Sage put his hands up in mock surrender with a chuckle. "I know, I know. Be a civil human being and don't kill anyone." He gave her two thumbs up with a crooked grin. "I got you ... You've only said it a gazillion times!" He waved her forward with a grin. "I know exactly how mean people can get. I'm not going to get myself killed or kicked out of the castle. You spoil me too much for me to leave quite yet," he laughed. He was looking forward to what the evening would hold. Even if everyone else was a total jerk, the evening would be fun...he had Anya, and now Luther too.

Anya gave a shallow smile. He had said it a lot, she knew that... but she wanted everything to be perfect, especially considering everything had gone well with Luther. But that wasn't enough. She tried to convince herself that everything would be fine... better than fine and that her parents would love Sage. Although, that did seem like a bit of a stretch. Luther rolled his eyes at her stillness before grunting and making his way past her and swinging the door open. A small cheer arose as warmth spilled out of the room, to which Luther happily embraced. Anya stayed stationary as the door shut behind Luther, leaving her cocking her head at Sage. "Sage.." she was probably going to lecture him again, but decided he'd have had enough if her by now. She glanced from side to side before hopping forward and pressing a light peck to his lips. "Come on them," she cooed, gently taking his hand and leading him through the door with a grin, when another small cheer arose as she went to get a spot next to the warm fire which was crackling away in the corner.

Sage couldn't deny he was a bit nervous to go into the room...he was excited, and he knew Anya wouldn't let anything happen...but these were the same people who had been so horrible to him in the past. They wouldn't know, probably wouldn't remember him or that they had even done anything...They most likely didn't see it as bad. Or, just didn't see him as human and as such didn't care. At least three of the guards in the room had whipped him in the past, and of course, he still had the scars to prove it. He wasn't sure he'd ever been around so many higher-ups before...in the tavern they were higher than him, but not this much. He felt...odd, if that was the right word. Out of place. He kept his head high..he wasn't one to cower...if anything the nerves kept his head higher and shoulders straighter. He was aware of everything going on as his eyes darted from one place to another, never stopping even once they sat down by the fire. He stayed close to Anya...maybe a bit closer than what some people would like, but it made him feel beter

Anya was very aware of how odd it must have looked for the three of them to have walked in beet red, one after the other. It was made apparent when one of her cousins stared at her with squinted eyes, going on about how odd they were with the rest of their family. It didn't bother her, they were just children, and if anything, it just made her chuckle. She was also aware of how tense Sage was, even once they sat down... he needed to relax, or else he'd manage to scare himself out of ever doing this again. Wait, what? Did she want him to come over again? She knew that after he left the chances of him coming back were so, incredibly low... and she wasn't going to drag him into the castle against his will a third time. But she wanted to see him every Christmas, every holiday... maybe even every day. Ugh, she was really digging herself a hole she could't climb out of. Not with Sage, or anyone else, but rather herself. She took a breath and shook her head before gently jabbing him in the side. "Relax," she whispered softly, giving him a reassuring smile. It was easier said than done to snap your fingers and relax like she was asking, but she'd be there to help him out. He didn't need to be on edge of she was there... Anya would look after him with her family. They sat peacefully for a while, chittering away their excitement until a door opened and a few maids carrying wrapped gifts... they dropped them in the centre of the room before leaving, to which everyone dived in to find their own gifts. Anya waited a few moments before going in and grabbing a largish box, wrapped in forest green before offering it to Sage. She sat with anticipation for him to open the knives... they weren't as thoughtful as his gorgeous little tavern he'd made, but they'd be helpful if he went back out into the streets. They were all dagger type weapons, pen knives and one double sided one... they were rather pretty too, if she could say so.

Sage gave Anya a tight smile when she told him to relax. "I'm fine, I just don't trust anyone here." He gave her a curious look when she handed him another gift, not having expected her to. Oh, what was he thinking, of course, she would give him more than one gift...she liked to spoil him. He unwrapped it and he couldn't help but grin when he saw that it was all dagger like weapons...and pretty good ones too...he'd never seen a weapon made like this before. If he did, he's have stolen it, and remembered it. "Thanks," he chuckled. "I guess you know me well. Though, telling me not to kill anyone and then giving me whole set of knives kinda contradicts it, don't ya think?" The last part was a joke ... He loved the gift, and Anya knew it, even if he didn't show the full range of his emotions in the large crowded room. He pulled a small gift out of his pants pocket and tossed it at Anya. It was a small book...in it he'd sketches out the times they'd had together...playing with Lizzie in the tavern, the cave, the tavern, the first time he saw Anya sitting at that table, and other snapshots of their time together. It was something she could always have...keep their memories alive even when he wasn't. He'd included himself in some of them, though most of them were what he'd seen....and he couldn't deny that Anya was beautiful in all of the sketches. Some were in color, some just done with a simple pencil...but all we're incredibly life like ... He poured his heart into every one of them, and he was proud of the results.

