From: Krayzikk
To:
@Plank Sinatra @HereComesTheSnowType of Work: Short Story
Description: Did you tell Santa Gwen what you wanted for Christmas~?
“So where to, Miss Gwen?”“Did you bring the car around?”“Mhm!”Gwen was almost regretting her sense of humor. Almost. It had been a joke, calling her young charge a reindeer, but the girl had somehow managed to craft a pair of small antlers quite literally overnight. It looked like she had found a pair of suitable branches outside, and carefully smoothed them out and ensured that they were suitably shaped before attaching them to a headband. It was actually rather impressive, and brought a smile to her face.
Des was a bit of a smartass. But an endearing one.
“Further south, then. Another day, if we make good time.” She drew her fur cloak tighter around herself and threw her pack over a shoulder, pausing on her way out the door to ruffle her reindeer’s hair. Des had already brought her bag out, but dutifully made a quick sweep of the inn room before she followed the older woman out the door. The silver coupe idled at the curb, just as promised, and Des had even taken the time to make sure the heater was running. Another smile to Gwen’s face. On mornings like this, where she could see her breath and cold threatened to seep into her very bones, she hated heading out to the car. She never complained, but her sidekick had taken notice anyway. She was a good kid like that.
“The road only goes part of the way, but we can leave the car behind safely. We’ll go the rest of the way on foot.”“Is this what you do every Christmas?”“More or less,” She admitted, dropping her pack in the trunk and circling around to the driver’s seat. Des had already hopped into shotgun and pulled the door closed, eager to be inside where it was warm. Gwen didn’t blame her. It took just a second to gather her cloak so it didn’t get closed in the gull wing door and slip into the driver’s seat, where the car thrummed eagerly under her touch.
“At least for a week or two.”“How come?”The blonde woman considered the question a moment, while guiding the car away from the curb and back onto the road. The guards at the front gate were expecting her, and opened the heavy wooden doors as soon as she approached to let her out onto the well-trodden dirt road. It didn’t see travel by car very often, not this far from the capital, but she was loathe to leave it behind. Alone, perhaps she would have made the trip without it. It would only take her a little longer on horseback. But with Des and winter both present… The car it was.
“Someone needs to.” She said simply, with a faint shrug of her shoulders.
“It isn’t as though the post office can make the trip. Not out here. And hiring professional couriers is expensive. So I don’t mind ferrying a few packages to the boonies around Christmas.”“They take up most of the trunk, Miss Santa.”“Perhaps more than a few.” She amended, with a faintly rueful smile.
“Deeds worth doing are rarely easy.”That made Des giggle, and the car quieted for a time. She could be a bit of a chatterbox, especially if she was nervous, but she never seemed to mind that Gwen liked her quiet. It might have been respect, Lord known she would’ve chopped off her own arm if she thought it’d make Gwen’s life easier, but she never seemed to mind the quiet either. Sometimes she read (Gwen was fairly certain that the girl’s own pack mostly contained books, rather than more practical things), sometimes she listened to music, and sometimes she just watched. Watched the world go by, watched Gwen drive, whatever caught her fancy. Gwen herself watched the road, of course; the road and the world beyond it. She rarely took the same route twice, so there was always something to see.
Not that it was really intentional. She didn’t really pick where she went, she just… Went. It was hard to explain why. Des had asked, once.
Why don’t you map it out, Miss Gwen? So we can plan ahead? It didn’t really work like that, she had to apologetically explain. She just knew where she needed to go, and she went. She didn’t really know why, she explained.
Well, that part was a little bit of a white lie. She had a pretty good guess why.
But it did mean that her routes could be eccentric and hard to plan around. But her little protege always took it in stride, borrowing Gwen’s Scroll and using whatever reception she could get to make arrangements for when they stopped. It was helpful having a copilot, it meant she didn’t have to wing it
quite as much as she used to. Des pulled more than her weight, usually without being asked. From the moment she started tagging along she simply saw what she could do to help, and did it as seamlessly as possible. No complaints about her guardian’s eccentricities, or the sometimes arduous trips they sometimes meant.
