Narnian Holiday Prompt Contest: Home.

Each year he asked, each year he was disappointed, and each year he swore to himself that, next season, things would be Different. Not Different because Arsheesh would change his mind, of course, but because next year he, Shasta, would not be so foolish as to again ask to attend the Winter Solstice festival in town.

("Oh my son, do not allow yourself to be distracted by such vain pursuits. Has not the poet once said that labor done above pleasure enjoyed will fly back to roost as the partridge returning to its nest? No, no, boy. Do you not know that today is the most productive fishing of the entire year?")

Nevertheless, every Midwinter, Shasta couldn't quite ignore that insignificant but insistent gleam of hope that perhaps, one day, Arsheesh would truly act as his father, nor the quiet hollowness that took its place when his small request was once again derided.

When she was young, Winter Solstice was her favorite day of the year. Her brother always returned from the Tisroc's (may he live forever) wars, her father lavished her with gifts of whatever she wanted, and the solemn religious rites sprinkled throughout the night ensured that even little girls could stay at the party until morning crested the horizon.

But in later years her brother could no longer come home for Midwinter, since his ashes were now scattered among the desert winds, and she, the virgin daughter of Kidrash Tarkaan, was required to participate in those rites to Zardeenah, for the longest night of the year was dedicated to the Lady of the Night and of Maidens.

(Then again, once her father married That Witch, she was almost pleased to have to attend to her duties rather than "enjoy" the festivities with her family.)

The first Midwinter they spent in each other's company was awkward all around.

They were using the unusual emptiness of everywhere except the main festival plaza to get through the suburbs of a city that would otherwise have called for a more creative scheme to circumnavigate. But all night Shasta simply wished he could attend the party that he could hear faintly above the wind, while Aravis was continually seized with the urge to make the traditional hourly prayers to Zardeenah, only resisting the impulse because of the scorn with which Bree had once scoffed at "all that rot."

It didn't help that, according to tradition, if a boy spent more of the Longest Night with a girl than he did with his family, he was destined to propose to her one day.

(It also didn't help that both Horses spent the entire night in jovial reminiscences about some holiday called "Christmas" that the Narnians seemed to celebrate in conjunction with or in place of a Winter Solstice festival.)

During his first winter in Archenland, when evergreen boughs and holly bunches began appearing everywhere about the castle and everyone except him seemed to know exactly what was going on, he gathered his courage (long years as Arsheesh's "son" weren't yet quite erased) to go speak with his father about it.

The King was, naturally, happy to explain to his son what Christmas was all about, though also apologetic that he had not himself thought of that gap in Cor's education. Lune explained that it was an old tradition handed down from the very first King and Queen of Narnia, a day of love and joy and goodwill, and renewal of Aslan's hope in the darkest hour.

(Cor never did get an explanation of the weird mistletoe tradition, however.)

When Cor came and excitedly explained to her the Archenlanders' Midwinter celebration she hardly matched his anticipation. But slowly, through King Lune's gracious Christmas gifts and Corin's dogged determination to catch her under the mistletoe, she began to feel more cheerful and enjoy the festivities around her.

(If the price of avoiding a mistletoe-kiss with Corin was accidentally catching Cor instead, well, at least she was sure he had brushed his teeth that morning. With Corin one never knew.)

And when Hwin came up and quietly asked her if she would consider telling the children the tale of Aslan and the End of the Long Winter, she silently thanked the Lion for bringing her to a knowledge of Him and followed the Horse to her new religious duties.

Many years later, when King Lune's question at the Christmas festival of whether they were still arguing about if they should get married or not produced a firm "No" from Cor and a vehement "Yes!" from Aravis, the whole head table erupted into laughter. Corin in particular made fun of the "lovers' spat," silently making plans for the two of them involving the sprig hanging from the huge chandelier in the center of the room.

And when Aravis returned from her annual story-telling and Cor wandered over from talking Business with Father, he put those plans into action, the effect being that the two ended up facing each other under the mistletoe, his eyebrow raised sardonically and her hands firmly on her hips.

That after a full half-minute staring contest Cor's mouth twitched slightly and he dropped to one knee, pulling out a ring, or that she immediately after gave a breathless laugh, dragging him to his feet and pulling his lips to hers, was surprising to nobody.

(And if this was the first Christmas that Cor thought of the fisherman not once, nor Aravis of her dead brother, neither noticed, for both were caught up in only the exhilarating warmth of each other's arms, and the roaring fire and merry songs of Home.)

A/N: And there was my entry to the Holiday Prompt Contest! I hope you enjoyed it :).

Including a Christmas during Cor and Aravis and Bree and Hwin's travels may be stretching canon slightly, but I hope it doesn't feel too jarring for you to stick it "somewhere before Tashbaan." And I know that Winter Solstice is on December 21-22 while Christmas is December 24-25, but I wanted them to coincide in this story. You can explain it by saying either that Narnian solstice actually does come 24-25 instead of 21-22, or that Frank and Helen shifted Christmas by three days in order to mark something in Narnia, since, obviously, there was no incarnation to celebrate. Choose which ever justification you like best, and have a Merry Christmas!