Happy Hogswatch!

With a pained look, Jutta repeated the story she recently told to Mustrum Ridcully. "After Corina was born, my husband and I became sick. Every doctor we saw told us we had Zambingo Fever and were going to die. We couldn't find anyone to take Corina because of our illness, so I..." She fought back the tears and said, "I left her at the University library."

Nick felt Octavia tighten up, ready to dash out of the room, so he held her wrist tight. "What happened after that, ma'am?"

"Klatchian slavers dragged Josif and I away that night." She sniffed and set her jaw, then said, "they said they could cure us if we worked for them otherwise they'll just toss us overboard when we died. We woke up in a slave camp in Syrrit working on tobacco plantations.... It was the Klatchian slavers, they had poisoned us and when we collapsed they took us on their slave ship. When we agreed to be their slaves they gave us the antidote." She rolled up her sleeve and showed her tattoo that identified her as a slave. "Josif died last year, and I escaped and made my way back to Ankh-Morpork, where I met Catrin at the university. She was looking for her child, too."

Nick and Octavia looked at Catrin, who sadly nodded. "My husband beat me and chased me off. I found out that he abandoned Pommy near the university and... I don't know..." and she burst into tears.

Octavia sat on Catrin's bed and said softly, "Pommy? Is that his name?"

"His nickname, his real name is longer," Catrin said, fighting back the sobs.

"Pommeraie de la Montesquieu?" asked Octavia.

Catrin nodded. "How did you know?"

"Because Pommeraie de la Montesquieu told me he hates to be called Pommy," said Octavia softly.

Catrin suddenly looked confused and glanced back and forth between Nick and Octavia. "I really do hate it," said Nick as he sat down on the bed next to Catrin. "She calls me Nick, sometimes Porter." He picked up Catrin's slim, icy hand and felt it. He truly felt a connection that runs so much deeper than just witch and patient. "I waited and waited for you," whispered Nick, "then Octavia showed up and offered me a job, we fell in love and we came here and made a home and here you are." His eyes began to fill with tears.

Catrin looked confused. "What are you saying?"

"I'm Pommy Stein... welcome home, mom," and he hugged her as tightly as he dared while they wept huge tears of sorrow for the years they lost.

"Pommy... I'm so sorry Pommy. I'm sorry I wasn't stronger." And somewhere in their tears could be heard the distant glingle glingle glingle of sleigh bells.

Over and over, she begged for forgiveness until Nick said, "Mom, stop. There's nothing to forgive. He would have killed you if you stayed around. All I ever asked for was a chance to hug you again." He leaned forward and gave her a kiss and smiled. "That's it. My dreams are complete. Welcome home, mom."

Octavia and Jutta watched Catrin and Nick tearfully, joyfully reunite and they sighed, then Octavia tapped on Nick's back and whispered, "Are you sure?"

"I'm a witch, I can feel the familial connection, it's part of the job."

"Then help me," she whimpered.

Nick turned to Catrin and said, "Hang on Mom." Then he turned to Jutta and said, "when I perform a wedding ceremony I hold hands with the bride and groom and I can feel any familial relationship. Queen Magrat taught me how to do that, she said I couldn't perform marriages until I learned. Here in the mountains everybody is a cousin to everybody else because we're so isolated. It's a day's journey to find someone who's not closely related. As witch I can feel the familial relationship. Around here there's always a slight familial connection because everyone is a cousin and if you're too close, the wedding is off. I feel no familial connection between Octavia and me, but..." he took Jutta's hand in his and Octavia's hand in the other and felt the connection. "Jutta? I can safely tell you that when you dropped off your infant in the library, the librarian fell madly in love with your little girl. He trained her to be a librarian, and to be a wizard, and he even taught her to move through time."

"What does that mean?" asked Jutta.

"It means that she's very wise," he looked deep into Octavia's eyes, so similar to Jutta's, "and she can make anything happen."

"Do you want to know what else the librarian did?" asked Octavia as she moved close to Jutta. "He gave me in marriage to the sweetest man on the disc." Octavia fell forward and hugged Jutta as Nick said, "Welcome home mom." Somewhere in the distance, the glingle glingle glingle of sleigh bells could be heard but it may have been covered up by Jutta's cry of joy.

For the next few hours, the four adults discussed their lives and got to know each other better. They moved into the kitchen for coffee and talked about their lives as Nick made "pam" cakes for the starving women. Catrin had never been on a farm and couldn't wait to see it. Jutta didn't mind as long as there's no tobacco being grown.