This one, at least, was pretty. Snow already blanketed the ground, making the road treacherous in places, but as they drove more started to fall. Thick, beautiful flakes from a storm gray sky. It was almost beautiful enough to distract from the region’s hazards.
Grimm stood out starkly against such beauty.
“So what do you want for Christmas? You haven’t told me.” The blonde asked, after a few hours in their snowy purgatory. The purple-headed girl’s ears instantly perked up, protests forming before even a breath had passed.
“You don’t have to get me anything, Miss Gwen.”“Nonsense. It’s Christmas. You’d pout if I tried to stop you from getting me anything.” Her smile widened a little when she saw Des’ mouth open to argue, and close a second later in defeat. The faint little frown was the proof she’d won that round.
“So come on, tell me. What do you want for Christmas?”“I don’t need anythiiiing.” A beat, and a deeper frown. “... There are a couple books.”“And a Scroll?” She enjoyed, for a few moments, the wide eyes and vehement shaking of her ward’s head.
“You use mine, dear Des, and you forget to close your tabs. I know you’ve been looking at them for months.”“Absolutely not!” Gwen was, at this point, pretty sure she was going to shake the antlers off of her head.
“Miss Gwen, Scrolls are expensive. Like, several hundred lien. Don’t even think about it. Please.”“Don’t take it up with me, take it up with Santa.”“You are Santa. You were wearing the hat yesterday.”She actually laughed, that time, a warm sound right from her core that ended any frowning from Des instantly despite her best efforts. The girl giggled a little, too, which sabotaged her attempt at looking stern.
“You’re right. Where is that? I should have it on today.”Des giggled again and turned around to rummage through the small storage space for a moment. She deposited the red hat on Gwen’s head when the older woman leaned over to offer it, smiling to herself the whole time. Gwen took a hand off the wheel to point behind her, and glance in Des’ direction.
“Hot cocoa in the thermos, reindeer. I figure it’s about that time of day.”“When did you manage that. I was up before you.”“When you’re my age, Des, you will have your own ways. Enough talking, more cocoa drinking.” Not that Gwen could look any more stern than Des, it was impossible to keep the smile off of her face.
“Enjoy the warmth. We’ll have to walk the last leg.”Des did make a little face, for just a second, at that before she poured herself some cocoa and put the mug in the passenger side cupholder. And, without missing a beat, poured a second mug for the driver side. Silence again reigned while both drank, watching the storm intensify. Gwen hadn’t been driving very fast to begin with, not with the unpaved road below her, but she had to slow down even more. Not something she enjoyed, given how fast she liked to make her little coupe go. But necessary. It was looking even more likely that they might have to ditch the car a little early. But the morning and afternoon both passed without much incident, and Des brought a book out to read.
At Gwen’s request, she read it out loud a little sheepishly. Gwen didn’t interrupt and simply listened, silently shaking her head when Des paused long enough to offer to take the wheel. Her protege would probably be fine, but in weather like this she preferred not to take any chances. Best to let her rest until they had to walk.
And even though she didn’t say anything, she needed to watch the horizon too. Grimm weren’t the only threat this far from major cities. The biggest, sure, but Grimm were attracted by negativity, Not something they were likely to find, especially around this time of year. Some years she made the trip without seeing anything more than one in the distance. Human threats were attracted by the opposite. This time of year marauders liked to lurk off the road and watch for passerby that showed any signs of affluence. Couriers, bearing gifts. Travelers headed for home. Anyone that had anything worth stealing. A nice car, laden with gifts, and driven by two women couldn’t be a much more tempting target.
Once she accelerated suddenly, causing Des to ask her if something was wrong, to pass by what looked suspiciously like a trap. She shook her head, and explained that she just felt like going a little faster for a bit. Her ward might not have believed her, but didn’t challenge the claim. She just resumed reading.
The carriage blocking the road, its horses having evidently run off based on the tracks, wasn’t something she could go around.
“Do they need help?” Des asked, peering through the thick snowfall to try and see what lay ahead. She reached for her door handle until Gwen laid a hand on her shoulder, and shook her head slightly.
