We do not own 'Frozen' or any of its characters.

"Frozen Again: 'Love Never Ends"

Act IX

Chapter 19

"Sleep in Heavenly Peace"

That self-same early Christmas morning's shooting star zings across the well-past midnight sky down over to the western European country of Prussia.

Dreaming of sugarplums as she lightly slept, Crown Princess Rapunzel had envisioned a perfect, heartwarming holiday scene to begin the blessed day with. In it, she would tuck her sweet pair of twin little ones into their tiny side-by-side beds that Gunther and the other Snuggly Duckling thugs built especially for them.

The hand-carved out tree with an attached little table, diaper bin and twin cup-holders, mirrored the décor of the pub hideout to make a special, double-sized cradle bed. It sat beside Rapunzel and Eugene's king-sized bed where the twin girls' new little Mama had been reading them a bedtime Christmas story before she gave Anxelin and Ruby their kisses goodnight.

'Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house. Not a creature was stirring, not even a…mouse?'

Groggy herself from not having slept well at all in days, the achy, still weak new mother closes her eyes and lies back to her bed. She had been avidly reading the book her own Mother, Queen Arianna, had early gifted of American literary writer Clement Moore's holiday poem 'A Visit from St, Nicolas' to her slumbering pair of little angels.

But that was when a sudden crashing noise in the hallway wakes the finally just drifting off diminutive sweeties.

"Eugene? Eugene! Did you hear that?!" The brown-haired girl whispers in a panic to her bedmate.

"Wahh-wahh-wahh!" Wiping her own sleepy eyes, Rapunzel sits straight up and leans over the cradle, trying to hush the two simultaneously wailing babies who threaten to wake the entire Corona Royal household up at this muted, still time in the early, early morning.

Anxelin and Ruby were as considerate as their father, with minds of their own when it came to the volume of their noise level.

"No, no, no, no, girls! Please be quiet for Mama this Christmas morning!" She pleads with the short brown and long golden headed pair of tiny babies, who pause for a split second and blink up at her before wailing even louder.

"Ohh! Something's creeping outside in the hall – just like I thought I dreamed last night…and the night before, now that I think about it – that woke the babies up! Go see what it is! Then maybe you could come around and rock Anxelin's side of the cradle while I see to Ruby, before they waken Mom and Dad and the rest of the household. Oh no, I think she's soiled herself. Again." The distracted young mother had not gotten many hours of sleep in the past week or so. Not since her thankfully healthy twin children's hard-fought arrival when Varian and Hans had mercifully intervened to spare the lives of both babies and their struggling mama.

I wish Cass was back already…

The Princess didn't realize until now just how much she missed her level-headed best friend and handmaiden AKA Captain of the Corona Guard. Rapunzel found it hard to rise from the bed quickly, between the pain of her cervical pelvis closing after such a harrowing double birth, and the motherly worry that her tiny wee babes may not survive the night or hurt themselves or one another in their new bed the Snuggly Ducklings crafted, or –

Rarely overconfident, Rapunzel of Corona was learning a crash course on motherhood at this Christmas time. She was so relieved and gratefully glad that she had her real mother to help instruct and bolster her spirits when she became uncertain if she could cope with this new role in life.

As for her handsome husband Eugene…

From sun-up to sundown this past precious first week of parenthood, Flynn Rider/ Eugene Fitzherbert/ Horace Pryzmysid had been sweet and supportive. The ideal husband had been willing to bring his ailing Rapunzel meals, amuse her with his tales of daring-do, read her congratulatory letters from friends and describe stories of Stan and Pete's comical exploits in the stables where Maximus was in charge.

He even offered to massage her weak and recovering back for hours on end, uncomplainingly posing as her easy easel, with brushes clenched between his sparkly white straight teeth, even if leaky paint dripped down on the rest of his fine features.

Patiently, Eugene Fitzherbert went the extra mile in assisting his lover in painting the bedposts in her spare moments of boredom, since the doctors advised the delicate Crown Princess to still to be laid up in bed for another few weeks after that traumatic birth cycle.

Eugene was even surprisingly great with the new babies, too.

He had no problem feeding them, albeit in a messy way ('Hey! Babies don't even know they have chins! They're all mouth!'), no qualm about picking up the squirmy creatures and rocking them to sleep ('Nice and easy, like panning for gold.'), no trouble dressing and undressing them ('Told ya, I'm not bad with the ladies. They always prefer my smooth touch.'), dirty diaper doo-doo alert and all. ('Everything about babies now reminds me of the color brown. Gotta love 'em.')

Their twin girls even seemed, to Rapunzel at least, to prefer their hands-on, handsome Daddy's company – and not hers — most of the time.

They behaved and giggled for Eugene's entertaining spoiling and only cried or whined at her gentle dull promptings to eat or sleep, despite Rapunzel's best efforts to show her tender caring and motherly love.

It was all too inexplicable for the young mother.

They like you better, Eugene. And I can't blame them. You're soo sweet and good-humored, an attentive natural with our infants. Way better at it than me.

Maybe I'm not cut out to be a Mom…

The insecure Princess of Corona may have been suffering a tinge from the yet undiagnosed, but still experienced, "postpartum baby blues" after her difficult and stressful childbirth. And that included all the mood swings, crying spells, anxiety, loss of concentration, memory and difficulty sleeping she was desperately trying to hide from everyone for this past week since the babies were born.

Especially Eugene.

Rapunzel sighs, fighting that little niggling urge to be envious of how natural parenting came to her mate, while she was slowly getting the grasp of how to be a good mother.

However, although he was an ultra-caring, model husband and impeccable first-time father by day, it appeared that Rapunzel's mate was purposely opting out of any nocturnal babysitting duty by night.

"Eugene?" All these pent-up thoughts circling about her dizzied mind, Rapunzel strains her eyes in the dark bedroom, to find her man was neither in their bed, nor anywhere within.

Then she remembered. It was nearly every night this week that Rapunzel would wake up to find her husband oddly missing from their bed he was finally allowed reentry to.

"Eugene?!" Rapunzel whispers in frazzled frustration at the night and day change (literally) between the kind, helpful, attentive, hands-on daytime Dad and his vanishing, deadbeat midnight Rider alter ego, especially on this early Christmas morn.

Where are you?

The young Princess, starting to panic, must now put down one wriggling babe to pick up the other squalling one. But the twins' combined crying caterwaul seeming to be contagious before she could settle either stirred up infant down, as a dark shadow pauses furtively in the hallway…

All I wanted was a perfect family…

CLUNK PLUNK CLICK CLUNK PLUNK…

Eugene! Where are you?! I'm scared!

Princess Rapunzel closes her eyes tight and tries to think of what happened at this very time yesterday and the night before, and the night before that, and so-on, in her cloudy mind every time the same situation occurred.

She had told herself each time that nothing was wrong when the frightening footsteps started and Eugene was nowhere to be found in the connecting room where he had been staying.

Rapunzel truly believed that her now good and honest, reformed criminal Eugene, whenever she needed him in the night since their babies' arrival, was probably industriously otherwise engaged.

Perhaps he was cooking up a midnight snack for himself in the kitchen, or tidying himself, as per usual, primping in the bathroom with some new exfoliatation lotion concoction to try. She even imagined he might be taking some extra-long late night trips to the outhouse for some mysterious Dark Kingdom male activities that the still naïve in ways of the world young princess was yet unaware of.

She could believe any of those scenarios more than her ex-thief husband's return to illegal activities, because Eugene was always right back in the bed in the exact position and exact state of dress (or rather undress) that she saw him sleeping in on the bed when he came beside her each bedtime.

In fact, Eugene fought hard with that old battle-ax nurse just to sleep close to the babies in the Princess' bed again. But Queen Arianna still felt obliged to employ the old female retainer for the first few days after Rapunzel's childbirth.

Eugene had been grateful for his father-in-law's unexpected support in favor for him to rejoin a no longer pregnant Rapunzel in sharing the bed Eugene had been kicked out of some months ago.

King Friedrich actually went to bat for Eugene against Queen Arianna, concerning the sleeping arrangements of the brand new parents.

Rapunzel's mother had been concerned for her only daughter's fragile body and psyche. All while her father, the King, had the first-hand memory of his own insufferable lonely exile the old doctor and nurse insisted upon then.

King Friedrich knew what it was like not having his mate intimately close by to give his support and comfort, and most of all, his security, was maddening.

Especially in 20/20 vision now of what happened with Mother Gothel, when Friedrich only had a night or two of sleeping in the same room with his wife and new baby to remember for seventeen long, empty, lamenting years.

So King Friedrich could now sympathize with his son-in-law wanting to stay close, as the first-time, oft insecure mother was acclimating to caring for her newborn child.

Make that children.

CLUNK PLUNK CLICK CLUNK PLUNK…

As the ominous footsteps draw nearer to the bedroom door, edgy Princess Rapunzel scoops up Anxelin and Ruby both, hugging them close to her heaving bosom.

"Wahhh! Wahhh!" As the two babies unhappily scream, the panicking Princess puts them back down into the cradle and stands between it and the door. Her next reaction was to grab the iron skillet that was hanging on the side of the night table continually at her bedside.

Her concerned father had installed it there just in case the mother lion had cause to defend herself and her young ones while her husband was compulsory evicted.

Rapunzel's instinctive thought was to protect her bairns as she moves between them and that intruder just outside her door, as she shakily holds the fry pan. The quivering young woman stands at just the right angle so as not to be seen behind the door, lying in wait for whomever – or whatever - was turning the handle…

"Wahhh! Wahhh!"

Oh no! It's my nightmare scenario! Mother Gothel back from the grave and come to steal my babies! She's back and somehow found out about Ruby's apparently magical golden hair! I can't let her steal them! I WON'T let her!

"Wahhh! Wahhh!"

As her caterwauling children's cries continue to fill her ears in a cacophony of noise, Rapunzel's heart was pounding so loudly she could distinguish nothing from the chaos.

But that's when the girl who was 'pretty good' with a frying pan lets loose.

The tough little mama was not supposed to be out of her warm bed, never mind out in her bare feet creeping across the darkened chilled bedroom…

"Wahhh! Wahhh!"

BOINKK!

Rapunzel slams the frying pan down as hard as she could in true impulsive style mercilessly upon the head of whatever evil spectre had been listlessly pacing up and down the Corona Palace third story hall plotting to endanger or dare to kidnap her new babies.

Just like that horrible night mother and father told me about when that witch stole me as a newborn baby twenty-seven years ago…

S-SPPLATT! SS-SLLUU-MMPP!

"Eek!" With a girlish squeal, which was more akin to a mouse than a lioness, she had just crowned somebody or something squarely in the noggin, Princess Rapunzel scurries back into the room where her twins were squalling even louder.

"WAHHH! WAHHH!"

The panicking young woman quickly lights her bedside lamp to find out the identity of the intruder who'd fallen to his face wearing a dark maroon velvet hoodie. The Corona Princess had finally garnered enough courage to pull the obscuring head cover back with the handle of her fry pan…

Only to discover in horror that it was none other than her beloved Eugene, with a similar dizzy chameleon Pascal knocked silly from the sheer force of her wallop, plinked off his shoulder.

A panicking Rapunzel hastily drags her husband by his clunking boot feet into the bedroom from the hall, accidentally kicking her chameleon pal as she goes.

Shoved along inside, a shell-shocked Pascal wobbles around for several seconds before he could look up with a drunken grin in double vision at his contrite faced girl.

"EUGENE! Oh, my gosh! Did I hurt you too badly?! Eugene, speak to me! What have I done?!" The young woman was beside herself with fear and shame to have attacked her unsuspecting partner in such a violent manner, with a serious weapon.

In a guilty panic, she tosses the culpable frying pan away, only for it to crash straight through the window loudly and clatter noiselessly to the ground below.

"Wahhh! Wahhh!"

"Oh what a disaster I am! On Christmas morning, too! Oh, I'm as terrible a wife as I am rotten a mother!" As her babies' wails continue to ring in her wild ears, Rapunzel starts to weep at her own ineptness. She drops to her knees at her handsome husband's side and hugs his bleeding head while peppering his comatose face with her kisses.

Eugene was wearing the corded velvet cape and matching forest green vest she herself had dressed him up in that very evening before he left. She planned for Eugene to match her white and burgundy velvet dress they were to wear for the Christmas Eve church service.

But at the last minute, feeling low in spirits, and still recovering from her harrowing childbirth, the Princess felt unwell and decided not to go. Instead she sent Eugene and Pascal in her place to light the final candle – the pure white, spotless Christ candle in the center – on her precious Advent wreath, for her.

Her Aunt, Princess Wilhelmina, had offered to stay behind to watch over the twins until mother and children were both peacefully sleeping while the Royal King and Queen attended the holy Christmas Eve service with their citizens.

Rapunzel must've dozed off when Eugene and the rest of the family got back from the midnight church service. The superb sneak thief had smoothly tiptoed back into their bedroom suite and even softly kissed his slumbering wife good night before going off to set up the Christmas presents he had in store for his new young family.

Now, in her haste to find a clean cloth and peroxide cleansers to dab his profusely bleeding head along with some smelling salts to awaken her still out cold lover, Rapunzel discovered that cherished Advent wreath.

It was sitting on their connected suite's fireplace mantle with the white Christ candle still lit from church service where Eugene had performed the joyful duty for her.

The wreath was also decorated with the surprise detail of a small trio of angels – two of which were cute cherubs – one sepia brown, one blonde – and one lovely cocoa brown adult seraph. The wily thief had no doubt filched the angelic host from St. Catrina's Christmas Advent multitude of angels display.

It's for a good cause! My angels need some Christmas inspiration, too!

To Eugene, the winged figures symbolized his previously unforeseen, matchless affection for his new family.

No one will miss them out of the bunch!

