âHa! Thatâs a first! Ha ha ha!â the old fairyâs mirth caused his clothes and belly to jiggle.
Skye gasped at her own lack of manners, and put her hand over her mouth. Her cheeks flushed prettily as she apologized. The name had slipped out like she was an over-excited child. It was an old holiday based off of some ancient religion from before the Great Shift. Now, they had a version called Yuletide.
According to archaeologists and historians; the world used to have more than three continents, and a highly advanced population. But that was thousands of years ago. As the people dwindled then exploded, cultures and traditions mixed, making the holiday Alcon knew and loved.
Some great structures still partially remained from ancient times. The precision of the buildings were still far too advanced for current humans to replicate. The people could barely understand how they were built. It was a growing interest in the kingdoms; giving the King of Alcon even more of an excuse to collect magic users. He figured that if anyone was going to figure out exactly what happened, it would most likely be one of them..
Very few actual texts remained, but the story of Santa the Claws has been passed down for generations. It varied kingdom to kingdom, but the underlying principles always remained the same: Good children got sweets and a small gift, and bad children were taken to Krampusâ ice castle to make the toys. One toy was to be made for every bad deed that was not balanced with the act of a good one.
Of course as Skye grew, sheâd stopped believing in the childrenâs tale. But Yuletide had always been her favorite time of year. Whether they celebrated it or not; everyone seemed genuinely kinder to each other around the holidays. It brought a small sense of peace knowing that, at least for a small time; everyoneâs hearts connected.
But that feeling barely compared to the giddy excitement bubbling up in Skyeâs chest now. The male fairy floated ethereally in the air with his soft-white glow, as his laughter brought the child out in her. She removed her hand and beamed with joy. Not only was she getting to meet Another fairy, but he looked like Santa!
.....
âThat would make Total Sense for Santa to be a fairy! The stories never explained how a human of girth would get into a house properly. It would also make sense that he used reindeer; if he were a fairy Tamer. But that still didnât explain how the sack of presents worked.. Haha! How many debates have I gotten into with Tidas over all of this?! ....Damn, I wish he were here!â
The enthusiasm left Skyeâs face as a current image of Tidas popped into her head. Sheâd left almost fifty minutes ago now. Skye wouldnât be surprised if Petrie was gone by the time she got back. It had been around two in the afternoon when the nomads ambushed them. The sun indicated it was getting close to four or so.
The elderly fairy studied Skyeâs expression as it had shifted. He found it amusing that the lass hadnât changed. Seeing her and the young prince playing in their forest had been both educational and entertaining. They were good children; making an effort to not disturb the wildlife when they could, and usually cleaned up after themselves. He had enjoyed watching over them and keeping the predators away.
The children always left behind a small jar of honey or jam whenever they visited. They would announce itâs presence; yelling at the top of their lungs: âWe left ye a present fae folk! Donât be shy; itâs really good! And weâll bring more next time! So eat it all up!â
There had been something special about them. The forest had become dimmer over the centuries. The natural magic that flowed throughout Warrick Forest had been the reason the Fae had settled there. Over the centuries, the magic had begun to weaken and fade. But when the children began to visit, the magic returned. Everything came back to life, and the elder knew it Had to be connected to the children.
The Fae Kingdom was on the farthest southern continent. Some couldnât handle the increase in temperatures coupled with magic deprivation over the millennia. So a group migrated North, and built a free settlement for any Fae that traveled. It wasnât common, what with the threat humans posed. And their inflating numbers only made safe places outside the Fae Kingdom almost impossible to come by.
When he realized that Skye and Tidas were different from most humans in temperament alone, Nicolas decided to set a plan into action. Befriend the kind humans that technically owned the forest they lived in, and create an official sanctuary for Fae Kind in the north. It would also give him the opportunity to study them more, and find out how and why they affected the magic source of the forest. But his plan quickly feel apart when the children stopped coming.
It had saddened the old fairy to have his plans ruined, but that was only part of it to him. Skye and Tidas had become like unofficial grandchildren to him. He watched over them, protected them, and even on occasion; indirectly played with them. Heâd use his Tamer magic on a rabbit or chipmunk, and have them chase and catch it. The children were very kind; never hurting the animals that played with them.
