Hey guys! I'm back and super tired from having to get up at 6:30 in the morning for school. Literally, I have five alarm clocks. I need that many to force myself out of bed. Four on my phone and then one on my ipod alarm clock blasting whatever song I feel like waking up to that day. Most of the time it's something to help me through the day. If I feel like I'm gonna have it rough that day, Santa Fe or Defying Gravity. If I have a dance competition that day and need something to bring out the passionate side of me, Circle of Life or Let It Go. And so on. I have my ipod alarm clock across my room so I have to get out of bed to turn it off. Smart, huh?
Anyways, since it's been a week since I updated and I actually finished my Christmas shopping early for once, I'm giving you all a new chapter! Enjoy! Only 20 days until Christmas!
"Rock giant!"
Close behind Jack and Katherine, the monster roared from atop the hill. "Jesus Christ" Davey breathed at the sight. It seemed as if he and Les were frozen in their places as the watched Jack and Katherine sprint down the hill followed by the rock monster.
Primm appeared at the monster's side and started shouting, "There he is! Blimey, I'm blind as a bat and even I can see him!" The monster let out a grunt and started down the hill at a slightly faster speed. "My God! Can't you go any faster than that? I'm flying faster than you and I'm about ten times smaller!" Not stopping on his descent, the monster swung at the bat and knocked him into a tree. "Right." Primm mumbled, only half-conscious, "Let you go at your own pace. Very good." He peeled himself off the tree and flew to catch up with the monster.
"Les! Davey! Over here!" Katherine shouted as she and Jack ducked down behind a rock. Les and Davey quickly followed their example.
The monster searched but couldn't find the group. It roared in anger, picked up a rock and threw it at the boat, smashing it to pieces. Davey gasped in horror and stood to face the monster above the rock. "I worked on that for a good half hour! You, ass!"
Les dragged him down and glared at him. "Why don't you invite him over for tea and cakes while you're at it?"
Suddenly, a small tinkling could be heard along with hoof beats. Jack looked at Katherine, "Do you hear…" An ice blue sparkle appeared in front of Katherine's face. It turned into the tiny snow fairy that had its wing fixed by Katherine. Jack cracked a small smile, "I should've known." The fairy giggled and darted over them. Turning, the group could see snow fairies swirling around the monster. The monster swatted at them as if they were flies but they were not deterred. Hundreds of snow fairies flew above the sea of storms. The sea immediately froze in its place, becoming a sea of ice. The hoof beats were louder now and Katherine could see a snow white form with an ice blue mane.
"Marzipan!" Katherine said excitedly, knowing the horse truly was safe and sound for Romeo and Racer. The horse was galloping straight for them and pulled to a stop, offering them her candy can carriage. "Come on! Before the snow fairies disappear!" The group dashed off towards the horse and hopped into the carriage. Davey took the reins with Les by his side and Jack and Katherine in the back. Davey whipped the reins and Marzipan sped off at full speed across the previous sea of storms.
The snow fairies finally relented flew away from the monster. The monster searched again but roared when he found the group had disappeared again. "What are you doing?" Primm shrieked at him, "They're crossing the sea! Follow them!"
Grunting, the monster started off, following the group. "He'll break right through the ice!" Les cheered. There was no way that that hunk of boulders was going to make it to them without cracking the ice. But after a few moments, the monster was getting closer, but yet the ice didn't even form a hairline crack. Les' smile dropped into a frown, "Uh oh."
"Seems like the snow fairies did their job a little too well." Davey stated. Jack looked at Davey and Les. They truly had no idea what to do at this point. His chocolate eyes locked with Katherine's doe ones. He had to protect her. He couldn't let her live the size of a doll. She would suffer too much. The mere thought of Katherine suffering in any way felt like a knife to the heart. He had to do this. Making a split second decision, he reached over and pulled on the reins, grinding Marzipan to a stop. In a matter of seconds, he unsheathed his sword and jumped out of the carriage. Katherine's eyes followed his movements, truly scared for him. Davey shouting interrupted her thoughts, "A sword won't do you any good! You'll be pulverized!"
