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A Charming Carriage Ride Part 1
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2021-02-24 11:15:16A knock at the door caught the words in Serendipity’s throat. Perhaps it was a good thing, as she wasn’t exactly sure how to reply to Maevis’s statement. She didn’t know precisely how many times Corey had knocked, but she pulled herself to her feet, wiped the tears away from her eyes, and crossed to the door, all without saying a word.
She threw off the lock and pulled the door open, blinking against the sun, and saying nothing, she turned to get her coat--her mother’s coat--off of the hook by the door. Maevis crossed over quickly and helped her put it on, neither of them addressing the man standing in the doorway.
At last, as Serendipity turned to face her, Maevis straightened the fur collar around her neck, and said quietly, “Take care, my darling,” and kissed her gently on the cheek.
Serendipity nodded her head and said quietly, “I will see you soon,” before looking around her cottage one l
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Serendipity listened carefully to his explanation, and at its conclusion, she nodded her head and said, “This dome seems very important.”“It is,” Corey assured her. “It is one of the most important aspects of the North Pole. Without it, we simply could not do what we do.”“Interesting,” Serendipity replied, continuing to ponder his statements. She felt herself shivering a bit, despite the warm coat Maevis had provided for her, and she pulled it more tightly around her thin shoulders. Corey must have noticed as he produced a blanket, from where, Serendipity was not quite sure, and he used one hand to help her spread it over her legs as he steered the sleigh with the other.“Thank you,” she said quietly. She couldn’t help but notice he was staring at her, which made her feel very uncomfortable.“Is everything quite all right?” she asked, wondering if one of her hairpins had come undo
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Corey glanced in Serendipity’s direction and could instantly tell that she already knew what he was not yet willing to admit to himself; he fit in the latter category. Was he happy? Of course not. Was he doing what he wanted to do with his life? Well, he had never imagined himself doing anything else.He changed the subject. “Let me tell you a bit about our facilities,” he began.“Why?” she asked that right eyebrow arched again. “I’ll only be there for a few moments, just long enough to collect Pozzletot.”“True,” Corey replied, swallowing hard. “But it is part of my job to do so, and doing my job makes me quite happy, and you do want me to be happy, don’t you, Serendipity?”There was that charming grin again, and she couldn’t help but laugh. “All right then,” she acquiesced, smiling in return. “I shall humor you.”“Very good,” he s
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A few minutes later, Serendipity realized the night sky grew rapidly lighter. The stars began to fade, and looking below, she could see nothing but fields of ice and snow.“We’re almost to the dome,” Corey explained. “When we go through, you’ll notice a sort of an odd sensation, like you’re sliding through a thin layer of jam.”That didn’t sound particularly pleasant to Serendipity, but she supposed she could handle it in order to get Pozzletot back. “All right. Is there anything in particular I need to do?” she asked.“No,” he replied, “Only make sure you keep your whole self inside of the carriage.The magic knows what belongs and what doesn’t. It recognizes the carriage but not you. So, stay inside of the carriage.”Serendipity nodded and promptly removed her hand from the railing, just in case her fingers would somehow be severed from her body. Corey laughed
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Serendipity stopped at each stall to pet the inhabitants on the head, feed them carrots offered to her by an elf she learned was called Snowshoes, and to scratch behind every ear. She went down one side and was just about to make her way up the other when she covered her mouth with both hands and gasped in excitement. “Look at him!” she exclaimed. “Isn’t he precious?”“This is our newest addition,” Snowshoes explained. “He was born last spring.”“Not even a year old yet!” Serendipity squealed as she stepped forward to pet the youngster on the head. “How sweet!” He began to lick her hands, and she leaned down and let him lick her face. Corey stood behind her, off to the side, a look of disgust on his face, his arms crossed. “What’s your name, sweet boy?” she asked the deer.“He hasn’t got one yet,” Snowshoes explained.“We’ve tried di
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As Corey led Serendipity through the town square, everyone they met greeted him by name, with a cheerful smile, and a welcoming nod to his newest recruit, though most of them had no idea who she was at this juncture. Serendipity would have liked to stop and speak to each of them--every elf, toymaker, child, even those she couldn’t quite name (perhaps they were fairies or gnomes?)—as they crossed her path, but Corey insisted they would have time later to chat with the current residents, and he continued to draw her along the snow-covered path, her arm still locked securely through his.Approaching the large structure Serendipity had marveled at from the air, she took a deep breath and stopped in her tracks, attempting to take it all in. Corey let go of her arm and stood a few steps in front, waiting for her to recover. “Is this Santa’s Workshop?” she asked, her hands clasped together in front of her face.“Yes, of course,” Corey
