It was a clear, albeit dark, afternoon with the stars twinkling overhead. The days were like night in the North Pole, especially with ho Two very young, laughing elves ran through the snow, one grabbing the other oneâs arm as he laughed, tugging her into the snow with him. Her face red with glee, sparkles on her cheeks, and brown hair pulled into two pigtail braids, the one called Noelle fell backwards, her hands and feet spread out in a snow angel formation. The boy, his curly black hair damp with snow that clung to every ringlet, looked thoughtfully at her.
âHave you thought about what Alexander said? You know, about what weâre going to do with our futures? I think I want to work with Santa.â He peered at her curiously, obviously deeply curious about her answer.
Noelle stopped from where she had been making a snow angel, and propped herself up on her elbows, looking up at the sky. âI dunno yet, Bernard. But you can do it, youâre a smart elf! If anyone can do it, you can.â
He shot her a smile, one hand going behind his head to scratch shyly, narrowly missing an overly large green beret. âAw, you think so?â
She nodded, grinning. âYep!â After a few moments, she looked at Bernard with a hopeful smile. âI could be a Rhythm Elf. I love to dance, and Rhythm Elves get to make new carols, and dance. I heard that once, a long time ago, they even used rhythm magic!â
Bernard nodded excitedly. âThat would be really good for you! Youâre really good at dancing! Iâll bet one day you could even top Clarissa!â Clarissa was the current Lead Rhythm Elf, and her dancing and singing was renowned across the North Pole. To hear her sing was a privilege.
Noelle blushed, before grinning at him, and standing up. âYou can dance with me!â she said, making the young male elf blush crimson.
âI have two left feet!â he said, his hands out defensively as she grabbed him and hauled him to his feet.
âYeah, yeah!â And with that, she attempted to swing him in a dance, as he stumbled, trying to keep up, before falling back into the snow, with her next to him. âOk. Point taken. Two left feet.â She said, grinning at him as he hid a smirk and tossed a wad of fluffy snow in her face, making her laugh harder.
Then, Noelle stood up, brushing the snow off of her dress and holding out her hand to him.
âJust promise me... Weâll always be best friends. No matter what we do, and where we go.â
He took her hand and nodded, his eyes twinkling as he smiled.
âAlways and forever!â
Over a thousand years later...
There had been many a Santa since the two had been young elflings, but, they had achieved their dreams. Bernard had been Head Elf, the Number One, for many years now, through at least 5 previous Santa Clausâs. The current Santa was his, and every other elfâs, favorite however. He was kind, loved the children, cared for the elves, and seemed like he was made for the job. He might even be the one true Santa, the Santa that will be Santa until the end. Noelle had worked her way up the ranks of the Rhythm Elves. She was the lead Rhythm Elf, and normally led the others with a smile on her face, at least, from what Bernard had remembered, she did.
However, it had meant that, due to their work, the two best friends had grown rather distant. They only spoke in passing, and it was often about work. They had not spent any significant amount of time together in a very long time.
At this point, it was about 28 days from Christmas Eve, but it wasnât quite a normal day, although what day is ever normal up at the Pole? Usually, you see, any planes that would fly by would avoid the Pole, due to various security measures, such as the Northern Lights, or various magnetic disturbances, all of which the elves controlled in their security hub. However, today, one stubborn plane was flying closer and closer, causing the security center to go nuts. Bernard looked over at a monitor and gave the elf near it a look. âTake us to Elfcon 3!â His hair clung in neat little ringlets to his face, which was currently panicked. The planes never came this farâŚnot even the scientific ones, usually. They all turned around.
With that, the elf turned a dial, and the alarms around the Workshop and all over the Elf Village went off, alerting those who saw it to be quiet. Nary a sound could be heard through the workshop, as every elf went eerily silent. However, the plane persistently kept coming. Bernard frowned, wide eyed and getting more and more nervous, and pointed over to the elf he had just been speaking to.
âThese guys arenât stopping... Take us to Elfcon 2!â
More alarms blared in the workshop, and throughout the Pole. No one could possibly miss this, it was simply too blatant with the flashing lights from every corner. Santa rose in the security hub, and began taking in the situation that was happening at that moment. He very quickly took them to Elfcon 1, which meant silent running. If any elf was still making any noise, they needed to stop, right now. However, someone apparently didnât get the memo, because music was blaring through the whole place. Bernard and Santa glanced at each other, noted where it was coming from, and gave each other a look before swiftly storming out of the security hub.
