Power of Love

By Donna and Abby

On the one hand, everyone was excited about the coming Holiday, but on the other, at least two people were dreading its arrival!  After Christmas, Aubrey, the elven prince, would be going off to spend the last month of his youth (wherein he would mature from 18 to 21) with his mother's people, and Angel still had several months left to go before she left Hogwarts to apprentice with Tess!

At least Angel and Aubrey would have a special time together at Camelot before he had to leave. The two of them were spending every waking moment together! After they attended the candlelit Christmas Eve service in Darius' chapel, they spent a good part of the night outside, talking and making plans for the future.

Aubrey hated that he had to be Prince.  So much was riding on him!  Not that he did not think himself worthy of it - he was no coward! He did not *want* to grow up so quickly, and be confined by the rules of his people.  He had a strong suspicion they would not like his choice of a bride!

But they would have to cross that bridge when they came to it. Eventually they returned to their separate rooms in the wee hours of the morning to get a few hours of rest before joining the others in the festivities surrounding Christmas day.

Presents were given out, of course, and everyone was happily looking over their new things while the handmaidens were called out of their celebrations (obviously in a different part of the castle) to help serve "brunch" for everyone.

Angel was proudly wearing the beautiful shell necklace that Aubrey had given her. They were sitting side-by-side, enjoying the good food set before them, when Angel spotted her father standing in the doorway, watching them with a soft smile.

Aubrey looked up to see where she was gazing, and his handsome face fell.  What did he want?  Would he take her away early?  His elven senses were sharp; was he smelling or seeing something that made him feel that way?

Angel excused herself from the table, and went to talk to her father. A few moments later, she returned to Aubrey's side. "Father wants me to go with him to the Monastery. Apparently something has happened there that he wants me to see. Do you want to come with us?"

The young elf's face brightened once more.  But just as he was nodding enthusiastically yes, his face fell again!  In through the door came The Tall One, followed by his parents, both looking sullen.

Angel saw who he was looking at and for a moment, her eyes flashed in a way that Aubrey had never seen them do. "They aren't going to take you away early, are they?" she asked.

"No," he said, "but they will be talking over all I have to do, when I leave here.  Meetings and things like that."  He sighed.  "It will all be so *dull* without you!"  He kissed her bright red curls.

"Don't let them bully you into anything you don't want to do," Angel said firmly as she squeezed his hand before heading across the room to join her father.

He shook his head. It wasn't really that, so much as he wanted to be with her, or out in the woods running free, and he would not be able to do any of that.  He had too many responsibilities.

Angel turned and blew him a kiss before leaving the room with her father. "Are we going by horseback or coach?" she asked him, hoping it wouldn't take too long.

"Neither," he chuckled softly. "It is time for you to try out your wings, if you haven't already."

Well, that was exciting!  And for a moment she was not thinking of Aubrey, and what would happen if she came back too late to see him again.  "I'm ready!" she beamed.

There was no one else visible in the hallway, so Andrew took Angel by the hand. Suddenly, both of them were dressed in white, their bodies glowing softly in the dim light of the hall. "Let us go then," he said, and as they began to walk down the hall, father and daughter disappeared.

Two Handmaidens were coming into the hall at just that time, and they saw the two of them disappearing.  Crossing themselves, they looked at each other, astounded. It was a Christmas Miracle!

 But when they arrived, Angel was shown a real Christmas Miracle. Nestled in his mother's loving arms, baby Jehosua slept peacefully. There was something extraordinarily beautiful about the scene, and Angel knew at once she was looking at a very special baby.

She looked at her father curiously.  "Is this who I think it is?  Father, why would she be sent here?"

Andrew shrugged slightly. "We don't know for sure. But this young woman was sent here for a special reason. Perhaps he will grow up to be one of God’s prophets or even this world's Teacher. We will just have to wait and see."

"That is looking so far in the future," she said.  It seemed like a long time to wait, for a human to mature.

Andrew smiled at her. Like most young people, she found it hard to see beyond the events of a few days. "It is not so long, my child. Some things are worth waiting for. Remember that, if you can, when things don't seem to be working out the way you would like."

She wondered what he meant by that, then realized he had to know things were not going as she had hoped with Aubrey.  "Will there be trouble ahead, Father?" she asked.

He squeezed her hand. "Nothing that you can't handle. Love is a powerful thing."

She smiled at that, and her face lit up the room, almost as much as the soft glow coming from the happy new mother.