Page 30 of Once Upon A Royal Christmas
Gracie knew good and well that she wasn’t in a dream or a snow globe, though. Her glass-slipper-clad feet were planted firmly on the ground, but she couldn’t seem to stop smiling. This bubbly, giddy feeling was so unlike her—not the fantastical Princess Snowflake character she played, but the real person beneath all the fluff. The actual Gracie.
Gracie was polka dot T-shirts and soft blue jeans with ragged hems. She drank coffee from a Keurig out of a ceramic mug she’d bought at the farmer’s market on a cool Colorado morning. She had a normal, practical life and spent Christmas every year in a normal, ordinary fashion—in her childhood home, with crumpled wrapping paper and an artificial tree dripping with wispy metallic icicles.
But here in San Glacera, the icicles were real. So were the trees, from the slender evergreens surrounding the castle and dotting the mountains to the colossal blue spruce that stood in the center of the skating rink in the village square. Gracie had only landed in San Glacera a few hours ago, but already, her life had become anything but ordinary.
Here, Gracie drank chocolat chaud with a secret surprise nestled in the bottom of her cup. Here, she’d sleep in a whimsical chalet that looked like it belonged in a Christmas card. Here, there were sparkling, chiseled ice sculptures on every street corner and the air smelled like gingerbread and romance.
Romance.
Gracie’s heart did a little flip. She reminded herself she didn’t believe in love at first sight. She wasn’t Snow White, for heaven’s sake, wandering through the forest and falling for the first man who sang a duet with her.
That was a hard no.
Been there, done that, got the T-shirt. Never again.
Even so, just this afternoon she’d gone all swoony over a prince with regal bone structure and eyes the color of the sky during a winter snowstorm. She’d felt like a snowflake falling…falling…falling…
He wasn’t a real prince, obviously. Nick was an actor playing a part, just like Gracie. But there’d been nothing fake about the way her heart had skipped a beat, and as much as she wanted to chalk it up to surprise at accidentally running into Prince Charming, she knew better.
Could it be that somewhere deep down, she still believed in fairy tales?
She wouldn’t have thought so a month ago, a week ago, or even a day ago. But all of her breath bottled up tight in her chest as she looked out over the village square. The buildings shimmered with twinkling Christmas lights, the boughs of the great blue spruce were blanketed with snow and candy cane-striped poles lined the walkway to the castle gates. Snowflakes swirled against the velvet sky.
Gracie had a cute little magic routine that she performed at children’s parties when she was in character. It involved some sleight of hand, a few paper snowflakes tucked up her sleeve, and copious amounts of glitter. But this…this was real magic. The sort of magic that made children believe in Santa Claus and adults long to come home for the holidays. This was Christmas magic.
If Gracie couldn’t muster up the tiniest bit of hope in this glorious place, then she should probably just pack up her tiara and go home.
A sound like church bells filled the air. She turned toward the Gothic cathedral just to the right of the castle, and sure enough, the arms of the big gold clock on the central steeple ticked perilously close to seven p.m. If she didn’t pick up the pace, she was going to be late. She wrapped her velvet cape snug around her shoulders and dashed toward the castle, a shivering Cinderella in reverse.
Passersby stopped to stare and smile as she floated past in a diaphanous cloud of tulle. She waved and gave them the full party princess treatment, even as she rushed toward the meeting spot. After all, that’s what she’d come here for. She had a responsibility to the kingdom, which she took very seriously. But once the castle gates came into view, everything around her seemed to slow to a soft, dreamy blur. Even the snowflakes appeared to twirl and dance in slow motion.
Despite the cold, warmth radiated through Grace as she saw Nick waiting for her. He was turned toward the side, and at first glance, she had the ridiculous thought that he had the sort of profile that belonged on a silver coin. Or a dollar bill, like Queen Elizabeth in England.
It was a strange thing to imagine, but there was something timeless about that square jaw of his and those piercing gray eyes. Something refined. Stately, even.
His eyes sparkled as his gaze swept the horizon. Gracie’s steps slowed. Nick’s costume looked so authentic. From the blue sash stretched across his chest to the gold epaulettes on his shoulders, it was detailed in a way that Gracie never could have achieved with her old Singer sewing machine. The cut of his trousers was impeccable. The medals pinned to his chest were buffed to a perfect shine.
She couldn’t help feeling a little cheap by comparison…
Like a grown woman playing dress-up.
Gracie blinked, and all at once, everything went back to feeling sweet and magical. Whatever momentary doubts she had melted away like yesterday’s snow. She’d never once been ashamed of her job, and she wasn’t about to start now.
Why should she? Playing Princess Snowflake made her happy. It made others happy, every single day. She felt like she was actually making a difference and helping change her little corner of the world into a brighter, more joyful place. If not for her job, she would have never traveled to San Glacera at all.
“I’m here,” she said, breathless as she came to a stop at Nick’s side.
Nick turned, eyes dancing as he met her gaze. Then the church bells rang one last time, as the hands of the clock ticked into place.
Just like in a fairy tale.
Nick gulped a deep breath of air as he took in the princess’s beautiful face, luminous beneath the Christmas lights glittering overhead. She smiled, and Nick’s head spun, like he’d just taken a generous gulp from a love potion in a fairy tale.
It was an absurd notion, but for once, Nick didn’t care. In his mind’s eye, he could see the tips of his polished shoes creeping over the edge of some imaginary cliff.
Take a leap.
Jaron’s words rang in his ears, echoing in time with the church bells. Sonorous and sweet.
