The Twelve Days of Christmas (Part One)
The Twelve Days of Christmas
PART ONE
Day One
A high, cheery voice broke Princess Avianna’s slumber.
“Merry Christmas!”
Curled into her sheets and blankets, she twisted away from the sound.
Just a few more minutes…
“Come on, Princess. It’s Christmas. Time to rise.”
Princess Avianna sighed and unraveled herself from the bed. She wasn’t a morning person, and as a princess she rarely had the luxury of sleeping late.
Yawning, she said, “Merry Christmas, Mora.”
Mora dressed in the modest clothes of her position: a blouse and skirt loose enough to allow free movement, cut to cover her body, not accentuate it. Today’s outfit, however, was silky and red, a gift from Avianna’s father to all the servants for Christmas.
Mora giggled. “What are you looking at, my dear princess?”
Avianna shook herself, realizing her grogginess had kept her in place a moment too long.
“Sorry. I was wondering, Mora, if your clothes are more comfortable than mine.”
“I wouldn’t know, but I believe they are. Form, function, and comfort are rarely sewn together, the seamstress says.”
Their conversation continued as Mora helped Avianna into her riding outfit—a divided dress with trousers underneath.
She would be expected at the stables soon for the Lady’s Ride, one of her kingdom’s many Christmas traditions. This was Avianna’s twenty-first Christmas, and she had never missed the Lady’s Ride, even as an infant.
Every Christmas morning, at least one man from each family participated in the annual boar hunt. If they caught a boar, the boar’s head would be prepared, the “Boar’s Head Carol” would be sung at supper, and all would celebrate. If not, all would lament: “The boar’s head, as I understand, is the rarest dish in all the land.”
Not finding a boar wouldn’t dampen the Christmas festivities; the lament, in Avianna's mind, was more fun than singing the song.
Either way, as with all centuries-old traditions, people added to those traditions where they saw fit. Avianna’s grandmother, with the title of Queen Mother, had been the first to suggest a Lady’s Ride.
Apparently, she didn’t want the men to have all the morning fun. Why wait around and drink tea for a few hours when we could ride into the forest ourselves? So, the ladies had a peaceful, pleasant horse ride while the men wearied themselves out on foot with a hunt any animal could hear from miles away. It was a miracle any boar had ever been caught in the tradition’s storied history.
Avianna thought about these things as the grooms saddled her horse. Grandmum (as Avianna called her) arrived shortly after her. Other ladies from various noble houses and vassalries stood by their horses, waiting for the Queen Mother to lead the charge.
Though none of the ladies looked like commoners, their riding dresses were a far cry from the fancy, courtly attire they’d be donning later. Avianna enjoyed this morning ride, if for no other reason than to be reminded that the courtly women she’d always been nervous around were no more than mere women.
She’d never say such things to these women, naturally, nor would she verbalize any of her true feelings towards the Queen Mother. Instead, she gave a pleasant greeting, and the two of them mounted their horses.
The Queen Mother led the ride, and Avianna kept her mare close by. Dozens of ladies rode with them this foggy Christmas morning. Tendrils of mist curled between trees, and Avianna wondered if the sun would break through today.
Avianna followed as her Grandmum led the procession off the King’s Road down what used to be a game trail, before rides like this one had padded it into a permanent path through the forest.
She was just looking off the trail towards the frozen lake when the Queen Mother spoke.
“Princess, join me at the head, if you please.”
Grandmum’s voice was low and direct; whether or not Avianna pleased, the directive was not a question. She’d grown used to that tone ever since the Queen Mother assumed the motherly role in her life after her mom’s illness and death ten years earlier.
Avianna pushed her mare’s pace to trot even with the Queen Mother.
“Child, I must ask: Have you seen your prince recently?”
Avianna’s stomach twisted. “No, Queen Mother.”
“When did you see him last?”
“Nearly a year.”
“I don’t expect him to be here today, do you?”
Princess Avianna said nothing.
“My granddaughter, I’m sorry for what happened last Christmas. It was embarrassing for many of us, not just you. Please my dear, do not keep your heart for that man, expecting his return.”
“He is returning, Queen Mother,” she said, voice as even as Avianna could muster.
“I’m sure you think so, dear. I know you haven’t paid any attention to the suitors your father and I have sent your way, and I understand grief impacts a girl much, but please, child, I have one request.”
Princess Avianna clenched her fists while holding her horse’s reigns. She showed no agitation on her face. “What is your request, Queen Mother?”
