(Totally took creative liberties ;p)

My first reaction when my godfather had gifted me a nutcracker for Christmas was less than enthusiastic to say the least. I mean, I was an adult, I don’t know why he would give me such a thing. But the strangest thing happened when I passed out on the couch holding it, I woke up where everything was covered in snow and the nutcracker was a man, a Prince no less.

It took me a while to come to terms with how I was in a new realm and all, with plum fairies and king and queen of snow, especially when they informed me they were at war. But they celebrated mine and the prince’s arrival, the castle was ambushed.

Hoards of soldiers with rat face paint and masks stormed the place, a steampunk tank behind them. Standing right on the tank was someone in a rat mask, fancier than the others with a grey cloak over their shoulders that covered their entire body until they opened to draw their sword, they were in a soldier uniform as well. They raised the sword above their head, then lowered it slowly, pointing it to the nutcracker Prince. “Attack!” They yelled, so loud it cut through everything else before the soldiers stormed in.

Guards started fighting against them to protect the King and Queen, the fairies running as the prince fought. I, however, was knocked out in all the commotion, and when I came to, I was in a cell.

It was dark, but I could still see, I wasn’t restrained or anything, but something kept me still. On the other side of the bars was something even darker than the room, a figure in a cloak and breathing heavily. They stepped into the cell, I recognized them as the one who stood on the tank. I tried to move but could only press my back against the wall as there was no where to go. “Where’s the Prince?? Let him go, you-you dictating piece of!-“ I stopped myself when they crouched, the cloak entirely covering their body as they crawled over. I shut my eyes, pulling my head as far back as I could as they came up closer, their breathing echoing from inside their mask. I could feel them close, the nose of the mask close to my neck as they..sniffed the air? What a perv.. “You’re not from this place..” They spoke, voice low and echoed from the mask. I couldn’t say anything, I was too frightened that if I said something they didn’t like, they’d draw that sword that was surely under their cloak.