Page 30 of Daddy Christmas

"Do you see those stars?" he asked after a moment, tilting his head toward the horizon. His green eyes glanced at me before sliding back to the sky. "The ones just above the auroras?"

"Yeah," I said, squinting. The northern lights were starting to ripple now, faint greens and purples stretching across the night like silk unraveling. Just above them, a cluster of brilliant stars winked in and out.

"That’s Orion," he explained, his voice taking on a storytelling rhythm. "A hunter, fierce and strong. Old friend of mine.”

His words hung in the air between us, heavier than they should’ve been. I swallowed hard, turning my gaze back to the streaks of color dancing along the horizon. For a second, I let myself forget the cold, forget the questions piling up in my mind, and just watched.

"Almost there," Nicholas said suddenly, sitting up straighter.

"Almost where—" I started, but then I saw it.

The ground beneath us wasn’t snow anymore. It shimmered, catching and reflecting the faintest light from above. Ice. Endless miles of it, glowing faintly like it had its own heartbeat.

"Hold on," Nicholas told me, though his tone was calm and easy.

The descent happened so smoothly I almost didn’t notice at first. The sleigh tilted forward slightly, the reindeer adjusting their pace. My stomach flipped, but Nicholas stayed completely relaxed, guiding us lower and lower until the ice runway came into focus.

"Runway" felt like the wrong word—it was too perfect for that. The ice gleamed beneath us, carved with intricate patterns that pulsed faintly with light. As the sleigh touched down, I braced myself, expecting some kind of jolt or skid, but it landed like falling onto a cloud.

"See? Perfectly safe," Nicholas said, flashing me another one of those maddeningly confident smiles.

"Sure," I muttered, my legs trembling a little as I climbed out, boots crunching against the snow.

And then I saw it.

"Whoa." The word fell out of my mouth before I could stop it.

Ahead of me, lit up like something straight out of a dream, was a village. No, not a village—a world. Buildings spiraled upward with candy cane supports, their roofs dusted in what looked exactly like powdered sugar. Gingerbread-like walls, glowing windows, chimneys puffing soft wisps of smoke into the night. Everything twinkled, shimmering against the snow-covered ground.

"Welcome to the North Pole," Nicholas said, stepping up beside me. His hands slid casually into his pockets, like this was nothing out of the ordinary.

"That’s not real," I whispered, shaking my head even as I took an unsteady step forward.

"Want to bet?" he asked, his grin widening.

The elves were everywhere.

They swarmed the streets like a living river of color—bright hats bobbing, tiny boots kicking up snow as bells jingled with every step. Their laughter carried on the crisp air, high and musical, like a chorus of wind chimes. I couldn’t stop staring.

"Are those...?" I started, but the words trailed off when one of them broke away from the crowd and marched right up to me. She wasn’t tall—barely came up to my waist—but her confidencemade up for it. Her hat flopped to one side, and the striped scarf around his neck seemed too big for someone so small.

"Gemma!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms wide like we were old friends. Her smile was all teeth and mischief.

"Uh..." I blinked, taking a step back out of instinct. "Do I know you?"

"Of course you do!" She planted her hands on her hips, looking almost offended. Then she winked. "You met me at the mall, remember? I bought a book from you?"

My jaw dropped. "No way. Ella? You’re, uh, smaller?!

She giggled. “Yep. Things work a little different here. Our true natures are revealed.”

“Good to see you.” Felt like I was going to be suspending my disbelief quite a bit while I was here.

"We've been expecting you."

"Expecting me?" My voice pitched higher, cracking slightly.

"Yup! But no time for questions—there's a schedule to keep!" Ella elf spun on her heel, her scarf whipping dramatically, and darted off before I could say another word.

---