Santa and the Ice King

SYNOPSIS: Santa and Oonik have discovered that the reason the Ice King is making life miserable for everyone is that he believes nobody loves his. Santa has a plan to find him a wife but first needs the reindeer he set loose back in Santa Land.

Chapter Thirteen

The Sun Daughter

Santa's eight reindeer did not want freedom. Neither did they want to find food for themselves if it meant leaving Santa Claus.

So when Santa turned them loose, they had merely hidden behind a snow ridge. When he had started out on his journey with Oonik the reindeer had followed always from a distance, always out of sight.

They were jealous of Keotuk because he pulled Santa's sled. When the polar bear started pulling the sled the reindeers' hearts were broken. They though Santa had turned them free to get rid of them. But still they trailed him loyally.

It was true that Oonik had a fine hunter's eye and his father had trained him well. From the very beginning he had seen the reindeers antlers far behind and sometimes hear d the clatter of their hooves.

So now he said to the Ice King, "Do you have some salt?"

The Ice King replied, "Certainly. I have taken salt from the sea ice and use it to keep my ice from melting in the summertime. But this year there had been no melting and I have salt to spare."

Oonik took the slat the Ice King gave him and spread it on the steps of the castle. Then he clapped his hands and waived his coat and shouted.

By and by the reindeer, who were hiding behind a hill came up, one by one, and gratefully licked the slat from the steps. Then Santa came out and greeted them and embraced them with tears in his eyes.

"Now," said Santa to the Ice King, "you must come and woo the Sun Daughter."

The Ice King trembled with eagerness. He took a comb of icicles from his pocket and carefully combed his silken hair.

"Do I look all right?" he asked nervously.

"Irresistible," said Santa.

He harnessed the reindeer to the sled and he and Oonik and the Ice King and Keotuk and event the polar bear, who did not want to get left behind, got on the sled. The eight reindeer, overjoyed to be working for Santa again, did not mind the heavy load. They lifted the sled into the sky and away they sped.

In no time at all they arrived in a land far to the East where the Sun Daughter dwelled. Now this maiden was the favorite daughter of the Sun. She dwelled in the East so that her father could see her face the very first thing in the morning when he came over the horizon at dawn.

Though she was very beautiful she had never married because she was very finicky and hard to please. Still she realized she was getting older every year and she often longed for a husband to spoil her when her father was not around to do it.

So she way overjoyed when Santa Claus suddenly appeared at her right little cottage and announced he had brought her a suitor.

"Show him in!" she cried eagerly and she rushed to her little bedroom to change into a yellow frock and arrange her lovely yellow hair.

When she came back there was the Ice King standing there, overcome with admiration, the icicles trembling from his whiskers and the hoarfrost gleaming in his hair.

"Oh beautiful one," he murmured tenderly and moved to take her hand.

But the Sun Daughter stepped back in horror. She snatched up a blanket and threw it around her shoulders.

"Get out! Get Out!" she screamed. "I can't bear the cold!" And she went in her bedroom and slammed the door.

Furious the Ice King stalked from the house. "See!" he shouted angrily at Santa Claus. "Everyone hates me. Take me home! I shall go back to my castle and make a winter that will last a thousand years!"

Next: One more try