Katherine let out a frightened squeak at the sentence. She couldn't stand the thought of her nutcracker being destroyed. Because for a reason she couldn't quite understand, she wanted him to be more than just her nutcracker, more than just her friend. She shouted out the first coherent thought she had, "Be careful!"
Jack stopped a little while away from the monster. He raised his sword above his head. "Don't worry!" He called back to Katherine, relishing that she truly cared for his safety. The thought itself gave him the extra courage he needed. "Wood floats. Rock doesn't!" With that, he drove the sword deep into the ice, creating a huge crack. Twisting the sword, he freed it, the crack headed towards the monster. Davey whipped the reins again and Marzipan took off, Jack dashing off after the carriage.
"Hurry!" Katherine shouted. They couldn't leave him to drown in the ice cold water, not after everything he's done for them, for her. Jack sprinted as fast as he legs could move and grabbed the edge of the carriage. He swung himself into the seat next to Katherine and she breathed a sigh of relief. Her nutcracker was safe… for now.
The two turned in time to see the monster step on the crack. Immediately, the ice broke even more. After a few seconds, the ice completely shattered, revealing the water below. The monster roared as he fell into the water, quickly sinking to the bottom of the sea as rock always would. Katherine smiled in relief and laid her forehead on Jack's shoulder. He had saved them once again. They were safe again. Because of him. How could he not see that he has all the qualities of a true prince? He was as blind as that stupid bat she saw flying with the monster. Jack gently placed one of his wooden hands over hers on the carriage seat, as if to remind himself that she was still here with him. The way he wanted it to be.
Over an hour had passed and they were still traveling on the frozen sea with Marzipan. A dense fog had settled over the sea, blinding the group. Davey still led the horse, talking quietly with Les while Katherine and Jack settled in the back. She had redone her ponytail so it was slicker that he had been during the chase, with stray locks flying out of the red ribbon she had tied it up in before falling asleep on her couch. Had that really been only a day ago. It seemed like forever since she had received Jack as a gift from her aunt with a tale about a prince trapped inside the wooden man. If only Aunt Marie knew how true her story reigned. Jack truly did have the heart of a prince. He just needed to realize that for himself. "If this fog doesn't clear up," Jack spoke, shaking her out of her thoughts and bringing her attention to the hidden prince, "we'll never find the Princess' island."
"And if we don't?" Katherine retorted, "You fought the Delancies' army, rescued Les from certain death, and saved us all from a vicious pile of rock! All without the Sugarplum Princess."
"The Delancies are too powerful to take on alone." Jack argued. He refused to believe that he was rightful to be prince as Katherine kept trying to insist he was. "And if we don't find the princess, you'll never be able to return home your normal size." She stiffened at the mention and he shot her a curious glance. "That is what you want isn't it?"
Katherine hesitated and delicately touched the heart locket around her neck, then the soft petals of the flower. "Of course." She lied through her teeth. Somehow, that isn't what she wanted. She wanted to stay here, with Jack. She didn't want to leave him when she had touched her heart in a way no one else ever had. There was only one explanation. She had fallen in love with the nutcracker prince, Jack Kelly. Little did she know how much that one lie had hurt Jack. He didn't want her to leave either. He needed her to stay here. She made him feel like he was the true prince of Parthenia. She didn't see him as a nutcracker, she saw him as a brave, courageous prince. There was no denying it. He had fallen in love with the auburn haired beauty, Katherine Pulitzer.
After another hour of riding, with both Jack and Katherine avoiding each other's gaze, Davey stopped the carriage. "Weather's getting worse. I say we turn around."
Marzipan let out a little neigh and Katherine jumped in, "Wait!" She exclaimed.
"It's too dangerous!" Davey snapped, "There's been no sign of this mysterious island. Not to mention what's going to happen when this ice starts to melt."
