From the author to you fabulous reader,
If I haven't yet gotten back to you and sent you replies to your reviews yet, I'm working on it! Promises, promises.
It's not too late for the Christmas feels, right? Right? I'm terribly sorry; what with family and starting a new job, I'm afraid I've been negligent with my story. Fear not, though; we seem to be back on track. I should be popping out stories at my usual speed now.
I hope your Christmases were bright and fun. Did you all get what you wanted? Have fun eating and spending time with family, I hope? Let me know how it went if you like; and as always, leave comments, concerns, questions, critiques in my reviews, or PM box. I'm happy to receive any advice or other messages.
Happy belated-Christmas! This is my gift to you.
-We wish you a happy holidays, and also bring you a disclaimer that wont be insulted for the purposes of this happy chapter-
Clip-a-de-clop-clip-de-clip went the sounds of the hooves on the cobblestone. It was practically music to Jamie's ears, though he could hardly contain his attention on one single thing. He and his sister spun and looked all around them, not wanting to miss a single detail. Not a single delicately decorated cookie, nor stocking stuffed with care went unnoticed by the children and the cantered by. Garland strung the allies, candy canes hung from them and swayed in the cold wind, but not a single elf was in sight. Sophie poked him and shot him a questioning glance. "Where are all of the elves?" she asked.
Jamie, feeling raw from the rough ride, hopped down from his perch on top of the deer, shrugging his shoulders as he landed. He pulled the hood of his jacket up—his ears has officially gone cold and raw from the stinging wind. "I dunno; Jack?" Jamie trotted forward and took one of the reins from the spirit's hand, leading his sister now by the reins down the winding path that the traveled on.
The streets were all aglow with the soft aura of lanterns that littered the sidewalks, each with their own decorations, pictures of different elves, and yetis, little figurines, glass orbs and sweets for any passing pedestrian—should he find he was hungry. Jack reached out and plucked a sugar plum from the garland's grip and popped it into his mouth. He spoke with the sweet tucked away in his cheek, mumbled actually. "They're gathering in Town Square. This is the dawning of Christmas Eve."
Again, Jack plucked a sweet from the decorated poles and popped it into Jamie's mouth. "You'll see your elves," he said with a wink and a toothy grin. He tossed a wrapped chocolate coin to Sophie and trotted on, Jamie's deer nudging him in the back with his nose and horns, clearly upset that he had been forgotten in the giving of treats. Jamie paused on the lonely street and spun around, the houses were not as small as he would have though they would be. Weren't elves supposed to be small. He always imagined that the North Pole would have been a miniature world save for Santa's workshop. These houses and shops, well, they were his size, actually a bit bigger than normal. He remember the large creatures at the front gate and wondered just how many lived here in the north.
Realizing that he was being left behind, Jamie snagged a candied apple from the treat pole and jogged to catch up to his company. He held out the sweet to his deer that graciously chomped onto it and licked comically at the carmel. Could frozen deer even eat candied apples? Apparently this one could. Jamie shrugged and gave the remaining apple to Sophie's deer. "Can you actually believe that we're here?"
"No," she said as she rocked in her saddled, being toted along the path like some princess. "It's only the best night I've ever experienced in my life."
Jamie laughed and shrugged his shoulders; this was a good night, but it wasn't the best night that he had ever experienced. Jack had the good graciousness to show him the best night so far in his short life.
The three walked along the narrow streets. The further they ventured in, the more obvious that the city also had elves for residents. Some streets would jut off, twist away and shrink so small that not even Sophie could squeeze through, let alone two fully grown, snow replicas of deer. If they found themselves on a shrinking path, Jack would merely float up into the sky and scope out another path, hoovering back down and leading them off onto another street. They were looking for Main Street; Main Street was always a place that would lead into the heart of any city. Except this street that they were looking for was labeled Candy Cane ln.
Jamie thought a bit cheesy when Jack told him the name of the street so that he could better keep an eye out, but he kept to himself. The further they ventured in the more they saw. Trees that bore the fruit of already candied apples. Vines of sugar plum that clung to window cills and grew along the walls like ivory. Jamie saw Poinsettias that grew to be one hundred times as big as normal ones, their leaves were as big as beds and probably just as comfortable too! He saw wooden puppets that moved on their own, greeting them from shop windows and dancing little jigs for them. He could have swore he even saw a nut cracker and a rat chatting with each other.
