Bard: The Holiday Special

**This very special holiday episode is presented out of order, but takes place during the party’s first winter in Everly**

“It occurs to me,” Liam said, falling in beside Laura on the street with no preamble at all. “That tonight is the Long Night.”

Laura paused, giving him an inquisitive look.

“No one said anything that I’ve heard,” she said.

“They don’t celebrate it here,” he explained. “They have New Years in the spring for some reason.”

“Hmm.” She nodded, watching him. He was giving her a look that said she was supposed to realize something.

They hadn’t celebrated a Long Night since they’d found each other again. They’d always been just scraping by, and often weren’t in a place where they could pause to celebrate. Over the past few years she had nearly forgotten about the holiday altogether.

But this year…

“We could actually celebrate the Long Night this year,” she said slowly.

“We can actually celebrate the Long Night this year,” Liam agreed, grinning. Laura chuckled, trying to think of what they could throw together in a few hours.

“Alright, I need to find presents,” she said coyly. “We can make decorations out of paper, and there’s plenty of that in this city.”

“I can get us paper,” Liam said, “and food.”

“Don’t you need to find presents?”

“I already have presents,” he said, smirking. Laura punched his arm.

“How long have you known it’s the Long Night tonight, and you’re just telling me now?”

“Just since yesterday,” he said, making a show of rubbing his arm, as if he couldn’t take a hit that soft.

“You could have told me yesterday.”

“We don’t need that much time,” Liam said. “Half the fun is putting everything up anyway. You don’t have to bother getting me anything if you don’t want to.”

“I know exactly what I’m getting you,” Laura said. “I won’t be an hour. Meet you back home?”

Liam nodded and broke away from her, cutting through an alleyway towards the market. Laura turned on her heel and headed back the way she'd come.

It didn’t take long to find a tailor with ready-made things, and the milliners was right nearby. Laura made her way home with her packages and found Liam already there with a stack of paper, and parcels from the butcher, cheesemonger, and baker. There was even a small pile of cedar boughs on the table with the parcels. Liam stood on a chair, tacking up a folded paper star above the window.

“What did you do, sprint?” Laura asked as she stepped inside, setting her parcels down under their little table.

“I was excited.”

“Excited enough to kill a tree?”

“I took a few boughs from a few different trees,” Liam said defensively, hopping down from the chair and picking up another slip of paper, folding it to make a star. “They’ll be fine.”

Laura folded a piece of paper for herself, but rather than making a star, she laid the folded paper on their cutting board and used one of her sharper knives to cut little pieces away, making a crude snowflake.

“Nice,” Liam said, grinning.

“You want to try one?” she asked, spinning the knife in her fingers so the handle faced him.

“I’d mangle it,” he said. “I’ll stick to stars.”

“Suit yourself.”

They made paper stars and snowflakes, then cut paper into strips that they linked together into garlands and chains to hang around the room. Liam made use of the cedar boughs by hooking the garlands through them in the corners, and using them as an anchor for the garland at the window.

Laura focused on snowflakes, trying to make them as complex as possible without tearing the paper. She missed having scissors, but it was the sort of thing she’d loved doing as a child, and unfolding the delicate paper shapes made her smile.

“Toss me the other end of that chain, will you?” Liam asked. Laura looked up from her snowflake cutting and guffawed.

Paper chains and garlands criss-crossed the room. They sprouted from every corner and draped along the walls, layered over and twisted around each other to make even bigger garlands. Liam pointed to a length of paper chain that lay across the floor between him and the table.

“Well we’re certainly festive,” Laura said, grinning as she handed him the end of the chain. Liam shrugged.

“I like them, and they’re easy to make.”

“What’s this?” Trista asked, stepping into the flat with the door swinging closed behind her. She let her school bag slide off her shoulder to the floor, and set her violin case down gently beside it, gazing around the room at the pine boughs, paper stars, and swaths of paper garlands that had been tacked up.

“It’s the Long Night!” Laura said happily, sidling up next to her and setting a paper snowflake on her head like a laurel. It sat askew in the air, caught on her hidden horns.

“The Long Night?”

“It's the solstic, the longest night of the year,” Laura explained.

“Yes, but…” Trista gestured around the room. “Why…?”

“It’s a holiday from back home,” Liam explained, hopping down off the stool, the final paper garland secured in the corner. “They don’t celebrate it in Everly apparently. New Years is in the spring down here.”

