Ahiru sat outside the ice palace and watched the night sky. She was wrapped up in her handkerchief-blanket. She had a hard time falling asleep, but she figured if she was going to have insomnia, she might as well enjoy the view! She heard footsteps behind her. With how heavy they were, she ventured to guess it was the nutcracker.
"Could you not sleep either?" She asked, still looking at the sky.
He sat down next to her. "Not really. Are you doing okay?"
"Yeah, I am now. It's been quite a day."
"I suppose so."
"I know it hasn't been very long, but I already miss my own bed. It's pretty cold in that room."
"I understand." He looked down at his hands, "I guess an advantage to this curse, I can't really feel cold anymore. It's something you adjust to..."
Ahiru looked at the nutcracker. It was the first time she got a real good look at his face, besides when Drosselmeyer gave him to her. He still had that solemn look on his face. Ahiru wished there was something she could do to change that. She wondered what he was like before he was a nutcracker. Were those deep green eyes the same now as when he was human? Was he happier then?
"Have you tried to remember anything lately?" She asked gently.
The nutcracker was surprised by that question. He sighed, "Not really. When I try I get a few flashes. I think the Prince and I were best friends… I think I had parents… Not much else."
She could tell this was painful for him. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked."
"No, it's fine. Why did you want to know?"
"Part of it was to check on you." She paused, unsure of what to say next. Quickly she mumbled, "The other was to see if you had any odd memories of dancing."
He held back a laugh, "Was my dancing that amusing to you?"
"No! Well yes, but… I was just curious."
"Do you like to dance?"
"I love to dance! Especially with my father. If there was one good thing about our Christmas Eve party, it would be getting to dance with him…" She drifted off at that last comment. That memory was such a warm feeling in this cold weather. The nutcracker watched her for a moment. He was a little caught off guard by how pretty she looked in the moonlight, or even how she lit up about dancing. That warm joyful feeling she had was quite contagious!
"Well, how about this? After we defeat the Raven King, I'll dance with you."
"What?"
"You heard me."
She giggled, "You promise?"
"I promise." He smiled. That sight alone was what Ahiru wanted to see most. Despite being made of wood, his smile was so genuine. It warmed her heart to see it.
Ahiru looked over to the east where she could see a large body of water. "Is that the Sea of Storms?"
"Yes. They say no man can cross it alone." He looked at her, "I guess it's a good thing we're going together. It won't be easy though."
Ahiru didn't respond.
"It would probably be good to get some rest before we sail tomorrow. Let's head back."
He offered her his hand and walked her back to her room.
The snowy coast of the Sea of Storms was surprisingly warm. Ahiru stood on the bank trying to get a better glimpse of the land on the other side. She looked to her right where the snow fairies were helping prepare the boat they had made for their journey. The Snow Queen had informed her that although it is called the Sea of Storms, the waters were actually very still. No, the real reason it was called the Sea of Storms was because the Sea would prey upon the storm inside. To this day, no one knew who or what caused the spell. Only if you must cross the Sea, you must calm the storm inside or not sail alone.
Ahiru put her hands over her chest and took a deep breath. She didn't know much about the storm in her heart, but she hoped it was one she could control. The nutcracker came into Ahiru's view as he examined the boat made of pure ice. She couldn't imagine the demons he had to face. Though perhaps with his memories gone, he could handle it better.
The Lillie look-a-like came up to Ahiru.
(Marie's Dream)
"Everything is ready for your journey! Come see!"
She hooked Ahiru's arm again and rushed her to the boat. The fairy glided her hand over the rail of the icy craft.
"Trust in this boat, and in yourself, and you will get to the other side in safety." She turned to Ahiru and hugged her. "Good luck." She said, "I believe in you."
Ahiru smiled and returned the embrace. "Thank you." She replied.
The fairies loaded the two into the boat and launched it. The fairies all waved goodbye from the shoreline giving cheers and well wishes to the travelers. It didn't take much for the boat to drift out deeper into the sea.
"Trust in this boat and yourself." Ahiru repeated to herself as she took the rutter.
"You're ready?" The nutcracker said, taking the oars. She nodded. The nutcracker began to row the boat with all his might, while Ahiru held the boat steady. For a time it seemed like there was nothing that could stop them. But that was what the nutcracker feared. This was too easy. He gripped the oars tighter and rowed harder. 'We will be fine.' He thought.
While the nutcracker steeled his resolve, the same could not be said for Ahiru. Although at first, she too thought this was easy. That was her mistake. She had let her guard down and turned to focus on the water. That was when her mind became filled with terrible visions. She saw the Raven King extend his dark wings over this land! She saw him breaking through the clock tunnel and into her home where he killed and ate her family! She saw the nutcracker smashed to pieces and loaded into a bonfire as the Raven King's henchmen danced around it! She could see the agony on the nutcracker's face as he burned to ash!
In all the excitement in her mind, she had let go of the rutter. She began to scream and hyperventilate. That was when the boat began to slowly fill with water.
"Ahiru?" The nutcracker said. He hesitated to let go of the oars. But realizing they wouldn't get much farther without a working rutter or controlling the amount of water coming into the boat, he let go.
The boat kept rowing, as if knowing stopping would not assist them now. The nutcracker took Ahiru's arms so she could face him.
"Hey, Ahiru." He said gently, "Look at me."
She violently shook her head, "Stop it! Make it stop!"
"Listen to me!" He pressed, "Whatever you're seeing, it's not real."
