Yuletide Dread

The flames licked up into the air as that Yule log burned for the fifth day in a row. I stood basking in its warmth as the cold froze my backside. Yule was always my favorite time of year. The time of year my family was almost always together and happy. Even She would put aside her grumblings about the cold months and enjoy this time with me. 

That sadness crept over me again. This was my first Yule without Her. 

A stray snowball came flying at my head. Not expecting an attack and being caught up in my world, it hit me hard on the cheek. I sent a quick glare over to the children, who were now staring at me wide eyed, remaining completely still as if they hoped that movement was how I could see. 

I took a few steps towards them, forcing myself to keep that glare. They shook in worry, until, with a smile, I scooped up a snowball and threw it at the closest rosy-cheeked child, hitting them square in the chest. They screamed and giggled, then started teaming up as they focused their fire on me. 

This game went on and on until the children started being called back to their parents. One woman with a squirming bundle tied to her chest came over to me, looked me up and down, and started laughing. 

“Maria, Stefan, what did you do to this poor man? He is soaked to the bone.”

A young girl and boy came up to the woman, heads bowed. “Sorry mama,” they said in unison. The girl was slightly older than the boy, and both completely bundled head to toe. The only thing visible were their matching dark blue eyes and rosy cheeks. 

I smiled at the woman. “It’s no bother. It was nice, actually.”

She shot me a wide grin. “That is very sweet. At least let me offer you a nice cup of hot cocoa as an apology.”

As promised, they hurried me back to their cozy, but rickety little home that reminded me quite a lot of my childhood home. The children, especially Maria, demanded that I show them how to fight, but after the promised cocoa and additional meal, I had to leave. My prey would be out on the hunt soon. Still, Maria insisted, telling me she needed to learn to fight in order to become a Valkyrie, so I promised to come back in the morning.  

After being ushered off to bed by their father, their mother, Helga, adorned me in a load of extra winter gear that her husband wasn’t using anymore.

“Sorry about that,” I said. “I hope she doesn’t get into too much trouble because of me.”

Helga chuckled and shook her head. “Oh no, Maria’s always been a wild spirit. I may not like the idea of my little girl becoming a warrior, but it has always been her dream.”

She gazed sadly at the scarf that she tied around my neck. Her mind wasn’t on Maria or my scarf.

“Have you lost someone?” 

She sighed and nodded. “My nephew. He was one of the first that got taken three years ago. We thought he had wandered onto some thin ice at first, but then the kids just kept going missing…”

“All around the island. I know.”

“I’ve been dreading each Yule ever since that happened. I couldn’t imagine one of my babies being taken like that.”

“Twelve days of Yule, twelve children taken.” I shot her a warm smile. “That changes this year.”

As I turned to the door, she asked, “Do… Do you think it’s Grýla?”

“I don’t know.” I felt myself grin as my bloodlust rose. “But I’ll let you know once I take the monster’s head.”

It was colder now, and I was very thankful for the extra gear Helga had given me. It was stupid of me not to have this stuff. I patrolled the streets of the village, keeping an eye out for any peculiar activity. I leaned up against the chimney of someone’s house, hoping to absorb some of the warmth radiating off of it as I rubbed my chilled hands together. Not that I wanted a kid to get kidnapped, but I really hoped they would make a move soon.

I didn’t know what to expect coming here, but children being kidnapped during Yule was certainly not one of them. Everyone on this island was so relieved to have me here. The lord that ruled the island refused to help, insisting that they were being ridiculous and that they just needed to watch their children better. That was crap. 

“Xin! Mister Xin!” 

That familiar voice made me jump to attention. I sprinted towards Maria’s voice; the snow crunching with each step, then saw her sprinting down the roads. I called out to her, and she ran to me, tears running down her face.

“What happened?” I asked, as she wrapped me in a teary hug. She had bundled herself up with a hatchet attached to her hip.

“Stefan. They took Stefan!” She sobbed some more.

After calming her down, she told me about the strange gas she saw in her house. She avoided it, but her parents were fast asleep. Her tale continued to tell of a strange man with a flying reindeer, and I couldn’t help but be a little sceptical, even though something flying would make the most sense. I hadn’t thought of watching the skies. She seemed to have all her senses about her and she led me in the direction she saw it fly off. 

Through the trees we went as she weaved with unwavering confidence, knowing this forest very well. It must have been close to an hour before we got to our destination; a small cave with a dull light flickering at the entrance. Apparently, Maria’s hunch was right. She seemed a little proud about that. I got her to agree to stay outside where it was safe, then strode towards the entrance. 