“It’s a party on the longest night of the year,” Laura continued. “We put up decorations, and feast, and exchange presents!”

“Presents?” Trista asked, with the stricken look of someone who’d arrived at a Long Night celebration empty-handed.

“You don’t need to have presents,” Laura explained. “It’s just something people do for the holiday.”

“But we do have presents,” Liam said happily. He pulled two packages from behind the chair and presented them. A large, flat one for Trista, and a small rectangular box for Laura.

“We can’t open them now,” Laura said, setting hers down on the table. “We haven’t even finished decorating yet.”

Liam spread his hands, looking around at the sheer volume of paper chains and garlands that had been hung, and Laura picked up her stack of snowflakes from the table.

“We still need to hang these!”

“Did you make those?” Trista asked, gently taking the top snowflake and spreading it out between her fingers. “They're lovely.”

“Thank you.”

“I made all the garlands,” Liam added, gesturing around the room. Trista smiled brightly.

“They’re lovely too,” she said, turning a full circle to take in all the decorations. “You’ve done so many.”

“I like them.”

“May I help put things up” Trista asked, pointing to the pile of snowflakes.

“Of course!” Laura said, picking several off the top of the stack and handing them over. “A tiny drop of paste should hold them up. Or hang them on a tack or a corner.”

“Or one of the cedar boughs,” Liam added.

With the snowflakes added to the mix, their little flat was verging on extravagantly decorated by the standard Laura was accustomed to. She couldn’t help but beam as she looked around their cozy room, warm and safe, and with a small feast ready for them.

Liam had gotten them a box of sticky buns, a bag of roasted nuts, and some slices of cured ham and smoked cheese. As far as Long Night feasts went, it was a poor showing, but it was the best they’d had in years, and the sticky buns smelled divine.

They’d barely started eating when Liam leaned down to pick up their packages again, handing the presents to Laura and Trista.

“For the New Year,” he said, smiling.

Trista took the package hesitantly, giving him a little bow of the head.

“Thank you,” she said softly.

Laura turned the small box over in her hands, feeling the weight of it. She tried to pry at the lid, found it was the sliding kind, and slid it aside, gasping at what was inside.

“Oh, Liam,” she breathed, lifting the delicate, glittering hair pin from the box. It was enameled and shining silver, showing a blue bird in flight. “It’s beautiful.”

“You like pretty things.”

Laura sniffed. She did like pretty things, not that she'd ever gotten to have one, until now. “When am I ever going to wear it?”

“Whenever you want,” he said, and Laura smiled at him.

“Thank you,” she said. Reaching around to the back of her head, she slid the comb into the base of her braid, turning her head so they could see. “How does it look.”

“It suits you,” Trista said.

“Now yours,” Liam said, nudging Trista’s gift towards her.

Trista carefully untied the string and unfolded the paper from around a stack of sheet music. She leafed through them, a slow smile growing on her face. “These are wonderful. Thank you, Liam.”

“I had to ask a bit, and tell them how long you’d been studying,” he said. “Are they alright?”

“Yes,” Trista nodded, beaming and holding the papers to her chest. “Thank you.”

“Your turn!” Laura exclaimed, thrusting a package at him. Liam laughed as the gift caught him in the chest and fell on the table in front of him. He pulled the paper apart and shook out the dark woolen coat that was inside.

“You got me a coat?” Liam asked, unfolding it and pulling it over his shoulders. It draped around him, long enough to reach his knees standing.

“Yes,” she replied, raising her eyebrows. “I can’t stand you going about in that ratty old thing.” She jutted her chin at his old coat where it hung near the door.

“You’re going to have to live with it,” he said, shrugging his arms into the sleeves. “This is way too nice to wear to work at the harbor.”

“You can wear it whenever you want,” she told him, smirking. Liam buttoned the coat up and leaned his elbows on the table, pressing his nose into his own shoulder.

“It smells nice too.”

“I didn’t check that when I chose it, I’ll admit.”

Liam grinned. “Thank you,” he said. “It’s perfect.”

“And you,” Laura held out a much smaller cloth bundle for Trista. It fit in the palm of her hand. Trista opened it carefully, revealing three folded, silky ribbons within, blue and purple and green.

“You’re the only bard I see around here who isn’t decorated somehow,” Laura said. “Even the students have bells on their cuffs, or fancy hairnets, or jewelry, or something like that. I figure ribbons are a good start.”

