Eleven months later . . .
The Caribbean sun felt good on Noelle's skin again.
At work, the orchestra had been encouraged to take the week after Thanksgiving off since they were going to be booked solid for the latter half of December. It had been a long autumn—a long year, really—so Noelle took full advantage of the break. After flying into San Juan a few days earlier, she chartered a boat and sailed east. She had no clear itinerary except the date of return to catch her flight home.
She was now on island time. She ate when she wanted, and she slept when she felt like it. She knew the best places to snorkel and where to restock provisions. She didn't turn on her phone, and she certainly didn't check the news. The temperature had been in the eighties, the wind was always favorable, and the forecast looked equally perfect.
She'd just made herself a holiday rum punch, which was exactly like a regular rum punch, but with twice the booze and a sprig of rosemary because it looked Christmas-y and she didn't have any mint. Anchored off Magens Bay in St. Thomas with no intention of leaving in the next few hours, she could get a little tipsy without consequence. She deserved as much.
After climbing the steps to go back up on deck from the galley, Noelle took a sip of her cocktail as she brushed her fingertips against the green, plastic garland twisted around the top lifeline. She'd wrapped the fake shrubbery on the synthetic rope that acted as a rail on both sides from aft to fore. Red bows periodically dotted the composition, and battery-powered twinkle lights were also hidden in the needles to provide extra ambiance at night.
Her parents—who ironically enough were on a skiing trip in Canada right now—would think her mad for such a display of holiday sentimentality. But the truth was, she missed Nick. And anything she could do to reclaim that feeling of happiness she had while with him was worth the effort and possible ridicule, no matter how out of character it seemed.
The Macy's parade—with its enthusiastic marching bands, whimsical balloon characters, and quirky Broadway performers—had recently ushered in the holiday season, officially opening the floodgates to all things Christmas. Of course, some places had already stocked chocolates in red and green wrappers or strung multi-colored fairy lights in windows weeks earlier, but this year, Noelle didn't mind as much as in the past. Having spent even just a short time in the Arctic-adjacent little town that held all the Christmas magic within its boundaries had changed her outlook on the holiday. The man who now had to continue the ancient traditions had a lot to do with it, too.
They didn't keep in touch. Trying to maintain a long distance relationship even if she hadn't felt overwhelming guilt for his father's disappearance would have been hard enough. It wasn't as if Nick blamed her. Quite the opposite. He was thankful for Noelle's assistance in helping to banish his cousin. He was so sweet, yet so naïve. She was the reason Piet had managed to wreak chaos in the first place!
Yet Nick had still asked her to stay. Tears clouded her eyes now just thinking about it. Refusing was the hardest thing Noelle had done in her twenty-four years of existence. She'd made him promise to contact her only if Sinter Klaas had been safely found. Her phone had yet to receive a call from Lapland.
Gracefully walking across the teak deck past the ship's wheel, Noelle stepped down onto the transom platform in the rear. She balanced her drink in one hand while steadying herself with the other on a rail before sitting on the seat and dangling her legs into the turquoise water. The sea felt amazing, and a small school of parrotfish swam by, one pausing to nibble on her toes.
Noelle laughed and took another sip of the punch. She was already feeling the alcohol as it buzzed through her brain. Good. She needed the release. Closing her eyes, she tilted her face up to the sky. A couple of more minutes and she'd need to reapply her sunscreen, but until then, she was going to enjoy the blissful serenity: focus on the quiet, think of nothing, and relax.
Her increasingly drunk mind had other ideas. In her head, Noelle was back in Keskitalvi, unwittingly imagining what Nick and the gnomes were up to at that exact moment. Had he reluctantly gotten his own Christmas Eve suit made, tailored to his proportions? Surely a replacement sled had been built and alternate reindeer trained to take on the important task in less than a month's time? It was inconceivable that they'd give up on the holiday since that would mean that Piet ultimately won.
No, Fanny wouldn't allow that. Even if Nick had given up, she was probably leading the efforts to make things right. She and Ronja who was likely flittering around in an Instagram-worthy outfit while making sure that every house was decorated and that the Christmas Eve concert was ready to go.
Noelle's eyes popped open and she gasped.
The concert! How did she not realize it sooner? The concert had been cancelled last year because Nick had ordered everyone that night out into the blizzard to look for her, and the traditional Christmas Eve performance was never held. And because Christmas was all about tradition, it could only have been corrupted by the breaking of that practice.
Noelle jumped up—splashing the last third of her drink all over her hand—and climbed back onto the deck. Running down to the cabin, she mentally thanked herself for not going anywhere without her instrument. Because if she was right, then she had been the cause of the curse that banished Sinter Klaas, after all. Sure, Avery was used by Piet to fuel his magic to get into the town, but it was Nick's decision to choose saving Noelle over holding the annual concert, which fulfilled the ultimate spell that wreaked chaos ever since. It wasn't quite the same as consciously giving up his birthright, but apparently it was close enough.
After taking the violin and bow out of the case, Noelle climbed the steps one more time. She walked up to the ship's front, planted her feet and placed the instrument under her chin. She never got to play the Christmas Eve song with the full Midwinter orchestra that night, but she had practiced the piece enough times beforehand that afternoon to remember the majority of the composition. She hoped it would be enough. It was a long shot, but if there was any magic left, she needed it to work to her benefit now.
The bow danced on the strings as Noelle played. The music—reminiscent of snowfall, first gentle then increasingly rapid—bounced off the water with a discernible echo as it floated across the bay. Surely anyone within hearing distance would think her mad, but she didn't care. It was the only idea in nearly a year she'd had to help undo the mess she created.
It had to work.
But what if it didn't? What if undoing the enchantment needed to be done by a deadline that's long passed? What if the whole orchestra was needed? What if she was completely wrong and playing the song missed that night would never amount to anything?
Noelle played with more vigor. Failing wasn't an option. She'd play all day, if she had to. She'd find a full orchestra, if needed. Heck, she'd fly to Keskitalvi tomorrow and perform on the grand hall's stage, if that's what it took!
Boom!
The thunderclap rattled her from the inside, making Noelle's heart beat a little faster and the boat under her shake on the resulting waves. Lowering her bow, she searched the sky for signs of a cloud or a jet, but everything above was just as clear and blue as below.
Aaaaargh!
The muffled Wilhelm scream seemingly came out of nothing just as the boom had a few seconds prior. Then poof, a large sleigh pulled by thirteen reindeer suddenly appeared in mid-air above the bay before falling like a ton of bricks into the water.
The splash was near enough for Noelle to feel some of the spray, which confirmed that she wasn't hallucinating. Setting her instrument down, she leaned over the side to get a better view. Sure enough, Sinter Klaas and his ride were parked in about four feet of water, looking drenched, confused, and downright exhausted.
"Are you all right?" Noelle asked as Sinter finally looked her way.
His face lit up as he recognized her, and he nodded. "I guess we must have taken a little detour?" he asked with a smile.
Noelle looked down at herself in her skimpy two-piece. Sinter's phrasing implied that he wasn't quite aware of the passage of time or where they'd been roaming since last Christmas. Reaching for her cover up as her cheeks burned, she nodded. "Yeah, we definitely need to have a chat."