The Nutcracker King (Coming From Darkness #1)

Epilogue

Another day, another nightmare. Today, it was about Fritz. It started off well-enough, she and Fritz in their old playroom having tea together. Suddenly, the tea turned into blood and Fritz disappeared. Marie tried to look for him, but she couldn't get out of her chair. Instead, she was forced to stay seated while sugarplums danced in front of her and forced her to eat them, squirting their bloody juices into her mouth as she chewed.

"I'm sorry, Marie," one of the sugarplums turned into Fritz's head as she prepared to bite down.

Marie screamed and opened her eyes. Finally, she was awake. She turned to her side and was relieved to see that the Nutcracker was already gone. He had probably woken early to attend to matters of state; Lord Candy and the other rebel nobles were still causing trouble, even in the second year of the Nutcracker's reign. Well, she hoped that they would continue to cause him trouble for a long time, the less she had to see of her 'husband', the better.

As she got out of bed, a serving girl immediately hurried over to hand her a robe. Marie gratefully accepted it and walked over to the bathroom, where a valet had already readied her toothbrush and cup. Marie sighed. You'd think that the Nutcracker would let her do a few simple tasks herself.

Well, there was one task that he had entrusted to her.

"I think I'd have a basket of fruit for breakfast in the Garden. Please ready a basket with some candy apples." Marie smiled at the servant girl. She had found this the least suspicious way to move food through the Castle.

Soon, Marie was walking through the castle, dressed in a plain robe with a basket of candy-fruit hanging over her arm. Her Hussar, who had been waiting outside her chambers, trailed five steps behind. As she walked towards her destination, she bumped into the Princesses, with their ever-present Hussar guards.

"Princess."

"Queen Marie."

They greeted each other politely. Marie made small talk, very aware of the Hussars who stood less than five paces away. The Princesses were equally aware, their eyes darting to their bodyguards every minute or so. By the time they parted, Marie had received an invitation to tea, where she and the Princesses could sit and talk in relative privacy.

With a sympathetic glance, the Princesses left Marie. She made her way through the now-familiar twists and turns of the castle, finally arriving in front of an ornate gate.

"You may wait out here," Marie told the Hussar. Taking a deep breath, Marie pushed open the doors and walked in. She didn't stop until she reached the lake in the middle. Like much of the Kingdom, it was painted a fantastical red. Unlike the rest of the kingdom, it stank of iron.

"Hello Princess Pirlipat."

Pirlipat groaned slightly. "He...oh," she managed.

Marie gave her a small smile. "This is wonderful Princess Pirlipat! You're making real progress - I'm sure you'll be able to talk soon," she said with as much cheerfulness as she could manage. "Would you like some fruit? I brought your favourite, candy apples." Marie held up the sweet red apple in front of her.

Princess Pirlipat nodded slightly, and Marie started cutting the apples into small pieces. A few weeks after she became Queen, she was given the task of taking care of poor Princess Pirlipat. The Nutcracker claimed that there was no one else. She had quickly discovered that Princess Pirlipat was in extreme pain because of the way she was hung. So Marie had adjusted her, which seemed to relieve the pain a little.

As she fed Princess Pirlipat, Marie talked about everything and anything; pretty words with empty meanings. In her heart, she wanted to help Princess Pirlipat escape, but she herself was trapped.