plurk meme { 2020 } christmas shenanigans

[iluvroadrunner6]

Request Plurk

20/20
Word Count: 31,200

Comments

yuletide carols being sung by a choir | freya & katherine | 1,354

[deathlessness]

December 24, 1712 – Paris, France

Freya doesn’t care much for Christmas as a holiday.

Perhaps it’s her sacrilegious pagan roots, but she can see all too clearly how Christianity had coopted the traditions of her youth to make it more palatable to the people they were trying to convert. And, it seems in all other instances, Christmas is a time for family, and her family is currently an ocean away.

That said, she still has Katherine, and that, in many ways, is enough for now. Her year is coming to a close, and soon she will have to retreat to the confines of another hundred-year sleep, but for now, she can have one last celebration with her favorite companion. And if she’s going to leave Katherine to her own devices, she might as well give her a little luck to go with it.

Still, she isn’t expecting the spread of a feast that Katherine has laid out before them. The wafting scent of delicious food reaches her, and she takes it all in before looking up at the other woman, surprised.

“What’s all this?”

“This is the midnight Christmas feast,” Katherine smirks. “I’m sure there’s some symbology to each of the dishes, but all I can say for certain is that it’s delicious.”

Freya smirks as she makes her way in, the log resting heavily in the basket on her arm. “And how did you manage to acquire this delectable feast on such short notice.”

“I may have compelled the local vicar to don’t his meal to this poor woman who has lost everything this Christmas season,” Katherine smirks as she picks one of the olives up off the plate and pops it in her mouth. “He was all too moved with pity to help.”

“I’m sure this tragic waif appreciates it more than words can say,” Freya teases as she makes her way around to inspect the various dishes laid out for them. The one thing she’s enjoyed the most about their journey through France is undoubtedly the food. She only wishes that she had more time to try more.

“Consider it my contribution to the Christmas celebration.” Katherine steps around the table and peers at Freya’s basket. “And you’ve brought … wood.”

Freya looks at her with amusement before holding it up. “It’s a Yule log. You burn it for twelve days, and it’s a blessing of protection on the new year.”

Katherine’s face shifts from skepticism to understanding, and she smiles. “A practical gift. I like it.” She moves a bit closer to inspect the piece better. “Will you be with me through all twelve days?”

Freya frowns before shaking her head. “You’ll have to manage through to the sixth yourself, unfortunately. But I’ll get you as far as I can.”

“Then I’ll take whatever help I can get.” Katherine smiles before leaning in to kiss her softly. “Why don’t you get the fire started, and I’ll start doling out our Christmas dinner?”

“That sounds fantastic,” Freya nods before heading off to the fireplace.

- - - - - -

A few hours later, they’re perched on cushions in front of the fireplace, surrounded by empty plates and discarded utensils. Freya laughs as Katherine regales her with one of her misadventures from when she was sleeping, and Katherine’s smile widens as she finishes, propping one elbow up on the sofa behind her.

“What about the next time you wake?” Katherine asks. “Is there a particular sky you’d like to see that we haven’t ventured to yet?”

Many springs to mind, but the one Freya wants to see most, she knows Katherine won’t want to venture. Ever since her siblings had left Spain for the shores of America, she can see the lightness in her friend. The freedom that comes with knowing that your greatest enemy is far, far away from you. She would probably be content to spend the rest of her days on the banks of the Seine, compelling herself some noble friends.

But Freya will ask all the same. “Take me to America.”

Katherine’s face changes from friendly curiosity to a mask of concern. “I think America is overrated. It hasn’t even decided what it is yet.”

“You know that’s not why I want to go.”

“Yes. And why you want to go is the exact reason why I wish to stay right where I am.” Katherine’s tone is firm, unwilling to bend on this particular point. “Did you expect that I would want to just walk you right to the Mikaelsons doors, letting him know exactly where I am?”

“You don’t have to take me to Louisiana. Just to the eastern shores, and I’ll get myself the rest of the way.”

“You want to go so badly; why don’t you just leave when you wake up?”

“Because if the weather is poor, I could waste three months bobbing out at sea. You know I can’t afford to waste that kind of time.”

Katherine looks away, swallowing hard. Freya inches closer, reaching up and cupping one hand against her cheek as she draws her eyes back to Freya again. “What can I do? What do you need that would make it worthwhile to you?”

Katherine’s eyebrows rise curiously, wheels beginning to turn as she does the math. While Katherine does care for her, Freya knows it; she also knows that sometimes the best way to get Katherine to do what you want is to make sure the leverage is there.

“Traveling by boat as a vampire is quite inconvenient. The sun especially is a concern.”

“Then I’ll make you a daylight ring.”

“You know how to make them?”

“My mother invented them. Of course, I know how to make them.”

“And you never offered to make me one before.”

“You never asked before.” And Freya, if nothing else, knows that sometimes, you need to withhold the thing a person may want most to ensure that one day, they’ll do what you want. It’s not a tactic she enjoys having to use with Katherine, but she also knows Katherine well enough to know that she would have done the same to her.

If nothing else, they understand who they are to each other. These one-year flings are but a blink of an eye to the vampire and Freya knows it. It’s essential to leverage things accordingly.

Still, Katherine sighs as her face softens, and she nods. “I will get you to America sometime within the next hundred years if you build me a daylight ring and —” She holds up a finger before Freya can interrupt. “You promise not to speak of your siblings for the remainder of our time together.”

Freya smiles softly before nodding her agreement. “That sounds like something I can work with.”

“Good,” Katherine smiles before kissing her softly. Freya hums as she moves in closer, pleased that her negotiations have turned in her favor, but eventually, Katherine pulls back with a frown. “You deserve better than them, Freya. They’re monsters. You know that, don’t you?”

“And you assume I’m not?” Freya knows that she’s only barely begun to scratch the surface on her past in her time with Katherine. They shared some things like children lost, but others—for example, how they were lost—Freya kept to herself. “Without them, there’s no chance of me finally getting freedom from my aunt. I need them to get out of this curse Dahlia placed on me.”

“I understand,” Katherine murmurs. “I hope you realize that Klaus is only out for Klaus. He won’t do anything for you unless there’s something in it for him.”

Freya nods, taking the words to heart before tipping her head to the side as she leaned in to kiss Katherine again. “I thought we weren’t speaking of Klaus for the rest of the year.”

Katherine laughs before pulling Freya in closer again. “Of course. My mistake.”

And as they fall asleep together, bellies full of their Christmas feast, Freya can’t help but dream of how this gets her one step closer to her goal of true freedom, once and for all.