“Des, dear? Could you keep the car running?” She asked pleasantly, only taking her eyes off the scene ahead long enough to make sure Des nodded.
“I’ll give them a hand and be right back.”Something about the older woman’s eyes made her nod again in understanding, and sit back in her seat. Just not before reaching behind it and offering her the hilt of the weapon stored in between the seats. Gwen nodded, and smoothly pulled it out of the car with her. The silver, conical lance was too long to fit in the car, let alone be hidden underneath her cloak, so she locked its hilt into place and carried it loosely at her side as she approached.
“Can I help you?” She called out into the storm politely, her voice muffled by the wind and snow. There was no response for several minutes, not even as she drew nearer to the carriage. Until the
clack-clack of a shotgun being pumped made itself audible over the storm, and a man emerged barrel-first from the carriage.
“Yeah, Ma, you can hand over the car keys and head back.” He gestured with the barrel towards the car, then pointed it back at her.
“You and the kid.”“How are we supposed to get back in this storm?” Gwen asked, sounding mortified. She pulled her cloak tighter around herself for emphasis, and frowned.
“We’ll freeze.”“It’s freeze,” The mugger racked the shotgun again for emphasis.
“Or stay here permanently.”“You really, really shouldn’t do that.” “Really. What are you going to do about it, grandma? You and Rudolph over there? Scold us?” He laughed, and with a wave, half a dozen others rose from the snowbanks along the road.
“We’re here, go ahead and lecture.”Gwen’s smile tightened.
“No, young man, I meant the gun. You just ejected a perfectly good shell.” She hefted her lance, continuing sweetly;
“You’ve only got so many in there, and there’s not a lot of space between us. How many to get past my Aura, d’you think? Three? Four? I think a lot more, but that’s how many you might get off before I get to you. And of course, your friends will start firing. Might hit you, too. But I’ll tell you what.”Her lance sparked to life, bathed in crackling golden light. In a single, smooth, overhanded motion she threw it like a javelin in the direction of the carriage. Wood and metal gave way instantly with a sound like cracking thunder, smoldering where it touched and embedded itself. One moment there was a functional, albeit abandoned, carriage and the next there was simply a hole where most of the near wall had been and where her lance waited patiently. The highwayman with the shotgun flinched and fired on reflex, but Gwen didn’t so much as flinch. The pellets simply struck and fell to earth.
The blonde woman leisurely grabbed the barrel of the gun, yanked it out of his hand, and examined it a moment before casting it to the side of the road. Her smile didn’t wane, but her voice came across colder than the snow.
“I’ll make it easy for you. Seven of you hooligans, and just a grandma’s bare hands. But since it’s Christmas, I’ll give you a second option. Drop your guns. And you walk back to wherever you came from.” Her voice dropped lower, smile like a scythe’s blade.
“I don’t think you’re that smart. Ruffians like you usually aren’t. How about you prove me wrong, huh big guy?”Des was giggling when she got back in the car.
“What’s so funny?”“You didn’t even touch them.”“Of course not,” Gwen shrugged faintly as she put the car back into gear and resumed her trip down the road… Past what remained of the would-be roadblock.
“They were idiots. Only a danger to the less fortunate, which is why I scared them off.”“But they might be back.”Another shrug.
“If they are, then it will be on their own shoulders. I doubt they will. Fools like that have a way of removing themselves from the gene pool.”Des giggled again at that, and was quiet for a few minutes.
“You’re not that scary.”“No?”“Mm mm. I’ve never seen you raise your voice. You don’t fight that often. I mean, Miss Gwen, you’re out delivering presents.” She paused, thinking, and then continued a little quieter.
“But some people think you are. And you never go visit Miss Juli.”“I never visit Julia because she’s a bad influence. The woman doesn’t wear pants, I can’t have her corrupting my protege.” At this she ruffled Des’ hair.
“I’m not supposed to be scary, now am I? I’m Santa. I bring good will and cheer, not fear.”The girl rolled her eyes a little, but smiled.
