Jingle Bells Rock - Advent Calendar

8th ~ Kilan

         

The Snow Queen

"And they lived Happily Ever After."

"What happened to The Snow Queen?"

Kilan looked up from his book to the little girl sitting in the bed beside him, her head turned his way, half sunk into the pillow.

Chelsea's heart monitor beeped softly on the other side of her bed, merging with the other monitors and machines around the ward, each surrounding the various children, like sentries... or jailers.

"Yeah, if Kai and Gerda got away, then what?" one of the boys across the small ward asked, sitting up in his bed with some difficulty.

Kilan set his book aside as he swiftly rose and crossed the room, helping Nicky get comfortable before absently stroking his bald head, taking the seat beside his bed.

"Well," he said, "We don't know. It's not in the fairytale."

"Why?" Chelsea asked.

Kilan smiled at her. "Because the world doesn't always care about what happens to the villain," he replied – one of the nurses shooting him a look that questioned whether he should really say such things.

"But... but won't she just steal another child?" another girl asked, bundling her covers up tight, eyes wide with fright.

Kilan laughed softly, moving to Clover's bed, smoothing the covers for her. "I shouldn't think so. But why do you think she stole Kai in the first place?" he asked.

"Because she's mean?"

"She's mean! Like Kai! After the mirror got in him!" Daniel cheered.

"She was jealous? Of Gerda?" Amy suggested.

"She was lonely?" Chelsea asked softly, the other kids looking at her.

"No way," Daniel said, waving that off, wincing and quickly lowering his arm. "Lonely makes her sound... sound like... sad. She was just mean."

"She could have been mean because she was sad," Amy pointed out.

"But what happened to her?" Chelsea stressed, sitting up as best she could to see Kilan at the end of the ward.

Kilan moved to another position so she could see him without having to move much.

"I don't know," Kilan said.

"What? But you always know," Nicky said, frowning suspiciously at him.

Kilan laughed at that. "OK, fine. Maybe I'm just keeping it a secret then."

"Why?!" all the children chorused in outrage.

"Tell you what," Kilan said as he walked back to collect his book, packing it away with his other story books in his backpack. "I'll make you a deal. I want each of you to think of what might have happened to The Snow Queen and tell me when I next drop by. After that... wellllll, maybe then I'll tell you what really happened to The Snow Queen."

"Will you come back tomorrow?" Clover asked softly.

"I'm due to visit another ward tomorrow," Kilan said, shrugging his backpack on then wincing at their disappointed faces, "But I'll see if I can't drop by before I leave."

The children instantly brightened up and turned to each other, chatting animatedly about what might have happened to The Snow Queen after Gerda and Kai.

Kilan smiled, silently slipping out, nodding goodbye to the nurses.

The nurses smiled, whispering their goodbyes and watching through the glass as Kilan walked down the hall, waving as TV travel star, Briar Rose walked in, the pair hugging each other tightly before leaving, Briar's arm looped through Kilan's as they talked, Briar making Kilan laugh as he kissed the side of her head and she grinned up at him.

~~~~

Music By: GivingTales on YouTube

See? I told you Kilan was fine. I'm not SO mean i'd do something bad to these guys at Christmas... (even if i did lead you to believe something was wrong... ahem!)

Anyway, new plan. All the characters are getting songs instead of photos lol.