[Ilfraenn's South Pole]
Hidden deep in the mountains of BrightIce that encircled the South Pole, was
a small valley. Trees lined each side, their branches weighed down with
snow, and a large cabin nestled at one end against the side of the the
valley. Before it stretched the valley floor, perfectly flat. It was
formed from a lake that lay frozen all year round, for in the depths of
BrightIce mountains, winter never left.

Smoke curled from the chimney of the cabin, lazily twisting upwards into the
sky to mingle with the softly falling flakes of snow. Beside the cabin was
a pen, where several antlered beasts grazed on small piles of dried hay.
Their coats were thick and bushy, giving them much needed protection against
the harsh cold.

Inside, a roaring fire blazed in the hearth, heating the whole cabin. It
was a hive of activity, with small elfin people running back and forth,
laden down with all manner of parts. Brightly painted blocks and wheels,
jingling bells, clockwork mechanisms - the elves hurried about the cabin,
assembling and testing the toys under the guidance of a stout figure
dressed in a red suit trimmed with white fur.

Other elves packaged the toys into boxes, wrapping them in cheerful festive
paper, their nimble fingers tying the silken ribbon into large bows.
Finally they were put into a huge sack, ready to be loaded into the sleigh
for Santa to distribute to the children.

"Well, my busy workers, we have only two days left - tomorrow evening we
will be on our merry way, flying through the sky to all the little boys
and girls." He laughed throatily as the elves redoubled their efforts
making the gifts.

Suddenly, a shriek rent the air, the high voice piercingly loud before it
cut off abruptly.

"WHAT?!" Santa strode between the tables stacked high with half finished
presents, making for the cluster of elves bending over a prone figure, lying
motionless on the wooden floor.

"What happened?" he asked, leaning over.

"It's Blitz," said one of the elves, "He was testing one of the toys, and
now - he's... he's..."

"Dead?" Santa said in a hushed whisper, "How terrible. I know he was SO
looking forward to riding with me in the sleigh. Well, it can't be helped,
I suppose. I'll break the news to the others..."

"No, not dead," another elf interjected. "Look, he's still breathing..."

"Well don't leave him there," Santa said, turning away as the elves gathered
Blitz up from the floor.

He looked at the colourful wooden box that Blitz had been working on. Its
lid hung open, the clown weaving slowly back and forth on the spring that
had propelled it out. A small smudge of blood on the clown's forehead bore
testament to the blow that had knocked Blitz out. Frowning, Santa carefully
pushed the clown back into the box, closing the lid firmly on the toy.

Two huge piles of presents lay to one side - one mound were all giftwrapped,
tied with bows of satin ribbon and stacked neatly, while the other had a
jumble of unwrapped toys and presents. Santa put the Jack-in-the-Box toy
that had got the better of Blitz on the second pile, before making his way
back to the roaring fire once again. He shook his head in despair - would
they be ready in time?

---

[On the streets of Montfort]

Winter held the land of Ilfraenn in its chill grip, and the town of Montfort
lay carpeted in a thick blanket of snow. Ice crystals sparkled on the
trees, frosted leaves dancing in the breeze. The wind gusted suddenly,
blowing a fine spray of snow from the fields and showering it over the
hedgerows. The last rays of sunshine shone wanly on the rooftops, casting
lengthening shadows in the streets below where townsfolk hurried home, well
wrapped up in their furs, thick cloaks and mufflers.

Boots crunched on the fresh snow, and even the passing wagons did no more
than cut ruts into it as they ferried their passengers and goods about the
town. Lanterns hung swaying from the ropes between buildings, bathing the
street beneath in a cheery glow. Shop windows were misted with condensation
from the heat within, and icicles hung gleaming from the signs proclaiming
their trade.

As day faded into night, the lights began to wink out in the shops as owners
closed earlier than usual, everyone eager to get home to their families.
Many would open again tomorrow and then on the morning of Christmas Eve to
catch the last-minute customers, but tonight they headed for home, their arms
full of gifts for their families and relatives. Small children ran back and
forth from window to window, red noses pressed against the cold glass, and
breath fogging their view as they gazed at the toys inside.

"Papa, Papa, may Saint Nicholas bring me my boat? Pleeeease Papa..."
pleaded a young boy, tugging at his fathers sleeve as the two made their way
down the street.

"Saint Nicholas only visits those children that have been good, Jacob. Have
you been good this year Jacob?"

