It was early morning on the first day of December in Royal Woods, and the Loud family was busy getting ready for Christmas. As the girls started digging out their decorations from the attic, they were all busy talking about their plans for Christmas this year.
As Lynn Sr. and Rita were downstairs preparing to hang all the decorations, they suddenly heard the doorbell ring. "Oh, who could that be?" Lynn Sr. asked, and he went to the door. As he opened it, he got a pleasant surprise: It was Lori!
"Hi Dad," Lori smiled.
Lynn Sr. began to tear up. "My little Lori-Lou!" he gasped, and he embraced Lori in tears. "You're home!"
Rita stepped up to her husband and gently patted him on the back. "What are you doing here so early, sweetie?" she asked Lori.
"Well, I finished all my exams early," Lori explained, "so Coach Niblick said that I should come home for the holidays. I stayed with Bobby last night and drove here first thing in the morning."
Lynn Sr. released her and smiled. "Well, we're glad you're home in time for Christmas," he told Lori happily. "In fact, I think the kids would like to see you." He stepped up to the staircase and hollered up. "Kids! Lori's home!"
The other girls came charging down the stairs together and embraced Lori as well. But after they released her, Lori paused in confusion. "Wait a minute…where's Lincoln?" she asked. The other kids glanced around, and sure enough, Lincoln was nowhere to be seen.
"Lincoln!" Rita called. "Your sister's home!"
But at that moment, Lincoln came inside the house through the front door. As he did, he was holding a couple of boxes. "Mom, why are you shouting?" he asked. "I'm right here."
Everyone noticed him and was puzzled. "Where were you?" asked Lucy.
"I was getting the decorations from the crawl space," Lincoln answered, showing the boxes to his sisters. "There are still plenty more down there."
Lori took the boxes Lincoln was holding. "Here, let me get those for you," she told him.
"Oh, thanks Lori," Lincoln smiled. As he went back outside, he ran into Mr. Grouse, who was holding a letter.
"Hey Loud," Mr. Grouse said, "this came in my mail."
Lincoln took the letter and looked at it. It was addressed to "L Loud". "Thank you, Mr. Grouse," he said, "but who's it for?"
"Eh, I don't know," Mr. Grouse answered. "I'd take a guess, but since almost everyone is 'L Loud', I can never remember who is whom."
Lincoln took the letter back inside and closed the door. Immediately, his whole family surrounded him.
"Is that my Christmas letter from Bobby?" Lori asked excitedly.
"No, it's obviously my new headshots," Lola bragged.
"Likely story, it's Mick Swagger tickets from Sam!" Luna declared.
Everyone tried to grab the letter, but Lynn Sr. whistled and got them to stop. "Hold on, now before we all start fighting, we should see who it's from."
Lincoln looked at the letter's return address. "Wow, this letter came all the way from Loch Loud," he replied. "And it says it's from…Angus."
Everyone suddenly stared at Lincoln. "Angus?" they all gasped.
Lincoln opened the envelope and pulled out the paper inside. There was a handwritten letter. "It's a message," Lincoln explained. "Let me read it." And he began to read Angus's letter:
"Dear Loud Family, I hope this finds you well. It is nearly Christmastime, and this year is supposed to be very special at Loch Loud. Every year when your ancestors lived here, the Duke hosted a grand Christmas gala at the castle. And all the citizens were invited as a symbol of honor. The citizens have been anxious to resume that tradition ever since you visited last, so they requested that I send a formal invitation to you, with all transportation expenses paid. If you should accept, Lincoln may just call me and provide a definite answer. Also, as is tradition, each of you is permitted to bring a friend or two. I look forward to hearing from you. Yours sincerely, Angus."
After reading the letter, Lincoln was excited. "A grand party at our ancestors' castle?" he gasped. "Wow, that would be the most exciting thing ever!"
"I can see it now," Lola smiled. "The elegant food, the royal music, the fans cheering for yours truly."
