The Wooden Heart Editing

Chapter 2

A/N: Hello, my readers! While working on CR and a new project, I figured that I'll edit this a bit better because I noticed a couple big booboos throughout the novel. So I'm sorry about that, I'm really bad at rereading and editing while I am working on.

Disclaimer:

I do not claim the original fairy tale, but WH's plot and characters belong to me. Any famous songs, TV show/movie names, and brands that are mentioned in this work belong to their rightful owners.

Willa Field

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Part One:

The beginning

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You say it's easier, alone and undisturbed.

You said yes and danced before, and got your feelings hurt.

You say most days you're good, it's not so bad this room.

Why chance the rain today?

Even though it's clear and sunny.

And you fight it so hard, how to tell if it's real or not?

Take a breath and listen.

Open up, stop wishing.

All you've been missing,

Standing in front of you—

Standing in front of you, Kelly Clarkson

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-.-.-.-.-

One:

The fairy tale reborn

-.-.-.-.-

The nutcracker sat in front of the toy shop window's on the table, sighing and watching the sparking white snow fall to the grassy ground of Ashley, New Orleans.

The town was a small town of the old fashioned meaning: everyone knows everyone, if a rumor stars your name then you are a local celebrity, and if someone sees someone driving down their streets, they wave as the person past their houses or businesses. And this is the setting for our fairy tale:

While sitting there on the wooden brown table, the nutcracker thought about his fate; Michael, also known as his middle name Hans, Ashgers was fed up with being stuck here alone, waiting for a miracle to happen when as the years past he knew that it wasn't coming.

Because no one would love an ugly nutcracker, why they would love him? He was just an old wooden toy that looked so ugly children ran the moment they saw him. If they ran from his white-haired, cheesy smiles self, what would happen if uncle Drosselmeier brought a girl and forced him to talk to her; begging the poor girl to see past the wood and love him for the real boy inside?

And Hans would not let himself be happy while knowing he was the reason that the only girl he ever loved was gone because the 'good' witch cost a deadly curse on. He lived with that for the endless seventy years. And the nutcracker will continue to punish himself until the Goddess decided to end his pitiful life.

Hans shuddered at the mere thought of the beautiful raven-haired girl, it almost made him glad that he would be alone for the rest of his life and uncle hadn't tried to push another girl onto the boy.

The past times stayed with him, souring him to the possibility of any girl loving him for the real him again, and he would soon die than love another girl.

Shaking his head, his wooden feet echoed through the shop until a joyous jingle made him freeze in mid-step; oh great, another eager child trying to get a head start on Christmas, he thought bitterly as he ordered his frozen wooden muscles to still. A sickingly sweet smile plastered across his face, but he felt anything than happy:

"Uncle Drosselmeier? Merry Christmas! I have the cookies you wanted momma to bake."

The unseen girl's melodious voice started a burning longing in the nutcracker's chest to look at the girl with the beautiful voice. He, careful to not let the girl see him move, slowly shifted to the door where a blonde beautiful young woman sat in a wheelchair. Her reddish blonde braid hidden in the hood of the cape over the simple red dress she wore. Hans' eyes widen at her sweet appearance as the teenage girl motioned herself to the sunlit spot next to Hans, letting him see the whole beauty the girl held from the side.

She set the basket of the sweet smelling cookies on the tabletop before the young woman lowered her cape's hood and turned her eyes to the nutcracker, making his breathe catch in the walls of his wooden throat. Something stirred in him as soon as her eyes landed on the wooden toy, something awakened inside of the toy's chest and in the moment that he saw the beautiful blonde, there was a strong link to her:

However, the pair just didn't know about the strong bond yet. It will continue to grow stronger and stronger until they could not deny it any further. It will be too strong to ignore.

Michael growled deeply and lowly in frustration, shaking his head to free himself from those maddening thoughts before he let his blue eyes wonder over the girl. It was indeed a lovely sight in front of him.

Her strawberry blonde ringlets framed her face—which was oval-shaped—and her braid now fell over her shoulder as she smiled sweetly, her big dark green pools of eyes set perfectly on either side of her cute little nose and they looked over his tiny body with a childish gleeful glint in them. As if she thought that she found a brand new friend in the toy, and that amazed Hans to a million levels, for that is the first time in years someone looked at him like the beauty just did.

And that look melted him into a puddle, what is this feeling?

Her milky hand reached to him and tenderly grabbed his legs, lifting him to her body and she cradled him in the nook of her elbow while a smile placed onto her full lips:

"Why hello there, don't you look so handsome? What's your name?"

"His name is Michael Hans, my dear Maria." His uncle's booming voice sounded around the showroom, making the girl lift her eyes from the nutcracker's face to the crazy old man.

