@bravelink gets a plotted Nutcracker starter
“And last but certainly not least, a present for you, child.”
The brunette’s face lit up as she was handed the carefully packaged gift topped with a shimmery bow. Gentle with her movements, Zelda started by removing the bow before beginning on the wrapping, soon opening a wooden box to reveal a nutcracker tucked away with the utmost care and precise packaging. The sight of the object pulled a gasp from lips painted a sugar plum purple, eyes glittering as she allowed the tips of her fingers to delicately run along the polished wood of the nutcracker.
The nutcracker itself depicted a prince dressed in shades of green with knee high boots and a pearlescent sword. His honey blonde head was adorned with a crown of metallic gold, candy cane red, and small gems that tied perfectly into the accents of his outfit. Then there was the stormy blue eyes and exaggerated mustache, with a velvet cloak to tie the look together. Even as she admired the beauty of the figurine, she could not help but to be astonished by its familiarity — the prince reminded her so much of the one skillfully drawn in her storybook, her favorite fairy tale since she was a young girl, with the exception of the thick caramel mustache that was painted on its face.
“He is beautiful,” the maiden remarked, mustering all her willpower to pry her eyes from the figure so she could look up at her great uncle, thanking him for the gift she’d received. This nutcracker was a present she would cherish for the rest of her days, her focus soon shifting back to the nutcracker as she gingerly removed it from the box, turning it in her hands so she could admire all the smaller (yet intricate) details.
The festivities and merriment continued throughout the evening, carols sang, pastries shared, mead passed around, and a series of games to keep all engaged. Once all had their share of food and fun, the family had retired to their respective bedchambers for the evening in search of a good night’s rest, but Zelda found sleep impossible. Too excited about the nutcracker, she’d quietly slipped downstairs to sit in front of the fireplace and further admire the wooden model.
It was only once she’d held the figure in her arms that sleep finally beckoned to her, the Hylian girl falling asleep on the chaise in the comfort of the warm fire.
It was the combination of the clock striking midnight and feeling something scurry past her feet that awakened Zelda, vision shifting in and out of focus as she attempted to blink back the sleep. Rolling onto her side, the maiden found her nutcracker was gone, panic clutching at her chest as she quickly sat up, wondering if she’d accidentally dropped it while she was asleep (and her heart nearly sunk at the thought).
Sliding to the floor, the brunette crouched onto her hands and knees, peering below the chaise to see if the figurine had somehow rolled beneath it. With wooden carving nowhere in sight, her attention shifted at the sight of movement in her peripheral, trailing to the silhouettes that scattered beneath the Christmas tree.
Rising to her feet, she moved in search of whatever had caused the movement, but her attention was suddenly captured by the sight of her nutcracker beneath a chair on the opposite side of the room.
If the means by which he’d gotten there was not alarming enough, seeing the wooden figurine running was more than enough to earn a loud gasp and cause Zelda to fall back a step.
What in the Goddesses' name was going on?