Gypsy Christmas

Holidays. It's all an unnecessary nuisance, a devil of a time. The magic of it all lies in the excitement of anticipation and preparation.

Gypsy Christmas

Christmas was approaching inexorably. I hate Christmas.

Alex, of course, had been merrily bustling about the kitchen all day, baking as if preparing for some royal feast. He suggested we decorate the house, and I looked at him like he was batshit crazy. In the end, we agreed that I would put up with the tiny fake pine.

In any case, I didn't spend much time at home in the three days before the holiday, I just couldn't bear to see everyone around me so disgustingly happy. Part of me, a very dark part of me, envied this happiness, although I was reluctant to admit it even to myself. It was then that I saw the gypsies, who were trying to con people out of their money with all sorts of humbug.

"Are you looking for a Christmas present?" asked the girl next to me.

I turned towards her in surprise, not having noticed her presence until now. The gypsy girl smiled sweetly.

"No," I concluded.

"Really?" she asked. "Didn't you get caught up in the holiday spirit?

No spirits at all! I have enough of that around me already.

I sighed deeply. "Maybe I should get some things..."

Luna chuckled gently. "Maybe I can help you with that. Follow me, please."

She led me all the way to her caravan, which she had tastefully decorated for the occasion. The atmosphere inside was pleasant, and instead of the chaotic mess of the last time, a clean room awaited. Silver decorations hung on the walls, and the air was filled with the scent of cinnamon orange tea, creating an atmosphere of something I found almost disturbingly intimate.

"Well, what kind of gifts do you have in mind?" she asked me, walking over to her ebony table and pouring tea into two mugs.

As if in anticipation of my arrival, a white and a dark blue one had been prepared on the table. I accepted the drink offered to me and nodded my thanks.

"I don't know, I'm not really good at this sort of thing" I admitted, "I just thought it should be something useful."

She led me over to the table and took a seat on one of the chairs while she pulled me down on the other. I sipped the tea, its warmth felt good and there was something about it that immediately soothed and relaxed me.

She was contemplative for a moment, slowly exhaling the warm air as her eyes stared unfocused at a point somewhere on the wall. She seemed to walk among the stars, then closed her eyes for a moment, and when she opened them, I was again the sole owner of her attention.

"What's in this?" I asked.

"It's a family recipe, I can't tell you the secret ingredient."

"Tell me a little about your friends, together I'm sure we can find the right gift," she said sweetly.

"My best friend is a werewolf," I explained, "In fact, I think he'd be happy with anything."

She nodded.

"There's a girl I like, she's human," I continued, "and a vampire girl, and a seer, and of course my dumbass brother."

I was silent for a moment.

"And then there's the annoying cat kid. I don't think anyone else will give him a present, and he'll probably spend the holidays alone."

"I'm sure we'll find something for him too," she smiled and got up to hurry to her chest in the corner of the room.

She rummaged in it for a while, then returned with a few pieces of clothing in her arms. She proudly held out a few cloaks, while listing their special qualities.

"This one," she held out the first, quite plain, black one, "is waterproof and has warming charms."

She threw it on the back of a chair and showed me the next one, which was also black, with silver embroidery around the edges. "And this one is perfectly adapted to any weather conditions and is also perfect for stealth."

She showed me a few more, but none of them caught my eye. Finally, she showed me the last red cape.

"This is the most valuable piece. It's perfectly resistant to environmental effects, and it has strong protective charms, so most spells will just bounce off it," she explained as she put it on and pulled the hood over her head, "And the best part..."

The colour of the cloak faded, hiding its wearer and blending in somewhat with the colour of the wall, but still, if one looked very closely, one could see the outline of it.

"That's really something," I said.

Indeed, I knew immediately that it was the perfect gift for the gremlin kid. It fits his personality perfectly, and what better surprise for a thief than a cape like this? However, it was too perfect. The girl might have noticed my suspicion, for she smiled gently and threw the hood over her shoulders. The cloak had returned to its original red colour.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you about it beforehand," she said, her eyes contrite, "As a matter of fact, my mother was an empath, and I inherited some of her talents. I can control them well enough, but sometimes I get too excited."

"Empath?", I raised one eyebrow.

"In other words, quite sensitive to the people around," she explained, "I can sense their emotions, sometimes even see memories through my mind's eye. So it's as if I knew your friends myself. If it bothers you...

"No," I said waving her down, "This time it's useful, but don't do it too often."