"I'm so sorry for doubting you as a good daddy and sweet, caring husband, Eugene! I don't mean to be competitive for our daughters' affection! I'm nothing but a selfish girl, unworthy of your trust!" The distraught young woman was in tears as she guiltily whispers to herself while pittering around in her bare feet, avoiding the strewn glass, back into the adjoined bedchamber.

That's when her ringing ears notice her twins had finally ceased their endless noisy wail.

See? But they do like you better than me!

"Anxelin? Ruby? Eugene, I'm so glad that you're… okay?" Seeing the silhouette of her gorgeous man back on his feet, Rapunzel, with a wobbly headed Pascal just waking up on her shoulder, follows her infant daughters' intrigued, mesmerized gazes.

They all watch in stupefied awe where their handsome hubby and funny daddy was mindlessly traipsing around the bedroom.

Eugene's eyes were closed, his hands reaching outwards as if in a trance, though he didn't bump into a single piece of furniture.

The trio of females and Pascal were struck silent as they blankly stare at the tall and limber, strapping man. He silently moved around the room, listlessly opening every drawer and cabinet to rifle through their contents robotically, as if he were in some hypnotic stupor.

Totally unaware he was being watched it seemed, Flynn Rider was mindlessly plucking out various small shiny items from Rapunzel's jewelry box on the dresser, lifting the bejeweled golden hairbrush her mother had gifted her daughter for her birthday this year, inspecting it.

The entranced man takes his talented fingers full of sparkly acquired items and squirrels them strangely into his old thieving satchel he'd kept 'for old times sake' where it was hidden away in the rear of his sock drawer.

And increasing in size.

Is this what you've been up to every night when you disappear?

"Eugene? Are you all right? You're acting kind of… weird? Eugene? Can you hear me? Eugene! Please answer me!" Rapunzel was beside herself with new worry as her adored husband seemed unable to even hear her words.

He wordlessly stumbles around the suite of rooms, Rapunzel following him amble around as if Eugene were –

"Sleepwalking? That's freaky. Even for Fitzherbert."

Rapunzel was more relieved than frightened by her best friend's droll, stable voice of reason suddenly enter her confused, hushed bedchamber.

"Cass! Varian?! Thank God you're here! I don't know what's wrong with Eugene! He won't wake up when I call him! And he won't stop this meandering around, opening and closing drawers, stealing things!" A fatigued Rapunzel turns to the scene of her tough ladies' maid propelling herself through the window, after Cass stuck her gloved hand right through it to open the broken window fully.

Varian on Magic Carpet then squeezes his contorted skinny frame next into the Prussian couple's bedroom.

Cassandra had just been coming towards Corona Palace with Varian on her lap under the moonlight. She had switched right into her guardswoman mode when the cat-like female had spied the strange sight of a frying pan being expelled from the inside third story from their high flying vantage point outside.

"Did you try hitting him?" Replacing her sword into its hilt after a quick survey around the otherwise uneventful bedroom, Cassandra Schmidt did not find it suspect to smack around Flynn Rider all that disturbing. She fists her other hand that was glad to flex after clingy Varian had been holding it most of their ride home on Carpet under the romantic moonlight.

Just so Ruddy and I didn't accidentally fall off…

"Yes! I mean, I didn't know it was him! I mean, the babies were crying and crying and I panicked that it might be Mother Gothel come back to life to kidnap them and – I didn't know I was hitting him, and the frying pan flew out the window and –" Her frantic, unstable tears stream down the cheeks of the neurotic from lack of sleep young woman as she unafraid shares with Gothel's real daughter her concerns. Secure in the knowledge she and Cass had long gotten over any discomfited rivalry, Rapunzel was almost panting from the emotion spilling from her overwrought mouth.

"A stiff whack of the old frying pan does have some scientific study to back up its application for revitalizing sleepwalkers, I've heard at least. The victim suffering total memory loss due to a hemorrhaging stroke is not as likely as acute subdural swelling that may expand into a serious ruptured hematomic intracranial aneurysm. Hee hee." The new medical student/ brilliant scientist examining Eugene chuckles nervously as he tried to back up Cassandra's flippant remark.

The youth's good mood fades as he receives a blistering glare from the guardswoman and a terrified one from the Princess for his critical lack of bedside manner.

"I'll just go… entertain the babies." A nervous Varian decides to leave the women to their own devices as he sets a 'cucaracha' dancing Rudiger and wing flapping Owl before the babies squirming around on the bed in an attempt to relieve their incessant fussy wailing that was on the brink of returning.

"Oh Cass, what should I do?! I thought I was just dreaming! But all this time I've been worried about nightmare intruders, it must've been Eugene wandering around slamming doors and drawers! He's been skulking around the hallway making all that noise waking us up in here, like a zombie nearly every night since the twins were born! I don't believe the girls and I have had a single good night's rest! I don't know how many more sleepless nights we can take!" Thoroughly drained, weepy Rapunzel, with deep, dark bags under her eyes, was almost pulling out her hair. The young mother grabs hold of each of her insomniac babies and squeezes both in a tight smothering snuggle to her own restless breast.

And for once, her tall and in charge warrior woman friend had no clue as to what to do about it, as Cassandra looks to Varian, whose automatons and alchemy offered no sure cure, and shrugs.

"Whew. This sounds serious, Kids. Probably a clinical case of somnambulism or night terrors caused in disturbed individuals by bouts of intense anxiety, high levels of stress, or deathly dread of losing something precious which is most dear to them. This kind of sleep-parasomnia usually follows a past life threatening fever or sleep terror episode experienced during an unhappy adolescence, brought back to the surface by excessive sleep deprivation and anxiety, combined with the hereditary gene passed down from the patient's paternal parent. Edmund too most likely suffered from the same autosomnal dominant disorder." Now, Rapunzel's world-traveled Aunt Willow had just happened to be staying in the next room and had peeked in when she heard the glass crash and the twin babies howling.

The curious older woman witnessed and overheard most of what intrigue had been going on in her niece and nephew's bedroom, and felt she should speak up with her gleaned knowledge.

"I didn't mean to spy, Rapunzel, but I travel all over the world in search of answering the important questions of life that God in His Heaven teases us with humankind's inner mysteries. Such as the case of 'the dreamer acting out the dream'. I've followed great men who studied all about the negative and positive heat that radiates from even low substances that we don't realize are channeling dreams, by way of the electromagnetic system in each human being. The Baron says the auto-involuntary realm of the REM sleep cycle is activated when that part of our metabolic rate stimulates the brain. When the mind is accessed to run freely through subconscious more than plain perception, it is from there that we may unlock our true hidden potential." The dark brown ponytailed, adventurer woman shows her profound interest in the subject that she recently had been introduced to by German parapsychologist Professor Baron von Reichenbach. He prescribed the self-proclaimed 'Odic force' that he hypothesized as pertaining some 'vital energy lifeforce of the ulterior mind' which the professor was the leading authority in studying.

"Para-what? Don't tell me you seriously believe all that New Age claptrap spouted by some loony rich guy with a title looking for a hobby, Willow." Crossing her skeptical arms, level-headed Cassandra scoffs at the unconventional Swedish royal female's outlandish theories.

Then Rapunzel's hands-on handmaiden picks up a growingly rambunctious Anxelin nearly crawling off the bed and places down to her side of the cradle as delicately as she could muster. Varian helpfully handles the other twin's slippery haired gurgling as he maladroitly scoops up the baby named Ruby he helped deliver like she was a fragile test tube.

Cass and Varian's heads bent together almost parentally over the cradle full of infant babes both pause to blink at one another, in an awkwardly red-in-the-face moment.

Not happening.

"I'll have you well know that this is an actual, time-honed subject the professor has undertaken. It has been also researched by Himalayan masters for hundreds of years, as well as sages in the Far East for centuries. There they involve ancient Chinese wisdom with the art of acupuncture to alleviate the condition." Willow seemed insulted, her mouth puckering at the effrontery to her latest and greatest hobby, not to mention criticism of her idolized Baron. But her words were still levelheaded, undaunted, and based on science.

"You make a valid hypothesis there, Miss Willow, that I'd be interested in examining in the future, if you'd share your knowledge with me." The dark-haired boy gazes in admiration at the forever young Princess with the aquamarine eyeshadow and avant-garde clothing style of wild and free pants and adventurer's shirt with colorful native armbands that screamed 'I'm independent, liberated, and gutsy!'

She reminds me of your bold, free spirit, Cassie. Just a little more mature, like you'll be someday when we're—.

The catty-eyed young woman, sensing he was pondering designing thoughts of her, raises a twitchy brow at Varian, who swallows hard.

"There is some scientific authority proven of late that gives credence to that early therapeutic field. Remember, you showed me how you learned acupuncture yourself, Cassandra, from those old Chinese sages when you visited the Great Wall. It worked wonders on my Dad's lumbago, and thusly his interrupted sleep patterns." Varian adds his two cents, keen on his new girlfriend's exciting foreign travels.

He wouldn't mind continuing globetrotting alongside her, now that they were officially a couple.

In fact the idea was quite thrilling to the madly in love young man.

"The wise spiritual yogi masters of the Himalayas teach understanding of our consciences is listening to our hearts and celebrating life wholeheartedly, with spiritual transformation of mind, body and soul. Meditation has been researched to inspire curative growth to gain meaning and completeness, elevating human potential to surpass mental obstacles." Willow adds.

"You seem pretty knowledgeable in this innovative study, ma'am." Varian was impressed by Rapunzel's aunt's information bank about the sleeping disorder she was alleging of the glassy-eyed Flynn Rider, who just walks past, unaware of any of them, as he makes an unhampered grab for Aunt Willow's shiny necklace pendant.

"Healing the past by the wisdom of the ancient sages is the Himalayan philosophy of Jnanga marga. To cast light upon the path of knowledge, my yogi master Baba taught, is part of the Himalayan pilgrimage that I became familiar with when I visited that continent. I have seen cases like this treated before, usually for battle traumatized men." Willow merely ducks out of the thief's way like it was second nature to roll with it as she keeps talking.

"Maybe the acupuncture technique will snap Eugene out of his unconscious state now. He's getting a little out of hand." The usually clinically detached scientist enthusiastically suggests with a sharp pin or two produced from the table where Rapunzel had been working on delicate needlepoint to wile away the hours as an apprehensive new mother.

"It might at that." An aficionado of sharp weapons, gleaming smirk Cassandra lights up at her like-minded companion who didn't find fault in using Eugene as a guinea pig. To Rapunzel's horror, Cassandra accepts the particularly thin pointed needles that the self-taught medical student Varian had sterilized on a candle's flame tip as she targets an unsuspecting Eugene.

With a nod to Carpet, Cassandra wordlessly directs the ancient Arabian rug to wordlessly corner the sleepwalking roaming robber whose hands had been grasping at some hallucinated crown upon his traumatized weepy wife's upset head, even as Rapunzel was shaking his shoulders to no avail.

Carpet sweeps the concussed-like man into its whirling colorful folds and back out again until the tall dark and handsome man was left quite disoriented and unable to regain any unconscious bearings.

With the somnambulic man subjected by Varian's grasp for a few dizzied seconds, Cassandra carefully makes a precision quick stab with the extremely thin pair of sharp needles, directly into Eugene's dazed forehead, right on the curve where the bridge of his nose met his forehead exactly.

"Oww! Oww, Oww, Ouchy! Not the face! Not the face! Why the HELL are you sticking needles into my perfect Roman nose, you venomous viper woman?! Do I look like a pincushion to you?!" Almost instantly the entranced sleepwalker shoots awake, his mouth going a mile a minute in spitting anger already at his favorite arch nemesis who had returned to torment him, obviously, in time for Christmas.

"Eugene! He's back to normal! Oh, Cass! You are amazing!" Having more sensibility than sense, Princess Rapunzel cries out in smiling relief to her adept best friend who could solve a rainy day, usually by force.

"I know." Cassandra smirks unapologetically, placing hands on her hips and twirling her acupuncture needles around between her nimble fingers like a professional.

The short haired Princess throws her arms around her husband, banging his poor injured noggin in her enthusiasm.

"Sorry." She then tenderly massages the no longer bleeding, but the rising rear bump to his head with a guilty expression. Rapunzel smothers Eugene's acupunctured forehead, cheeks and now blessedly chattering mouth with kisses of relief.

"Rapunzel? What's going on?! Are you and the grandchildren all right in there?!" Just then, King Friedrich bellows down the hallway where he and Queen Arianna had just recently returned upstairs.

The tired royals had just finished hosting early Christmas morning dallmayr coffee and stollen current cakes to thank the Royal Chapel's reverend and deacons before settling in to quiet Corona Palace.

The older couple was starting to come bounding towards their daughter's anxious voice filled, open-door bedroom.

"Oh yes, Father, Mother! Everything is just fine now! Just a little bitty accident I had with the frying pan and the window while I was… umm… saying my early Christmas morning prayers. But it's all good now with Aunt Willow here and look! Cass is back in time for Christmas to clean it up right away. You two go to sleep now, so we can all be up early and chipper for our Christmas 'present opening' morning, right? Merry Christmas! I love two you most!" Popping her head out the door, Rapunzel spills over with an explanation all in one expelled breath to her anxious parents who stop still midway down the long upstairs hall of Corona Palace.

Queen Arianna and King Friedrich stop in their tracks to quirk a look at one another and shrug as concealing co-cospirator Aunt Willow.

The Queen's youngest sister whistles under a fraud smile as she shoves closed the drawer full of valuable goodies Eugene had stolen from the Royal coiffures.

"All right, my darling girl. If you are sure everything is fine. Your father and I wish a Merry Christmas to you and Eugene and the twins. And…to Willow and Cassandra...as well? Please inform Lady Cassandra her father will be so pleased she is home in time for Christmas. That stoic good man doesn't say it much, but I know he was heartbroken she was not going to be present on Christmas day. We'll say 'gute nacht' (goodnight) to you now, since you're sure everything is under control." At the raccoon, chameleon and mad scientist boy menagerie Rapunzel was apparently keeping in her bedroom by the sound of it, Queen Arianna prods her husband to let their daughter manage her own affairs with a pleasant smiling wave.

