The Little Drummer Bird#21

Where did the muscle go?

This is a little seasonal serial, some festive merriment, a gift of an advent calendar to you who reads this from this teller, a sculpture and a bit of story each day.

Part#1 , Part#2 , Part#3 , Part#4 , Part#5 , Part#6 , Part#7 ,Part#8 , Part#9 , Part#10 , Part#11 , Part#12 , Part#13 , Part#14 , Part#15 , Part#16 , Part#17 , Part#18 , Part#19 , Part#20 , Part#21 , Part#22 , Part#23 , Part#24

Today is the twenty-first, who waits beyond?

…We’ll wait a little longer to reveal…

Some few have likened snowflakes to tiny crystal palaces but even if only two would write of this, would they dare say the Snow Queen's Palace Castle was simply a colossal snowflake? Let the image melt away. Even right from above, her home was not like that.

No, reaching out from a sweeping cliff of ice and frosted stone it was as if winter had stretched out a captivating hand to caress the moon, indeed at one point in the moon's passage, she would visit this castle, high over sculpted palm. She'd even have an elegant After-vespers tea with the Snow Queen.

In the days of the Queen's wickedness the castle had been a malicious claw proudly grasping at the heavens themselves. On the whole, she had cooled down quite a bit.

So, five sweeping towers were a distinctive feature of this royal season's abode. The living sculptures that hung along the delicately patterned ice brickwork were too beautiful to be called gargoyles. Of course there were hollows and overhangs for those beloved creatures of the Queen, the white as snow polar bats and their far larger cousins the polar batters.

They had been sleeping peacefully even through the long night.

Here and there wide bridges weaved themselves between the towers over the palace gardens in the palm. The Queen even when she had been more twisted than a funhouse mirror adored sledding and sleighs so naturally her palace castle had routes throughout to play with, indeed having no need to keep her abode warm, grand wide passages meant that if she desired she could ride her sleigh everywhere within and without the grounds. Naturally many of these routes ended abruptly in the sky, for she loved flying and spreading snow only slightly less than sleighing and sledding. Sometimes she would even ski, but though she enjoyed that too, she felt it a little unseemly in appearance. Indeed, she felt walking was more elegant and royal.

Of Drummer, Nutcracker and Leaper, man, bird and frog, not one was taking in the gentle beauty of the Snow Queen's grandest sculpture, the mirror of her heart.

They paid no heed even to the doors embossed with scenes of the Snow Queen's past, her glory and shame, the saga of an infernal mirror.

No, while afar even through blizzard they had admired it, ascending up the arm, they had been anticipating the guardian of the gates, the bear said to be the mightiest of them all.

Well, among bears anyway.

With such expectations and in Leapers case, even memories of a bear the size of a hill...

Tiny in comparison to the gates of the Palace Castle of Winter, there was a small bear, so very like a teddy bear. He had monocle of ice and was reading a book almost as large as he was. Did that make the book small, big or of regular size, none of the three considered those three either.

So, there was that cry from Drummer.

"What's happened to him? This mountain is cursed!"

"I was expecting someone more intimidating" Nutcracker confessed.

"No, I'm sure he was far bigger, has a different chap taken his place?"

Teddy let out a sigh and closed his book.

"I am, as ever the Mightiest Bear of Them All"

The stare he gave the three gave them the impression that before them wasn't an adorable bear not much bigger than Drummer, but one as large as not one hill, but two hills!

"I've long prized my strength, but one day I wondered if brute strength was enough so I treaded on the path of mystics and scholars, I must say most of them are worthless. As for my form before you, I took it thinking my mistress would find it more pleasing to the eye."

"Was it?" Drummer asked.

"I occasionally get used as a pillow, so I'm willing to forgive all the mystics and scholars of their annoying smugness, narcissism and obfuscation. But all this is a digression, and I've been remiss in my manners, good evening Lord of the Undergrounds, long has it been since we last met, what brings you to my Mistress' glorious home this night?"

"Your vocabulary has certainly grown in stead of your body, ahem. I come to consult the Snow Queen on the matter of Dark and Cold dancing the night long! It's a matter of some importance"

Teddy quirked his head.

"It is curious, but my Mistress already has a guest, and by the wind, I can tell she is in slumber, I cannot allow you to disturb her rest"

Then he turned to Drummer and Nutcracker.

"As for you, scruffy bandit looking fellow, it's as well that you came with the Prince of Frogs, had you come by yourself I would have surely beaten a man of bloodshed like you to death, you'd best leave along with the Prince"

"Ah, that was just like I remember him, only a little more eloquent" Leaper remarked.

Drummer puffed up his feathers in offense.

"What a rude fellow! I'm a Herald of the Lord of the Manor! I come to invite all I cross paths with! His doors are open and he's hosting a winter feast!"

He drummed a bit to prove his words.

The bear however was not so easily convinced.

"Quite the claim, but your drum might just be a random magical drum"

"I can vouch for them" Leaper said.

"No offence milord, but I'd like a little more proof, especially if you all wish to disturb the rest of my Mistress"

"We could always just fight?" Nutcracker suggested.

At that, Teddy rushed forward, smashing a paw into the ground, Nutcracker rolled away, and Leaper leapt away from harm.

As well they did, for the strike of the bear did deeply rend ice, snow and soil, and not only that, but the edges of the impact clawed out in jagged spikes. Was it pure force, or the infusion of some mystical art with the martial. Either way, it was clear that neither the mortal soldier or the royal of the Undergrounds could take a single strike from the guardian of the gates. The Mightiest Bear of Them All.

"Ah, wait, wait! I have a letter! I remember I put it in the Drum!"

Indeed, all the way back when he started on his adventure, the Drum had urged him to keep the letter from the Lord of the Manor. Rummaging around inside the Drum, triumphantly he pulled the letter out. Soon it was in the paws of Teddy and adjusting his monocle, he read and then nodded.

"I would have nerve to deny even two Lords of the Realm, but even as loyal as I am, this long night is odd and deep is the sleep of my mistress, even the loudest roar does not wake her. There's an uninvited guest that's evaded me too, but if I stay here, and you venture within, the scoundrel will likely show herself"

Having said that, he returned the letter and settled back to his book, ignoring all once more. Drummer even suspected that if they were to ask anything Teddy would pretend to not hear. Still, one thing was bothering him.

"How does he read in the dark?"

"I'd assume he enchanted his monocle" Nutcracker supposed.

"A likely case" Leaper agreed.

Such thoughts out of their heads, they entered the Snow Queen's castle, and sure enough, just as Teddy had foresaw...

It was not long they went through the wide sweeping halls before they caught sight and sound of a figure tormenting the North Wind with fiendish pipe music, Dark and Cold dancing behind.

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