15. The Midwinter Festival

Sienna stood in the corner and looked around the common room of Nivem's largest inn, taking in the full effect of the efforts of the Midwinter Festival committee. A large pine tree stood in one corner of the room, its branches looped with cranberry garlands and strings of popped corn. Tiny candles sat among its branches, no doubt spelled to protect the pine needles from catching flame, even as the head from the tiny fires warmed the natural oils in the tree and carried its scent throughout the room. Garlands and ribbons were strung from the rafters and along the walls, with big red bows in place to hide the hooks and nails that kept them from falling. Arrangements of red poinsettias and fir branches adorned the tables on one side of the room, and wreaths dotted with red holly berries hung over the windows.

She stood by the long buffet table while she waited, kept company with the scents of smoked turkey and ham, fresh bread, and oranges. The smell of sweet and spicy gingerbread drifted over to her from the desert table, where Devri stood and beamed at all who came by to study the house she had made from the cookie. Sienna smiled and sipped at her mulled cider, appreciating the warmth as it slid down her throat.

"He's not going to know what to do with himself." Jem's voice at her side nearly caused her to jump. He joined her against the wall and gestured to her dress. "Devri's ‘unexpected emergency,' I assume?"

Sienna blushed and ran a hand down the dark green velvet. "Is it that obvious?"

"That she knows what she's doing? Yes. You look lovely, Enna." Jem's warm smile helped put her nerves at ease.

"You don't think it looks like I'm trying too hard?"

"I think it looks like you're trying just the right amount. But, for what it's worth," he leaned in, his voice lowering so as not to be overheard, "I don't think you would even have to try as far as Casp is concerned. He can hardly keep his eyes from trailing after you across a room, even when he wants to."

She frowned. "Why would he want to?"

He sighed heavily, and his shoulders bowed as if under a heavy weight. "Because Casper has a very hard time allowing himself to believe that he could ever be worthy of the type of selfless affection that love entails. He clings to guilt like a comfortable blanket and refuses to let go, punishing himself instead for a mistake that was made in ignorance years ago."

"You're speaking about the incident with the investor from Hollander's?"

Jem raised an eyebrow. "He told you that much, did he?"

She shrugged. "I asked—kept pestering him, really. I told him that since we're engaged, he didn't need to keep secrets from me."

Her words elicited a tiny chuckle. "Good girl. Casper needs to be reminded that the Almighty doesn't hoard mistakes, and he shouldn't either. Unfortunately, talking to him sometimes is like speaking with a brick wall."

"So I've noticed," she answered drily, hesitating before adding. "I know that you have to leave tomorrow, but that doesn't mean that you'll be gone forever, right? You'll come back?"

Jem grinned at her, though there was a sadness behind the expression that she couldn't quite decipher. "Rethinking your engagement, are you?"

She looked at him frankly. "I told Casper all along he would have to be the one to break it."

"That's right, you did."

"And I forgot that you were listening the entire time through the window."

Jem shrugged unapologetically. "As my dear old Mormor used to say, ‘Be careful what you say in confidence, for even the walls may have ears.'"

She rolled her eyes. "As I was saying, I told Casper he would have to break the engagement. I may not have a lot of hope for romance any more, but I do take my commitments seriously. And I know it might seem fast, but…" Her voice trailed off, unsure of how to express her feelings, and her eyes dropped to her feet, shod in dancing slippers the same color as her dress.

"But you've spent a lot of time with Casper and realize what the rest of us have known but he refuses to see—that he is a wonderful man with a heart of gold underneath that prickly exterior?"

"Something like that," Sienna laughed. "Am I crazy? It's too fast, isn't it?"

Jem held up his hands. "Hey, I'm a firm believer in the possibility of love at first sight. That's what happened with me and my wife, anyway." His eyes glowed with a soft, warm light. "A week is significantly longer than that."

"I didn't realize you were married."

The light dimmed. "I lost her a long time ago."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be." He smiled. "As my dear old Mormor used to say, ‘A love cannot be lost unless it first is found, and finding true love is one of the most precious gifts of the Almighty.'"

"Your Mormor sounds like she was a very interesting woman."

"She was the best of the best. But that's enough talk about lost loves and grandmothers. What's important here is that Casper needs to know that you don't intend on breaking the engagement. Fair warning: You might have to hit him over the head with it several times before he believes you."