“Dance, girl. When gifts are given, the drinks are shared, and the music grows lively. Dance. Dance with whoever asks you to, and think not of your runaway prince.”
Princess Avianna went through the motions befitting a princess speaking to her grandmother, but she withdrew as soon as possible, and it wasn’t until she found her horse at the end of the procession that she allowed the tears to escape her eyes.
One year ago, her true love asked for her hand in marriage.
Per tradition of the Kingdom of Nestarden, a royal proposal of marriage must come with a dowry fitting for the royal hand being asked for, and approval of the dowry from the king or queen. As was the case with many royal proposals in the kingdom’s history—including her Father’s proposal—her proposal had happened on Christmas Day, during the time of night called The Giving of Gifts.
During this ceremony, public gifts were exchanged between royals and nobles in the King’s hall.
Her true love, Prince Lennon, had asked for her hand in marriage…
With nothing for a dowry but himself.
His parents’ small kingdom, near Nestardon, had recently made an alliance with King Caledon, Avianna’s father. All their former wealth was spoken for, absorbed into either the working of their estate or into the treasury of King Caledon himself.
Lennon’s parents were reduced from king and queen to duke and duchess.
Although he was still a prince, Lennon had no inheritance, no wealth that didn’t already belong to the king.
Yet he tried anyway.
“For Christmas, I give to thee my very heart. For all my days, all my nights, I am yours. With this gift, Princess Avianna, I ask for your hand in marriage, from your father King Caledon, in the presence of the Kingdom of Nestardon.”
A moment of elation, a second of joy.
But her father spoke before she could.
“Your gift is not enough for the hand of my daughter. You are denied.”
She’d stayed by his side the next day during the Feast of Stephen. She clung to him, told him she could convince her father…
“I have to go now. Your Father knows your worth, perhaps better than I. You deserve more than a giftless prince.”
He left before the new year, gone to seek a new fortune and to bring back a dowry worthy of her hand.
He promised he’d be back, to try again on Christmas.
Yet Princess Avianna hadn’t seen him, or heard any word of him from anyone from the kingdom’s outlying regions. Even his own father and mother hadn’t heard word for many, many months.
Think not of your runaway prince.
Her grandmother’s words cut deep, but Avianna composed herself. She completed the ride’s circuit and even made conversation with some of the ladies. Though her position kept her from seeing them often, she’d considered some of them to be her friends.
They spoke of the many decorations, songs, and dishes they had to look forward to this day. Wisely, none of them spoke of her prince. Soon they all returned to the castle’s stables, and the horses were left with the grooms.
Princess Avianna returned to her chambers, and Mora helped her dress for mass. Aptly called Christ Mass, the whole kingdom attended mass on Christmas.
She sat with her father and the Queen Mother in a place of honor at the front, but thankfully they had no special roles in the ceremony. They simply did whatever the priest told them to do. It was one of the few occasions Avianna felt equal with the common people.
Songs were sung, scriptures were read, Holy Communion was received, and they moved on to the next festivity of the day.
The afternoon time before the feast was set aside for the arrival of guests.
To Princess Avianna, this was always the most tiresome part of Christmas Day. She was used to exchanging small talk with visiting nobles and royals of other kingdoms. She was used to hearing how no kingdom celebrated Christmas as grandly as Nestarden did. She was used to hearing all the latest royal gossip nobles assumed a princess would appreciate.
She heard about the latest betrothals and the latest scandals. Yet even the more innocent news of the castle’s new clock tower was the source of heated conversation.
“A clock tower in a castle, who heard of such a thing? Is the kingdom wastefully spending precious resources provided by the noble houses?”
“The king says he’s bringing the kingdom into a new age of technological progress!”
“Who needs clocks? The sky tells us everything we need to know!”
On and on and on, the talk continued, and Avianna loathed every minute. She’d rather be dancing, rather be eating, rather be exchanging gifts with her father and watching others open gifts of their own…this was the time of day she always dreaded on Christmas.
As if it couldn’t be any more awkward, she saw and greeted Duke Etan and Duchess Beren, Prince Lennon’s parents. They were friendly and apologetic. They had no news of their son or if he’d be coming today.
Princess Avianna had confided in Duchess Beren more than once, seeing her more as a mother figure than her Grandmum. Still, with the public nature of the venue and the ever-watchful presence of the Queen Mother mingling with the guests, Avianna knew it would be wise to keep their conversation as short as possible.
The feast did arrive, sooner than Princess Avianna expected. The boar hunt was unsuccessful, so now the “lament” was shared by everyone. Each conversation during the feast began with that phrase: “The boar’s head, as I understand, is the rarest dish in all the land.”
