Christmas with Nick Klaas

Part 1: Prologue

Straddling the younger tonttu—whose disheveled, gray beard now prevented him from seeing anything at all—Samu reached over to scoop a handful of snow. He already relished rubbing it into his arrogant brother's face, but the sight of an unmistakable mark in the virgin powder made him freeze.

"Is this why you are here?" Samu whispered, his voice quivering with fear as he eyed the goat's hoof-print deep in the snow. Its pair—because the maker of these walked on two legs, not four—was just a step away.

Tor pushed his brother aside and sat up. "I sensed trouble without knowing its exact cause, but now it's confirmed." He brushed off his beard, still fearing reprimand or even an order to return home.

"If Piet Mustapukki is involved—on Yuletide of all nights—it is more than trouble," Samu grumbled as he stood before holding out his hand to his younger brother. "And I suppose if we are on the right track and have already come so far, we might as well continue on."

Content with being taken seriously for once, Tor accepted Samu's help and jumped to his feet. Nodding in agreement, he set out to follow the cloven tracks with Samu directly behind. The tiny duo didn't have to go far. Past a low ridge and inside a perfect circle of tall birches, flames flickered. Tor counted twelve torches surrounding the perimeter. In the center and drenched in an eerie glow, a table carved of solid ice held an ancient tome.

He could tell it was old and important both because of its yellowed sheets filled with runic symbols that even he couldn't decipher and also by the veracity with which the man standing before it leafed through its pages. Clad in all black attire—from the slightly curved, shiny horns the size of a man's hand protruding from his tousled blonde hair to the cloven, goat hooves sticking out from underneath his tailored slacks and long, designer pea coat—he scanned the delicate scribbles made in midnight colored ink.

"He has a book!" Samu exclaimed in a stilted whisper.

Tor held back a laugh. Of all the things to single out in the scene before them, that was probably the most mundane. "When has a book ever struck such fear in you, brother?"

"It is not the mere possession of a book that worries me. It's the words inside, which could cause mayhem," Samu said as he crouched behind a large boulder, shielding himself from the evil that was about to happen. Because nothing the creature whose human surname meant "black buck" was doing in the Dark Forest on Solstice eve could be anything less than wicked.

In spite of his best intentions, Tor didn't have a chance to continue chiding his brother's foolishness when the man with the book raised his arms to the sky and began to speak. No, not speak. Piet Mustapukki—the outcast from Keskitalvi, a town where happiness reigned year-round and everyone was welcome except him—was chanting in the tongue of the ancients.

Tor gasped. His premonition turned out to be correct after all, but oh, how he wished it weren't so.

"Odin's beard!" Samu exclaimed, recognizing the archaic words. "He can't be—"

"Look! Is that the last sheaf of grain from the harvest?" Tor interrupted, pointing to the golden stalks at the edge of the table.

"There's only one purpose of a summoning spell on Yuletide with that book and grain."

Samu didn't need to finish. As Piet the Black Buck's chanting became louder, the wind whipped into the air around him with increased ferocity. The snow it picked up formed into a funnel, which—miraculously and right before the tonttu's eyes—deposited a beautiful young woman clad in robes seemingly made of ice at the other side of the altar.

"Halla," the brothers whispered the name of the Nordic frost fairy in unison as she straightened the crystalline crown on her head.

"You have called, and I have appeared," she addressed Piet with the type of formal apathy that comes from obligation rather than willingness. "State your wish or inquiry so that we may all return to our feasts. It's not every night that fairies are gifted honey cakes."

Tor shivered. She knew he and his brother were watching from afar. It was the only explanation for the off-handed, yet direct remark about the treat they had been discussing.

Thankfully, this did not elicit suspicion from the man-goat whose first—and often only concern—was often himself.

"I will make haste, then," he answered, a muscle in his clenched jaw tensing at being given such terse instructions from anyone, much less a woman, even if she were a deity. "My question to you on this sacred night is a simple one. How do I control Yuletide?" he asked.

There was a moment of complete silence before Halla threw back her head and opened her white tinged lips. Her laughter was so bold and loud that the frozen branches overhead clanked and tinkled as they shook.

"Now why would you want that?" she asked between guffaws as she wiped small ice crystals from the corners of her eyes. "Aren't you content with terrorizing children's dreams? Or relishing in their sorrow at the lumps of coal in their stockings? We all have our roles to play in this universe, but being the master of Yuletide isn't yours."

The Black Buck slammed his fist against the ice table, sending a crack through the surface like a spider's web. "But it should be mine!" he exclaimed like a petulant child. "I have waited as second in line to old Sinter Klaas's legacy for centuries, all the while my stupid cousin makes a fool out of his birthright."

"Now, now," Halla said, wagging her icicle tipped finger in front of Piet's face. "Jealousy is not a good look on you."

"But—"

She scraped a razor sharp fingernail gently along his jawline, cutting off the interruption. "But, I wasn't done," she said while stroking his lips and moving her face even closer. "While I don't believe you are a worthy heir, I am intrigued by the request. And it would bring a little fun to our dreary winter days."

Piet's eyes widened. "So you will help me?"

Halla touched her ice-cold lips against his and whispered, "Yes."

This is my #NaNoWriMo2019 project and while I absolutely love all of my silent readers, I would LOVE to get your encouragement while writing this story. So please, please, please add it to your libraries, vote on the chapters (updates daily!) and leave me comments. <3 

I'm adding an aesthetic to every single part so if you like pretty Christmas pictures, this one is for you!