Wynter

"Wynter!! Yu huuu!!" I hear the excited voice of Mrs. Clause as I ventured down the castle walls. I tried to wait for Nick to come get me but he was taking way too long. Maybe he thought I truly wanted to rest.

Mrs. Clause comes behind me before hugging me dearly. "How are you Wynter?"

"I feel better," I answered carefully. I didn't know whether I was on her good side or not.

"You look better! And you feel a lot warmer" she hugged me again, moving down to hold my palms.

"Nick took really good care of me. You raised a really...thoughtful son. I mean— my fiancé. You raised a good...fiancé" I must have looked like an idiot trying to correct his title but I had truly forgotten we were supposed to be engaged.

She held onto my shoulders and smiled. I look over Nick's father, trying to throw a cordial smile but he could barely keep his gaze.
It felt as if he looked annoyed by my presence?

"Well! Breakfast is almost ready. Why don't we all go down together?"

"Sure" I smiled.

"Have an ETA of my son Wynter?"

"I was about to ask you the same question" I teased. We walked arm in arm, talking like two old pals. It was a stark difference from how she first treated me. Maybe Nick had slipped some friendship potion into her hot chocolate a couple of nights ago? It would explain her endearing nature towards me.

"So I made the finalizations for the banquet in three days. Thé entrée, désert, entertainment is taken care of. I hope you didn't mind?"

"No. Nick says you throw the best banquets so I trust you" She agreed with my statement and continued to drawl on about things uninspiring to me.

She continued bragging about a dress she had sewn before I started to think about Nick. I wondered the reason for his absence especially since he promised to devote his entire day to me.

We finally came to the long mahogany table in the middle of the dining hall and took our seats. It wasn't even minutes before a few servants started serving us our breakfast. Pancakes, sausages, coffee, tea, and scones were just a few of the delicious pleasantries served to us.

"Thought you weren't coming down?" Nick came into the dining hall and smiled, kissing his mother then me on the cheek. He pulled out his chair, plopping down before m pulling an empty plate towards him.

"I was a bit hungry" I smiled, staring into his eyes in mischief. He nodded sarcastically before biting into a hot pastry.

"Nick Mitch called me saying something about you not working today?" Nick's father interrupted out subtle flirting.

"Yep, he was right. I'm not working." He said as if the statement was insignificant and turned his attention to me once more. " Wyn, try those funny-looking pastries. Best reindeer glazed claws ever"

"What?" His father cleared his throat, forcing him to address his outburst.

"I have the day off. I told Mitch already so he knows" Nick bites into another pastry before dropping it onto his plate. He was so nonchalant about it which visibly upset his father.

"Nick...no Claus man has ever taken a day! Not even my great great great great great great great great grandfather" he said, trying to level his voice but the anger was apparent.

"I guess I'll be the first" he shrugged, looking over at me again. I averted my eyes to my plate and chewed, trying not to smile.

Mr. Claus slammed his fork and spoon to the table, making the glass shake. "You think you can just do as you please? You think this is a joke?" He stood to face him.

"I made a promise to help Wynter. She needs to pass the test the council will give her or the Claus line will cease to exist" Nick says calmly. "Isn't that the whole point of this?" He sighed, leaning into the back of his chair.

"The whole point was to bring home a SUITABLE fiancé! Not some—"

"Watch it" Nick stood challenging his father's gaze. I knew Mr. Claus didn't like me. No one thought I was suitable enough for their precious little son.

"All the past Claus men have bled, died, and sacrificed so much to build this! I'm trying to protect our legacy and you're over here destroying it!"

"And how exactly am I doing that father? You said I needed a fiancé before Christmas? I got one. You said I needed to get married before Christmas Eve? I'm planning a wedding? What more do you want?"

"That's not the problem and you know it!" He interrupted.

"You want to know what the problem is? YOU! You will never be pleased with how tI do things. My car, my factory, the system. You want everything and everyone to do things your way."

"My way is the right way! It's what the past Claus men used and what should be continued to use"

"Wynter? You ready?" Nick asked, wiping the corners of his mouth? He was over this conversation and to be quite honest, so was I.

I nodded, eager to avoid the impending argument that was brewing. Nick came over and pulled out my chair, escorting me out of the room.

"Nick! I'm not done! Nick!!!" he yelled but his voice became a distant memory as we walked out the dining room.