As they spoke they heard a shuffling sound over by the fireplace and glancing over they saw a man emerging from the fireplace. He was dressed all in red with white vermine fur trim and had a long white beard. He brushed off the soot from the chimney and turned to the stockings and quickly reviewed the letters from the children, then drawing small, giftwrapped items from his pack he pushed them into the stockings that hung over the fireplace. Then he opened his large pack, withdrew several giftwrapped items, and placed them under the tree. He then turned and tipped back the sherry and pocketed the turnips.

The four adults watched in shock as a fantasy turned and prepared to leave. They could see his long white locks and unruly white beard as he turned to face them and only now he noticed their presence. "Hogfather?" gasped Octavia.

The fairies fluttered excitedly around the man as he held up a finger shushing her and softly said in a deep Hublandic accent, "Happy Hogswatch my dear Octavia," then he stepped over to the fireplace, winked, and he climbed into the fireplace and was gone.

The four stared at the fireplace in shock, then Nick turned to Octavia and asked, "Did you do that?"

"Not me, I was going to ask if you learned a new trick," she said.

All began to speak softly at the same time, each one asking, "Did you just see what I just saw?"

"Was that really..." asked Jutta.

"We live in a world where fantasy lives with us," said Nick. "I've met Death several times, I knew the Hogfather existed, but I thought he was only visible to children."

"I saw him," said Gaspode who now curled up before the fire. "I had to get out of his way." Then he muttered, "happens every damn year."

"I've met Death, Famine, and War," said Octavia. "Dad used to take me to his weekly Cripple Mister Onion games when I was little."

As the sun began to rise the twins began to squeak. Nick and Octavia looked at each other and slapped a fist into an open hand three times and Octavia's paper covered Nick's rock. "I got Loo-Loo," he sighed, then told his mom, "Stay right here, we have some very special gifts for you," then he and his wife scooted up the stairs.

As they changed diapers on the twins then pulled festive gowns onto the children Octavia said, "You know what? We never explained the librarian to them. Hollie is going to do that for us, I suppose."

"They also came looking for the Duke of Wægn ... I don't think they know. Can we...?" his grin made it clear that he wanted to keep it a secret and play with them.

"Just don't be mean," said Octavia as Marlon and Hollie got antsy and were aching to charge downstairs and see what the Hogfather brought them. "Ok you two, your dad and I are going down first. You follow us, then we'll show you your presents."

"Oh, kaaayyy," Marlon's groan was reminiscent of the prisoner who was given a choice between the rack or the iron maiden.

The stairs were barely wide enough for Nick and Octavia to walk side by side but they blocked Marlon and Hollie from seeing their presents. Catrin and Jutta saw the sleepy twins in Nick and Octavia's arms and their eyes grew huge. Grandchildren! But at the bottom of the stairs Marlon and Hollie stepped out from behind their parents and Octavia started to cry when she said, "Mom, look what I did."

With twin gasps Jutta and Catrin dashed forward and crouched to inspect the little people with a excited sobs and tear-filled eyes. Hollie looked up at Nick, confused, as Nick said, "It looks like the Hogfather found your grandmothers and brought them here. This is Grandma Catrin, my mommy, and this is Grandma Jutta, your mommy's mommy." Way off, far, far away, a temple began ringing its big bells in celebration.

Catrin and Jutta were overwhelmed with "Are you my real grandma?" and "Would you like to trade rooms?" from Marlon, who wanted to move downstairs.

"They don't want to go for their presents, they want to meet their grandmothers," Octavia gasped in amazement as she and Nick sat at the table to watch. The new grandmothers sat side by side on the ancient and most honorable throne of the Agatean empire, each one with a twin on their lap as Hollie and Marlon gave them their full autobiography.

Finally, the brother and sister began to open their gifts, and each one was brought to grandma for inspection. Clothes and toys and candies were opened, even Lou and Loo-Loo had packages with new clothes to open. "I'm sorry we didn't get you anything to unwrap, but you can keep my nightgowns," said Octavia, then she elbowed Nick, "Your son keeps pulling them off of me."

"There was these here," said Catrin as Marlon put several packages in front of them. The tags had their names on them.

"When it says 'From: Hogfather' it really means mom and dad," said Marlon knowingly.

"It may really be the Hogfather this year," said Jutta as she read the exquisite calligraphy on the gift's name tag.

They opened their packages and each received warm sweaters and boots. Jutta looked at Lou the twin on her lap who looked up at her with big brown eyes and said, "I got everything I need," as she tried to hold back the tears.