She pushes her anxious King back into their bedroom door, not wanting to disturb her married with children daughter like the proverbial clucking old mother hen.

Rapunzel was crossing her fingers and toes as well as she bit her lip with the not so little, little white lie she was relieved her good and trusting parents bought hook, line, and sinker.

"I'm not about to tell them that I thought Eugene was being a fly-by-night and I'm just a little bit uptight from not getting much sleep this week because I mistook my husband for a nightmare monster while he was really rifling through the Palace, pilfering valuable, shiny things again." Mumbling under her breath in an elongated, structure-less sentence to Pascal, who nods sympathetically on her slumped shoulder, Rapunzel puts on a fake smile and closes her bedroom door she slumps against it with a sigh.

"Nightmare Monster? Ouch, Brownie girl. I thought I was a fairly normal, run-of-the-mill mundane, born with being devilishly handsome, decent husband and respectable young father." Rubbing both back and front of his still groggy, aching head, a woozy Eugene just about overheard the last bit about him as Varian and Rudiger drag him bodily to lean against the bedframe.

"I'd stick with the 'Nightmare Monster' moniker, if I were you, Raps."

Eugene gives Cassandra a dirty look where she and Carpet were sweeping up bits of broken glass shards from the floor all around him with the magic rug's tassels and a discarded painting canvas. That was before poor Eugene passes out again.

Normal? There's nothing normal about this whole situation! What's going on, Eugene?

The terms 'normal', 'decent' nor 'respectable' would describe the state of Rapunzel's room – which mirrored her heart – right about now.

The girl with the 'once upon a time' magic hair takes a deep breath and crosses the room to her bed. Smiling at her indeed hadsome, passed out lover, she starts to sing the haunting medieval Christmas hymn translated from the Latin to her beloved Eugene to fix the multiple boo-boos she had unwittingly caused him.

"'O komm, o komm, Emanuel,
mach frei Dein armes Israel!
In Israel! In hartem Elend liegt es hier,
in Tränen seufzt es auf zu Dir.
Bald kommt dein Heil: Emanuel.
Frohlock und jauchze Israel!'"

('O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here,
Until the Son of God appear;
Rejoice! rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall be born for thee, O Israel!')

Tears stream down Rapunzel's cheeks as she scans around the room with her song.

There was an owl, a raccoon and a chameleon all chasing each other around the Princess' chaotic suite; noisy Aunt Willow and Cassandra vigorously discussing the benefits and drawbacks of acupuncture and New Age psychology in combination with ancient Eastern mind spiritualism in the other corner; and then there was a clumsy Varian, haphazardly juggling some inventive ideas to replace the glass of the busted window, while keeping amused on the bed the two precious infantile promises of Corona with his formerly criminal mastermind stained blacksmith gloves.

And sniffling uncontrollably amid her healing song to the half-conscious man on her lap, Rapunzel was sitting in the middle of it all, a bundle of worry and gladness, pain and fear and relief and confusion standing in the midst of the overpopulated room.

"What am I going to do?" Rapunzel asks no one in particular as she sank to the center of the messy king-sized bed Cassandra hefts Eugene onto, after her Aunt Willow scooped up the twins.

Rapunzel weeps, rocking her hubby on her lap as she hums, angry at herself that her healing song was not working at all.

"Don't cry, Sweetie! I have a brilliant idea that's no problem at all for me! I'll take Eugene back with me to Rio de Janeiro to seek treatment from the two most renowned parapsychologists and leading mental psychosomatic experts of our day! The Baron's there, on my advice, meeting with the yogi master I met in Tibet, Baba Patanjali. He's currently cultivating his herbal curatives for his yogic focus from the rainforests to recover mental peace by some ancient wisdom or another. I told von Reichenbach about their comparable research, and I was sure there would be a breakthrough between the two of them." Aunt Willow explains her far-flung friendships and even farther-flung schemes to cure Eugene of his thieving insomnia with emphatic gestures.

And maybe mixed up in it all were some thoughts for necessary restful, unadulterated downtime for Rapunzel, so she and her babies could get to know each other better without being under stress.

Princess Wilhelmina lays down her fixit solution for Eugene's strange sleepwalking kleptomania disorder which was the main cause of her niece and grand-nieces' lack of rest and relaxation during these first important weeks of bonding growth together.

"Hmph! Rio de Janeiro, Brazil? Oh, that's screwy you should mention that particular South American country." Cassandra interrupts the struck quiet group to mutter under her breath a 'hmph-ed' chuckle.

"And why's that so odd, Cass?" Rapunzel murmurs, feeling so terribly tired and drained she could use hearing something amusing.

"Well… just before we left Arendelle's Royal family – who by the way, send all their love, hugs and Christmas greetings - whatever – there was a particular invitation, addressed to you, Raps, arrived from the Crown Princess of Brazil. She wants you to attend her wedding there on Valentines' Day." Cassandra instantly regretted saying that amid all the other sticky stuff, knowing her spunky friend would probably want to go, and not be permitted due to her new mothering circumstances.

Back with Sven, Princess Valentina had sent the imperative invitations via Alonso's friend Esteban to dole out, just before Cass and Varian said farewell to Elsa and Hans up in the mountains.

'Crown Princess Valentina of Paraiso cordially invites Corona's entire Royal family to her Grand Wedding to Crown Prince Alonso of Córdoba, in Paraiso, Brazil on Valentine's Day. I personally request Crown Princess Rapunzel of Corona and her husband Prince Consort Eugene Horace of Bohemia to attend specifically for this most significant event of the year. Queen Elsa and her fiancé, Prince Hans of the Southern Isles, who have become good friends with both the bride and groom during our recent visit to Arendelle, would surely be in attendance as our Maid of Honor and Best Man at the grand Wedding of the Century! RSVP.'

An exciting, romantic journey to exotic Brazil?! Eugene and I would have to leave immediately! But we can't take the babies on such a long trip so far from home! But…I want to go! Yes! Should I? No…

A torn Rapunzel mulls over the voyage, having become familiar with the seafaring time and perils of ocean travel after spending days in a small boat asking curious questions of brilliant naval sailor Prince Hans.

Just then, impatient and testy baby Anxelin lets out an earsplitting squall when Willow gives Varian a scalding look to remove the animal sideshow from the bedroom of her niece. But Anxelin's more serene twin starts giggling as she was playfully squeezing poor Pascal like a dog chew toy so his tongue stuck out repeatedly into her passed-out Papa's ear.

Like a gleaming glowing flower, baby Ruby's musically toned giggle had just enough healing magic to it – or was it Pascal's wet reptilian forked tongue? – to bring her comatose Daddy awake again.

"Stop that!" Eugene gives an icksome shiver at that odd sensation of the cold-blooded chameleon's long, projected cylindrical tongue pad in his ear. "Brr, it's cold in here! Someone leave a window open? Hey, you okay, Brownie? Sleepy?" A finally awakened and confused at remembering nothing of his sleepwalking incidents, Eugene shakes off his lethargy.

He gently lifts his speechlessly weepy wife and infants crawling all over him to his favorite lounge chair beside the bed.

Soon they are joined by gregarious Lance Armstrong – who had trotted over in slippered feet, a very striking pair of red and white checkered pajama trousers and eye-mask from his guest room at Willow's pushy call – to relocate the four-posted bed into the adjoined nursery room due to the cold air rushing in through the broken glass window.

"C'mon bro! Santa will mark us as bad asses if we don't get back in our beds! I don't know about you, but I would like some other kind of rock than a lump of coal in my stocking this year. High water diamonte, preferably. So let's move this bed ASAP, Eugene!" Lance urges his somewhat sluggish childhood best friend in doubletime to get a fire under his buns.

"With Rapunzel still in recovery, and the new babies needing their Mama here, I seriously doubt the King would want any of the family to leave Corona to go to some wedding on the other side of the globe—" Down to earth Cassandra was confiding in low tones to Willow of what the letter from Valentina said, as the raven haired young woman and the Queen's sister were moving Anxelin and Ruby's empty cradle over into the attached suite's sitting room.

"What in Heaven's name is going on in here in this room? Rapunzel? Are the babies all right?" Just then, an overanxious King Friedrich – who had been too curious to remain in bed after pondering all the continuing clamor from his precious child's bedroom – enters the fray as he throws open the door of the connected sitting room/nursery with his parental concern, startling Cass and Willow mid-conversation.

"Oh, hi, Fred! We're all fine here! Just a little broken window glass we're cleaning up after Cassandra and Varian on Carpet innocently surprised Rapunzel from outside. The startled girl accidentally conked Eugene on the head with that trusty frying pan you put by her bedside that somehow flew out the window." Willow pauses here to take a breath as she ingeniously makes up the story as she goes to neither incriminate Eugene or Rapunzel too badly to the dour older man.

"Lance kindly came in to help us relocate the beds and such to the next room, while Varian is patching up the broken window in there." The savvy woman reports the situation as if there were no weird sleepwalking or thieving extenuating circumstances involved in the chaos at all.

"Then what's this I heard about 'leaving Corona to attend a wedding on the other side of the globe'?" The suspicious King of Corona asks about the interrupted conversation he overheard between the women.

"Oh, yes, that was why Cassandra wanted to speak to Rapunzel tonight. She brought an invitation from the Princess of Paraiso they met in Arendelle for Rapunzel and Eugene to attend her wedding on Valentine's Day in Brazil." Without missing a beat, Willow takes the lead in speaking to the flustered older King.

"Brazil?! Let me see that, Wilhemina!" The astounded King sticks out his large hand to his sister-in-law for the royal missive which Chancellor Esteban had passed on to Cassandra and Varian before they left Arendelle Castle on Carpet.

"You don't have to grab, Fred." Willow was the kind of lady who pushed her luck.

And had the quick mind and will enough to make some of her own, too. "By chance, I myself was scheduling an expedition there to that beautiful country –where it's deliciously warm, by the way, even at this time of year— to meet with some Himalayan friends of mine who are researching in the rainforest there."

Zoning Willow's silly notions out, a deep look of consternation crosses Friedrich's kingly face upon reading the invitation to himself silently in the dimmed light of the busy, overpopulated bedroom where various people were flitting in and out.

"February the 14th?! It would take a swift steamship indeed to reach that South American nation across the Atlantic…I surmise over a month to arrive! My little girl Rapunzel is not up for such an excursion! And I absolutely forbid these newborn infants or my precious child to leave my care in Corona, Mr. Pryzmyslid!" King Friedrich glowers at Eugene like this all was his fault. The King of Corona's wild imagination was already envisioning the charming scoundrel his daughter married as agreeing to such an outlandish journey.

"What? Whoa, there, Pops. Don't blow a headgasket! You just got that ole ticker under wraps. I never said I was—" A calming gesture making Eugene gives Friedrich an incredulous look as he had slipped back into the nursery from hefting some revolutionary muntin casements for Varian in his alchemy of glass fusing to repair the shattered window in their original bedroom.

Just then, the sudden noise emanating from the chimney caused everyone present in the couple's adjoined rooms to look back in wonderment.

BANGG! CRASSH!

Like the ghost of Christmas present, in a puff of charcoal dust from the thankfully unlit chimney in Rapunzel's sitting room comes the large figure of a long bearded man wearing white and red fur from his head to his foot. His clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot as the awkward stranger loomed from the chimney fireplace in the darkness with an unknown large bundle flung over his back.

"HO, HO, HO, HO, HO! HO HO HO-OOF! Oh, drat, this repugnant beard and overstuffed satchel!"

Just then, a loud, vexed voice booms into the room from the darkness of the connected suite as if in some verbose theatre playacting.

"Who in blazes are you to invade my palace on this holy night, Sir?!" Perturbed King Friedrich, picking up a large sculpted statue of nude Eugene as David with slingshot pose that his artistic child had done up one lazy afternoon, takes a defensive stance in front of his grandchildren's nursery basket to block it from this strange intruder.

Raising both statue and voice threateningly, the poor man was experiencing the reenactment of another horrid, unforgettable night. It was a terrible traumatic event that flashed in the Corona King's mind when a certain ageless, grasping witch had snuck in to kidnap his own babe from her crib, almost three decades of a generation ago.

"The twins, my love! Don't upset the babies!" A whisper reprimanding Queen Arianna, the calm voice of reason as always, enters the room from behind to quiet her raging husband's ill temper and keep his boiling blood pressure down. The troubled King takes a deep, soothing breath and calms himself best he could as per his devoted wife's instruction.

Although, the bust of Michelangelo's David with Eugene's smirking face was yet raised to strike.

"ARIANNA! FRIEDRICH! Tidings of high spirits at Christ's birth! Forgive my unconventional intrusion on this festive night! In my best interpretation of the great American writer Washington Irving, and the poet Clement Moore about good ole jolly St. Nicholas, did I mistakenly slide down the chimney of the wrong room? Your palace is rather confusing, architecturally speaking, Friedrich. And this bothersome facial hair along with this padded costume my dear nephews in Egeskov suggested I borrow for this visit to my children is rather cumbersome. But I will not disappoint my boy and his new offspring this special year or any more henceforth!" Dressed as jolly ole St. Nick, from his fur trimmed Santa hat down to his shiny black boots, costume sporting King Edmund had the mindset to go big or go home.

The decades-long loner had been easily manipulated by his teasing nephews who had - without their more stoic father King Christian's knowledge - dared one another who could get their new, 'favorite' Gypsy Uncle to don the flashy red suit envisioned by Irving's 'The Legend of St. Nicholas'. The dozen rascally Westergaard sons, more or less, spent most of their visit time convincing King Edmund that posing as this new incarnation of Father Christmas named 'Santa Claus' and shimmying down the chimney would be a perfect gift to his imminent grandchild and new family on Christmas Eve.

