by penny watson
“In conclusion, the council forgives your transgressions, and gives our blessing to your union with Lucy Anne Brewster.”
Johan turned to Hector. “Hector, our good friend, and head of the Council of Seven, we absolve you of any and all guilt pertaining to the events of the day in question. Clearly, your magic was only successful based on the merits of this case, resulting in an outcome that is critical to the welfare and future of Glasdorf.” In a softer voice, Johan whispered to his friend, “Do not lose trust in yourself, Hector. You have served Glasdorf well for many years. And will continue to do so, I have no doubt.”
Nicholas swayed a bit and let out a huge breath of relief. Hector patted him on the back and grinned. “You see, I told you all would be well. The council prides itself on being fair and just.”
“I think it’s time to celebrate with some Irish coffees and honey sticks for everyone. I also have a delicious platter of honey bars from Klaus Küche,” announced Tobias as he carried a tray of food to the table.
“Honey bars? Those are my favorites.” Ebbe reached over to grab a handful of cookies.
Nicholas smiled. “I’m glad you like them, Ebbe. We’ve been using lavender honey this year and my workers assure me it’s the best.”
Johan nodded. “I love the texture. So soft and chewy. My granddaughters can’t get enough of these.”
“Will you join us, Nicholas?” Tobias asked.
“Thank you, Tobias, but I promised Lucy I would return home as soon as I could to let her know what happened. She’s very nervous.”
Tobias nodded at Nicholas. “We are all looking forward to meeting your Schatzi. Perhaps we could plan a get-together soon.”
Hector agreed. “Helga would enjoy planning such an event. She loves entertaining.”
Nicholas buttoned up his coat as the elves continued to discuss their plans and distribute honey sticks around the circular table.
Ebbe sauntered up to Hector, clutching a photo album in his hands. “Hector, it’s clear that this entire matter has weighed heavily on you. How about planning a nice vacation after Christmas?” He smiled at his old friend. “There’s a lovely island in Tahiti that is nice this time of the year. Very isolated and quiet.”
Nicholas smiled to himself as Ebbe opened up the album to reveal numerous photos of himself in flip-flops, a red Speedo bathing suit, and a T-shirt that said Naked Co-Ed Elfin Lacrosse.
Hector stroked his beard thoughtfully. “What a beautiful beach. Helga always enjoys a nice swim in the tropical waters.”
Nicholas laughed as the elves began a discussion about various vacation destinations. As he entered the hallway, he turned and shouted “Good night! And thank you!” to the council.
“Gute Nacht, young Nicholas!” Otto shouted back as he sipped a large mug of coffee.
Nicholas hurried out of the cottage. He felt an odd sense of relief, a touch bittersweet. He was immensely thankful the council had not expelled him from Glasdorf. But the knowledge that the Überholen was only a year away filled him with dread. And he was still wary of Lucy’s reaction to all of this. He was not certain that she would be willing to sacrifice her life in the Sudenwelt to stay here with him. He would be asking a lot.
A hell of a lot.
Lucy sank her hands into a large bowl of cookie dough. The wonderful fragrance of lemon and cardamom filled the air. The dough was light and buttery as she deftly formed it into several mounds on the granite counter. She sprinkled a bit of flour over the top, and began to roll out the batter with Nicholas’s professional rolling pin.
As Lucy worked the dough, she smiled to herself, thinking about the absurdity of her present situation. Here she was, in the North Pole, making Christmas cookies in the kitchen of Santa’s eldest son! After so many years of yearning for excitement, she had certainly found it in spades in Glasdorf. And she felt completely content in this charming, magical village. She assumed her first journey outside of New York would be to Paris or Rome. Instead, Lucy was having the adventure of a lifetime surrounded by elves, magical sleighs, and the man of her dreams.
There was no doubt in her mind that Nicholas was her dream-man. In spite of their creative differences, she was utterly smitten with the eldest Klaus son. If only she knew for sure how Nicholas felt about her. They had avoided discussing their future together, and Lucy wondered if Nicholas considered her a short-term relationship. What sort of future could they have? He lived in the North Pole, and was expected to take over as Santa. She still had the responsibility of Sweet Inspiration. Lucy tried to ignore the secret fantasies floating around in her mind that involved her and Nicholas running their own bakery together, and then making passionate love all night long. She sighed. Fantasies like those would probably get her heart broken.