It amused Avianna, and she liked that it gave her something to talk about with the feast’s guests.
Even without the boar, the feast was lavish. Turkey, chicken, venison, and more game she didn’t recognize. Dishes with potatoes and other vegetables brought needed variety as well.
The chairs and tables were placed throughout the King’s hall, but as the evening continued, tables and chairs were set aside to make room for dancing and other merriment.
Before the real dancing could begin, King Caledon had to commence the Giving of Gifts.
His jeweled throne was stationed with the queen mother’s smaller throne on a dais. When he’d finished eating, he gave a speech about Christmas time, thanked his guests, and gave the first gift.
He handed Princess Avianna a wrapped package.
She unwrapped it and found a beautiful, purple dress. She smiled. I’ll wear this on New Year’s Eve.
She thanked her father, but he motioned back to the package. Was there more?
At the bottom of the box where she could hardly see was a small black pouch. She peeked inside to find several handfuls of bird seed, along with a neatly folded piece of paper.
Princess Avianna unfolded the paper and read the letter:
My dearest daughter,
I gave your mother a quail that fateful Christmas Day, 23 years ago.
Though you haven’t received your “quail” yet, may this seed grow into many, many birds.
—And may you experience a love many, many times greater than what I experienced with your mother. I pray you will fly higher and sing sweeter than I ever did.
—King Father
The gift was truly sweet for Avianna.
Though her father ruined last year’s Christmas, she always knew he cared for her.
The pain of not seeing Prince Lennon often reminded her both of his proposal and of her father’s oft-repeated story of his own proposal.
He’d given her mom a full-grown quail.
Quail were rare in the land she’d grown up in, and even though it wasn’t the most costly dowry, he proved to her and her parents that he cared deeply for her.
Apparently, Prince Lennon’s gift of himself couldn’t be judged the same way.
She hugged her father and stayed at the side of the room while other public gifts were exchanged.
She looked over both her new dress and the birdseed. She remembered how as a little girl, she had convinced herself that birdseed could grow birds. Would she get “birds” of her own?
Would her true love return to her?
Her father had hardened over the years, but this gift was proof that he was still a sweet man. He would say yes this time, wouldn’t he?
Since he hadn’t arrived with the other guests, Princess Avianna had completely given up hope that she’d see her prince today, when a knock sounded on the hall’s exterior door.
The door had been closed to preserve the room’s heat, but it was not locked. Anyone stepping out for some air could easily return. The presence of a knock could only mean the arrival of a new guest. An honored one who would need some sort of reception.
The knocking continued until the bustle of the party stopped. Even the musicians stopped playing their merry tunes.
She looked at her father and could see surprise in his eyes.
King Caledon stood, face unflinching, and called, “Enter, guest.”
The door creaked open, and there in the cold stood Prince Lennon.
He was dressed in a suit of gold and white, and a bright red cape trailed behind. His shirt had detailed lacework around the collar. His whole outfit appeared to be made from the finest silk.
He entered, followed by an entourage of servants.
He bowed for a minute and stood straight. “Dear King Caledon, I apologize for my tardiness. I wish you a Merry Christmas. I’ve brought many gifts for you and your guests, but before the Giving of Gifts ends for this year, I have a public gift to offer.”
The king nodded. “This is the time to offer public gifts. You may do so.”
“Princess Avianna. This gift is for you, to be opened in the presence of the entire kingdom.”
She stepped forward.
“On this first day of Christmas…”
He winked. Avianna felt a flutter in her chest and a knot in her stomach. His words held some kind of magic, she thought.
“…I give to thee, a partridge in a pear tree.”
Four servants came in holding a large clay pot. From within, a young pear tree was growing. It was only two meters tall, but it already had pears hanging from its branches. A prominent branch stuck forward more than the other branches and leaves, and on it perched a partridge.
The calm bird squawked, and it seemed to be looking at Avianna.
“My princess, my true love,” Prince Lennon said, “what you see is no mere gift. Though it is not a quail, the partridge is a symbol of my ever-growing love. The tree represents the shelter and steadiness I will provide you in marriage. The pears should remind you that I will satisfy all your needs. If you join me in marriage, you will never want again.”
His gaze had been loving and confident, but now he turned to King Caledon. The king’s eyes were fire.
The Prince didn’t ask his question. He didn’t need to.
Most in attendance had witnessed last year’s rejection, and any who hadn’t had surely heard of it.
All who now saw understood; the prince is back, this time with a dowry that rivals the legend of King Caledon’s own proposal.