Soon all the gifts were open and everyone trooped outside to see the new two horse open sleigh that Nick and Octavia purchased to fit their growing family, then the family settled down to talk and eat a late breakfast. "I can't wait to set up my train," said Marlon. He received a clockwork train set for Hogswatch.

"Your grandmothers both worked on the railroad. Maybe they can help," said Octavia.

"Truly?" gasped Marlon.

"Truly," said Grandma Catrin. "We were Coach Matrons and brakemen."

"From Ankh-Morpork over Sky Dancer Pass to Hot Dang," said Grandma Jutta. Marlon's grandmothers were now his heroes.

"Ok, eat up, there's nothing between now and dinner," announced Octavia and as Nick pulled on a jacket she asked, "where are you going?"

"I have to go add two to our dinner reservations."

Catrin and Jutta looked at each other and nodded. Dinner reservations for Hogswatch? These kids are doing quite well for themselves. In Ankh-Morpork, the average family would be lucky to get fish & chips or maybe a curry to go on Hogswatch.

"Ok, be safe," Octavia kissed Nick, and he stepped outside, closed the door, became a falcon, and took off into the clear sky.

When Nick returned an hour later, he found Marlon explaining to his grandmothers how the odd backless couch was "his couch" because "my dad took it from the king of Agatea" and he was born on it in a jungle. Catrin and Jutta laughed at the imagination of the boy until Octavia corrected him, "It was the EMPEROR of Agatea and you were born in a bamboo forest. Besides, it wasn't stolen, because your dad was still emperor, I was still empress, so it was ours."

"He was born in a bamboo forest?" gasped Jutta.

"You were Emperor?" gasped Catrin.

Octavia nodded then placed a hand on Hollie's head, "she was born just up the mountain in a sweet wood grove next to a hot spring, it's so pretty up there, and the twins were born in a garden inside a cave further up on the mountain."

"What's wrong with at home, in a bed like everyone else?" gasped Catrin.

"I have a witch with me everywhere I go," said Octavia. "I don't need to stay home."

"I like the great outdoors," said Nick as he pulled off his jacket.

"Me too," Octavia grinned. "Ok, everything set?"

"Yup, we have an entire table to ourselves, in the usual place. The roads are in good shape. It's almost like a dragon flew over and his wings blew the snow off the road."

"You cleared the snow off the king's road?" Octavia demanded.

"Only on our side of the pass."

"Fine then. Shall we get dressed?"

"Oh, we don't have anything to wear," said Jutta.

"I just brought the one dress," said Catrin.

"Nonsense mom," and with a baby on her hip, Octavia led the grandmothers to their room where each had a fabulous gown waiting in their wardrobe along with a warm winter coat. There are advantages to having a wizard for a daughter. "NO excuses, we leave in an hour!"

"Mom's in that mood again," groaned Marlon.

"She does that," said Hollie, as she followed her brother upstairs.

Within the hour, the family dressed in warm coats, hoods, mittens, and scarves, piled into the large sleigh pulled by Trixie and a new stablemate, Jiffy, and they were off, sleigh bells jingling as they traversed the mile downhill to Creel Springs. Jutta and Catrin, wearing new winter coats, shuddered looking at the tiny town they nearly froze to death in as the sleigh turned and headed out of the village. They stopped at the Watch House as the chief and his wife pulled their sleigh behind them and their daughter dashed forward to give Marlon a Hogswatch kiss, then the little blond hopped in their sleigh and they started to head up into the mountains.

"Mom, this is our daughter-in-law Annette," said Octavia, causing the six-year-old to giggle and Marlon to start blushing. Marlon and Annette have been fast friends since the moment Annette was born.

Hollie was full of entertainment for the trip, telling her grandmother's stories of the mountains and the different birds her dad could turn into {which had both grandmothers laughing so hard their sides hurt} and trying to lead Hogswatch carols. Nick, Marlon, and Annette sat up front, listening to the chatter and laughing at Hollie's antics, while Marlon told Annette all about getting two grandmothers for Hogswatch. Soon they were in the switchbacks, cutting back and forth across the face of the mountain, gaining altitude with every pass and the view down into the valley was incredible. Finally, they stopped at the top of Breeders Peak and looked at the view before them. All the Duchy of Wægn was spread out up and down the valley to their right, all the families getting ready for the first night of the year. This view used to terrify Nick, knowing that he was responsible for everyone below and their wellbeing. Now he's satisfied that it's happening. With a flick of the reins, they began heading down into Lancre Town as the snow resumed.