As they ran into the Reindeer stables, their ears and eyes were drawn to the sleigh in the center of the next room. As they headed for the sleigh, parked for the next few weeks as it got a final polish for Christmas Eve, they noticed an odd colored cloth sticking out from the side of the sleigh. Purple satin, with a white trim. Suddenly, the music stopped, and the cloth moved a bit, as the wearer shifted in her crouched position in the sleigh. It was silent in the stables, as Santa and Bernard inched closer to see who had done their job for them, and took a moment to note the older, teenaged-looking elf kneeling in the sleigh next to Curtis, the Number 2 elf, one hand over his mouth, her brown hair in a braid across one shoulder and her purple dress bunched up as she knelt, black leggings underneath and a rich purple cloak keeping her warm. Curtis was holding a toy dancing Santa and looking surprised.
As Bernard spotted the older-looking elf, with silver specks under her brown eyes, he let out a breath in relief and let a small, lopsided smirk go across his tired face, mouthing âthank youâ at her. She nodded, as the roar of the engines indicated the plane was overhead. All of them glanced at the ceiling, breath held in worry.
âWeâre at Elfcon 4, all clear!â
The all-clear went over the intercom, causing everyone to let out a huge sigh of relief. Noelle sat back, giving Curtis a look. âDid the flashing lights going off just not catch your attention or something? The fact that every other elf had stopped moving and was barely breathing not register? What was it?â she asked, her eyes annoyed.
âI didnât see it!â he said, causing her to narrow her eyes, the younger elf on her last nerve at the moment, as Santa put his hand on Curtisâs shoulder.
âHow about a nice set of headphones for you this Christmas, Curtis?â Santa said, slightly exasperated. He turned to walk off, as Bernard leaned over the sleigh, giving Curtis a stern, and highly annoyed, look. Â
âCurtis, youâre 900 years old. Grow up!â Bernard scolded, as Curtis shot him a look, getting out of the sleigh with ease, and completely ignoring the elf who had stopped the source of the noise. Bernard shook his head, and offered his hand to Noelle, who had stood up and smoothed out her dress, helping her out of the sleigh that she had obviously jumped into in a hurry.
âHowâd you know?â he asked her, curiosity on his face, as she shrugged.
âRhythm elf. Weâre trained to pick up sounds, pitch, intonation, and find a musicâs source. I heard him from our practice area, got my elves to sit back and stay silent, and came over here to see which tinsel-brained dingaling was ignoring the alert.â Noelle said, crossing her arms as she glared at the retreating Number 2 elf, as Bernard let out a quick bark of a laugh, then quickly composed himself, so as to remain professional.
âWell, I appreciate it. Curtis hasnât been Number Two for too long, but heâs been driving me nuts. Youâd think with the way he clings to the Santa Handbook like itâs a teddy bear, that heâd know to watch for alerts.â Curtisâs obsession with the rules was why Bernard had waited to introduce him to Santa. He was a lot to take in all at once, and Bernard hadnât wanted the new Santa to get an earful from Curtis and just decide to opt out.
She nodded, as they just glanced at one another for a moment, an awkward silence in the air. âWell, Iâve got to help Santa. Take care, Noelle.â Bernard said, as he rushed to catch up with Santa. Â
Noelle quickly followed behind him, heading out of the stables and into the center plaza of the Pole, before turning to head back to the practice area, pulling her purple cloak back over her head to keep warm. Santaâs voice calling her caused her to pause, however, her head whipping around as she stopped in her tracks.
âNoelle! I heard from a little bird that youâve got a really good Christmas Eve routine planned before take off.â Santa said, smiling at her. The Rhythm Elves had really been whipped into shape in the last 300 years or so, and she was doing what she needed to in order to keep them on their pointy toes. Looking at Santa, Noelle nodded, her hands moving to clasp behind her back as she turned and walked back towards them, into the center of the plaza. Â
âI do, but Iâm not telling you about it. That spoils the surprise and all of the hard work.â she said, as Santa smiled, Bernard standing off to his side. They had been working on an original song, and she didnât want that to be spoiled. Every Rhythm Elf had been sworn to secrecy until Christmas Eve.