Time to cut the cookies. Lucy laughed when she opened the doors to the baking cabinet. Dozens of copper cookie cutters hung from hooks on the inside of the door, in alphabetical order! She thought of the willow basket at Sweet Inspiration where the cutters, well worn and banged up, were thrown haphazardly into a pile. Nicholas would sure have a hissy fit if he could see that. She chose a beautiful star cutter and began to punch out the cookies.
Just as she pulled the final batch from the oven, she heard the front door open. Nicholas is home!
“Oh yeah! That’s what I’m talking about. I knew he’d be baking something good for dinner tonight.”
“I recognize that smell. I think he’s making the lemon stars. Hope he’s making them crispy the way I like ’em.”
“I’ve missed Nicholas’s cooking the last two weeks. It doesn’t feel like Christmas without him.”
“Remind me to tell him to bake those for my party.”
Lucy froze in the kitchen as four giant Klaus brothers stood in the doorway. She recognized them from the photo in Nicholas’s room.
One had green spiky hair sticking out from under a Dr. Seuss style hat. His emerald green eyes sparkled mischievously, and he held a snowboard under one arm. The second one wore a hand-knit cap and scarf over a heavy poncho, with a brightly colored tie-dyed shirt hanging out the bottom. His eyes were chocolate-brown, and he had sandy hair that fell in loose waves over his shoulders. The third brother had eyes so dark, they looked almost black. He sported the same dark hair and beard as Nicholas, and wore blue jeans and a heavy parka. The last brother looked like a lawyer, dressed in an impeccable suit and overcoat. His chestnut colored hair was trimmed very short, and he had a stylish goatee.
“You’re a lot cuter than Nicholas,” said the Klaus with the poncho.
“Lucky son-of-a… She’s effin’ adorable. I can’t believe Mr. Anti-Social got so lucky. Maybe we should plan a little trip to upstate New York,” responded a brother with the colorful hair.
“You are beautiful. You wouldn’t happen to have any sisters, would you?” the third brother asked.
Lucy shook her head, looking from one to the other as comments bounced around the room. “No, no sisters. I’m an only child.”
“Oh well.” The giant with the Dr. Seuss hat winked at her. “Let me guess. You must be Lucy. Monie and the other elves at Dag’s told me all about you. They said you’re a wiz with the darts.” He extended his hand.
Lucy shook hands and giggled. “Um, I think maybe I just had some beginner’s luck at the dart board. Monie and the others were very nice.”
“I’m Oskar, Nicholas’s youngest brother.”
“And I’m Sven, toy builder and cookie taster extraordinaire.” The brother with the poncho leaned forward and whispered in her ear. “Those wouldn’t happen to be lemon stars baking, eh?”
The third brother with the dark eyes laughed. “Back off, Sven. You touch my cookies and you’re a dead man.” He also shook Lucy’s hand. “I’m Wolfgang, Wolfie for short.”
The immaculately dressed Klaus stepped forward. “I’m Gregor. It’s very nice to meet you.”
“It’s nice to meet all of you. Yes, I’m baking the lemon stars. Nicholas just taught me the rec
ipe yesterday.”
Oskar grabbed a cooling cookie from the counter, tossed it into the air, and caught it with his open mouth. “Perfect. You’re going to give Nick a run for his money, sweet thing.”
Sven laughed and collected a handful of cookies for himself. “Nicholas said your sugar cookies were the best he’d ever tasted. Have you told him your secret recipe yet?”
Lucy’s cheeks reddened. “He said that? No, but I would be happy to. My customers back home really love them, too.”
Gregor shook his head. “I can’t believe Nicholas isn’t back yet. I hope that letter we sent helped out.”
“The council must be really letting him have it,” answered Wolfie, his dark eyes filling with worry.
“Hope Nick brought some goodies from Klaus Küche. Ebbe’s got a sweet tooth, and he’s a grouchy bastard when he’s riled up.” Oskar hopped up onto the granite counter next to the cookies.
“You should know, O. You’re number one on his shit list…” Sven laughed.