"Yes, Papa, very good." the youngster replied, jumping with excitement.

"Well then, if Saint Nicholas knows you have been good, he might bring you
your boat," his father replied, banging his gloved hands together to try and
keep the chill from his fingers.

"Yeeeaaay!!!" yelled Jacob, running down the street laughing, his feet
kicking up puffs of snow.

He stopped abruptly, looking down a narrow passage that ran between two of
the buildings. His father caught up with him, and turned to see what had
caught his son's attention. A young girl sat huddled by the wall, shivering
in the cold. Her hair was matted, her dress torn, disgustingly filthy, and
wet from sitting on the frosty ground. Her bare blue feet had barely melted
the snow they were so cold, and she held one trembling hand out toward Jacob.

"Alms? Alms, kind sirrah?" she asked, desperation in her eyes.

"Begone with you, street urchin - people like you should do a decent days
toil, not wait on the street for handouts. Come along Jacob," he said to
his son, roughly pulling him away. "We will be late, we must not keep Mama
waiting."

"Please, Sirrah, for I am hungry and so cold..."

"But Papa," Jacob protested, wriggling around to steal one last glance at
the beggar girl.

"Come away now, and speak no more of it, Jacob." The father pulled his son
down the road, ignoring his pleas to help the young girl, whose eyes
followed them until they turned a corner out of sight.

The girl sank back into the snow, her teeth chattering as she fumbled for
the tiny pouch at her waist. It was light, not even clinking as she tipped
the few coins into her hand, her fingers numb with cold as she sorted
through them.

"Not even enough for a meal," she grumbled, "let alone shelter for the
night."

She sighed, tipping the coppers back into the purse and hiding it inside her
filthy clothes. So much for festive spirit and human kindness, she thought.
She would be spending another night in the company of whatever farm animal's
shelter she could sneak into. As she set off toward the outskirts of the
town, her frozen feet scuffing through the snow, she glanced up toward the
heavens. Stars twinkled in the clear sky, a sign that tonight would be
extremely cold. The girl pressed on through the snowy streets, ignoring the
pain in her feet.

Behind her, snowflakes started to drift gently earthwards, settling in her
footprints and thickening until they were obscured altogether.

---

Kaplan trudged into the bedroom and pulled the sleeping cap down over his
head. The decorations were finally finished, the stockings hung, and the
house was at last ready for Christmas, which was only a few days away.
Martha was already asleep, her hair wrapped up neatly. Not wanting to
disturb her, Kaplan lay down quietly and carefully.

The house was unusually quiet. Martha wasn't snoring. The wind wasn't
rattling the broken shutters on the front window. Even that damned rat
wasn't scurrying around behind the walls. The children had gone to
sleep long ago, and were probably dreaming of candy, presents, and other
festive things.

Suddenly there was a horrendous noise on the roof. It was a series of
loud, rhythmic thuds... almost like thunderclaps... followed shortly by an
incredibly loud BOOM! Kaplan could have sworn he heard bells jingling!
The rapid thuds continued, and were joined by a scraping sound... as if
something heavy was being dragged across the roof of the house. The
entire collection of noises moved from one end of the roof to the other,
where they stopped altogether.

There was the slightest instant of silence... and then-

THUD!

Something hit the ground outside.

Kaplan leapt from his bed and flew to the window. All he saw was shadows
in the yard, but there was definitely movement and noise from behind the
house. He'd have to go outside and check.

"Dear, what was that noise!?!" Martha called.

"We'll see in a minute."

Kaplan grabbed his robe from the closet, and made sure to snatch his
crossbow from the top shelf. He loaded a bolt and made for the back door.

He passed the children's room on the way. The children were crying and
shouting in fear.

"It'll be alright lads," Kaplan called. "You just stay in there, okay?"

"Yes, father," came a tiny child's voice.

Kaplan ran to the door and opened it.

"Dear Gods!" Kaplan gasped.

It was a huge sleigh, fully twenty feet from end to end.... and every inch
decorated with red bows and ribbons. And it was sitting in his back yard!
He had no idea how it got there, but juding from the noises, it must have
tried to land on his roof! But that would have meant that this
contraption could fly!

