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Bringing the freshly baked cookies out of the kitchen, Eret dodged Tommy's glue and glitter covered hands, quickly setting the carefully arranged plate up high and pulling the skirt of her holiday gown safely away from his grasp. "Wash your hands, first, Tommy...and leave these for when everyone gets here, yours are in the kitchen."
Her youngest cousin grinned at her, and scrambled towards the kitchen. "Poggers!"
Looking up from where he was carefully filling in labels with names in flowing calligraphy, Wilbur stared at her disdainfully over the edge of his glasses, rolling his eyes. "It's not like anyone will notice a few of them missing..."
Crossing her arms over her chest she gave him a look. "Yes, they will. I will. Which is why yours are also in the kitchen, whether you deserve them, or not."
"You're such a drama queen." He stood, reaching towards the high plate.
She moved to stand in his way. "Finish the nametags, wash your hands, and go get the ones in the kitchen - these are for the guests."
"I am a guest."
"You're my cousin...we're together every holiday - but Niki is bringing her fiancée, so everything has to be perfect."
Wilbur frowned. "Her what..."
Eret's eyes widened, as she realized what she'd just revealed: her step-sister meant to announce the engagement to the rest of the family at Christmas dinner. "Her friend, I meant..." She hurriedly retreated back to the kitchen, where Tommy already had icing all over his face, not certain whether to be concerned or relieved that Wilbur was following her, instead of going after the cookies on the plate.
"What friend?" Wilbur stood in the doorway, his arms crossed.
"Someone she met, while she was away." Eret dampened a clean cloth, and began wiping Tommy's face, to his annoyance.
"Hey..." He snatched the cloth. "I'm not a baby, anymore..."
Wilbur reached for one of the cookies: Eret lightly slapped his hand away. "Wash your hands, first...you've probably got ink on your shirt."
Glancing at his hands, Wilbur got a wicked grin on his face, as he reached towards her, instead.
"Wilbur." Technoblade used dragging him back so he could pass as an excuse to prevent his brother from actually touching their cousin's red and white holiday dress. "Wash your hands, and grab us some milk." He gave Eret an apologetic look, once his brother's back was turned, taking the plate with their cookies from her shaking hands. "The name tags won't finish themselves..."
Grumbling his assent, Wilbur did as his brother demanded.
Tommy reached for another cookie. "He has a crush on her, you know..."
"What? But she's his cousin..."
"Not by blood...and he doesn't have the guts to act on it." Tommy licked the icing off his fingers.
"How do you know?"
"Techno teases him about it, all the time."
She sighed. "It's probably not true, Tommy - just Techno trying to fluster him."
"Then why does he turn so red?"
Rather than try and explain it to the youngest of her cousins, she smiled and gave him another cookie, before returning to the living room to finish decorating...carefully staying at the other side of the room, from her cousins.
Watching from the side as Wilbur was one of the first to greet Niki, Eret straightened her dress and made certain her thick curls were as contained as they could be, by her floral hair combs, and made her way forward to greet her step-sister, and the roommate who'd become more. "Merry Christmas, Puffy!" She hugged the happily grinning woman, feeling Wilbur's eyes boring into her back like a dagger. "I'm glad you could come."
"You look amazing, Eret...did you make cookies?"
"From Niki's recipe, yes." She pulled the other woman into the living room, and away from her seething cousin. "Has she warned you, about..."
"Hi! I'm Tommy!" Tommy bounced over, beaming at getting to meet someone new. "Are you and Niki dating?"
Eret facepalmed, as Puffy chuckled. "Niki mentioned you guys were having cousins over - this must be...Tommy?"
A half muffled snicker came from where Technoblade was setting place cards around the table: Tommy shot him a half annoyed, half questioning look. "Wot?"
"Come help me finish this, Tommy."
"Fine." He half stomped over.
Puffy chuckled, again. "Yes, she warned me."
"Oh, thank goodness."
"Room for one more?" A jovial voice brought a smile to her face, despite the tension.
"That must be your uncle Dorsalmeyer, right?" Puffy asked, softly.
Catching a grin as bright as his sparkling green eyes from across the room, she nodded: her huge golden skinned uncle was easily her favorite part of Christmas - even if she wasn't certain he was a blood relative. He'd been there every Christmas and birthday that she could remember, and some that she couldn't quite, to the point that she knew that he'd always been there for her, and always would be...but she'd never heard either her father or Uncle Philza mention exactly how they were related.
Perhaps it was through her mother...that would explain the reticence to discuss it, in front of any of the children.
