Remember Me: A Nutcracker Story | ✔

III. The Mountains

Mary stayed in her given room in the Sugar Plum Fairy's castle and cried for a whole day. She wouldn't see anyone: not the Fairy's subjects, nor her own toy friends. Sticks, Tinker, and Gielgud even ended up camping outside her door just in case she decided to come out. But there was no such luck.

When the sun arose the next day, the Sugar Plum Fairy went to Mary's bedroom. She found the toys asleep in front of the door, and she bent over to wake them. The three scrambled to their feet at the sight of her and bowed in unison.

"I will see Mary myself," she said softly, so Tinker knocked on the door for her, and called out,

"Miss Mary, the Sugar Plum Fairy is here to see you."

At the Fairy's touch, the door delicately swung open, and sunlight poured out into the hallway. Inside, in a mess of sheets and blankets on the bed lay Mary, her hair a golden web over her pillows and her face hidden under her arms. The Fairy touched her, and she stirred in her sleep, followed by a faint whimper.

"Mary, wake up," the Fairy murmured.

Mary opened her eyes, and under her lids they were red and puffy. Tear stains streaked her rosy cheeks, and the moment she opened her eyes she began crying all over again. The Sugar Plum Fairy sat gingerly on her bed and stroked her hair.

"It must be terrible for you," the Fairy said. "I want to help you."

Mary sniffed. "Is there anything you can do for him? He doesn't even recognize my face."

"As a matter of fact, I may have something I can help you with," said the Fairy. "I have sent some of my attendants to go and find any events in NC's youth that I was unaware of, and they've come back with a report last night."

Mary sat up in her bed instantly and wiped her tears away. "What was it they found?"

"You see, Mary, when the Snow Fairy passed away, the entire Snow Kingdom and Land of Sweets mourned gravely for her. The day after the funeral, NC excused himself from me to go on a trip of mourning by himself. I had assumed that it went just fine, because after three days, NC was back home."

The Sugar Plum Fairy paused and looked longingly outside the window, where she could barely see snow-capped mountains in the distance. Mary didn't want to seem rude, and instead of saying anything, she leaned forward in anticipation. The Fairy sighed deeply and continued.

"I hadn't noticed that when he came back, he was starting to become different. I only began seeing the changes after he had been crowned King, a month after the funeral. It was only recently did I realize to myself that his trip to unknown places might have had an effect on him."

"Did it?" asked Mary instantly.

"Alas, it did. My attendants have reported to me that they were able to find witnesses saying NC had disappeared into a cave in the mountains, only to re-emerge three days later."

Mary's eyebrows knitted together in deep thought. "Something in the cave must have affected NC in a way," she said, more to herself than the Fairy. Then she looked up. "Did they find anything in the cave?"

The Fairy shook her head. "One of my attendants went in alone, hoping to find anything useful, but when morning dawned his fellow soldiers couldn't find him. When they went inside, they found a dead end in the cave. It was like it swallowed my attendant towards unknown depths. They still haven't found him."

Mary was struck by fear, but also with strange sense of determination. "This might mean that the cave only opens up to solitary visitors. And if I want to help NC, I might have to go there alone."

The Fairy's face grew gravely serious. "I never thought of it that way," she murmured, but in the next second she grabbed Mary's arms in a firm grip. "Mary, I cannot allow you to leave the palace alone. It's too dangerous to travel on your own in a land you don't know."

"But if it's the only way —"

"Mary, I forbid it. You are not to leave the castle, do you understand?" When Mary didn't reply, the Sugar Plum Fairy leveled her gaze with hers. "Do you understand me, Mary?"

Reluctantly, Mary nodded. The Fairy's face softened and she touched Mary's face tenderly before leaving her room.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Night fell, and the ivory moon shone full and cold against the darkened sky. As Mary lay in bed looking at it, a thought nagged at her mind. She rose from her bed and approached the window. If she squinted and looked hard enough she could see the mountains in the distance, pale and stern against the moonlight. She turned her ear toward the door and heard the snores of her guards — the toys — outside. Quickly making up her mind, she hurriedly went and got dressed in warm clothes provided in the closet.

In half an hour she was already halfway out of her window, and she thanked her stars that her room was not in some high tower. There grew a steady vine affixed to a metal trellis just beside her window frame, and she could use it to carefully climb down if she was fast enough. Everything was quiet, and for a moment Mary thought she would be able to leave without any pursuits.

"And just where do you think you're going?"

Mary bit her lip, thinking, I thought too soon. She looked up to find Sticks, Gielgud, and Tinker leaning out of her window, each wearing a very disappointed face. She met eyes with Gielgud and he shook his head. exasperatedly. Mary took a deep breath before she began explaining hastily.

"Look, I have to help NC. Whatever happened to him had something to do with that cave in the mountains, and I'm going to find out what it was."

"Her Majesty ordered you to stay inside the castle," said Tinker sternly. "She had her reasons for saying so. Leave the work to others."

"I can't just sit by and watch," retorted Mary. "I'm going to find out for myself what happened to him, and I'll reverse it." If possible, she thought, but she didn't say it aloud. Instead she added, "You're welcome to come along and help me."

"And if we don't?" said Sticks.

"I suppose you'll tell on me to the Sugar Plum Fairy. But I assure you that before she could decide what she ought to do with me I would be out of the kingdom borders. Now are you coming or n — AH!"

While Mary had been speaking she hasn't noticed that she had been holding onto a vine instead of the trellis itself, and it snapped at the very last second, hurtling Mary toward the ground. It was a shallow drop, and Mary very luckily landed on a thick shrub.

"Mary, are you alright?" called Gielgud.

Mary got up and touched her behind. It didn't feel like anything was broken as she examined her other limbs. "I'm fine. Now, I'm going."

She turned and began walking briskly toward the direction of the mountains. She had no plan whatsoever except to reach those mountains, but that was enough for now. Just then, she heard one of the toys call out, "Wait," and there was a muffled drop. Then Sticks was jogging along to catch up with her.

"I'm going with you," he said shortly.

"Are you sure?" asked Mary and looked back. At her window Gielgud and Tinker were looking at them, and then they disappeared back into the darkened room. She looked at Sticks, but he still didn't look very pleased with her.

"You do know how dangerous this is going to be, don't you?" he said in a low voice.

Mary grinned, hoping it masked her growing apprehension. "Trust me; I've had my fair share of danger."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-