The ropes attached to Simon's belt fell with a thump after Krampus unhooked them. He hopped out the carriage, shivering at the contact of snow with his bare hooves.

The deer's tense expression relaxed the moment weight was removed from his broad body. He stretched his legs, groaning. The goat-demon observed him, noting how he froze when he turned to a certain position.

"Simon?" he called with an inkling of an idea of how the deer would respond to his next question.

"Yes, Your Highness?"

"How did you get those cuts? Did the king do this to you?" Krampus gritted his teeth at the thought of the king completely brushing off what he said to him years ago.

Simon glanced at him before turning away. "That is not the case. I was simply hit by some trees on my way to pick you up. Do not waste your worries on my health; they are only minor injuries."

Krampus widened his eyes; he didn't know whether or not his friend was lying. With his arms crossed over his chest, he challenged Simon, "If that is indeed the truth, then why must you avoid making eye contact with me?"

"But Your Highness, I mustn't dare-"

"Be me a prince or a peasant, I will never allow you to think of yourself as lower than me. If anything, I am the low one," he said, chuckling bitterly.

Simon opened his mouth to protest, but Krampus held up his hand. "Imagine, a lowly goat demon brat suddenly being the heir to the Winter Throne− blasphemy, isn't it? Maybe that's why I was exiled; because the villagers couldn't stand my presence any longer."

The deer turned to him and frowned. "Rest assured that that was not the reason. No elf or reindeer here has ever held any malice towards you. In fact, it is unheard of."

"Oh, stop with your flattery. We both know that only you and the girl were the only ones that bothered to talk to me." He scratched his nose, then sighed. "Anyways, it seems a little strange that you would let yourself be so vulnerable when flying," Krampus added with rising suspicion.

At Simon's wary gaze, the goat demon scratched the back of his head. "You know how much I despise lying. I've seen enough of it from the naughty children who I had to punish. But it's been awhile, so I'll ignore it."

A small smile allowed the deer's ragged teeth to gleam. "Thank you kindly, Prince Krampus."

Krampus nodded smuggly, then shifted his gaze in Simon's direction. "Speaking of which, how have you all been keeping track of the little rascals without me around? It seems that there are less sins to eat year after year."

Simon sighed. "King Santa will tell you once you arrive to the castle. Do you need me to guide you there?"

Krampus shook his head. "No, I want to see the town myself. After all, it's been a long time." He looked over the snow-covered landing with a whimsical smirk spreading across his face.

"Understood. Have a safe trip. I will inform His Majesty of your arrival." He bid Krampus farewell before flying to the ice castle.

Once the deer was gone, Krampus sighed. He wanted to avoid meeting the king for as long as he could. He was still angry over the fact that he was banished from his home for doing his job, the old coot. Why did I even agree to come back? he wondered, cursing at his naivety. Krampus hoped the king had regained some of his sense after he left all those years ago.

As he jumped from roof to roof, the prince noticed how eerily empty the once bustling town was. His eyes scanned the town as he stood on top of some type of tall building that he hadn't seen the last time he was there. Even though christmas lights normally decorated the various stores and workshops before, no signs of life were seen despite how close to the special day it was.

The streets, stores and houses were draped in darkness, with only the castle being a source of light. He remembered town having at least one shop open at all times when he was younger, be it the fabric tailor or the local grocery store. He wondered why that wasn't the case anymore. Dud something happen? An invader, perhaps? Questions swam in his mind as his nose burned from the smell of spoiled food. This was the epitome of a ghost town.

Krampus looked to his left when he heard steam whistling in the distance. The toy factory still stood brimming with activity, it seemed. The elves were working this late? Then again, they were always so upbeat, he reminisced, another smile creeping on his features.

<i>That girl must be there too, helping all the juniors out when they need it. What was her name again? Ah, Vanilla.</i> He sighed before heading in the opposite direction. I doubt she remembered me after all of this time, he figured, eyes glued to the grey sky.

With one last glance back, he hopped down the ground and ran past the dark, ghostly town to the castle that pierced through the clouds. The same place where he was abandoned by the council and labelled an outlaw. At least, until then.

Why am I letting myself be dragged around by the monarchy of North Pole? I just wanted a peaceful life with reasonable pay and a stable living space. That wasn't difficult, was it? He thought it wasn't, but King Santa Claus and him always did have contradicting desires.

"How unfortunate," the goat demon muttered, somewhat saddened that he couldn't make a treaty with the King to resolve the conflict. His legs were shivering while he walked through the snow despite being covered in layers of thick brown fur.

