Nick

Jingles whinnied again, dipping and flying up with ease. Wynter chuckled as we dipped to the side, clinging onto my stomach for security.
I didn't mind her warmth. Was it weird I actually took relish in it?

"So where are we going anyways?" She screams, trying to speak over the rushing gusts of cold winter air.

"To the warehouse. Come on, you guide us" I say, shifting the reigns behind my body so she could guide us. I knew Wynter would enjoy it if she just opened her heart to new experiences.

"No way Nick!" She refused holding her hat against her head so it wouldn't fall off. We dipped again, turning to the East.

"Come on Wynter. Jingles trusts you and he wouldn't let us crash, especially with you on his back" he teased. Jingles whinnies, expressing his support.

"No way Nick! I'll crash and—" but before she had a chance to protest, I pulled her in by the waist and carried her foward, quickly switching places.

"Nicholas Claus!" She screamed grabbing the reigns as I purposely let go, tightening her grip around the leather. She screamed, pulling the reigns higher and higher until we teetered to the side.

I reached in front of her, holding the reigns and pulling her close. "Relax." I whispered against her ear. She nodded and lessened the grip on the reigns, allowing Jingles to steady.
I finally let go once I felt she had a good idea, letting her lead.

"Now lift your arms up a little more. Okay good". I encouraged, letting her experience the thrill of her first reindeer flight.

"I am doing it Nick! Look" she smiled, turning her head to look back at me.

She was doing great for her fast time.
I hated to admit it but I cherished moments like these. Since Wynter was a human, she was fond of little things like this. I would never take any other princess on Jingles. They would have deemed me insane for thinking this was some type of romantic first date, but I knew Wynter actually cherished it.

She looked around the terrains of North Pola as we passed different mountains and valleys, pointing to small buildings and lakes. "What's that!" She asked looking back to face me. It was a big building with wooden seams. The walls were painted a dark green with holly and ivy intertwined in between each brick wall.

"That's where we keep the sleighs. They build my sleigh in there. It's kinda like a car factory but for sleighs. I have engineers that build the most current and practical sleighs so I can travel around the world. There's also extra wood for burning."

She nodded, balancing the reigns while making sure she still guided us safely.

"And what's that." She pointed to a large number of red houses in the distance.

"That's elf village."

"Elves!!" She screamed excitedly. She smiled at the sight, looking closely at each structure.

"Ah! Ah! Gotta focus" I led her jaw forward so she could guide us through our journey. She heated at my contact but quickly refocused.

"There is a whole bunch of elves in the workshop. You'll meet them soon"

She nodded and smiled, already picturing her encounters with the people. "See those two mountains? The workshop is between them. That's where we're going."

"Okay" she nodded leading the reigns in that direction. A few moments pass before we finally arrived. I steadied her arms as we landed, making sure she could land us steadily.

"That was fun!" She bragged, throwing a leg off Jingle's back. I helped her off again and we walked into the warmth of the hallway that led to the warehouse.

"It's huge!" She gasped, lifting her chin to take in the grand scope of the structure. Tall ceilings filled with stain glassed skylights decorated the spacious hallway. She sighed and gasped, taking in every single detail and groove.

"Yea. We expand every year since the demand of the toys and gadgets increases. We have to accommodate."

She looked up in awe taking in everything. We passed by a few elves but she was indifferent to their presence, still walking along the path, taking in the conveyer belt filled with parts and toys.

As we made our way to my office, she spotted a short man hunched over a small toy car and gasped, running over to him. "OMG Nick! Look! A real life elf!" She screamed. She bent low to shake his hand, taking in his features with warm regard.

"Nice to meet you Mr. Elf sir! How are you?" She smiled, looking pleased she had introduced herself so vibrantly. He had a blank expression as he shook her hand, nervously looking at me then at her again.

"Wynter...Wynter" I pace over and grab her shoulders, leading her away from him and the other elves that stared.

"What? I was being friendly? Wasn't I?" She asked, looking to the eyes that were not glued on her.

"He wasn't an elf..." I whispered, leading her to my office near the top of the stairs.

"What?" She looked at me in shock, "but you said the elves were in the warehouse? Wasn't he an elf?"

"I mean...yes he was. Technically, they are all elves."

"What?" She stopped dead in her tracks, looking around the spacious warehouse in awe.

"All the people in here are elves Wynter."

"But they're so tall? And normal looking!"

"How did you think they were supposed to look?"

"Like short little cute small people . Like ... this" she took out her phone and typed something, quickly showing it to me.

I looked up at her and covered my face. She couldn't be serious. Did she really think elves looked like this?

"That is actually so insulting" I chuckled, leading her up the stairs.

"Insulting? He's cute? It's an elf on the shelf'! You take it and hide it all around your house so kids behave. He is supposed to be Santa's little helper"

"Elf on the shelf?" I repeated after her, scoffing at the unoriginality of the concept. "See that's the problem with you humans. You all stereotype and romanticize the holidays, especially Christmas, to sell more things during the holiday time. My elves look nothing like that as you just learned" I threw some subtle shade. She blushed and dimmed her phone before taking another look around the warehouse. I could see the warmth filling her dark rosy cheeks as a look of horror filled her features.

"Omg" she covers her face, stopping in the middle of the stairs. "I'm so embarrassing Nick"

"Come on Wynter, no you are not" I chuckled trying to hide my smile.

"I called Rudolph... Rudolph and teased his nose and then I assumed that man was an elf cause he was short!"

"No big deal. He is short but he's actually our best elf. He's married and has a wife and kid."

"Nick..I'm so embarrassed" She said again looking around the room as eveyone stared. "I just wanted to see the North Pole! I was so excited but I guess I kinda embarrassed myself..."

I chuckled and smiled, taking her hands off her face. "nah seeing you this excited is sorta cute." I assure her. It was so different than businesswomen/boss CEO persona.
I liked this side of her.

She smiled lazily looking into my eyes. "Come on." I lead her to my office so we could finish the tour.

——

Author Note:
Hopefully y'all aren't getting bored with Wynter's new experiences at the North Pole. Gotta develop Nick and Wynter's love story before....messing it up.
Y'all know me by now.

Also...I don't think imma include smut in this book. There will be some teasing but that's it and that is only because I found out a couple of chapters ago that I had young teens (13) reading my books. I love every reader but that's too young!!
I wish I could do private chapters but I don't know how to do that/verify my readers age!! :((