It was cold outside, the ground was covered with snow and the trees were wearing their white winter coats. It was a day like any other, only today was December 24th... Christmas Eve. The Amaranthians were hurrying along doing their last minute shopping, carolers were singing, corner Santa's were taking donations for the less fortunate, the sound of people bartering for the best deal, people shoving and pushing to get someplace warm. The holiday season was in full swing. There was no better place to see that than the headquarters of Amaranthia's Guilds. The Enchanters' Headquarters was emitting a soft soothing hum that relaxed stressed minds, the Brotherhood's Headquarters had red and green sporks on the fence posts and all the windows, the Dragon Lords' Headquarters was lit from behind by the fires from their dragons in a rhythme that only true believers could hear, and last but not least, the Witches' and Warlocks' Headquarters -  amidst the neverending thunder, the constant howling of the wolves and the ever present dark sky above - was lit by beautiful and graceful lightning that arched in the sky in shades of red, yellow, blue and white.

crafty and Bemused pushed a protesting, upset and shouting Tei inside the building. Tei would not be silenced, she was fed up with the way that the Witches and Warlocks never get recognized for Christmas; no "Hello", "Happy Holidays", no one had even brought one of those yucky rock hard fruit cakes in the 300 years she had been welcomed into the fold of the Witches and Warlocks. She continued to scream that it was not fair that they always did something for the town, granted it was not the "normal" type of things - who wants to be like everyone else and do green and red every year? crafty, who had heard all this from Tei for years, just nodded and patted her shoulder as she helped Tei off with her cloak. Bemused and crafty met eyes and exchanged a knowing look, and all the while Tei continued to work herself into a good rage. Bemused tried to reason with Tei, that just because they don't extend the feelings of joy to us is no reason to not extend it to them....but her logic landed on deaf ears.

Tei stomped into the sitting room and barely noticed Argoyle, Nick, WiNgEd_WoLf trying to reason and explain to that stubborn thief Kleptin, that he could not go stealing things during the Christmas season. Argoyle raised a brow in Tei's direction and saw that Bemused now had a face flushed with frustration. Walking to Tei, he led her to one of the chairs nearest the fire and patted her shoulder in understanding then hugged a mumbling Bemused in sympathy. He told Tei that one day, and she had to believe this with what was left of her vampiric heart, one day they would be welcomed by the Amaranthians... treated as part of the family. Tei looked at Argoyle and snorted then turned her angry gaze to the fire, Bemused echoed Tei's sentiments and resentments (silently), the warlocks knew Argoyle meant well but even they did not believe in his dream.

crafty came out the kitchen with a large platter floating in the air laden with an assortment of drinks for all. As they each took a drink they thought their own personal thoughts about the holiday. Vlad and Maren entered the hall laughing and carrying enough bags filled with packages to fill 20 Christmas trees. Walking into the sitting room in need of the warmth from the fire, they felt the chill in the room and knew it had nothing to do with the weather outside. Vlad took his drink and retired to his crypt, leaving Maren to soothe the frayed nerves and place the packages under the tree. Maren sighed, sat next to crafty and gave her hand a quick squeeze then began to hum and chant a tune that Bemused had penned for them one Christmas long ago. She had a sweet voice and it always made Bemused smile when she heard Maren chant. Bemused soon forgot why she was upset and joined in the ritual of the Witches and Warlocks Christmas with Maren, soon followed by crafty, Tei, Nick, Kleptin, WiNgEd_WoLf and Argoyle. The chanting soon became so loud and so heartfelt that even Mythra came out of her rooms to join in. She saw that Nick, Kleptin and WiNgEd_WoLf were deep in conversation and she got a chill down her spine...they were up to something. She walked over to Argoyle to tell him what she felt and when he went over to them, Mythra saw the shutters come down over their eyes - yes they were definitely up to something she thought to herself. Resuming their chanting, she and Argoyle knew that there was no way to make them tell what they were planning, so all they could do was wait. Nick, Kleptin, and WiNgEd_WoLf watched them closely and also resumed chanting.