"Hold on, everyone," Rita interrupted. "Don't forget, we already made our plans for Christmas this year. We're hosting it for the Casagrandes this year, remember? So as tempting as that is, we can't go to Loch Loud this year."
"Or can we?" Lincoln grinned.
"Lincoln, what are you saying?" asked Lynn Sr.
"Angus said in his letter that we could each bring a guest," Lincoln explained. "So, if we simply invited the Casagrandes to come with us… That would make everyone happy!"
"I'm literally calling Bobby now," Lori declared, "and I'll put it on speaker." Lori took out her phone and dialed Bobby's number.
Over in Great Lakes City, Bobby was having breakfast with his family. Even though he moved into his own apartment within the same complex, he still ate with his family because he couldn't cook. Rosa was cooking in the kitchen, and Bobby sat at the table with Ronnie Anne, his mother, and his father. His aunt Frida, uncle Carlos, and four cousins were in the living room with Hector.
Bobby's phone rang, and since it was showing Lori, he picked it up. "Hey Babe," he said.
"Hi Boo-Boo Bear," Lori smiled. "Listen up, my family and I have some great news. And it's for all of you to hear."
"Okay," Bobby replied, and he put his phone on speaker. "You're on speaker, Babe."
"Great," Lincoln explained. "So, listen, it turns out our family hails from Scotland."
"Scotland?" asked Ronnie Anne and her mother Maria together.
"Yeah," Lynn Sr. told them. "My family is where the Loud name comes from. Our ancestors from the 1600s lived there until they eventually moved across the sea. Our family has a castle there which is currently under the care of a friend of ours, who is the current Duke."
"And we were just invited to a Christmas party there this year by him," added Lincoln. "The best part is, we each get to bring a guest, so we were wondering if you'd like to join us."
"Well, I'd definitely come," Bobby immediately volunteered, "but I don't know if Tia Frida and Abuela would let the rest of us go."
"Go where?" asked Rosa as she came to the table from the kitchen.
"Scotland, Abuela," Ronnie Anne told her. "Lincoln's family owns a castle in Scotland, and they were invited to have a Christmas party there."
"A Christmas party in Scotland?" Carlos began. "Did you know that the Scottish burn a rowan twig at Christmas as a means of—" But Frida stopped him by covering his mouth with her hand.
"Not now, mi esposo," she sighed. "But I have to admit, a castle does seem like a wonderful place to hold a gala."
"Okay, we'll all come," Rosa immediately volunteered.
Maria was worried. "Wait, Mom," she asked, "are you sure about this? We don't even know if we can afford to all go."
"All expenses are paid," Rita told her.
"Okay," Maria agreed, "count us in!"
"Wow, this is going to be exciting!" Ronnie Anne declared. "We get to see Lincoln and his family, plus we'll get to go to a great party!"
"Ah, that sounds like a mighty fun time," agreed Arturo. "I too would like to come, if that's okay."
"Of course, you can, Arturo," Lincoln said over the phone. "After all, you're Ronnie Anne and Bobby's dad, so you're their family, too."
"Gracias, Lincoln," Arturo smiled.
"Okay, everyone," Maria replied, "now listen. If we're going to Scotland, we'll have to start packing as soon as possible. I imagine it will be a long trip, and we might have to sleep in small spaces. So can you all promise to behave?"
Everyone promised.
"Great," Lori declared. "We'll let you guys know the plan once we find out more."
"Thanks, Babe," Bobby smiled. "I can't wait!"
"Neither can I, Boo-Boo Bear," Lori declared. "Call you later!"
"Okay," Bobby replied, and he and Lori hung up. He and his family were immediately excited.
Meanwhile, after Lori had finished talking to Bobby, she spoke to her family. "Okay, looks like the Casagrandes are on board with us!" she smiled. "We're going to Scotland for Christmas!"
"We'd better start packing, fam!" Lynn Sr. declared. "This will be the ultimate family trip, and we can't leave anything to chance!"