For a full minute, hush settled over the crowd.
In that quiet, Avianna pushed down the worry. This is grand! He can’t possibly say no. He’s just thinking of the right words to say.
Finally, the king spoke. “Prince Lennon, I thank thee. But my answer this Christmas remains the same as last. Your gift is not enough for the hand of my daughter. You are denied.”
The crowd gasped.
Avianna didn’t remember falling to the floor, but there she was, weeping. A year of waiting, wasted. When she finally gained her composure, she looked around the gaping, chattering onlookers.
Where’s my love?
As she looked, she saw her father, still standing on his dais, his face stone.
Anger rose within her, and Avianna knew at any moment she’d say something regretful. Princess Avianna ran out the door into the cold. She pushed past partygoers, who all seemed to freeze at her approach.
She started asking people where Prince Lennon had gone.
Many were unhelpful, but one said he had left quickly with his servants.
It made sense. Per courtly tradition, one did not linger after a rejected proposal. Of course, Queen Grandmum would be having words with her tomorrow about how running out as such was beneath her station. She probably still expected Avianna to dance with whoever asked her.
She’d have to gently tell the Queen Mother that her staying would’ve resulted in greater humiliation.
The things she felt towards her father were passionate, direct, and certainly not respectful.
As she tried to find her prince, she finally began to calm down. Princess Avianna realized that even if she found the right ship at the harbor, the dock master would never let her pass. She also knew she had no business returning to the Christmas festivities.
She navigated the castle to her chambers, found her journal, and started to write her thoughts with ink and a quill. She absently wondered if she could get a feather for a new quill from her gifted partridge.
More than her anger, deep sadness bubbled out of her.
After she journaled, for the first time in her life, Princess Avianna went to bed early on Christmas.
Day Two
A high, cheery voice broke Princess Avianna’s slumber.
“Merry Christmas!”
Curled into her sheets and blankets, she twisted away from the sound.
Just a few more minutes…
“Come on, Princess. It’s Christmas. Time to rise.”
Princess Avianna groaned. Still under her covers, she yelled, “Mora, please let me sleep. I know I’m not needed anywhere this early.”
“But Princess, the Lady’s Ride.”
She sat up in bed and uncovered her face. “Mora, there’s no Lady’s Ride today.”
“Why of course there is, Princess! It’s tradition.”
Princess Avianna lay back in bed. Everything that had happened the day before ran through her mind. The anticipation…the disappointment…the anger.
“Leave me alone!”
“The Queen Mother will be very displeased. No princess has ever missed the Lady’s Ride since the tradition began. I’m just doing as the King and Queen Mother have commanded, and I just think—”
Princess Avianna threw a pillow at Mora.
Mora caught it, but her eyes widened, and she stopped talking.
Good.
Avianna narrowed her eyes and got out of bed. “Why are you lecturing me on tradition, today of all days? I don’t know if you were anywhere near the King’s hall last night, but you should know I had the worst Christmas of anyone, and I know I have nowhere to be, and I KNOW we’ve never had a RUBBISH Lady’s Ride on Saint Stephen’s Day!”
Mora’s eyes were even bigger. Indeed, Avianna didn’t remember the last time she had such an outburst. Probably not since she was a little girl.
Avianna sat on the bed and covered her face, crying again.
“Princess.” Mora finally said, voice gentle. She touched Avianna’s shoulder.
She sniffed and looked at her maidservant.
“I don’t know what happened yesterday, but I do know today’s Christmas. If you don’t get ready soon, the Queen Mother might march up here herself.”
Avianna laughed. “Surely you are joking. Yesterday was Christmas. I rode with the ladies, I welcomed the guests, we had a feast…” She couldn’t bear to speak of what happened with Prince Lennon.
She shook her head. “Princess, today is Christmas. Today. Maybe you had a bad dream?”
Avianna grabbed her journal, and nothing from last night was written in it.
A dream?
“Please, Princess. Let’s get you ready for your ride.”
She dressed as quickly as possible, but her mind reeled. How could it be Christmas? Maybe Mora’s the confused one. We’ll get to the stables, and nobody will be waiting for us. We’ll have a laugh.
Princess Avianna smiled at the thought and moved even faster.
She arrived at the stables, and it looked exactly as it did the day before. All the ladies had their same clothes on. Avianna knew she was a little later because her grandmother’s horse was already saddled.
“Come along, Princess. Let us not be late.”
“Yes, Queen Mother. My apologies. I had a fitful sleep.”
As the groom got her horse ready, Avianna talked a little bit to the other ladies, carefully asking them about their days yesterday.
