Page 11 of Return of the Nutcracker Prince

“I’m sure he’d love nothing more.”The two of them rubbed his horse affectionately, and Klaus stuffed down his jealousy that Pepper got to feel her touch.

“He’s a beautiful animal.And he’s so brave, too.”

“Careful, or you’ll give him a big head,” Klaus teased.Pepper grunted and turned his head around on his neck to bump her with it.

“I see how it is.You like her better, do you?”Klaus laughed, and Clara’s cheeks turned pink.She kept rubbing his horse down, and he wanted to make her smile like that as much as possible.

Animals could sense a person’s heart, and Peppermint’s approval of her made Klaus ache for more than a week with her.But part of her appeal was her dedication to her family, as misguided as they may be.

“Ready to go home, boy?”He turned away to hide his frown and watched the horse’s reaction.Satisfied that he’d had enough water and rest, Klaus reached out a hand.“May I help you up?”

“That’s alright, I can mount with the stirrups.”Clara lifted herself up with the saddle, but her nightgown didn’t give her enough room to get her leg over Peppermint’s back.Klaus caught her just as she lost her grip.

“It would be my pleasure,” he assured her.

“But Klaus, I’m too — oh.”He’d hoisted her right into the saddle, seated to the side as she had been before.

“I beg your pardon.You were saying?”

Her face turned bright red.“I was only worried you would hurt yourself.”

“I’m fine.”Klaus put his weight on the stirrup and lifted himself into the saddle behind her.It was a tight fit, but he didn’t care.He gathered the reins and turned Peppermint onto the main road.

“You’re leaving him at a walk?”

“I don’t want to tire him out.And we’re behind the wall now.We’re safe.”Part of him was dying to give her a proper tour of the Land of Sweets.His parents had cut the tour short ten years ago, when they learned he’d snuck out.The people had danced for them, but he hadn’t been able to show her all the wonders of his mother’s kingdom.

He had been in so much trouble once she returned home.

“These trees look so different.Why is the bark so red?”

“That’s because these are cinnamon trees.”Klaus stopped Peppermint close to the edge of the path and peeled off a piece of reddish-brown bark.It flaked away, and he handed it to Clara.“Taste it.”

She bit into it, and made a noise that brought to mind pleasures he had no business thinking about right now.Riding a horse in an aroused state was not comfortable.

“That’s incredible!”Clara turned her face upwards, and he tried to see his country from her perspective.“Your country is amazing.”

“You don’t remember your last visit?”

She shrugged.“It was nighttime.”

Peppermint walked toward the sunrise, which captivated her.“Your sky is purple!And the sun is...red?”

“Yes.What color is your sun?”He’d never seen daylight in the Realm of Waking and he was curious.

“It’s yellow, of course.”

“That seems so strange to me.”Klaus couldn’t imagine a world where the sun wasn’t red.

“It’s normal!Yellow sun, blue sky, and green grass.”

“Blue sky?That’s so odd!”At least they had green grass in common.

“It’s true!”Clara’s laugh rang through the cinnamon trees, her face lighting up with glee.Klaus’s heart beat double-time as they came upon a bridge to cross the southern river.

“Why is your river yellow?”She asked, her nose wrinkled.

He chortled.“This is the Lemonade River.”

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