MistressOfMagic mentally ran through her list of family and friends and the gifts she had bought today, she hated last minute shopping but fell prey to it every year, and knew that she was forgetting something. MistressOfMagic racked her brain, but she just couldn't think of what she was missing. She turned to go to the hall when she heard her given name being called. Stopping and looking back, she saw Teds rushing towards her and looking around. Teds hurriedly put a small package in her hands then with a quiet hasty "Happy Holidays Elma" she was gone. This is why MistressOfMagic hated the holidays; she was a witch and Teds was a bear and they could never let it be known that they were the best of friends. Putting the package in one of her bags, MistressOfMagic went to the hall. As she was reaching out to unlock the gate Frost_Star and Stevie materialized next to her. Shaking her head at the two, MistressOfMagic chuckled and the three of them entered the building laughing. She knew she was late and that meant she would have dish duty tonight, but she didn't mind because Frost_Star and Stevie would be there to keep her company.

The three of them entered the sitting room and took a drink and joined in the joyous chanting; the song that Bemused had made for them always made the group mellow and happy. sierra.freak, LaraCroft21 and 6Claudia6 came in and after hanging their cloaks went to warm themselves by the fire. Seeing that the drinks were getting low and cold, crafty and Mythra went to the kitchen for refills. sierra.freak and 6Claudia6 felt the warmth run through them as they joined in the chanting and knew it had nothing to do with the fire. The friendship, the honor, the loyalty and the love surrounded the chanters and Frost_Star was glad to be home.

dark-archangel and -mie- walked in with even more bags and after they dumped them under the full tree they joined in the celebration. Mythra and crafty returned with two more floating trays; one of drinks and the other full of snacks. Passing dark-archangel and -mie- each a drink, the two women resumed chanting. -mie- started to chant and dark-archangel went to the piano to play; the two of them made an excellent musical pair. She sounded like an angel when she chanted and he played beautifully. Though he never joined the others in person for the celebration, Vlad's rich baritone voice could be heard coming from his crypt. Seeing that all was again calm with her bretheren, Maren prepared to leave to spend the holidays with her mortal family.

Argoyle pulled MistressOfMagic to the side and asked if she remembered to get it. "DARN IT!" thought MistressOfMagic, as she remembered what it was she forgot. THE BOOK! She went to her rooms and conjured up the book, she can't believe that she forgot the stupid thing again this year. Passing the book to Argoyle, who could still feel the magic's heat, she fidgeted because she knew that he would be able to tell she forgot again. Chuckling, Argoyle went to the other chair nearest the fire and opened the book. The chanting ceased and all eyes were on him. He began to read.

"T'was the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring not even a mouse...." While Argoyle was reading, the other warlocks left the room one at a time and met up in the Chamber of Silence. They talked over their plans and then left the headquarters intent on their mission. They split up and each took to a street corner...  waiting, watching and hoping. It was WiNgEd_WoLf that first spotted their intended target, giving the signal he waited for the others. They all arrived and watched intently as their  target approached. They knew they had to hurry or be discovered, but they were also aware that there could be no mistakes...They had to be certain they grabbed the right man. When their prey was close enough for a positive identification, they went into frenzied action.

One blindfolded the target, another gagged the target, another tied the hands and feet, and then they all worked together to get the target in a large cotton sack for ease of transport. They quickly returned to the hall and went directly to the Chamber of Silence. They hoped their plan would finally have their sisters and brother rejoice for once the holiday that they all dreaded. Mythra and -mie- saw them return and wondered just what they were up to. Mythra got another sensation that something was not right and when Argoyle looked up he saw the worry on her face. He closed the book and went to her side. Telling him what she and -mie- had seen and what she felt, Mythra could not shake the feeling that something was really wrong. Argoyle knew that she was very rarely wrong, so as a precaution he asked her, Bemused, MistressOfMagic and crafty to come with him below.

