with her.
Cell sweee us...?
Celsius, the spirit of ice and snow.
Oh...cool!
"You mean 'cold' right?" Anna grinned.
Silence.
"What?"
Mommy made a joke! Lloyd laughed.
"See? LLOYD likes the joke," she huffed.
...Anyway, Celsius swooped through the forest and noticed how the three trees were helping the bird, and how all of the other trees would not help
her.
"Aw, isn't that sweet?" Celsius smirked at Anna. "How kind...and usually I don't give compliments like that. As for the REST of you..."
The summon spirit of ice turned to glare at the rest of the trees.
"How much of a jerk can you be, not to help a poor little bird in need?" she glared. "Feh...fine! I'll teach you a lesson for being so 'cold'."
So Celsius snapped her fingers, causing all of the trees to lose their leaves except the ones that helped the bird.
"AH-!" cried the maple.
"It's cold! So cold...!" cried the birch.
"Without your leaves to keep you warm, yeah," Celsius smirked, "you're cold of heart, so I just made you cold in body to go along with that,
ain't it special?"
Anna stuck her tounge out at all of the other trees.
"Nyah nyah!"
Anna appeared standing back in the snow, Lloyd staring starry-eyed at his father as he finished.
"And so, the pine, fir and spruce trees stay green even in the winter for their kindness," Kratos smiled.
"Because they helpded the birdie?" Lloyd asked.
Kratos nodded.
"Yes,"
"That just goes to show you, kindness keeps you warm!" Anna laughed.
"..." Kratos said.
"...What?" she asked.
Lloyd hugged Kratos, smiling.
"Thanks for the story, Daddy!" he chirped.
"...You're welcome," Kratos smiled, hugging him back as Anna smiled.
...Yeah, kindness did keep you warm..
:D!
I feel like I've just downed a mug of hot chocolate, eaten a candycane wrapped in a blanket in front of the heater with the radio playing
Christmas music and the tree all bright and-! n.n SKLEE! I love this time of year! ...Though I haven't had a candycane yet...(mutters)...Oh
well. n.n Only a matter of time, nay?
I hope you enjoyed it! Merry Christmas! n.n