Merlin’s POV:

It has been 3 years and 7 months since I reincarnated in this world. It’s winter now, and I really, really miss the central heating of my student apartment! Don’t get me wrong, I love it here, and I enjoy the time I pass with my family next to the hearth, mainly because I didn’t have any quality family time in my past life, but it’s quite boring… Back on Earth, we’d be bombarded with tv commercials about toys, special sales, etc… we would be celebrating Christmas in a couple of days, but Christianity doesn’t exist in this world, so no Christmas for me…

I am so bored that I don’t even feel like reading… strange, being me, isn’t it? My three brothers too, they are so bored that they’ve started sparring with wooden swords in the next room… they’re in for an earful when mother discovers them, she had forbidden them from sparring inside the house… last time they did it, Jasmine had to spend 3 days cleaning up the mess, even with mother’s help. However, I have to admit I understand them very well, for I too would like to do something else than being holed up in the house the whole day round! It would be a different matter if I had my anime, manga and webnovels to entertain myself, but I don’t, and I’m starting to get desperate here!

It has been snowing for the last 10 days, yet we aren’t allowed to go out and play with the snow. In this world, there are stories about the evil spirits of the snow, who prey on the unsuspecting humans foolish enough to keep them company for a while. Those spirits supposedly try to take away the heat from the human bodies, to use it for themselves. Although I don’t rule out the possibility of the existence of such kind of spirits, it’s painfully obvious to me that it’s just a story to keep kids inside the house during the winter, avoiding that way getting frostbite or have hypothermia. I made up my mind and went to talk to my brothers.

Merlin: “I’m bored, what about you three?”

Arnold, Josh and Bly stared at me like they had seen a ghost. Well, I guess it’s understandable since this was the first time I’ve ever started a conversation with them, it’s usually the other way around, with them seeking my attention and interrupting my reading…

Arnold: “What do you want to do?”

Merlin: “I want to go outside and play with the snow!”

Arnold and the other two were speechless, which is understandable, from their perspective I must look like a lunatic, wanting to go out without fearing the evil spirits of the snow! Arnold was the first one to regain his composure and he asked me how I was planning on dealing with the spirits, my answer caught him by surprise: “Scarves and gloves.” *Are you really that surprised, Arnold? What other answer did you expect, then?*

********************************************************************

Emelyn’s POV:

The house had been quiet for a while… maybe a little too much! I went to check on the children, but they were nowhere to be found. After asking Leyla and Jasmine, I found them in the backyard playing with the snow. Initially I was going to scold them, but then realized the four of them were wearing scarves and gloves so that the evil spirits of the snow wouldn’t attack them.

Having seen them play for a while, making what looked like small walls of compressed snow, I decided it was about time to make them come back in, and have lunch. As I turned around to enter the hose, I heard giggles behind me and a snowball crashed on my butt. *Now you’ve done it, boys! You want to play? Ok, we’ll play!* I didn’t know who had thrown the snowball at me, but it probably had been Arnold. He was going to turn 15 in two months, but he still liked to act like a child… *Well, I’ll need a little help to even the odds, 4 vs. 1 isn’t fair play!*

Emelyn: “Leyla, put on gloves and a scarf and come out here!”

Leyla: “Ok, I’m here. What is it, sis?”

Emelyn: “Oh? It’s nothing, I just need your help to teach a little lesson to your four nephews!”

Leyla: “What lesson?”

Emelyn: “Don’t throw snowballs to your mother from behind!”

*****************************************************************************

Hearing that answer, Leyla just thought *What have you done, boys?* and helped Emelyn in making snowballs to battle the boys. After ten minutes of war, the walls the boys had previously made proved very useful to both sides, with Emelyn and Leyla having a small advantage. Another ten minutes later, alliances had been made and broken multiple times, resulting in a pandemonium! What had started with Emelyn and Leyla teaming up against the children, had ended with Leyla and Merlin teaming up in a battle royale against the others! With the exception of Merlin, everyone else was covered in snow from head to toe, resulting in having to go back into the house to take a bath and change clothes.

They had lots of fun that day, and they played to that newfound game several times on the oncoming weeks. Even Anthon ended up participating in a couple of occasions, but he was slow and full of openings when throwing the snowballs, so he ended up receiving the greatest number of snowball hits. He didn’t really mind losing, he enjoyed the family time and, given his employment, he was unable to have much of those… In the end, these snowball wars were engraved in the hearts and memories of the Pendragon family, eventually becoming a tradition of the family in the years ahead.

****************************************************************************

Merlin’s POV:

Wow! That was fun! I never would have imagined I could one day experience a snowball battle with my family… not that it would have ever been possible in my old world anyway! This has been the best Christmas ever! *Merry Christmas to you too, people of Earth! Enjoy the good times with your families and loved ones, for life is very short! I wish you Merry Christmas, and a happy New Year!*

_____________________________________________________________________________

You can always read a chapter ahead, or support the story, at http://merlinpendragon.blogspot.com/ !