“Rey!”
“Wha...whoa!” She forgot she was sleeping on the small couch in the ballroom. Bee Bee squeaked when her mistress rolled over her and ended up on the floor in a tangle of blankets. The Nutcracker clattered beside her.
“Rey?” Her mother came into the ballroom, now wearing a simpler green day gown. She hurried to her flailing daughter. “Are you all right, dear? What are you doing down here?”
“I thought I heard something last night, and I came down here to investigate.” Rey threw herself into her mother's arms. “I love you, Mummy. Don't leave us for that horrible Snoke! He just wants to use you so he can rule, like Grandfather did.”
Leia looked concerned. “What makes you think I'd leave you? I love my family. You mean the world to me, more than any political appointment ever could.” She sighed. “I'm going to fire Snoke right after the holidays. That man causes more trouble than he's worth. We'll find you both a better tutor.”
Benjamin came in, scratching his back. His clothes were rumpled, and he looked like he hadn't shaved yet. “What's all the noise? Can't a man get any sleep around here?”
“Ben!” Rey flew to him next. “I love you, too, even if you do drive me crazy. You're my brother, no matter how big you get. You're so much smarter and faster than I am. Snoke likes you more than he likes me. I guess...” she frowned. “I guess I was jealous.”
He gave her a pat on the shoulder. “I guess I was jealous of you too, kid. You're the baby of the family. You get all the attention from Mother and Father and Uncle Luke. Snoke's the only one who ever noticed what I did and praised the things I liked doing, instead of making me do stuff I didn't want to do.”
Hans followed his son, looking only slightly more presentable. “You're still grounded after today for breaking Rey's Nutcracker though, kid.”
“I deserve it.” Ben nodded. “I stayed awake half the night. Came to the conclusion that I was a jerk at the party and shouldn't have taken Rey's stuff.” Her lanky brother picked the Nutcracker off the floor and handed it her. “I'm no good with fixing things, sis, or I'd fix him myself.”
Hans shook his head. “I'm better with metal than with wood. That'll have to wait for your Uncle Luke's arrival.”
The moment Hans said those words, the door bell rang. “Good timing.” He chuckled. “There's your uncle now. How's breakfast coming along anyway, dear?”
“Maz should be ready in a few minutes.” She put her arm around Rey. “Why don't you and your father go greet your uncle while Ben and I talk to Maz and Christophe and get breakfast on the table? Then you really have to get dressed, so we can eat and go to church.”
Ben's grin looked a lot like their father's. “I can go for that. I get first dibs on the coddled eggs!”
“Only if I'm able to have the first sausage. Mrs. Maz makes them herself, with fresh spices from the market in town.” Leia put her arm around her son and lead him into the kitchen.
“Merry Christmas, sweetheart.” Hans gave her a big one-armed squeeze. “How did you end up down here?”
“It's a long story.” She sighed, looking at her Nutcracker. Bee Bee scampered behind her new mistress. “I had the craziest dream last night, Father. You and Mother and Ben were fairies, Maz was made of cake, Snoke was an evil mouse, and Uncle Luke was Father Christmas!”
Hans chuckled. “Sounds really wild. I especially like the part about Snoke being a mouse.”
“Oh Father, some parts were so scary!” She clutched her Nutcracker. “The mice kidnapped you and hurt my Nutcracker, but I was able to save you in the end. Some of it was beautiful, though.” She sighed. “It was just a dream. It wasn't real. No Land of Sweets. No Dewdrop Fairy. No Prince Finnegan.”
Even as she said those words, Hans swung open the front door. Not only did her Uncle grin on the other side, but a handsome figure with dark eyes and a wide smile stood next to him, clad in a warm red jacket.
“Finn!” She grinned. “I'm so glad you were able to come!”
“Mr. Drosselmeyer talked me into taking a day off.” They stepped in, shaking the snow from their coats. “I've never been to a big, fancy breakfast before.”
“I thought the boy deserved a decent meal. We usually just have bread, fruit, and sausage at my workshop.” Hans took Luke and Finn's coat. “We're too busy to really sit down and eat.”
“I think I could fix your Nutcracker.” Finn gently took it from her, moving his jaw with his thumb. “The screws cracked. I could replace those easily at the shop. Mr. Drosselmeyer told me what your brother did. Makes me wish I was a king or something, so I could pass some laws against hurting people's things like that.”
“We could do it together.” Rey took his hand. “Tomorrow, at Uncle Luke's shop.”
Finn's eager smile made her knees weak. “I think I'd like that.”
Luke put his arm around Hans. “Why don't we leave these two and go get us some breakfast?”
Hans shook his head. “She's still a kid, Luke. I just want to make sure...”
Luke gently directed him away. “She's not a child anymore, Hans. She can take care of herself.” He laughed, his blue eyes twinkling. “Let's go eat, before Benjamin devours all the biscuits.”
Rey finally put the Nutcracker aside on a table. “Finn, do you know how to dance?”
The young man blushed. “Uh, no. Not really. You don't learn how to dance in an orphanage.”
She took him in her hands. “Would you like me to teach you?”
His smile nearly blinded her. “I'd like that.”
And so, Rey taught Finn how to dance. She felt like she was back in her dream...or even better, because she knew this was real. They just kept dancing as the snow fell in the ball room windows, and Bee Bee mewed and pranced around them.
The End
No comments:
Post a Comment