The warlocks were glad that Nick had used the spell of invisibility to hide their victim, because no sooner had they done so did the door burst open. Upon entering the Chamber of Silence, Argoyle saw nothing out of the ordinary. The warlocks made sure that they kept the sack hidden behind their backs. Argoyle came further into the chamber asking just what they were up to when the others entered. Stevie was the first to answer and said that they were not up to anything, Kleptin came out of the shadows and wondered just how much of their plans Argoyle and Mythra could decipher. He spoke calmly and informed them all that the only thing they were up to was  some last minute planning for the special gift they had for the guild. He kept his mind blank and his pulse steady; for if the others even suspected just what they had done and were yet planning to do - it would not bode well for any of them.

Argoyle did not believe them and looked to Mythra for any clue to what they were hiding and saw the small negative  shake of her head....she too was suspicious but could not read any of the warlocks. "Fine", said Argoyle as he turned to head back upstairs, "just remember that Tei doesn't like to be kept waiting when it is meal time." The others followed him out the room. That was close, uttered sierra_freak as Nick reversed the invisibility spell. All the warlocks looked at their captive and each had a secret desire to make things as uncomfortable as possible for him. Kleptin asked WiNgEd_WoLf and dark-archangel to prepare the bed of nails for their guest while the others found suitable food and a change of clothes for him.

They took immense pleasure in the smell of fear that seemed to pour out of the man's pores, and the echoes of his frightened racing heart. Nick took the gag from the captive's  mouth and the blindfold from his eyes, while dark-archangel stood nearby looking pale and threatening. sierra told the man that as long as he was quiet and did as he was told, he would be unharmed. The man nodded in understanding and wondered just who and what they were, these men that intruded on his holiday. He wanted to ask them just what it was they wanted from him and even more importantly, just what exactly they were planning on doing TO him...but he had the good sense to keep these questions to himself for the moment.

MistressOfMagic and -mie- didn't believe the warlocks and waited outside the chamber door for them to leave. MistressOfMagic had felt something strange in the room, but needed to get inside to investigate further; -mie- picked up troubled and frightened thoughts but could not feel who they were coming from. They were both frustrated that tonight seemed to be the one night in the entire year that Nick and Stevie weren't screaming that they were starving and making noises about when the meal would be served. -mie- suggested that maybe she should cast a tiny spell but MistressOfMagic, who knew first hand just how the warlocks loved mischievious revenge, told her that they would just have to be patient and wait.

The man's stomach began to growl from hunger and reminded his captors that he needed to be fed. Since Stevie was the best at conjuring a delicious meal from the barest of necessities, the others  gathered the supplies he requested. He asked for: 3-mice, 6-roaches, 2-ghost sighs, a pinch of arsenic, 12-bat wings and the stench of one rotten camel. Once he had been given all the items he placed them in a cauldron and magically lit a fire beneath it. The prisoner was fascinated and terrified at the same time. Nick knew that Stevie's meal was just about ready, so he conjured a long dining table and chairs as well as plates, mugs and eating utensils.

No sooner had Nick mentally placed the last mug did WiNgEd_WoLf tell them to unchain the prisoner and have a seat. When they were all seated, Stevie took his time presenting his meal. Always the showman, he took great pride in the oh's and ah's of those gathered and the grudgingly given awe by the captive. He presented them with roasted pheasant, fried turkey, grilled salmon, broiled new baby potatoes, fresh bread, fresh butter, hot sweet buttered corn on the cob, fresh crisp green beans seasoned with bacon, an apple pie, a cherry pie and a mince pie, as well as the favored woodsy ale that they all prefered.

Once they had finished eating, they all sat quietly nursing a mug of ale. Each man was lost in their own thoughts; the warlocks were thinking just how long would they be able to keep their prisoner a secret from the others and how long before he was officially listed as missing, whereas the captive was thinking that he was either crazy or he was in hell for there was no such thing as the kind of magic he had been witnessing this horrible eve.