"Michael Hans? What a noble name for a noble looking toy." Maria replied cheerily, her smile stretching more across her pale face.

A chuckle reached to his ears as the sound of boots came closer to the pair, and the sound awaked the feeling of dread in Hans' chest; this girl is the new victim to the crazy old man's ageless plan. The thought made him shudder, he cared for beautiful Maria and he didn't want her to be doomed to being scarred for life because of him, it maddened the young man to the highest level:

And, that made him so confused; Michael Hans Ashgers never felt something for any of the girls from the past. This was so new to him, and frankly, it was horrifying…

"Yes, he is quite noble. In fact, he saved a beautiful princess from a horrible curse." The statement caused the teen to giggle loudly, shaking her head at the old man:

"Oh uncle, I'm too old for silly fairy tales."

She laughed softly at her soul uncle's statement as her hand soothingly ran over his wooden body absent-mindedly before the dragging sound of a chair filled the room. A grunt came as the old man sat down, probably with his sneaky grin laced to his wrinkly facial features.

Hans silently growled at the mental image, he hated this but he is powerless to do anything about it. He couldn't be human while Maria held the toy in her arms, it probably would cause her to have a heart attack from fear.

"Ah, but my darling, his story is not a simple fairy tale. It might sound like a childish story and a fairy tale to you, but it is not. I should know, I was there when this story begun."

Maria laced her blonde brows together, moving him back onto the table before she moved closer to uncle Drosselmeier. It seemed like she was nave enough to believe the story.

And so the trap was set, the story was set in motion…..

"Really, uncle? You were there?" With a simple nod, the crazy old man started telling the story of the Nutcracker Prince and how he earned that name, opening old wounds in the progress.

He had to relive the day that he was cursed to this hell; how they were kicked out of Fae because the damned mouse queen's spell, how Drosselmeier forced young women onto him, and then how he is probably doomed to live the rest of forever as a mere toy through the telling of the tale. It was so hard to choke down the tears which threatened to roll from his unblinking eyes, but Hans had to, he would not cry in front of Maria and in the progress scaring her. Scaring her was the worst thing in his mind:

When the old man finished the magical story, the teen turned her dark green orbs back to Hans with a terribly sad expression upon her beautiful face, tears rolling down her blushed cheeks, and that expression broke his wooden.

God, what is this feeling and why does this girl make him feel like this? He haven't felt like this since…..

"Can I take him home with me, please? I feel a bond to Michael and I don't want to leave him behind." Maria pled kindly, her Southern accent finally shining through, as she made her way back to the nutcracker and when he was in her reach. She picked him up to cuddle him once more.

Drosselmeier grinned secretively, winking at his nephew before he walked towards the young woman with his thin lips pursed thoughtfully. He growled, narrowing his eyes while the nutcracker tried to fight the urge to attack the insane elder. What the hell is he thinking? Hans thought angrily, his body wanting to move and kill him. This is the last time he would do this to a girl and Hans again:

"If you brought the sweets I asked for, I'll give you the nutcracker as a day early Christmas gift. How about that, my dear?" In response to the statement, Maria giggled and she held her free hand out to him.

"It's a deal, uncle."

Hans' heart beat hard as soon as that sentence passed through her lips; his mind echoed this thought only: "No! Not her, she is too sweet to handle this! Are you crazy, old man?" But it was too late, because the old man took him from her arms with a wide smile laced to his lips.

"Wonderful, now we'll be right back. Wait here, darling."

She smiled giddily, nodding in response to that sentence before going to the window to wait for her uncle to come back. With that, he then rushed to the back room, slamming the door behind him, and he set the wooden toy on the table before the old man kneeled to his eye level with that hated grin on his face.

That grin made the young man stormed around the four-sided table, growling deeply in his chest and grabbing at his hair; the anger that Hans felt in that moment was so intense, his little wooden heart actually beat harder inside of the walls of his chest:

"No way am I going to go through with this! This girl is too fragile for this damned plan, uncle Drosselmeier! Not her, she is too sweet to handle this! Are you crazy, old man?"

The old man sighed disappointedly as he stood and stepped towards the small window while his hands were folded neatly behind his back. Hans raised an eyebrow at his actions and he walked to the edge of the table with crossed arms on his chest, waiting for him to say something in response to Hans' scolding because he knew he was going to say something to convince him to go with Maria.

And that is exactly what the crazy old man did; he turned back to his nephew and the expression on his face was intensely grim. Gone was the silly grinning Drosselmeier, in the place was the rarely grim Drosselmeier. That was the clue into how serious Drosselmeier was about this and this beautiful girl, the nutcracker gulped hard as he waited.

