A Twisted Christmas

Chapter Seven

Vanilla sat down and smiled bitterly at him. "You may want to sit down for this." She stopped, letting the sudden silence speak for her until she was ready. "The king, he... he's done things. Unforgivable things. After you were banished, he continued to whip the deer until many died from bloodloss or suicide."

Her eyes wavered, glancing at the wall. "That's when he aimed at us. In his mind, this world is his land and the kids that wish for his blessings every night are his people. We were reduced to the status of slaves, with little food to survive off of. You've seen the factory, right?"

"I can vaguely recall seeing the tall building that was at the other side of the town. It was very... steampunk-ish."

"Mhm. That's the factory. Every elf is threatened to stay there day and night for the king. Even the kids." She let out a ragged breath and hit the wall. "It's not right, so I tried to gather some elves and form a rebellion but my men were... killed by the snowguards soon after. I was arrested, so I'm not sure how the elves are faring without me. I know that the King's too lazy to get off his throne and work himself, but he's still overworking the elves for the sake of his own bloody glory. He's killed so many reindeer and elves that I now find his red coat fitting, dyed by the blood of the people he stepped on to succeed."

Krampus was silent for a long time. He wasn't expecting this at all. The King made the North Pole into an absolute monarchy? The elves and reindeer suffered so much...

His shoulders shook as he slid to the ground with his face covered by his palms. "I'm sorry," he muttered, "I didn't come soon enough!"

"No, it's not your fault. You were exiled― what could you do?"

"Well, I'm here now." He let his head lean against the grey wall behind him with his horns scraping the material. "I want to help. This can't go on. That idiot- I've told him so many times that he had to be careful with power and now look what it's done to him!" Krampus suddenly stood. "I'm going to stop him, no matter what."

Vanilla chuckled at his bravery. "You can't. He has indestructable guards. The King's strength could move moutains. It's- it's fine! We don't need your help, we can just-"

"No! As the Prince of this land, I refuse to stand by and watch as my predecessor brings it to shambles! No one deserves to be worked like this!" His eyes were burning in rage as he heard the clanging of her shackles. "And the guards! What do they think they're doing to innocent workers who were dissatisfied with their treatment?!" Unable to control his frustration, Krampus began to pace in front of her cell.

"I understand your rage, Prince. However, please listen! If you go against the King, then you might really die this time! He's changed. He's not the old jolly man we used to know. He's just a... a ruthless dictator now."

Vanilla's mind wandered to the bloodied bodies of her comrades and choked back a sob. She couldn't save them from death and she didn't want Prince Krampus to experience the fate. She had to stop him, no matter how stubborn he was. "Don't be reckless and just follow his orders."

Krampus growled. "I would rather die for my land than blindly accept his orders. Especially if it causes such... casualties. Vanilla, I swear that I'll return Toy Town to how it used to be. I know you want to protect me, but I have to protect this country."

The elf looked at him in defeat. She shut her eyes and looked away before hitting the floor. "Alright. I know that you'll disobey me even if I force you not to. But if you're going to do this," She reached out, tugging on his soft brown fur in desperation, "don't die, okay?"

Krampus squeezed her hand lightly and smirked. "Of course. Who do you think I am? Now's not the time to be dead."

Vanilla smiled as she wiped her remaining tears away. "You never change, do you? Even a century of solitude didn't break you."