A/N: Well, now I'm completely done with finals, and its winter break, so now I can devote my time to writing more chapters. I've been horrid and neglectful, and I haven't written in a very long time, so here you go, chapter five. I hope you like it!
Disclaimer: However much I would LIKE to own the Tin Man, I don't. Sad, sad, but oh well.
Chapter Five:
DG and Cain walked down the hall, side by side, until they reached the front door of the castle. The doorman quickly went to attention and opened the door for the two, glancing at them as they passed through. DG thanked the man and hurried through the doorway, grabbing Cain's arm and dragging him with her.
When they got outside, DG gasped and looked around happily. There was a thick blanket of sparkling white snow. She bent and picked up a handful of the cold white stuff and laughed, throwing it into the air and watching as it fell back to earth. She turned to Cain.
"Well, come on. How can we cut down a tree without an ax?" she asked him, leading him towards a shed on the side of the castle. When they reached the shed, DG smiled at the guard.
"Can we please enter to get an ax?" she asked him. He straitened up and nodded, smiling back at DG. He turned to unlock the door, and when he did, Cain brushed past DG to get the ax. After a moment, he came back out, an ax over his shoulder. DG couldn't help but smile as he looked at him. He looked very rugged and woodsman-esque. She thanked the guard and then she and Cain set off towards the small forest on the edge of the castle grounds.
When they got there, DG started to race around and look at trees. Cain followed her at a distance, being less inclined to cut the thing down anyway. He still didn't get why she wanted a tree, of all things, in her room. DG looked over the trees carefully.
"This one is too short, this one is too tall, this one is too wide, this one is too skinny…" and so on and so forth were her comments. After a while, Cain gave an exasperated sigh and leaned up against the trunk of a tree. Then he heard a shout come from DG.
"CAIN! I found it! I found the perfect tree!" she called. He walked over to her and looked over the tree she picked.
"You sure you want this one Prin- uh, DG?" he asked her. She gave a look and nodded.
"Yup! This one is perfect!"
Cain sighed again and began to chop at the tree's base. DG sat and watched the process.
Soon, the tree fell and Cain looked back at DG. But before he could open his mouth to ask if she were ready to head back, he was hit in the face by a large snowball. He spluttered as he wiped the snow from his face.
"What the heck?" he exclaimed. DG was there on the ground, laughing hysterically.
"You're kidding me?" he asked her. She shook her head and began to make another snowball. Cain narrowed his eyes and bent, picking up some snow and patting it into a ball. Before DG could throw the one she made, Cain threw his and hit her squarely in the chest. She was caught by surprise, and dropped her snowball.
"Oh no you didn't!" she laughed. Cain looked at her, and she saw a challenge in his eyes.
She bent and picked up the dropped snowball, and, straightening, threw it at Cain. He easily dodged and began making another snowball. So the great Cain/DG snowball fight commenced.
Every time DG would pick up a snowball, there Cain would be, snowball in hand, and ready to throw it. She would throw hers and he would throw his, and soon DG was breathless from laughter. She reached down to pick up a snowball, and when she looked back up, Cain was nowhere to be found.
"Cain?" she called softly. Then, she was hit in the back with a snowball. Surprised, she fell forward, doing a face-plant into the snow. When she got back up, there was Cain, laughing, but still right beside her.
"You ok, kiddo?" he asked. DG made a face at him and said,
"Yeah, I'm fine, no thanks to you!" Cain stopped laughing and helped her up.
"I think I win." He said seriously.
"HA! No way! I won, you just won the battle at the very end!" she laughed. Cain rolled his eyes and led her back to the tree. Without s much as a grunt, he lifted the heavy tree onto his shoulder and started back towards the castle. DG followed him, marveling inwardly at his strength, and wondering what it would be like to be carried in his arms. She shook herself and gave a little shiver that had nothing to do with the cold.
When they reached the castle, Cain set the tree down in the main hall. Immediately there were several men, who picked up the tree. They turned to DG, awaiting further instruction.