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“What’s that?” Serendipity asked, having never heard that term before. But before he could answer, she realized they had reached the top. The view of the room they were entering into caused her to jog the last few steps, pulling up her long blue dress and red coat tails as she did so, so as not to trip. “Oh, my!” she gasped again.Though they were not quite inside of the room yet, rather some sort of narrow foyer that led to the expansive room, she could clearly see where they were headed, and she had never in her wildest dreams imagined a place so beautiful. The floor seemed to be made of twinkling snowflakes, all knit together to make one glorious carpet. The ceiling was dark blue with what appeared to be millions of twinkling stars of all colors, though mostly in yellows, silvers, and golds, lighting up the room a full two-stories below where they danced in suspense. There were several glistening white pillars around the outer edges of the roo
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Before either of them could speak, a sharply dressed elf woman, with long black braids and a red and green dress came out of a door in the back of the room.She carried a silver tray with two steaming red mugs. “May I offer you some hot cocoa?” she asked, stopping next to Serendipity.“Oh, thank you,” Serendipity replied, taking the nearest mug off of the tray and raising it to her mouth carefully. She had not had hot cocoa since before her father had died, as her mother didn’t allow her any sweets of any kind, and she was delighted to see there were several marshmallows floating atop the thick liquid. Taking a small sip, she closed her eyes in delight; never had she tasted such a rich, thick, chocolaty beverage. “Oh, my,” she whispered before taking another sip and setting the cup down on a knitted square she could only assume was designed for such purposes.Santa was drinking his cocoa as well, but he chuckled in delight
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Corey’s cabin was not too far from the town square and the workshop, but he could tell that Serendipity was growing tired, so he took a leisurely pace, allowing her to determine the speed of their procession.The snow was still falling and whenever she thought that he was not looking, Serendipity would, occasionally, ensnare another snowflake with her tongue, as she had done so long ago in the accompaniment of her father. “Are you enjoying yourself?” he asked as they neared the street where his cabin stood.“I believe I am,” Serendipity admitted. “Although I am rather tired. This is a bit too much movement for what I am used to.”“I’m sure,” he agreed. “Well, we shall be at my home soon, you shall have your little friend back with you, and I shall ask my valet, Mr. Waddlebug, to fix you a spot of tea before we are off on our way back to England.”“Mr. Waddlebug?” Serendipi
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Maevis had spent much of her time in Serendipity’s cottage awaiting word from her ward; would she choose to stay in the North Pole, or would she quickly return via some magic portal or reindeer transport?She had received a bit of an indication that Serendipity may have decided to stay when all of her doll parts suddenly disappeared out of the cottage and Marwolaeth Hall simultaneously. However, she wasn’t quite sure what to make of it without some direct word from Serendipity herself. It was early on the third day when, as she continued to straighten and clean Serendipity’s workspace, the only task she could find to keep herself busy, she heard a bustling at the fireplace at her back. She turned quickly to see a magical envelope dancing atop the blazing fire, and careful not to burn herself, she used the poker to draw out the letter.Upon tearing it open, she read the following, written in the familiar hand of one Cornelius Cane:Dearest Mae
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“I do,” Serendipity nodded, looking into Corey’s eyes. “I’m not exactly sure what it was that happened to me when I was up there on the mountain, whether I truly had the opportunity to speak to my father through some sort of magic, or if it was just some sort of an hallucination brought on by my extremely cold state, but through that experience and talking to Mrs. Claus just now, I’ve come to realize that what happened to my mother and sisters was an accident. It truly wasn’t my fault, and I can’t spend the rest of my life feeling guilty or punishing myself.”A look of relief and a broad smile spread across Corey’s face. “Oh, Serendipity, it’s so wonderful to hear you say those words,” he assured her. “If coming here has allowed you to make that realization, and you should still choose to leave this place, never to return, then I should think this journey a success.”Serendipity s
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“There’s something else, my dear,” Mrs. Claus said, her hands resting on her knees. A smile played around her rosy cheeks as she took a deep breath and continued. “As you may know, in my former life, I was a schoolteacher.”“Oh, yes,” Serendipity nodded. “I had heard that was the case, though I imagine that was several years ago, seeing as though you’ve been Mrs. Claus for all of these years.” Serendipity responded, wondering where this conversation was going.“Did you know, darling, that there are many other intelligent, famous, successful, well-known people who also struggled their whole lives with the tasks of reading and writing?” Mrs. Claus continued, leaning forward to look more closely at the young lady.“What?” Serendipity asked, glancing from St. Nicholas’s smiling face back to his wife’s “Whatever do you mean?”“Oh, yes! People like