âCan we get something to tide us over until the performance? It doesnât even have to be a carol, I know youâve been using some of that music Charlie sent up on his old Ipod.â Santa said with a smile, as she looked up thoughtfully. They really didnât get a chance to perform live nearly as often as she would have liked, and this was a really good chance to get them some practice.
Noelle smiled broadly and gave her best uncertain look, although anyone who looked could tell it was purely fabricated. âIâm not sure... Iâd hate to disturb the other elves working.â She said, continuing to look up and continue to âconsiderâ the option, although her mind was in fact already made up. Santa shot her a look at that, raising an eyebrow at the impish elf, causing her to look over. She grinned. âOk, ok. Give us a few minutes, Iâve got something we can whip up really quick. Weâll be on the second floor of the workshop.â The second floor was really the only place big enough to hold the elves as they performed in there, and it had some good acoustics.
Santa nodded, smiling. âLooking forward to it, I enjoy all of the Rhythm Elf performances you all do.â It was true, their rare performances had gotten quite popular. Â
She nodded, and turned to leave, a bit more of a spring in her step than sheâd had before. She knew just what to have them perform. Her mood had dramatically improved, so by the time she had gotten back to the other elves, she was able to quickly get them organized into an old, but always good, number.
Within a time frame of half of an hour, the Rhythm Elves were assembled on the second floor balcony area of the workshop, ready to go. Their music began to play across the workshop, causing all of the elves working to stop and look up anxiously and excitedly at the small group gathered, their feet tapping to the music. As Jingle Bell Rock began to play, Noelleâs voice began to echo across the workshop, her voice clear and harmonizing to the beat and tone of the music playing.
Bernard glanced up, blinking, as the elves began to perform. Heâd really not had the time to pay attention to the Rhythm Elvesâ performances, as he was usually so busy working, but he had to admit, theyâd gotten rather good compared to where they were so many years before. He remembered some of the cringe-worthy performances heâd seen when he was younger, and this definitely beat them. The lead had been fantastic, but the others? Well, letâs just say Bernard could have danced circles around them.
âIâd forgotten how well âRora could sing.â he thought to himself, watching the other elves as they twirled with their partners, but surprisingly, Noelle was dancing alone. Rhythm elves usually paired up, so they could perform duets, dance in pairs, and the like. He glanced up, curiosity on his face as she twirled alone, her feet moving swiftly. He blinked, as small bits of what could only be described as subtle sparking seemed to come from her hands. âRhythm magic?â Bernard thought, giving her a curious look. âThatâs impossible. There hasnât been a rhythm magic user for over 2000 years. Heck, since before I was even born.â Clarissa had been a fantastic dancer, but she was no magic user. Rhythm magic was a lost art unfortunately, and there was little to no interest in attempting to revive it.
Noelle smiled as she sang, her face pure joy, which was actually rare nowadays. One of the only times she had a real smile anymore was when she was performing. Especially since sheâd become so... different... from the other elves. Older looking, which was a rarity for elves. They usually stayed very young looking for all of their days. And the fact that she was so much different left her as the topic of conversation for many of the elves. Bernard was not scrutinized nearly as much, because Head Elves tended to age somewhat. Maybe they didnât usually age to the point Bernard was at, but they were known for aging. Other elves? Not so much.
As they finished up their song, she beamed, the music coming to a stop. Grinning, the elves bowed, as the workshop burst into applause. All of the other elves began to chatter with one another, heading into the workshop to talk to friends, leaving Noelle to clean up her Ipod, pull on her cloak, and tuck some stray hair behind her ear before standing back up. She walked down the steps, waving to the other Rhythm elves as they left. Santa gave her a curious look at that, and she shrugged, smiling. âThat wrapped up practice.â she said simply, as Santa nodded.
âWell, that was worth it! And you say that the Christmas Eve performance is going to top that?â Santa asked, as she nodded. Of course it would! She would never give their best performance before Christmas Eve!
âIf I have anything to say about it, it will. Weâve been working hard on it!â she said, standing up straight and proud. A workshop elf would become offended if you suggested he or she had not worked to their utmost ability on a toy, and it was the same for Rhythm Elves and their music.
