Hi guys!
I'm pretty proud of myself for having this chapter completed on time. I won't be able to update this weekend, so I decided to update a bit early.
You guys really make me laugh sometimes, I mean some of you started planning to basically kidnap me XD
The media for this chapter is a great trailer made by the sweet @Luvly123, to whom the chapter is dedicated. Check it out!
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Chapter 22
We exited the castle through the huge, main castle doors that, surprisingly, I had never walked through before. As I looked out before me, my mouth dropped open in shock.
Aiden noticed something was off, and asked worriedly, "You okay, Hailey?"
I could only gesture to the sight in front of me.
"Yes, that's the village... I really don't see what's so extraordinary about it."
I finally found my tongue. "It's a flying deer, Aiden. There's a freaking flying deer!" I said snapping out of it and pointing frantically towards the animal that was just landing on the castle lawn not far in front of us.
"Yes, Hailey, there's a 'flying deer,' as you so eloquently say, and...?" Aiden pressed, not understanding my frenzied state."
"And, it's a flying deer, Aiden! Like Santa's reindeer, except this one has wings!"
"Okay, first off, what's a 'santa,' a kind of rare reindeer? Second, of course it has wings! If it didn't, it'd be called a stag, not a peryton."
At the mention of the name, a memory nudged briefly the back of my mind, but it was gone just as fast, and I wasn't sure if I'd actually ever heard that word before.
"I'm just gonna ignore the fact that you don't know who Santa Claus is for a moment and go back to the more pressing matter. Basically, you're telling me it's totally normal for you to have a 'peryton,' if that's what you call your winged reindeer, in your garden."
"I wouldn't say it's that much of a common occurrence, but I mean everyone knows what a peryton is. On the other hand, no one has ever heard of your santa-thing." Aiden said.
"Well, I'm sorry if flying reindeer-"
"They're not reindeer, they're peryton!"
I sent him a quick glare. "Like I was saying, sorry if peryton don't exist in the human world. How was I supposed to know you had flying animals around? Wait. Flying animals." I said in realization. "Does that mean you have other flying stuff? Like," I thought for a second, "like flying pandas?"
Aiden opened his mouth, but I added, "Oh, and by the way, everyone but you knows who Santa Claus is."
Chase's falsely concerned voice interrupted us. "I leave Hailey with you one minute, and she's already talking about made-up stuff and flying pandas... You're an even worse influence than I thought Aiden."
"Hey, it's all her! She's the one who started speaking about Santa Claus and flying pandas!"
"Wait," I said, "so you don't have any flying pandas?"
"Flying pandas? Why not flying pigs and elephants, while you're at it?" Chase looked at me weirdly.
"Well, okay then, I guess that's a no. Honestly though, you have flying reindeer-"
"Peryton!"
I glared at Aiden and continued, "You have flying reindeer, so it's really not that far fetched."
Chase shook his head at us and tried to change the subject. "Hey, look, there's Autumn and her sister."
"I bet she doesn't know what Santa Claus is either." Aiden said.
"Well, Santa's awesome and you don't know what you're missing out." I replied.
Chase waved Autumn over and she started walking towards us, dragging her sister behind her.
"Hey, guys!" She said. Her sister, whom I recognized as the little girl who told me about the library, freed her hand from hers and ran to hide behind me.
"Princess Hailey! Can you tell my sister school's stupid and I wanna play? You're the princess, she'll listen to you."
I laughed, "It doesn't quite work that way, Anna."
"On the other hand, if she asks you to tell me where Danny is, you have to do it." Autumn told her. "And, Hailey, how come you know my sister?"
I ruffled Anna's wild brown hair, and she ducked out of my reach. "I saw her in the hallways of the castle, not long after I left you. Didn't know she was your sister, though."
Aiden cleared his throat. "Very cute, but I have a very important question to ask Autumn, if you don't mind. Do you have any idea what a 'santa' is?"
"Santa Claus!" Anna exclaimed. "I love Santa Claus! Oh, Autumn, Autumn! You know Milo doesn't even know who Santa is?" She giggled, "He's so stupid sometimes."
I sniggered, and Aiden glowered at me.
"Autumn, I'm not sure I like your sister anymore," he said.
Autumn laughed. "It's a human custom, Anna, that's why he doesn't know it. And, Aiden, it's this fat man dressed in red and white who gives human children presents on December 25 every year."
"Humans are weird."
"Well, so are you, Aiden," Chase said with a grin.
"Wait, Autumn," I said, "Where did your sister go?"
Autumn spun around, before letting out a weary sigh. "You know what, I'm not even going to try running after her anymore."
"Ugh, sisters are so annoying," Aiden said.
I laughed, "I take it that means you have one?"
"Two, actually," he groaned.
"His oldest one lives in another city now, and she's pretty nice." Chase said, "The second one on the other hand... Well, you have to admit she can be kind of weird."
Aiden sighed, "Well, it's even worse when you're around."
Chase frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means she obviously has a crush on you, but you're blind or something."
"Um, what?" Chase said with a weird expression on his face. "Your sister is like two years older than me... You know what, that's just weird, I wish you hadn't told me that. I see her as more of a sister than anything else."
"I know, otherwise I wouldn't have told you. I don't want my sister dating my best friend."
Autumn shook her head at them. "Come on, I bet your sisters aren't so bad."
Aiden just winced in response. "Do you have any siblings, Hailey?"
I shook my head. "I'm an only child."
"Like Chasey! Well, kind of. He-"
"Aiden!" Chase cut him warningly.
Autumn and I threw each other confused glances.
"No, I don't have any siblings," Chase said decisively. "And, Aiden, stop calling me Chasey or I'll punch you."
"You're just jealous that you can't make up any annoying nicknames for 'Aiden,'" his friend teased.
"Is that a challenge?"
"Nope, I'm fine, thank you," Aiden said quickly with a sheepish smile.
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