Twelve

 

Hans jerked awake, desperate to find the woman who'd filled his dreams, but he was alone in his solar. Someone had mended the fire while he slept, and removed what remained of the jug of mead he'd been drinking last night, but the beautiful lady proved to be nothing but a dream.

What had her name been? Something exotic. The Lady Zoraida, that was it. An enchantress who fought dragons and could travel miles in the blink of an eye, but who couldn't cook the simplest of meals. Hans laughed to himself. He'd even dreamed up an imperfection in the perfect woman, to make her seem more real.

He should probably head for the hall to break his fast. Smoked fish were what he wanted this morning, with some of that sharp white cheese and fresh bread. He dressed in a fresh tunic and hose, then trotted down the steps to the courtyard.

Hans stopped. If he had dreamed the woman, how had he come home? Was his whole trade agreement a dream, too? Losing the lady was one thing, but to find out he was no closer to rebuilding his home than his father had been would be an even lower blow. Hans glanced out the window, feeling his heart break anew at the sight of the ruined south tower.

Except...the tower stood tall and whole, right up to the slate tiles on the roof. It wasn't possible.

Hans rubbed his eyes, certain he was still dreaming, but the tower did not disappear.

He stumbled down the remaining steps to the bailey, where it had been his daily habit to survey the keep before breakfast, vowing anew every morning that he would restore his family's home. Now, on Christmas morn, his vow died on his lips as he saw the castle as his grandfather must have, its towers rising to the heavens as though nothing had ever toppled them.

He felt tears prick at his eyes, and closed them. Barons did not weep.

"Did I do them wrong?" a female voice enquired. The sweet voice of a dream. "I have never built towers before, but the stone walls seemed to almost shape themselves, they were so eager to be whole again. The walls are sound, but the rooms within are cold and empty. It takes more than shaping stone to make a house a home."

His mother had made this house a home. How much he longed for someone to help him do the same.

Hans turned, not believing he would see her, for his eyes had played too many tricks on him this morning. Yet there Zoraida stood, wearing a green wool gown today instead of white, with a smile on her face that lit up the whole world.

"You're real," he choked out.

She nodded. "Indeed I am. If you ever doubt it, remember the fish pottage. Enchantresses do not make good cooks." She eyed the towers. "If you wish me to change them, or undo the work I have done, simply say so and I shall. I promised you a wish, a spell, but you would not name your desire, and as gifts are traditionally given at Yule..."

Gifts. A clove orange. A new cloak. A book of hours. Not a rebuilt keep. She had given him far more than he could ever repay.

"I have only one wish," he said. "That you stay under my roof for another night, and tell me more tales of what you have seen."

She began to laugh. "But that will only place me even more in your debt for the hospitality. Tomorrow morning, I will ask you to make another wish."

Hans took a deep breath. "And it will be for another night, and another, and another. Until one morning I work up the courage to ask for your hand, so that you will stay. Last night was...the happiest night of my life. I wish for a lifetime more."

Violet eyes stared at him for a long moment. Finally, Zoraida said, "Then I shall stay. And when you find that courage you say you lack, I want a bower at the top of that tower." She pointed. "For I must teach our children somewhere, and your solar is so cosy, I fear they will fall asleep and learn nothing. But at the top of the highest tower...there, they will see the whole world."

It took Hans a moment before he could close his mouth. "You...will?" At Zoraida's nod, he continued, "Last night, when I saw a shooting star blaze across the sky, I wished I might find a woman, nay, a wife, to grace this keep. I tried to retrieve the fallen star, but you fell at my feet. Now, I find you have done more for this keep in one night than my family have for two generations. How is any of this possible?"

Zoraida smiled. "It is the time of year, I think. The time of mistletoe, magic and kisses. I hope there shall be more kisses."

Hans took her in his arms, prepared to provide a lifetime of kisses for the lady of his dreams.