Kate's Nutcracker
Prologue
There was a prosperous kingdom that resided high up in the snowy mountains. A fair Queen and noble King lived in the kingdom's palace, along with their son, Prince Peter. They were beloved by the entire realm, and had ruled peacefully. One day, all of that changed.
"I want to thank you for healing our son, sorceress," the King told the rat, smiling. "Your healing powers have been wonderful to the royal family for many years, and I don't know what we would do without you!" "You're welcome, Your Majesty," the rat replied to her master as they walked out of the expansive bedroom. The King smiled at the Queen as they strolled down the corridor. "I must say, for eight years old, he is quite a handful! I suppose I should be more mindful the next time he goes sledding, before he stays out too late or it gets cold like this time," the King proposed. As the King and Queen started down the hallway to their chambers, the rat timidly asked, "Sir, there is something that has been on my mind for many years. I know I have powers that the rest of my people lack, but might my people come into the castle, to gather some food and find shelter from the cold? I have been the only rat to wander these halls for as long as I can remember."
The King's smile faded as he turned to face the rat. "You know I appreciate your service to the crown. You have protected us for many years from any evil that may try to intrude our borders. But I have told you time and time again; rats, save for you, are not allowed within the palace walls. We don't have enough food to feed both my people and yours." As they approached the end of the hall, the King turned and said, "I am sorry, but it is just the way it has to be." He then proceeded to his room. The Queen glanced back and gave a small smile before entering the bedroom and shutting the door. The downhearted rat stood there, not wanting to disobey the King, for he had given her a home within the castle walls. As she started to walk away, she overheard the King talking to the Queen, and her curiosity got the best of her. She snuck up and put her large pink ear to the crack in the door.
The King gazed at his wife. "I know she wants the best for her family, but I just can't allow more rats into the palace. The sorceress is a necessity, or I wouldn't allow her either. The vermin would eat everything in the kitchen!" he explained. As the royal family continued to get ready for bed, they were blissfully unaware of who was eavesdropping. Seething, the rat dashed down the hall and around the corner to her room. It was smaller than the rest of the castle's rooms, with a bed, a few chairs, and a corner with a table with her crystal ball and potions. Pacing, she thought, this isn't fair! I've given that King and Queen everything, and when I ask for a little company, they won't even consider it! Right then and there, she came up with a plan. I'm tired of the King getting to make all the shots! I know he thinks his decisions are for the best, but this one certainly isn't. Something must be done, tonight! she thought.
Much later that night, she used a potion that could shrink her down in size, or to be more exact, to the size of a real rat. She snuck out of the castle into the nearby woods, where she found some of her own, filthy and eating scraps of who knows what. She then climbed up on a nearby stump and said, "My citizens of this land! I realize you have been suffering, and I am here to help! The King and Queen have harshly denied you entrance into the kingdom, therefore, I invite you join me in a little gathering! Follow me, my family, and you shall never again have to salvage for food, never again have to find shelter from the cold! Follow me onto the castle grounds, where you will find as much food as you like!" She showed them a secret path that led through the sewers into the large kitchen. Their eyes went wide with greed as they took in all the food on the tables and in the pantry. Hearing their stomachs growl, they took no time in ransacking the kitchen of any available food they could find, eating and collecting for the other rats in the forest. The sorceress stood on top of the tallest table, watching with pride as her people finally got the attention they deserved. Seeing that the sun would soon rise, she told the remaining rats to take whatever they were carrying and take it back to the forest quickly. They had taken any food in sight, and would most likely be stocked for the entire winter. The sorceress quickly returned to her room, cast the reversal of the shrinking spell on herself, and went over to her crystal ball, watching as her people fled for the hills.
By the time the King and Queen woke up, the majority of the kitchen had been raided of its food supply. Standing in the middle of the empty kitchen, the King started to think. "Who could have done this?" It didn't take him long to figure out who the culprit was. He stormed down the corridors, up the stairs and to the sorceress's room. Without knocking, he pushed open the door to reveal the rat, turned toward her crystal ball. Livid, the King shouted, "How could you do this to us? To this kingdom? We have given you a home, and this is how you repay us?!" As the rat turned around, something in her eyes had changed. They were darker, and at once, the King knew this was not the same rat he had hired in the beginning. Something had snapped within her, and she would never be the same. Glaring, she replied, "You didn't want to feed the VERMIN, so I did myself. Sure, I had a place to stay, but what about the rest of my people? All I ever asked for was a little company, an ally of my own, and you never granted my one request! Well, I decided to take matters into my own hands. I made sure that my own people didn't starve, no thanks to you! I know you think all of the decisions you make are good, but this one I can tell you was not!"
The King stood there, taking in everything that had just happened. Taking a deep breath, he looked up and said, "This is no way to handle things in this castle, let alone this kingdom! I hereby banish you and the rest of your kind from this kingdom for the rest of your days! Guards!" After a few seconds, the royal guards started flooding into the room. As they approached the sorceress, she raised her hands in the air. With a crazed look in her eye, she screamed, "This isn't the end!" The King then realized she concealed something in her hand. She dropped the spell, and the room filled with a purple smoke. When the smoke cleared, she was gone.
Years passed, and the kingdom prospered, presuming the sorceress had died over time. It was Christmas time, and every year the kingdom held a Christmas Eve ball, and invited everyone from near and far to celebrate the season. This year would be special though, because before the ball, a coronation would be held for the prince, as he had just turned 18, and could take his rightful place as King. "Are you nervous, my son?" the King asked Peter as they readied him up for the coronation. Peter looked in the mirror, then to his dad and said, "I'm as ready as I'll ever be father." The King walked to his son and said, "Don't be nervous my boy! Everything will go as planned! And I believe you will become a great King." They smiled at each other before the King left the room. Peter stared back into the mirror, a look of uncertainty in his face.
The Great Hall was filled wall to wall with noblemen to village people alike, ready to welcome the new King into power. Right as the King was about to place the crown on Peter's head, the doors burst open to reveal the sorceress. "Thank you for the invitation, your highness. I'm so glad you thought of me all these years!" The look of surprise and anger filled the King's face, as he yelled, "Guards!" The sorceress gave a tiny smile and lifted her hand, freezing the guards in mid-run. "You see, my King," she started, "I have learned many new spells in the forest, spells you couldn't even dream existed. And I would love to try one now, if that's ok with you?" Peter saw her start to lift her arm and ran in front of his dad, right as a blast of light came hurtling through the air. When the light decreased, all that was left was a wooden toy, a nutcracker. The King and Queen's faces melted into despair. The King crouched down and picked up the nutcracker. "What have you done?!" he roared. "Oh what a pity. That was meant for you your highness. Oh well, I suppose this could be better than I expected!" She raised her arm again and the nutcracker suddenly disappeared, for she casted him away to another land, a land without magic. With vengeance in her eyes, she cast one final spell, which froze the kingdom in time. The kingdom fell into despair, for they never thought they would see their prince again.