'Til Death We'll Be Freezing

Chapter 4 - "See The Horns On My Head? They're Fron Goddesses"

❄️Song to listen to while reading❄️: "erase me" -Lizzy McAlpine
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The room Maylin was brought to was even more grand than the workshop. It seemed massive compared to her bedroom at home.

To her left, a charming little sofa upholstered in red velvet seemed to call her name, its cushions plumped for comfort. In front of it, a lively fireplace crackled cheerfully, its flames dancing, casting a warm, golden glow that filled the bedroom with a cozy glow.

At the heart of the room stood the bed, draped in festive red and white plaid sheets which, in Maylin's mind, were reminiscent of candy canes. On top were fluffy green pillows, adding a pop of color that mirrored the vibrant decorations throughout the workshop she had seen just moments earlier.

To her right, near the foot of the bed, a door was nestled into the wall, and Maylin suspected it led to a bathroom—perhaps decorated even more magnificently and cheerful than the main portion of the bedroom. Adjacent to this door, a gorgeous wardrobe drew her gaze, its wood polished to a shine and adorned with whimsical carvings of reindeer and snowflakes. The bottom featured spacious drawers which could hold whatever one wanted.

The whole room looked cozy and Maylin thought she could fall asleep right there. Layed on the bed were a pair of red satin pajamas. The shirt and pants were both long sleeved with a simple white trim at the cuffs and collar. She quickly slipped them on, surprised at how soft they felt.

A gentle rapping came from the outside door, and, not for the first time that night, Maylin wondered who it could be. "Come in," Maylin called.

This time, a different elf entered the room. Maylin saw her when she led Scott and Charlie away to their rooms. It was Judy.

"Would you like some hot cocoa?" Judy offered as she held a small silver tray. A matching, silver cup sat on the tray. "It's my own recipe."

Maylin gave her a warm smile. She couldn't turn her or her recipe down. "Of course I would."

Walking over to the sofa, Maylin motioned for Judy to come sit with her and two girls sat down. Judy handed her the cup and Maylin took a gulp.

It was the best hot cocoa she had ever had. It wasn't too hot and it was perfectly chocolatey. Much better than anything Maylin could've made at home. "Judy," Maylin exclaimed, "This is amazing!"

"Oh, thank you." Judy gushed. "It took me over 1,000 years to perfect.

Maylin chuckled and playfully looked at Judy in disbelief, "No way it took that long."

"Oh, but it did!" The elf exclaimed as she laughed along with Maylin, "Lots of failed attempts, trust me."

The two girls continued to chat and Maylin couldn't remember how long it had been since she properly talked to another girl. At some point, the conversation steered toward boys as Maylin knew it inevitably would.

Judy began gleefully explaining about the elf she was seeing in the wrapping department. It warmed Maylin's heart to see her so happy and she wished she could add someone to the conversation, but she had no one, so she just sat there and smiled and laughed with Judy asking questions and carrying on the conversation.

Once Judy was done talking about who she was seeing, she went quiet. It was an uncomfortable silence and, for what felt like forever, Judy just looked at her, eyebrows knit together.

"Is everything alright, Judy?" Maylin questioned, her anxiety rising and her hands growing colder by the second.

The elf chewed on her next thought before she spewed it out, "Is it true?"

Maylin chuckled nervously. She would need more context than that. Was this some sort of joke that she wasn't included in? "Is what true?"

"That you and Bernard almost got married."