Kaplan stepped out onto the porch to get a better look. At the front of
the sleigh was a team of large animals. The bold, magnificent beasts had
antlers like deer, but they were larger and more muscular than any normal
deer he'd ever seen. They had thick, shaggy coats, and they grunted and
stomped impatiently in the grass. There were nine of them in the
harness... four pairs of two, and one singular animal in the lead. That
animal... the one in front... had a glowing red nose. It was like a
giant ruby, and it threw off more light than a hundred candles. The
entire yard was illuminated by it, though it gave everything a strange, red
tint.

Kaplan heard footsteps. They were coming from the far side of the sleigh,
where the sleigh itself blocked his view. It sounded like several people,
and Kaplan could have sworn he heard whispering.

"Who... who's here?" said Kaplan. He raised his crossbow, but then
lowered it again. He didn't want to accidentaly frighten anyone. "Is...
is anyone hurt? Hello?"

There was no response, and the whispering stopped. Most of the
deer-creatures turned to look at him. The one with the red nose
almost seemed to smile.

"Amazing," gasped Kaplan. He walked over to the sleigh and ran his
hands across the wood. Then he made his way to the front, where he could
get a closer look at the majestic animals. They just watched him come.


"Magnificent," he whispered as he petted one beast on the snout. The
fur was smooth and soft. He wondered what they were, and how much they
cost. "Maybe they're like horses..." Kaplan tried to open the beast's
mouth to look at its teeth.

He succeeded. He pulled the beast's top lip back, and what he saw
underneath surprised him.


---

Maurice crept out of his bedroom and tip-toed silently to the back door.
He had heard his father go out a few minutes ago, and could have sworn he
heard voices and footsteps. Who would be visiting them at this hour?
His curiosity got the best of him, and so he made his way to the rear of
the house.

There was a red light shining through the windows, and when he opened the
door...

"Wow!"

The huge sleigh barely drew his attention at all. Once the boy saw the
man who was standing next to it, his mind refused to see anything else.

It was a tall man, with a pear-shaped body and a jolly red face. He wore
a bright red suit with white fur trim around the sleeves. He even had a
red and white hat on his head. The man's flowing white beard reached
halfway down his chest. He was pulling a huge red sack from the
sleigh.

"It's SANTA!

The jolly old elf turned around and winked at Maurice. He put one fat
finger to his lips...

"Shhhh...." he said. His eyes twinkled in the strange red light.

"But Santa!" Maurice whispered. "It's not Christmas yet!"

"Shhhh...." Santa repeated. "The elves have to see who's been naughty and
nice. And then Santa will bring all the presents on Christmas eve."

"Oohhhh..."

Santa winked and nodded.

Maurice looked around, but didn't see any sign of his father.

"Have you seen my father?" he asked.

"He's helping Santa take care of his reindeer."

"Wow! My dad is helping Santa!"

"Would you like to help Santa too?"

"Can I!?"

"Only if you can keep a secret."

"Sure I can!"

"Gooood. Santa needs a place to hide his sleigh. Do you know of a
place Santa can put his sleigh?"

"We have a barn you could use. Over there-" Maurice pointed to the old
bar at the edge of the property.

"Goooood. Now you go on back to sleep, and be sure not to tell anyone
you saw Santa. That would be naughty. You don't want to be naughty, do
you?"

"No!"

"Good. You run along, now, and be sure not to tell anyone. Santa will
put something special in your stocking for you!"

"Wow!"

Maurice ran back into the house, leaving Santa to his huge sleigh, his bag
full of presents, and his nine reindeer... who were munching joyfully on
whatever it was that reindeer ate.

---



[The Pittar's House]

The front door banged shut, and Jacob ran shouting through the small house
into the kitchen while his father hung his coat, hat and scarf neatly in the
hallway.

"Mama, Mama, Papa says Saint Nicholas will bring my boat!!"

The woman looked up from her baking, her cheeks reddened by the heat of the
stove. Her sleeves were rolled up to the elbows, and pastry stuck to the
front of the white apron she wore. She even had a streak of flour in her
hair - but Jacob saw none of these details. His eyes were fixed on one
thing, and one thing only. Piled high on the kitchen table was food for
what Jacob thought might be an army - and enough to feed them for several
weeks!

"Now, young man, don't you take another step until you've taken your boots
off!" she exclaimed, pointing at the trail of muddy snow that ended at his
feet. "I didn't spend all that time cleaning the floor in here to have you
turn it into a stableyard again!"

"Yes Mama," he said sheepishly, looking at the dirty puddle forming on the
tiled floor around him. Jacob struggled out of his boots, his cold hands
fumbling at the laces that tied them around his ankles.