Anya gave him a grin. "I just want you to be safe, might as well do it in style." she murmured with a gently chuckle. She wanted him to have something else... something nice, that he could treasure a little. The little charm was mostly just something to kick the day off, and she would have gotten him a few other things anyway. She cocked her head when he handed her something else. She didn't really want or need anything else off him... she was just glad that he was here, even though he quite obviously wasn't comfort in the situation. A smile grew on her face as she flicked though the book, being drawn in to everything that they had done together. Her heart fluttered a little as she thought of Sage doing it all off his own memory... the fact that he had captured everything so... perfectly. She turned to Sage with the biggest grin, fighting every urge to throw herself at him. Eventually, though, she gave in and threw her arms around him in a bear hug. It wouldn't be seen as anything other than her being grateful, which she really was. She squeezed him a little before sitting back again. "I love it!" She chirped brightly before raising a brow, "I had no idea you were so artsy," she chuckled softly before going in and chucking a couple other meaningless gifts out to everyone else. She gained a few from them too, but none of them were quite as thoughtful as the ones Sage gave. She was still clutching onto it it throughout the evening... so tight that she was starting to get weird looks from her mother. Well, weird might not be the right word, more like she was grinning at the sight of her daughter being so happy. "Anya, what the hell has he given you?" She asked with a small laugh, looking at Sage as though she expected the answer to come from him.

Sage was a bit surprised when she threw herself at him, but smiled and patted her back before she drew back again. He gave her a sheepish grin. "I don't exactly have much time to draw stuff. Well, not until I came here anyway." He got more and more relaxed as time went on...a few people shot him odd looks, but nothing super bad happened and Anya was enjoying the night. So he was happy. Sage did clam up a little bit when the queen appeared, and gave her a small smile, hoping that since she wasn't yelling at him maybe she had warmed up to him a bit, or at least enough to not hate him completely. "It's nothing much, just some drawings," he said quietly, getting almost shy...he wasn't really sure how to respond to her when she wasn't yelling. Though, it was nice to just talk for a change. But he still excepted something bad to come from her....maybe she was being nicer this time because Anya was there and it was Christmas. Plus all her subjects were here . She couldn't be horrible to him in public.

Anya gave a light chuckle at his nervousness. It was sweet, really. Sage had nothing to be worried about... his drawings were incredible... he couldn't deny that. She'd offer for everyone to see, but these weren't really moments she wanted to share. They were also things that should never really have happened, not if everything had gone her parents way... but it hadn't. And she was so, incredibly grateful for that. Her mother seemed a little more content, and while most people were a little suspicious of Sage, she was a little happier with him than she was before, mainly because Anya seemed so happy with him. The rest of the night was like that, though everyone loosened up a little over time, actively trying to get the boy involved. It was nice, or Anya had thought so at least. She knew they did Christmas rather odd, with present giving and what nots in the evening rather than the morning, but that was just so they had time to prepare everything. Then right after that they could go and get some food... a banquet, even, which had somehow turned into a bit of a food fight... it was a time where everyone could let go a little... of their duties and titles. She was glad that Sage would get to see that side of them too, to see that they weren't as different as he might have thought.

Sage was relieved when the queen didn't respond harshly...she seemed to be warming up to him, at least a little bit. So did the rest of the people at the castle, though he didn't look like he usually did too, so the fact that he wasnt covered in who knows what most likely helped them accept him a bit more. But Anya was happy, so he was happy. And the longer he stayed there, the more relaxed he got. He knew he'd always be on edge, there was too much going on...too many people....for him to be completely relaxed. But while he was a bit overwhelmed, it wasn't a bad overwhelming necessarily. He was enjoying himself, and he knew that Anya was having a great time too. Maybe the fact that Anya was so happy made her mother more lenient towards him. He'd probably never know, but he'd take what he could get...he was just happy she hadn't hit him or shooed him away yet. And that all seemed less likely as time went on, thankfully.

After a short while, the excitement of being handed things died down, and what was left was an abundance of wrapping paper and left over boxes. One of the perks of being higher up was that you didn't dare need to clean up such messes. Instead, they were hurried out the room, being shouted at by the chef that their food would be getting cold. It wouldn't of course, but everyone went along with whatever they were saying to keep him happy. When they got to the dining hall, the overwhelming sent of meats and puddings filled their senses. It wasn't bad, persey, but it was a lot to take in, especially the since Anya had only just stopped feeling nauseous at the sight of food... she wasn't sure how Sage would feel about it, considering he never got much even before being locked up, but she didn't think about it that much... she was just exited for the day, and that everyone seemed to be getting along decently... though, dinner normally meant it was nearly coming to an end.