Not one of them mentioned Christmas.
By all appearances, Mora was right.
As the ride commenced, Avianna was deep in thought.
How can this be? Did I see a vision in the night? A detailed premonition? Maybe God wanted to warn me of what would come?
She knew the only way to find out would be to go through the whole day and see if everything happened the same way.
Which meant she’d have to live her worst moment again.
One minute at a time…
The Queen Mother summoned Avianna to ride at her side, and their conversation went exactly as it had the day before. Avianna carefully said everything the same and looked for any variation in her grandmum, but she could detect none.
At least as far as the Queen Mother was concerned, today was Christmas, and yesterday’s Christmas hadn’t happened. And in this kingdom, the Queen Mother’s opinion was nearly equal to law.
After their frustrating-but-predictable conversation, the rest of the ride continued exactly as yesterday had gone. When the ride was done, Avianna dressed for Mass, and it also went exactly as she remembered, down to Father Gryffan’s coughs and sneezes.
She wondered how dusty that old Bible must be.
It disturbed Avianna just how much everything matched.
By all appearances, she was living the same day twice. This can’t be real. I can’t be living this day again.
Afternoon came with all the arriving guests. She greeted the same lords and ladies, and she experienced the same small talk. Though part of her wanted to be bored of the whole thing, a larger part of her was fascinated by predicting every movement of the day.
Every conversation, every facial expression, every single detail matched the day before.
This continued into the feast. The minstrels played the same songs, the cooks served the same foods. At this point, Princess Avianna decided not to copy her exact choices from the day before. Instead, she ate the foods she’s been too full to try, all the foods she’d normally passed over with a feast of this magnitude.
Though Princess Avianna knew none of the attendees had ever seen her eat a roasted turkey leg before, nobody seemed phased by it. In fact, just as yesterday, the spirit of Christmas had all the guests wrapped up in merriment.
The princess allowed herself some fun, but she couldn’t fully ignore the dread at the pit of her stomach. She knew the gifts would be soon, and she really didn’t want to repeat the same moment with her beloved Prince. She couldn’t bear to see him rejected again.
Couldn’t bear to be rejected again.
The dread only grew, and sure enough, King Caledon made his speech and commenced the Giving of Gifts.
His gift to her was exactly the same as yesterday. She still smiled at the note and the birdseed, but she didn’t cry any tears of joy today. Not when she knew what could be coming.
She’d seen what her loving father was capable of.
She set her new dress back in the box and edged her way near the door, hoping he’d be here. Lennon my love, where are you?
Knocks sounded at the door.
The same confused response. The same invitation from the king.
The same Prince Lennon in his lavish suit, entering the hall with a smile on his face.
He bowed for a minute and stood straight. “Dear King Caledon, I apologize for my tardiness. I wish you a Merry Christmas. I’ve brought many gifts for you and your guests, but before the Giving of Gifts ends for this year, I have a public gift to offer.”
The king nodded. “This is the time to offer public gifts. You may do so.”
Avianna crossed her arms and held herself to keep from shaking. It’s happening again…
“Princess Avianna. This gift is for you, to be opened in the presence of the entire kingdom.”
She stepped forward.
“On this second day of Christmas…”
He winked. Avianna gasped. No one seemed to notice the word or anything odd about it, but she still felt magic in the air.
“…I give to thee, two turtle doves, and a partridge in a pear tree.”
Avianna wasn’t a foolish girl who fainted all the time, but she certainly had to keep herself steady. “The gift is different,” she said to herself. “How is everything the same, but the gift is different?”
The servants had brought in the potted tree with the partridge, but two others also carried two pure, white, docile doves. They cooed, and like the partridge yesterday, they seemed to be staring at her.
“My dearest princess, you may know, doves mate for life. One will never abandon the other. Just so, I will not abandon you.”
She touched her heart and trembled. “I will not abandon you either.”
She spoke those words quietly, as if he and she were the only ones in the room. She took a step toward her true love, but her father cleared his throat.
“Prince Lennon, I thank thee. But my answer this Christmas remains the same as the last. Your gift is not enough for the hand of my daughter. You are denied.”
Again, a general clamor came upon all the guests.
For Avianna, she felt as though her heart had been twice stabbed. She fell to the floor once more and wept for her prince. “Not again, not again, not again.”
Avianna, control yourself, she thought. She stood, shot a look of daggers at her father, and searched for any sign of the prince.
Avianna sighed. “I did it again. He’s gone.”
