Or Silver Bells May Whisper

{ " Prologue. " }

Arthur sighed, perching on his bed. He swung his legs up and spread out, staring at the ceiling. It'd been almost two years since he'd become Santa Claus, and the joyous season of Christmas was rolling around again. He began humming 'O Christmas Tree' to himself, trailing off. The thought swirled around his mind; 'Have you met someone?' The truth is, his family'd been nagging him about how he needed a Mrs. Claus, old or not. And, honestly? He was becoming fed up. A knock on the door snapped him out of it. "Lil' bro?" He heard, before pushing himself up on his bed.

He hesitated once he got to the door, though opened it slightly. "Steve, hey." He greeted his brother through the large crack. The bags under his eyes became more prominent in the light reflecting from the ice. "You've been really quiet lately. You okay?" Arthur nodded. "Yeah, fine. Just..." he cleared his throat, "tired." He breathed. "You sure?" The older one asked, tone persistent. "I'm fine, Steve. I'll see you tomorrow, alright?" The brunette had already abruptly shut the door before his brother could answer. He then walked back over to his bed, glancing over the portraits near his headboard.

He sat, lying back on his bed again as his chest arose and fell slowly. Arthur's eyes drooped closed, and before he knew it he was asleep. "Santa Claus?" He was startled awake from his sleep by a small voice, along with a thump! as he fell off his bed. "WUH!" He groaned in pain, the back of his head now throbbing as he sat up. "Oh, I'm so sorry Mr. Claus!" A specific blonde elf exclaimed, closing his bedroom door after herself. "It's okay, Bryony." He laughed as she grabbed his hand and helped him up. "And, y'know you don't have to call me that, right?" The small elf let his hand go once he was steadily on his feet.

"Right! Of course!" She exclaimed, laughing awkwardly as she rubbed the back of her neck. Arthur laughed at the small girl. "Now, what exactly was it that you needed?" He asked, making her light up. "Oh! Well, you need to come down for breakfast." He nodded. "Right. Tell everyone I'll be there in a minute." The elf saluted, before leaving Arthur alone in his room. "Ahh, Arthur! There you are. How's my Santa Claus?" Steve teased as he walked into the quarters, playfully ruffling his hair. It made Arthur laugh as they hugged. "Good." He answered, now feeling much better.

After breakfast finished and everyone else had dispersed, Arthur snuck out of the quarters and into the... garage, I suppose you'd call it? to see his sleigh. Eve. "Hey, guys!" He greeted the reindeer, laughing with joy as they dashed over to him once they'd spotted him. He petted the soft fur of Dasher's head; it felt like silk. "Right. You guys ready?" He asked out to the magical creatures after he'd gotten the reins. Once at the one place he'd been so excited to arrive at, he dismounted from Evie. "Stay here." He ordered to Dasher, whispering. He then headed out of the trees, no longer in sight.

You see, Arthur had hidden Evie outside of the town, and - obviously - the camouflage was on, so no-one could see her. He'd hidden the reindeers themselves - all five thousand of them - in the forest, where he'd hidden his beloved sleigh. Once in the quiet town, his eyes took in every little aspect, every little detail this beautiful part of the world had to offer. Including the toy store. Yes, the, not a. He'd been to this town before and had always absolutely loved looking at all the different kinds of toys. Indeed, the elves made toys every year, but this... this was breathtaking. Exciting. Amazing.

Not that it wasn't anyway, Arthur just... preferred toy stores, he supposed. He was pulled away from his thoughts, entering the store. His eyes passed and were glued to every single thing he saw. He then cringed at the look of one of them, face twisting as he let out a sound of unpleasantness. It was one of those really old fashioned dolls, looking dead and without emotion. 'Creepy,' he thought. And he was right; it was creepy. The eyes were albino; black irises and red pupils. It sent a shiver down his spine. He jumped at the sound of his HOHO vibrating in his pocket, hurrying toward the front of the store.

Though, he was alarmed as he heard the sound of a voice letting out a yelp of pain. He saw a figure on the other side of the glass; he'd slammed the door into their face! Hurrying out, he gasped. "I am so sorry!" He exclaimed. "Are you okay?" He asked straight after. As they looked up to meet his eyes, time seemed to freeze for a moment. It was a girl, and... she was beautiful. Emerald green eyes glimmering in the pale moonlight, flaming orange hair flowing over her shoulders. She was wearing a jet black faux fur coat with the zip open, along with a sky blue T-shirt, black leggings, and tan brown boots.

A rather simple yet cozy winter outfit. Whereas, him? He was wearing the outfit he always wore- apart from his Santa uniform, of course. He couldn't reveal to anyone he was Santa like that. She touched the bridge of her nose, wincing as a purple bruise began to form. "It- it's okay. I'm fine. It just... stings a bit." He frowned. "Again, I'm so sorry." She let out a light laugh, a melodic sound. "It's alright. Now, can I please..?" She gestured to the door. "Oh, right! Of course!" He stood out of the way. "Thanks." She said as she opened the door, before letting it go and walking into the store.

Just like that, she was gone. Out of his life... forever. He stood there, feeling dumbfounded as he then turned to head out of the town. Once back home, he made the journey to his room in silence. He closed his bedroom door after himself, throwing his lengthy figure onto the bed. His lips formed a giddy grin as he let out a giggle. Though, he quieted himself as a wave of guilt overcame him. 'You need to be more careful!' He thought, a melancholy frown replacing the elated grin he'd once had. Staring at the ceiling as he had before, he closed his eyes, and slowly drifted off to sleep.

A/N.

Whoo, first chapter up! I watched the movie a few days ago and got into the Christmas spirit so I thought, 'why not'? Enjoy!~

C'ya Peeps!
- Ali.