Rowan's Story -OR - The Penguins That Stole Christmas, Part 1

For Rowan, who picked "penguin".

Once upon a time, a Princess met a Penguin.

The Princess was walking home from her Glamorous and Very Important Job to her Magical Castle when she spied a (seemingly) cute little penguin shivering in the cold snow.

“Oh, you poor dear,” the kind Princess said as she scooped the penguin up in her arms and wrapped him in her Burberry (pink, of course).
“I shall take you home with me and get you all warmed up.”

The poor Princess did not know that, while most animals that one found shivering in the snow did in fact need love and kindness and affection, penguins were only after one thing.
The trouble is that no one is quite sure what that One Thing is. Some scientists have suggested that the penguins desire money, while others argue that it’s really just fame and recognition.
Myself, I think they want World Domination. (And I don’t understand how that can be One Thing when it’s Two Words. But I’ve learned the hard way to never question the motives of penguins; rather, you should just run from them as fast as you can).

The Princess and the Penguin were soon at the Princess’s Magical Castle. The hearth room was one of the Princess’s favourite places. It was decorated in rich pinks and burgundies and golds, with a magnificent fire place and state-of-the-art hot cocoa bar. (Forty-five different types of cocoas, ten different types of whipped cream, and at last count, over two hundred different types of sprinkles.)

“What kind of cocoa would you like, Chilly?” the Princess asked the Penguin, as she fixed herself a white chocolate cherry cocoa with chocolate whipped cream and amaretto sprinkles. (The Princess would not typically use such a dull and common name for a penguin, but the name had just crept into her head while she had been looking at the little creature.)

There was no response from the Penguin now known as Chilly. The Princess turned her head to look back to where Chilly was at and saw that he already had a piping hot mug of cocoa.

“How did you…?” the Princess began to ask Chilly.

Chilly merely gave the Princess a Look which clearly said:
“I am doing you the tremendous honour of staying in your mediocre little house for the night. Do not press your luck.”

The Princess thought it best to simply drink her cocoa.

To be continued…