Claus

Frost - Chapter Two

Ruhnerium felt no different than it had the first time Faryn had arrived in the North Pole. Now that Nick's loyal elves knew he was alive, was it that outrageous to think that the village would at least seem cheerier? Perhaps Christmas carols would be sung to greet them or a tray of hot cocoa topped with whipped cream that would be presented to them as they made their way down the stairs from the train platform. But it was if nothing had changed. A few elves who were passing by the platform noticed Nick and bowed before going on their way but after that they didn't bother to spare another look at the group.

Two sleighs awaited the group. Both were white and wrapped with deep forest green garland and the ripest of holly berries. A team of horses were saddled to one sleigh while eight reindeers were hooked to the other. Surely, they were Nick's personal sleigh team. The ones who were responsible for the warm bag of shit Faryn had received for Christmas.

Nick moved ahead of their small group and approached the reindeers. He slapped the reindeers on their backs, rubbing the backs of their heads. The greeting was like how one would welcome a long-lost fraternity brother. The reindeers answered his greetings with honks and harsh nudges of their heads against Nick's stomach, narrowly avoiding skewering him with their antlers.

Clíodhna and Peter stood on either side of Faryn. In their own separate group were Klaus, Jack, and Dagur.

Faryn hadn't spoken more than a few words to her chaperone while they were on the train, choosing instead to isolate with her friends in a cabin. Before boarding the train, the Yule Lad had greeted her, telling her he was looking forward to training her and that she would be perfectly safe under his guard.

Faryn had only asked that he wouldn't underestimate Jack.

Now, her cousin and Klaus made their way over to Nick, while Dagur crossed the snow to Faryn and her friends. In his footprints, bits of the cobblestone street peeked through the snow.

"Might I join you in your sleigh?"

Frowning, Clíodhna looked him up and down. "You are supposed to be her chaperone, right?" When Dagur nodded, she said, "I think that means you're required to ride in her sleigh."

He ran a hand over his hair. "Right. Sorry. I'm new to all this."

"I couldn't tell at all."

Faryn stepped on Clíodhna's foot, and the Leprechaun grunted. "You're more than welcome to ride with us."

Dagur smiled graciously and tugged at his white coat that was lined with pale sandy fur and trimmed in gold.

Behind him, Nick, Klaus, and Jack had already boarded their sleigh. Nick grabbed the reins and gave them one snap, and their sleigh slid along the snow.

As their distance grew, it was if the world leveled out, as if air finally flowed back into the space, and Faryn took a greedy gulp of it.

An elf stood beside their sleigh. He was dressed in deep green livery and helped the four of them to board. In the sleigh, the seats were a creamy white and plush, like the freshest snow. Gray fur blankets lay draped over the seats.

Clíodhna and Peter sat on one side, wasting no time in making use of the blankets. Neither Faryn nor Dagur made to reach for them.

The elf climbed up into the driver's seat behind Faryn. He didn't bother to check if they were ready before he snapped the reins, and the sleigh began to drag over the snowy streets.

Faryn focused on a piece of holly. "It's important for you to know that Peter and Clíodhna will also be keeping an eye on things."

"I suspected as much." A pause. "You're very loyal friends," he said, and Faryn dragged her gaze away from the holly to see him place a palm over his heart and bend forward. "I take my task of training and guarding Mother Winter very seriously. Winter entrusted me with this role, and I will not fail my court."