The Twelve Stories of Christmas: Day 4

Okay, so I had some issues yesterday with the internet so since I couldn't get this to post then I just decided to post Day 4 and Day 3 at roughly the same time. You need to read this one before you read Day 3. Trust me.

The Twelve Stories of Christmas – Day 4 Lark Redwood

I tried to ignore him as he joked with my brothers, mother and father. It was Christmas tea and so it was spiced with mint and the cakes were specially frosted and shaped. They were made to look like Christmas trees and they tasted of sugar. I loved this special food, for we only got it once a year and here Michael was, ruining it.

“Don’t you agree Lark?” John asked me. I jumped at his voice and I turned to see that they were all looking at me.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t hear the question.”

“In that daydream world of yours again?” My mother said, non-too pleased. It was rude after all for me not to pay attention, especially when there was a guest. Not that he was much of a guest; he was over our house more often than he was his own.

“Do not scold her on my account Lady Redwood,” Michael said, “after all she is a dream, so it is simply her nature.”

My father laughed and slapped him on the knee. “That’s my boy.”

“Such a charmer he is Lark, are you sure that you don’t want to accept his advances?” My mother said, smiling at me. Furious, I stood and left, walking straight to my room.

I shut my door and leaned against it, but not before I heard their laughter. To them it was all a joke. To them it was no big deal, but it was a big deal. It was a huge deal. Because, no matter what I said and no matter how much I wished it wasn’t true, I was attracted to him. Unbelievably attracted to Master Michael Requelst, actually. He was so handsome and funny and he was surprisingly caring and thoughtful, which of course made him the perfect charmer. He was in many ways perfect and there inlayed the problem.

He knew how perfect he was. He knew it and he used it to charm many a woman, which meant that he really had no interest in me. He never really would and I knew it. He joked and planned, but it was all for not. I knew that Michael would never really like me, he just pretended to because I was pretty and John’s sister. I knew from years of childhood fantasies that John wanted me to marry Michael. In fact, many a time, when we played princess and dragon, John would play the dragon and I would play the princess and Michael would be the knight set to rescue me. He always did and I would always give him a handkerchief as my favor and he would kiss my hand.

This was fine, until one day his kisses sent a warm tingle up my arm. These games were still fine until one day his eyes locked with mine and I saw in them a question and a challenge. Though we were a little old for them now, I still allowed them even though I was thirteen. That is until I saw that his eyes wonder to other women. His eyes would still lock with mine, but once he was gone I would hear that he was entertaining other women, dancing with other women, making other women laugh. Kissing other women.

When I heard that one, I decided that there would be no more games. I made sure that the next time he came over I told him exactly what I thought about him and walked away before he could even defend himself. He was hardly worth my time if any of this was true, but I was determined to be fair. If he showed remorse and true gilt then I would know that what his eyes were telling me was true and we could go back to the way things were before all this. However, this is not what happened. No what happened was he began to tease me and torment me. Telling me that I was the only girl for him but then going and flirting with these other girls.

John tried to tell me to listen to what he was saying because it was true, but how could I? He had proven to me by his lack of action that he cared very little for my bruised heart. John even went so far as to tell me once that Michael cried when I had stopped playing and told him that I thought he was horrible for tricking me in such a way. My defense was obvious. If he had felt as such why did he suddenly turn around and tease me so mercilessly? John of course tried to defend his friend and made up some bizarre excuse that he just didn’t know how to tell me his true feelings, but I was too smart to fall for that.  

However, Michael and I had stayed good friends and even got along for the most part, that is until my sixteenth birthday two years ago. Mother had been parading me around the entire party, saying things like, “She is sweet sixteen and has never been kissed! Can you imagine? Why it is positively shameful.” I had laughed it off with the rest and in truth a part of me was proud of the title. It meant that I was hard to find favor with and that only the best could win my fancy. I had special plans for that kiss, so you can imagine my great shock and anger when right there in front of everyone, as we were just sitting down to open my gifts, he grabs me and kisses me.

Stolen! My first kiss was stolen and there was nothing I could do. The second his thieving lips had left mine, he had run for the doors to the gardens with my brother and Jacob in toe, laughing and whooping the whole way. What made it worse was that everyone, including my mother thought it some great joke. They laughed and congratulated me on how I could choose someone far worse than him. Well I was having none of it. What made it even worse was that when he came back the next day, it was almost like he expected that kiss to have changed things. Well, I once again told him exactly what I had thought of it. John later told me that my harsh handling had left him in a bad way for a day or two, but how could I believe it? He was obviously acting in front of my brother.

Things after that did seem to change though. He never stopped teasing me, but he seemed to try and hold actual conversations with me as well. I found them enjoyable when he wasn’t trying anything, but of course I could hardly tell him that. He would think that he was gaining ground. He probably already thought that since he had been able to squeeze a dance from me every ball this year.

No Michael Requelst was just too handsome and charming for his own good and would not fool me.   

“Hi Lark,” Michael said, swinging up onto my balcony that I was standing on, “What are you doing out here where it is cold?”

I took a deep breath and calmed myself. I had noticed lately that even when Michael wasn’t teasing me I still came back with a sharp answer, so I was trying to answer him in the manner that he started. Since he started normally, I would answer normally.

“I was just thinking.”

“With your feet planted in the snow? Are they not frozen by now?” I looked down and I realized that yes, all feeling in my feet had disappeared.

“Oh.”

“Come on,” he laughed, “let’s get you back inside.” He flung his arm around my shoulder and led me into my own room and sat me before the fire. He placed a blanket on my lap and then stood there, not really sure what to do next.

“Thank you,” I said, for I really was thankful, especially since I started shivering violently after I sat down.

“No problem. So what were you thinking of so darkly on Christmas that if made you stand in snow for so long?”

“The past.”

“Anything in particular?” He asked leaning in. I leaned back as far as the chair would let me and pushed him back with my hand, but gently. The truth was that he really wasn’t such a bad guy and I suppose that the spirit and mercy of Christmas was getting to me and so I was willing to be more forgiving.

“Childhood games,” I answered truthfully. He jerked back a little and looked at me closely.

“Oh,” and I could tell that he knew exactly which game I had been thinking of. In embarrassment, I turned away and stood.

“Perhaps I will go back out. I did leave rather rudely.”

“Ahh, I wouldn’t say rudely, just impulsively. I’m leaving of course. I need to go spend some time with my own family.”

“Oh right, how is Adam?”

“Well, he was more excited than everyone else of course. We made sure that his Christmas was grand. He got most of what his little heart desired, but not wanting to spoil him to much we made sure that he didn’t quite get everything.” He smiled and I couldn’t help but smile back. I started walking out of my room and he followed, staying right next to me.

“So what did you get?”

“Oh well you would call me spoiled I suppose because I got everything I desired.” He laughed just as we made it to my door. “What about you?”

“I got everything, except one thing.”

“And what was that?” I turned to him, but his smile alerted to his naughty thoughts.

“This,” and he grabbed me, and kissed me. For a second it was warm and delightful, but then I realized who it was. I pulled away and slapped him, well tried to anyway. He knew it was coming and he ducked and leap for my balcony.

“Michael Requelst! What were you thinking?”

He turned back and smiled like the devil. “I was thinking that I wanted the perfect Christmas and you just gave that to me my Christmas angel. You now have my deepest thanks.” With that he flung open my balcony doors and jumped off.

“Ahhh!” I screamed after him. I was mad. I was furious! I had hated it, but only because it had just made my Christmas a little brighter too and I didn’t want it to.