He looked at Skyeâs worried face and smiled empathetically before saying, âI have been told of your situation, and Iâd like to try and help, if I can.â
âDo ye know of me power? Oh, umm.. Powers, pardon me. Ima sorry, but I must get back..â Skye began to say, but was cut off.
âPrince Tidas? I know of the events that have occurred. Aero told me most, and the forest told me the rest.. He is fine, and so is.... the other man as well. And my name is Nicolas; do with that what you may,â Nicolas gave a cheeky smile at Skye when he finished.
Skye had perked up at the elder fairyâs statement, but had to ask: âHow do ye know?â
Nicolas pointed up with his finger as his smile broadened. Skye stared up at her namesake for a moment before something dark streaked across the patch of dimming sky. She focused hard; keeping still and not blinking. After about five seconds, a beautiful brown-gold hawk flew between the trees tops, and landed on a low branch, just a few feet from her. She had gasped in awe when the bird came into view, but up close; it was breathtaking.
Nicolas boisterously laughed at Skyeâs wonderment. She really was just like a child in her heart. Even after taking lives, his hawk allowed Skye to approach and pet his feathers and neck. The aura she gave off was like nothing heâd ever felt before. And yet, it was familiar at the same time. Like the land was whole just from her existence...
Sudden realization hit Nicolas so bad he almost yelped: âNo... No, no, no. That canât be right. It couldnât... But what other explanation is there?! Her powers, her aura, her innocence... It all fits the legend.. I, I need to do research first before I jump to conclusions..ân/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
âI donât want to frighten her. And I most certainly must be right before I tell her..â Nicolasâ demeanor shifted to deep concentration as his thoughts raced with trepidation.
âDonât worry St. Nic, he wonât hurt me,â Skye assured; seeing his concern and assuming it was due to her petting the hawk.
âYou are right, child. But I was actually deep in thought about your powers.. Aero said you hadnât realized that you were sharing your magic with Celestia. Using a beginnerâs make-shift version of a Shaman trait. Did you not know youâre Shepherd; that you had two magic traits?â Nicolas questioned as he fluttered over to Skye.
âNo; Ima only aware of me water magic.. I thought Elementals couldnât be Shepherds? Every book on magic Iâve ever read said as much,â Skye had kept petting the happy hawk as she talked.
âMe teacher was an Elemental as well. I was not happy to find out that I couldnât learn to fly some day on me own, like him. Because I could never be a Shepherd,â Skye sighed as she finished speaking and petting.
âAh! Youâre educated then?! I shouldâve figured, considering how quick you are. Your father must care for you very much since he had you educated.. From what I understand, humans have an oddity about allowing their women to read or learn,â Nicolas twirled his long beard around his finger as he spoke.
âHah.. Weâre getting a wee bit off subject here,â Skye said uncomfortably.
âYes! You must get back to Tidas. I will go with you to get your horse, and instruct you on how to heal him. Iâll send Hugo to pick up Maevis; a good friend with Earth magic that can mend your clothes for you.. Canât have you going home like that,â Nicolas gestured to Skyeâs torn up dress.
âEarth magic can do that?! Ack! Now Ima jealous of earth users, too..â Skye said childishly.
âYour Water magic is extremely rare; even for Elementals. It may not seem like much to you here, but on the Fire Continent; youâd be treated like a Queen. And probably made a Queen due to that, and your beauty,â Nicolas said jovially as he waved his hawk off.
âIma not interested in being a Queen; just the wife of a prince,â Skye retorted back as they began to head in the direction of her horse.
Thoth was easy to find. He hadnât really moved from the spot where Skye has dismounted him. Heâd found a patch of dandelions and was lazily munching on them as Skye walked towards him. Nicolas saw the body on the ground, but didnât say anything. She didnât know if Aero had seen the start of the ambush, or just the end scene by the willow tree. Either way, it didnât matter.
Skye and Nicolas both knew she did nothing wrong in defending herself and Tidas. And it was obvious she wasnât cold blooded. If she were, the man known as Petrie wouldâve been dead too. And caring for a wee fairy wouldâve been out of the question.
After Skye had mounted Thoth, Nicolas sat on Skyeâs shoulder; holding a thick strand of her hair for balance. Skye was loving that she had a Real fairy sitting on her shoulder. And the fact that he looked like freaking Santa the Claws was the icing on the her fairytale cake.