Before her mood could even begin to sober at that thought, the man who ironically called himself Foolish wrapped his huge hands around her waist, and spun her around, laughing until she joined in. "Merry Christmas, Eret!"
"I've missed you." She admitted, smiling down at him. "I glad you could make it."
"Always." He set her back on her feet. "I've brought something special - I think I'm going to ruin dinner, if that's okay with you?"
She giggled and nodded, hearing both barely concealed exasperated sighs from her father and Philza.
Foolish placed what turned out to be a strangely large music box on the dinner table: when he opened it, the reason for its size became obvious, as tiny, lifelike creatures climbed out and began placing gingerbread and other sweets in a carefully choreographed dance. Even Wilbur forgot his irritation, watching in wonder as a beautiful castle of sugary delights was crafted before their eyes...which lasted until Niki announced her engagement to Puffy. Thankfully, the exchange of gifts distracted him...at least, for a time...
Looking up from the blue lamb sleeping without a care beneath the Christmas tree, Wilbur scoffed at the intricately carved wooden doll Eret was examining with the attention of a museum curator to a precious artifact. Seeing Eret tense, Foolish pointed out a hidden mechanism. "It's not just a doll." Placing a pecan between the doll's jaws, he used the carefully concealed lever to break the shell.
"It's beautiful." She smiled, running a finger along the actual cloth uniform, marveling at the tiny golden buttons and embroidered details.
As soon as Foolish joined the other adults, out of sight in the next room to discuss wedding plans, Wilbur got to his feet and stared down at her. "I bet it can't handle these nuts..." He grabbed the doll, holding it above her head, then scrambling away, when she jumped to her feet.
"Give it back!" She chased him around the room until it was clear that it wasn't at all in fun.
Technoblade rose from the chair where he'd been poring over the philosophy book Philza had given him, trying to catch his brother. "Stop it, Wilbur..."
The chase that seemed to last for an excruciatingly long time was in reality short enough that the adults in the kitchen didn't realize it was happening, before the damage was done: attempting to grab the doll from Wilbur, Technoblade accidentally knocked it from his hand instead, sending it flying against the bricks of the fireplace. As the jaw popped loose with a sickening crack loud enough to startle the blue lamb awake with a scared bleat - the only sound in the sudden silence - all three brothers froze. That spell was only broken as Eret reached down with shaking hands, retrieving the damaged toy, running a finger lightly over the deep scratch that the bricks had also made down the face.
"I...I didn't mean..."
"Shut the hell up, Wilbur." Technoblade shoved him into a chair. "Just...sit there, and don't move." He knelt beside Eret. "I'm sorry...I was trying to make him stop..." He picked up the cracked jaw, staring at it with a critical eye.
"I know..." While her voice was shaky, she wasn't crying...until a splinter sliced open her finger, and blood ran down the doll's face like a crimson tear.
Having still been in shock at his brother's actions, Tommy snapped out of it at the sight of the sparkling tears streaming down her face. "PHIIILLL!"
Every adult in the house ran into the room knowing that tone: as her father picked her up and settled her in a chair to assess her bleeding finger, Foolish gently took the broken toy from her. "I can fix this, Eret...I'll make him good as new." As her finger was bandaged, he deftly sanded down the rough edges, then positioned the jaw carefully, before applying glue to the crack. "I just need something to hold the jaw in place, while the glue dries."
Tommy took off his green bandanna, holding it out. "Will this work?"
Foolish smiled down at him. "That's perfect, Tommy. Thank you." Tying it around the doll's head, he then laid him carefully in the music box. "He'll be fine, by morning."
"I think, perhaps, it's time for bed." Philza was giving Wilbur a very less than pleased look.
Technoblade leaned over, giving Eret a quick hug. "It'll be okay, but I'm still sorry..."
"It wasn't your fault." She hugged him back, managing a smile as Tommy ran over to her for a far more enthusiastic embrace. "Thank you for helping, Tommy...I'll get up early, and wash your bandanna, in case any glue gets on it."
"You're not going to get up before me!" He grinned, pointing at the tree. "I bet there's not going to be any room left for Friend, under that tree, once Santa's been here!"
Technoblade chuckled, plucking Tommy off of their cousin's lap. "You have to go to sleep before you can wake up, Tommy..." He headed towards the stairs. "Come on, Wilbur...before you manage to break anything else."
Wilbur slowly stood, and picked up Friend, who snuggled against his chest with a contented huff. "I really didn't mean to break it..."
Eret managed to look up at him, through the tears she was trying to restrain. "I know you didn't, Wilbur." As a single glittering trail escaped her resolve, tracing it's way down her face, Philza none too gently propelled the last of his sons up towards the rooms in which they were staying.
