Author stuff: This was originally the first chapter when I started writing. And it was written in the present tense. Which made the wording weird and formal. I also had to change some things that are talked about in the next chapter — mostly about North (who is referred to as Nicholas by Katherine, "that blasted boy" by Ombric and a Great-Great Grandaunt, and some other names by other people).
We're still some chapters off from the exciting bits but to make up for it, there is food porn in this chapter. It's based on Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners that I've had. (I could have added a scene with everyone eating but the descriptions should suffice.)
I combined this chapter with the next one shortly before I posted it. There wasn't much happening in this chapter, and what was supposed to be the next chapter had a lot of fun stuff. So, the two were combined. And it made this one extra long. Enjoy.
THE UGLY DOLL
BY iOc
CHAPTER II
IN WHICH THERE IS MUCH CELEBRATION
The manor rose to a clamor the afternoon following the day they received the letter. There were many things that needed to be done — the tinsel needed to still be hung, candles needed lighting, the tree still needed topping, food still had to be prepared and quite a lot of it too, beds be made, guests to arrive, et cetera, et cetera… Yes, Sekjova Manor was in a clamor.
It was Christmas Eve, which was considered to be a very important night. For it was the one night many things would happen, and it was the night special gifts for special children would be delivered while they slept. Yes, it was a very important night.
For Katherine Shalazar it would be the night she would be united with her uncle's apprentice, a man she considered to be her elder sibling — for she had none of her own blood. He always brought with him the most splendid gifts and the most splendid stories. Katherine preferred the stories to the gifts, but she never told him as such.
She spent most of her time prepping herself for the evening festivities — for that is what young ladies of this time should do and it would be considered quite inappropriate to go downstairs in her bedclothes. After her bathing, she redressed in half-dress — there were guests who arrived and needed to be greeted, though she long since has forgotten their names. And an hour or so before the party took off, she had to hurry back up to her rooms to get dressed in her evening attire.
The gown she wears is a simple one — a white thing with the appropriate length for her age and tied with a blue sash at her natural waist. It was all stitched together with the finest silver thread. Katherine was not fond of dresses, but she was told months ago what was expected of her as she was now of an age to be sent to finishing school — an event that will take place in the late summer of the subsequent year. She was to be the lady of Sekjova Manor, after all.
She donned a pair of fine glove that fit her hands comfortably and a crown of leaves, flowers, and twigs. The crown was a bit tight around her head and has to be tilted at an angle. Her stockings and undergarments were crisp, white, and clean. And her silver slippers just poked out beneath the hem of her skirt.
She took the stairs down to the main floor, lifting up the lip of her skirt so as not to dirty it or tear the pretty hem off. She was ushered to the door the moment she reached the bottom. She, as well as other relatives and guests, stood shivering in front of the open door and listening to the carolers sing a lovely hymn. She could not place at the time being but knew it as fiercely as anyone else in attendance.
The carolers were thanked for the generosity and sent on their way with good well wishes and rock cakes, as well as some warm mulled wine. Katherine and the guests all made their way to decorated parlor. Many of the adults chatted amongst themselves, the children sparse, having been told to sit quietly and patiently until the meals are served. This was very difficult for children to do as they were, well, children at the time and it was seen as cruel and unusual punishment for something not yet done in their minds.
Female relatives, young and single, were called forth to sing and play on the pianoforte for everyone. One particular cousin who was not the best singer, and she had to have her father relieve her of her duties — much to the relief of everyone in attendance.
Katherine was called forth by her uncle to help her with some final preparations of some sort or another.
"Katherine," her elderly uncle said, leading her away from their guests, "come with me. I am in need of your assistance."
She nodded, without wondering, and followed. He led her to the parlor, and he slipped inside. The pretty but strong housekeeper named Seda eyed her as she, too, slipped through the doors. Seda does not say a word, however, she keeps watch for any nosy, peekers who wait to see the delights inside.
Katherine looked about in awe. The drawing room was very beautiful. There were fresh garlands strung along the borders of the walls and doors and along the mantle piece. The tree was gleaming in the firelight — the candles not yet lit. Oh, she could not wait to see them alight. The little ornaments were pretty and evenly spaced. Strings of popcorn and cranberries and tinsel took up the space not devoted to the ornaments. Yes, it was a lovely tree worthy of awe.
"You said you needed help?" Katherine said, noticing that her uncle has taken note of her gaping.
"Yes," he said, holding up a carefully wrapped present. "Everyone will open one tonight. I need your help placing them under the tree. I am not as spry as I used to be and that blasted boy is not here yet."
Blasted boy? Oh, he was talking about her brother.