She saw the servants still standing with the gifts. She approached one of the men holding a turtle dove.
“Excuse me, do you know where my Prince is?”
“Er, he left, your highness. I know not where.”
“Where did you come from, sir? You weren’t here yesterday.”
The other dove holder said, “None of us were here yesterday. Our ship just arrived—”
“Don’t give me that! I bet there’s already a pear tree in my father’s storeroom.”
“I only saw one on deck,” said one of the four holding the tree. “Perhaps you are mistaken.”
“He said ‘second’!” she yelled. “Why did he say ‘second day of Christmas’?”
They all denied even hearing the word. She felt her anger rising. “Where is my prince? He can’t be gone!”
The first dove-man said, “He probably went back to the ship. Surely he’s not dancing or making any kind of merry.”
Avianna pushed past them through the doors and ran once more through the castle complex and onto the streets toward the harbor. If only I can catch him before he boards…
She knew her treatment of the servants would certainly earn her a scolding and some punishment from the Queen Mother, but at this point she didn’t care.
Christmas happened twice, and the man I love is the only one who did anything different. And he was still denied!
She made it to the docks, but as she predicted, the harbormaster wouldn’t let her pass.
“Your Highness, it’s not safe! No place for a lady. You could fall in! Besides, if any scandal comes my way, I know the king would have my head. No, dear Princess, no exceptions.”
She’d just missed him. From a nearby hilltop, she could see Prince Lennon boarding his ship.
Princess Avianna yelled, “I love you, turtledove!”
He disappeared through a door out of sight, not showing any sign of hearing.
She cried again and returned to her quarters, once again ignoring Grandmum’s orders to dance. She journaled on the very same pages she’d written yesterday. She went to bed and cried herself to sleep.
Day Three
A high, cheery voice broke Princess Avianna’s slumber.
“Merry Christmas!”
Curled into her sheets and blankets, she twisted away from the sound.
Just a few more minutes…
“Come on, Princess. It’s Christmas. Time to rise.”
The princess’s eyes shot open. “What did you say?”
“It’s Christmas!”
“What was yesterday?”
Mora scowled. “Christmas Eve, of course.”
“What happened? Did we have a Lady’s Ride, or a boar hunt, or Mass, or anything?”
“Princess, do you really not remember last night?”
“I remember seeing my true love, Prince Lennon, trying to propose for a third time during the Giving of Gifts.”
Mora started to laugh, but then she stifled herself. “Princess, you must know yesterday was Christmas Eve. And your true love has only proposed once, one year ago. If you are jesting with me, please know that I don’t understand the joke. If you are serious, then you must be ill, or you had a very vivid dream.”
“So today is Christmas, not Saint Stephen’s Day?”
“Correct.”
“Then I must have a Lady’s Ride to get to.”
“Indeed, Your Highness.”
“A dream, then. Right.”
Princess Avianna dressed in the same outfit she’d worn the last couple of days; it was clean, unwrinkled, and unstained from those wearings. She didn’t really believe Mora’s theory about the last two days being a dream, but she didn’t feel like belaboring the point.
If today is anything like yesterday, there isn’t anything I can do to make people think it’s not Christmas.
And indeed, it was Christmas. Everything about the day was just as a Christmas should be, being the third day of Christmas in a row notwithstanding.
All her way to the stables and every stray moment on her ride, Avianna considered her plight.
She didn’t feel ill. She knew this wasn’t simply a dream. But why is Christmas returning each day?
Princess Avianna thought about the one change in yesterday not prompted by herself.
Prince Lennon said it was the second day of Christmas. He gave me two gifts.
And the way he looked at her? His magical countenance could not be a coincidence.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the Queen Mother once again requesting her to ride alongside her for their now-daily chat.
Princess Avianna sighed, but she whipped her horse’s reins. Nobody denied Grandmum.
The Queen Mother spoke exactly as she had the previous two days: “Child, I must ask: Have you seen your prince recently?”
Avianna stuttered. “N-no, Queen Mother.”
“When did you see him last?”
The princess hesitated for a moment. Yesterday, I observed everything happening the same. Today, I’ll do something different.
“Yesterday, if you must know, Queen Grandmum.”
The Queen Mother’s eyes widened for just a moment, accompanied by a sharp inhale. Then, her features were collected as if she expected the answer.
“Really, my child? I hadn’t heard of his return to the kingdom. Your father really likes to know when guests arrive early for Christmas, you know.”
“He’s going to give me a gift today, Grandmum. He won’t give up until Father says yes.”
“Prepare your heart, dear one. I don’t think any gift in the world will be enough. It seems your father has set himself against Prince Lennon.”