She nodded, folded the cloak, and put it on the table. She pulled out an amulet from the bottom of one of the chests.

"If your seer friend is looking for a quiet night, he could use this."

"And this one," she pulled out another, "will serve your brother well. It was made in India, it will show its owner his enemies."

"I think I can find something for your girl friend here, too..." she muttered mostly to herself as she conjured a small box from somewhere.

She rummaged in it for a while, then smiled triumphantly. She put it in my hand so I could have a closer look. The silver chain was delicate, almost silky to the touch, the pendant a perfectly polished moonstone, gleaming beautifully in the light. As I held it in my hand, I felt a faint pulse of magic.

"I made it myself," Luna declared proudly, "I imbued it with powerful protective charms, powered by the energies of the wearer."

"Beautiful," I praised her, for which she looked at me with gratitude.

"I'm glad you liked it," she added, then turned back to her chests.

"I have a few items for vampires, but not much that a young lady would find useful," she mused aloud.

"I think I'll just buy her a packet of coffee then," I suggested, and she giggled.

"Wait a minute," she started in surprise. "Your vampire is drinking coffee?"

"Yeah," I shrugged.

"But why is she trying to drink a human drink?" she frowned, "Coffee is one of the few human drinks they can break down, but it still doesn't taste very good to them."

"Well, this vampire is special," I explained, "Her best friend is a human. A simple human."

Luna pulled her lips into a bitter, knowing smile. "I see. I think I've found the perfect gift for her."

She walked over to the shelves and paused for a moment. Finally, she reached out her hand and wrapped her pale, thin fingers around the crystal vial. For a moment she held it, her back to me, and when she turned, there was no trace of uncertainty on her face.

"This is a special potion," she declared, "It is the only vial of it there is".

"What is it for?" I asked.

"It can give vampires back their human taste for one day only," she explained, "My mother used to make it for my father."

"Does it work on nobles?" I questioned.

The girl looked stunned. After all, she must have just realized that a noble vampire was making friends with humans.

"Yes," she nodded.

"Then I guess we really have found the perfect gift," I said with a grin.

She smiled gently back at me. Then I was thinking for a moment.

"Even though I know Alex best, I don't really know what to get him," I admitted.

"That's how it works," Luna reassured me, "The longer you know someone, the harder it is to choose.

"In any case, I think I know what he would like most," she added, holding out a plain, empty picture frame.

I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion.

"A picture frame?" I asked in disbelief.

Her smile widened. "I'm sure you can find a picture."

I shrugged. "I don't really see why that would be the best gift for him."

"You'll find out when you give it to him," he assured me.

"Now there's just one more thing," she said, and I was about to reach into my pocket for my wallet, but it seemed that wasn't exactly what she had in mind.

She handed me a very large book. "Merry Christmas!"

I glanced at her in confusion, but she just smiled encouragingly and continued to hold out the hefty book to me. Reluctantly, I took it from her to have a closer look. I brushed my fingertips over the old leather cover and undid the clasp that held the mysterious, untitled volume closed. The first parchment-like page was scrawled with cyradic fairy letters, which in English read: 'History of the ruling family of our moon folk, branches of its sacred tree'.

I turned the page, and more rows of cyradic letters appeared, and as I continued to turn the pages, images of many moon-eyed nobles, drawings of their legends, flashed before my eyes.

Suddenly the pages stopped at a bookmark and my breath was caught on my lips. I stared at the portrait with widened eyes. Vivid grey eyes looked back at me, and the beautiful face was framed by long silvery white hair. The fae radiated power from his very being, yet he was surrounded by an elusive elegance, calm and pure.

Below the picture, in almost illegible letters, was the name of the figure:

'Alistair Amadé Pius Terebess'

My mouth trembled, and my eyes stung with thousands of tears. I was overcome with so much emotion that my heart felt like it was going to overflow and explode. Suddenly, I felt Luna's closeness, she gently embraced me and I was no longer able to hold back my tears. Her soothing warmth seemed to envelop me, her intoxicating scent reminiscent of lilies filling my lungs as I felt her slender fingers digging into my hair, stroking me comfortingly.

She held me tightly as if to assure me that I was not alone, as if trying to hide my weakness from the world. I have no idea how long we stayed like that, it could have been minutes, or it could have been hours. It seemed like an eternity to me, until the tears dried up. Then Luna let me go, took a step back, and looked at me with compassionate, tender eyes.