"Ho, Ho ho, Horace, my boy! Where is that babe you have at last spawned with your Prussian beauty?! Does the infant resemble my forefathers' proud, well chiseled side of the family, and your dear mother's fine-looking Danish line? Or does the child more bear that harsh, somewhat bland, Germanic similitude?" King Edmund of the Dark Kingdom of Bohemia speaks in his open, at times tactless manner right to his in-laws. He holds his rotund, batting stuffed tummy while Hamuel the black raven had drunkenly swooped down the chimney as well, smoking the costume's stump of pipe in his master's place.

The eccentric Bohemian King brushes off the charcoal dusting from his outlandish red and white-trimmed fur suit. Suggestive Prince nephews Rudi and Rune had 'helpfully' outfitted their gregarious long lost Uncle in for his rush trip back to Prussia to greet his new grandchild for Christmas.

"Well to start out with, Edmund, you're in for quite a pleasant surprise, just as we were a few days ago, after Rapunzel's harrowing night." Queen Arianna, after removing the weaponized nude statue from her husband's hands, places a welcoming arm around her in-law's tall shoulder. She leads the velvety red suited man into the center room of the suite.

"Grandpa Edmund, meet Rapunzel and Eugene's - ergh, Rapunzel and Horace's new twins: 'Anxelin' and 'Ruby'." Arianna introduces her own pride and joy of her precious new granddaughters that Rapunzel had blessed the older royal couple to have double the joy in helping raise this time.

With a teary wink of his eye and a twist of his head, Santa Edmund knew that he had insufficient words to be said as he gazes upon not one, but two, of his son's baby angels.

"What JOY this Christmas morn! TWIN gifts from Heaven!" King Edmund bellows loudly in gleeful astonishment, a wide smile crossing his face to unfortunately resemble his infamous 'glower'. And that unwittingly causes the tiny infants to stare up at this odd older man's large, strangely bearded face looming over theirs in the shared crib, screw their faces up and threaten to cry.

To Rapunzel's helpless distress, she sensed Anxelin and Ruby were about to let out a double volume squall at their paternal grandfather. And their young mother knew she could do nothing to prevent it.

"Watch this." Smirking to his mother-in-law, Eugene causes the little girls on the verge of wailing again to giggle for their funny daddy just by pulling some smoldering faces at them.

This was more cooperation than his poor wife could hope for her children thus far, despite her best efforts to coax them to behave. But her ex-thief of a husband undoubtedly had a fatherly knack with Anxelin and Ruby that Rapunzel herself had yet to master.

"You are a natural with these little ladies, my boy!" The Bohemian King extols his only child's uncommon gifts with charming this next generation as he pulls down the wretched white beard.

The Princess of Corona throws her hands up in the air, then buries her face in them as she sit on the edge of the bed.

"I don't know how you can tolerate that amount of facial hair for any length of time, Friedrich! Besides, I find a smaller goatee more stylish." The Gypsy King asides, proudly displaying his own well-trimmed goatee and long, thick head of long, deep brown hair beneath that red fur trimmed hat.

"But beware you don't spoil the pair of them so early on, Horace, or they'll grow accustomed to your indulgences and turn into spoiled little terrors." Attempting to speak softly and failing miserably, King Edmund advises in his blunt way to Eugene. The often introspective older man was the only one seeming to notice how the young wife was already getting a broken nose.

"Then it's a good thing that Eugene has kindly offered to escort me to Rio de Janeiro to see my friends there. At the same time, he and I may represent Corona at that big wedding in nearby Paraiso in yours and Rapunzel's place. The Princess is obviously needed to stay here with her newborns – and I know you two can't be dragged from them - so Eugene responsibly agreed he would be the one to take on the royal duty for his family and wife whom he loves immeasurably. He wishes her to stay home getting to know their baby girls, safe and secure." Wilhelmina lays it on thick as her sister Arianna had followed her husband into their daughter's room.

"Willow?" The Queen of Corona gives her youngest sibling, who had the wildest streak of all the Drottningholm sisters, a cocked head look which knew Willow was crafting something up her short sleeve.

"Brazil?! What larks! I have not attended a wedding since that time you placed me in the farthest back row of your nuptials, Son! Ha! I believe I too will pay my respects to this pushy Princess of Paraiso and her lucky young man on behalf of my kingdom! This will be the perfect opportunity for Horace and I to experience some Father-son male bonding, Friedrich, so then he will find me more approachably likeable. Then perhaps my boy will persuade his little bride to invite me to stay in Corona for weekends to avoid those bouts of loneliness we are all too familiar with in our empty castle, Hamuel." Unaware of how untactful and embarrassing some of his sentences were structured, King Edmund speaks 'in confidence' to his birdbrain companion and his counterpart kingly in-law.

Once again, the isolated King of Bohemia was not quite aware he was talking his innermost hopes and thoughts aloud to be heard by all in the room.

"I offered to go? Dummkopf (dummy)! That must've been quite a head blow. Yeesh! My memory is really shot lately!" A dumbfounded Eugene murmurs as he carries his two babies, one held in each large, talented, thieving hand back to their relocated shared cradle. Eugene tucks them in effortlessly doting, despite his brows being knit with all this recent memory failure that the twins found quite funny.

The older men watch how easily the charismatic thief tickles his babies' tummies and naturally rocks the two crying babies to sleep as Rapunzel looks helplessly on.

A miserable, overtired Rapunzel, giving in to the strong clashing wills of her Father and Aunt, plops her worthless self on their transferred bed in dull despair of her own parenting skill deficit. Her mother goes over to massage the tense shoulders of the young woman mildly suffering from some post-partum depression Arianna herself remembered all too well.

Exchanging a look with King Edmund, King Friedrich's worried eyebrows furrow in concern, judging this to be a perfect solution that had presented itself as he follows into the connected nursery/sitting room where the master bed and royal twin cradle had been squeezed in.

"Then it is decided. Princess Wilhelmina requires a royal escort to travel with her to Brazil. It is most Providential that you, Prince Consort Eugene, will have the honor to represent our Kingdom at that important royal nuptial in Paraiso concerning the joining of two of our nation's most beneficial South American allies of Brazil and Argentina. I will be counting on you, Sir, to uphold our Royal family of Corona's good name, traveling with your father, good King Edmund alongside Princess Wilhelmina in our personal absence, for which you will make our apologies." King Friedrich makes the profound sounding decision as he places a heavy, fatherly hand on Eugene's shoulder.

"Yes, indeed! Horace will gallantly represent both our family names on this intrepid journey over the sea! Let us hasten this evening's making merry, so as we three world travelers may rise early in the morning to set off on our voyage. Ho! Ho! Ho!" Slinging his sack full of presents for his extended relations back over his broad shoulders, excited as a schoolboy Edmund wallops Friedrich on the back solidly, almost making the Prussian monarch double over.

"Yeah! Horace will do that great!" Lance elbows his best friend, always getting a kick out of calling Eugene by his despised birth name. Eugene Horace gives his pal a dirty look unbefitting the season of brotherly love.

Soon recovering, Rapunzel's father gives a pleased, lordly glance over his beautiful bouncing, healthy grandchildren and future heirs who had gotten accustomed to their noisy other grandfather and finally settled back down to a peaceful sleep on this early Christmas morn.

His beloved daughter Rapunzel had made Friedrich so proud in procreating these lovely twins with Prince Eugene to maintain the royal line's assurance all men and kings particularly strived for. So that meant he couldn't be too irritated with the oft perplexing ex-thief, nor his oddball father.

"Sure. All in the name." Eugene says with a smirked sigh, not quite understanding his sudden ostracization from the cushy palace he only recently returned to. At the same time the itchy thief, who had masterfully disguised having no idea of how to be a great daddy by spoiling his new babies rotten, could feel a small trickle of that old thrill and urge to hit the wide open road again.

But with my zany old man tagging along for the long ride? Didn't see that coming!

"This will give you some quiet, calming instances to re-find your focus and get to know your little ones better in your own time, my darling girl." Friedrich reassures his sniffly daughter, who bravely smiles up at him.

Everything wild and free in Rapunzel was also screaming that she wanted to go with her wonderful partner Eugene to see the other side of the globe, too.

How she wanted to explore and feel the wind in her hair again! But then that dull nagging pain in the pit of her stomach reminded the young woman that she had responsibilities as a new mother here.

Maybe Father is right, and I need some 'me' time with Ruby and Anxelin, Eugene, so I can be try to be a good mother, like you're a first-class father already.

"Okay! The window has been fused! Ha Ha HA! The science of alchemy has triumphed yet again! Hah!" Wearing his cooky goggles like a true mad alchemist, Varian proudly chooses this moment to throw open the connected door to announce his modern science miracle of agitating just the right ingredient molecules with chemicals of varied soda ash and silicates and alkalines to reform the sealed glass of the window.

"Shh!" Arianna and Willow both hiss at the noisy boy from where they were monitoring the thankfully still snoozing twins asleep in their cradle.

"Shh!" Lance adds, almost tripping and waking the baby girls in the cradle.

"Oops, sorry. Hey, is that…Santa? I've been a really good boy this year! Really. I'm totally off that cracked mad scientist phase." Not batting an eye at the jolly ole St. Nick impressionist near the fireplace, the messy haired young man sheepishly apologizes and makes innocent excuses to Father Christmas as Varian lowers his goggles to get a better look.

"Yeah, and he's not been dabbling too much in black magic lately." Cassandra teasingly plays along, smirking and shrugging at them all at her boyfriend's naiveté. That was before the chief guardswoman hooked her inexperienced boy wonder back into the bedroom with one of his ingenious metal tools she helped stir the alchemist's magic brew with.

"It's not magic, Cassie! It's ALCHEMY!"

"Right. Alchemy. Tell that to the multicolored, speckled glass 'slumping' hodgepodge you created there. I suppose it does have a certain stained glass, objet d'arte look to it that Raps may like. Probably drive Fitzherbert crazy in the mornings, so it can't be all that bad. Let's get back in there to clean your traveling alchemy lab and chemical muffle kiln kit mess, my Blankschnitt-ing genius."

Varian and Cassandra's muffled voices could be lightly heard sparring in the next room in a sort of playful flirting as the former ladies maid and her assistant got the room back together and cleaned after emergency window repair called for some swift welding science skills.

"Now that you're all wide awake and Christmas has already begun, I believe the real Herr Claus has already left his presents under the tree for some good girls and boys here in the Palace. Let us all go down to start our Christmas celebration like a proper family should. You'll have a chance to see the…highly inventive…decorations your mother personally put up in your absence, my artistic child." King Friedrich uses the not so trifling word when applied to his, at times over the top, wife who tended to subscribe to the 'more is better' theory.

The Corona King was pleased at the thought of having his baby girl to himself again, if just for a few weeks, looses a belly laugh Santa Edmund soon joins in.

"Eugene may carry you down to the special seat beside the fireplace I have kept warm and vacant just for you all season long, my mädchen (little girl), in wait of when you would be feeling well enough to come down and share the festive holiday with us again. You are feeling better, aren't you, Rapunzel?" The overbearing King compromises for once in his life as he instructs his son-in-law to bring the emotionally distraught young woman down to the warmth of the blazing yule log hearth.

Their palace home was peaceful and sentimentally vibrant of Christmastime's sweet backdrop at last, so King Friedrich wanted Rapunzel to be part of it.

"I feel a lot better now that our babies are here and safe at last." Rapunzel finishes her tearful fit with a determined squeeze to her father's hands and a deep, loving look into Eugene's amber eyes.

"That's the holiday spirit! I will meet you all down in the Great Hall shortly where the family gift giving ceremony will commence!" Smiling, strident-voiced King Edmund tugs down his red velvet jacket and secures on his pointed Santa hat before bafflingly disappearing up the chimney. He had secured a rope from the palace roof where the still athletic King planned to make another grand entrance down another larger chimney to the decorated ground floor's hearth.

"Oww! He's good! St. Nick watch out! I mean, now I know where you inherited your climbing skills from, bro!" Wide-eyed Lance Strongbow compliments the Gypsy King as he elbows Eugene after peeking up the chimney to see his friend's dad had already reached the top in record time.

"Looks like I inherited more than that…" The ex-thief mumbles as he stares down at his hands, wondering if what Willow intimated about sleep disorders running in the paternal line was true.

"I do hope that man takes due care since the fire is lit in the Hall. We must hurry down to have the servants douse the flame if that is our eccentric friend's destination. Pardon us, my dears. Come, mr. Armstrong." Hustling Lance from the room, King Friedrich speaks in harried tones for his less cautious counterpart's curious motivations.

He makes a gentlemanly bow before exiting Rapunzel's room, this entire night's plot seeming like some grand Shakespearean play.

"We will see you downstairs over an enjoyable Christmas cocoa and present opening ceremony in a few minutes, meine tapferes mädchen (my brave girl), after you've changed." Queen Arianna gives her child a gentle look along with some motherly advice. "Your Aunt Willow will watch the twins here in the nursery while you and Eugene talk and change in your bedroom. Varian and Cassandra apparently have patched the window up good enough for now to keep out the chill.

Wearing a knit shawl made by her adopted sister Idunaa over her orchid robes, Queen Arianna warmly brushes back Rapunzel's tousled hair with a maternal smile. "I think you two also need some private time, to speak earnestly with one another. Parenthood brings a big change to a couple's life that can take a little bit of growing accustomed to together."

Hearing the phrase 'alone time', Pascal gives Rapunzel a thumbs-up and scampers off with Queen Arianna. The take-charge woman ushers Friedrich and Willow, Cassandra, Lance, and Varian all out behind the closed door of the attached nursery to allow her daughter that important 'private' talk with Eugene.

"Okay, Mom." Rapunzel's smile lingers on her lips in gratitude for her supportive parents as she closes her eyes.

The brown-haired princess breathes in deeply before turning to where the only other person left in the room was almost nervously standing.

