Nutcracker Sweet

"Well- yes..." she blinked watching him curiously. "Did you hear everything I said today? Or were you really a doll...." she frowned. "And do you know magic? Or are you just a 10 inch tall man with funny cloths."

“Funny clothes?” He said, looking down at his clothing. “But this is what everybody wears…” Suddenly it occurred to him what she was saying. How long had he been frozen in time? The goblin had been angry he’d been awakened…had he been a doll all this time.

“I didn’t hear anything. The last thing I remember is finishing the spell that changed the princess back from being a doll. The spell the goblin king put on her…”

"Well then you must have been cursed for quite a while...." she watched him frowning. "I wonder how it is no one else has had this issue with you but me."

She stood up and left the edge of the counter, finding some cooking twine. She tied one end to the toaster, then tossed the rest off the side of the counter. It went a good way down... Now she just wondered if it would hold her.

Hans sighed, rubbing the back of his head nervously. When he saw her trying to climb down he ran over to the bottom of the twine and called out to her. “Careful as you climb. I’ll catch you if you fall.” He said, confident he could catch the girl. Even doll sized she was very small and sprite like. He figured she would probably be very light as well.

"Well, aren't you fear instilling." Victoria called, halfway down the twine. She hadn't even thought of falling until he mentioned it. It made her hesitate.

She closed her eyes and wrapped her toes around the twice, easing herself down, slowly letting her hands grip loosen. Finally she opened one eye to peer down. Still a few feet to go... Er... Inches.

Her feet were about head level with Hans. If that even WAS his name...

"I hate goblins." she muttered, closing her eyes. the rest of the way she coudl just land on her feet, she was sure. And so, she let go.

Thinking she was falling Hans reached out, and somehow caught her gracefully in his arms. He quickly put her down of course, being the gentlemen that he was.

“Can I ask your name?” He said, after her put her back on her own two feet.

She hadn't expected to be caught form such a short distance but none the less didnt complain. "Victoria." she said simply. "Your Hans, right?" she asked looking up the twine. She hadn't realized just how far that drop was. "How in the gods names are you not hurt after falling that far...." she marveled.

“Yes, my name is Hans.” He said softly, before turning to look up at the counter. He wasn’t quite sure how he had survived that fall now that he thought about it. It was a rather long drop, and if what the goblin had said was true, he had been a doll, or maybe he still was.

“Do I look like a doll to you?” He asked, pointing to his face, worry in his eyes. What was he at this point? Still a doll but an animate one? Would he be frozen again?

Victoria blinked. "Uh- well... You did." she said. She wasn't good with people, and it was now begining to show. "Now you look much more, er... Human-ek.... You know; the whole stature thing aside..."

She frowned suddenly. "I'm going to kill my uncle for this by the way." she suddenly declared. "Being a doll is one thing, but being the SIZE of a doll is something entirely different!"

Hans looked confused. “What’s your uncle have to do with any of this?” He asked, his expression rather adorable considering how utterly confused the poor kid was.

"That's exactly what I would like to know. What was he thinking! Giving me a cursed doll that goblins of all creatures are after. Unlike you, mister, I can't do magic of any sort. I can't fight either! Utterly ridiculous- all of this..." she ranted.

Hans looked at her curiously. First off he didn’t really consider himself cursed, though he supposed being turned into a doll and having goblins want to kill you would definitely count as cursed.

“Can’t do magic? Let me get this straight, before this I was a doll right?” She nodded, looking at him like he was an idiot.

“But now I’m talking and moving around again. The Goblin King was pretty mad about it so I can safely guess it wasn’t him. Only strong magic could have altered his spell so much either. So if you didn’t do it, then who did?”

"Most likely you- or his spell timed out." Victoria shrugged. "I dont know enough about magic to say."

She reached down and undid her remaining slipper tossing it aside in frustration. "So then, what now?" she asked looking to Hans expectational.

Hans frowned, not believing her explanation for a moment. Spells didn’t just fade. Sure some would cease to work if the spell caster died. Most actually worked that way. But he knew this spell. He had removed the spell before and there was no way that what she described could have happened.

Deciding it was probably in his best interest to not argue with her, he looked around and sighed.

“I guess we better follow them.” he said, referring to the goblins.

She blinked then looked around, like he might be talking to someone other than herself. ".... Hans." she said looking back to him. "I just told you, I don't do magic.... Nor do I know how to fight.... chasing after goblins who are twice my size seems this side of suicidal..."

Hans sighed and grabbed her hand. “Just trust me.” He said calmly, holding out his hand.