A laugh bubbled out of her. "Noted."

They stood in companionable silence, watching the other party guests. Sienna sipped her cider.

"Speaking of our dear captain, where is he?" Jem craned his neck to look around the room.

"He said he wanted to meet the Petrel at the harbor before coming. I'm a little surprised you're not there with him."

"Eh," he waved a hand. "I've seen that boat enough times that I don't mind a few days apart from her. I suppose a captain's love for his ship is different."

"Do you think the rest of the John's will come? They deserve a break after the week they've had. I feel badly that they spent their holiday out fishing instead of here in Nivem."

"Don't. Short John and Longest John were both over the moon when I told them about this little expedition. Believe it or not, fishing is not something we often have the time to do. I think they were relieved to have something to occupy their time that wasn't usual business and that didn't require being particularly social."

The mention of usual business brought another question to mind. Sienna dropped her voice to a whisper. "And what about our other problem? Have you been able to learn anything else?"

He matched her tone. "That was one of the reasons I was looking for Casper. If I can trust my sources, I believe the cargo will be moving at midnight."

"Tonight? But I thought the breach only opened during storms. There's not the sound of a single cloud on the horizon."

"To get the music into Faerie, yes. But the smugglers must have someone on this side to help distribute." Jem scanned the crowd again. "We've just never been able to find out how or where they move it."

"But you think it will be tonight?"

He pushed away from the wall. "I'm almost certain. If you'll excuse me, I just caught sight of Short John peeking in. I'm going to go in search of our fearless captain." He paused mid-step. "Will you be alright alone here?"

She waved him away. "Go. Devri is right over there, and we're at a party. I highly doubt anyone is going to do anything as nefarious as attempted murder."

"You never know. Just to be safe, don't accept food or drink from anyone, and take Devri with you if you go outside."

Sienna waved him away with a smile and watched as he disappeared outside in search of his crewmate. She slowly sipped her cider, which was now just a touch too cold to be completely enjoyable, and watched as the fae of Nivem mingled and talked and laughed, enchanted by the novelty of the human traditions and decorations.

"Ah, there you are. I wondered if I would find you here."

She tensed as Erik's voice washed over her. The elf approached, a plate of confections in hand, and stood between her and the rest of the room. She leaned to the side to peer around him, searching the place where Devri had been not two minutes before.

She was gone.

"Looking for someone? I can't help but notice that your new man seems to have left you here all by yourself."

Sienna kept her tone flat. "What do you want, Erik?"

"I was only coming to offer a friendly Midwinter greeting."

"Consider it offered and not returned."

She leaned around him on the other side, and he grabbed her arm and pulled her back. "Why such animosity, little Enna?"

"First of all," she said, slapping his arm away. "I told you to never call me that again. Second, there is no animosity here, just disinterest. I bear you no ill will, but please go away."

"I'll go when I'm ready." As if to punctuate his statement, Erik widened his stance and took a leisurely bite of gingerbread.

"In that case, I suddenly find myself in need of some fresh air."

Sienna tried to step past him, but he once again held her in place. She glared at him.

"Let go of me! I swear, Erik, if you touch me again, I am going to scream."

"I just wanted to talk to you. By the Realms, Enna, why do you have to be so dramatic?"

If I leave, he's just going to follow and keep pestering me. Maybe if I let him say his piece, he'll leave me alone for the rest of the night.

She crossed her arms and set her face into the steeliest expression she could manage. "Fine. What is it?"

Erik looked slightly taken aback by her sudden acquiescence, but he recovered quickly. "Where's your betrothed?"

"You want to talk about Casper?"

"Only to wonder why he isn't here."

"He had some business to take care of down at the harbor."

He hummed. "Ah, you mean the fact that he allowed Daland to commandeer his ship for the week and your father has just now returned. I can imagine that he would want to escape at the first opportunity."

"He's not escaping." She clenched her jaw.

"He's not here."

"But he will be. Do you have anything that is actually intelligent to say, or are we done here?"

He absently set his plate to the side and took a step forward. She was already close enough to the wall that her shoulders bumped into it as soon as she retreated. Erik loomed over her. "Have you given any thought to my proposal?"