"But," she said, "his letter said that he left his home days ago, how is he not here yet?"
"Nicholas has always been known to make an entrance."
It was true. He had a nasty habit of getting everyone's attention when he arrived. She hoped, for his sake, that he would forgo any such crazy shenanigans that year.
Placing the presents under the tree did not take long. In fact, it took a total of ten whole minutes from Katherine's time of sitting in the parlor doing absolutely nothing — something she was grateful for. And, instead of returning to the room with all of the guests, she was sent to the kitchens to see how the dinner is progressing.
"Roasted goose with cranberry sauce," the head cook said. He nodded to each thing he listed off. "Honey glazed ham with pineapple and cherries. Twice baked potatoes with cheese and black bacon. Sweet creamed corn. Steamed green beans in butter sauce and almonds. Candied sweet potatoes. Freshly baked bread rolls. Hard cheeses. And spiced wines, imported from France and Italy.
"For desert: mince pies, mint chocolate mousse, and mulled cider."
Katherine's eyebrows raised as she heard each item. Her mouth watered at the thought of consuming the delicious spread. She nodded and smiled ecstatically, happily awaiting the meals.
"My uncle wishes to know when everything will be ready to be served," she said, eyeing the goose expectantly. It's skin was perfectly browned and looked more than ready to devour.
"Not much longer now, my lady," he said, bowing slightly toward her. She was startled by the gesture, as it was a gesture usually reserved for the lady of the house.
Though, she thought, I suppose that is me now.
She smiled and curtsied stiffly, thanking him. She dismissed herself and set off to find her uncle, who returned to entertaining their guests. She nearly ran into the Great-Great Grandaunt Nicola along the away.
The woman wasn't really her Uncle Ombric's aunt, she was actually the a childhood friend of his aunt's who took time to check in on him after his family passed away all those years ago.
"Oh!" she said. "I am terribly sorry, dearest aunt. I did not step on your toes, did I?"
"No, no," the old woman said. "My toes are quite fine. My heart on the other hand is beating ferociously."
"Shall I retrieve a chair for you? Or escort you to a seat?"
"I am quite fine — er, which one are you again?"
"I am Katherine, dearest aunt." She bobbed in a quick curtsy.
"Ah, the little girl my nephew took in. You are a kind girl. You have bright eyes and a kiss at the corner of your mouth. Quite a pretty little thing. Tell me, what is it you spend your time doing?"
"I ride my pony Kailash when my lessons are complete for the day, dearest aunt. I also knit and embroider."
"Do you crochet?"
"No, dearest aunt. I have tried but it is not one of my strengths."
"Pity, you can make many things by crocheting. Ah well. Anything else you do?"
"I read and write. I enjoy the little library we have here."
"A book lover? Tell me, what is your favorite book?"
Katherine though about it for a moment… then two… then three. What was her favorite book? Did she even have one? Smartly, she answered:
"It all depends on what I just read and the genre," she said, slowly. "There are so many types of books, how does one choose their favorite?"
"How, indeed," the Great-Great Grandaunt Nicola said, chuckling. "You are a smart girl. Perhaps I should tell my nephew to send you to visit me for a while."
A sharp tinkling of a bell reverberated down the hall from where the other guests were gathered. It was time for dinner.
"Oh, how much longer, Miss Shalazar?"
Katherine smiled down at the younger children who could hardly keep their excitement. Dinner was done, their plates cleared away, and the guests waited in the drawing room. Her uncle, several other adults, and the housekeeper Seda had locked the doors to the ballroom. In there, preparations for the rest of the evening continued.
She could hear other young women, schooled and marriageable, entertaining the other guests. Soon she would be one of those young ladies. She shuddered at the thought. She did not quite like the idea, nor did she like the fact that it meant that she would soon be too old to join the children whilst they listened to her brother's stories of his adventures.
She should actually be amongst the adults, seeing as how she was dressed in a white dress with a blue ribbon waist sash, the standard colors a schoolgirl wore while she was in attendance. Not to mention, it was her first year without pantalettes. She smoothed out the invisible wrinkles in the skirt and replied:
"We have to wait for the Christmas Fairy to tell us when it is time," she said, folding her hands behind her back. She would somehow have to make it seem as if the Christmas Fairy was real for them. She was a clever girl, so she did not think too hard about it.
"Christmas Fairy?" one of the older children said. "I have never heard of the Christmas Fairy."
"Oh, that is because she is kept a secret. My Uncle only told me yesterday about her. She's very kind and very pretty."
"Have you seen her?" a young child asked.