“We will see.”
The Queen Mother pulled up her horse sharply and looked Avianna in the eye. “You will see, child. The future of our kingdom is not a game. I don’t know if your dear prince will dare show his face tonight, but whether he does or not, you should not fancy your father accepting him. Though I know the heart doesn’t let such things happen easily, it would be truly better for you to forget about that man entirely.”
“What do you have against him?”
She feigned indignation. “I? I have nothing to do with this. Your father is the King, and we must submit to his wisdom. My wisdom is this: Forget the prince. Dance with others tonight. Make merry, enjoy your Christmas.”
Without letting Avianna respond, the Queen Mother whipped her reins again, leaving the princess’s side. Even with such a change to the conversation, the day progressed as before. It was Christmas, and everyone but Avianna continued as if it were the first and only Christmas this year.
As she got ready for Christ Mass, she considered her Grandmum’s tone. Obviously, she has something against Prince Lennon. She’s not telling me everything. But whatever magic is making Christmas repeat can’t be coming from her; she’s stuck in it with everyone else.
The only thing she kept going back to was the prince himself.
He said something different, unprompted by her. Could he actually be behind this magic?
She never knew him to be interested in magic. He cared enough about spiritual matters to attend mass, honor God, and live rightly, but he never sought to be a priest or to look into any mysteries of the world, supernatural or scientific.
But he’d been gone for a year. What if, instead of finding his fortune, he found something magical?
These thoughts consumed her mind as she went through the motions of Christ Mass. Though she knew the traditions were important, having done it a third day in a row felt tedious.
Even during Holy Communion, her mind was more on Prince Lennon than on God. I suppose I’ll have to confess that later, she mused.
The day marched on, its rigid schedule demanding to be upheld.
Princess Avianna greeted the arriving guests. She decided to speak to some new people today, and to greet the same arriving lords and ladies in a different order. Anything to make this time different. Their conversations were mostly uniform, but some well-placed questions from Avianna helped extend the conversations and lead them in different directions. She didn’t learn anything new, but at least it didn’t feel the same as the last two days.
Today, she saved Duke Etan and Duchess Beren for last. She asked to sit with them at the feast, and used the opportunity to ask more about her prince—childhood stories, and the like. This was something she couldn’t bear to do two days ago, when she’d been fraught with worry about whether he’d appear; now, she realized this extra time was an unexpected blessing.
The duke and duchess seemed to appreciate her company as well. She realized they’d been truthful about not knowing where Prince Lennon was. Whatever his magical plan, he’d left them completely out of it.
The sun dipped low on the horizon, and King Caledon commenced the Giving of Gifts.
His gift to her was the same, and she still appreciated the sentiment, but she didn’t cry this time. She barely held in her frustration beneath her well-mannered surface.
How can he be so sweet and thoughtful one minute, and so hard and cold the next?
Avianna thought about her grandmother’s words from earlier. She wondered why the king stubbornly refused the prince.
Would today be different?
If it wasn’t, she knew what she had to do. Instead of breaking down and letting him leave, she needed to be with him. She needed the truth.
Princess Avianna’s thoughts were halted by the sound of knocking.
The same stillness came over the party.
King Caledon stood, face unflinching, and called, “Enter, guest.”
The door creaked open, and there in the cold stood Prince Lennon.
Avianna’s heart leapt with joy.
My true love!
The prince wore the same clothes from the last two days, and they seemed to glow in the torchlight of the king’s hall.
He entered, and an entourage of servants followed behind.
He bowed for a minute and stood straight. “Dear King Caledon, I apologize for my tardiness. I wish you a Merry Christmas. I’ve brought many gifts for you and your guests, but before the Giving of Gifts ends for this year, I have a public gift to offer.”
The king nodded. “This is the time to offer public gifts. You may do so.”
“Princess Avianna. This gift is for you, to be opened in the presence of the entire kingdom.”
She stepped forward.
“On this third day of Christmas…”
He winked. Tears filled her eyes, and the room seemed to buzz. Magic…
“…I give to thee, three french hens, two turtledoves, and a partridge in a pear tree.”
The servants entered with the potted tree and the doves, and three new servants entered who hadn’t been there the day before. They each held a wooden cage with a beautiful, plump hen inside.
Each hen’s eyes were trained on Avianna.
Prince Lennon continued. “Let these hens remind you, my love, that as a hen drops an egg each day, you can depend on my love as steady as any routine. With three, you can expect to always have something to eat—breakfast, luncheon, and supper. You will never be hungry as my wife.”
