Christmas Eve feels different in Sugarplum Hollow than it does anywhere else on Earth. The air is full of magic—like even the snowflakes carry a bit of it with them as they fall.
From our living room window I can see the twinkling lights of town glowing in the distance, every rooftop dusting with glittering frost with the snow perfectly lining the edge. Every chimney curling ribbons of smoke into the sky.
Behind me our very own hearth crackles as Ryatt paces back and forth in front of it. His arms are crossed over his chest, his jaw clenched to a point I’m sure he’d crack a molar if he doesn’t let go. He’s been restless since last night, switching betweenglaring into the fire or pacing the floor. I know it’s his first run with Santa, but I think it’s more than that.
“You’re going to wear a hole into the floor,” I say softly as I grip his elbow, slowly stopping him.
With a heavy sigh, he turns to face me, his shoulders slumping under an unseen weight. “I just…I still haven’t spoken to him since the ceremony. How am I supposed to forgive him for lying to me about his health?”
His voice is weary; the emotional toll of this issue weighs him down. The ceremony changed more than the trajectory of our lives. The wedge between him and his father hasn’t seemed to melt even with no communication and a few days to cool off. If anything, it’s only made it worse—the longer they seem to go without talking about it, the bigger the cavern gets.
“Ryatt,” I whisper, stepping closer, placing a hand over his Northern Star. “I know he lied, and I know it hurt you. But he didn’t lie to you with the intention of hurting you. Yeah, he manipulated the situation to bring you back home, but would you have come back on your own? Sometimes love will make you do crazy things.”
He huffs out a laugh, the tension easing from his shoulders as his hands slide down my arms, pulling me flush against him. “That’s the most Holly response you could give me. You’re right, I don’t know if I would have come back on my own. Staying with you, in New York City, was the first time in my life that I was just Ryatt, and not anything else. Being here…it comes with so many rules, obligations, and time-consuming things. I’d much rather be laying in front of this fire with you tonight as you read one of those holiday rom-coms you love, then racing across the world all night.”
I reach up, running my fingers along his freshly shaven face. “I know you would, but I’ll be right here when you gethome. Probably asleep or just waking up. But nonetheless here. Tomorrow we can cuddle in front of the fire and all that.”
A soft smile spread across his face before he lowers his forehead down to mine. “Berry, I’m one lucky man to have found you. Will you come with me to the launch pad? It’d mean the world to me if you came to see me off.”
“Of course. Now let’s go make your dad proud. It’s Christmas Eve. You’ve got a planet full of believers waiting on you.”
He brushes his nose against mine. His Northern Star pulsing beneath the ugly sweater I forced onto him earlier. By forced I mean I pouted until he put it on.
“You sure you’re ready for this?”
“Please,” I tease. “I’m dating Santa’s horsepower. How many girls can say that?”
He laughs softly as he hooks my arm around his. With a snap of his fingers I’m dressed fully in winter wear down to a beanie and another gorgeous scarf. “You’re not just dating me, Holly. You’re my reason for flying.”
We walk hand-in-hand down the path as everyone scurries to finish all the last minute tasks before the big night. Several times I had to lean into Ryatt to avoid being ran over by carts pilled high with all sorts of toys.
The elf running Merry Mugs, the adorable hot cocoa stand on the corner of the Town Hall, bellows about getting one last hot cocoa before you leave. Even with a line down the sidewalk, people are still spilling into it, hoping to get their cup.
The closer we get to the launch pad, the more crowded the streets become. One positive is once they realize who I’m walking with, they scramble out of the way and whisper furiously how sorry they are. The first few times I’d look at him questioningly, and he’d only shrug. Now? I’m just hoping we get there without another person tripping over themselves.
I know the second that we enter the main area, where the sleigh and the other reindeer are. There are barricades blocking the landing area, lights beaming into the sky as they dance back and forth, and people are pushing closer in hopes of seeing something.
The second the man watching the crowd spots us his face morphs into horror when he sees us pushing through. His shrill whistle rings across the area as he cups a hand to his mouth, shouting about moving over for the Dasher, and something in Elvish I don’t understand. Regardless, it works, and the path clears.
When we reach the guy, he lectures Ryatt about not going through the main areas to get here because he will be stopped continuously. Ryatt only nods his head before pulling me past him and into the wide open space.
My mouth gaps open when I see the size of the sleigh and a few of the reindeer already moving into position. I notice that their family emblems still dangle from their necks, although substantially larger. Ryatt was right…we are way off on the sizing of our reindeer. These guys are easily eleven maybe twelve feet tall from their hooves to antlers. I’ve never felt so small in my life.
I wave when I see Caspian and Callen walking over with two other guy’s I haven’t met yet. They are all chatting with each other as they walk up to us.
Caspian claps Ryatt on the shoulder, smirking. “Man, I heard you walked through the main way in. You know better than that, especially as the new Dasher. Did you want to be bombarded by the elves?”
Ryatt snorts. “No, but I wanted Holly to see what it’s like around here since this is her first time.”
“Oh yeah! Little Red’s first time on the Landing Pad. Big deal and all that.” Caspian says as he leans over and gives me a brief hug.
Callen steps up, giving me a hug as well as he says, “Are you ready to see Ryatt’s true form?”
My nerves bubble in my gut because honestly, no, I’m not. It’s one thing to be told about it, and a whole different thing to see it for yourself.
“Uh…yeah, I’m ready.” I say nervously.
A bell chimes loudly from speakers stationed around us. Ryatt’s shoulders slump as he turns to me. “Alright, that’s our first warning. Essentially, we have to get over to the reins so the elves can attach us to the sleigh. It’s an entire process.”
