Nicholas’ eyes fluttered open, he awoke to a wintery scene and found himself laying upon a snow covered trail. He sat up and gazed at the beauty of it all. As he raised a hand to catch the falling snow, he took note of his hands. They weren’t wrinkled, aged, or bruised. He felt his face and found it was just as smooth and healthy. His beard was thick and just as red as the hair on his head. He was young again. He then looked at his clothes, he bore a fur trimmed suit, red and green, with a gold pattern embroidered all around. Yet, the clothes were well worn, as if he’d been in them forever.

A bitter wind blew past, causing the nearby evergreens drenched in a heavy white blanket to shake off a layer from its branches. Nicholas, still shivering from the cold, enjoyed the view and breathed in the fresh frigid air. He was isolated, with nothing around him for miles, the stretch of trail, surrounded by forest, barely made a sound at all. The only thing that was audible, was the rustling of trees and whistle of the wind gushing past. He could not hear another creature. Not birds, calls of wolves, nor small woodland animals foraging about.

He wrapped his faded red and green dressing tighter and gazed about for any sign of life. The distant haze of snowy blizzard showed nothing but a blank canvass. It was hard to see anything beyond the forest filled landscape, just the frozen wonderland it bore. He wasn’t sure where to go, what to do in that moment, he stood there utterly perplexed. But as he mulled over his situation, something caught his eye in the distance, a dark figure appearing out of the white veil of snow. He could see a rider approaching in a single horse drawn sled.

He frantically waved his arms to be noticed, calling out to the rider over the blustering winds. It must have worked, because the sled turned in his direction and came closer. It was indeed a one horse sleigh and a small driver tapping on the reins. The man grinned and took large steps through the thick, deep snow to narrow the gap as it approached.

“Hello!” He hailed to the driver. “Thank you for stopping!”

“Not at all, I wouldn’t want to leave a stranger out in the cold alone. And you are alone aren’t you?”

“So it would seem, yes.” He smiled.

To Nicholas’s surprise, the driver of the sled was a woman. A young fair woman with golden hair sticking out of her thick, handmade woollen hat. She was strikingly beautiful, it made him pause in that moment, he’d never been this taken aback before. The smile she gave would brighten any day, with a pair of deep blue eyes that seemed look straight into his soul. The sleigh she rode wasn’t of professional craftsmanship, it was crude, but looked fairly sturdy to accommodate its occupants.

“Well, it must be good fortune I just happened to be riding by, yes?”

Nicholas nodded, still enraptured by her, and grinning like a fool.

“Give me your hand.” She reached out further and looked at this odd individual grinning at her. “Your hand, dear sir. Unless your intent is to stay here with nothing but a smile?”

“Huh? Oh-oh, yes-“ He grabbed her hand, as he returned to his senses, and sat next to her.

The space was narrow and was as close as two strangers could be. She gave a quick slap of the leather reins, and the horse was on its way. The rickety sled lurched forward, causing the two inch closer together. Nicholas glanced at her, apologetically, but her returned smile gave the impression she didn’t mind. He could see she was rather taken with him, her eyes shifting from controlling the sleigh to look at his face.

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“I would like to thank you again.” Nicholas stated, breaking the awkward silence. “For coming to my rescue, and for letting me join with you.”

“I couldn’t very well let you freeze out here, besides, I’m glad to have someone to ride with. I have a long journey ahead, and I doubt having a conversation with my horse would be best for my sanity.”

“If only the horse could speak back,” Nicholas chuckled. “Perhaps he’d be a better conversationalist.”

“I doubt it.” She smirked.

She eyed the strangely dressed man. He was a cheerful handsome man, with an optimistic nature. He didn’t seem bothered by the cold wind rushing through his locks of Red-auburn hair. His thick, lustrous beard gave him a rather rugged look. She was rather smitten. The silence between them stretched out again, but this time, she was the one to break it.

“So, um… tell me,” She inquired. “What are you dong alone out here, and without any proper winter attire?”

“Uh… well, I don’t know…”

“Did get lost? Perhaps dip into too much wine?” She playfully winked.

“I don’t—uh—I don’t remember.” He replied as his smile diminished. “I just woke up and found myself lying there.”

“Really…” She said, arching a brow. “You just woke up… in the middle of a path of a forest… in the dead of winter… and that’s all you remember?”

“Yes,” he shrugged.

“Ah, I see.” The young woman responded.

The earnestness on his face seemed genuine. A silence fell upon them both as the conversation stalled. She wasn’t sure what else to ask of this oddly clothed man. The look of the faded robes was almost regal in design. She pondered on what his circumstances might be, taking momentary glances at his garb with a wry eye. He took note of her peering at him curiously, and tried to quell her concerns by explaining further.

“You know,” He tilted his head to the side. “Now that I think more on it, I believe some things are coming back to my memory.” He wiped his nose from the frost building onto it.”I suddenly have these sparks of memory that I cannot place.”

“Such as?”

“Oh, well…” He shifted in his seat. “I wouldn’t want to bore you with it…”

“No, please, do tell.” She beckoned. “It’s nothing of a wicked nature I hope.”

“No, nothing like that at all. More like the opposite, really.” He grinned.

“It’s alright if you did,” She shrugged. “I’m not one to cast the first stone if you’ve sinned, we’ve all got to confess ours at some point. If not to a sympathetic ear of another, then to God on our judgment day…”

Nicholas was struck by her statement. She seemed wise for her years. He eyed her carefully before speaking again. She wasn’t wearing anything of wealth, no furs, or cloth of regal design. She was common, either poor or from a family of lower status. It didn’t bother him either way. He’d been in the presence of kings and the poor in his other life, all were equal in his eye. He gave her the benefit of the doubt, and decided to share more about his life. He looked upward momentarily, taking in some of that chilled air again, and closed his eyes in thought.

“I remember being in a church, with many people sitting before me, talking about charity, goodwill to all and celebrating the time of the season.” He glanced over to her and sighed. “I remember the children, as told them the story of the birth of our lord, of how he was once a poor babe just as they were.”

“Well, that sounds to me like you are a priest or a cleric of some sort?” She said.

“A possibility,” he nodded.

“I am in my way to the convent. The sisterhood of the sacred hearts, I believe there is a monastery further down the road from it. Maybe the brothers there could help you. It’s possible they could refresh your memory and return you home.”

“Most kind…” He nodded.

She gave him a reassuring smile and nudged his shoulder with hers.

“I think it was good fortune we found one another. A Christmas miracle and blessing, don’t you agree?”

“I do,” He smiled back, giving her a wink. “A blessing like no other.”

Nothing more was said as they rode on into the wintry scene. The idle chatter had dulled and the silence continued. The splendour of the ride had been mesmerizing—perhaps too much. The journey was taking longer than either hoped, the trees looked all the same, as did snow covered trail, and even the hills in the distance.