
In the city of Holmgarðr, in the nation of Garðaríki, on Christmas Eve, there is magic in the air, as Uncle Drosselmeyer presents his gifts before the young children of the ambassador of Gloriana, Clara and Fitz. Yet for all the magic and festivities of Christmas, there is a sense also of danger, the shadow of war growing longer from the neighboring nations of the Hanseatic League.
Caught on the cusp of the peaceful life she has always known and the threat of impending war, Clara finds herself alone in a magical realm save for the company of her cat, embroiled in dangers hitherto unimagined as she finds herself increasingly drawn to a handsome Nutcracker Princess and faced with a choice that will impact both her own fate and that of the world around her.

The Nutcracker Princess By Courtney Milnestein She could not sleep. Turning over under the heavy sheets, she wondered how anyone could sleep, especially not on a night such as this, with the scent of cinnamon and nutmeg rich in the air, the conversation of the adults from the drawing room low and hushed, full of warning and suggestions of disaster. She didn’t need to hear them to know what the topic of discussion was, instead turning once more, kicking out against the duck-feather duvet, much to the disgust of her unhappy cat, Jolly Roger. Sighing wearily, Clara did her utmost not to repeat in her head those hushed concerns that she knew her father would be stating right at that very moment, a room full of men dressed in identical uniforms of starched shirts and pressed jackets nodding