Everyone cheered and ran off to prepare for the trip, leaving Lincoln all alone. He took out his phone and dialed a number on it. "Hey Angus," he replied when the phone was answered, "it's Lincoln. We received your letter, and we're definitely going to be coming for Christmas. We're bringing some friends of ours with us, too." Upon hanging up, Lincoln smiled. "The Man with the Plan always gets things done."
Over the next several days, the Louds and the Casagrandes had a lot to do. Alongside packing their bags and gathering their Christmas decorations, they also had to entrust their friends to keep an eye on their houses. Mr. Grouse agreed to watch the Loud house while Sid and her family agreed to look after the Casagrandes' apartments. Angus had also agreed for Charles, Cliff, Walt, Geo, Lalo, and Sergio to come to the party, so they were all going as well.
At last, the big day arrived. The Louds had packed everything and loaded it onto Vanzilla, and they clambered inside. They drove off to meet with the Casagrandes at their ship to Scotland, which had been arranged by Angus. At the same time, the Casagrandes had packed all their things and loaded them into the Mercado van. The family piled in and drove off to meet the Louds at the ship.
The two families' vans rendezvoused at Lake Eddy, where a large sailboat was currently docked. A group of Scottish sailors stood at the pier waiting for the two families.
As the Louds and the Casagrandes began to haul their stuff toward the ship, one of the sailors stopped them. "Hold on a moment," he said. "Is there a Lincoln Loud here?"
Lincoln stepped up to the sailor. "Yes, that's me," he smiled.
"Good day, sire," the sailor told him. "I am your captain. My crew and I will be responsible for your trip to Loch Loud starting today. Before you board, I must ask for you all to be prepared for safety."
"Ah, yes," Lisa explained, "you are requesting that we be fitted with the necessary inflatable preservation devices. Street name: lifejackets."
"Aye, indeed," the captain confirmed, and his fellow sailors brought several lifejackets to the families. The individual members began to put them on.
"Ugh, this red lifejacket totes clashes with my dress," Leni scoffed. "I should've worn my favorite seafoam green skirted dress."
"Leni, you're literally wearing that right now," Lori sighed, and that made Leni upset.
"Oh, don't feel so bad, Leni," Carlota assured her, "you really bring out the Christmas colors."
"I do?" Leni asked, and she looked down at herself. "Hey, you're right," she smiled. "I do sport the Christmas spirit."
As everyone had finished putting on their lifejackets, they started hauling all their things from their two vans to the pier. The sailors helped to load it safely onto the sailboat, taking great care not to break anything important.
Once the others had successfully brought the rest of their things onto the ship, Carl gave his last few items to the captain. "Thank you for the help, my good man," he smiled. "For your gratuity…" He reached into his pocket and pulled out a gumball. "Here. You can have the gumball my mom gave me."
The captain grinned sheepishly as Carl placed the gumball on top of his items, but he didn't complain and instead carried the rest of the items onto the ship. Once the last of it was safely secured, the captain climbed up to the helm.
"Up anchor and away!" the captain declared.
The other sailors raised the anchor and unraveled the sails, then the wind began to blow the ship away from the pier. In no time, the ship was sailing on its way to Scotland.
The ship spent several days and nights on the open water as it sailed for Loch Loud. It had to brave stormy whitecaps and a few doldrums on occasion. Thankfully, the ship also had a backup power supply attached to the rudder that allowed it to keep moving.
On one stormy night, Lucy decided to hold a séance on the ship. Because the ship was made of wood, she used flashlights as a substitute for candles so the ship wouldn't catch fire.
Lincoln and Ronnie Anne noticed this as they were trying to sleep, so they sat up in their sleeping bags to see Lucy. "What are you doing, Lucy?" Lincoln asked his sister.
"I am trying to reach the spirits of our ancestors," Lucy explained. "I for one would like to know how Lucille has been doing since our last visit."
"Who's Lucille?" asked Ronnie Anne.
"Lucille Loud was one of our ancestors," Lincoln explained. "She lived in the seventeenth century as one of the sisters of the Duke."