"You cannot really see her, she is a little ball of light. But you just know that she is beautiful. She helps to deliver gifts to all the good girls and boys. My Uncle asked her especially this year to deliver the presents for the ball. But she might not bring anyone any presents if we keep talking. She does not like noise. How about we sit and wait for her, hmm?"
She was able to get all of the children to sit quietly on the floor or in nearby chairs and benches while they continued to wait. The wait was not long. They were rewarded with the chinking of heavenly bells — and Katherine was quite sure she saw a flash of light out of the corner of her eye — and opening doors.
The children cried out and openly gaped into the ballroom. Her uncle, several adults, and Seda all welcomed them and the other guests. But there was another man in there with them, one who Katherine recognized despite the hair on his face.
"Nicholas!" she said, dashing over to him. He enveloped her into a fierce embrace and kissed her cheeks. "You have a beard."
"And you have grown considerably," he said, setting her back down. He held her at arm's length, looking her over from head to toe. "Look at you, Kisa. A young lady now."
"You also have quite the stomach. Is the cooking really that good?"
"Mr. North!" Great-Great Grandaunt Nicola, on the arm of a cousin, walked stiffly over to them. "What a mild entrance this year."
Katherine stifled her laughter as the two of them chatted. She could clearly remember the past few times he joined them on holiday celebrations.
He was quite late the previous Easter Sunday. He had grumbled how Easter was not as important as Christmastime and it was really a waste on everyone. The children were not given gifts, after all. He got scorned by Great-Great Grandaunt Nicola — who everyone was still surprised to see walking around, quite alive at her age — and beaten over the head with her mighty, gnarled cane. Easter was not about gifts, it was about Jesus and his resurrection. Everyone knew that.
And the Christmas three years ago, having been absent the last two years, he arrived with a company of men no better than Cossacks! They delighted the children with tales of gripping adventures and shows of their skill. Great-Great Grandaunt Nicola was not impressed and beat them all with her mighty, gnarled cane.
Not to mention how, five Christmases ago, Nicholas arrived in the middle of dinner with an army reindeer, trailing after him as he entered the dining room. They were a parade of antlers and candles and tinsel and gloriously wrapped presents all in a sleigh. Great-Great Grandaunt Nicola shooed the reindeer out and beat Nicholas over the head with her mighty, gnarled cane.
Or the Christmas seven years ago where there was a snowball fight. Indoors. As Great-Great Grandaunt Nicola was arriving with her now deceased husband. There were many beatings with her might, gnarled cane that day. Almost everyone learned their lesson. Except Nicholas.
Yes, Nicholas Saint North was bound to make exciting entrances that amused many and often got him in trouble. This year, however, things were quite different.
"I got here near the beginning of dinner," Nicholas said. "I decided to enter through the kitchen doors. They helped smuggle myself and my gifts in. Uncle was not even aware I had arrived until after he had eaten his fill. Sorry that I was unable to join all of you. It smelled delicious."
"I will have a plate put in the icebox for you," Uncle Ombric said, resting a hand on the man's shoulder.
"May we open our presents yet?" one of the children asked.
"Oh, which ones are from the Christmas Fairy?" another said.
"Christmas Fairy?" Uncle Ombric said.
"Yes, Uncle," Katherine said. "Remember, you told me about the Christmas Fairy yesterday and how you asked her to bring our gifts here especially?"
The older man looked down at her confused for a moment, then smiled. He patted her head and pulled her in to a hug.
"Ah, yes, that Christmas Fairy. Well…"
"They are all very good, and they sat quietly while we waited. I do believe that their good behavior warrants presents."
The children begged and pleaded as nicely as they could, though they were a tad too excited to see what they had received. Uncle Ombric raised his arm, and they quieted down.
"No worries, Uncle," Nicholas said, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "The Christmas Fairy requested my help when you recruited her. She gave me designs for very special presents for the children. Now, let me see. Which ones were they…"
He scanned the presents, shaking his head after each one his examined. He was rather comical. He stopped in front of a group of parents and asked them to part. They revealed a nice sized box. He pulled out a gnarled stick and tapped on it twice. He opened the box and… nothing was inside.
"Oops." he said. "That wasn't the right knock."
He closed the box and tapped it three times. He reopened the box and inside was four dolls, two male and two female. One man was dressed in vibrant reds and violets and blues. One female was dressed in whites and pinks. The last two were dressed similar, in blacks and white — little clowns, Katherine realized. None of them were any higher than her knees, but there were all made of porcelain, gears, stuffing, and fabric.