"Marzipan saw something." Katherine argued, "I'm sure of it." Davey sighed and flicked the reins. Marzipan trotted off through the fog. Half an hour later, the sun had broken through the clouds, melting the ice substantially but they had made it. They had found the island. While Marzipan grazed, the group took in the view. It was a beautiful island with purple mountains in the distance, and lush grass and forest all around them.
"Okay." Davey interrupted, "No time to enjoy the scenery. Let's find this princess."
Les crossed his arms at his brother's authoritative attitude. "I think the Nutcracker has earned the right to lead us." He said simply, as if was the most obvious and true statement in the world.
Davey looked at his little brother in shock. "But-but, he's wood!" He stammered.
"He's also the reason we've even made it this far." Les retorted.
"I'm only half the reason." Jack corrected, finally looking at Katherine. She smiled and tried to hide the pink forming on her cheeks. Jack smiled back at her. He was glad they were finally saying something to each other.
Without another word, Jack led them down a path leading into the island. Katherine trailed closely behind him and Les smirked at his brother before following the pair. "Handing the reins over to a stump." Davey grumbled as he reluctantly followed the rest of them, "I've never heard of such a thing."
After a little while of walking, they saw it. A magnificent castle of sugarplum pink and purple. The castle towered over them as they starred at it in awe. This had to be the Sugarplum Princess' castle. Who else would have this beautiful castle in the middle of an island? The boys headed towards the castle and only got a few feet before Jack realized Katherine wasn't following them. He turned to find her starring at her two necklaces with a melancholy expression on her face. She couldn't believe their journey was coming to an end. And just after she realized her true feelings about Jack. She couldn't leave him now, not after all they've been through. "You coming?" Jack asked, pulling her out of her thoughts.
Katherine's head shot up towards him. "Oh yes." She answered distractedly.
He walked over to her. "Are you okay?" He asked quietly. It broke his heart to see her sad but he couldn't figure out why she was sad. This is what she wanted, wasn't it? To find the princess so she could go home and leave him? Or was it?
"I'm fine." Katherine responded, still clutching the locket in her fist. "I'll be there in a moment."
Jack didn't believe her, but he let it slide. He turned back and headed towards the castle again. He found Davey and Les looking around in awe at the enormous castle. There was a grand staircase right in front of them and he figured that was the way to the princess. Taking a deep breath, he walked forward. He hit a wall before he reached the stairs. Suddenly, the castle collapsed around them and a cage was dropped on top of them. "Gotcha!" Primm said in glee as he flew right next to the cage. About five other bats flew down and landed on top of the cage. "Let's go boys! Of to the palace!"
The bats lifted the cage with the boys trapped inside and flew into the sky. "No!" Katherine shouted. It had been a trap all along. Set up by the Delancies. In an instant, Katherine realized that they probably wanted her too and she dashed off to take cover in the trees.
Primm looked inside the cage but only found three boys, no girl. "Wait a minute." He said, narrowing his eyes at the cage. "Where's the girl?" He looked down and scanned the island but Katherine was nowhere in sight. He shrugged. "Eh. Don't matter. No way off this island. Unless she's part mermaid."
As the cage, the bats and the boys flew out of sight, Katherine sagged in defeat. Her friends who'd she'd come to love and respect were taken from her. Her nutcracker had been taken from her. The one she had fallen in love with. The one she had decided she would've given up going home and living a normal life for. That's right. She'd decided that Jack was worth it. In this moment, she had realized that she needed Jack in her life. Even if they found the Sugarplum Princess, she would've stayed here with Jack no matter what her life had been like back home. She belonged here. With him.
Ooooh! Don't ya just love me? Don't worry. I'll probably be posting another chapter of this tomorrow night. My brother's still grounded so I'll have plenty of time. But now he's just annoying the crap out of me.
*Deep breath* Anyways, hope you liked this chapter and please R&R please!
Quote of the Day: Gifts of time and love are surely the basic ingredients of a truly merry Christmas –Peg Bracken
Song Suggestion: My Grown Up Christmas List –Kelly Clarkson