“Miss Juli can’t be that bad.”“That’s because I refuse to leave you unattended around her. What she does with her own protege is her business, she doesn’t get to corrupt mine.” An arm slipped around Des’ shoulders, and pulled her across the car into a tight hug. She protested a little, through her slightly flustered laugh. Gwen grinned.
“She can get her own reindeer.”“They say you’re a swordswoman. But I’ve never seen you use a sword.” Des cocked her head (or at least tried, given her position) to regard the blonde woman quizzically.
“Just that lance. But a lance.”“Rhon is what I use, these days. Mostly.” Gwen inclined her head a little in the weapon’s direction, without taking her eyes off the road.
“It’s better suited for what I do lately.”“But I’ve seen you practice with wooden swords.” Eyebrows furrowed together.
“Why do you practice something you don’t have?”“I have a sword.” The driver answered mildly, with a faint shrug of her shoulders.
“I’ve used it, plenty of times before. But it’s safer to leave it be, most of the time.”“I bet you could use it fine.”“I can,” Gwen allowed, and her smile had an alien touch to it.
“It’s safer for other people. There are standards, and my blade is not for the foes you have seen. Grab your stuff.”“Huh? How come?”“Road’s not safe in this storm. We’ll have to start on foot a little early.” The silver coupe pulled off to the side of the road, at least as far as it could considering the drifts, and she killed the engine. The cold seemed to seep into the air immediately, once the heater was no longer running, but they had prepared. Gwen fastened her cloak properly around her and pulled on thick woolen gloves, all while her ward gathered her own gear. It was of a similar make, Gwen had procured it for her, but of a deep regal purple instead of the royal blue that accented Gwen’s own. It would be cold out there, but their clothes were thick enough to spare them the brunt. Dust-based heaters were tucked in their packs for emergencies, just in case.
Gwen climbed out of the car and popped the trunk to remove her own pack and the sack she was entrusted with, setting both carefully on the packed snow of the road. She removed Des’, as well, while she was still getting ready. Then she started piling snow atop and around the car, a ten minute process that she had Des aid in as soon as she emerged. They wouldn’t be leaving it long, and it was locked, but concealment was a better strategy than depending on the locks. When they were done the vehicle was mostly buried, concealed in the side of a snowbank. The storm would cover it the rest of the way within the hour. Gwen clambered to the top of the bank where a tall pine tree still stood above the snow, and carved a notch on its trunk; she trusted her ability to remember, but if the storm proved worse than expected the mark would show where she left the car.
Des watched all of this in silence, she had seen the strategy before. It used to be that she would question the wisdom of leaving the car unattended, but to her astonishment, it had never been taken. Like many things, it was simply something she stopped questioning.
“We should be there in a couple of hours,” Gwen commented, noting yet again that she could see her breath. The sooner they arrived the better. She threw her pack over one shoulder and the sack of parcels over the other, starting south as though they didn’t weigh a thing.
“The mountain may be a little treacherous, so we’ll need to be careful. But just on the other side of the peak, there, is the village we’re looking for.”“Don’t suppose there’s a PO box we can leave it at down here?”Her guardian laughed, a warmth in the barren landscape. And she shook her head.
“No one will make the trip down here until spring, dear. That’s why we’re here.”Despite her small frown, concealed by the thickest, warmest scarf Des could find for she hated the cold even more than Miss Gwen, the younger girl followed close behind. She couldn’t match Gwen’s strides, long even in the snow, and they both knew it. The older woman matched her pace instead, continuing against the driving wind and snow in silence. The mountain was barely visible in the storm, even from where they left the car, but it gradually came into view as they walked. Emerging from the gloom far above, as though just waiting to be discovered. The weather was not kind; the wind whipped through the trees, rendering any sound from more than a few feet away inaudible. The snow obscured vision past more than a few yards. What had been a simple snow storm had quickly become a blizzard through the course of the day. A light would have been useful, even preferable, in the gloom. But Des did not ask her about one.