"Soooo…What do you want to wear, Liebling? This one, I daresay, probably matches that stunning corded velvet ensemble you selected for yours truly to sport in this devilishly eye-catching outfit, Mrs. Fitzherbert." Eugene's mouth runs off as usual, his talented fingers dutifully returning from their shared closet with a long white dress with emerald lace trim at the bottom, as he held up a dark green velvet bodice that was blessedly stretchy.

"I'll be terribly lonely without you, Eugene." A tearing up Rapunzel emotionally bounces from one heart trouble to the next. Her tired exhaustion and overanxious birthing hormones were wreaking havoc on the new mother who was suffering from some postnatal melancholy.

She stares listlessly out the modern art Picasso-type window the resident alchemist had fused all the bits of glass with something he conjured in his chemically fired kiln at short notice.

"I don't even remember saying I'd go, however…they say the brain's the first to deteriorate for geniuses. But, don't worry. I'll be back and bothering you again before you can say: 'Smolder'. You won't have time to miss lil' ole good-lookin' me that much with our needy babes to keep you preoccupied here, Darlin'. Those bouncing bundles of joy need their Mama more than their Da-da anyway in the first few weeks, I've heard it said, for obvious reasons. Come to think of it, I wouldn't mind a nip of mother's breast milk myself tonight. But if you're too tired after all those surprise visits from well-meaning, but totally clueless folks, best promise to save some for me when I get back, Liebste. And I don't mean bottled." Knocking his head, Eugene tries to play on the bright, romantic, teasing side of their relationship to make Rapunzel feel bette.

Although Eugene Fitzherbert Pryzmyslid was experiencing pangs of missing his bright-eyed gal already himself.

"Eugene, please just kiss me! It's Christmas Day and I don't want to think about any Twelfth Night when the candles on our Christmas wreaths will be unlit and taken down without you near! I love you so much! And I want to be the best mother to your children." Rapunzel abruptly cries out her even her small hopes and petty fears as her nimble fingered husband easily removes her loose nightie and helps the weepy woman into the white and darkest green velvety frock like a dutiful husband.

Rapunzel had selected to wear it for Christmas Eve ages ago, before the trauma of birth and learning how to be a mother to this pair of needy, demanding, weepy, wonderful infants who were volubly daring like their funny Daddy, and every bit as amazingly lovely as their insecure Mommy.

"C'mon, Brownie. No more tears, okay? It's bad for my complexion. We're all good, you and me. Just a little bump or two on our road of forever happiness, right? But the old folks might be right, a little. Some down time for us apart to step back and regain our bearings on this crazy ride into parenting might even be healthy! And I'll finally get to share that vacation bonding stuff my loony tunes old man's been dreaming of. Maybe I'll even get the chance to ask him all about fatherhood…Yeah, sounds like fun…" The irreverent thief shakes his head at all the father-son time that was on schedule ahead. "Just remember, after this wedding shindig in Rio and a session or two with those shrinks Willow's got slated for me, I'll be holding tight onto my ticket home to come right back to you. You can't so easily lose this stray dog you picked up those seven years ago, Liebling. You're the best thing that ever happened to me, Rapunzel." Gathering his wife in his arms, Eugene caresses the ticklish nape of Rapunzel's neck, causing her to give him that most beautiful sound to his ears - her sweet giggle.

"Now, you just let down your hair – so to speak - and stay my strong Brownie girl, more than that sensitive flower to fall apart at the first rain, from now on. You show our two spoiled brats who's in charge here! I'll bring Carpet with me, so I can be back in two shakes of a tassel, as soon as I'm deemed ready, I swear! By the time I get back from my psychoanalysis miracle Himalayan cure of this creepy late-night sleepwalking that you guys claim I've been up to – though I have absolutely no memory of– we'll both be right as rain to face a brand-new 1842 together as a perfect, happy, non-dysfunctional family. I promise you it will be so, Liebste (my dearest). Because I love you, and our new dream that our love gave birth to." At the close of his moralizing speech, Eugene Fitzherbert delivers a most passionate and edifying kiss to his wife's waiting and wanting, oh-so-willing lips.

The virile young man in Flynn Rider almost took over here for the first time in ages, as he was longing to yank off the rest of her clothes rather than secure them back on over his Rapunzel's more ample curves.

But the hungry thief also knew he had to be a good and patient partner in his abstinence for a little while more, while the mother of his children was yet recovering in both physical and emotional stages.

It would most likely be for the best that he was going away so as not to be tempted anyway in the interim.

No wonder I've been a sleepwalking thief in the night! My subconscious is probably yearning to taste your sweet mystery after all those long lonely, empty hard months, when all I could do is sit back and watch, with no hands in all your oh-so-right places…

"I better get you downstairs before this bad boy is marked 'naughty' rather than 'nice' by the real ole' St. Nick like Lance said, and I get a big lump of coal in my stocking hanging over the fireplace." Eugene breathes in Rapunzel's hair, her cheeks going a deep shade of pretty pink.

The girl who mildly worried about the fact that her slender waist size had definitely gone up due to double pregnancy now glows with pleasure in the knowledge the man she loved still desired her, even after seeing firsthand how her size had definitely enlarged a bit since motherhood struck.

"Your dad would be itching to throw me behind bars for filching all those sparkling goodies they found in my drawer. No one else would believe me, Brownie, but I swear to you I have absolutely no memory of stealing any of those things! Although, now that I think about it, some would fetch a good price on the open market –" His mind wanders, counting on his fingers the added price of the glorious sight of all those valuable shiny objects he had glimpsed in his confiscated drawer's possession that Flynn Rider, for once, truly had no culpable guilt for stealing.

At least not when he was conscious.

"I do believe you, Eugene! But I've been so busy thinking about myself and wallowing in my own insecurities and pain that I never once considered that you were having some mental issues of your own. I mean, you've been so perfect – the twins love you so much that I was feeling left out. But now your sleepwalking makes me feel better about being a terrible, jealous wife and inadequate mother already." Rapunzel confesses her heart's troubles as Eugene quirks a brow at the former blonde's logic.

She smiles dizzily up at her handsome man adjusting his stylish embroidered sash/belt in the mirror behind her as she puts on her own outfit's final touches of the burgundy cape her husband wraps around her pale shoulders.

"You up to this, Liebling?"

Eugene then lifts an affirmatively smiling and nodding Rapunzel (putting on the pounds, my chewy Brownie-cake!) and carries his wife downstairs to the living room of Corona Palace.

"Yup. I'm the girl who has everything, right?" Rapunzel smiles sardonically, even as she realized all her oldest dreams of a big family and spending Christmas at home with them was coming to pass. "Can't let anyone down." She whispers, burying her face in her man's strong chest as Eugene gathers her up in his arms and carries his lady down the stairs.

There the tradition of decorating the overloaded palace Christmas trees had been conglomerated into a trio of silver firs at ostentatious Queen Arianna's direction.

One for Rapunzel, one for Anxelin, and one for Ruby, too.

There were candles and popcorn strings; small toys and paper chains with colorful ribbons. Even candies and fancy little cakes had been hung on the low hanging boughs and branches on the trio of Christmas trees. They were color coordinated with the fandango plummy tree in the center, with a smaller, lavender purple garland festooned fir to its left, and a demure pinkish magenta decorated in streamers tree to its right.

"Wow. Mom did an amazing job. I'm so happy to be able to come down, so we can spend this Christmas Eve together, Eugene. But…with the long delivery and difficult birthing these past few weeks, I didn't have much time to get you anything this year." Rapunzel apologizes, on the verge of tears again – happy ones this time - as she gazes about the festive home that been denied the young woman for her eighteen, long and lonesome, childhood years.

In her sleep these weeks alone, with plentiful mental meanderings galore, Rapunzel had reflected on each of the Christmases of her past. In the beginning, selfish Mother Gothel told her nothing of the true meaning of the blessed season when Christendom celebrated God's gift to the world.

The self-serving woman only told of the ample gift-giving by grateful children at the end of the year's winter solstice towards their mothers for being so good to them all throughout the rest the year.

Because you love Mother best, Rapunzel dear.

"Ooh, bad memory." Rapunzel shivers at the creepy past thought. "But what if I can't handle Anxelin and Ruby alone here without you?" That lingering sentiment creeps up into Rapunzel's psyche again as she recalled Gothel's poor maternal skills that made Rapunzel question her own now. "They love their daddy best."

"Hey. They'll love their Mama even more, once she's stopped worrying so much. You'll be just fine, Rapunzel. Remember, I believe in you, too. I know you'll be better than peachy when you have some time alone to build those all-important, mother-daughter relationships with your new gals, without everyone's favorite thief of hearts in the way. I want my girls to love their Mama as much as I do. But that's such a high bar, they're gonna have to work really hard to come even close. You've given me all the Christmas gifts I will ever need in the gems of those two little angels I never imagined a lonely outcast rogue like me would ever have. I've absolutely no doubt that you'll be the best mom ever when I get back." Eugene surprises himself with the altruistic, tender words of a moderate selfless man who opened up his heart to the woman he loved more than life itself while he carried her easily across the room.

"Thank you for always supporting me, Eugene." She whispers as he gently seats Rapunzel near the fireplace in the special chair her kingly father had specified.

Eugene smirks as Cassandra wordlessly delivers a steaming mug of the dark chocolate cocoa Rapunzel adored before the rolling-eyed guardswoman returns to break up the tense discussion rising on the other side of the room.

Captain Schmidt and Varian were vehemently comparing the wisdom of ancient wax candles on flammable fir trees versus the danger of questionable, fizzling, incandescent light glass tubes with nitrogen filled carbon rods, as the boy's blacksmith Dad, Quirin, looked on with a chuckle.

Between her red-faced Captain of the Guard father and audacious young boyfriend inventor, Cassandra was sure scientific arguments should not belong at Christmas parties. But at least they were conversing civilly, even after Varian made the mistake of referring to Cassandra as 'my girl' in front of gulping, tattletale soldier Stan who was making his rounds at the punch bowl.

Luckily for Cass, King Friedrich and Queen Arianna just then commenced the 'Becherung' (gift from God) Christkind gift-giving of the little presents that had been hung on the tree, which promptly ceases the growingly tense conversation.

"Merry Christmas, Eugene." Rapunzel leans her head back to her lover's large fingered hand which rested on her shoulder. She indulges to caress his appendage as she feels Eugene's strong arm and warm heart pressed to her with the complete love that assured her of the bright future pledged for them to be together.

Eugene reveals in his other hand the trio of angels he had placed upon the Advent wreath that Rapunzel had been diligently fulfilling with each week's significant candle all during Christmas season, leading up to this blessed celebration day at last.

"Merry Christmas, Darlin'." Kissing her hair that had tied them together from the start in destiny, Eugene was pleased to watch his gorgeous wife's eyes light up at his heartfelt present.

The Princess of Corona becomes delightfully enthralled with the fully lit candles completed on her Advent wreath, blessed by the priest in church each week of this special Advent-tide that Rapunzel had gathered, representing so much this year for her.

Hope, love, joy, peace, and purity that the Lord Jesus Christ had promised to bless them with as new father and mother, was beaming bright there.

Eugene and Rapunzel indulge in a kiss as both silently pledge to share together those gifts as first parents with their baby girls on this special first Christmas together and all through the year.

Wily Aunt Willow gives the loving pair a wink as she passes by their cozy fireplace nook. She had been explaining to her big sister and brother-in-law her stockings charade type game idea that she had learned in the Island of Motonui which the adventurer princess visited some years back.

In the fun pastime where 'old things were all you need', the clues were treasured personal items that she had gathered from the participants' rooms for the game. It was an ingenious way to return the pilfered goodies from Eugene's drawer to innocently explain how they had gone astray.

"But weren't those items all inside Horace's dresser—?—Oof!" The King of Bohemia had finally made his way down the chimney – thankfully doused just in the St. Nick of time by King Friedrich's order to Royal Advisor Nigel – to join in the festivities.

"Here, Dad! I want you to think of a good toast for after we finish exchanging all the presents you so generously just brought us in that endless bag of goodies jammed in the chimney! Here! Let me and Lance help you get it un-wedged!"

King Edmund had almost blown the inventive cover story, had his guilty son not shoved a glass of Christmas rum into the old Santa's hands.

Crisis averted, the Secret Stocking Game exchange turned out to be a lark for the Royal family. Although, Cassandra's law enforcing dad, stuffy Captain Schmidt, who had come up from guarding the holding cells when he heard Cassandra had arrived earlier, was not that enthused to be an accessory to stolen goods.

Not until his cunning daughter slipped into his stocking, being included in the Corona family tradition, a sculpted badge that read 'World's Greatest Dad', with his Roman nose silhouette etched in the metal that her resident blacksmith/alchemist had painstakingly embossed for his adored Cassie.

With the Snuggly Duckling boys up early to attend the Christmas morning party, Bruiser and Killer had knit the stockings and let the pub thugs embroider each – albeit with names spelled incorrectly and scribed crookedly here and there by the illiterate ruffians— for the royal family.

After the stocking game and Merry Christmas present giving romp where Edmund tactlessly forewarned of each gift previous to the recipient opening his/her present, contrite Eugene presented Rapunzel with a seashell ivory cameo of himself. It was procured on from an Italian artist he'd recently visited, that he had hung on her tree for his pretty wife. Inside its setting rear was a lock of his own luxuriantly voluminous, dark brown hair he had donated to the craftsman.

He may have been a great artist, but hairdresser the craftsman was not! I'm still growing my bangs back in after he butchered my coif!

The thief may have stolen the romantic present idea from his Lillebror while they were traveling the Mediterranean together up the Italian coast, but it was a memento of devotion that meant the world to dreamy Rapunzel. It came with a note that stated:

'Love, your Favorite Handsome Barber, Brownie'.

Then the new father knelt down to the floor to hold up each newborn babe to the Christmas tree to present their Maneki-neko wooden carved statues to his riveted daughters.