“Thank you,” Trista said softly, stroking the smooth material with her thumb. “They’re beautiful.”

“Do you want to try one on?” Laura asked. “I can tie one in your hair for you.”

“Alright.” Trista held the ribbons out to Laura, and Laura chose the purple one, unwinding it and threading it around a lock of Trista’s dark hair, just behind her ear. Her knuckles scraped against one of Trista’s horns, and Laura quirked a smile.

“We could tie one around one of your horns,” she offered.

“No.” Trista shook her head, and the purple bow flopped behind her ear. “That’s…no.”

“It suits you,” Liam said. “It’d look nice on real you, too.”

Trista ducked her head, Laura couldn’t quite read her expression.

“Thank you,” she said softly, looking up at Laura. “They’re lovely. I’ll fit in a little better now.”

“I thought you fit in fine already.”

They enjoyed their little feast, and Trista took out her violin and tried out some of the new songs Liam had given her. She was a quick study, but still stumbled through the new measures a bit, leading to a few odd scratches and squeaks that made Liam burst out laughing. Laura thought Trista would be blushing maroon if her real face were showing.

It wasn’t the same as the magic music she’d used in the hills, but just the same, having a tune to go along with their feast left a bright, warm feeling in Laura’s chest

“Are we saving any of this?” Liam asked, popping a handful of roasted nuts into his mouth and gesturing at the bits of their feast that remained.

“No, I need fuel to keep awake,” Laura said, taking another piece of cheese and wrapping one of the ham slices around it.

“You’re not going to sleep?” Trista asked.

“We’re staying up all night,” Liam declared. “It’s tradition.”

“You’re supposed to watch the sun rise and make a wish,” Laura explained. “For the New Year.”

“Won’t you be tired tomorrow?”

“It’s only for one day,” Liam said, shrugging. “It’s part of the celebration.”

“You can sleep if you want,” Laura said. “You don’t have to stay up with us, if you’re worried about being tired.”

“No, I’ll stay up with you,” Trista said. “For the celebration.”

After they had rounded midnight, and the fire in the stove grew low, they lit a candle and moved closer to the window to better watch for the dawn. They played a snatching card game, which quickly devolved into laughter and mad scrambling for cards.

Liam pulled a bedroll closer and reclined against it while he waited for his turn, his eyes fluttering closed.

“Careful,” Laura warned. “You’ll fall asleep.”

“I’m just resting my eyes,” he murmured, and Laura shot Trista a look.

“He never could stay up for the Long Night.”

“I’ll make it,” Liam protested, but she could hear the sleep in his voice already. She and Trista continued their game, and Liam began to snore quietly. Trista pulled a blanket out of another bedroll to cover him as Laura packed up the cards.

“He’ll be out all night if you cover him,” Laura said.

“It’s cold,” Trista said quietly.

“It is just like when we were kids,” Laura said. “At least I have someone to stay up with this time.” She smiled brightly at Trista, and Trista ducked her head. She settled the blanket around Liam’s shoulders and joined Laura up against the window. The moon had slid by, leaving the night dark and full of stars. Laura wondered exactly how much time they had left until dawn.

“I wish I had gifts for you two,” Trista whispered.

“You enchanted knives for both of us.”

“Those weren’t special like this,” Trista said quietly, reaching up to stroke the ribbon behind her ear. Laura scoffed and looked out the window, leaning her elbow against the frame.

“We haven’t celebrated the Long Night since we’ve been back together, Liam and I,” Laura began. “Mostly because we didn’t have money or a place to be when the night rolled around, but this year...I don’t know, it feels right? It felt a bit out of the blue when Liam told me what day it was, but tonight…was nice.” She met Trista’s eyes and smiled. “It’s a family holiday, and we have something like a little family here, don’t we?”

Trista smiled, looking abashed. She nodded, tucking her chin against her shoulder and gazing out the window.

When the sky over the water began to lighten, Laura nudged Liam awake.

“What?” he blinked, sitting up and rubbing at his eyes.

“Dawn is coming,” Laura told him.

“Why’d you let me fall asleep?”

“You never could stay up all night.”

He frowned at her, yawned widely, and stretched, joining them at the window. Laura put an arm around his shoulder and he leaned against her, reaching out to take Trista’s hand.

They watched the first sunrise of the new year—their new year—and made wishes for what was to come.