"Mama?" he said, his mind drifting back to the girl on the street earlier.

"Yes Jacob?"

"Why do those people ask for money on the streets?"

"They are the boys and girls that were bad last year, Jacob."

She relented when she saw the look of horror on her son's face. "They are
not as fortunate as you are - their parents do not earn a good wage, not
like your hardworking Papa."

"But then why doesn't anyone help them," he asked, confused.

"Because they need to learn to help themselves," his father answered as he
strode into the kitchen, gathering his wife up and kissing her soundly on
each cheek.

"Are we all set for the big day Mama?" he asked, smiling.

"That we are, that we are. I've the bird stuffed, the holly is hung in the
parlour, and the pudding is steaming on the stove. Auntie Jenny and Uncle
Markus will be here tomorrow morning, Grandpapa and Grandmama too, and I've
let Mel go early, being as it's nearly Christmas. She'll only be getting
under my feet these next couple of days anyway."

Neither saw Jacob dipping a finger into the small jar of sauce cooling on
the side, licking the soft red berries off before his parents noticed.

"Well I suppose we had better trim the tree, eh Mama?" he said, winking at
Jacob.

"Oh yes, the tree! The tree!!" Jacob cried, running over to his father and
pulling at his hands. "Come on, Papa!"

"Alright, my impatient son, I'm coming," he said, smiling at his wife as
Jacob tugged and pulled him out of the kitchen and into the parlour. He
grinned as he watched his son's awestruck face. The tree was huge, much
bigger than last year. The dark spruce filled the room from floor to
ceiling, the trunk planted firmly in a deep barrel of sand. He brought out
a large box, tied with string.

"Yeay!" shouted Jacob, recognising the box that held the decorations they
used every year to dress the tree. He jumped excitedly as his father pulled
out the candle holders, candles, baubles and the tiny wooden ornaments.

Papa held one in his hand for a moment, turning the tiny sleigh over. It
had been crafted with exquisite care, every detail as crisp and sharp as the
day it had been carved. He and Meg had seen them in a small shop, tucked
into the corner and half hidden by other more gaudy decorations. Meg
had fallen in love with them, and he had obliged - and spent almost a weeks
wages on the box. He shook his head, remembering those early days. He
still couldn't refuse anything that Meg desired - no matter the cost.

"Papa, Papa, shall we have lighted candles again?"

Jacob's voice brought him back to reality. He tied the sleigh onto the
tree, then picked up another ornament and reached up to place it where Jacob
wouldn't be able to reach. Another few years, and the boy would be
outstripping him though, he thought.

"Yes, Jacob, we shall. And you shall light them, if you like."

Mama watched the two of them unseen from the door, a smile on her face.
Christmas was a wonderful time, and she loved seeing the surprise and joy on
Jacob's face as he opened the presents on Christmas morn. She treasured
every moment of it, knowing that one day he would realise Saint Nicholas
wasn't real, and that Christmas would not be quite the same after that. Her
thoughts came back to the present as the smell of warm spiced wine drifted
from the kitchen, and she hurried back to her preparations for the
festivities.

------

The girl lay curled in the straw, teeth chattering in the cold. The swine
that shared her shelter snuffled and snorted in their sleep, their breath
steaming in the bitterly cold air. Even the straw felt frozen to the young
girl, and she burrowed deeper into it, throwing hay over herself in a vain
attempt to keep the chill off.

So very cold, she thought, her hands and feet numb. She thought about
curling up next to one of the pigs, using its bulk to keep her warm,
but the straw around her was warming slowly, and she was loathe to
leave even that feeble heat.

She drifted in and out of conciousness, falling into the deep sleep that
often proves deadly in such cold weather. She didn't hear the crackling of frost
on the snow outside, didn't hear the feint jingling of bells in the crisp
air; nor the high pitched laughter as the tiny elfin figure slipped out of
the shadows, its eyes gleaming in the darkness as it ran outside to the
waiting sleigh, to report to the stout figure dressed in red and white that
waited patiently.

Her world faded into darkness, a world where she had a full belly and warm
toes; remembering those days so long ago when she had opened gifts under a
pretty tree, surrounded by rest of her family.

So many years ago now...

Frost crackled on the straw, reaching its glistening fingers toward the skin
beneath - skin that rapidly cooled in the cold. The blue of her skin spread
from toes to feet and from fingers to hands then wrists, the girl succumbing
slowly but surely to the winter freeze.