“I wont let anything happen to you.”

Victoria hesitated before taking his hand, marveling for a moment as how small her's looked compared to his. "Alright..." she said, her dark eyes raising to meet his. "If you're sure."

She couldn't doubt him for some reason. He sounded so... positive. There was no doubt in his voice.

Her hands were cold, like the glass of the dolls she loved so much. And frail as well. Almost as if he held too tightly she would crack. She was surprised to find how sturdy he felt. How strong.

He smiled at her reassuringly before tracing a circle with his other hand in the air and muttering a word. Suddenly the circle he had traced glowed bright red and then turned white. He smiled at her again before pulling her through the hole, the kitchen of her home disappearing behind them as they landed on grassy terrain. They were certainly not in her kitchen anymore.

All around them was trees as they’d landed in a clearing in the middle of the forest. Without pausing he pulled her out of the clearing and behind a tree, his eyes alert as he watched their surroundings warily. He held up a single finger to his lips, telling her to remain silent. Before she could ask anything they heard the tell tale grunts and grumblings of goblins.

“This is where they said theres was magic” Said one of the goblins to his comrade.

“There aint nothing here.” the goblin responded grumpily, kicking a stone with his toe.

“Eh King wont be too happeh if that doll gets through here.”

“There aint nothing here. So there aint nothing to worry about.” the other said, hitting his comrade on the head. They walked away grumbling to each other, occasionally hitting each other.

Hans waited until he couldn't hear the goblins at all before he turned to her and said, "We're safe now."

Victoria nodded, blushing. "Kay..." she said keeping her voice down anyway.

Victoria wasn't a very emotional girl. Normally she was quite apathetic. To see her blush, angry, afraid, it was all quite a bit much for the typically stoic girl. "So, I take it we follow where they went off to?" she asked, looking around. The trees were huge. Even the short grass came up to knee height.

Hans laughed lightly, not mocking her, but laughed none-the-less.

“Unless you have a sword that kills goblins under that dress than no. I can’t hunt a king without a weapon.”

He laughed again when she went bright red, until he noticed something that had escaped his notice when he was trying to avoid getting skewered by the goblin king.

“Is that cloth around your head part of your fashion or is it necessary?” He asked, genuinely curious.

She blinked. "Cloth...?" She reached up and it dawned upon her."Oh! You mean the bandage.No, its not fashion. I jumped over the banister last night to get you away from the goblins. Lost my balance when I landed and hit my head on the fire place..."

She touched her temple lightly and winced. Still not ready to come off. She really had hit her head hard.

"And before you ask; this isn't a typical dress- it's a nighty. Nothing I'm wearing follows style."

Her comment about her nighty didn't even register in the young man's mind. No, all that made it through was that she was injured trying to rescue him. Once that comment had made it to his brain everything else halted in its tracks, and he became outright horrified.

"Injured..." He said quietly, his expression so serious that it was mildly frightening.

Nodding to himself he walked over to her and took her hand, placing it against his chest where his heart would be. Holding her hand there with both of his he caught her eyes with his own and held them before he spoke.

"I promise you right here and now I won't be the cause of another injury to you. I won't let anything happen to you Victoria. I swear."

It was a promise of a gentlemen to a lady, one that spoke of the old days with kings and queens, knights, and ladies in distress. It would have been gallant and well done in his time. Now it almost seemed overbearing and comical in a way, and yet he was completely serious.

Victoria blinked, taken by surprise by his sudden promise of protection. "Uh, well.... Thank you?"

She was unsure as to how she was supposed to react to that. "Really though, you weren't the cause; just the motivation. The reason I got hurt was because I fell. If I hadn't and hadn't made such a loud noise, I;m sure the goblins might have gotten you. In fact, I think the only reason they didn't was I must have woken my mother up."

She stopped talking when she realized she was rambling.

Hans shook his head sadly. Even now she was trying to make him feel better for something that would have never happened had it not been for him. He decided then and there he'd have to make it up to her somehow. Maybe not soon, but eventually he'd find a way to repay her for most likely saving his life.

"Best get on our way then." He said suddenly, taking her hand again in his, and starting to walk. He was headed towards a small town that he knew of in this land. A town not controlled by the Goblin King and who bitterly fought against the king. He just hoped that fact hadn't changed since he'd been a doll.

Victoria followed him before a curious bell went off in the back of her mind. "Hans?" she asked as they walked. "Where exactly are we going? I mean, we can't exactly waltz into town while hardly standing a foot tall." she blinked.


Sure, maybe they could convince someone they were strange wingless faeries, but she doubted it.