Kris Kringle

“Oh Felix, am I glad to see you!” Kris exclaimed as his elfish friend stood on his toes to insert the key into the lock and turn it, “How did you know I was here?”

“Grinkers said he had a premonition you were trapped,” the elf explained, “And when I entered the castle, I heard some guards talking about how Kris Kringle would be executed tomorrow. So I searched for the prison where you might be kept, stealing the key along the way.” An awkward smile then appeared on Felix’s face. “But to be truthful, I did not come here for you specifically,” he continued, “Our village was attacked by evil men who carried away some of our elves to this castle. Every elf has a unique essence of magic that we all can sense. I followed their essence here, but I cannot tell now where exactly they might be. I was hoping to find them here with you.”

Felix opened Calvin’s cell as Kris and Eva walked out of theirs. Holding onto Jack’s hat, Kris peered up the staircase to see if anyone was at the top of it.

“I think I know where your friends are being held,” Kris told Felix, “Was there much activity in the castle when you made your way down here?”

Felix shook his head. “No,” he answered, “It seems most everyone is asleep. There are a few patrolling guards however. I, of course, can turn invisible…”

“A luxury we don’t have,” Calvin stated obviously, looking at Kris with concern.

“I know a way,” Eva said confidently, “Kris, where do you think these elves are being held?”

“Renier’s wing. Basement.”

Eva walked up the stairs and beckoned for them to follow. At the top of the stairs was a door leading to the Main Hall, but Eva’s attention was toward the torch holder on the left wall. She pulled down on the metal holder as hard as she could, and as she did so, part of the stone wall began to move inward like a door.

“It’s a secret passageway known only to royalty,” she explained with a smile, “We can get to just about any part of the castle this way without being seen, including Renier’s wing.”

Kris kissed her on the cheek. “I love you,” he said cheerfully, and removed a torch from the opposite wall. The small group ran through the dark passageway, with Eva directing them where and when to turn. They finally arrived at a small ladder which led to the floor of Renier’s basement lair. Kris ascended the ladder first, pushing up the trap door as slowly and quietly as he could in case there was activity in the basement. As he peered through the small crack he had created, he could see no shuffling of feet and no sound of heavy movement. He opened the door wider and still found no cause for alarm. A few torches were burning but there was no sign of any life, except for the many animals who were in their cages. Kris beckoned for the group to make their way up the ladder, helping them up as they reached the top. The retractable roof of the basement was open, revealing the hundreds of beautiful stars twinkling in the night sky. Kris also noticed that the large contraption in the center of the basement had residual smoke coming out of its metal cylinder in the middle.

“I can feel their essence!” Felix declared with excitement. He looked around anxiously for his friends’ familiar faces. Kris, however, was examining the contraption before him. Judging by the still-glowing embers, Kris concluded that a fire had been lit at the bottom of its tower not many hours earlier. His stomach felt sick as he began to piece together what had happened.

“I don’t understand,” Felix muttered as he stood before a herd of caged reindeer, “I can feel them all—Donner, Prancer, Vixen, all of them—as if they are right here before me….and yet, they are not.”

Kris took a deep breath as he approached his friend.

“Felix, they are not here,” Kris confessed, the sentence paining him as he said it, “You indeed sense their presence because their magic has been extracted to complete Renier’s experiments.”

Felix looked at him, his eyes large and his lip quivering.

“I’m afraid I still don’t understand,” he admitted.

“They’ve been killed, Felix,” Kris explained, forcing out the words, “They’ve been killed so that their magic could be used for other purposes.”

“What purposes?” Felix asked angrily.

Before Kris could answer, a dreadful sound was heard in the distance. It was a sound Kris had heard before—loud, clear, and up close. It was the ringing of bell tower. An alarm had been signaled.

“We have to get out of here!” Calvin cried.