It was nice and warm here with the scent of smoke and food. Someone was cooking, and that made my stomach twist. These people weren’t actually eating children, were they?

As I rounded a corner, I saw a couple of small skeletons laid along the cave wall, and only two children sat tied up in cages. There should have been four. 

At the campfire sat an enormous cauldron with a massive woman sitting inside of a sled covered in furs and vegetables. Beside her was a skinny man holding a sleeping Stefan up to her with a proud smile on his face.

“What do you think of this one, sister? Is he a good one? Are you pleased?” His voice was squeaky and grating.

She looked the boy over with a sneer, and in a gravelly voice said, “Another scrawny one. Can’t you pick some with some meat on their bones?”

The man shrank away. “I’m sorry sister. I will try harder next time.”

“There won’t be a next time.” I stepped into the light, and their eyes locked onto me. The skinny man tossed sleeping Stefan to the side and looked at me in horror.

“What? How did you find me? No one can track us.” He motioned to a metal contraption that reminded me of the Valkyrie’s mounts. It was a huge metal creature, filled with gears and pipes with a glowing blue core. Usually they looked like winged horses, but this one had chunks missing or melted away, with some horns added on to look like a deer… a reindeer. 

I smirked at the man. “I see everything, and I’ve decided you’ve been naughty.” I had fully intended on taking them in alive, I usually do, but seeing those skeletons made my blood boil. These monsters deserved a slow, agonizing death. “Now then, who’s the disgusting fucker that’s been eating kids?”

The man hid behind his sister, whimpering like a beaten dog. The woman smirked at me, showing her awful, rotted teeth. “Disgusting? For years, my brother and I scrapped and scrounged in the Angel’s city, doing whatever we could to survive. All we could do was live in their garbage dump, living off of the scraps of the wealthy. Sometimes that meant feeding on the weak. Children were always so sweet and tender. You can’t blame a girl for indulging once a year.”

I was done talking. I charged in to slice that fatty neck from her body. 

She reached her hand into her sled, and a blast of stinking wind pushed me back and caused her sled to hover with a dull blue light beneath it. 

I charged again, but so did she. I slid to a halt, then leapt to the side to avoid that immense mass. She passed by and I charged again, aiming to put a sword into her back. I lept in the air. Her massive arm swung back and smacked me to the ground. 

Up to my feet again, hissing the rest of the air out of my diaphragm so I could breathe. That sled turned and charged again. This time I slid beneath it and severed one of the rotating blades beneath. The sled wobbled, then toppled, throwing the woman out.

Behind me, I heard Maria scream, “let my brother go!” I twisted around to see her hooked onto the skinny man’s back, beating his collarbone with her hatchet. He had tied Stefan and the other two children to the reindeer. Apparently, she had thwarted his escape. 

The man threw her off in a roar of pain, then grabbed the hatchet out of his shoulder and swung down. Her scream pierced the air. I did a dive roll and greeted the axe into my forearm instead. The man was too weak. He barely cut through my leather jacket.

The man’s eyes went wide at the sight of me. I broke the axe out of his hand. He turned to run, but I punched him in the chin, sending him unconscious to the ground. 

I handed the hatchet back to Maria, then asked, “Can you get the kids out of here?”

She looked at me, then at the children who were waking up. She nodded with surprising confidence. “I will.”

I didn’t get the chance to see how she was going to do it. 

A shooting pain pierced through my gut. I looked down to see a stalagmite sticking out of my side. The gigantic woman picked me up like a skewer as gravity worked against me. I was not planning to be anyone’s supper. I gripped the rock below me with one hand and struck down with the other. The stone crumbled, and I fell to the ground, a sizable chunk still sticking out of me. 

I knew I shouldn’t, but I had to remove it so I could move. Out it came, along with a disturbing amount of blood. Damn. I removed my scarf to use as a tourniquet as I shot her a cocky grin.

“I have to say, I am impressed. I didn’t think you’d be able to use those legs of yours. You know, with how disgustingly fat you are.” Mocking women wasn’t something I usually enjoyed, but she was certainly an exception. Besides, I had to make sure she didn’t interrupt Maria getting the kids out of there.

It worked.

She gave another guttural growl, and charged at me, clearly unused to using her legs. She was slow and off balance. I could use that. 

She grabbed at me, but I sidestepped. The surprise of the miss sent her stumbling forwards, so I slashed at the back of her knee. She crashed to the ground, shaking the whole cave around her. 

I took a quick look around. The kids were gone. Perfect.

I let the rage inside of me bubble to the surface. Kidnapping children for slavery was one thing. Eating them was another. This woman disgusted me to the core. She had to die.

