Melody




Melody (MEL-oh-dee) gives away a gift a day during the month of December from her cottage in Arctic Frost.

Biography




Melody had been a curiosity. No one claims to know the purpose for which she came, nor how she managed to make her way in the cold north on her own, but local legend insists that she arrived at the doorstep of an old couple's home as a mere toddler, rosy-cheeked and all but frozen. Horrified at the thought of leaving a child to fend for herself in the dead of winter, they took her in without question.

Over the next few days, the mysterious child filled her belly with all the steaming porridge her generous caretakers could spare and warmed herself by the fire in their home. Concerned that she might have been separated from her traveling companions in the blizzard, the couple attempted to coax some answers out of her in hopes of reuniting her with her rightful parents. However, any questions they asked were met with the same baffled blinks and frustrating silences; the child seemed to know just as little as they did about her origins. As far as she knew, she might have been born the day of her discovery, dropped out of the sky by some errant angel. Even more curious were her wings. Though they might have written off her strange arrival as some mistake, the puzzled pair could make no sense of the feathered protrusions sprouting out of her back, seemingly those of a dove. Whoever she was, she was no regular child.

Weeks rolled on, and it became increasingly obvious that the child's original caretakers were nowhere to be found. The elderly duo were no closer to finding new clues, and seeing that the child had grown rather comfortable in their home, gave up the search and extended their arms to her as adoptive parents. Never having had the pleasure of raising children themselves, they were far from bothered by the new addition; of course, the child was delighted to be taken in by the people who had taken such good care of her.

By then, the next winter had come around, and the already sleepy settlement became even more tranquil under the hush of snow. Yet, strands of song could be heard as clusters of weather-worn but spirited travelers made their way over the frozen land. One glowing dawn in December, the girl awoke to the tuneful hymn that seemed to grow in power as the pink light spread across the sky. Utterly captivated, she pressed her nose and palms to the window and watched, her vocal cords compelling her to join in for the chorus though she didn't know the words. From then on, she couldn't resist singing the carols whenever she felt cheerful, and her two caretakers decided that no name for the child would be more fitting than "Melody."

Life for Melody went on its merry way, but that isn't to say that life in the frosty north is perfectly cozy. The weather was hard on the young and the old alike, and the aging family was finding it more and more difficult to get by. None of this escaped the perceptive Melody, who noticed that the season was growing slightly less cheerful by the year. She wasn't so naive as to believe that their dwindling supplies and ever humble lifestyle meant that she couldn't enjoy her beloved winter; nevertheless, the girl, now in her teens, couldn't help but feel sorry that her patient caretakers-- the people who had given her everything-- were suffering.

This particular winter, it seemed, was hard for everyone. Toward the beginning of December, she heard whispers that the mountain village of Alpendale, with which her own village traded, had been tormented by a relentless storm for a week, its villagers held hostage by the dangerous conditions. Even though she had never visited the town or known anyone from it, Melody couldn't help but feel anxious for its villagers and waited each day for more news, as concerned as she would have been for an ailing family member.

Another blustery week passed, and it was clear that Alpendale was in trouble. And yet, the townspeople stood by without doing a thing! "The journey to Alpendale is far too dangerous," some said. "We'd be sending a rescue team to its death," they agreed. Melody understood, and yet she didn't. As dangerous as it was, how could her fellow villagers leave the people of Alpendale to perish without even trying?

One fateful evening, while she sat by the window solemnly contemplating Alpendale's fate, she found her cheeks wet with tears. The girl gritted her teeth and clenched her hands into indignant fists, frustrated that no one was helping. It was then that she decided that she would attempt the journey. Her gentle parents were devastated, yet she couldn't be persuaded to stay. Reluctantly, they helped her call the townspeople together. While the people were unwilling to make the journey themselves, they were more than willing to donate whatever they had to her cause, and so the girl set off with the toughest anyu the town had to offer and as much as he could carry.

Surely, anyone familiar with Luminaire knows the ending to this story. For some reason (and still to this day a mystery), the rare and ethereal snow fairies descended to help Melody, and the long journey that could have killed a team of experienced travelers became possible for a lone girl. Upon arrival, however, Melody realized that Alpendale's situation was so dire that the few things she had brought would not carry them through the storm. There was no time to send for help; people were ill, and children were starving. Melody didn't know what to do.

Suddenly, her fingers began to tingle, and she leapt away startled as she felt something solid pressing against the palm of her hand. A small, wrapped object fell away from her fingers and hit the ground with a dull thud. Curiously, she knelt and unwrapped the gift that had so suddenly appeared, producing a sturdy gingerbread cookie! Almost instantly, as if the knowledge had been with her for years, she knew what she was capable of.

At once, she found her heart filled with purpose. It appeared she could produce, within her slender fingers, whatever gifts she chose, so long as they were created with the intent of being given away to those who needed them. And perhaps the strange wings she had thought cumbersome all her life were good for something after all; with the gift of flight, she could deliver her creations all over the Arctic! Thrilled, Melody set to work at once, producing food and medicine left and right.

Today, Melody continues to do what she did that fateful December; only, nowadays, she produced gifts for everyone each December! If you're looking for a little holiday surprise, you have only to stop by the little cottage marked with a wreath, and pay a visit to a certain red-garbed girl.


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