"Um, can you please bring it up to my room?" she asked them lightly. They gave her the same look Cain did, but nevertheless brought the tree to her room.
As she and Cain began their way up, she gave a little sigh.
"I swear, I'll never get used to this whole princess thing!" she said when Cain looked at her curiously. Cain gave a low chuckle and turned back.
"Don't worry, it'll come to you sooner or later." He said. She made a face.
"I hope so." With that, they walked in silence until they reached her room. As they entered, DG saw that the men had set up the tree so that it was in the corner near the fireplace. There was a large fire burning brightly, shedding an orange-ish glow around the room. DG glanced out of the window and noticed for the first time that it was getting dark outside. She glanced at Cain and an idea struck her.
"Cain, why don't you stay for a little bit? You must be freezing cold. You could warm up a little bit." She asked. He looked at her and opened his mouth, fully intending to say "No", but what came out was entirely different.
"Alright. I'll stay for a little bit." DG's face brightened as she gave him a smile. He looked at her and gave her a tiny smile in return.
"Great! I'm gonna go change into some PJ's. You go ahead and warm up by the fire." She said and with that, she went into her closet, shutting the door so that he couldn't see her change.
Cain slowly moved towards the fire, trying to figure out why he said yes, when he fully meant to say no. He removed his heavy jacket and hung it over the back of the couch. He sat down, letting the warmth of the fire seep into his body. He heard DG open the closet door and turned, watching her as she crossed the room to the couch.
She was dress in PJ's that were made of silk, and they clung to her body, making Cain look at her in a new light. He then shook himself, telling his mind that she was a princess, she was off limits. DG came and sat down next to him. She smiled at him and said
"Thanks for coming with me today Cain. It would have been much less fun without you."
He gave a noncommittal grunt and glanced at the tree.
"So, tell me again why you wanted this thing in your room?" he asked her. He wanted to keep him mind away from the fact that she was sitting very close to him. She rolled her eyes and said
"Well, in the other world, there is this holiday, called Christmas. And, during Christmas, you set up a tree, and you decorate it, and then, on Christmas day, there are presents underneath it. Of course, that's not the only thing I like about it. I like spending time with my family and friends, and making gingerbread houses, and decorating the tree, and making a Christmas list, and all those things." She explained. Cain nodded slowly.
"So, what is a Christmas list?" he asked her. She blushed, thinking of the one she made not that long ago.
"Um, a Christmas list is a list of the things you want most in the world. It's kinda fun to make them. I mean, I like to make them." She said. Again, he nodded. Then, they sat in silence for a while. DG stared at the fire, and soon, she felt herself being lulled to sleep by the crackling of the flames and the low, soothing sound of Cain's breath. She closed her eyes and lay her head down on the couch pillow. Cain looked over at her and smiled slightly. She was already asleep. He slowly got up and picked her up gently. Her arms wrapped themselves around his neck and she nestled her head against his chest.
He brought her over to her bed and laid her down gently, pulling back the covers and then tucking her in. She smiled lightly in her sleep, and Cain couldn't help but brush away a stray hair that fell into her face. Then, as he was leaving, he noticed something sticking out from under her pillow.
It was a notebook.
He shouldn't have done it. He really shouldn't have, but he couldn't help himself. He pulled out the little notebook and glanced at it. DG shifted slightly in her sleep, and Cain froze, hoping she didn't catch him snooping around. Flipping open the cover, he glanced at the drawings. He turned the page, expecting there t be more of the doodles, but there was a list. A list titled "My Christmas List". He looked at it, remembering what she said.
"A list of things you want most in the world."
"I wonder what she could want, she has everything." Cain wondered to himself. He glanced down at the list, and almost dropped the book. There, written in the number one spot, was his name.
A/N: Ok, so he found the list! And, I gave you a long chapter! Yes! Two things that I wanted to get done. Anyway, I hope you like the chapter, and I'll try to get the next one done as soon as possible. Oh, and just a little tidbit that I though of. There must be a bow involved in the story somehow. I'm not sure how, but if you have any ideas, feel free to let me know.
