A Kronborg Christmas Eve

     The large royal coach came to a stop in front of the gate to Brightvale Castle. Solarin, Brightvale's official Royal Steed, lowered his head; the load had been much heavier than usual, and he was exhausted from pulling the carriage through fifteen centimetres of fresh snow. The door to the carriage opened and a petite grey Acara climbed out, walking over to the white Uni and patting his shoulder.

     "I'm sorry," she said to her old friend. "I did warn you that we weren't travelling light."

     "That you did, Princess," he conceded, turning his head to address Princess Annabelle, the younger sister of Kings Hagan of Brightvale and Skarl of Meridell, who was returning from having been to Altador to visit her elder brothers at the

     Council of Leaders. "Next time, I won't assume that's just extra presents for the Day of Giving, and I'll make sure to find another Uni to help me pull this carriage."

     "Your efforts will not go unrewarded, Solarin," added King Hagan, climbing down from the carriage behind his sister. Hagan had requested to be allowed to leave the Council for two weeks to return to Brightvale--it was his triplet granddaughters' first Day of Giving, and he did not want to miss a moment of it. He had not, however, warned his children that he would be coming; he wanted to surprise them the way Annabelle had surprised him the day she'd arrived in Altador. Speaking of surprises, he

     glanced at a portly Grey Skeith dressed in a Scorchy Claus costume, who was now climbing down out of the carriage as well. Bringing Skarl along had been his idea--he was worried about what Skarl might say or do without him there to keep his brother in check--but the costume had been 100% Annabelle's doing.

     "Remind me," Skarl growled, scratching underneath the large false beard, "Why am I dressed like this again?"

     "On such short notice, you were the closest thing we could get to a Scorchy Claus impersonator, Skarl. Besides, the girls haven't met you yet, so it's not like they'd notice anyone missing."

     "They're nine months old, are they going to notice anything anyway? Besides, aren't most babies that age afraid of Scorchy Claus?"

     "Aren't most babies that age afraid of you?"

     "Touché. Still, I don't see why I have to do this."

     "Skarl, this has been a very trying year for us all," Annabelle sighed, reaching out to touch her brother's elbow. "I think a good way for us to end it and start off the next one on the right foot would be to spend the holiday together as a family for the first time since Mother and Father passed."

     "Surely we've spent at least one holiday together since then."

     "Actually, I think she's right," Hagan interjected, twirling his moustache as he often did while deep in thought. "At the very least, I know I have not spent any holidays outside of Brightvale since Roland was born, and while I think I invited you to come here a few times, you always declined."

     "Hrmph," Skarl grunted and shuffled his feet, looking a bit embarrassed. "Anyway, I don't think I'll make a good Scorchy Claus. I'm not exactly in a jolly mood." Annabelle's expression softened, and she reached out and patted Skarl's arm.

     "I understand completely, Skarl," she sympathised. "I'm not exactly feeling the holiday spirit as much as usual, either. This curse makes even getting out of bed so difficult. Still, though, every day I just try to make the best of it. Especially today, since I'm sure Dona will be taking pictures, and I want her to be able to show those pictures to those little girls someday and be able to say that, despite everything, we did have a very happy Day of Giving as a family. She shivered, and then turned toward the castle entrance. "I don't know about you two, but I'm freezing my toes off out here. Shall we go inside?"

     ***

     The Brightvale throne room had been thoroughly decorated for the holiday season, though all the decorations this year were various shades of grey. In addition to a large Christmas tree dominating one corner of the room, several chairs and a small sofa had been brought in to allow the various guests that had come in and out of the room throughout the day (and would likely continue to do so the next day) to sit and chat comfortably. A plush rug had been placed on the floor in front of the sofa and was currently occupied by three Baby Neopets--a Grey Gelert and two Grey Acaras--who were playing with a small pile of toys. A sideboard had been kept continuously stocked with light foods, fruit punch, and Neggnog. Sir Tormund Ellis of Meridell and Lady Roberta Sopher of Brightvale were currently conversing between themselves near the sideboard, glasses of Neggnog in hand. Prince Roland stood up from the throne, stretched, and walked over to the sofa where his sister and her husband were sitting watching their children.

     "Oh, Ro, I wish Papa were here," Princess Dona moaned. "Why must this be the first Day of Giving he's missing?"

     "These are hard times for all of us, Dona. I'm sure he has plenty of important business to attend to in Altador, and also that he'd rather be here than attending to it."

     "Then why doesn't he come home?" she whined. "He's a king, he can do whatever he wants!"

     Roland wanted to explain how that wasn't exactly true, but before he could figure out how to begin to explain this to the pampered princess, the door to the throne room opened and a Grey Techo entered the room. All eyes turned to him as he bowed low.

     "My esteemed Prince Roland," he intoned in his usual overly formal manner, "Regent of Brightvale, may I present your aunt, the official ambassador to the Kingdom of Meridell--"

     "Oh, for Fyora's sake, Johfrit," Annabelle sighed, edging past the herald. "He knows who we are!"

     "Aunt Belle!" Roland started while his sister jumped off the sofa in surprise at their aunt's sudden arrival.

