Romancing Mrs. Claus

Chapter Five

Damaris smiled at herself bitterly in the mirror as she smoothed out the skirts of her red satin gown. Her hair was pinned up into a crown and adorned with holly that brought out the green of her eyes. Thanks to the Snow Maiden's enchantment, Damaris looked as young today as on her wedding day yet as the centuries passed, her husband had grown less attentive.

The festivities were well underway when Mrs. Klaus arrived in the village. Food and drink were plentiful as were the smiles as the elves danced and sang. There were contests and games, performances, and an epic snowball fight amongst the departments of Santa's workshop. Damaris always loved the Winter Festival as it reminded her of the celebrations held back home. She hurried to the large candy cane striped tent where she was expected to judge the Sugar Plum Bake-off and was met with cheers when she entered. She glanced over to the plump little women standing away from the table where they laid their entries. Damaris couldn't help but smile at the flushed faces split in half by the wide grins spread across them. The little ladies outdid themselves once again this year and their excitement was contagious. 

Taking the clipboard and quill from a waiting assistant, Damaris tasted and took notes, fixing her face so that it wouldn't betray her feelings towards each dish. When she was ready, she handed the clipboard back to the assistant and noticed a familiar face above the crowd in the back. The tall man cut a lean figure in a shiny suit that seemed to alternate between silver and blue in the light. His grey eyes lit up as she crossed the room to him and he brushed his long snowy hair from his face, smiling as she approached.

"Well Mrs. Klaus, are you a sight for sore eyes!" he exclaimed, the kiss he placed on her cheek tingling.

"Jack, it has been a long time since you graced us with your presence!" Damaris replied with a smile, "What brings you to our neck of the woods?"

"Would you believe I was homesick for my favorite lady?"

"Not for a moment!"

Jack stumbled back and placed a well-manicured hand over his heart.

"Why madam, you wound me! Can't a sprite pay a visit to his beloved homeland without an ulterior motive?"

"Surely, but as I remember it, life at the North Pole was always a little too sedate for one Jack Frost."

He nodded with a chuckle as he glanced around at the festivities.

"True, I am always more content when I'm moving around, and alas my return will be short for I will be participating in a great scavenger hunt!"

"A scavenger hunt, where?"

"Everywhere! We must cross the globe collecting items for Father Time by midnight of the new year."

"That sounds so exciting!"

"It is! Hey, why don't you come with me?"

Damaris was taken aback. "Me? Oh no, I can't."

"Why not? Christmas is winding down. Everyone will be resting. Nothing really needs to be done until the new year. Besides," Jack winked, "which would you rather be doing, traipsing the world with me or deciding who makes the best pie?"

Damaris smiled. It had been so long since she stepped foot outside the North Pole and she marveled at the stories Nikolai brought back about carriages that ran on unseen power, people who refused to eat animals, machines that allowed you to see and speak to anyone you wanted to anywhere in the world. It was all so amazing Damaris couldn't believe half of it. She wanted to see this strange new world for herself and here an old friend was giving her the chance. 

Nikolai didn't much like Jack, which was one reason the man stayed away so much. When Damaris and Nikolai arrived in the North Pole, Jack was head sprite and considered himself Father Winter even though the title was never officially granted to him so tensions between the two men grew instantly. Nikolai always found Jack too flashy and presumptuous while Jack found Nikolai subdued and dull. Jack reminded Damaris of the Roman men she grew up with and became the go-between in establishing a truce so the men could work together. 

She was able to convince Jack that taking orders from Nikolai did not undermine his masculinity but gave him even more power as he was satisfying the wishes of the winter gods. At the same time she was able to convince Nikolai that Jack had his own methods of getting things done and so long as he produced the results Nikolai needed in a timely manner, there was little point trying to get him to change his ways. As the elves grew to hold the Klauses in high esteem, Jack grew so irate that the Snow Maiden intervened to assign him the task of maintaining winter throughout the world.

"Mother Nature needs someone strong and capable to help her battle against the effects of human engineering." She had told him.

So Jack Frost circled the globe for years at a time pushing back when summer-like heat and storms held the Northernmost regions in its grip longer than they were supposed to. Sometimes he would go a little overboard in his enthusiasm and had to be reminded that the gods preferred living creatures to survive the winter.

"I really should let Nikolai know I'll be away." Damaris mused.

"If you must," Jack shrugged, "but the old man sleeps so hard after his journey he probably won't even notice you're gone."

The same could be said if he was awake. She thought bitterly.