Kris looked around desperately for a way to escape. The passageway through which they had entered would serve as the perfect death trap for them if Renier discovered they were using it. His eyes fell upon Felix, who was still staring at the eight reindeer who possessed the magical essence of his friends. Kris saw that next to the caged deer were several large eagles who were now spreading their wings in a kind of defense after hearing the clanging of the bells. Kris also noticed that against the back wall was a large red sleigh. It was old, and looked as though it had not been used for some time.

“I’ve got an idea,” Kris said aloud quickly, “Bring that sleigh over here.” Eva and Calvin obeyed at once, dragging it across the floor to where Kris stood.

“Now Felix, tell the reindeer we need their help. Have them line up two-by-two.”

An emotionally-charged Felix protested. “Why would they listen to me?” he asked irritably.

“Because somewhere inside of each of these reindeer are your friends,” Kris explained, “They will listen to you.”

Kris grabbed the leather reins that were laying on the seat of the sleigh. The alarm bells still chiming wildly in the distance, he placed the reins on each of the deer as Felix began lovingly beckoning them into position.

“Kris, what are we doing?” Eva lamented with heavy doubt in her voice, “Where do you expect to go?”

Kris jumped into the sleigh and pointed to the open roof. “Up,” he replied.

Eva, Calvin, and Felix all jumped in the sleigh at Kris’ command. He then whipped the deer and ordered them to move. They shuffled their hooves around awkwardly, but made no attempt to move the sleigh. “C’mon, deer, let’s go!” Kris tried again. Still no response.

“They have names, you know,” Felix reminded him. The elf began calling out the names of his friends one-by-one, pleading with them to move. As he did so, the reindeer began to push their legs—not forward, but upward. To the great astonishment of everyone—including Kris, who had been hoping for this result—the reindeer floated into the air, lifting the old sleigh up behind them. As they began to lift up off the ground, the double doors at the top of the basement stairway burst open, revealing three royal guards armed with swords. They cried out helplessly as the escaped prisoners they had been searching for now exited the castle in the most unusual of ways—in an old sleigh pulled by eight flying reindeer.

Renier paced the floor of his chamber in a fit of rage. “How did they get the key?” he asked aloud to his servant Monty, who stood quietly by the door, “Who let them out? There must be a traitor in this castle!”

He stopped his pacing to look at his adviser. “Do we know where they flew to?”

Monty shook his head. “No, Your Highness, not for certain. But several of your guards say they went northward, toward the village.”

“Toward the North Pole, too,” Renier stated with a worried look on his face, “Eva overheard us speaking about it. You don’t think that they—“

“With all due respect, Your Majesty,” Monty interjected, “It matters not what I think. Remember that you now have the answer to any question that may concern you.”

Renier flashed a quick smile of relief. “Right you are, Monty,” he acknowledged, racing toward his desk and retrieving Percy’s Parchment.

“Where is Kris Kringle?” he wrote upon it.

The answer appeared: “Calico Village.”

Renier slammed the top of his desk with the palm of his hand. “It’s settled then,” he declared, “I shall swoop down upon that village and destroy Kringle once and for all!”

Monty again offered his advice. “Perhaps there is a better way,” he suggested, “You should know that we have received word that there are a great many villagers who are now sympathizing with Kris Kringle. Many do indeed believe him to be the rightful king.”

“The Shepherds…,” Renier snarled.

“They are no doubt responsible for this, yes,” Monty agreed, “But if the beast were to come in the night and attack Kringle, it would only solidify the belief that you are to be feared instead of honored and respected. You cannot go out there as Krampus the beast. You must arrive as Renier, the king of Silverbell, looking to stop the influence of a madman who threatens the peace of the kingdom.”

Renier listened carefully to his counselor’s words. “I do want them to fear me, Monty.”

“Oh, I know,” he replied, “They should, and they do. But I just think that you arriving with an army at your back rather than as a beast from the sky will do more to establish yourself as the true leader of Silverbell. It would also give you the opportunity to see who is loyal to you and who is not. Those who are loyal will find that their confidence has not been misplaced when you demonstrate the power of your leadership and military.”

“And for those who choose to follow Kringle?” Renier asked with interest.

Monty smiled. “War,” he answered.