Given a steaming mug of hot chocolate to help calm her, Eret tried to pay attention to the discussion that Niki and Puffy tried to draw her into, for a distraction...but finally gave up and headed towards the stairs, herself. She wasn't tired, but neither did she feel like staying in the room, much less trying to act happy for her step-sister, at the moment - she'd make it up to her, tomorrow, with all the discussions about dresses, flowers, and wedding sweets she could muster.
She even tried to consider all of those, as she stared up at her ceiling...perhaps candied violets, as part of the cake's decoration? Would Niki even have a traditional cake, or would she build a tower of cupcakes, as some did, now? When her stomach growled, she realized that she was focusing on the cake because all she'd eaten was gingerbread: sitting up, she pulled on her robe, intent on heading to the kitchen as unnoticed as possible, for a snack.
The house was quiet, so the adults must have also turned in, for the night: tiptoeing down the stairs, she managed a small smile at the pile of gifts from Santa already piled beneath the tree - while she knew their true origins, she still looked forward to seeing Tommy's beaming face, in the morning. Her smile slipped, as her eyes settled on a hint of paint on the hearth. Wilbur had been like that, too, once...they all had: had it been losing that childhood innocense that had driven him to try and take all the joy out of the holiday, ever after?
At least he still indulged Tommy, though she suspected that it might be more out of fear of his other brother's and father's reactions, than truly wanting to let the youngest of them be a child, for a while longer... With a sigh, she turned towards the kitchen - but instead of food, her eyes were drawn to the table, at first by the music box and its contents, and then to...
Eret almost shrieked, at the strange forms moving around the gingerbread castle: at first, she thought they might be Foolish's Doozers, but these were white, and not nearly so humanoid - almost blob-like, with round heads that might have seemed comical, had their expressions not been quite so malicious...one blinked at her through large round glasses; another was trying to upset a candle...but it was the largest of them, that made her shrink away, it's smile strangely unnerving, as it stared at her with black glittering eyes...
"Pinche pendejos, vayan a hacer su propia historia de Navidad, esta es mi maldita trama heroica!" Eret nearly fainted, hearing a male voice where there should have been none, as the blobs moved closer...she quickly found herself enfolded in blue-clad arms, warm brown eyes staring into hers from behind a curtain of midnight-black hair, in concern. "Are you all right?"
"What are they?" There were far more of them now, amassing in front of the suddenly much larger gingerbread castle.
The prince lifted her to her feet, taking her hand. "They're nothing to worry about, mi dulce reina..." Drawing his sword, he motioned towards the castle. "...we have an army."
The gumdrops she'd helped place earlier to resemble greenery suddenly jiggled to life, and began bouncing their way towards the white blobs. "Defend Las Navidad!" The happily intoned war cry devolved into the sounds of battle.
Surely this was a dream... Eret let the prince pull her towards the castle, and it's sugary armaments...but the blobs had their own: a catapult of Christmas cookies, candy canes, red licorice ropes and hollowed-out peanut butter cups began to punch holes through the gingerbread walls with cinnamon jawbreakers, while the blobs constructed ladders out of reception sticks by melting the chocolate coating, then letting them harden together in a carefully crafted lattice.
As the blobs entered the castle, they ran higher, ending up running along the pastry parapets with the largest blob giving chase: coming upon a chocolate dipped hazelnut truffle, the prince sent it rolling down one of the ladders, knocking the invaders down into a sea of angry green gumdrops. "Go, my queen!" He helped her step over the side, moments before the smiling enemy swung a lollipop shaped into an axe at his head. Seeing him deflect the translucent purple blade, Eret felt someone grab her ankle, trying to pull her off of the thankfully sticky rungs - thankfully, because one of her slippers stuck, preventing him from being able to fully destroy her footing. "Bitch..." Eret kicked the blob in the face, dislodging the glasses that differentiated him from most of the others: as he shook his round head, she pulled her foot out of the stuck slipper, and yanked it out of the chocolate, slapping him again in the face, hard enough that she dropped the slipper after him.
The blob fell, letting out a high pitched shriek as he did: the largest blob's round head snapped around, and he dove after him, directing their quickly conjoined fall just enough that they landed in the cat's water dish, on the floor below. The other blobs scattered, making distressed squeaks.
"My warrior queen." The prince leaned over the wall, helping her back up to the parapet, then swinging her into his arms, so she wouldn't have to walk without one of her slippers. "It would seem that my luck is truly a lady, tonight..."