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When her eyes flew open, still mumbling her father's final words, it wasn’t the kind and loving face of her father hovering over her but rather the equally concerned, yet slightly unwelcome face of Cornelius Cane.“Corey?” she asked, her voice just above a whisper. “How did you…? Where is my….?” She began looking around the cave, desperately searching for her father. There was not a trace of him anywhere.“Calm down, Serendipity,” Corey insisted, his hand on her shoulder. “You’ll be all right just as soon as we get you to some place warm.”Serendipity noticed then that they were not alone. Snowshoes was standing just in front of the entrance to the cave, the baby reindeer alongside him. “Is that how you found me? With the light from the baby reindeer?”“Yes,” Corey explained. “He was able to find your footprints, and then we followed you here, by the red
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It seemed to take hours for Serendipity to reach the cave opening, even though in actuality it only took a matter of minutes. The snow was pelting her face, making it difficult to see, and her hands were beginning to freeze now, too, right along with the rest of her body. Her footing the last few steps was unsure, and she nearly slipped as she grabbed hold of the rocky entrance way and pulled herself inside.The opening was narrow, and she had to crouch to slip inside, but once she finally made it through the entryway, though the temperature was still well below freezing, the lack of wind and snow seemed to make it more tolerable, and she collapsed on the damp floor against the mossy cave wall.Squirming in her pocket let her know that Pozzletot was still with her, though she did not know what shape he might be in. She didn’t dare take him out to inspect him as she didn’t want to further expose him to the frigid air.“Oh, Pozzletot,” she sa
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“Very good,” Corey replied taking off behind him. “And Hillstern, will you send someone over to alert St. Nicholas? He should be able to use the globe to find her. Perhaps he can transport himself to where she is located.”“I’ll send someone,” Hillstern replied. “If they can reach St. Nicholas in time…. It’s just, you know how hard it is to get an audience with him.”“Tell him it’s an emergency, and that I need his help,” Corey insisted, knowing the elf was right. He watched as Snowshoes took the red light from the wall and began to strap it onto the miniature reindeer the same way that Serendipity had shown him.“How can I help?” he asked.Pulling the strap tightly, the elf gave a stern nod. “That should do it,” Snowshoes assured him. “Now, can you transport us to where you think she might be?”“I have no idea where she migh
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Standing atop the crest of Mt. Menzelfrap looking down at the only two paths that seemed to be options for a young woman running through the ice and snow on foot. Two separate staircases led down the side of the mountain, both treacherous, and neither more friendly looking than the other. He glanced down both of them but saw no sign of Serendipity or her tracks. Of course, with the wind whipping the snow around so fiercely, he could only see a few feet in front of his face. Once again, he yelled her name but only heard the reverberations as they echoed off the mountains around him.He used his magic to transport himself down to the bottom of the stairwell on the left, thinking she may have chosen that one since it seemed to be closest to home. When she wasn’t there, he magicked himself over to the other stairwell. There was still no sign of her. He ran his hands through his hair in desperation. Blindly, he turned about in the snow, trying to think of what he could do to
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“I hope you don’t mind our intrusion, Your Majesty,” Serendipity offered as she stood at her full height. “It’s just, my father used to read stories about you to me as a small child, and I am honored to have the opportunity to meet you at long last.”“Stories? About me?” Ingrid said, smiling. “How lovely! I hope they were all pleasant ones.”“Yes, of course,” Corey interjected. “How could any story written about you be anything but pleasant?”“Indeed,” Ingrid nodded.“And have you read any such stories about my husband, Jack Frost?” she asked, looking at Serendipity.“Jack Frost is your husband?” Serendipity asked, amazed.“Yes, thanks to Mr. Cane,” the Snow Queen explained. “He was able to get the council to approve changing a mere mortal into a legendary character just for my benefit. Wasn’t that swe
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Once Serendipity re-appeared in the main room, her cape, mittens, and hat on, Corey produced a matching scarf and wound it tightly around her, tucking everything in against the wind he knew they were about to encounter. “Are you ready?” he asked once she was bundled up.“Yes,” Serendipity confirmed through the layers. “How shall we get there? Will we take the sleigh again?”“No, this time, we shall travel by my magic,” Corey replied.“But, if you can magic me there with you, why couldn’t you magic me up those stairs yesterday?” she asked confused.“I could have,” he admitted. “I thought you should have the human experience of meeting Santa in the most regal way possible.”“Oh,” Serendipity muttered, still a bit confused. Then another thought occurred to her. “So, why couldn’t you have just used your magic to bring Pozzletot to me?&rdquo