"Pierrot and Pierrette," she said, beaming. Many of the children looked at her, confused. "Pierrot is a clown in love with Columbine. She leaves him for Harlequin, and he becomes sad. Pierrette, who has been madly in love with Pierrot the whole time, is sad for him and tries to make him happy again."
"Does Pierrot ever fall in love with Pierrette?" one child asked.
"Why don't we watch and see?" Nicholas said. He tapped his gnarled stick against the box five times, and the dolls sprang to life. A little song chimed for the box, much to the delight of the children. They enacted, in pantomime, the little story Katherine had told them, complete with a bittersweet ending. Columbine attempted to return to Pierrot, who rejected her. He knelt in front of a startled Pierrette, his arms out wide. Pierrette knelt next to him, she happily returned his love. Columbine stood, poised with her hands in from of her face. The Harlequin doll had disappeared back into the box. The song ended on a happy note, and the children clapped.
Nicholas collected the dolls and placed them back in the box. The children chatted excitedly about them, wanting more. They were sent off to find the next Christmas present. They brought Nicholas ones from under the tree, which he all shot down.
"What's that behind you, Miss Katherine?" one of the older children asked. He pointed to a box on a table that she had not seen.
Katherine picked it up and carried it over to Nicholas. He smiled at her and set it on the floor by his feet. Like the previous time, he tapped the box three times and opened it. Inside was a little ballerina dressed in bright pinks and purples and gold. There was no story to her dancing, but it was beautiful. She twirled up on her little porcelain toes in time to the music, her movements creating a soft tinkling. It was a bit odd but while one of the doll's feet was flexed down, the other was flat up. Still, she whirled around in the circle of children, Katherine, North, and on-looking adults. When the ballerina doll ended her dance, they all clapped politely. Nicholas cradled the doll and placed her back in her box.
"There is one more present," he said, clasping the lock. He set the box aside and looked at the children. "Well, go on and find it."
They scattered like leaves in the wind once again, searching wherever they could for the last gift. Katherine watched delightedly from her little perch atop an armrest of a divan.
"Aren't you going to join them?" Nicholas said, cocking a brow.
"No," she said, shaking her head. "It wouldn't be fair. I know all of your hiding spots."
"Oh? Do tell, where is my last gift?"
She hummed and looked about, eyes breezing over the actual spot she knew the present was lurking. After a moment, she nodded to one of the corners. Tucked away on the flat surface of the floor was a box wrapped in white paper and tied with a silver bow. It was larger than the others, height wise, and was much wider.
"That wasn't there when we were decorating the room earlier," she said. He chuckled and patted her on the head, careful of messing up her hair.
"Good girl. How long do you think it will take them?"
"Not too long now. Give them another minute or so."
And, indeed, one of the boys spotted it. He pointed it out and gave a great cry, drawing the attention of everyone in the room. The children gathered around it and waited for Nicholas. Katherine trailed after him, sticking to the outskirt of the group. She was quite pleased to see that she was taller than most of them.
She watched as the man pulled the gift from the corner to a coffee table and undid the ribbon — giving it to one of the single cousins whose hair was cut short in the style of a la Titus. He showed the children what was inside. It was a snow globe. Inside, beyond the glass, was a very pretty castle that seemed to reflect the light — like the moon did to the sun's rays. The globe itself was much too heavy for any single child to lift. How on earth were they supposed to make the snow dance?
Nicholas withdrew a key from his front lapel pocket and cranked it. The snow globe came to life almost instantly. It chimed out a tune as internal fans hummed to life, creating a current to ensnare the snow. Little lights inside the castle lit up in time with the music. It all slowly died away and the children begged Nicholas to make it work again. He did so, several more times, before Ombric called for everyone's attention.
It was time to dance.
Author stuff cont'd: As mentioned at the top, this was originally the first chapter in my first edition of this fic. The next chapter was combined with this chapter. I decided to add this in because I liked it. It's now a monster… which makes me Frankenstein. Hur hur hur…
GGGA Nicola is my favorite OC for this universe. I would like to say that she's based off one of my grandmothers, but she isn't. She is who I hope to be when I'm older. She was actually inspired by Mme. Padva from The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. (Never read it? Check out the adult section of your library. The book is on my recommendations list.) Make note, I said inspired by. Really, they're nothing alike.
She is one of the few surviving characters from the original version of this. In fact, the bit about her cane that was copied and pasted from this chapter to the next simply because I liked it so much. She's totally likeable. Totally.
NUTCRACKER FUN FACT
In E. T. A. Hoffmann's original tale, the main character is name Marie, and she had a doll named Clara. In the original libretto, it was the same. It was changed by one director and had consistently flip flop depending on who is in charge. In many Russian versions, however, her name is Masha.