By the time they made it down the stairs, the table had expanded all the way to the horizon, the kitchen a fading memory, falling flakes of spun sugar drifting lazily down into drifts: as Eret reached out, touching the soft, sweet snow, a sleigh appeared, made of a marzipan embellished chocolate shell with candy cane runners, being driven by a familiar golden face. Foolish's eyes sparkled like gemstones, as the prince settled her onto the marshmallow cushioned seat, kneeling in front of her: gently raising her foot, he slid her slipper back on, before sitting at her side.
As the sleigh built speed through a confectionary created winter wonderland, she caught sight of dancers through the trees: a slender, tall man with a crown; a smaller man with horns, but a jovial smile; a small child...all dressed in fur lined cloaks and sparkling diamond armor, but seemingly able to tread on the snow without leaving a trace, as they danced towards a woodland mansion with firelight glowing warmly from sugar-glass windows. The child waved to her, as the sleigh managed to leave the ground, flying high over villages and large towns alike, inhabited and not...
Watching the moon grow closer, the prince turned to her, raising her hand to his lips. "I fought once to reach the moon, only to find it a cold, hard rock...but now, I can hold the stars in my arms." Seeing the glow from her eyes reflected in his made her breath catch in her chest: his hand caressing her cheek made it stop entirely, for a long moment. "Mija, these eyes should never be dimmed by tears..."
"You were hurt..." Reaching up, she caressed his face, still beautiful despite the telltale line going up from his jaw over one eye.
"Yet you were the one who bled." Catching her hand, he pressed the finger that had been injured to his lips, then stood, pulling her to her feet. "You stayed by my side, instead of celebrating: please...allow me to make up for that." His arms wrapped around her waist, as wings extended from his back, lifting them both out of the sleigh: spinning in slow, gentle circles, he made their descent look like a dance until they alit in a garden, to the delight of the fairy queen's court.
Eret's eyes widened as she saw the beautiful gossamer wings fluttering from her step-sister's back, unrestrained by the ballgown that went from a sparkling white to a gold-dusted rose, and Puffy beside her in a uniform almost precisely like her own prince's, save for the hues matching Niki's dress. "Where have you been, sweet sister? This party could not truly start, without you..."
"Your sister was tending to my injuries, when we came under attack..." The prince regaled the sugar plum court with the story of the battle against the strange foes, leaving her blushing from his tone of adoration.
The cavalier smiled kindly. "He feels for you as I do, for your sister." Puffy nodded towards the prince. "Your uncle is far wiser than you know - he knows that life is a dance, and how to alter the steps to make it as perfect as he can...including leading you to your perfect partner."
"But this must be a dream...surely..."
"Then hold on to it...to him...and don't let go."
Dancing until she was truly exhausted, she watched Niki and Puffy continue, lost in each others' arms and eyes, until she fell asleep to the sound of her prince's heart...
Feeling herself being lifted, she woke just enough to see her father's glowing white eyes gazing down at her: smiling gently, he attempted to take the doll, intending to place it back in the music box. Giving up when she held it tightly to her chest, he raised an eyebrow. "Your uncle was afraid you wouldn't want that, after Wilbur broke it...he'll be glad to know he was wrong, but what are you doing up, so late?"
"I had..." She glanced at the gingerbread castle; the undisturbed cat bowl; then down at the wooden doll no longer capable of holding her. "...a dream...a wonderful dream..."
Smiling as he carried her back up the stairs, Herobrine let his youngest get through as much of the story as she could, before falling back asleep in his arms: tucking her back in bed in the safety of her room, he glanced out the window at the building storm, hoping she would sleep through the worst of it.
And sleep she did: no further dreams pushed that one from her mind, as she woke to see what looked like a different world outside her window, pristine, sparkling, and new. Remembering her promise from the night before, she carefully unbound the bandanna from around the doll's jaw, glad to discover that no glue had seeped from the repairs Foolish had made: Tommy offering it had honestly meant almost as much to her as the doll itself.
Dressing quickly, she carried both from the room, gladly hearing no movement from her cousins' rooms: perhaps she'd have some time with Niki, before they woke, to apologize for her lack of interest, last night. Making it down the stairs, she found to her surprise that Foolish was the only one up, besides a newcomer...
Eret's eyes widened at the sight of the young man in a deep blue suit, his midnight black hair held back by a knit cap: his cheeks taking on a similar rosy hue to his full lips, which curved in a shy smile. Foolish smiled at her, handing her a mug of hot chocolate, as if he'd fully expected her to be the first one down. "Eret, this is my friend, Quackity...he's stopped by unexpectedly, because there was a bit of a disaster, where he lives, and he needs a place to stay, for a little while..." He began preparing the three of them breakfast. "I think the two of you will get along, very well..."