Gwen did not wish to bring one out. The terrain was rough, but it was not hostile. Simply uncaring. The things that lurked beyond it, the shadows
within shadows, the sounds that made themselves faintly heard above the din,
were. They could find tracks in the snow, if they cared to look. Obscured by the falling snow, but not obliterated. Grimm lurked about them, but for now they passed unnoticed. A light would change that. The storm hid them as much as the monsters. Still, Rhon shone faintly in the darkness; a caution against their foes. Every so often Gwen would stop and listen, and after a moment gesture for Des to follow her slightly off course. But these were the only interruptions in their climb. Time seemed as frozen as the land, impossible to gauge within the infinite gloom. They could have been walking a few minutes, or a few hours. Neither struck up conversation; it could give them away as easily as a light. But the burning in Des’ muscles and lungs spoke of the time they had spent climbing, taking their toll in the cold, thin air. She slowed, bit by bit, as they climbed.
After a time Gwen slowed to a stop, her cloak and hair coated in snow. Even in the darkness she was looking Des over, green eyes glimmering as though with a light of their own. She nodded to herself.
“We can’t stop.” She said softly, breaking the oppressive silence.
“It isn’t safe to rest here.”“I know,” Her ward responded, trying to keep the breathlessness out of her voice.
“I’m fine.”The Huntress shook her head and crouched down, turning her back to her protege and patting a shoulder.
“Get on.”Her tone brooked no argument, but Des tried anyway. She started to protest, but didn’t get through the first word before Gwen shook her head again.
“No, dear.” She said warmly, patting her shoulder again.
“Even reindeers get tired. I can carry you a while.”So, with a little grumbling, the mage in training climbed up on her back in between the pack and the sack, wrapped her legs about the older woman’s waist and her arms about her shoulders. Gwen pushed with her legs, returning to her full height and resuming the climb. If the additional weight burdened her at all she didn’t show it, instead moving faster than before. She settled into an easy rhythm, finding sure footing in the dark despite no way to see her path.
It was warmer, too. Despite her best efforts the warmth, the steady movement and even sound of her guardian’s breathing was enough to make her drowsy. The last sensation the purple-haired girl could consciously note was a harness made from cord in Gwen’s cloak pocket tied around her torso, securing her to the woman’s back even when she fell asleep. So despite a sleepy protest, sleep she did; drifting off to a dreamless rest.
It wasn’t until she spoke again that Des awoke.
“Des,” The Huntress said softly, in a tone of voice that she had already heard once today. She was carefully undoing the noted cord harness with one hand, while the other gripped Rhon’s haft tightly.
“I need you to wake up, dear.”“Mm? What is it, Miss Gwen?”“You need to walk. And I might need you to take our cargo, too.”Her ward couldn’t quite understand, not in her slowly waking state, but Gwen was serious. So she nodded and dropped back to her feet, shaking off the drowsiness and following closely. It was way too bright… But, she realized, it shouldn’t be. They had been avoiding a light. It wasn’t until a second later that it registered where the light was coming from, from Rhon’s gleaming form. The golden glow bathed their immediate surroundings in warm light, casting Gwen’s eyes in an almost alien gleam of emerald as though the light came from
within rather than without. She was ready for a fight, Des knew, in a way that she had not yet seen.
They continued in silence for a few long, tense minutes. Try as she might, Des couldn’t help but feel like she was holding her breath. Even the wind seemed quieter, as though the world outside their gleaming few feet of light was waiting with them for what was about to happen.
Then Gwen stopped.
“The village is half a mile that way.” She pointed with her lance’s tip, igniting it further to illuminate the start of her path. Des felt, through her gloves, the sack pressed into her hands. It was heavy, but she could move with it for a while. She would have to.
“We’re in a clearing. Nothing to trip on. If you get turned around, head southeast and you will see the lights before long. Mind your step, but move quickly.”“Aren’t you coming?” Des started to ask, but the question died on her lips when she looked at the Huntress’ expression. Cast in sharp relief by Rhon’s light, she seemed like a different person. There was no humor in her gaze, even if the kindness remained in her eyes. The warmth had fled.
