Nora wasn't expecting to see Daniel at Clelia's the following afternoon, knowing about his playdate, yet she felt a pang of disappointment when he really did not appear at the reading group.

Her eyes kept strolling to the shop window through the branches of the Christmas tree in vain, while the children gathered some books from the shelves, then chose one.

Apart from Daniel's absence the afternoon went well though, a couple of children Nora had met the previous day brought their friends, and there were six little people hanging on her words as she read to them passages from The Wizard of Oz.

Once they were all gone, after their parents asked if she would be back again the following weekend, Clelia, who had sold a couple of books thanks to her again, helped Nora to fold down the blanket the kids had been seated on.

"There, let me wash it," she said, taking it from Nora, "so it's clean for Saturday. And now, off you go. I don't expect there'll be too many people out in the market tonight. There's school tomorrow. And you need to get up early in the morning."

Nora was happy not to have to spend another night out in the cold, but she asked nonetheless, "Are you sure? I could stay a couple of hours at least..."

"Nah... You hardly had any time for yourself since you came back. Mary's boys will give me a hand to carry the books back here tonight. The market is closed until next Friday. I'll need you then again. In the meantime, focus on your new job. Say hello to Daniel from me and come tell me how it goes."

Nora felt tired enough to oblige without arguing, and after promising to her godmother that she would pass by tomorrow, once she saw what Martin needed her to do, she gladly walked home.

It was just after five when she left the shop. It wasn't snowing for once, and so the clear sky wasn't completely dark yet when Nora reached the castle's stables and heard two familiar voices talking somewhere beyond the wrought-iron gate that stood ajar.

She peeked inside, then jumped when her phone started ringing even as she saw Martin walking towards her, his phone at his ear, before she could find hers in her bag.

"It was me," he said, pushing his phone in the pocket of his jeans. "Hi."

He smiled at her, but the hand he ran through his hair told her that he wasn't quite happy about something.

"Hi," she smiled back, looking behind him to where Daniel was seated, cross-legged and frowning on the ground paved with freezing cobblestones, next to a dog carrier containing a fox. "What's going on?" she asked, looking back at Martin.

"We might need your help," Martin said, opening the gate wider for her to walk inside. "Daniel has been a little... unreasonable lately, and now he has put it in his mind that he wants to keep this fox."

Nora nodded, still not understanding how she was supposed to help.

"He says that the prince you read to him about..."

"Oh," she muttered, as the picture in front of her-- the little blond boy dressed in a green coat and a long yellow scarf, seated next to a fox-- finally made sense.

"Daniel, you do understand that the Little Prince didn't own the fox, they were just friends," she said, approaching the boy, offering him her hand to lift him to his feet.

He accepted her help even as he said, "But it doesn't work like that in reality, Nora. If I let him go, he'll run away, and I'll never see him again."

"But that's how it should be, Daniel. Nature wants it that way, and we really shouldn't try to change it. Foxes are not meant to be pets, they are wild, you would most likely make him feel miserable if you kept him here. He needs his freedom. And as Daddy told you yesterday, he might have a family waiting for him somewhere..."

"But I'll never see him again..."

"Maybe you won't," she admitted slowly, observing the boy's reaction, "but you should give him a chance to decide about that, too. It wouldn't be fair if you decided for him." She sighed, choosing her words with care, "You helped him heal, and so you are his friend. I'm sure that in your heart you know that you can't do anything more for him now... Why don't we release him here, on the meadow, so he'll remember where the stables are and can come to visit whenever he wants to. And if he doesn't..." she shrugged, looking at Martin for help, not quite sure what to say now, finding him watching her as intently as his son, "Then we'll have to believe that he's happier that way. That he has his reasons for not coming back. You should give him a possibility to make this choice himself, and not to become his jailer by keeping him here, without asking what he wants to do. Because friends don't do that."

She finished, not knowing what else to add, holding her breath until Daniel said, his eyes boring into hers, "OK, Nora."

She exhaled deeply and looked at Martin, who mouthed 'Thank you!' at her, before he leaned down to embrace Daniel, and pick up the fox. "Clever boy. Now let's release him before it gets completely dark..."

Daniel took Nora by the hand and led the way up the meadow, Martin following close behind them. Halfway up the hill the boy decided that they reached the perfect spot to let his friend free.

Martin put the carrier down on the snow, opened it, and they all stepped back. They stood huddled together, very still and quiet, as they saw first the fox's reddish-brown head peeking from the carrier, followed by one careful white paw, then another. Then the animal was out, sniffing the air for a fraction of a moment, before it ran up the hill, silent like a ghost, vanishing into the dark forest beyond Nora's house.

"Do you think he'll come back?" Daniel asked, pulling at Nora's sleeve to grab her attention, while Martin picked up the empty carrier.

"I hope he will," she said truthfully. The boy had just let his friend go, and was feeling sad because of her... "How about a cup of hot chocolate? Your hands are freezing," she proposed, adjusting his scarf to keep him warm. She would give anything to make him feel better.

"That's a great idea," Martin agreed promptly, "let us go before the café closes..."

"That's too far. Come with me, you two, I promise I can make a decent hot chocolate at home. And I have something for you." She winked at Daniel, smiling when she noticed a spark of curiosity light up in his eyes.

She turned and followed Daniel who led the way towards the cottage, perched at the end of the path, then looked up at Martin whose hand found hers, even as he muttered, "Thanks, Nora. I couldn't have handled it better."