âI canât wait to see it. You should go rest too. Iâve got to check up on a few things, so Bernard, Curtis, take a few minutes off too. Itâll do you some good.â Santa said, smiling as he turned to head over to one of the other areas of the workshop. Bernard gave Curtis a look, as if he was upset at Curtis about something more serious than the music incident earlier, and threw his hands up as Curtis just shrugged a bit and walked off. With that, Noelle turned to leave, her face falling a bit as the excitement of performing faded. Bernard followed her, grabbing her arm gently to stop her.
âHang on, Noelle. Iâll walk you to wherever youâre going.â Bernard gave her a small smile as she simply looked at him, shocked.
She nodded, pure surprise on her face. âAre you sure? Santa...â She didnât want him to get himself in trouble, after all. She knew that he was always so busy, even if it did annoy her that he never spoke anymore.
âHe said to take a break. This Santa is different, you know that. He likes when we get some rest.â Bernard smiled, as Noelle nodded, and gestured for him to walk with her. They headed outside of the workshop, Noelle pulling her cloak to her closely in the chill of the cold. She rubbed her arms slightly as they walked, Bernardâs hands in his pockets and his beret firmly on his very curly haired head.
They walked in silence for a little while, before Bernard finally spoke up, giving her a friendly smile. âYou were great. You still dance just like I remember, like when we were elflings.â
Noelle smiled a bit at that, memories of him trying in vain to help her practice her dancing coming into her head. âThank you. I guess we both finally got what we wanted, huh?â She looked over at him, as he looked down at the ground at that. They both missed spending time with one another, that much was apparent.
He nodded, sighing a bit before replying to her with a simple. âYep.â There wasnât much else to say about that. Heâd gotten the job heâd dreamed about, but he was lonely, with little to no real friends anymore. All of the other elves saw him as a supervisor, and not much more. He had accidentally pushed all of his true friends away. After a moment, he turned to look at her. âI noticed you donât have a Rhythm partner... Why not?â he asked, as she looked at him, and he realized instantly heâd struck a bad chord with the musically inclined elf.
âHave you looked at me lately?â she asked him incredulously, as he took a moment to really take in her features. Hips that had slightly widened, longer legs, and even a small bust. Not the figure of a typical elf. Similar, in fact, to him, in the fact that they both looked older than their peers. Maybe thatâs why he hadnât noticed, because he was the same. âNo one in my group can dance with me. Iâm too tall and I look too old. I dance by myself, it simplifies things. Iâm probably going to step down after this Christmas, actually...â Noelle said, her eyes forward and slightly sad. As much as she loved her position, she was the odd one out in every number, and that got tiresome, especially when she felt like an oddity among her peers.
Bernard turned his head quickly and stared for a second, completely shocked. Dancing was her passion, it always had been. Her voice had just been a bonus, but to her, dance was life. âWhat?! You canât! Youâre one of the best Rhythm elves weâve had, if not the best! Youâre up there with Clarissa, and she was legendary!â Bernard said, their eyes meeting as she stopped herself from blushing lightly, her eyes quickly darting back down to the ground.
âYou really think I could tap my bells nearly as good as Clarissa could?â she asked, skeptical. Very few people thought that the legendary Clarissa could have ever been beat, thatâs for sure, and many were unhappy when she had stepped down, due to her age and wanting to pursue other things.
âYouâve always had Clarissa beat, Noelle.â Bernard said, giving her a faint smile as she blushed. It was something he had always told her as an elfling, and it never failed to make her turn cherry red. That having been said, it didnât help her actual issue.
Her face turned back to look at him once more, her eyes still somewhat sad despite the compliments. âStill... I donât fit in anymore, Bernard. You know for a fact very few of us mature. And the lore as to why some elves mature doesnât fit the reasoning for me.â Some elves did age, a long time ago. However, it was due to something that never happened anymore. They were called soul-elves, and they were elves that were linked together by fate. That was also a time where elves had more magic that they used freely as well, and that didnât happen anymore either. âIâm just a freak, and I accept that with pride. But I canât keep pretending anymore, and to be honest I canât keep handling the snide remarks.â she said, as Bernard stopped and looked at her, hurt on his face.
âDo you think Iâm a freak, too?â he asked, as he made eye contact with her. Heâd never thought he was odd or anything, but come to think of it⌠he was different too, and maybe she was rightâŚ
âNo, youâre Number One. Number Oneâs tend to age...â she said, raising her eyebrow at him.
