Remember Me: A Nutcracker Story | ✔

XI. Battle

Sticks woke up in the middle of the night feeling feverish. His room was dark and cool, as it had been when he fell asleep. But now he was sweating like mad and there were chills running along his spine.

Something felt wrong.

Was it dream? I can't remember it if it was...

Sticks got up and splashed some cold water on his face. It did not help much, so he tried pacing back and forth in the darkness. He tried lying back down, but his body was too tense — there was an uncomfortable feeling keeping him from relaxing. When he figured he won't be able to sleep any time soon, he took a robe and got out of his room. If he knew Mary was sleeping soundly, he would be able to relax as well - never mind that she completely blew her top at him a few hours ago.

Sticks got to Mary's room and contemplated if he should knock or use the master key he was given upon his appointment as her personal guard. The keys jingled along their chain, and Sticks felt a stab of guilt.

She might be sleeping and would kill me if I disturbed her. 

Instead, he carefully unlocked the door and opened it as quietly as he could.

The room was awash with moonlight and the great white curtains were dancing with the wind. It was quiet — too quiet. Sticks carefully made his way to the bed and his senses flared up at once. The bed was unmade, but there was no sleeping body there. He bounded toward the window and yanked the curtains apart.

The window was wide open.

"What the hell, Mary..." he mumbled and ran out, looking for the captain of the guard. Just as he met a group of soldiers along one of the hallways, a horn blew from somewhere above them, and as if on cue, the soldiers started running. 

He caught one by the arm and demanded, "What's going on?"

"The Rat King is coming! We need our full attendance at the great room. Get dressed, soldier!"

With that, he left Sticks standing awkward in the hall in his sleep robes. Sticks lost no time and ran back to his room to dress up, and then joined the rest of the candy soldiers in the throne room. He made sure the Sugar Plum Fairy was there, and turned around to check if Gielgud and Tinker are alright, which they were. Sticks didn't know who to tell about Mary's disappearance, so he waded past number of people and approached his friends.

"Sticks, my goodness-- what's happened now?" asked Tinker once he saw the younger toy. Both the pale-faced toy and the monkey were in their sleep clothes, too hurried to even put robes on.

"All I know is that the Rat King is seen on the way here, but that's not the worst of it," said Sticks as he kept glancing around as if looking for someone.

"What is it, boy?" said Gielgud.

Sticks dropped his voice. "Mary is missing."

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

Mary sat in the dark dungeon. It must have been the middle of the night — or a few hours after, she wasn't sure — but it was freezing in her cell. Her cloak did little to warm her feet, and she had given up shouting for help because her voice would scratch her throat. She didn't know what to do — this was never part of the plan.

"NC, couldn't you just listen to me? Why won't you let me help you?" she whispered as angry tears rolled down her cheeks.

She looked back to the time when she woke up one Christmas morning after their adventures, way back when she was a lot younger. She had raced down the stairs to see if it had all been true, if her dollhouse was still there, and when she got to the living room she saw her Uncle Albert bending over the dollhouse. There was someone sitting beside it, and when he turned, she knew his face.