Nick told the man that he would have to wear the gag and the blindfold for the remainder of the evening, but that he would be safe. Not sure why, the man believed him and nodded yes. After he had been blindfolded and gagged, dark-archangel led him to his chains and replaced them then guided him gently to the cot that would be his bed for the duration of his stay. The man tried to relax, but terror would not loosen its chilled grip, Stevie uttered a calming spell and the man could breathe normally again. Nick took his cue from Kleptin to again cloak the man in invisibility. That done, they waited while Stevie made the remains of the meal vanish and Nick removed the furniture and accessories... thoroughly erasing any and all traces of their earlier meal.

They left the chamber and went upstairs to join the others and each wondered how they were going to get through a second meal in such a short span of time. The warlocks were so deep in their own thoughts and whispered conversations that they never saw nor felt the presence of the two hiding witches.

"Finally", uttered an aggravated and hungry -mie-, as they were at last able to enter the chambers. MistressOfMagic closed her eyes and tried to find that feeling she found earlier, but to no avail. She asked -mie- to try and locate those thoughts and scents from earlier, but she too failed. They both knew that the warlocks were up to something, but unfortunately they could not find proof of it... yet.

When the warlocks reached the upstairs dining area, it was just in time to see Vlad emerge to retrieve his plate and retire back to his crypt. Tei served the salad and blood dressing, her own recipe, while crafty went around the large noisey table serving ale, nightshade and moss nectar. MistressOfMagic and
-mie- took their seats; looking purposely at the warlocks and they looked at them inquisitively in return.

Mythra brought out her famous holiday ham, pumpkin soup, rolls and dark side cookie cake. As she took her seat she felt a mental shove telling her to "BACK OFF!", but again she could not pinpoint who the thought came from. Being the stubborn and highly curious witch that she was, she ignored the push and let her mind touch each of the warlocks and found that sierra and dark-archangel were the only ones that were unusual.....hmmm interesting, she thought and began to eat her meal with gusto and wearing a secretive grin.

Argoyle saw the grin and knew that she found something and he also knew that she would tell him when she was ready, until then all he could do was wait and see... see if he could figure out what the warlocks were hiding from him or for Mythra to finally solve the riddle. The phone rang and Tie went to answer it. She returned and told Frost_Star that the phone was for her and sat to eat her meal. Frost_Star excused herself and went to the phone, she came back smiling and told the others that Maren arrived safely in the mortal realm and that she sends her best wishes to all. LaraCroft21 chuckled and poked 6Claudia6, in a shared private joke. They both looked at one another and laughed.

Sitting back MistressOfMagic watched her guildies, her family, and knew that she had chosen her home well. Though they were all different, and some had secrets, she knew that the love they shared was something very special. She drank her nightshade and observed the antics of this disorganized democracy she fondly called family.

After eating what they could force into their stomachs the warlocks left the table and ventured outside to walk, fly, morph, race, and wrestle off the second meal. They gradually drifted off in seperate directions, as was their norm after eating... they each needed their solitary moments here and there. sierra was the first to stumble upon the cries of the other Amaranthians as they searched high and low for the man they held captive. He still had enough human feelings to experience a momentary qualm of doubt that maybe they should not have kidnapped their prisoner...but no sooner had that feeling raised its head did he see other Amaranthians look his way and go out of their way to avoid him. Moment over, he snorted to himself.

MistressOfMagic left to go to her cottage to feed her pets and to pen a quick holiday wish to her friend Tiniponi (funny how they gotten to be so close so quickly - she could not think of Amaranthia ever being without its Dragon Trainer or she her friend), and she stopped in her tracks. Straining her ears she heard someone calling to her, a name that few knew. Seeing Amanda standing in the darkened arch of the Collegium, MistressOfMagic approached her. Amanda, being one of the few that ever called her Tsis and also one of the even fewer people she trusted, MistressOfMagic stood next to her and waited.