She knew that this was what I needed — to cry out the tears that were poisoning my veins and deepening my bitterness with each passing day. She knew that the tears would bring momentary peace to my soul after the agonizing pain. Just as she knew that without her, I would never have wept those tears. In front of Luna, I didn't have to stay strong, I didn't have to pretend that everything was okay. She knew how weak and frail I was. She accepted it.

Even though I had a million more questions about her in my head than I could answer, I knew one thing instinctively: I could trust this strange girl.

"How did you know?" was all I asked.

"He used to visit us every year, so when I saw you, I immediately noticed the resemblance," she said with a slight, kind smile and pointed to the picture, "You can't deny each other."

She must have read another question in my expression because she spoke again in her soft, friendly voice.

"The fae mourned him," she said, "Their queen held a great ceremony in his honour, and buried him among hers."

I nodded. "Tell me, should I be afraid that you know so much?"

I meant to be humorous, but my voice still sounded a little bitter.

Luna grinned anyway. "Maybe."

A slight, weak smile crept onto my lips. "Who are you? Surely a simple gypsy girl wouldn't be able to reveal so many secrets of an informant."

"I am a simple gypsy girl, nothing more."

I sighed and sipped my tea.

"However, when I was born, my mother predicted a special fate for me," she explained as she poured herself another mug of tea and sat down opposite me, "She told me a thousand times when I was a child that I would be the subject of an unusual king."

I raised one eyebrow in disbelief.

"This king does not want to be king, that makes him the most interesting of all. He has no principles so he represents no colours. He is independent, perhaps that is why he is the freest. The Hueless King is considered the most insignificant of all, yet all rulers will acknowledge his power. Do not command him, for he follows none; follow him not, for he leads none. Stand by him, become one who is worthy to stand by him, she has always told me so."

"The Fifth King," I whispered to myself.

She shook her head. "You don't understand. It is merely a name that anyone can take upon himself. The real king has not yet revealed himself."

I frowned. I didn't want to understand what she meant.

"The King is known by his lineage, for there is not another in the world like him, with three bloodlines mixed in his veins," she added, and then glanced at me cautiously, "Don't you see? The Fifth King was you from the beginning."

"I don't believe you," I said coldly.

I could have jumped up and shouted at her and accused her of being a liar, but she said everything with the conviction that only a person who is absolutely certain and believes their own words can have. Besides, how much I might have felt like blustering, I'd outgrown that age.

She smiled indulgently. "You don't have to believe me."

I was surprised she didn't even try to stand up for what she thought was right.

"It wouldn't make sense, would it?" she answered kindly, "You don't want to be king."

"Then why did you tell me?"

"I wanted to warn you of the future," Luna explained, "I can feel the wind of war in the air already, and I fear it will strike so suddenly and cruelly that there will be no time to prepare."

I nodded. "I can feel it, too."

I have been restless for some time. I've been blaming it on the holidays and all the hassle, which I hate like fae loathe iron. I just refused to see that the world was going crazy around me and that there was nothing I could do about it.

"Maybe I'll make up my mind at last," she said at last, perhaps a little to herself, "The caravan will soon be moving on, and I've still got a year of my debt to pay back. When my mother and father died, the owner of the caravan took me in, but not for free: I must work off the favour."

"This owner sounds very unpleasant to me," I remarked.

"He is," she grimaced, "Anyway, I want to be by your side when you need me."

I felt as if I'd known Luna for a thousand years. Her presence was reassuring, her smile kind, caring, and perhaps because of her ability, but I felt she might be able to understand me — and let's face it, even I didn't fully understand myself.

"We are having a special celebration tonight," she announced, "I would love it if you could bring your friends, I would love to meet them in person."

I nodded. "I could do that."

She smiled and handed me the bag that the gifts ended up in. I finished the rest of my tea and stood up.

"How much is it?", I asked and was about to reach into my pocket for my wallet when her gentle touch stopped me. Her fingers on my fingers gave off a pleasant warmth.

"Not much," she said sweetly, "Bring your friends tonight."

I nodded.

She slipped a small bag into my hand. Surprised, I opened the palm of my hand to discover a packet of mistletoe.

"Take better care of this," she added.

"How did you know?", I raised my eyebrows.

"The spell was created by my magic, that's how I felt it when it was broken," she shrugged, "There's no trick to it this time."

"See you tonight," I assured her, saying goodbye as I stepped out of the caravan. She waved at me before I was lost in the swirling stream of people in Széchenyi Square.