A boy of five ran towards the house, tracking little footsteps through the snow. This was his first Christmas away from his Papa, and he missed him fiercely.
It was quiet where grandpa and grandma lived, and he got his Mama all to himself. Crown princes did not complain, he reminded himself. Mama missed Papa too, and she would be sad if she knew he was sad, so he had to be a big soldier and keep Mama smiling. He held onto the little snowman he made for her, his breath puffing out in white.
“Zain!” His mother called again.
“Coming!”
Dashing up to the verdana, he quickly kicked the snow off his boots.
“Look Mama, I made this for you!” Zain held up his gift for her to see.
“Oh did you? Aren’t you the sweetest.” She beamed at him, ruffling his hair. “Why don’t we put Mr. Snowman in the freezer, and that way, he’ll stay nice and cold?”
“Yea!”
“Let’s hurry. We don’t want to miss Papa.”
Storing away Mr. Snowman, Zain and his mother sat in a cozy tatami room where the TV streamed the festivities from Sanctis. Zain looked at his mother’s face. It was a look she had whenever she saw Papa’s image. Even as a child, the look made his heart hurt. Looking around to make sure there was no one else watching, Zain climbed into his mother’s lap.
“Oh! Zain. What are you doing?”
Zain shook his head and squeezed his mother’s hand. He had grown too tall to do this, but he didn’t think his mother cared. He tucked his knees to his chin, and smiled when his mother hugged him close.
“Zain. Zain?” The sweetest voice called him from his reverie.
“Hm?”
“Are you alright?”
“Yes, just thinking.”
She slipped her hand in his lacing their fingers together. She didn’t pressed. It was simple to follow his gaze until it landed on their son, playing in the snow with the other palace children.
“He’s already so grown.”
“Time passes fast with children,” she murmured, laying her head on his shoulder.
“It does doesn’t it?
“Shall get call him in?” she offered.
“No let him play some more. He only gets to be a child once.” His wife squeezed his hand tightly.
His son was now the same age he had been when his world had turned on its head. He hadn’t known then that his first carefree Christmas in Oriens would be the last he would have with his mother. Christmas had been her favorite holiday. If only she could see what he had made for himself now. Would she be proud of him?
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