Amanda told her that something terrible had happened sometime tonight and she needed her help. MistressOfMagic looked at the talented and giving woman that created Amaranthia with nothing more than an idea and a dream and knew that she would help...if she could. "What happened Amanda", she asked. Amanda told her that Santa Claus was missing! MistressOfMagic looked at Amanda as though she had lost her mind. "What do you mean missing?" asked MistressOfMagic. "Tsis", said Amanda, "I mean just that. He was last seen over the Village Square headed to the Neighborhood and then he just vanished." MistressOfMagic tried to calm a frantic Amanda and suggested that maybe he stopped off at one of the taverns here at Amaranthia. Amanda told her that she had already checked them all, including Crafty's Bar, and no sign of him. She did, however, find his sleigh near The Fountain, and it was filled with gifts and things for all of Amaranthia. Seeing the urgency of the situation, MistressOfMagic asked Amanda if she would return with her to the Witches' and Warlocks' Headquarters, because this was something that she could not do alone. Amanda said yes.

Together the two women entered the hall and before anyone could speak, MistressOfMagic told them what had happened and that she needed their help.
crafty gave Amanda a large cup of chamomile tea and led her to the fire to warm up. Argoyle, Mythra, Frost_Star and -mie- could not believe that Santa had just vanished. Tei just snorted and said that it was good riddance to him. Amanda, having never been subject to Tei's anger, asked how could she say that. Tei told her how the other witches and warlocks were shunned all year long, but it was more painful at Christmas, a time for good will and all that malarky, ha!!! Amanda stood and put a hand on Tei's shoulder and said she never knew and that she wished she could undo all the damage that painful holidays past had caused but she could only undo the damage from this one, and hugged Tei. Tei stood there motionless and stunned. No one, other than Argoyle, Mythra, -mie-, Maren or MistressOfMagic, ever dared to hug her. She stepped back from the hug and looked at Bemused and crafty, they saw her confusion and understood she needed time alone to make sense of Amanda and what just happened. The other guildies all knew of Amanda's warm heart, but this was the first time it had ever been extended  personally to Tei.

The warlocks met in a dark alley, answering a call put out by dark-archangel. They compared notes and knew that they had only a short amount of time in which to do what they planned. Heading back to the headquarters, they sensed that a mortal was inside. Hurrying inside and ready to protect their family they skidded to a halt when they saw that it was not a normal human inside, but Amanda herself. She looked up and then stood to hug all the warlocks and told them her tale of woe and to ask each of them to help her or Christmas would be ruined for all of Amaranthia.

They all agreed to help, and as the others left to begin their search, the warlocks were left behind to think. Stevie said that they would have to move up thier schedule because they would only have  4 hours max before the others put two and two together and come ask them if they knew anything. They all agreed and went to the Chamber of Silence. Nick reversed the invisibility spell and began to remove the gag and blindfold when Kleptin halted his hands. Kleptin went ot the man and personally removed the blindfold and did not bother to hide his anger towards the man that he knew was in his eyes. The man shrank back involuntarily and began to shake.

Kleptin asked the man if he knew where he was and waited for the answer. The man said he was in Amaranthia. Kleptin replied yes, but more specifically where he was right now. Their captive said he thought so... he was in the Witches' and Warlocks' Headquarters. Kleptin grinned and said correct. WiNgEd_WoLf was getting impatient and wanted answers now!! Jumping between Santa and Kleptin, he demanded "Why they had never gotten a single gift from him, not in thousands of years. They would have been content to even get a rotten piece of coal, but no you gave us nothing...NEVER!! Why?"

Santa looked from one warlock to the other and tried to formulate the best way to answer this. He told them "He had never intended to forget them, he always had gifts for them, but by the time he was done with his rounds in Amaranthia he was behind schedule and he always planned to make up for missing them the year before during his run the next year... but there seemed to never be enough time." He sighed and then turned accusing eyes to them and asked, "If it mattered to you so much, why didn't you ever write and ask me why? Not in the thousands of years that I have missed you have any of you written to ask me why, or even to tell me off for not coming bye. So answer my question, WHY NOT?" 

"I will answer that question", said a voice from the dark hall. All eyes turned to see Vlad enter. "I destroyed the letters. I did it because I wanted them to learn that Christmas was not about what you get or where you get it. It is about family, sharing, caring and just being open to those around you, and unfortunately you all have not learned that lesson yet in all these years. How sad."

