The memory “The Christmas Waltz” song had unlocked was from more than twenty years ago, on Christmas Eve, when she was just a little girl dancing with her dad to this same song. Her big sister Amelia and her mom were watching as she had eagerly stood barefoot on the top of her dad’s shoes and held on tight as he twirled them around the room. She had been laughing and happy as she looked up at the string of snowflakes dangling across the ceiling that she’d made with her sister.
“Is everything okay?” the prince asked, watching her.
When Kaylie realized her eyes were filled with sentimental tears, embarrassed, she quickly brushed them away. “I’m fine. Allergies. They always act up when I fly.”
Kaylie could tell by the look on the prince’s face that he wasn’t buying her lame excuse, but she was thankful when he didn’t push.
“You like this song,” he said.
She nodded. “I haven’t heard it in years. It’s my dad’s favorite. We used to dance to it together. I’d forgotten about that.”
“That’s the thing about Christmas songs—they have a way of bringing back memories,” the prince said, looking like he was speaking from experience. “My mother always says Christmas songs are something we grow up with at the holidays. They’re always around us and become part of our traditions, and that’s why she loves Christmas music so much. She says it’s another way to remember, like looking at old pictures, Christmas music can bring back so many memories.”
Kaylie nodded and wondered if that was why she never liked listening to Christmas music anymore, because it reminded her of past Christmases when her family used to all get together. She was still sorting through her feelings when the prince walked over to a massive black wrought iron two-sided door that also had the swan crest on it.
“Are you ready?” he asked.
She gave him a suspicious look. “That depends on if that’s a dungeon or not.”
“You’re just going to have to trust me,” the prince said with a hint of a smile.
Kaylie walked toward him. “Yeah, like you, I don’t really trust people.”
“Then perhaps we have more in common than I thought,” the prince said. “Do you like wine?”
Kaylie’s face lit up. “Does a bird have feathers?”
When the prince looked confused, she rushed to continue. “You know, birds, feathers, were talking about swans earlier. I was trying to go with the theme. Anyway, yes, I love wine.”
“Then you can thank my mother,” the prince said. “Our wine cellar is on her list of things she wants you to see.”
Kaylie walked past him into the cellar. “I knew I liked your mother.” She made a decision that no matter what happened, going forward she was going to make the best of it.
This is an adventure, she told herself. I can do adventure. I love adventure. I live for adventure. Bring on the adventure.
She was still smiling from the power of positive thinking when the prince joined her inside a huge wine cellar that took her breath away. The cellar went on for days and Kaylie guessed there had to be more than a thousand bottles of wine.
“Wow, this is impressive,” she said, taking it all in. She felt like she’d stepped back in time to hundreds of years ago. The cellar had a curved ceiling made up of exposed rock that matched the stone walls. The floor was a worn red brick and vintage oak wine barrels were being used as tables to display different wines and wine glasses. There were floor-to-ceiling wine racks, and every slot was filled with bottles of wine.
“And I think it’s bigger than the little wine shop I always go to by my apartment, and it’s definitely a lot bigger than my apartment.”
The prince gave her a curious look. “Really?”
“Oh, yeah,” Kaylie assured him. “I live in a tiny studio, a lot of us do in the city, but it’s fine because you’re never really in your apartment except to sleep. At least, that’s how I am. I eat out all the time. Why would I cook when New York has some of the best restaurants in the world? Plus, I have a wine bar downstairs, so that’s like my living room. It’s great.”
The prince shook his head and frowned. “A living room with a bunch of strangers.”
“But that’s the best part,” Kaylie continued. “This way I’m always meeting new people. I never know who I might have a glass of wine with. It’s exciting and keeps things interesting. There’s never a dull moment when you live in Manhattan. I meet someone new every single day.”
“Well, I don’t think I can offer you anything that exciting,” the prince said. “But I can show you around our wine cellar.”
“Sounds great.” Kaylie smiled back at him. “I’ve never met a wine cellar I didn’t like.”
“So, you’ve toured many?” the prince asked.
Kaylie laughed. “No. This is my first, but I’m sure if I did, I would like them all.” She followed the prince as he led her down one aisle that opened up to an area where there was another beautiful hand-carved wooden dining table. This one had seating for twelve but there were no place settings. In the middle of the table was a gleaming three-foot gold candelabra that was surrounded by fresh evergreens, holly, and red berries. It matched all the Christmas wreaths that were at the end of each wine aisle.
She ran her hand lightly across the table as she walked around it. “This is really something.”
“That table is two hundred years old,” the prince said proudly. “My mother has remodeled most of the castle, but down here we all agreed it was best to keep things the way they’ve been for centuries. History never goes out of style.”
“It sure doesn’t,” Kaylie agreed.
“Okay,” the prince said, turning to leave. “Are you ready?”
Kaylie didn’t move. She put her hands on her hips. “Uh, not so fast. Aren’t we missing something here? From what I’ve heard, any tour of a wine cellar usually involves some wine tasting. Am I right? Since this is my first tour, I want to make sure I do things right.”
The prince arched an eyebrow. “In the name of research?”
“Of course,” Kaylie said as she walked over and picked up a wine glass and tapped her fingernail against the crystal. “So? Are you going to help a girl out?”
“It’s early,” the prince said.
“It’s five o’clock somewhere,” Kaylie countered.
“What kind of wine do you like?”
“A big, bold, spicy red,” Kaylie answered quickly. “It can be a Bordeaux or a California Cab or a Spanish Rioja or a peppery Zinfandel. I’m open to any wine that’s complex and interesting and tells a story.”
“Says the storyteller,” the prince said as he walked along a row of wines. “Have you ever written about wines?”
“No,” Kaylie said. “That would fall into the feature fluff category and, so far, I haven’t run across a scandal that involves a winery, but never say never, right?”
The prince frowned and headed for the door.
“Wait, we’re leaving?” Kaylie asked. “What about the wine tasting?”
“We still have a tour to do and we need to keep on schedule,” the prince answered.
Kaylie reluctantly put down her glass and followed the prince back into the dining room. “About this schedule. I saw that epic list of your mother’s. It would take two lifetimes to do all of that.”
The prince nodded. “We do have generations of Christmas traditions here at the castle and in our village of Tolvania, so we’ll do the best we can. We’re lucky we only got my mother’s favorite things she wants to be considered for the fairy tale.”
“How many Christmas traditions do you have?” Kaylie asked.
“Hundreds.”
Kaylie shook her head in amazement. “You sure love your Christmas. So what else do I need to see down here, minus the dungeon?”
“My mother wants you to see the Christmas Room,” the prince said with a sigh.
Kaylie laughed. “You have a room called the Christmas Room?”
“We do,” the prince said. “Follow me.”
As she followed the prince down another long winding corridor, she knew she’d never be able to find her way back to the staircase on her own. “This place is huge,” she said.
“We have dozens of passageways that connect to all different areas of the castle,” the prince said, picking up his pace.
Kaylie hurried to catch up to him. “Like secret passageways?” she asked, fascinated.
“Well, I don’t know if you’d call them a secret since everyone knows about them.” The prince stopped in front of a massive fifteen-foot antique, hand-carved wooden door that had the swan crest in the middle of it.
Kaylie touched the carving. “Nice.” She then noticed an old vintage key sticking out of the lock on the door.
“Go ahead,” the prince said, following her gaze. “You can open it.”
Kaylie eagerly turned the key and the door creaked as it opened. When she stepped inside, she gasped. “Whoa!”