Bernard gave her a look. âName one Number One other than me who looked this tall or this old.â He turned in place, arms out, causing her to really look at him for the first time in years. To her, Bernard would always be Bernard. But, he was different. He was taller than her, even, and his arms had gotten larger, slightly more muscular, but a lean muscle. Even his face had grown slightly longer, and leaner, losing the boyish baby fat that it had as a younger elf.
Noelle honestly had no answer for him, but she chuckled a bit, and shook her head. âMaybe you should join the Rhythm elves. You could dance with me.â
He smirked a bit at that, and caught up with her. âYou know darn good and well that I was born with two left feet and even less rhythm.â He really was all klutz when it came to anything more than swaying in place, at least, thatâs how heâd been as an elfling. Heâd always hated that he couldnât keep up with her in that category, even if he had liked sitting back and watching her dance alone.
She smiled, and nodded, reminded of when they used to try dancing as children. Sighing, she smiled at him, her eyes sad through her smile. âI missed this, you know.â She really had missed spending time with him. It had made her cold, all of the remarks and comments that the other elves had, and left her nearly friendless. She was often by herself now, and she truly missed spending time with the person who had always been her best friend.
He went silent and nodded, his face a bit sad as well. âI guess I broke our promise, didnât I?â He looked guiltily at her. He truly hadnât meant to stop spending any time with her, but his work had taken over. Up until this current Santa, he never had any time to do anything, especially fraternize. He had been worked to the bone. He had finally, in the last two years, finished teaching this Santa all of the ins and outs about the Pole. He had even put some of Santaâs ideas to use, and added new kinds of coffees, new places to shop, new kinds of fashion, and even some games played in the plaza on occasion. But he was just recently getting time to really breathe.
Noelle shrugged, maintaining a small smile. âYou werenât the first elf to break a promise to me. You werenât the last one, either.â she said, as he looked at her. She was so cold, and he didnât mean in just how she was speaking to him. Her whole demeanor was icy, like she had built a wall up to protect herself from others.
âHas Frost been by or something? Your heart is like ice.â he said quietly, reaching for her hand to stop her from walking, as she gave him a look, glancing down at her hand in his, noting the warmth of his skin and the way his fingers felt in her hand. It reminded her of so long ago, and it made her look him in the eye, her cheeks slightly reddened.
âA few years ago, I would have asked you the same thing. Iâm tired of being hurt, Bernard. You get enough elves calling you names behind your back, and it wears you down.â
Bernard cringed at that, but to be fair, it hadnât been his fault. The Santa before this had insisted that all of the workshop elves stay working, and he had left Bernard in charge of it all. Heâd had to be strict, harsh, and keep them on their toes, and it had left a sour taste in his mouth all the while. But, it had been to do that, or to get Santaâs wrath himself, and then the other elves. It was better for them to be kept working than to miss meals or worse. He grabbed Noelleâs shoulders and made her look at him. âYou listen to me. Ignore them. Youâre better than anyone who would stoop so low as to talk about you behind your back like that. Remember that, do you understand? Itâs what Iâve had to do all these years, and trust me, it works if you let it.â
Surprised, she nodded. He let go of her shoulders, looking at her with a smile. âIâve got to go... Look, can we catch up? I miss talking to you, âRora.â He really did want to spend some time with her, and talk about all the things heâd missed in the last few decades.
âOf course. I never could tell you no anyhow. I overheard that the Council of Legendary Figures is having their meeting here later. Meet up with me sometime after that?â she asked, as he nodded, giving her another smile.
He nodded. âYeah. Iâll come and find you, ok?â
She nodded, as he let go of her hand. âSee you later, Bernard.â
He nodded. âIâll see you later, Noelle.â
*Author's Note: So, this is an older story I put on FF.net YEARS ago and have been meaning to upload to Tumblr for a while now. I am planning a new story too (featuring an OC daughter to Scott Calvin and starting from TSC1 instead of 2), but I also want to upload all seven completed chapters of this on here. I hope you like it! (SOME of the chapters got rewrites, and like I said, please remember that this is an OLD fic, and I sincerely hope the writing quality improves with the new stuff that I'm working on. <3
Also, keep in mind that every single story I write will have TSC2 Bernard in mind... even if it takes place in TSC1. Just... *hand waving frantically* keep that in mind. Older-looking Bernard. Bringing that up because I don't always write family-friendly stuff. Thanks.
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