During his speech, the others had returned and not being able to find the warlocks had come downstairs. They heard WiNgEd_WoLf's questions, Santa's queries and Vlad's reply. They entered the chamber one by one and stood beside their wise leader and felt ashamed. Nick was not to be pacified so easily, "I don't care about me but it is not fair that you ignored Tei. She does so much to keep your stupid holiday alive for us and you don't seem to care. Even if you don't do anything for the rest of us, you should have done something for her." Tei began to shed tears. The others looked at her with wonder for they knew that vampires could not cry. 6Claudia6 and LaraCroft21 were speechless.

Tei wiped the blood that ran down her cheeks from her red eyes, and told them all "This has been the most exciting and special Christmas that she had ever had in all her lifetimes." She finally felt her cold vampiric heart begin to thaw and realized at that moment that she had already been given the most precious of gifts. She had been given acceptance, friendship, love and more importantly family and a home.

Santa looked at them all and began to smile. Suddenly the chamber was full of noise as they freed him from the remaining bindings and gave him back his red and white suit and black boots. Bemused asked Tei if she would like the honor of escorting him back to his sleigh, and she accepted.

The others followed at their own pace and arrived just in time to see Santa fly off in the direction of The Collegium. They all turned as one when the sound of hurrying footsteps reached their ears. "Tsis", said Amanda, "thank you and thank you to all of you!! You not only saved Christmas, but you reminded me that being different is good, and something to embrace and not fear." "Elma!", shouted a running Teds, "where have you been? I have been looking for you everywhere. Did you know that Tini had a special gift for you? Did you forget that you were supposed to send her a message 3 hours ago? She got so worried that she sent Rainbow to all the coffee houses looking for you."

The guildies stood and stared in wonder at the way MistressOfMagic simply stood there and let the tiny bear fuss at her and she just continued to smile. Finally out of breath, Teds stopped ranting and waited for Elma to say something.. man, she wished she hadn't left her spork at home. She hated it when Elma just smiled and said nothing, that meant only one thing. Taking steps back quickly, but not quick enough. MistressOfMagic reached down and picked up the small bear and hugged her close. "Merry Christmas to you too, you silly little bear."

Teds groaned and said "Put me down! You know I hate it when you pick me up, sheesh. Just wait til I get my spork." The two friends just laughed at the normal exchange they always have. Putting Teds down, MistressOfMagic felt the eyes of the others on her and introduced them to her friend and told them that she had several friends at Amaranthia and she suspected that they, too, probably had some hiding in the shadows afraid to be seen in public together.

Amanda went to the Collegium and turned on the loudspeaker system and made a very special announcement. "Attention all Amaranthians. It is with great pride and joy that I say Christmas is back on track and Santa Claus is making his deliveries. I want to thank all the guilds and citizens for your help, but I need to extend a heartfelt thank you to the Witches and Warlocks. They not only helped in the search, but they also provide us all with the joy of knowing that you can be yourself and be accepted. Thank you."

After she made her speech, the Witches and Warlocks looked around and saw the other guilds coming out of their headquarters and the rest of the Amaranthians coming out of their cottages. They all wore smiles and in their eyes tentative friendship was able to be read.

This is how the first Witches and Warlocks real Amaranthian Christmas began. Ever since that night nearly 20 years ago; the Amaranthians look to the sky and marvel at the beautiful lightning lit sky of the Witches and Warlocks, they stop by all the guilds and exchange gifts and pleasantries, but the most special ritual is the chanting of the W&W blending in harmony with the singing of the other guilds and the colors of the sky as they mesh together the colors from the Dragon Lords' dragons and the lightning. Amanda  sits on the windowseat in her cottage and opens her windows to listen. "This", she thinks, "is what Christmas is all about....FAMILY."

Looking up she waves as Santa flies over the Witches and Warlocks Headquarters, yes... this is family at its best.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AMARANTHIA

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