It seemed like Christmas's arrival took forever. The days crawled by, slow and cold. They were filled with fireside chatter, library studying, and songs. Now it was finally the morning of the day: Lætitia was doing a light duet with Cameron, as the Queen lounged.
"Where's Felix?" the sparrow then asked, once it was done.
"Probably wasting away in the library again," Ophelia answered. "Trying to assure nobody breaks that new Treaty..."
"Politics on Christmas Day?" Cameron remarked.
"Peace perpetual, for it is Christmas Day," Felix suddenly boomed, with a smile. "We are invited to the morning services, as always."
Cameron looked quite bored by this, and Ophelia and Lætitia had less warm reactions.
"Do I have to go?" the bird asked.
"Why wouldn't you want to?" Felix tilted his head, having befriended this young avian in the few weeks he'd known her.
"It's Iago's presence that she's concerned with, dear," Ophelia then softly reminded.
"What happened?" Cameron perked an ear, but Lætitia seemed shy about all this. Who wouldn't?
"I always extend my apologies in regards to what happened to you, Lætitia," he very gravely growled. "Our good Byssus should be at the altar for the services today, according to the word I've received. If I see so much as a feather of red, then, out we go."
"Thank you," the sparrow chirped. "That should be more than fine."
—
The royalty sat near the back on that bright morning, with the knights and other varied nobles taking the thus freed rows in the front. Byssus gave a brief, heartfelt recounting of the importance of the day, the stained glass depiction of the subject of this talk shining beside him. It was a day worthy of feast and mirth.
Lætitia looked brightly to the front as she sat next to the King, Queen, and collie. Marco sat close next to her on the bench.
"If you don't mind," he spoke.
"I never do, if it's you," the bird answered, leading to a slight blush in the wolf's cheeks.
The preaching of thankfulness and the repetition of Matthew and Luke's combined accounts of the nativity then led into a few choral pieces. They were dull. The organist seemed to be bored with the simple chords, and the choir looked no more lively, reciting a chant that would probably only challenge children. Cameron, even, thought that it was a hymn, one that he could partake in, and stood and sang with them, until he was told otherwise by Marco. As soon as that happened, the short selections of songs were over, as soon as they seemed to have started.
"Iago gets a little lazy with the music sometimes," Felix explained.
"It's the same stuff they've had for a few hundred years," Ophelia clarified.
"Awfully long time," Cameron huffed.
"Must be because Iago never bothers to fetch new stuff," Lætitia scowled.
"Maybe he's too cheap to," Marco chortled, a little louder than what he meant.
Iago looked over to the royal party from the entrance while the music was playing, and gave an intimidating grimace. He still had a bandage on his cheek, the wound from Lætitia's peck not having fully healed. Once the service was over, and the knights and nobles were pouring out by the dozens, the cardinal stood next to the door.
He reached for Lætitia's wing, but then squawked, as Marco gave him a momentary claw to the face. He covered his once again bleeding cheek, with the claw having dug right under his eye.
"Don't try that kind of crime again. Lætitia told me what happened," the wolf said, quite defensively. "I thought you were supposed to be chaste. Hypocrite," he softly barked, then accompanied the royalty out. Iago was stunned, and fumed a little in his study once everything was over.
The ferret priest that had conducted the service saw this, and was troubled immensely by his overseer's behavior.
—
Of course, it was a short walk back to the castle, and when the royalty and company all got back, Felix seemed to lead them into a certain room. "You know," he said, "I think we should lighten the mood a little after that underwhelming service. You do know what one of the most important parts of Christmas is, right? Besides the holy part?"
"Is it lunchtime?" Marco excitedly yapped.
"Well, that too," the lion laughed, "but... here."
He then opened a door to a certain large hall. In it lied a splendorous array of gifts. Cameron ran over, and Lætitia trilled with glee.
"Oh, what a fine bow!" Cameron first commented, picking up the finely-crafted weapon, which was, although somewhat ornately decorated with silver, seemed to also be a versatile-looking bow. He examined it, and the matching quiver, and smiled.
"Let's hope you need it only for deer," the King nodded.
"Speaking of bows— what is this?!" Marco barked, looking at a well-crafted new instrument. He easily hefted it up.
"That is from the Duke who was here not long ago," Felix clarified, pointing to the small cello in question.
"It must have been for one of his children. He left it behind," Marco barked, half-jokingly, as he tried to wrap his head around how to play it. An extra string was favorable, but it was too small to be played how he was used to.
"He called it a 'da spalla,' Marco," the King chuckled.
Registering the verbal hint, the wolf's face lit up as he put it up shoulder-side like a smaller viol. "Oh, this I can get used to."
Lætitia stepped forward wordlessly, to awe at a few dresses. She assuming for a moment that they were for Ophelia, then gasped at the observation that they seemed a little small for the lioness, nor was Ophelia the sort to wear anything like that anyhow. She looked to Felix.
"For you," the King smiled warmly in response and said.
"Oh— oh, thank you! I'll look magnificent in these," the sparrow said in her ultimate delight.
"More so than you already do," Marco suddenly retorted, in return for the sentiment earlier in the day.
"Ah, why, thank you," the bird giggled.
"My favorite series," Ophelia then remarked, beholding a stack of books. She picked one up, and flipped through it, awing at the freshly-printed text.
"And there's one more gift for you, Cameron," Felix suddenly growled, quietly and happily. The collie looked up from his bow, then, after admiring it for a bit, and followed the King to a different hall, while Marco, Lætitia, and Ophelia expressed their continuous joy for the gifts they were each given.
In the smaller hall the King and collie went to, everything about it seemed changed. This hall, only as big as a room itself, was a particularly barren one: Beforehand, the inner walls were plain, with only a large window that let too much sunlight in. It was always bare and spare. Now this raw wood was replaced with a deeper and well-polished variety, and the window was replaced with a stained-glass depiction of a tree, with the bright blues and greens lighting the room beautifully.
The clavicembalo's frame was crafted of mostly wood, as a fine one should be, yet extremely decorated, adorned with lines and frills of gold on its sides, and a magnificent pastoral landscape on the bottom of its open cover. "Your Highness," the collie gasped, and knelt before the splendorous installation.
"An appropriate atmosphere for a working station. I bet you and Marco will think up great things here," Felix chuckled, and pressed one of the keys of the board, letting the soft ting of the high note shortly ring out. Marco strolled in at the mention of his name, and was awestruck with this renovation himself.
Cameron looked back, and sniffled, with tears running down his eyes. "I can't repay you for this."
"You never have to, how preposterous," the King replied. "You are always kind, and bright, and, hell, Cameron, keep in mind that you saved my life in Mauretania, and continue to brighten all of the castle with your joyous presence. It is my own gratitude that I should be expressing." He too actually sniffed in and held his breath before he could let emotion take a hold of him, running out of the room. "Excuse me, now, there's other matters to attend to."
Cameron gave his silent thanks to the God above for everything that had happened in the past seven or so months, and then started to play a fitting Christmas tune he knew, Marco annoyingly tapping each end of the keys as he sat.
"You take a turn, if you're going to be like that," the dog couldn't help but laugh.
"I can't play keyboards to save my life. I'm surprised you can," Marco barked, and continued his annoyances. It all sounded great with the couplers on anyhow.