He smiled at her, and then he faced the king with a serious look.
The unspoken question hung in the air for what felt like forever.
“Prince Lennon, I thank thee. But my answer this Christmas remains the same as the last. Your gift is not enough for the hand of my daughter. You are denied.”
Again, appalled clamor came over the guests.
Avianna felt a wave of sadness, and she almost fell to the floor—
“No!”
She dashed after the prince who was walking out the door. Avianna lunged and locked her arm around his. He stumbled, looked at her, and an immediate smile lit his face even brighter.
“My love,” she said.
“My true love.” He pulled her into a full embrace—absolutely scandalous for Christmas in public, but Avianna didn’t care.
“Don’t leave me.”
“I have to go to my ship. It’s custom.”
“Can I at least walk you there?”
They strode in silence for a few minutes. Though part of her wanted to immediately burst with all her questions, she knew she needed this. She hadn’t had time to just be with him since last year, and she wanted to soak in the moment.
When she could see the harbor in the distance, Princess Avianna spoke.
“So, my dear, aren’t you going to tell me what is going on?”
“Whatever day you mean?”
“This grand proposal.”
He grinned. “You deserve ever more, Princess. We have not the time for me to tell you everything, but you can see I found my fortune. Involving birds in the dowry only made sense for me to appeal to your father by invoking his own story.”
“Yes, but what about the magic?”
He paused. “What magic?”
“The three days.”
His brow furrowed. “Three days?”
“You said third day of Christmas. You winked.”
He brought his hand to his chin. “I suppose I did, but I don’t know why. It just seemed to be the right thing to say in the moment. A feeling, I guess.”
“You jest, Lennon! I’ve just lived through three Christmases, and you are going to tell me it was a feeling?”
“Three Christmases? I don’t know what you mean, my dear. Today is Christmas.”
“You said third day! You know this is the third Christmas.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, dear.”
She started to cry.
Between sobs, Princess Avianna said, “One the first day of Christmas, everything was normal. You gave me a partridge in a pear tree. That was two days ago. Yesterday, you gave me two turtledoves, and today you gave me the hens.”
“I gave you all those things today.”
“Yes, and you gave them to me yesterday and the day before. I’m living Christmas over and over, and I don’t know when it’ll stop.”
“This is serious, my love. To me, there’s only been one Christmas. Are you sure you didn’t have an elaborate dr—”
“Don’t say it. I know I’m not dreaming. This is real. You said third day! You have to believe me.”
“Okay, I believe you. So there’s magic of some kind. From somewhere. Where’s it coming from? What’s its purpose?”
Avianna yelled into the night at nobody in particular. She turned back to Prince Lennon. “Sorry. This is exhausting. I was really hoping you would know.”
“Why me?”
“This Christmas-reprisal didn’t start until after you arrived. Not to mention, you came from far away, gone for almost a year. You’ve been away for so long, it only makes sense that this magic is connected to you somehow.”
“It makes sense, but it doesn’t have to be me.”
“Can you remember anything odd from your journey here? Any inconsistency might give us a hint about the magic.”
“Well, it all started with…”
“With what?”
“Hmm. That’s disconcerting.”
“What?”
“My princess, I can’t remember. I didn’t know I didn’t remember, but now that I’m consciously thinking about what I did this past year, I can’t remember anything specific. I got my fortune, I made a plan, and I got here in time for Christmas. That’s all I can remember. When I try to think of a specific memory—how I got my fortune, how I decided to give you hens—the memory is gone!”
“We need to figure this out. Can you write down everything you remember?”
“There’s nothing to write.”
“Can you tell me anything helpful?”
“My head hurts. I think I need to get to bed.”
Avianna embraced her prince again. “Please, my love. Please don’t leave me.”
“I have to go, my love. We’re here at the harbor. I’ll think more on this, my dear, and see what I can remember.”
“I need your help, Lennon. Please don’t leave!”
“I’m falling asleep on my feet. I’m no use to you like this. I bid thee goodnight.”
He stumbled to the ground, and Avianna helped him up. His servants ran to him from the ship, took him from Avianna, and led him to his quarters.
Prince Lennon was so disoriented, he didn’t even wish her goodnight.
The princess found her way back home, more puzzled than before.
It’s magic alright, and it’s infected my true love. How do I break it?
If I break the magic, he will remember, and Christmas will stop repeating.
But if Christmas doesn’t repeat, will I have to wait another year to marry my true love?
These thoughts and more ushered her back to her bedchamber and into a fitful sleep.