She closed her eyes and started to cry. You must understand, Ahiru was a gentle soul. Such terrible visions were not meant for eyes like hers. Yet all the same, these nightmares were thrust upon her. The nutcracker didn't lose faith though. He had to get through to her. He promised to protect her, and he was going to do his best to keep that promise. He had to help her beat these fears.
He took one of her hands in his and used the other to lift her head to focus on him.
"Ahiru, remember when you acted on your bravery against the raven commander? Or when you trusted yourself in following the fairy's singing? That was real, and it's only a fraction of what you're capable of. Don't let these nightmares stop you!" He squeezed her hand, "I can't do this without you. I know you're more than brave enough to get through this."
Ahiru was quiet. It was all she could do to keep from crying. She nodded weakly and took back the rutter.
The moment she did, the boat slowly drained. Ahiru righted their path and squeezed the rutter tight. When her mind would start to wander again, she would focus on the nutcracker. He believed in her, so she had to believe in herself.
It didn't take long after that that the two arrived at the Land of Sweets.
(Stop)
Once the boat landed on shore, Ahiru fell to her hands and knees and started to cry. The nutcracker kneeled down next to her. Without warning, she threw her arms around him as she cried harder. He was startled, but immediately held her. "It's alright." He said gently, "It's over now. And look, we made it."
She nodded quietly. The nutcracker kept holding her. It hurt a lot having to witness her suffering so much and not be able to do anything. He would do his best to never let that happen again! It took awhile before Ahiru got ahold of herself. The nutcracker carefully helped her to the shore. As the two made their way further on land, they noticed pretty quickly that everything had been ravaged and abandoned.
"What happened here? Where are the people?" Ahiru said, voice still shaking.
"I don't know." He said, "We should be careful."
Ahiru latched onto the nutcracker's arm. Ahiru didn't know it, but that little action put the nutcracker at ease. He was touched by how much she trusted him. He felt honored to be worthy of that trust. As the two walked further along, the nutcracker would take long looks at the empty homes as if something was trying to get through to him. Ahiru was quick to take notice. "Do you remember something?"
For a moment, the nutcracker could hear the sounds of swords clashing and men shouting.
"There was a skirmish. I fought here."
Ahiru held his arm a little tighter. "Are you okay?"
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I don't know…" While the nutcracker couldn't quite feel the warmth of Ahiru's hands, he could at least take comfort in her trying to comfort him. Even when she was still shaken by the Sea of Storms, she still tried to make sure he was okay.
Before anything else was said, there was rustling in the bushes behind the two. The nutcracker pivoted to face whatever was about to show up. He kept one arm in front of Ahiru and let his other hover over his sheathed sword. From the bushes leapt out a boy with a candy cane sword, and a face Ahiru remembered.
"Ah-ha!" He shouted, "So the Raven King is sending men made of wood now! He should be so foolish! Enguard!" He raised his sword to them.
Ahiru sighed. 'Even here, Femio is eccentric.'
The nutcracker put his hand to his face and sighed. "We're not here with the Raven King. We're here to stop him."
The Femio look-a-like cocked his head to the side in confusion. "Really?"
"Yes!" The nutcracker was very annoyed at this point.
The boy sheathed his sword, "Oh pardon me, mon ami!" He spun around, rested the back of his hand on his forehead, tilted his head back and closed his eyes. "We've been dealing with so many skirmishes with the Raven King's men, it's hard to trust strangers around here."
"I can just imagine." The nutcracker said as deadpan as possible.
Ahiru, having experience dealing with Femio, stepped in between the other two. "Are you the only one around? What are you doing here? And do you know where everyone else is?"
The boy opened one eye, and suddenly had a newfound interest in the girl before him. He spun around again, got down on one knee and took Ahiru's hand.
"Oh fair maiden, I could keep no secret from a beauty such as yourself!" He pulled out a wilting rose and offered it to her.
"Uh…" Ahiru started to gently push the rose away. Out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw the nutcracker with a uniquely agitated face.
"Oh, you are right!" The Femio look-a-like said, "I should give it to you once we find the flower fairies!"
"Flower fairies?" Ahiru echoed.
"Yes! We've been searching for them to see if they can revive the land. If we don't find them here, there can only be one other settlement where they could be hiding."
"Hey!" Someone shouted.
Emerging from the bushes was another familiar face. 'Lysander.' Ahiru thought.
He slapped the other boy in the back of the head. "I leave you alone for a few seconds and you start sharing all our secrets for a pretty face? Why do I even bother with you?"
Femio gasped and dramatically bowed. "I'm sorry, captain! Poor judgment upon this sinner!"
The captain looked up with a face that said 'why me?'
"Go back to the camp, scout." He barked.
The scout bowed multiple times, giving many thanks for his forgiveness and many other silly things before running off. Once he was gone the captain got a good look at the two strangers. He sighed. "Well, I'm sure that reflected poorly on our ranks." He said.
Now it was the nutcracker's turn to speak up. "I would say so, Captain. Are you that desperate for soldiers?"
Ahiru was surprised at how easily the nutcracker stepped into professional behavior.
The captain also picked up on the change in attitude. "I'm afraid so, sir." He said in a tone that was addressing an equal. "As well you know the Raven King has left us rather weak."
"Hence the search for the flower fairies." The nutcracker finished.
"Since that scout couldn't keep his mouth shut, I guess it's safe to assume you know we only have one settlement left to search."
"Well captain, if you're willing, we would be glad to help."
"That would be much appreciated, sir…"
"This is Ahiru. As for me, the Raven's curse has made me forget my name."
"I see. Allow me to lead you both to the camp. We can regroup with the others there."