She scowled up at him, determined not to let him see how uncomfortable she was, despite the fact that her blazing cheeks likely already gave it away. "You mean the proposal you made despite knowing that I'm already engaged?"

"It's been barely a week, and he's already leaving you alone at parties."

"What's that supposed to mean?" she huffed.

"It's not going to last. He's not going to stay."

I know. He already said it was only for a week.

"You have no basis to make that assumption."

He arched an eyebrow. "Don't I? Just look at the facts, Enna: You're a Naiad. You no longer have magic. Granted, what you lack in beauty you make up for in acerbic wit, which can be entertaining if directed at the right person, but what man wants to tie himself to for life to a sarcastic sense of humor?"

Sienna rolled her eyes to mask the hurt. His words grated against the still-healing wounds on her heart. "With that compelling analysis, I'm more than a little surprised you proposed once, let alone twice."

"When he leaves, marry me."

She was barely able to contain her tears, and Erik's arrogant command caused her to lose what little control she had over her emotions. "I cannot believe you! You left me, Erik! You said that you loved me—you promised to marry me—and then at the first sign that life might not be clear skies and still waters, you left. I'm not going to fall for the same trick twice."

He sneered. "And yet, here you are."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You might think that your captain is an honorable man, but the truth is that he and I are very much alike. You present an opportunity, Enna. Nothing more, nothing less."

"Yes, I know. You want the lighthouse." She swiped angrily at her tears. "I have the lighthouse, therefore you want me. I've heard this all before, and I'm finished with this conversation."

For the first time that night, he didn't try to stop her as she walked away.

She had not gone more than a few steps when his words followed after. "He's cursed. He has until midnight tonight, and then he'll disappear."

She froze and slowly turned on her heel. "What did you say?"

Erik shoved his hands in his pockets and smirked. "Your captain is cursed—condemned to an existence spent wandering the lonely seas until a woman promises to remain true to him until death."

Sienna's mind was spinning furiously to put all the missing pieces into place. "Don't you read any stories, Erik? True love is usually the cure for curses."

"Ah, but recall that this requires no actual love—just that a woman promises to be faithful. But until the curse is broken, the captain is still cursed to wander, but for a week every seven years. The rest of your life would be spent in perpetual loneliness, sacrificing all thoughts of a loving family and children in favor of faithfulness to a ghost. It's only when you die that the curse will be broken." He lowered his voice and bent forward, bringing his mouth close to her ear. "He only proposed because he needs you to break his curse, at which time, he will return home to his own realm. You're just a means to an end."

She shook her head. "No. No, he cares about people. He wouldn't just use me like that."

Sienna realized that the room had gone suddenly, unnaturally still. She turned to see Casper standing in the doorway. He was wearing a new coat, cut to emphasize how broad his shoulders were. The bouquet of sea holly in his hand fell limply to his side, and his face paled, causing him to look whiter than a ghost.

"Well, well, well," Erik said smugly. "Look what the tide brought in. Or should I say, Look at the Dutchman who just flew in?"

Her wide eyes locked onto Casper's. "Is it true?" she whispered.

His chin dipped down in one long, slow nod.

Her breaths were coming fast and shallow as she reviewed all the different warnings he had tried to give her over the course of their very brief engagement. The final pieces of the puzzle finally fit together.

I'm leaving in a week, Si.

It's only for a week.

What would you do if I just left?

He had been honest since the beginning about his schedule, even if he hadn't been truthful about his curse. No, her emotional turmoil was entirely due to the fact that she had done the one thing she had promised not to do.

She had fallen in love with Casper.

And really, does all of this really matter? Of course I would want to help him break his curse, and he absolutely deserves to be able to go home after all this time.

Before she could form her thoughts into coherent words, Casper dropped the flowers, spun on his heel, and disappeared. Sienna ran after him. "Casper!"

She darted down the streets, uncharacteristically empty due to the Festival, but the captain was nowhere to be found. She laced her fingers behind her neck and let her head fall backwards as she groaned.

The sound of footsteps on the stone streets sent her spinning around. Her shoulders tensed when she realized it was Erik.

"Go away," she growled.

He sighed. "Oh, little Enna. This would have been so much easier if you had just accepted my proposal in the first place."

His hand lifted.

And then the world went black.