Lucy opened her spell book and began to recite a chant: "From many years long forgotten, when my family was first begotten. Across these seas under stormy cloud, I summon thee, Lucille Loud."
A flash of lightning roared outside the ship, but it was not just from the storm. It was from the séance. It woke up the other Louds and Casagrandes, and they stared at Lucy.
Lynn Sr. was frightened, so Rita held him. "Lucy, what are you doing?" she asked her.
At her response, a swirling blue vortex appeared on the floor between the family members, and out from it rose a ghostly figure. The figure closely resembled Lucy, but its bangs were curled instead of straight. The Casagrandes were frightened by its appearance, but Lucy smiled.
"It's okay, everyone," Lucy assured them. "This is Lucille Loud, one of our ancestors from Scotland."
"Salutations, dear Loud descendants," Lucille said calmly, "it has been many a moon since last we met." Then she noticed the Casagrandes. "And to you, dear Casagrandes, I bid thee salutations. I come not to haunt you, but rather to welcome you."
"Are you really one of the first Louds?" asked CJ.
"Indeed, I am," answered Lucille. "I come from the time four centuries ago, back when we Louds ruled over our homeland of Loch Loud."
"Wait, if you are the ancestor of the Louds, how did you know who we are?" asked Hector.
"My dear cousin Lucy told me you all were coming to Loch Loud for Christmas," answered Lucille. "It will be an honor to have our family lineage back at our castle for the first Christmas in four hundred years."
"Four hundred years?" asked Lana. "I didn't know Christmas went back that far."
"Oh, indeed it does," Carlos explained. "Its origin of being an official holiday goes back to the ninth century, long before even the first Louds were born."
"Mi amor, that is great to know," Frida sighed, "but it is rather late and I would like to get some sleep."
"My apologies for awakening you," Lucille replied. "I shall watch over the ship as well as yourselves during your voyage to Loch Loud. So, in the meantime, sleep well."
Everyone climbed back into their sleeping bags or hammocks to get some sleep, but before Lincoln did the same, Lucille whispered to him.
"My brother will be honored to see you again, Duke Lincoln," she smiled at her descendant.
"Thank you, Lucille," Lincoln whispered. "Goodnight." He crawled back into his sleeping bag and closed his eyes.
Lucille levitated throughout the night as she watched everyone sleeping, and she ensured the ship was safe throughout its journey. "Yes, the junior Duke will be welcomed by my brother," Lucille whispered. "As will his new Duchess…"
After a few days, the ship finally reached Scotland and came to the marina at Loch Loud. Once it stopped, the sailors successfully docked the ship and lowered a ramp. The captain stepped off the ship and onto the dock, then he stepped closer to the town.
"Your Grace," the captain called, "the Louds have returned!"
Right away, all the townspeople came running out of their houses, and Angus pushed his way through the crowd. He was wearing the Duke's crown on his head. Once he reached the captain, he stood perfectly still and took the crown off, holding it in his hand.
From up on the deck, Lincoln saw Angus and came running down. "Angus!" he declared. "It's so great to see you!"
Angus smiled. "Ah, sire," he said, "how wonderful to see you again." He handed Lincoln something from a clothes hanger. "I've been expecting your arrival, so I have prepared this for you."
Lincoln took the clothes hanger and ran back into the ship. A moment later he came back out, and now he was dressed in his old Duke outfit. He stopped by Angus and smiled. "Well, how do I look?" he asked.
"Fantastic," Angus explained, "just one thing." He placed the crown on Lincoln's head, and the crowd erupted into cheers. "Welcome back, Duke Lincoln."
Lincoln stepped forward and clapped twice. "Family," he said, "we are ready."
Lincoln's sisters and parents came down from the ship, and then the Casagrandes came down as well. Ronnie Anne came up beside Lincoln and smiled.
"Wow, Linc," she told him, "you look pretty snazzy."
"Er-hem," Lincoln declared, "thank you, but I prefer to think of myself as 'royal'. For the time, I am the Duke."