     "Mama!" cried Roberta, hastily putting down her glass of Neggnog as she ran to her mother and embraced her. "Welcome home!"

     "It's good to see you, Aunt Belle," said Roland, after giving the two Acaras a moment to themselves. "What news from Altador? How is my father?"

     "I'm doing very well," said Hagan, also side-stepping the dejected Techo. "Especially now that I'm home."

     "Father!" Roland visibly jumped a couple of centimetres in the air in surprise.

     "Papa!" cried Dona, running to her father and throwing her arms around the large Green Skeith. "Why didn't you tell us you were coming?"

     "I wanted to surprise you all." Hagan gently kissed the top of Dona's head. "I see that I succeeded."

     "Father, I am so sorry," Roland whimpered, twisting his tail in his hands. "I failed you. I let all this happen on my watch. It's all my fault!"

     Hagan stepped back, releasing his grip on his daughter. With four long strides, he crossed the room and pulled the young Kougra into a bone-crushing hug. Roland let out a soft grunt of surprise (and possibly slight pain) before returning his father's embrace. As they pulled apart, Hagan kept his hands on his son's shoulders and stared directly into his eyes.

     "Son, I want to make this perfectly clear: None of this is your fault. You could not have done anything differently to prevent the Grey Curse from taking hold here. In fact, based on all the reports I have received in my absence, you have probably done a better job handling this crisis than I would have done when I had been King for as long as you have been Regent. There is a learning curve when it comes to being King, and you are doing a truly incredible job. Do you understand?"

     "Yes, Father," Roland replied thickly, his eyes tearing up. "Thank you."

     Hagan pretended not to notice his son's tears, instead moving back toward the rug, where his granddaughters were watching apprehensively. Two of the three--the Gelert and one of the Acaras--began to cry and crawled to Prince Tourin, clutching at their father's legs for protection. The third simply sat still, sucking on her right thumb while clutching a Grey Gelert Plushie in her left arm. Hagan paused; he had not been anticipating a fearful reaction from the babies, but then he remembered that he had now been in Altador for almost two-thirds of their young lives. Of course they wouldn't remember their grandfather.

     "Ho, ho, ho! Happy Day of Giving!" Skarl chose this moment to attempt to break the tension by entering the room with a sack full of gifts (carefully assembled by Annabelle, of course), but his almost manic forced grin resulted in confused looks from the adults and screams of abject terror from two of the three babies. Hagan shook his head, while Annabelle closed her eyes and pinched the skin between them in frustration. Skarl walked toward Hagan and the babies, then knelt down in front of the one who was still not crying in terror. He noticed a small letter E embroidered onto the shoulder of her dress. Probably the only way to tell them apart, especially with them being Grey, Skarl reasoned.

     "Are you Princess Ellie?" he asked, grinning at the tiny Acara. "And have you been a good little princess this year?"

     As if in response, Ellie removed her thumb from her mouth, grabbed Skarl's false beard, and gave it a firm yank. The fluffy white beard fell off Skarl and covered her head, causing her to shake her head until it fell to the floor. Dona and Tourin

     called their daughter's name, admonishing her for her behaviour. The other adults burst out laughing, including Skarl, who winked conspiratorially at the young Acara.

     "Thank you for that," he said to his young grandniece. "Between you and me, it was quite scratchy. You're pretty smart, you know that? You figured out right away that I wasn't the real Scorchy Claus, didn't you?" She stuck her tongue out at Skarl in reply, causing him to laugh harder. "Your namesake used to do that to me, too. I'm your Uncle Skarl, by the way, since you probably didn't know. Now, I might not be Scorchy Claus, but that doesn't mean I don't have a present for you here, let me see..." Skarl rummaged through the sack, eventually pulling out an Alabriss plushie. Ellie's eyes went wide as she reached up and snatched the plushie, hugging it tightly. Skarl then reached back into the sack, pulled out an Altachuck plushie and a Yooyu plushie, and offered them to the two cowering babies. They each grabbed one, then almost immediately decided that they both wanted the Altachuck. As the two of them began to tug on the plushie, Annabelle came over and placed a hand on Skarl's shoulder.

     "Nicely done, Skarl. That didn't go too horribly, all things considered."

     "I suppose not, sis." He lifted the sack, raising an eyebrow. "There are still more presents in here."

     "Well, of course there are, silly. I had to make sure everyone gets a present!"

     ***

     Two hours later, all the gifts in the sack had been distributed and opened. Tor was standing in a corner writing a letter to his parents, who had fled Meridell (at Tor's urging) when Void Shades had begun crossing the Brightvale border into Meridell. Annabelle herself was deep in conversation with Hagan and Roland, probably (so Skarl thought) discussing important matters of state. Both Hagan and Roland were absent-mindedly turning their new books over in their hands as they spoke. As for Dona, Tourin, and Roberta, they had gone to put the three little princesses to bed. Skarl sat absentmindedly staring at his own gift: a portrait Annabelle had painted of herself and her two brothers together in Altador. The painting was based on a photograph she'd asked King Altador take of the three of them the day she'd arrived, and she'd gotten Jerdana to enchant the painting so that he and Annabelle turned to their natural colours when Skarl moved his hand from right to left across the image, and back to Grey when he moved his hand from left to right. He stared at the full-colour version of the painting. He had now been Grey for just over six months--so long that he was almost used to it--but seeing himself and his sister back in their usual shade of blue made him feel the despair of his current condition strongly once more. With a sigh, he changed the painting back to Grey, tucked it under one arm, and slipped out of the throne room unnoticed. He had almost made it to the front door when he heard a female voice call out to him. Turning, he saw his niece Roberta descending the stairs alone.