“Hey, guys, there’s a lady present.” Wolfgang gestured to Lucy. “Watch your language.”
“Have you heard anything yet? Has Nicholas called?” Gregor asked her anxiously.
“No. And I’m really worried. I feel so guilty. None of this would have happened if he hadn’t broken the rules to save my life.”
Wolfgang smiled at Lucy. “You shouldn’t feel guilty. Nicholas will go to any length for the people he cares about. I know for a fact that he has no regrets about what he did. That’s the kind of guy he is.”
Sven nodded. “Hell, he took the brunt of it when we were growing up. O and I were especially…”
“Spirited?” Oskar added helpfully.
Gregor smirked. “Spirited is one word for it. Another one is a royal pain-in-the-ass. Oskar and Sven were called before the council about a million times.”
“Nicholas was always there, defending them no matter what craziness they got into. He’s not afraid to face the council, believe me.” Wolfie opened a cabinet and pulled out a large tin shaped like a Christmas tree. “Lucy, do you mind if we take a couple of batches of these cookies to Mom’s? Our mother is a sweetheart, but not so hot in the kitchen.”
Lucy nodded. “That’s a great idea. Nicholas told me there’s a family dinner tonight. I’m a little bit nervous about meeting your parents. Especially your father.” She looked at the brothers questioningly. “Do you think he’ll be angry at me?”
Oskar gave her shoulders an affectionate squeeze. “He’s all bark, no bite. He’ll probably rake Nicholas over the coals for a bit, but he would never do that to you. My ma would have his head on a platter.”
Wolfie smiled at Lucy. “As far as my parents are concerned, Lucy Anne, you’re a part of our family now. We all look out for each other, especially my father. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised when you meet Nicky Sr. and Alena. They’re definitely not what you’d expect.”
Sven laughed. “Oh yeah. Dad’s not really into red coats.” The four brothers laughed together, like a rumble of thunder.
“My mom is probably planning your children’s names already. She’s been bugging us about settling down for a long time, so I’m sure she is thrilled about meeting you tonight.” Gregor winked at Lucy.
Oskar laughed. “Get ready to be grilled. In a good way, of course.” Oskar and Sven high fived each other. Lucy heard Sven whisper under his breath… “Takes the heat off of us, thank the good God…”
The front door to the cottage swung open, and Nicholas entered in a swirling gust of snow.
“Nicholas!” Lucy ran across the kitchen and jumped into his outstretched arms. “Please tell me everything is okay,” she whispered fiercely into his shoulder. She leaned back to look at his face.
“What a nice welcome home.” Nicholas kissed her trembling mouth. “Everything is fine. I’ve been forgiven, and so has Hector.”
“Hey, bro, I think the girl likes you.” Oskar observed drily from the doorway to the kitchen.
“So, what’s the verdict? A week polishing the sleigh?” asked Gregor.
“Two weeks hand knitting stockings for the elderly?” Wolfgang smiled mischievously at his older brother.
“A full pedicure and foot massage for Ebbe?” Oskar asked innocently.
Sven cringed. “That’s disgusting, O. For God’s sake…”
“Well, tell us, Nick, what happened?”
Nicholas leaned up against the kitchen counter, still holding Lucy snugly in his arms. “The council wasn’t too happy, but they’re letting everything slide on the understanding that the Überholen takes place in a year.”
“Geez, Nicholas. They’re cracking the whip, huh?” Gregor shook his head.
Lucy tugged on Nicholas’s arm. “What does that mean? What’s the Überholen?”
Nicholas sighed. “Literally it is the ‘passing of the torch.’ When the current Santa steps down and the eldest son takes his place.” He kissed the top of her head. “I knew this was coming. It’s just a little sooner than I expected. It’s my responsibility, and mom and dad deserve a nice retirement. The important thing is that I haven’t been expelled.” He raised an eyebrow at Oskar. “Or forced to give Ebbe a foot massage.”
The brothers laughed and shook Nicholas’s hand. Oskar thumped him hard on the back. “Way to go, big brother. Baker Boy gets off scot-free. It’s a miracle.”
Sven touched his fist to Nicholas’s and grinned. “Congrats, man.”
Nicholas cleared his throat. “By the way, thanks for the letter of support. It really helped.”