Baby Anxelin and Baby Ruby – whom the tearful, emotional heart-troubled older King, who always with melancholy, thought each may be his last Christmas – had specifically asked the infants to be brought down to the first celebratory Christmas family scene.

The twin girls were instantly fixated by the purr-fectly matching pair of small feline wooden carved statues that the old whittler woman Eugene encountered down in the spooky forests of Mala Strauma, Hungary, had given him.

In fact, the twin Asian lucky charms succeeded beyond either young parent's wildest dreams in keeping their fussy, noisy, twin princesses preoccupied and quiet enough to even attend Christmas morning church service in the Corona Palace Chapel with all three of their grandparents, now in royal garb, plus their Mom and Dad.

Cassandra and her Dad Captain Schmidt, with a meek Varian sandwiched in the middle, were seated in the pew behind them; Aunt Willow and pleasantly surprised conspirer Lance Armstrong were becoming acquainted with one another in the front row, alongside all of the Snuggly Duckling thugs wanting their first glimpse of the wee little dream angels of their favorite dreamy Princess.

Former pirate first mate Job was also in attendance, all done up in his emblem Caribbean sash of his Muma's. The tall, tall, black man's long dreadlocks were stylishly styled by his roommate Gunther into a suave side braid, and heroic reformed pirate Job was seated in a place of honor in the front rows on the other side of Aunt Willow.

She was quickly full of admiration for the quiet, gentlemanly, muscleman hulk to her left, rather than noisy, blustery Lance to her right. The vivacious woman stood intimately close to Job as they shared a hymnal in the pew, Wilhelmina's strident voice encouraging Job's low bass to harmonize the beautiful Christmas music together.

Willow had obviously taken a shine to the ex-pirate. So much so that big sister Arianna was raising eyebrows at her flirtatious younger sibling.

But all other eyebrows in the room were on the opposite side of her, where King Edmund was belting out 'Joy to the World'.

Nonetheless, the Corona Royal family happily welcomed in the holy day with the King of Bohemia's strident voice in song at their side.

"I'll see the light soon, Liebling, and definitely come back to my perfect little family as a healthy and whole man again." Eugene whispers to his mate as the offering plate is passed around and Eugene generously empties his pockets of all their coins.

It was only after he deposited the vast amount of shiny coinage did the savvy thief realize the ancient gold once resided in the Corona palace vaults.

With a guilty simper that imagined the reaction of King - or even worse, Eugene's archenemy Captain Schmidt who was to be passed the offering plate in the next aisle - should they notice the priceless royal coinage being bandied about, the caught red-handed thief fervently prayed in the Church to God for mercy.

"Those priceless shiners will be back in the vault quicker than you can say 'I've got a dream', Rider." Hookhand and his brother Hookfoot lean their heads close to Rapunzel and Eugene's panicking ones from the pew behind. The lead pub thugs give their pilfering compatriots Big Nose and Attila the heads up to honestly swipe the precious coins from the offering basket before the parson clapped eyes on them.

"Merry Christmas, Princess." The Snuggly Duckling boys didn't mind lending their growing rusty thieving skills for such a worthy cause as keeping their old pal Flynn Rider in the pink with his in-laws.

"Consider it a great big present with a bow on top to return these for you later tonight and keep our collective mouths shut." Scratchy-voiced Hookhand murmurs under his breath as the offering song of 'Hark the Herald' is boisterously sung by jubilant new Granddad Edmund.

"Gee, thanks, everyone. You'd do this for me, guys? I'm touched, really." Eugene places an overdramatic hand over his heart as he looks to each of the pub thugs' conspiring, smarmy faces behind him.

"Not for you, you klepto Rider. It's for those sweet little angels you'd better shape up for to be a good daddy, ASAP. Or else." Vladimir leans down from his towering height to mutter low, threatening in Eugene's ear.

Body weak but heart strong Princess Rapunzel smiles at being silent witness to all this friendship forged and love surrounding her. She was grateful to God for them and the two healthy miracles in her and Eugene's arms this Christmas day.

"'Peace on Earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconcile!'"

Having the real family she only dreamt of before, Rapunzel leans on Eugene's shoulder as she and he hold their wispy brown haired and thick golden curled babies on their laps. Each behaving child clings to their wooden kitty toys with the opposite paw up, almost magically signaling peace and quiet at last for their distressed, sleepy mother.

Princess Rapunzel, though her heart was still full, could smile up at the stained glass window's depiction of the Nativity scene. There she could rest with the blessed assurance Jesus was born as a tiny baby to a Mother named Mary, who suffered a long, hard pregnancy, too, just as she had with her sweet twins.

And Mary, though still an ordinary young woman, would be the perfect mother God selected to tenderly and full of grace teach that precious Baby to grow up someday to be the Savior of the world for all men.

Imagining that first Christmas day miracle, and the insecurity and pain Mary must've felt too on her long road to get to that midnight clear's appointed hour, made Rapunzel feel peace within her heart.

She gives a contented sigh, trusting in the Lord for this new year He had granted she and her new family as Rapunzel plants a kiss on both of her children's peacefully slumbering cheeks.

She proudly watches her cherished Advent wreath, among many, be carried up to be blessed by the pastor on Christmas Day, with all candles lit and placed on the altar by her tall, comely, guilty-faced husband, liberated angels and all.

The glowing Advent wreath traveled along with her prayers and hopes for the future in every supplication her yearning heart wept upon that wreath these protracted, difficult months.

Rapunzel sings praise to God beside her family, her friends, her people, in this holy place on this holy day when the only true Peace was freely given to the world, through pure Love that brought her through the pain to now hold joy.

And most of all, Princess Rapunzel felt strong again when her wonderful husband Eugene's arm returned to the pew to embrace around not only her shoulders, but also securely around her heart that would never be far from his.

With a supportive squeeze of her arms filled with his two slumbering little ones who rested for their Mama at last, the thief gives the once unsure, remarkable young girl with the amazing magic hair a smile. It conveyed enough peace for them both to make it through this silent night that promised to lead to a glorious new day, in the new year when they could be together forever…

"'Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht,
Alles schläft; einsam wacht
Nur das traute hochheilige Paar.
Holder Knabe im lockigen Haar,
Schlaf in himmlischer Ruh!
Schlaf in himmlischer Ruh!'"

'Silent night, holy night
All is calm all is bright
'Round yon virgin Mother and Child
Holy infant so tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace
Sleep in heavenly peace!'


Meanwhile in sunshiny Arendelle's own joyful Christmas morn…

"'Come, thou long expected Jesus,
Born to set Thy people free;
from our fears and sins release us,

Let us find our rest in thee.
Israel's strength and consolation,
hope of all the earth thou art;
Dear desire of every nation,
joy of every longing heart.

Born thy people to deliver,
Born a Child and yet a King,
Born to reign in us forever,
Now thy gracious kingdom bring.
By thine own eternal spirit
rule in all our hearts alone;
by Thine all sufficient merit,
Raise us to Thy glorious throne!'"

In the decidedly cooler crisp air of the northernmost nation of the European continent, its Queen was bedazzling in her array of Christmas snowflakes adorning her hair she had done up especially fine today.

Elsa gazes lovingly at her little sister Anna, the ginger lovely lass was anxiously waiting for her sister to return in the courtyard.

The younger Arendelle royal sibling was never a morning person, now in her pregnancy even more so. But Princess Anna had enough pluck to arouse herself and Kristoff from their bed to race like little kids themselves again out into this snowy white Christmas.

It was a picturesque scene with fresh fallen snowflakes gently sprinkling down, Winter Queen Elsa had made sure of, to greet her beloved Anna's eyes that were as excited as a child of eight all over again to welcome her outdoors for Christmas.

But the minute she gets out there, a beaming Anna stops still and looks around with a small sigh. Elsa had done it up all so perfect and breathtakingly pretty, from pristine snowy hills to frosted tree boughs, right down to the tinkling icicle bells hanging over the stable eavesdrips.

Yet Anna couldn't help but feel that something, somehow was still missing from this flawless winter scene that she couldn't quite lay a finger upon.

In the Christmas-y weather, bundled up Amber and James and Cleo join the early Christmas morning's sledding fun that Anna had proposed last night. Sounds of blissful enjoyment emanate from the rear of the castle on the tall snowy hill the Ice Queen masterfully cryo-enhanced with a fresh dusting of snow for their sport benefit.

But still, Anna felt something was missing, like there was a great a hole in her heart she couldn't explain.

And Elsa felt the same way. She had awakened early to go outside to create the Christmas wonderland for her little sister, and also to find her also early-rising Prince Hans, exactly where she believed he would be.

After a few hours of sleep after the night of Christmas caroling with the family and friends, playing with Elsa at the piano into the wee hours, Hans was almost as excited as Anna to start his Christmas tradition.

As soon as he heard the clock toll 6 AM, the dapper young man quickly dressed and dashed out into the brisk Christmas morn as he had since was a small boy. Every past Christmas when he was a child at home from the school convent, or a teen on ship's shore leave for the holidays, young Hans had run out to the stable and directly into his best friend Sitron's stall.

Hans would be sure to procure a handful of freshly sugared, cold and colorful hawthorn and lingonberries picked and strung between molasses and oat covered popcorn especially for the sweet toothed equine.

At the time, the redheaded Prince may not have been missed in the big house by his brothers or his miserly father, but Sitron was always glad to greet his favorite boy and the handmade Christmas present Hans never forgot each year, growing up in lonely Egeskov for his best friend.

But that was only part of Hans' secret yearly Christmas morning mission.

"'På den tid befalede den romerske kejser Augustus, at der skulle foretages en folketælling i hele kejserriget. Denne folketælling foregik før den, som fandt sted, mens Kvirinius var guvernør i Syrien.

Alle tog af sted for at lade sig indskrive på listerne i den by, de stammede fra, og da Josef var af Kong Davids slægt, måtte han rejse fra Nazaret i Galilæa til Betlehem i Judæa, Davids fødeby. Han var nødt til at tage sin forlovede, Maria, med sig, selv om hun var højgravid.

Mens de opholdt sig i Betlehem, kom det tidspunkt, hvor hun skulle føde. Maria fødte sin søn, den førstefødte. Hun svøbte ham i et tæppe og lagde ham i en krybbe i staldrummet, for gæsteværelset var optaget.

Samme nat lå nogle hyrder under åben himmel og vogtede får på marken uden for byen. Pludselig stod der en engel foran dem, og hele landskabet lå badet i et strålende lys fra Guds herlighed. Hyrderne blev forskrækkede, men englen beroligede dem. „Vær ikke bange!" sagde han. „Jeg er kommet for at fortælle jer en stor og glædelig nyhed, som angår hele folket: I nat er jeres Frelser født i Davids by. Det er Messias, og han er jeres herre. Det her skal være et tegn for jer: I vil finde et lille barn, som ligger i en krybbe, indsvøbt i et tæppe."

I det samme brød himlen ud i jubel. En hær af engle lovpriste Gud med følgende sang:

Al ære til Gud i Himlen
og fred på jorden
til dem, der gør Guds vilje!"

Da englene igen var vendt tilbage til Himlen, sagde hyrderne til hinanden: „Lad os gå ind til Betlehem og se, hvad der er sket, det, som Gud har fortalt os om."

{'And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed. (This taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.

And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David: To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. There were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, "Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger."

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."

And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. (Luke 2:1-15)}

Elsa pauses to eavesdrop on the beautifully spoken Danish language Biblical reading with a pleased smile upon her face. The Norwegian Queen, who understood Danish well enough as part of her regal learning, was glad to find her wonderful Hans had quietly, yet full of such eloquence and perfect pitch projection, come to read the full Nativity story to Sitron.

As she carefully peeks around the stall door, Elsa could see where Hans was relaying the first Christmas story from the gospel of Luke in Danish from the antique Bible Elsa's parents had gifted Hans from Arendelle's age-old holy relic and crown jewel reliquary.

The blonde Ice Queen had watched in wonder how Hans' regal delivery was not wasted on his audience of Sitron, Iriserende and Kjekk, as well as the entire stable's audience of visiting horses and other livestock and husky sled dogs as well.

Sitron and all the other animals in their own stalls were raptly listening to his master's well spoken delivery of the precious word of God that even the animals respectfully recognized and quietly revered in their patiently listening stalls on this Christmas morning.

"Hallelujah, Kristus er født i dag. (Christ is born today)." In fitting Danske tone and pitch to accentuate her Danish fiancé's holy verse about the angels' glorification, Elsa's soprano sings her entrance to her young lover whose lofty words illustrated the once holy host of angels that day nearly two thousand years ago.

An adoring smile that was only for her creeps across Hans' pretty boy face. With besmitten eyes, the young man turns from where he had been nimbly perched up high above their stable stalls as his pulpit, so all the creatures housed here – from equines to bovines to canines – could hear the good news of Christ's miraculous love for they too to bow down and rejoice.

"Elsa, min elske! Good morning! I did not realize I had a Royal Queen among my humble audience this early Christmas morn." With an athletic leap down from his high perch to the ground below, the red-faced redhead dusts off first his newly treasured Bible, which he places safely upon a nearby bench.

Then Hans rubs his hands lightly across his backside to whisk off any hay strewn, and finally dusts his gloved hands to each other again, before presenting himself neatly straightened before his impressed lady with a debonair bow.

"May I offer you my heartfelt solicitudes and Merry Christmas tidings, your Majesty?" The prim and proper young man teases with an extremely dipped respectful bow that evened his eyes to the same level as Elsa's velvet blue swaying hips.

He keeps that position for several dramatic seconds before the red fox in the henhouse comes up to wrap less formal, more intimate arms around her delicate form.

"You may offer whatever Christmas greeting you see fit, Prince Hans. Suffice it has been well received by all your audience." Elsa rejoinders Hans' lighthearted tease, trying to shake off that inexplicable emptiness she had awakened with, to be more in the giddy mood expected on this happy Christmas morning.

She was grateful to have her stunning man embrace her in his ever-so-warm arms and lips and body all around her cool form.

