The Nutcracker Prince and The Mouseking

Chapter 10: The Coronation

Bright, cool morning sunlight floods Alexander's large room, plastering it with a pale-yellow hue. The sounds of church bells and gentle music could be heard muffled throughout the castle. Dolls of all kinds were hustling and bustling about, preparing the minor fine-tuning for the Coronation and the great afterparty.

Alexander lies in the large bed, suddenly hyper-aware of almost everything. The panic in his heart and stomach, the sensations of the duvet on him felt like it was trying to engulf him, to stifle him. He gets up and crosses to the balcony, standing there as a gentle breeze washes everything away. He stays there for a while, gazing over the kingdom that would become his. Oh, how gorgeous it was. Sweet quaint buildings made of a rich, dark biscuit lined every street, their iced roofs glistening slightly with early morning frost, smoke rising from the chimneys. The town was busier than ever, the people rushing around with great excitement on their varied faces. Carts were being hauled about, decorations were being adjusted, goods were being baked and gifts were being wrapped. Alexander could just make out the beginnings of a large street party on the main roads.

He cast his gaze beyond the town. Past the tall, spiralling towers and the stoic, gingerbread walls were rolling hills, planes, and valleys; leading off into mountain ranges and thick forests. Multiple other towns dotted the landscape, possibly as busy as the one below him. He sighs and heads back in. he pulls out the large mirror and the magic nut; reaching out to grab his outfit of the day, carefully selected by one of the first dolls to greet his arrival. He stands in front of the mirror the pile of clothes awkwardly held in one hand; half pressed against him. Alexander closes his eyes, focuses, and taps the mirror. A swoosh of magic nearly knocks him off balance, the bedclothes are in a pile behind him, and his hand is free.

He checks himself out: his paintwork now the blue jacket with the wine trimmings; those trimmings crisscrossing over his chest and lining the edges of his sleeves and hem; silver epaulettes adorn his shoulders, extra chords going under his arm and across to a button beside his left shoulder over the red and silver sash; the small white scarf peeking out under it. He has shiny painted boots; their colour is unchanged. His trousers are the same wine colour as all the trimmings on his jacket and his gloves, at last, were short and delicately detailed with a three-pronged crown emblem.

He twists to glance at himself from different angles, chuckling to himself and then spotting his sword by the table, polished and shining in the bright sunlight. He slips it back on, looping it through the new belt from the jacket, setting it by his left side. There is a knock at the door,

"Come in!" he calls, turning towards it with a smile. The two maids from last night and the doll with the blue sash walk in, the maids carrying something,

"Ah- good morning, sir! Up and ready, I see. Now there's just one thing left that you need," the doll says, gesturing to the two maids and the large fold of fabric in their hands. The two maids step forward and unravel a large inky cloak with a reddish underside and a large silver clasp – the crown emblem on it – trying to put it on Alexander,

"Oh- apologies, " he murmurs at their struggle and dips down so they can lay it on his shoulders. He stumbles at the weight of it. The doll smirks,

"The first prince reacted the very same way to that cloak..." he says, nostalgia-laden in his voice,

"Th-the first Prince?" Alexander asks, standing back up and fixing the clasp on the cloak,

"Ah yes, Prince Hans Drosselmeier...He was a splendid Prince and benevolent ruler to this kingdom- why, the kingdom would have befallen a sorry state if it were not for him," the doll replies, clasping his hands together. Alexander stops at the mention of the First Prince's name...A Drosselmeier? Then that would mean that-