"The weather's been a bit to nippy for my nose. I don't like it, can't smell all of the good smells."
They trotted on, though, before Jamie could point it out. At each wonder, the children pointed.
"Look over there!"
"See that!?"
Jack chuckled, though he had been no different his first time within the gates of North's world.
The city was wide and vast, but the sounds of cheers and joys indescribable reached their ears and motioned for them to follow up a hill. The deer pranced at the sound of bells in the distance, the could hear the calls of their brothers and picked up their pace to gallop, pulling Jack and Jamie behind them.
Jack laughed and gripped Jamie, raising him up into the sky and setting him back down in the saddle, nestling in behind him and gripping his waste. Sophie looked to them and gave Jamie a look of approval, winking and clicking her tongue. "Ooo ooo," she said. "You know, I could have stayed home. I'd hate to ruin a first date," she said as she cast a sideways smirk.
Jamie's cheeks burned red again. In that moment, he was grateful that he was facing away from Jack. He could hear laughter ring out from behind him and suddenly those cold hands were removed from his waist. Jamie's blush only deepened and he shot a nasty look to Sophie.
"I think I can find it in my heart to forgive you, dear one," Jack responded with his own sass that could rival Sophie's. "This whole night is ruined because of you, what what can you do? Why did I make the mistake of brining you? Oh woe," Jack continued as he leaned back, pretending to faint.
Jamie laughed, while Sophie remained calm, eyebrow raised casually at the distasteful teasing being shot her way. "Really, I thought the spirit of mischief would be more clever with his words," she said with a ho-hum tone and a yawn. She smiled and licked her finger and stroking a one in the air to signal that she had just earned a point on some secret score board.
"She really is something," Jack commented as he nestled closer to Jamie who only received him gladly.
Off ahead, Sophie trotted, following the cheers and the beats of the drums down the side street. It was such sweet music that came drifting down the tight alleys; there was a light that they followed it.
It was a magnificent display. Jamie emerged from the alley, blinking with a look of astonishment and delight. He was too busy taking in the sights before him to notice anything else.
He could hear Sophie laugh and clap, and Jack left his seat, but Jamie didn't care.
Everywhere elves and furry men danced and pranced. They jeered and sang, and played on instruments that were foreign to Jamie's knowledge. They stamped their feet and marched with all sorts of bits and bobs twisted and wrapped around them. Each instrument had a shiny horn. Some horns even needed two to play. They were big and made the most wonderful noise that Jamie had ever heard.
A child's wonder filled his eyes and he could hear himself laughing and yelling. "Hooray!"
It was the most beautiful music and the marchers and acrobats, though big and furry, were graceful with their dances. Up, up, up, into the air, then back down again. Jump. Spin. Summersaults. Cart wheels. It looks like so much fun. Jamie wished he could do moves like that.
The deer upon which the two children sat grew restless. Their mighty hearts hammered in their frozen chests and they shook their heads. They were so excited that it seemed the could barely contain it.
The reindeer from Santa's sled jumped down the street. Jamie could see them in the distance. The cantered closer, jumping and prancing down the street, lifting themselves up into the air to hoover briefly, then back down onto the snowy cobblestoned street. Each of the eight deer had their reins and bells on, and oh the sounds the bells made. So beautiful. They bucked and sent a wave of a rippling bell's song down to the ears of the bystanders.
The snowy deer burst with joy, dissipating into nothing but clouds of snowy mist that danced off with the wind to swirl around the deer in the street. Jamie and Sophie dropped, landing onto Jack who was prepared to catch them.
Aw struck the siblings as they watched the wisps of snow float up to meet the real deer. It seemed that the snow carried the deer away; they frolicked and lifted into the sky and down the street on their march forward through the city.
Jack smiled proudly and crossed his arms around his chest.
And Jamie thought his small town festival was good. It was simply nothing compared to the displays of jubilant joy down the main street of the North Pole.
There were treats from all around the world. Chinese moon cakes, Holland truffles, German chocolate. There were things that smelled funny, but tasted wonderful; and things that smelt lovely, but tasted odd.