She rolled onto her back, trying to heave herself up from the ground. I stuck my sword into her shoulder and she howled in pain. She tried to grab it out, but I sliced at her wrist, then pinned the other arm down with my foot. That bloodthirsty grin returned to my face as pure horror filled her eyes. 

She didn’t deserve any last words. My sword came down into her throat, slicing in like soft butter. Blood spurted out of her mouth as she gurgled her last few breaths, and I smiled the whole fucking time. 

Another burst of energy filled the cave. I snapped my head over to see the skinny man atop the reindeer, and before I could do anything, it raced past me and out of the cave.

Coward.

The light left the woman’s eyes, and exhaustion took over me. I looked down at the wound in my gut. That was a lot of blood. I dragged myself out of the cave. No sign of the kids or the other bastard. I gripped my gut and followed the tracks we had left. The wind had blown over most of them, and the night was becoming dark and cloudy. I wasn’t even positive I was going the right way. Still, I trekked on.

I didn’t want to die yet. There was so much more I needed to do. 

I leaned up against a tree after what felt like forever, gasping for air, the chill night breeze getting caught in my lungs. I coughed and felt a little more life blood spilling out. My knees were weak. I had to keep going. It had to only be a little further, right?

The snow to my right started crunching. Footsteps. There wasn’t even enough strength in my body to turn my head. I started falling, but stopped before my face hit the snow. I felt my body being lifted --an odd feeling for me-- and I cracked open my eyes for a second to see the face of Maria’s father smiling at me. With that comfort, I passed out.

***

“Ouch.” I groaned as she poured some more stinging liquid over my wound. “Gentle Lore, that stings.”

She chuckled at me. “Big baby. That just means it’s working.”

“Well, it still stings…”

She laughed again, her golden eyes looking lovingly at me. 

No, they weren’t gold.

Those eyes were blue.

She faded away, and the concerned face of Helga replaced it. 

I moaned in pain as reality became clear. My gut was killing me. I looked around and saw the whole family sitting around me as I lay in a fur covered bed. Smiles spread across their faces as I said, “Oh, hey.”

Maria squealed in excitement, then wrapped me in a hug. “You’re awake!”

“Apparently.” I chuckled. “And I think I have you to thank for that.”

Her lip quivered. “But it was because of me you got hurt in the first place.”

I shook my head. “If you weren’t there, those kids would have been taken away. You’re a real hero, you know.”

She grinned and hugged me again. Then her brother came in for a gentle hug as well, thanking both of us. 

Helga gently shooed them off, then passed me a mug of hot tea with honey. That felt wonderful. I took a glance down at my gut and saw the professional bandaging job. They must have had a proper doctor come to look at me. That was a pleasant change.

“Thank you,” I said with a warm smile.

Helga shook her head, tears welling in her eyes. Her husband ushered the kids out of the room, and she let the tears fall. 

“Thank you. Thank you so much for saving my baby.” She cried again and wrapped me in a gentle hug. 

I patted her on the back. “I really couldn’t have done it without Maria. You raised an incredible girl.”

She nodded in teary agreement.

“I just…” I gripped at the furs beneath me, frustration running through at the memory of those skeletons in the cave. “I couldn't save them all. I’m so sorry. If I had been quicker, or smarter--”

“Stop that. You did all you could, and it was far more than anyone else has done for us.”

I wished I could feel so sure. “Has the other one shown up? Has anyone else gone missing?”

She shook her head, and relief flowed through me. “No, and now that we have proof that the children were being taken, the lord has sent some soldier out to patrol until that man is caught. I have a feeling we won’t be seeing him again though.”

“That’s good. How long have I been out?” 

“A couple days.”

“Then the Yule log is still burning?”

She nodded with a smile. “Burning bright. Thanks to you, we can get past this horrible business and look forward to a fresh beginning in the new year.” 

A sad smile crossed my face. “I’m glad I could make someone’s future brighter.”

She ran a hand over my rough cheek, and that loving warmth filled me up. “You are a wonderful man. I am sure you will find a bright future as well.”

I smiled. “I hope you’re right.”

“Take it one year at a time. And every year at Yule time, you know where to find us.”

“You sure you want me back here?” I was a little skeptical. Most times, people wanted dangerous people like me out of their lives.

“Absolutely. There will always be a spot for you here.”

“Thank you.” After the year I had just had, those words meant more to me than she could even realize. Having a place to call home, whether or not I used it, gave me a sense of strength I thought I wouldn’t be able to find again.

Maybe this next year wouldn’t be so bad.