I sighed as I laid my head on my pillow. Being king is so much more than sitting on velvet cushions and demanding entertainment. It's actually exhausting to spend all day dealing with every problem in the country.

Fortunately, I have an intelligent queen who cares deeply about her subjects. I put my arm around Belle as she snuggled closer to me, and once again, I felt truly blessed to have her as my wife.

"What are you most looking forward to about Christmas, Adam?" she asked.

"The looks of joy on our children's faces," I replied without hesitation, "and spending another holiday with you."

Belle touched my face. "Did I ever thank you for all this? I thought I wanted adventure, anything to escape my village. I didn't know it at the time, but what I really wanted was to find true love. I wanted you."

I kissed her. "You're the queen. If you want adventure, merely speak the word. We'll be visiting diplomats to other kingdoms or enjoy a royal progress in this one. You're not a prisoner in this castle, you know."

She smiled warmly.

Suddenly, the fire went out in the mantel, and the entire room fell into utter darkness as a chill gripped the air. A glowing light slowly began to take on a ghastly form, which tried to address me in a language I knew to be Spanish, but when I didn't respond, it repeated its message in English.

"King Santiago of Spain!" the strange visitor began. "Your heart has become calloused toward your fellow man!"

"I'm actually King Adam of France," I replied. "Spain is a border country."

The figure frowned. "Are you certain?"

"I didn't understand you the first time," I answered. "Why would a Spanish king fail to understand his own language? Do you want to hear me speak French?"

The figure looked embarrassed. "I'm so sorry, Your Majesty. It's just that the paperwork has been such a jumble this year…"

I nearly laughed, appreciating the humor of the situation. A spirit was haunting the wrong victim. Would to Madame Beaumont that the Enchantress years ago had stated that she was simply at the wrong castle!

"Who are you?!" Belle queried.

The visitor bowed courteously. "I am the Spirit of Christmas Past. On the night of Christmas Eve, I am to attempt to change the life of King Santiago and his subjects by showing el rey the errors of his ways by causing him to traverse the portals of time and see memories of his youth." After a pause, it asked, "This is Christmas Eve, is it not?"

I smiled and shook my head. "It's the day before."

The spirit began muttering under its breath. I couldn't hear exactly what it said, but I was beginning to fear it was going to lose its job for lack of Christmas sentimentality.

"Wait a moment!" Belle exclaimed. "Adam and I have been wanting to get to know our servants better for years! Since you're here, maybe you can practice on us. Can you take us to see our servants in times past?"

The figure thought for several moments. "Well, I suppose it's the least I could do after all this confusion, especially since you were nice enough not to have any hard feelings about it. Touch my hands, and we will fly to the past, but the people you see will neither see nor hear you; it will be as if you dream in your slumber."

I nodded to show I understood, and we were on our way.