This is a work of fiction intended for mature readers. The characters, events, and dark holiday elements depicted within are products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to real persons or events is entirely coincidental.
Trigger warning:
Mildish gore from Rachel and Henry's table manners or lack thereof.
Mention of sex.
Sunday Dinner
At the Sunday feast, Snowflake cast his eyes around the great dining hall. The main course was well underway, and the usual family boisterousness was in full swing. Henry and Rachel were covered in Icedeer blood from consuming the stag they had hunted the previous afternoon. Anya and the girls were doing more giggling than eating, despite Annabelle's half-hearted orders. Ellie, as usual, had barely touched her food, but was smiling as Amy animatedly related some manner of story to her.Save for one member, who was generally the loudest at such affairs. But not tonight. He got up from the table and walked over to his sister-in-law.
"You are unusually quiet this eve, Gremlin. As pleasant as that is, it is unnatural. What troubles you?"
BeGee, gazing out the window, hesitated for a moment.
"Ah had an idea not long ago. Decided to go with it for a ways this week. Ah really shouldn't have, as it turns out."
"Realized that Blizzard woulda had a family, besides Snowbreeze. Thought it might be nice...the right thing too, to look 'em up...got to thinking they might not have even known what happened to her. Ha. They knew. Didn't lift a finger to help. She was an embarrassment to them. And they weren't too happy to see her halfbreed semi-daughter show up, either..."
"Let's just say, ah won't have to worry about gettin' holiday cards for my elven grandparents, great-grandparents, and aunts and uncles..."
Snowflake's face was almost always stern, but it grew even darker. His eyes flashed an icy blue. He began to reach for a great axe made of Magic ice that hung on the wall.
"Did...did they threaten you? Did they lift a FINGER? Tell me."
"There were threats. A few megaton-range Powerblasts and some...more inventive measures stopped that bullshit then and there. They got the message, ah think."
"You should have told Amy and myself. We could have accompanied you. It wouldn't have mattered in the outcome, but it would have shown them you came as one of the Royal Family of Vinterland. One of US."
"It's just that...Aunt A. always said "There's always room for more family." Thought making ties with them might - ah, hell, Ah know ah'm a handful at the best of times. Figured maybe if ah had a place where ah could blow off some of my elf-ness once in a while, ah might be more tolerable for everyone here."
"Part of what Vinterland was meant to be was a home for ALL whom stood beside me. even the ones who are a giant paint in the POSTERIOR!"
"I do not want you to feel you have to go to some other Realm to find those like you.
"Virtually all of my blood people abandoned Vinterland when things went bad. And even before that, I was always well aware of what they thought of the runt prince."
"That is one reason I am so close to 'Ship and Henry. When things were bad, and they could have profited by going along with the status quo, they stood by me regardless. That is all that matters. 'Ship is as my brother, and Henry...he was the only good thing to come out of that whole sordid affair."
"And one of the best days of my life involved family, but not a single Iceperson, save for myself. It was-"
"When you finally got into Amy's-"
"Silence. It was the last Christmas the Patriarch ever had. Amy and I collected your Uncle Johnny's girls, and with a little Magical subterfuge, got them to Vinterland. The Patriarch had not donned his ceremonial garb in decades, but he did so, one last time, for the girls. I never saw him so happy. We lit up Vinterland, and told them they were in the North Pole's suburbs. They were ecstatic."
"And when we returned to Cincinnatti, we went to Johnny's house to eat. Your Aunt Mary was preparing the Feast called "Eleven Fishes-"
"Seven Fishes."
"and the pasta, and the warm Italian bread. Even with the tepid water Mundanes call wine, that was still the best meal I've ever had..."
"And afterwards, Amy and I shared a kiss on the front porch, under the full Christmas moon..."
"And THEN you got into her-"
"It was the most magical evening I have ever- WHAT? BY THE- WERE YOU WATCHING US, YOU...PERVERTED PIXIE?!"
"Watching? NO. Couldn't help but listen, until ah could Magic up some really good earplugs. You guys came REALLY close to getting caught-"
"OUT-GET OUT OF HERE, AND DO NOT RETURN UNTIL YOU ARE SUMMONED!"
"Gee, some thanks ah get for telling everyone that howling from up the hill was a bunch of possums that were in heat. And rabid. Just think, Rachie might've shown up a few years-"
"OUT!"
But both were smiling.
The
Belfana: A BeGee the Elf Adventure Index
The
Belfana: A BeGee the Elf Adventure
Copyright © 2026 by Christopher M. Reed
All rights reserved.
No part of this work may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Copyright © 2026 by Christopher M. Reed
All rights reserved.
No part of this work may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.