Page 18 of Return of the Nutcracker Prince

“Thank you very much, Trixie.”

Trixie sat the cart in front of an armchair and waited for her to sit.Then she lifted the dome and set out silverware and a glass.Clara breathed a sigh of relief when the silverware looked perfectly normal.

“Would you like water, lemonade, or wine, Miss?”

“Lemonade would be wonderful.”Trixie poured a glass of the liquid sunshine that she had tasted on the ride into town, then went to stand by the door.

“Won’t you please sit?”At her hesitation, she continued.“Klaus is the only person I know in this entire realm, and I’m so curious about everything.I hate to pester him.”

Trixie sat down gingerly on the settee across from her.“If that’s what you wish, I will answer as many questions as I can, Miss.”Clara nodded, then looked down at her plate.

“My name is Clara.Let’s start with, what’s for supper?”She tried a smile, and the little pixie returned it.

“In the center of your plate is a venison steak with a side of roasted tubers and carrots.Then there is a fairy cake topped with a gumdrop for dessert.Enjoy!”

The tubers reminded her of potatoes, but the carrots were purple.They must grow differently here under their odd sun.She cut into the steak and nearly moaned when the delicious meat hit her tongue.Silence descended as she ate ravenously, finishing the main entrée in minutes.The fairy cake was a small, single serving vanilla cake with decadent chocolate frosting and a strange red bulb on top.She plucked it off the cake, entranced.It was soft and covered in a fine sugar.

“What did you say this was, again?”

“A gumdrop, Miss Clara.”

“Where do they come from?I’ve never seen one.”

“Really?They grow on bushes here.There’s an entire row in the palace gardens.”Trixie’s violet eyes were almost too large for her face.“That one is cherry flavored.”

Cherry!She popped it into her mouth and immediately the sweetness burst on her tongue.Chewing slowly, she savored it.“That tastes better than any cherry I’ve ever had back home!”

Trixie giggled, then blushed.“My apologies, Miss.Your face was just so… well, your reaction was adorable, if I may.”

Clara chuckled at herself.“I took no offense, Trixie.I’ve been thrust into this realm and I feel like a fish out of water.”She didn’t dare call it a dream, for fear of upsetting her companion.It was certainly real to its inhabitants.

“Is there anything else I can do for you?Would you like a bath, perhaps?”

Soaking off the grime of their trip through the forest sounded divine.“That would be lovely.But the prince wanted me to call for him when I woke up.”

Trixie smoothed her dress as though she were nervous.“I’m sure he won’t mind waiting for you to prepare.I’ll get it ready while you finish up.”With a flounce, the small pixie headed towards the bedroom door.

By the time she had finished dessert, Trixie had a warm bath drawn in the white clawfoot tub in the bathroom, whose wallpaper matched the bedroom.A toilet and sink stood in the corner.Of course, the palace of her dreams would have hot and cold running water.

Light blue flower petals floated in the water.A generous towel hung off a rack to the side.“Would you like your clothes washed, Miss Clara?”

“Yes, I’ll leave them outside the door.Are there undergarments in the wardrobe?”

“Of course, Miss.I’ll return when you’re done.”

Clara undressed as soon as she was alone, slipping her nightgown, robe, and chemise out into the bedroom.She held her hair out of the water as she sank in, splashing water on her face.Leaning back into the tub, she luxuriated in the water for several minutes.So much had happened.

This dream was amazing, from its lavender sky to the lemonade flowing through the ground.Which also produced chocolate of such a quality its people preferred to eat it in its natural state rather than sweeten it into a drink.While her mind whirled, she felt such a kinship with this place.

It made sense.Of course, a place created from her own imagination would feel more like her home than her parents’ house.She rubbed over her limbs, then rose out of the tub and dried off.These were thoughts for later.There was a prince waiting for her.

Her prince.The one that had rescued her all those years ago in yet another silly dream.Seeing him transform had been incredible.And he cared for her.Her cheeks flushed when she recalled how he’d nearly kissed her in the drawing room.It had taken everything in her to pull away.She rubbed the towel vigorously over her aching heart.It wouldn’t do to get attached to a dream when she had a fiancé waiting.Her whole life she’d known her sole purpose would be to marry well and produce children.That’s why she’d spent so much time in the library, soaking it up while she could.But for now, instead of a book, this dream was her escape.If Papa hadn’t promised her hand to Berengar, she might never wake up.To run out on an engagement was social suicide for the entire family, and Mama would never forgive her.Margareta Stahlbaum hated to be the center of gossip.Though she’d always known her mother didn’t like her, Clara had never been so outright disloyal in her heart.

And yet, here she was.Wishing for a different family, a different last name.Anything to earn her freedom.

Why couldn’t they have promised her to a man like Klaus?Someone who listened, who valued her, who made her feel beautiful?

But Nutcrackers didn’t come to life and try to kiss you.This could only ever be a dream.

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