The glare of light that reflected off the castle momentarily blinding him. He covered his eyes as he walked forward, the gusts of wind that mercilessly hiting him when he was closer to the castle forcing Krampus to rub his arms as the eternal winter chill crawled up his spine.

When he finally reached the castle, what waited for him there almost made him chuckle in amusement. Two snowmen, both armed with one spear held by three of their six arms glared at him. "Name and business?" One demanded with a deep baritone, easily towering over the demon's seven head frame.

Krampus thought of him as the personification of a thunderstorm with a body that could shadow the skies and a voice that could send pulses of intimidation through anyone's veins. Even so, he couldn't back down. Krampus wiped off some invisible dirt from his clothes and let his hood fall down, his black hair flowing to the of his neck. "I am Prince Krampus, heir to the Winter Throne."

The two snowmen turned to each other with mockingly shocked expressions before laughing long enough to expose their long rows of icicle-shaped teeth. "Oh boy," the other snowman said after calming down, "the Prince? Ha, he should be dead by now. No one exiled to the South Pole has ever lived to tell the tale. Everyone knows that he's long gone. The king said so, and you know what they say," he droned, "'the king's word is law.'"

"B-but I am the prince; ask Simon or Henry! I took care of them, so they know my face. In fact, everyone should." He always made sure to patrol the city every night and report anything suspicious to the king. The young prince kept his hood on to blend in with the crowd, although his tall height isolated him from the rest of the civilians to begin with. Why would the king pronounce me dead, then invite me here? That didn't make sense. How odd.

"Okay, wait one moment. I have a personal letter written by the king himself." He then dug in his pockets and pulled out the battered slip of paper before handing it to them.

The less energetic of the two snatched it from his hands and muttered it out loud to the other snow guard. After a few silent moments of taking in the new information, he stiffened his posture and bowed. "We humbly apologize for any inconvenience we may have caused."

When he noticed the other snowman idly scrutinizing the letter with suspicion, he roughly pushed his head down and forced him to bow. The eccentric guard cursed, then after realizing his fault, gave Krampus a toothy grin while steam rolled off his plump body. The snowman started to say something when his head tumbled off, thanks to the gentle pat of his partner.

Luckily Krampus noticed, catching the head before it could crumble into pieces. He watched as the head's face changed from a surprised cringr to relief in miliseconds.

"Thanks, prince." He sighed, eyebrows uneven. "If you hadn't been there then I would've melted like Frosty over here on a hot summer day. Though, try not to press too hard; I'm very fragile."

Krampus chuckled. "I'll keep that in mind. Here you go," he said after replacing the head onto the guard's body.

The snowman gave a playful bow after adjusting his head and grabbing the mighty door handle. "Much appreciated. Anyways, you!" He gestured to the tall snowman with his skinny arms, "Always with the patting on the back! Keep this up and I'll have to charge you with snowmanslaughter next time."

"Oh Tim, you always threaten to but never will. Save your energy for work. We all know how terrified you are of pissing off the royal guards after they-"

"Anyways!" Tim interrupted, "Princey wants to see the king right? Can't keep either of Their Highnesses waiting!"

"Alright, alright. Though you're the one whose job hangs on a thin thread because of your constant use of vulgar language." The snowman grimanced at Tim before pulling one door open with four of his arms and waving at the goat demon with his other two.

Tim did the same with a huff, shouting, "Welcome back, Your Highness!"

Krampus nodded at them and asked the snowman that stood next to Tim, "What is your name?"

The linky snowman's twig eyebrows rised at the question. "I-I greatly appreciate your curiousity, but I apologize, for I do not have a name. The king forbade us from individualizing ourselves."

Krampus gritted his teeth, looking away for a moment. He couldn't believe how selfish the king had grown since his departure. This is ridiculous, he concluded before turning back to the duo. "Then how come Tim has one?"

Tim chuckled. "Why Your Highness, that is because I wholeheartedly enjoy breaking the rules."

"Idiot!" the other one muttered to the short Tim with a glare, "You shouldn't have said anything."

"Ah." Tim's twig arms lifted up with nonchalance. "Well, as my hombres de nieve say, 'que sera sera.'"

Krampus couldn't help but laugh a little. "Don't worry−your secret's safe with me," he said to them before turning to the nameless guard. "Would you mind me offering you a name after I finish my business?"

The snowman was puzzled as his rock eyes shifted upwards. He never considered the idea of disobeying the king so foolishly like his companion had, yet he didn't know if it was respectful to reject the prince's offer either. After some hesitation, he nodded. "Thank you, Your Highness."

The goat demon smiled as his tail swung excitedly. "No problem." he chimed before turning around. "See you two later; I've got a bone to pick with that king of yours." Krampus then pulled his hood back up and ran inside.