The Royal Romance - The Valtoria Diaries

Maxwell's Christmas wish

(Now includes amazing art scene from 

As Jen came around from what had been a most satisfactory slumber, she thought she could hear the jingling of festive bells. Surely she had to be imagining it? She stretched, and opened one eye.

"Merry Christmas, little Christmas blossom," she heard an unmistakable, gentle voice say.

She rolled over to face him, and giggled as she saw he was wearing a Santa hat. "Hey, you. Merry Christmas." She leant in to kiss him, and realised afterwards that she hadn't been imagining the jingling. "What have you got there.."

He grinned, and, shaking the little bell rattle he'd found from somewhere, he started to sing. "Sleigh bells ring, are you listening? In the lane, snow is glistening.."

She nudged him playfully. "Hey, Santa's been, y'know. Look here." She reached under the bed and produced a perfectly wrapped parcel. "Look who it's for... oh.. it's for the best boy in Valtoria, Chance Beaumont-Jones!" Jen wriggled her feet in an attempt to wake up their corgi who was asleep at the bottom of the bed, but it didn't seem to have any effect. "Aw, maybe he can have it later.."

Maxwell looked at her with big eyes. "Any more presents under there?"

She reached playfully downwards. "No, definitely not. Oh.. hang on... what's this one?" With a grin, she handed him a small, soft present.

He looked a little shocked. "Oh... I got you something too, but it's... uh... I put it under the talon tree..."

She pulled a face. "Is that what I was supposed to do? Cordonian Christmases are all a bit new to me..."

"It doesn't matter," Maxwell said. "As long as you don't mind waiting until later..."

She bit her lip. "Well, your main present is going to be waiting for you back in Valtoria. This is just a.. token, I guess?"

He took the present from her, and read the label. "To my seven pointed snowflake. From your little blossom."

She blushed as he looked back up at her lovingly. With his eyes still on her, he unwrapped the gift, and then looked back down at what he was holding. "Oh. Oh! You actually do listen to the rubbish I come out with!" He held up the scarf proudly. "Where did you find this?"

"I may have had it specially made," she giggled. "I knew it was top of your Christmas list. Well, it was before our conversation the other day."

"I love it. And I love you, Jen Beaumont-Jones." He wrapped the scarf around both of their necks. "Squid scarf forever. It'll come in useful here today. It's still so cold..."

"Well, maybe we can get wrapped up and take Chance for a walk if he ever wakes up, now the blizzard seems to have died down..."

"Or maybe we can just snuggle up here together a little bit longer," he suggested.

"Hmm, I like your plan better than mine," Jen conceded, resting her head on his chest. "So, here we are. Our first Christmas together."

"I wonder what today will bring," he said. "More swords? More secret passages? More.. tablecloths?"

"I don't know," Jen sighed. "It'll certainly be different from what I'm used to. Last year I worked the morning shift, then spent the rest of the day slobbing out in my pyjamas eating chocolates and watching Christmas films."

He pulled a face. "Last year... oh yeah, it was just before Bartie was born, and I was desperately trying to send parcels to Savannah during the Christmas rush.. it wasn't ideal, and Bertrand really wondered who I was sending all these presents to.."

She giggled. "Aw. You sweetie. What did you tell him?"

"Nothing. I maintained an air of mystique."

"What did you two do on Christmas Day then? Last year?"

He looked quite sad. "Not much. Played Scrabble..."

"Scrabble?  I thought you two knew how to party. Did you have a big Christmas roast?"

"We had a modest one. You know how things were. We'd been to the palace a few days before for a big Christmas party. So, we weren't all that hungry on the day."

She ran a finger along his shoulder and arm. "You fibber. I bet you could've eaten a lot more than you did."

"Ah, yeah, maybe. But, Bertrand wasn't really in the mood for a party last year. I'm hoping he's having a better time this year. It's a shame they didn't join us here though. It would've been nice to catch up with our little nephew on his first Christmas, don't you think?"

Jen nodded happily. "Well, we'll get to see him soon enough. Maybe we could call in on the way back through to Valtoria. But at least we'll see them at the New Year party."

"Yes. And we have so much to plan for that. We need to get back to Valtoria tomorrow so we have plenty of time to..."

"....slob about in our pyjamas and eat chocolate and watch Christmas films? Too right. That's my plan for when we get home tomorrow until New Year. And I'm making it your plan too." She pointed a finger at his chest. "You know it won't take you long to plan a party. This little break has been nice, but we need some quality time..."

His face reddened slightly. "I won't argue, but I think we've been quite resourceful at finding alone time opportunities whilst we've been here... I mean take the glamgloo, for example.."

Jen giggled. "I wish you'd seen Olivia's face when she realised we'd both spent the night in there.."

"Honestly? I'm glad I didn't." He put his arms around her back. "I might have dropped down dead."

Jen laughed. "If looks could kill!" She grinned giddily at him. "Going back to last Christmas though, I might have been lonely and pathetic, but I did make a Christmas wish. I wished that next year I'd be waking up on Christmas Day with the man of my dreams. So. Looks like Christmas wishes do come true, after all."

"You clearly don't dream as big as I do," he said modestly.

"Don't sell yourself short," she chided him, kissing him on the cheek. "I dreamed that I would find you. I just didn't know who you were, or where to find you then."

"And I found you!" He tickled her on the waist, and she squealed. "To save you the job."

"That you did."

He pulled her closer, and she closed her eyes in bliss as she listened to him speak. "Well you might have seen this coming, but last year I never even thought in my wildest dreams that the following Christmas I'd be waking up with the most beautiful sexy lady in my arms as I am this morning. I guess that Christmas wish must've come true, even if I wasn't brave enough to make it."

She kissed him softly. "What else would you have wished for, if you'd been brave enough?"

"Hmm, I guess my thoughts would have gone along the lines of what this beautiful sexy lady might want to do to me to help warm me up on a cold Christmas morning..."

She sniggered. "Perhaps you should ask her."

As she dipped under the sheets, she could still hear him speaking. "What would you like to.. ooh." The words dropped off at that point, but she had a feeling she'd just granted him his Christmas wish.