"Ah, blow me bagpipes," Angus declared, "who might this lovely lady be?"
"I'm Ronnie Anne," Ronnie Anne introduced herself. "I'm Lincoln's friend."
"Make that Lincoln's girlfriend," Carl immediately declared. Ronnie Anne tried to make Carl stay quiet, but she was too late. The entire crowd gasped.
"The Duke's girlfriend?" gasped someone.
"Then she be our Duchess!" another declared.
"Duchess?" Ronnie Anne gasped, and she tried to shrug it off. "Oh, no, I'm just Lincoln's—" But even her family joined in.
"Duchess! Duchess!" everyone else chanted, excluding Lincoln and Angus.
Ronnie Anne was embarrassed, but because everyone was insistent on calling her "Duchess", she didn't argue it. "Well, okay," she replied. "I guess I am. Now, how shall we travel through the rest of the town?"
"Ah, that I have set up," Angus answered, and he blew into a horn.
Many of the villagers stepped aside and revealed several horses with chariots. The chariots had "Loud Family" written on large banners hanging from the sides. So, the Louds and the Casagrandes climbed into the chariots while the sailors unloaded their baggage from the ship onto the carts.
"Horse and chariot escorts?" gasped Rita. "Wow, thank you, Angus."
Lincoln sat on one chariot with Angus and his family, and Ronnie Anne sat on the other. The charioteers pulled on the leashes, and the horses set off with the chariots. As they rode through Loch Loud, the other townspeople came out of their homes and waved at them. The families got their biggest cheers as the horses passed through the town square.
Finally, the horses and chariots came up to the drawbridge leading into the castle courtyard. The horses strode inside and stopped just outside the front door to the castle. Lincoln, Ronnie Anne, and their families climbed down from the chariots.
"This is Loud Castle," Lincoln declared proudly. "My family's ancestors lived here in the 1600s, and we stayed here when we came on our last vacation."
Nearby in the cave, Lela the Dragon noticed that Lincoln and his family had returned, so she excitedly rushed out and up to them. But when the Casagrandes saw her, Carlitos got frightened.
"Aye, Madre Mia!" Frida gasped. "A dragon!" The other Casagrandes huddled together in fear.
"It's okay," Lincoln told her. "This is Lela. She's very friendly."
Lily walked up to Lela and smiled. "Lela!" she called happily. "Lily miss you!"
Lela looked down at Lily and licked her, and Lily giggled. Then Lela noticed Carlitos was frightened, so she gently sniffed him. Once Carlitos realized that Lela was gentle, he slowly reached out and touched her nose. Lela licked his hand, and he giggled.
"I think she likes you, son," Carlos smiled.
"Aye, she be such a sweetheart," Angus agreed. "She's the Louds' pet dragon, but also the guardian of the loch."
"Lela! Halt!" a voice called. "You haven't finished your royal luncheon!" Out from the cave came Morag the groundskeeper. She was covered in slop and water, which made her upset. But upon seeing the Louds again, she groaned.
Lincoln came up to Morag and took her hand. "Hello Morag," he smiled respectfully, "it is lovely to see you again."
Morag rolled her eyes, but she tried to smile. "Good day, Lincoln," she told him. "How lovely to see you again, and shortly before Christmas, too." When she noticed the Casagrandes, she began to twitch. "And you've brought guests. What an honor," she muttered through her teeth.
"Lincoln, honey," Rita warned him, "I'd be careful about Morag. Don't you remember what happened last time?"
"Oh, she won't be harming you any further," a voice declared. It sounded like Lincoln, but the voice echoed more and came from inside the castle.
The families looked toward the castle, and the doors opened. Inside was the spirit of the Duke, who was Lincoln's ancestral double and Lucille's older brother. From behind the doors came the rest of his family, including Lucille.
"Ah! More ghosts!" Hector gasped, and he nearly passed out. But Maria held onto him.
"Don't pass out on us, Dad," Maria told her father, and then she looked at the spirits. "Lucille, was it?" she asked.