Sven slapped Nicholas on the back. “It’s about time we paid you back for everything you did for us growing up. I wasn’t sure if the council would consider it.”
Wolfgang nodded. “I’m glad it helped, Nicholas,” he added softly.
Oskar grabbed his snowboard under one arm, and the tin of cookies under the other. “Okay, guys, time for the really important decision of the evening.” His brothers looked at him expectantly. “Who the hell is cooking dinner? Because I’m starved, and if mom is cooking, I’m heading to Dag’s!”
Lucy gazed up at the beautiful Tudor-style manor. It was certainly a home befitting Santa Claus. Smoke curled from numerous stone chimneys atop the steeply angled roof. Turrets jutted up from multi-colored slate tiles. Draped with fresh garlands of greens, the castle glowed with strands of white lights and flickering candles in each window. Lucy was not surprised to see sparks of light shimmering around the house, enveloping it in magic. She was becoming accustomed to elfin magic in Glasdorf, and it was obvious that the home of the Weihnachtsmann was enchanted.
An enormous glass conservatory was attached to one end of the castle, and Lucy could see vibrant hothouse flowers and fruited trees inside. A troupe of elves primped and polished a magnificent red sleigh parked in the courtyard. Masses of evergreens enveloped a frozen pond, where giggling elfin children were skating, twirling gleefully around the ice. On a porch to the side of the massive home were racks of cross-country skis, old-fashioned snowshoes hanging on hooks, and baskets of skates.
An astonishing assortment of animals roamed the grounds, including playful malamutes and singing birds of every color. A swath of sparkling magic spun from the castle and enveloped Lucy for an instant, then raced back to a turret. She pressed her hand to her heart as she stared in awe at the vision in front of her. I’ve never seen a home so welcoming, so charming. You can actually feel the Christmas spirit here.
“This is amazing,” Lucy sighed.
Nicholas looked up at the castle and smiled. “It’s something, isn’t it? This has been the home for the Weihnachtsmann since the very first Rudolf Klaus.”
“Who is Rudolf Klaus? You haven’t told me about your history. How did your family end up here?”
“I’ll bet my father would love to tell you that story at dinner. He’s really into the Klaus family history. I think I’ll let him enlighten you.” Several of the dogs ran over to greet them.
“Dow
n, Bowie! Not on my cashmere coat!” Gregor admonished the dogs as they pounced on the band of brothers.
“What a spoilsport.” Oskar shook his head at his older brother. “The dogs just want a little play time, right boys?” He patted them affectionately. Oskar and Sven tossed a couple candy cane rawhide bones, and several of the dogs bounded after them, diving into snow banks.
Lucy leaned down and wrapped her arms around one of the fluffy dogs. She kneaded his thick white fur and his tail wagged happily. “They’re beautiful, Nicholas. Your parents don’t mind all these animals?”
“My dad is crazy about the dogs. He has actually entered the Iditarod several times. There is even a miniature castle in the back that’s a dog house.”
“Oh! That is so cool. Your family really embraces adventure, don’t you? You don’t seem scared of anything.”
Wolfgang looked thoughtfully at Lucy. “I think you must be pretty brave, too, Lucy Anne. Accepting Glasdorf would be too overwhelming for a lot of people. I’m impressed that you are so at ease here.”
Lucy shrugged. “I think Glasdorf is incredible. But I don’t really feel that brave. In fact, I’m pretty nervous about meeting your dad.”
Wolfie patted her on the shoulder. “Come on then, let’s go inside. I guarantee you that it’s not going to be that bad. My dad grumbles a lot, but underneath he’s really a softie. Especially around my mom. Right, Nicholas?”
Nicholas nodded. “Even if my parents are disappointed in my behavior, they would never think less of you. In fact, I’m sure my parents are going to be thrilled to meet you, Luce.”
Sven stomped his feet on the front stoop to dislodge the snow and ice. “Let’s head inside, I’m freezing. Time to hang out in front of the fire with a hot toddy.”
Nicholas knocked on the front doors, ornately carved and embedded with stained glass. Lucy noticed that the red and green slivers of glass were constantly changing patterns, and sparkling with lights. “What is the significance of the glass? It’s so beautiful.”