A/N: Okay, so I wanted the updates to be quick with this one, but looks like that ain't happening. Sorry to anyone who was hoping for fast updates!
Enjoy!
Chapter Two
She was beautiful.
He could see her from his place on the table. His eyes traced her slim, lithe figure, hidden beneath a silvery-blue dress. Her feathered wings were outstretched above her head, and she held a single light in her hands, which she was holding near her chest. A silver wire tiara was bent around her head, and long black hair flowed to her waist in a silky wave. A small, secret smirk covered her face, and her silvery-blue eyes simply sparkled in the low light.
He ignored how eerily similar she looked to the current Angel, and simply gazed at her beauty.
Beside him, the Orange Nutcracker gasped. "There are two Angels now?" he hissed. "Which one do we stay loyal to?"
That effectively brought him out of his trance.
The Black Nutcracker shrugged, dark eyes watching the New Angel intently. "It's our duty to protect the Angel of the household." He reminded them. "I think that covers all of the Angels that might live in a household."
The shy Blue Nutcracker nodded his head, hesitantly agreeing. "I believe this to be the case." He said. "I could consult the Owl-?"
"NO!" the other Nutcrackers yelled in a panic; the wooden Owl that lived above the grandfather clock was crazy and creepy and never missed an opportunity to try and eat them.
The other three immediately broke out in a heated argument about the Owl-Blue was all for going to see the wizened old thing, as it held the only copy of the Rule Book in the house. However, the other two didn't want the darker-skinned Nutcracker to go see the crazed beast, as he always returned badly shaken and terrified. And in their line of work, that was never a good thing.
Using the argument as a distraction, the Orange Nutcracker slipped off their table and vaulted to the floor, racing across it to the figure no one else has seen.
The Angel.
The old one, the one who had graced the top of their tree for nearly ten years now. She was resting on the edge of the table, hands clasped in front of her, wings folded neatly behind her. Her light pink gown swirled gracefully around her bare feet, and her own wire tiara had been thrown to the side, presumably in a fit of anger. Her light blue eyes were closed, and he could sense the anger rushing through her slender frame. She stood with the grace and wisdom of the Queen she was inside. His blue eyes momentarily flickered across her beautiful face before he climbed up on the tabletop and stood respectfully behind her. "Milady?" he asked hesitantly.
She turned her head ever-so-slightly. "Yes?" she asked softly, her voice smooth and velvety.
"What are we to do about the New Angel?"
She turned around completely, blue eyes meeting with his own. "What do you mean?" she asked, tilting her head to the side.
Orange tugged nervously at his collar. He'd never really had a true conversation with the Angel before; she was usually snapping at him, telling him he spoke too much or that he needed to calm down. She'd never been like this before-vulnerable and child-like. "W-Well, what course of action do you wish to take?"
Her head turned to face the New Angel. "Tell me, Phineas," she said quietly, taking him completely by surprise as she used his True Name. Frankly, he hadn't even been aware she knew his. "Am I a bad Angel? Have I done wrong in keeping vigilance over the household all these years? Have I failed in my duty somewhere?"
He vehemently shook his head. "No, Milady, of course not! How could you even think that?"
She lifted a porcelain hand and brushed a lock of black hair out of her face. "Do you think the Humans are trying to replace me?"
"No," he answered immediately. "I think they just got a new Angel and don't wish to be impolite by ignoring her existence."
She lifted her head and gazed at him thoughtfully. She closed her eyes and turned away. "It is lonely." She mused. "Sitting at the very top of the Tree, playing the Protector, knowing that no matter what you do, you do not make a difference. I feel so very small, so very insignificant, so very unimportant...I seem to be nothing more than a replaceable Ornament. I must always be cold and aloof, and I may never show just how Broken I am inside, for that would be showing weakness. It is a long and lonely road, Phineas, being the strong one, the rock of comfort. Everyone expects you to be there when they need you, but when you need a shoulder to cry on…there is no one."
Phineas knelt down and picked up the silver wire tiara off the ground. "That's not true." He said softly. "You will always have at least one person to lean on. Someone who will always care for you, to help you repair your wings...someone who will always be there for you."
"Oh?" she turned to look at him. "And who might that be?"
"Me." He said immediately, before feeling his cheeks stain.
Her eyes widened and her cheeks were suddenly flushed. A soft clinking sound came from her mouth as her hand covered it. "Phineas-" she started.
He thrust the crown into her arms. "Here," he said gruffly. And before she could say anything, he had vaulted off the table and returned to his fellow Nutcrackers.
She gazed after him for a minute before a smile suddenly spread across her face. She smoothed down her hair and replaced the tiara carefully.
It was time to meet the New Angel.
A/N: Okay I'm not too pleased with this chapter…the ending was hell to write. But at least it's over.
Review for the 3rd chapter!