"Yes," Lucille confirmed. "Here is my family from our time. We have been keeping Morag in line since we returned after four centuries."
"Allow us to take your bags," the Duke insisted, and then he turned to his family. "Come sisters, let us assist our cousins."
Each of Lincoln's sisters had their bags taken into the castle by the respective sister of the Duke. As the sisters each began conversation among their ancestors, the Duke levitated over to Lincoln and Morag.
"Dear junior," the Duke smiled, "I assume you have come on Angus's suggestion for our annual Christmas gala?"
"Yes, we have," Lincoln confirmed. "But since we also were spending our Christmas hosting my sister's boyfriend's family, we invited them to come with us."
"Ah, not a problem," smiled the Duke. "My family and I hath done so before. We shall be pleased to make your acquaintance for the winter holidays." Then he looked at Morag. "And Morag, please help the rest of our guests with their luggage."
"Yes, your grace," Morag replied, and she walked over to the Casagrandes. She helped them to take their things into the castle as well, while Lincoln and the Duke watched on.
For the rest of the afternoon, the Casagrandes took the time to get accustomed to the 1600s Louds alongside the Louds of the 2000s. The modern-day Loud family exchanged their modern-day adventures with their 1600s ancestors, and they shared historical stories of past Loch Loud Christmas galas. The Casagrandes also enjoyed hearing the stories, so they too shared their adventures. As everyone got along, they all worked together to decorate the castle for Christmas.
Lynn Sr. and Rosa worked together in the kitchen and made dinner for their families. The instant they had finished, their families gathered around the long dinner table. As they ate, they were all talking happily. But as Lincoln sat in his upholstered dinner chair, he just couldn't stop thinking. He began to worry so much that his family noticed and stopped eating.
Lori was the first to speak up. "Lincoln? What's the matter?" she asked.
"Excuse me, family," Lincoln told them, and he stepped out of the dining room. Ronnie Anne was worried about him, so she followed Lincoln. She was now wearing Duchess clothing and a robe knitted for her by Leni, her respective ancestor, Scott, and Carlota, and she was wearing it at the townspeople's request. Lola had also "rented" her one of her crowns as Duchess.
Ronnie Anne came up to Lincoln and closed the door behind her. "Lincoln, are you okay?" she asked him.
"I'm okay," Lincoln explained. "I just…feel that Morag ought to join us. She is the groundskeeper, after all." He hurried off, and Ronnie Anne followed her.
Morag was inside the small hovel outside the castle. Ever since she had been demoted to the Loch Loud groundskeeper, she lived inside it since Angus and Lela didn't trust her with the castle anymore. She didn't admire its size or amenities, but at least she did receive plenty of peace and quiet.
Lincoln came up to the hovel door and knocked on it. "Oh, Morag," he said, "I would like to speak to you."
The door opened, and Morag's eyes angrily glared out from the darkness. As she came into focus, she frowned. "What do you want, Lincoln?" she asked.
"Why don't you come on inside and join us?" Lincoln suggested. "I would be honored for you to join us for supper tonight, considering how it is nearly Christmas. Besides, as I am temporarily Duke once more, I am sure everyone would agree to it."
Morag smiled slightly. "Well, as thoughtful as that offer is…I cannot accept," she replied.
"Wait, is it because of something we did?" asked Ronnie Anne. "I know our families are big and all, but we just—"
"No, no," Morag interrupted. "It has nothing to do with either of your families. Well, this time, at least," she muttered under her breath. "I just would rather stay here and have me some hot porridge. Well, goodnight. See you tomorrow." She began to close the door, but Lincoln stopped her.
"Hold on, Morag," he told her, "I know something's going on. Now just tell me what it is."
Morag sighed. "Oh, very well," she declared, "but if I tell you, I would like to be alone." She took a deep breath, and then she spoke firmly. "The truth is… I hate Christmas." Then she closed the door right away.
Lincoln and Ronnie Anne just stared in surprise. Then they let out their exclamation together:
"Morag hates Christmas?!"