"Yeti food," Jack would simply say with a wink after his well played pranks.
Sophie and Jamie ate to their heart's content and bought some treats for their friends. Stuffed and fluffed full of candies and small toys, jamie sauntered down the side walked after the festivities had quieted just a little—at least the marching had stopped. Sophie had lost herself somewhere, but he didn't worry. This was perhaps the safest place for anyone. He was on a mission to find Jack.
He passed some yetis who were busy entertaining themselves by tossing an elf through the air, as though he were a football!. He didn't seem to mind, though; he was reading a paper and drinking some cocoa. Well, of course he was content. With each toss, his drink would follow through the air and land in his cup without losing a single drop.
Jamie soon found Jack. He smiled, but kept himself calm for fear of being overly clingy, or something.
"Enjoying yourself?" Jack asked as he stuffed something into his pocket and floated up into the air.
"It's like you took me from reality and dropped me straight into the most stereotypical christmas movie," Jamie laughed.
"Stereotypical?" Jack repeated, mouth agape and eyes wide. "Don't let the yetis hear you say that. Stereotypical is like saying it's cliche. How can you say that? What with all of this magic?" he said as with a mocked offended tone. He pulled on of the growing treat trees and tickled a sugar plum. It laughed and dropped into his hand.
Jack approached Jamie and brought the sugar coated treat to his lips. Jamie opened his mouth and allowed the other to drop it in. "The treats here laugh Jamie. They want to be eaten. I'd say that's pretty unique."
Jamie chewed thoughtfully and nodded. Jack was right. He was thankful that he had been brought there. It was the prefect Christmas and it wasn't even Christmas yet. "I guess I'm just trying to sound cooler than I feel on the inside, because right now, I'm like a little kid," he said candidly.
Jack's laughter was so crisp. His slender shoulders shook and he climbed up onto the pole. "You're really cute, you know that?"
"Cute?" Jamie repeated. He stepped closer and touched his fingers to the branches of the treat tree. "Just cute? Or do you mean to say handsome? Attractive? Is this an endearing 'cute', or a complement one might receive from a boyfriend?" Jamie asked, wanting to clarify of course.
There was a moment of silence between the two boys. Jack crawled closer and swung lazily on the pool. "All of those."
There was a brief moment where Jamie was allowed to kiss Jack again. He had found himself craving those lips since last they met and was looking for a chance to steal one since he first saw him earlier on that evening. It was Jack, though, that stole the kiss. So swift, it was like the wind from a hummingbird's wings against his lips. Jamie's face light and he almost melted in his boots.
He loved that kiss.
There was a cough behind them and both boys turned. Sophie was standing beside a very familiar figure. Who could mistake him? What with that large red coat, and that long white beard: Nicholas St. North.
Jamie jumped forward and hugged him, not caring if he looked like a five-year-old in that moment. Who could deny that innocence when Santa was around? "You are very lucky boy to be here on such night," North said as he laughed. It wasn't a laugh like ho ho ho, but hearty laugh that vibrated in his belly; Jamie could feel it as he hugged him.
"What is it that you are doing? Jack is not tricking you I hope," he said as he clasped a large arm around Jamie's shoulders. "You have to watch out for young trickster; he is as mischievous as he is cute. I know," he said as Jack floated around their heads. "You can never trust skinny twig who floats on nothing. You never know what might happen. One minute he could be giving the sweet moments, then the next you have mouth full of snow," There was another jolly laugh that everyone joined on, even Jack who could take a joke and a jest as easy as if they were complements.
"It's true. I'm out of the closet. I was trying to freeze Jamie's tongue. Ya' caught me."
"Tricky, skinny twig!" North chanted as he pulled on Jack's leg and brought him back down to the ground. "You must come to workshop. I show you around!" he said as he pushed Jack forward with more strength than he intended. He leaned down and hoisted Sophie up on his shoulders, laughing and walking.
Jamie watched as North strolled forward. He had his own personal paparazzi of elves that followed him, some with plates of cookies, some with mugs of cocoa, some just followed with a look of love on their face. Was it North or Sophie that they fancied? Jamie couldn't tell. He was happy to follow along up the winding road to the biggest building of them all.