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MIDWINTER MAGIC: SIXTEEN
There was a scramble for cloaks and mufflers for everyone, as well as checking for proper footwear, since Calen and Conn had twice enjoyed barefoot adventures in the snow already this season. Kara and Dara were in charge of handing out candles which Shane was responsible for lighting, but not in the ordinary way. Instead of fire, he formed between his fingers a softly glowing light and placed a bit of it upon each wick as the candles were distributed. The wind would not likely snuff these lights, nor would they harm any who were careless with them, for the light was cool to the touch. The worst that could happen would be to tamper with it too much and cause it to disperse. Jera was particularly impressed with Shane's gesture and smiled warmly to him then to his Uncle Ashe as they received their candles. Thus the entire party trouped out into the snow. Shane and Kylan took the lead. Wallace was next, still within Arista's care. Amazingly, the younger twins followed right along. Calen and Conn marched with high steps, being of course the Holly Berry King's 'berry best' guards. Kara and Dara now had charge of Diana between them, so they could lift her over any drifts they might encounter, but the snow wasn't really that deep just now. It was iced over a bit from the day's warm sunshine, which made it all the better for crunching with each step. The other children followed behind and along side this company, then the adults followed with much muttering about what was going on and just how far out into this cold night they might all go. When the entire group was finally assembled and on the move, Arista turned around and walked backwards for a few paces. She announced that the twins, all four of them, had made a wee change to a song for their friend, Wallace. And so... in bright, clear, and very loud voices, the younger Blackthorn children began to march and giggle and sing. Here we come a-Wallacing Among the leaves so green! Here we come a-wand'ring So fair to be seen.... As the children took up the chorus, the entire group joined in. Love and joy come to you, And to you a Wallace too, And God bless you, and send you A Happy New Year, And God send you a Happy New Year! They repeated the song several times as they kept walking, but only used the first verse and chorus because the little ones could barely follow along with that, and of course they loved the Wallace parts best. After all, they weren't entirely sure what a wassail was, but they certainly knew what a Wallace was. The formation of Wallace's entourage got rather loose but it was just too much fun to sing out as loud as you wanted while stomping in crunchy snow. The woods around the Manor rang with the chorus of cheerful voices. When the color guard for the Holly Berry King came to a halt, everyone fell quite still. They could almost hear the snowflakes falling about them now as they stood at a break in a line of fir trees, all flocked in white, smelling fresh and clean. Through this opening was the moon in the cobalt blue sky, surrounded by her own entourage of twinkling stars. Her bright full light upon the snow nearly cancelled out Shane's candlework. Arista turned again and tried to speak up, but it was hard because already she was sad about the real reason for this ceremony. "Wallace said the full Cold Moon would mean tis time for him to go." Obviously, that time was now. Wallace was sad too but also excited to continue his own journey. He could no longer sit in Arista's hand as he'd so often done over the last several days. Instead, he hovered beside her and she turned to watch him while the rest of the gathering looked on. Wallace gazed into Arista's beautiful leaf green eyes, then let his own emerald eyes take in her firey red hair and softly sad smile. "Arista, m'lady, a pleasure t' know ye. I thank ye for helpin' me an' for sharin' your family." The sprite bowed in mid-air to her, with a slow flourish of respect. He then turned and looked across all the other long people, even the shortest of them. He grinned at the littlest the most, and then bowed to the group. He raised his voice as much as he could, but not in anger, only to be heard. "I take my leave of ye, but leave my heart! I cannae share wi' ye where I go, but I'm sure o' the way now! Thank ye one an' all for this farewell!" Wallace flew in closer to Arista, and whispered softly "We've all got magic, lass. Yers is probably the most powerful of all, if'n ye'd just believe." Then with a flutter of his wings he kissed her lightly on the cheek. It left a small red print, but fortunately they'd all learned from the earlier cleanup that the color on skin would wear off. With one more whirl in the air and a wink, Wallace disappeared into the night sky of lightly falling snow, which seemed to drift lazily among the sparkle of stars. Arista started to sing softly... "The holly and the ivy...when they are both full grown...." and a little soft sob strangled the words, the lump in her throat preventing her from continuing. However, she turned her glittering eyes on Shane and her brother picked up the tune and began to sing it, a soft smile curving his mouth. He moved to Ari's side and slipped an arm around her shoulders, still singing, and then everyone in the group joined, singing or humming along. With that, they all turned to move back toward the Manor. Calen and Conn had never quite gotten the words to this song, so they stomped along and sang something like the tune, but their lyrics consisted of "We're calowers, We're calowers, We're calowers, Uh huh!" As they neared the Manor, they were greeted by Lady Skye who had already captured Diana after catching her spitting at snowflakes. In fact, the toddler did it again, even while under her mother's grasp. Skye gently placed her hand over Diana's mouth and firmly restated the rule. "No spitting." Then she turned her gaze on the boys. This one look from their mother clearly told them that carolers, however one might say it, do not and will not spit, not anymore. Kara and Dara took up the candles again as the group filtered back into the Manor. With each one, they pinched the light from the wicks and released it into the air. The sparkles floated about like fireflies, though of course such a thing is not ordinarily seen at Midwinter. Eventually, all the tiny lights flew away and disappeared. The gathering resumed inside the warm Manor and the great hall was again full of cheer for the season, as well as for family and friendship. For Arista, there was also a strong feeling of magic because she was beginning to understand what Shane, Da, Uncle Ashe, and Jera seemed to feel all around them. She realized that her mother was aware of the magic too, for how she tended to those things that she loved most, her family, her friends, her herbs, and those under her command. Arista realized that she herself could maybe cultivate her own magic simply by recognizing it in others, rather than focusing on her own seeming lack of it. But of course, he who held the most captivating magic, was Kylan. Arista grinned as she looked around the room and caught Kylan smiling back at her. With a wink she made to bow to him and rubbed her backside, and was rewarded with Kylan's soft laugh filtering over towards her above the other sounds of merriment. Maybe there was still some lock picking to do as well, but on a heart... with gentleness and great stealth. And maybe picking this lock was really just about being herself.
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Thanks again to everyone who participated in this tale. ~ Diana and Stacy END SIXTEEN ~ fin ~ © 2002 DP & SO along with all other participants ~ This and other stories may be found at Willow's End |