Big flakes spiraling down from the heavens, gently coming to rest on the trees, branches, and tiny mountain cottages tucked up against the side of the mountain, even on Trixie and Jiffy as they trotted gently along. "This is Lancre Town, the largest town in the kingdom," said Octavia as they crossed the old stone bridge across the Lancre river and passed through the ancient city gate.

To world weary Jutta and Catrin, this was a tiny, tiny town, but it was so beautiful. Every house, every barn, every storefront all built of the gray granite of the local mountains. Every building looked like they were designed by the same man which 1,000 years ago may have been the truth. Now the town was bedecked in its Hogswatch finest, with colored lanterns, glittering garland, evergreen boughs, and crimson ribbons and decorations. Carolers strolled up and down the streets singing joyful carols, small bands played merry tunes as townspeople danced in the street. Ice skaters spiraled in time to the music on the frozen ponds while hockey players impatiently waited their turn. Gaily decorated booths sold hot treats like roasted nuts and pork sausages of all sorts. Jutta and Catrin were overwhelmed by the sheer pleasure of the late afternoon in the small mountain kingdom.

Nick turned the corner and headed up the hill and Catrin saw the enormous edifice ahead and said, "We're going to the castle?"

"Yes mom," said Nick, "your table is waiting." They followed the road that wove up the mountain to the ancient castle. As they neared the castle, traffic came to a standstill, pressed against the left-hand side of the road. Nick just flicked the reins. "Trixie! Jiffy! Let's go!" and passed them on the right. They drew up to the castle and stopped at a side entrance that everyone in Lancre knew was only for the nobility. An enormous crowd had gathered to watch the royals enter the castle.

Footmen assisted the women out while a hostler hopped in the sleigh and took the reins from Nick, who said, "Jiffy, the dapple on the right was recently broken. He can be a bit twitchy."

"Thank you, your grace." And as soon as everyone was out, Trixie and Jiffy were whisked off to the huge stables behind the castle while Octavia and Nick waved to the applauding crowd.

"A lot of people are just here to see what is going on," Octavia told Catrin and Jutta. "Lancre has very few official royal events. The only ones that are sure to happen every year is the Hogswatch dinner, and in six months, the state of the kingdom address. Those events draw a lot of Royal Watchers. The court meets weekly, but it's not all that fancy."

"Not all that fancy meaning what?" asked Jutta.

"Work clothes allowed and sandwiches for lunch... that kind of thing."

Annette and Marlon kissed, and she ran off to join her parents who walked ahead of Nick and Octavia, the Worblehat-Stein family headed into the castle.

"Dear, what is that stick you are carrying? It looks like a gourd was stuck on the end."

"This is Virga, my staff, it's my symbol of office as the court wizard." Inside, they gave their heavy overcoats to the gaffer who hung them up. When they got them back, they will have been laundered to spotless perfection. Now Jutta and Catrin could see Nick's outfit with black riding boots, blue breeches, silver waistcoat, bright red jacket with tails, and a sash that was bedecked with medals and ribbons. Octavia was wearing a deep, dark red velvet robe bedecked with stars and moons and it did little to hide her ample cleavage, She put on her matching pointy hat and the "gourd" on the top of her staff opened and became an eyeball which turned to look at Catrin and Jutta. Both Nick and Octavia wore the Lancre Medal of Honor on gold ribbons at their throat.

"So fancy!" gasped Catrin.

"Someone would think you're royalty," said Jutta.

"We're your kids, so you know where we come from," said Nick as he led them into the event.

And now into the great hall with people packed elbow to elbow, meeting, greeting, and spilling drinks on each other. "Archchancellor Ridcully, it's good to see you here."

Ridcully turned and saw the two women that were knocking at his door just days ago. "Madams," as he tipped his pointed hat. "I see the Duke of Wægn hasn't steered you wrong."

"We haven't met him yet," said Catrin, which caused Mustrum to howl and shake with laughter.

"What a strange man," Jutta said as they moved through the crowd. "He's still laughing."

"He wasn't laughing when I was his student," said Octavia and she began pointing out the special decorations that bejeweled the great hall. They walked through the public portions of the castle, gawking at the decoration and listening to the string octet. The octet struck up a merry holiday waltz and Nick and Marlon bowed to dance with Jutta and Catrin. They danced a little bit but it was all too amazing for Catrin, who thanked her son and stepped aside and Nick took Octavia's hand and they began to whirl around the dance floor. Marlon turned and there was Annette and they began to waltz, a bit stiffly, but they have a lifetime ahead of them to learn.