“Yes. But after. Take the cargo, Desdemona Taylor, and head for the village. Do not stop. Do not look back. Now.”She shoved Des’ back gently, forcing her to take a step forward. The message received, the girl started in the direction she was instructed. Silence reigned again, pressing down on Des’ shoulders like a great weight. The light behind her did not move; her guardian was rooted to the spot, she knew even without looking. The wind howled again, carrying like the screams of the damned and laden with the creaking and cracking of a peace about to break.
Cracking?The thought no sooner occurred to her than the sound of shattering ice and breaking stone, as through the mountain itself had been cracked in two. The sound rumbled and intensified, taking on a crashing bass line muffled by the blizzard. With every passing second it grew louder. And louder, as though trying to drown out Mother Nature herself.
But it was met with a crack like thunder, and a flash like lightning. But the light did not fade like it, no it remained and bathed the whole clearing in an angelic glow that cast the world into yellowed shades of white and black. It was this light that revealed the source, a towering monstrosity hewn of ice and stone. Its bones ripped from the mountainside with violence, jagged and harsh coated in a flesh of blackened ice. Roots protruded from its form, here and there, speaking of fallen trees consumed by its enormity. Its head was masked in gloom, even in the face of such light, but eyes like burning coals peered through the gloom behind a helm of granite. Its immense right hand was like a spear, an ancient pine tree that had been claimed by this abomination. Its branches and needles sheared away until all that remained was a length of deadly wood. Its right was a claw of quartz and stone like the icy hand of Death, excavated from the deep hole in the mountain that this
thing must have called home.
It bellowed, a deep, crackling sound like the voice of the mountain, but was met with a yell clear as a bell.
“Monster! Fiend of the mountain, Jötunn who terrorizes the inhabitants of this realm, I name thee!” The yell was punctuated with another crack, as though the land itself beneath the weight of her proclamation. Despite its cacophony the Grimm could not drown it out, nor muffled her words.
“In naming thee I challenge thee!”
“Thou art Borea Gigas, frozen spectre! Thou art a monster from Hell’s blackest depths, and it is to those depths that you will return.”The rumbling was joined by a series of howls, a snarling discordance of unholy sound. Des ran, or at least as close to it as she could in the snow, as she had been bidden. She wanted to help, but she had been told to keep moving. Put as much distance between her and the fighting as possible, reach the village. But she couldn’t resist looking back over her shoulder.
Gwen caught a charging Beowolf on her lance without breaking her stride, as she stalked towards the towering Geist. Her feet moved easily, as though there were no snow in her way. The Grimm never knew what happened, the silvery point catching it in the chest when it lunged. The golden-haired warrior spun away from the Gigas’ left hand gracefully, not unlike a dancer, and flung the dissolving Grimm off of her weapon in the same motion. And she continued her advance.
“I challenge thee, and your unholy horde! I challenge thee as Gwendolyn Lloyd, Huntress of Beacon!” Every word was punctuated by a step, every sentence by a blow. She danced out of the Geist’s way as easily as breathing, meeting every Beowolf with lance or fist. When the Geist struck, she struck in turn; fracturing its spear a little more every time.
“I challenge thee as the Wandering Knight, Huntress Errant, and a Fang of Redwood! I challenge thee as the Sword of Vale!”Her voice thundered, and Rhom crackled and sparked with sudden energy. Her Aura. Gwendolyn’s soul illuminated the light, bright enough to force Des to look away and hot enough to melt snow where she went. She drew back and the lance
soared, splitting the air and wreathed in spiraling steam. It struck home in the Geist’s shoulder, sending up a cloud of steam from melting ice and cracking stone while the monster roared in fury. Bereft of her Aura, the weapon cooled still lodged in her foe’s form. The light died, slowly, and by its glimmer Des watched as her guardian backhanded a Beowolf contemptuously with an armored gauntlet. She forced herself to look away, to move even
faster. The village’s lights were in the distant, even if very faintly, and she knew Gwen was holding them off for her sake. She was outnumbered, and the longer Des delayed the longer she would have to do it.
She reached the crest of the hill beyond the clearing, and as she crossed it she allowed herself one last glance back.
Just as the the glow of Gwendolyn’s soul dimmed and died, it was replaced.