Although Prince Hans was greatly enjoying this Christmas morning surprise assignation which his fiancée generously gave him free reign thereof, the sensitive soul within him sensed his lady was not entirely merry this fine winter morning.

"Elsa? Is everything all right? You don't quite seem yourself today." His green eyes inquire thoughtfully as Hans pulls up the deep crimson red collar of the silk shirt Anna – at Kristoff's insistence to be rid of the too tight, not his fashion at all, fancy man shirt his extravagant little wife had splurged on for him in the marketplace this season (Oaken was having a big Christmas blowout!) – had re-gifted the colorful garment to the more slender coxcomb Prince Hans.

If she had to give him something.

"Oh, yes. This is going to be a wonderful Christmas in Arendelle with my family reunited by God's good grace. The kingdom is at peace. Anna and Kristoff are going to have a baby. And you are safely here with me, Hans. Everything is just as we dreamed it would be." Elsa smiles evenly as she explains the Creator's many blessings upon her life that she should be most thankful for this Christmas.

"Then, what's missing?" The Danish Prince prods his serene beauty gently as he finishes combing Iriserende's long tail and mane to her new mistress' smiling satisfaction after Sitron had messily shared his Christmas string of caramelized popcorn and berries with his new girlfriend.

"I had almost forgotten how quiet and desolate my morning walks outside to clear my head could be without…" Elsa trails off, that affected smile affixed upon her pretty face showing a tinge of sadness for that first, special Christmas tradition she and Anna, through all the tumult of birthdays and romance, competition and baby announcements, had been neglecting.

"…Olaf?" Having a hand in the snowman's secret departure some days ago, it all at once dawns upon Hans at what – or rather who – was missing from this kingdom's picture, as an unaware Elsa instinctively kept glancing forlornly down at her side.

"I haven't seen Olaf all morning, Hans. When he and Marshmallow and the snowgies arrived last night, I'm afraid I didn't pay enough attention to him, with all the other guests requiring attention. I didn't even bid him goodnight on Christmas Eve. I'm a terrible friend, forgetting him at his favorite time of the year." Elsa sighs, feeling quite dejected for letting down her first snow creation amid all the holiday hoopla.

"Rest assured, my Queen, your friend Olaf wasn't at all neglected! He fulfilled his wish that he would be back here in Arendelle in time to celebrate Christmas with you and Anna. He even enjoyed putting his special star on the tree with you two sisters." Empathic Hans realized how important - though often times overlooked as annoying or bothersome in his garrulous naiveté and loud frolicking - the happy little snowman was to the close-knit Arendelle royal sisters.

"The little guy probably was center of attention and had the time of his life with his brother snowgies up in my North mountain Ice Palace. I daresay he would rather go back there with them for more amusing merriment rather then stay down here with us after we've treated him so shabbily. I feel terrible to not have realized until now, with all our events and entertaining guests and own affairs this past week, how we have ignored poor Olaf recently. All he desperately wants is to be with the people he loves and be part of our family's joy at Christmas – his favorite time of year." Elsa laments, twiddling her elegant fingers at her holly and ivy hair adornment as she calmly admits her own and Anna's unintentional mistake.

They had all but forgotten Olaf amid the masquerade ballroom dancing, skating frolics, and royal slumber parties that the eager snowfriend had been mostly excluded from.

"Come now, min skat (my darling). Olaf loves you and Anna far too much to ever be upset with either of you. Especially not at Christmastime he loves so very well. Your amazing, innocent hearted little snowman has been born of your pure love and sisterly friendship which could never forsake one another – or him. Because Olaf us always close to your heart." Hans explains his keenly learned deep knowledge of how their unfailing snow friend Olaf had come to this world through Elsa and Anna's magical affection and sisterly love that no time or separation could take away.

"Thus, I have never once seen or heard or had the thought in my head that your dear Olaf could ever harbor any ill will feelings of spite or anger, much less jealousy, nor ever take offense, that is all too common a human frailty. Not a snowman one. He knows both of you love him. Next to you, Olaf is by far the most pure-hearted creature I have ever encountered, and who lives by example the Corinthians passage of love which you and I appreciate all too well." Hans kindly explains with a tender touch and deft fingered tuck back of his platinum beauty's loose hair strands which had come undone with her self-regretful head hanging.

Then Prince Hans retrieves his thick, early 17th century Resen-Svaningske Bible and adroit fingers flip easily to the New Testament.

"'Kærlighed er tålmodig, kærlighed er mørt. Kærlighed ikke misundelse, er det ikke prale. Kærlighed er ikke stolt. Kærlighed ikke nedværdige andre, det er ikke Self søger, kærlighed er ikke let at vrede. Det holder ikke styr på tidligere forbrydelser. Kærligheden fryder sig ikke i det onde, men fryder sig i sandhed. Kærlighed altid beskytter, altid tillid, altid håber, altid udholde. Kærlighed aldrig ender.'"

("Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of past wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never ends.'" 1 Corinthians 13:4-7)

The Scripture in his native tongue was music to Elsa's gratified ears to hear her fiancé wisely read the very fitting passage when her heart was feeling low. Their heads bent together in studying the Prince's gift of the ancient holy text, Hans and Elsa share a sweet kiss at these precious verses that meant so much to their soulful romance.

It was the perfect illustration of the reason Christ Jesus was born to this fallen world—to show the extent of God's real unconditional Love for even sinners.

"So…whatcha two up to this early Christmas morning? A Bible study group with the horsies and puppies? That antique Bible of our kingdom is a pretty cool present from Mama and Papa. Don't get it dirty in the barn, Red. It's valuable." Princess Anna pointedly chooses this tender moment of Elsa and Hans kissing in the hay-strewn stable barn with the official Church Bible of Norway dating back to 1607 on the bench between their smooching heads.

"Speaking of red on Red… That shirt that didn't fit Kristly looks pretty decent enough on Hans, doesn't it, Elsa?" Sour-faced Anna succeeds in pulling her sister's attention away from her fiancé's osculation.

Anna couldn't help but give a verbal swipe and physical smack of some hay off Hans' navy blue posterior to cover up her obvious visual praise of her ex in that deep red shirt that paired well with the corduroy blue vest of his normal princely attire.

"Absolutely." With sparkling eyes for her man who cheered her up in every way possible, Elsa fills in the definitive word with an approving smile upon her blushing beau.

As for Hans, he was self-consciously back to dusting off his hips and rear again as he was wont to do when embarrassed.

"Oh… ahem… Yes, thank you, your Majesty, Princess." Hans uncomfortably shifts his collar under the Bernadotte sisters' double approving stairs.

"Hmph. Absolutely." High voice mimic Kristoff scoffs at Hans as well from where the big blond Ice Harvester had just caught up with his enthusiastic-for-Christmas-Day wife despite her morning sickies lurched on the front step path he and Sven were left to clean up in Anna's unstoppable wake.

Hans and Kristoff exchange a nod with one another as the mountainman points over Anna's head to the right direction of the stable.

"So, in view of this fortuitous opportunity of your arrival, may I have the express honor of presenting you with your Christmas gift, dear Anna." Hans comes out of his embarrassment with a charming smile at Kristoff, who grimaces when audacious Prince Hans audaciously takes hold of Anna's hand to lead her deeper into the stables.

"If I could ask you to close your eyes and take my hand, please, Princess?" Hans entices Anna playfully.

"What!? Hey watch it! We've danced this round before, Buster, haven't we?" At Hans' smooth yet firm touch that Kristoff finally gave consent to, Anna reminisces of love opening doors and slamming them shut again in the face of this turncoat twinkle toed Romeo.

"Ooh. I noticed that you forgot me when everyone else exchanged presents last night when we got back from caroling." The saucy ginger sticks her tongue out at her favorite target.

"How could I ever forget you, dear little sister? I did consider employing the traditional Danish custom of wrapping and re-wrapping this particular present. But I think it wouldn't stay put for long. Nonetheless, I think you will prefer this new dance partner, to me, any day. You may open your eyes now, Princess." Smooth Hans had been murmuring meaningless drivel to a pursed lipped Anna as he maneuvered her quite lucidly into the stable area.

Kristoff signals to the right-hand stall where a certain honey brown Gudbrandsal colt was patiently chewing on his caramel popcorn and berry string that had somehow become entangled in his long-hairy mane.

SNIFF SNIFF. NUZZLE NUZZLE.

"GUDDY!" At first disgusted at the idea that Hans had just nuzzled and licked her cheek, Anna was plenty surprised instead to find a short and stocky Dolehest draft horse on the receiving end of her handslap. But a fearless Guddy remembered his feisty girl well, affectionately cuddling her close with his sweet and sticky muzzle forgivingly, despite her sign of first aggression.

The lively brown equine had been brushed and combed by Hans last night to perfection and Kristoff had mentally monitored the friendly steed into this choice spot for the secret Christmas surprise to be revealed.

But neither of them accounted for the sticky muzzled colt after Hans had brought them early morning Christmas treats and left Guddy there to his own devices at eating it.

Suits Anna well, I daresay. Ha ha hah! Hans begins to chuckle, but soon curbs his mirth with a cleared throat at a glaring Kristoff's miffed mental read of the Dane talking down his spunky little wife's messy eating habits.

"Elsa! Did you know?!" The cued-up husky dogs let loose in barking all around Anna's giddiness, giving an uproarious din to the stable's charged atmosphere.

Anna was so beside herself with joy she goes from hugging Guddy's pleased as punch neck to practically strangling Hans with a grateful hug.

Ewgh! Anna quickly checks her friendly hug with her archenemy to pivot to her big sister's more pleasant embrace instead, with an icked-out push to Hans away, as Kristoff and the barking dogs laugh at him.

"Only yesterday, when Hans brought me Iriserende for my special Christmas present. You remember her, don't you, Anna?" Elsa elegantly gestures her hand over to where Kristoff and Hans had gone to bring the Fresian white mare, along with Sitron, to the center of the stable scene of reunited equine friends.

"Wow! Red did something right for a change?!" Anna gives her future brother-in-law the saucy look of friendly competition they would always share.

"You're so cute and cuddly, Guddy! I missed you sooo much! I've never ridden a pony so in tune with my freestyle! I'd love to ride him right now… We still have time before breakfast!" The impulsive ginger cries excitedly. Without a second thought, Princess Anna propels herself onto Guddy's short and rather muscular stocky back.

Anna and Guddy were off to the races before anyone could warn the young mother to be off such wild horse riding in her condition. The Gudbrandsal steed had a less than thirteen hands high form and was known for his pulling power and agility.

As usual, Anna didn't give even a cursory thought to the strange rumbling cloud of thick white smoke – no, it was snow and more like a flash blizzard – that was just starting to roll down the mountain towards Arendelle.

"Anna! Be careful!" Elsa warns as Anna races madly towards the massive blizzard/avalanche streaming down the North Mountain at record speed. With an enigmatic smile at Hans that told him she had this under control, Elsa was chuckling through her admonition to her reckless younger sibling.

Prince Hans gives his Queen a boost onto a compliant Iriserende for her to join her excitable baby sister in this early morning Christmas race.

WHEWW-wheww!

"Let's make sure those girls don't get themselves in trouble, Sven!" Kristoff was also broadly smiling with Anna's contagious joy as he gives a whistle and a call to his reindeer pal.

Sven had returned early this Christmas morning from Portugal where Sven and Svala had dropped off Prince Alonso and Princess Valentina.

The pushy Paraiso Princess had sent multiple invitations already, insisting for everyone to attend her big day.

But her letter that Kristoff read after Sven accidentally dropped it in his favorite Flemmy stew and his best friend had to dry it out over the hearth, insisted upon Elsa and Hans both attending the big wedding on Valentine's Day for a special reason.

It seemed the Paraiso Princess wanted Queen Elsa to stand as Valentina's maid of honor and thusly Prince Hans would be his once thought rival Prince Alonso's best man.

Problem was, neither of them even knew it yet.

Kristoff was still kicking around exactly when and how he would reveal the pushy Brazilian Crown Princess' invite, not wanting to spoil King Agnarr's agreeable frame of mind just yet.

Then again…It may be best to strike while the iron is hot and Christmas has my father-in-law in a cheery holiday mood. Still… Maybe I'll ask Hans his opinion, since it concerns him too. But we'll deal with that later. First things first.

"Hop on board Svala, Hans! The mountain man offers a high flying ride to Elsa's chosen fiancé who had weathered many a storm worse than this in order to secure the love of his Ice Queen.

"Thought you'd never ask." With a wry smile, Hans was already mounting onto the reindeer doe's obliging back. The two young heroes on their reindeer fly to the crispy blue sky to where Elsa and Anna each were on horseback, bravely facing whatever sudden, monstrous, mysterious swirling snowstorm lay ahead.

Off through the fresh snowy field, up towards this flash blizzard towards the North mountain side, Elsa and Iriserende catch up close behind where Anna and Guddy were flying like the wind on this frosty Norwegian Christmas morn.

The sisters were laughing and enjoying the season together even more after Elsa called out something only Anna could hear.

Those in the courtyard, and those still just awakening inside Arendelle Castle looked up at the rumbling, frightening sight catapulting down the mountain at terrifying speed as several of the royal guests began to panic.

King Agnarr, who had just this moment stepped out to get a breath of the fresh morning air from his bedroom window, creases his formerly satisfied, smiling brow to see those below running away.

The people were in a panic at the sudden avalanche racing towards the kingdom from the North side.

Avalanche?!

R-RUUMMBBLE! R-RR-OOARR!

At all the chaos and clamor in town down below and crashing noise a-roaring up in the North mountain, the recently awakened, still sleepy eyed King begins to panic as well.

Agnarr hears the startled visitors with the leadership of Chancellor Esteban and King Roland rallying the guests away and out the front Arendelle exit over the bridge in his absence.