This was what the old inventor said:

"That girl is stronger than you think, Michael, she is not weak-hearted. She has faced abuse for pretty much all her life from the hands that are supposed to love and care for her. She knows evil very well, seeing that she lived with evil for the past seventeen years, so she can deal with Adam and you're talking. Don't tell me you are not going to go with her because that is not a good enough of a reason not to. She needs you as much as you need her, she needs you to love her and do you know what I think?

You will love Maria, with everything in you; every fiber of you will live for her. All you need to do is be there for Maria, just like Isabella. Imagine what she would say if she heard you refusing to move on? She would beat you black and blue, it's time to move on, Michael."

Hans fell onto his knees with an overwhelming sense of sadness blooming into his chest. That was the final straw, his willpower and fight against this plan was thrown out of the window at her name; he was going to a new home today.

He was going to protect the blonde in the showroom, no matter how small he was, Michael will be her soldier and he was going to be there for a beautiful princess….

-.-.-.-.-

Hans sighed as they made their way to Maria's room, sitting on her lap cozily. The poor girl kept looking around the house carefully, as if she was scared her abuser would come out at any minute, and every time she would shiver in fear as she looked, Hans would growl inwardly. Whoever that would abuse such a loving creature was a rat in clothes and Hans will anything to put a stop to the terrible abuse. No matter what he had to, he will do it. For Maria and his rose.

Just as he nodded to himself, agreeing with his inner thoughts, they came the giant door, her room he supposed. And his guess was right, because Maria quickly opened the door and wheeled in as fast as a scared little child, slamming and locking it behind her.

After breathing a sigh of relieve, she smiled down at him as she moved to a desk in front of the giant glass window:

"Welcome to your new home, Michael. I'm sorry that my room isn't much to look at, but it is all I am allowed." She begrudgingly told the nutcracker, a sad look in her dark green eyes as she sat him down tenderly on the desk.

With one last wide smile toward Hans, Maria pushed herself to the small vanity on the other side of the large room and parked in front of it, removing the little makeup she had on, humming a Christmas song as she worked. As she worked and filled the room with her sweet melody, Hans took a long look around the room, hoping for some sign that her family at least allowed her to have something nice. But found nothing but books and old furniture:

It was nothing like the other girls' rooms. Nothing pink or Twilight-ish, just white plain walls that held up pictures of the seemingly happy childhood she had shared with two familiar strangers, Hans figured they were her siblings because all three of them shared the same features, he sighed sadly before continuing his private tour of the room.

Looking to the right and left of him, he could see that no computer set upon the desk, it was just an old wooden desk that had papers shattered over it, cluing him in that beautiful Maria was a writer or maybe an artist.

That made the nutcracker finally smiled a true smile; she had something she enjoys that no one could take away from her and Hans was strangely relieved for it. He looked at papers for a moment more before he looked up, seeing the sets of shelves hung on each wall holding books (mostly romance and fantasy).

Hans wondered if she read those to escape into other worlds and lives, because if she did, she would get her wish soon; the thought nearly made him laugh in pure bliss but thankfully it didn't escape from his lips.

After he sobered up, he noticed that her bed was against the wall next by the other window, which colored an amazing image in his mind. When Maria knows everyone's asleep at night, she would sit in the window and stare up at the stars and moon, holding her breathe and making a wish on each star, even though she doubts that each wish she wished will not come true. But Hans knew better, they would come true in a mere few hours.

The nutcracker smiled inwardly before returning his icy blue eyes to his princess:

She breathed out a sigh, turning to him with a sad smile laced to her lips, as if she was ashamed for the horrifying way she looked. But Hans wanted to scream out that the poor creature wasn't at fault for any of it. It was the nameless monster's fault and only the monster should have the look of ashamedness, not her.

She looked so pitiful, her once bright eyes were glass like a China doll's now, her lips looked so sickening with several cuts and bruises around them making them puff out, and her already-pale-skin was as white as a ghosts' with black and blue smudges against the white which stuck out as if trying to say:

"LOOOOOOOOOOOOK ATTTT MEEEEEEE!"

Hans grimaced away from the horrible scene. Who would do this to a sweet girl like Maria? It was sickening to see her so broken.

"What's wrong with him? I'm going make him pay for every time that he's touched you, my princess. I promise."

A gasp sounded loudly and Hans snapped his eyes to her, his expression matching hers. Utter shock….

But the nutcracker didn't notice the smile that was growing across the blonde's lips and how her green eyes lit up like a star in the sky at night.

He is real, she wondered as she wheeled towards him, feeling light in the first time in her life. I won't be alone anymore, Maria thought giddily, he is finally here…..

And so, the tale of the doll prince begins once more…..