“I challenge thee in the halls of my fathers! I will not give thee an inch, not upon my life!” In the distance Gwendolyn was bathed in a light richer than before, beset on all sides by shadows that defied its efforts to light them, without a trace of fear. And as Des began her descent towards safety, across the clearing, she saw her guardian’s eyes
blaze in the light and her hand close upon the hilt of a sword.
”And by Camlann’s Gauntlet, I will not permit thee to flee either!”And silence reigned.
The blizzard descended once more upon the world, and Desdemona was not pursued. Her breath came ragged and rough, as she tried to keep up the pace that would carry her to safety. The packs were heavy upon her back, and heavier by the second, but the lights were drawing nearer. It wasn’t just her own safety, as soon as she got there she could send help. Gwen hadn’t caught up with her. Her guardian could handle anything, she was sure, but… The worry made her heart beat faster and harder, even if the exertion hadn’t already. She cursed herself for running, she should have stayed and helped. Even if Gwen had told her not to, she couldn’t have left the Huntress alone in that fight. Miss Julia wouldn’t have, Mister Daniel wouldn’t have, Benjamin wouldn’t have.
She stopped, debating within herself. The village wasn’t far, but would they be fast enough? Should she turn around to help? How long had it taken her to get that far?
Reluctantly she resumed her pace, concluding that she’d get more of a lecture for turning back than for doing her job. Despite her best efforts she started to slow, too; the sack was
heavy, and she had been running through snow almost to her waist. Next time, she told herself, they would be investing in snowshoes. If there was a-
No, Gwen could handle herself. Right?
She glanced back over her shoulder, and her heart almost stopped at the dark shape just a few paces behind her. Des stumbled, almost fell, and whirled upon her foe. She needed a second to conjure up a defense, so she swung the sack
hard to try and buy some spa-
“Reindeer, relax,” weaving out of the way with with sounded like mirth before stepped in to catch her arm so she couldn’t swing again.
“Des, relax. It’s just me.”“Gwen?”“Mhm. I told you I’d catch up.” No longer in danger of being thwacked with a heavy sack of gifts, Gwen let go of her ward’s wrist and ruffled her hair.
“You look frozen. Come on, you’re almost there. I gotcha.”The younger girl was scooped up, sack and all, before she could find her voice again. In closer quarters she could identify the royal blue of the blonde’s cloak with ease, and see the glowing green amusement under her Santa hat. Her lance shone silver, disassembled and secured to her back, and there wasn’t a scratch on the older woman. Despite, once again, carrying all of the weight and having caught up through the snow after somehow driving off their pursuers… She was barely breathing hard.
”G-Gwen? How did you- Where’d your sword go?”The blonde cocked her head, giving a bemused smile.
“Des, what sword? Didn’t I tell you not to look back?”“No! I mean, yes, but-”“We have bigger worries, Desdemona. Hang on.” Gwen yanked on a rope at the wooden gate they approached, ringing a heavy bell up towards the top of the barricade. She yelled up her name, too, when prompted and the gate swung open a second later. The guards nodded their greeting, but otherwise said little.
It wasn’t until they reached the elderly gentleman waiting just inside the guardhouse that she said anything else, simply announcing that she’d brought what she said she would and beginning to pull the gifts out of the sack. Given the red pants and long white beard, Des figured the man was probably serving as the village Santa. He was thanking Gwen profusely, but she just laughed a little, told him he was welcome, and kept setting the gifts on the table. Des said nothing, not until she was done and they had been directed to where lodgings had been set aside overnight.
Then, when the sack was handed back to her and they stepped outside again, she piped up.
“Wait, you forgot to give him a couple. I already mailed the one to Beacon...” She rummaged in the sack, pulling out the pair of boxes left behind.
“Mom?”“No I didn’t.” She said simply, mischievous light glittering behind snowy blonde hair.
“I told you, don’t take it up with me, take it up with Santa.”Des spluttered.
Her guardian simply laughed, a warm sound from her very core, and tugged her into a hug.
“Merry Christmas, reindeer.”
Bluetommy
Danyel
Ookawa
Musoka
Simple Unicycle
Plank Sinatra