That is what he would have ordered as a good and conscientious ruler who cared for his people. Until Agnarr saw, through his incisive Ice King eyes at the plummeting snow and ice avalanche, that his daughter Queen Elsa had the threatening landslide in hand.

"Agnarr?! What is it?" Queen Iduna awakens with a start to hear all the rumbling noise and commotion of screaming people racing straight through Arendelle Castle downstairs and out the other side of the large doors in a panic.

She quickly wraps only her Northuldran shawl around her scantily dressed form and moves towards where her unruffled hubby was silently staring out the back view of Arendelle Castle through their master bedroom window.

"Nothing Elsa can't handle, my Queen." With a content smile of cryokinetic knowing that expelled all her fears, King Agnarr shrugs off his innate unease with arms that wrap luxuriantly around his enticingly warm, little wife.

"It appears Anna's Christmas wish last night for her reindeer friends to make it back in time for Christmas has been fulfilled." The unperturbed for once Ice King makes small talk as he leans back to taste the nape of Iduna's bare neck in morning greeting.

"Oh, really? That's nice. Is that Prince Hans I see riding Svala overhead, beside Kristoff on Sven? Elsa's Prince really appreciated that thoughtful Christmas present you chose at last minute from your precious archives of the original Christian III Bible from Arendelle's antiquity coffers." Iduna tries to respond lucidly, her awakening senses flustered by her romantic husband's insistent caresses and nibblings. He seemed wholly unconcerned with the vast amount of snow and white out powders undulating down the mountain towards their kingdom's defenseless rear.

"I remember you telling me once that it's rarer than hen's teeth. I know you always admired its meticulous translation from the original Hebrew and Greek. From the thrilled look on his face, I believe Prince Hans was pleased with your gift too." Iduna praises her man, who seemed to be learning to accept Elsa's leadership – as well as her choice of suitor.

"Well…that 16th century Reformation Bible is in full Danish. So who could understand it but a Dane?" Agnarr shrugs nonchalantly as he picks up his wife and carries her back to bed, not wanting to appear too partial to the Prince of Southern Isles.

At least this Westergaard was thankfully a good Christian Dane, who knew his Bible well enough to esteem the 1550 theologian compiled, Martin Luther German translation that was even illustrated with cross-references to original text.

"And Swedish translator. Don't forget the Swedes." The former Northuldran born native, turned adopted Princess of Drottningholm, Sweden, murmurs as her husband envelopes his Queen into his tender embrace warmly on this cool Christmas morn.

"How could I ever forget the Swedes?" King Agnarr says huskily, tracing the sleek lines of his particular Swedish beauty who was, from their first Christmas together as kids, to this Christmas and always, cherished by her destined mate.

Agnarr and Iduna were grateful for the warmth that blessed the reconciled royal pair as they return to the still mussed bed to enjoy the start of this long-awaited after years of hardship and pain, festive holiday together.

For no matter what unknown Agnarr didn't wish to spoil the Christmas mystery of just yet lie in store ahead for they two, right here, right now, Agnarr and his Iduna were back in the peace and harmony of their tranquil home, even as deafening confusion ruled outdoors…


Meanwhile, back outside in the bitter cold behind the Arendelle castle…

The inexplicable avalanche perilously hangs over Elsa and Anna and their new gifted horses, with Hans and Kristoff closing in, on Sven and Svala, flying at full speed towards their endangered women.

THUNDER! RUMBLE! CRASH! SPLATTT!

"Guess who's coming to Christmas dinner?!" Sofia and Hugo propel skiing over the snowblinding mound rise that had plunged from the mountain mere meters in front of a buoyant Elsa and bedazzled Anna and their brave new horses.

"MERRY CHRISTMAS!" As the frosty smoke and snow dust that had catapulted down the North Mountain side at mind-numbing speed, a high pitched voice is added to the deep bellowing thunder that was echoing down into the Valley.

"SANTA OLAF IS HERE!"

Olaf and Hugo and Sofia had the time of their lives storming down from the steep North Mountain riding Marshmallow with more than a few Snowgie tag alongs.

With mouths dropped, everyone watches the Ice Queen's giant Snow Beast with a wild, Santa hat wearing Olaf upon his head rise up from the mound that had come thundering down the North mountain, with gutsy Princess Sofia and crazy man Prince Hugo riding roughshod on his shoulders.

"Ohh! Happy Holly Jolly glad tidings at a noon time clear! Santa's snowgie elves will put on a show for you to cheer!" Self-described Santa Olaf was standing atop the precipice of his favorite living, breathing avalanche snow beast buddy, the gargantuan big brother he so-named 'Marshmallow.'

The near thirty foot tall softie ice monster, wearing a pointed pair of fir trees tied together with some red rope to be a huge bow tie, had agreed to be Santa Olaf's riproaring winter express vessel this chilly Christmas morning.

Marshmallow had opened up his interior compartments the Ice King had modified him for an earlier mission with Elsa. The Snow Beast used them now to not only transport Olaf – who had been longing to be home with his loved ones for Christmas so much that was all he talked about to his brothers in the Ice Palace – but also serve as the troop transport for the massive number of candy cane smile and red holly berry bow tie fashioned snowgies.

They were each wearing miniature red and green Santa hats the kitten granny had knitted for them at Olaf's preorder request. The snowman had returned for the Christmas tree lighting on Christmas Eve last night to be with his fam. But Olaf had made a special request to helpful elementals Gale, playful Bruni, really a softie deep down Jordskjevelvet and even prickly Nokk to lend a hand to make this year's Christmas morning adventure for Olaf come true.

Or rather, a miraculous breeze, a mystical paw, a magical claw, or a supernatural hoof.

"Meet my cavalcade of Christmas elves I taught nothing too austere!" Singing in rhyming lyric Olaf revels in his bright red Santa suit and fluffed out snow beard, complete with snow fluff stuffed belly as he introduces his fellow snowgie music hall performers to the stunned audience of Arendelle below.

"Harmonized line-step dancing's what we do at that time of year!"

Indeed premiering in perfect sync and rhythm the joyful tune with a heart full of unconditional love, Olaf the snowman leads the hundreds of tiny snowgies in a candy cane twirling, snowshoe sloshing, step-in-time show-stopping dance.

Even big, clunky Marshmallow gets into the act with two left feet that try to bust some moves in the background of Santa Olaf's tap dancing floor show. The action of which causes the entire mountainside's fir trees dotted along the hill to rise and fall with the gargantuan snow creature as an enthusiastic, if not sleek, backup dancer.

Really getting into the spirit of the moment, normally stoic and mute Marshmallow hums as he dances with the harmony to Olaf's lute playing, lead jig while the snowgies pepper the frozen stage.

"Merry Christmas Arendelle! Who-oa-hhh!" Olaf gaily pronounces with a scream as Marshmallow, slipping and sliding off his bumbling feet, hits the ice stage too. The clumsy snowman and his brethren snowgies causing them to go flying like bowling pins high up in the air before they splutter down to the snowy ground, squeaking as they sink like plinking musical notes.

As expected, Olaf explodes all of his body parts in every which way direction as they launch across the North mountain vista to the other side of the fjord.

"And a Happy New Year!" Olaf's mouth was still able to cry out even as a shaking head Elsa had to ice magically swirl the totally out of shape snowman back to original specs.

But she didn't mind doing that little service for their beloved creation of Olaf the snowman, as together, a joyful Elsa and Anna embrace their first, favorite Christmas tradition who had not only come home for Christmas just as he promised, but also brought his brothers home to his beloved Elsa and Anna too.

"MERRY CHRISTMAS TO MY ARENDELLE FAMILY!"

Marshmallow lifts a reconstituted Olaf to the top of the huge sparkling ice tree the Ice Queen herself had built for her dear snowman's big number on his outdoor stage.

As the spirits of the elements watch contentedly, 5th Spirit Elemental, Queen of the Winter Elsa elegantly expresses her new aurora borealis power to light and lift each of the terpsichorean hoofer snowgies to decoratively adorn each 'branch' of her massive ice fir tree.

To Anna's clapping delight, soon there were hundreds of animated red and green colorful snowballs trimming the outdoor ice Christmas tree magnificently.

"And God bless us all, everyone!" Eternal optimist with a bright sunshiny vision of the future, Princess Anna, prompts her sister Elsa and Kristoff and even Hans, to sing her favorite Christmas morning hymn.

"'Christians, awake! Salute the happy morn!
whereon the Savior of the world was born;
Rise to adore the mystery of love,
which hosts of angels chanted from above;
with them the joyful tidings first begun,
of God incarnate and the virgin's Son!'"

They were soon joined in their joyful worship music by her parents, and many of the guests who had returned after Kai and Gerda, Esteban and his new wife Johanne, alerted those panicking that it was just a false alarm and to rejoin in the royal family's Christmas greeting hymn.

"'Then to the watchful shepherds it was told,
who heard th'angelic herald's voice, "Behold,
I bring good tidings of a Savior's birth
to you and all the nations of the earth;
this day hath God fulfilled His promised Word;
this day is born a Savior, Christ the Lord.'"

King Roland and Queen Miranda hug one another close as Princess Sofia and Prince Hugo, returned to Arendelle Castle, with Prince James and Princess Cleo and Princess Hildey sway back and forth in time with the music.

Now in his 'nicely dressed' crystal bow tie, Olaf conducts Marshmallow and the Snowgies to hum along as all the servants and clergy and townspeople lift their voices too with the fitting hymn.

They each give praise to God who graced this beautiful Christmas morn to at last be full of the family and love and friendships' devotion the Lord had amply blessed the land of Arendelle with.

"'This may we hope, th'angelic hosts among,
to sing, redeemed a glad triumphal song.
He that was born upon this joyful day
around us all His glory shall display.
Saved by His love, incessantly we sing
eternal praise to Heav'n's almighty King!'"

"This is going to be the most unforgettable and happy Christmas I've ever had, with all dear people I've come to love, min kæreste (my dearest). And it's all thanks to you…only because of you…Thank you, my own darling…thank you for loving me, for wanting me. For bringing me home. I love you, my Angel Queen." Hans with full eyes, whispers in Elsa's ear as he gently lifts her hand, giving her palm and wrist a reverent kiss to her utter delight.

"I love you, my handsome Dream Prince." Elsa responds with pure emotion written upon her idyllic face with eyes shining for the man she knew she wanted to spend the rest of her life with.

Gazing around and up to Heaven in wonder, the beaming young man snuggles his shining star tenderly close to him, as the once lonely child was finally truly enjoying the marvelous togetherness of a blessed new family his own Elsa had welcomed him into.


Mädchen - little girl in German

Min elsker – my lover in Danish

Liebling – my precious in German Prussian

Liebste - Dearest in German Prussian


"Silent Night" – Father Joseph Mohr & Franz Gruber 1816

"Veni, veni Emanuel" - late medieval hymn German translation is by C.B. Verspoell from 1810 and the English translation by J.M. Neale from 1851, known as "O, Come O Come Emmanuel"

'Christians, Awake! Salute the Happy Morn' – John Byron & J. Wainwright 1749

Twelfth Night – celebration of the twelve days between Christmas and the Epiphany on January 6th for German Lutherans


Happy New Year, Frozen Again friends!

Hello! I hope you all had a wonderful and blessed holiday with your family and loved ones too! Here's the final (seriously) last part of the 'Arendelle Family Christmas Special'! :)

Papa Agnarr has finally come around to recognize his little girls can't be locked behind the gates forever and sees that Kristoff and even Hans are members of his extended family now too! The stubborn King has gained his wife's forgiveness on the holy night, and his daughter's gratitude for more than his sweet Nativity gift, as the enjoyed as a family the Christmas caroling tour out in the streets of Arendelle together with the people. Wintertime greetings, Frozen friends!

Wow! Peace on earth and happiness reigns supreme in Arendelle now that the whole family is reunited for Christmas:) Wasn't Hans sweet reading the Nativity passage from his gift Bible to the horses and barnyard creatures? : And Olaf with Marshmallow and Snowgie cavalcade dancers was a riot!

Poor Rapunzel! That's no way to start off the New Year, girl! (Though chimney shimmying down Santa King Edmund and Hamuel was a fun way to end the last, eh?)

But maybe it's a good segue way into ACT IX (9) of 'Frozen Again'!

Now that everything is starting to go swimmingly in the Frozen north, it seems there may be a little trouble being Tangled down in Corona!

What's going on now between happily married with children perfect couple Rapunzel & Eugene!? Looks like a sleigh-load of high melodrama is playing out down in Corona! Looks like our handsome rogue Flynn-er Eugene is being shipped off to get some therapy for his stressed-out sleepwalking kleptomania in sunshiny South America!

Scenic and warm (75-80 degree Farenheit temperature is a big change from the cold northern hemisphere we usually reside!) Paraiso on Valentine's Day seems like the next destination for Elsa & Hans, too, even if they're not yet aware of demanding Princess Valentina's request for them to be maid of honor and best man at her amazing grand so-called 'wedding of the century' to Prince Alonso! It's sure to be a romance-filled adventure for our affianced Frozen couple who will be next up at the altar soon!

This leads us with a little tease to the intro of the 'Vacation on the other side of the Equator' New Year 2020 story arc of Frozen Again: 'Love Never Ends' Act 9!

It looks like there's one more short, far-flung adventure for the gang before wedding bells will be definitely be ringing in Arendellle for the Ice Queen and her Hans-some Dane!

So please stay tuned and stay safe and stay happy and healthy in this New Year 2020 we're blessed to share together as friends across the miles!

May God bless you with joy and peace in your hearts! :

I hope and pray God will shine His blessings upon you and yours this New Year 2021, my friends!

Jesus loves you this year too!

HarukaKou


HAPPY NEW YEAR 2021, my dear Frozen Again friends! ^0^

'Here we come a-wassailing
Among the leaves so green;
Here we come a-wand'ring
So fair to be seen.

Love and joy come to you,
And to you your wassail too;
And God bless you and send you a Happy New Year
And God send you a Happy New Year!'