     "Where are you going, Uncle Skarl?"

     "Home." Skarl shrugged, turning back toward the door.

     "Have you called a carriage?"

     "Er, no."

     "So, were you just planning on walking to Meridell? Alone? In the snow? After dark?" Skarl didn't need to look to know that Roberta would be standing with one hand on her hip, in exactly the same pose Annabelle would adopt to admonish him. Why does she have to take after her mother so strongly?

     "Be--I mean, Roberta," he caught himself almost calling the young Blue Acara by her mother's name. He turned once again to face her. "I don't belong here. Hagan's got his family, and your mother has you, and this is all of your home. I have nobody, and I haven't been to my home in six months."

     "We're all your family, Uncle Skarl, but I understand you being homesick." She finished descending the stairs and looked up at her uncle. "At least let me call Solarin to take you home," she paused, looking down and turning her head slightly in the direction of the throne room, "and Tor should probably go with you. You know, for protection. Two swords are better than one."

     Skarl scrutinised his niece. The tone of her voice and the way she was avoiding her uncle's gaze certainly suggested that she was heartbroken at the idea of Tor leaving prior to the Day of Giving. It seems like they were planning on spending the holiday together, Skarl mused, and I'd have to be a real heel to deny them that. He glanced around, noting that they were alone except for a pair of guards standing at the door to the throne room. He lowered his voice and stood slightly closer to Roberta.

     "Listen, er, well, thinking of Tor, I don't think I ever thanked you properly for saving my tail during that whole Darkest Faerie ordeal. In my youth, I prided myself on my skill at arms, but that day I was completely useless. All I could do was watch as the two of you took down those three Dark Faeries."

     "You were under a mind control spell," Roberta conceded. "Still, you stole my credit for that fight. You made me look like some useless damsel in distress, but if it wasn't for me breaking their invincibility spell, we wouldn't have been able to attack them at all."

     "Well, I certainly didn't want my men looking at me like I was the damsel in distress," Skarl hissed. "Do you know how embarrassing it was to have to be saved by my baby sister's baby?" Skarl sighed, shaking his head. "I know your mother says I should've been secure enough to just take pride in the fact that it was my niece who saved Meridell, but that's easier said than done. I still thought of you like those three little babies, and suddenly here you were, a grown woman, and probably more powerful than me."

     "When someone might be more powerful than you, you probably shouldn't anger them," Roberta pointed out logically. "You do know I wouldn't fight against you, right? You might be a bit of a jerk sometimes, if I may be completely honest, but you're still my uncle." She paused for a moment before shrugging and adding, "Not to mention Mama would have my hide. Sometimes I think that, even though Uncle Hagan has done more for us, you're her real favourite brother."

     "That's good, because she's my favourite sibling," Skarl grinned. "We spares have to stick together, after all."

     At that moment, the door to the throne room opened and Annabelle emerged, immediately fixing her eyes on Skarl and Roberta. As she approached, she noticed the painting still tucked under Skarl's arm and scowled, placing one hand on her hip.

     "Skarl Kronborg, were you just trying to leave without even saying goodbye?!"

     "Wait," Roberta interjected, immediately imitating her mother's pose. "You didn't even say goodbye? You just slipped out without saying anything to anybody and planned on walking back to Meridell alone in the snow at night." She shook her head. "It's a good thing I came downstairs when I did."

     "Skarl, what were you thinking?" cried Annabelle. "In what world would that be a good idea? Even at the best of times that would be foolish, but now with this whole grey curse going on it would be--"

     "Your daughter already confronted me about it, Belle." Skarl cut her off, shaking his head. "Also, so you know, I tried to take your advice and apologise for being a heel during the episode with the Darkest Faerie, but I think I botched it. You know I'm no good at talking about feelings and stuff. Anyway, Roberta, I couldn't possibly take Tor away from you when you're clearly set on having him here for the holiday, and if you insist that I not leave without him, well, I guess I'll just have to stick around too." He smiled weakly as he placed a hand on Annabelle's shoulder. "If that's alright with my favourite sibling, and with our stick-in-the-mud eldest brother. It's his castle, after all."

     "He's the one who convinced the Council to let you come with us," Annabelle pointed out. "We both want you here, Skarl."

     "Alright, but if we do this again next year, you're coming to Meridell, and I'm hiring someone else to play Scorchy Claus."

     "That's fine with me, Skarl." Annabelle grinned, dragging her brother back toward the throne room. "In fact, I'll hold you to it."

     The End.