Following the ensuing chaos in the KooKoo Kingdom, we sought refuge in a cave deep beneath yet another huge, snow-covered tundra. A crackling fire next to me sent a soothing warmth enveloping my body, providing some relief from the stinging cold that persisted in holding onto my flesh.

I glanced over at the pink-haired nutcracker next to me, and saw that he was staring at the stars in the night sky, frozen in a trancelike calm. His body language said all as he stared away for a minute, looking at his hands. He starts taking his other hand and trying to take his other hand off like a glove. He was unsuccessful, which prompted him to slouch and remain low. My heart ached, seeing him in this dire state of mind. I wanted to comfort him but… how?

I didn’t know what else to do in this situation but in this moment of time, I approached him. I took off my night robe and I wrapped it around his body. He stares at me with confusion but I just give out a small smile. I could see the confusion in his eyes grow to the extend of surprise but soon enough, he looks away from me before he spoke, “I can’t get cold or hot.. I’m a nutcracker.. A pathetic piece of wood.”

“No,” I spoke softly, “don’t say that–”

“What do you want me to say?” he sighs before grabbing a piece of stone only to throw it at a bush as a small black squirrel runs out of it and up a tree. He holds his head with his hand before speaking, “It’s the truth…”

“It’s not the truth,” I retorted, “you’re not just a nutcracker, you’re a prince who wants to save his kingdom and break his curse! Not everything has to be negative with you… you know you could always talk to me for support–”

“I don’t need your empathy!” he screamed at my face, looking distraught. It looked like he was mentally broken, I edged back a bit in worry as I could see him breathing in and out–hyperventilating. He grabs my shoulders and pulls me towards his face before saying silently, “I’ve done everything–” I could feel him shaking as he’s saying everything slowly and nearly mispronouncing everything that he says – “I CAN’T– BE THE HERO– THAT MY FATHER WANTED ME TO BE!!” His shaking increases as his grip tightens on me.

“Are you–” I said, worryingly.

“NO! I’M NOT OKAY! YOU THINK I WANT TO BE OKAY AFTER ALL THE FUCKING SHIT THAT I HAD TO ENDURE FOR 13 FUCKING YEARS?!” He snapped; his breathing getting worse by the second, “I WISH I DIDN’T HAVE TO GO THROUGH ALL THIS BUT WHAT DO I HAVE TO DO NOW–”

Yeah, that confirmed it. Saragona was having a panic attack. Thankfully, I’ve learned some therapy stuff from my mother so I just gently placed my hands on top of his before his anxiety stifled up to the point of no-return. His grip loosened as I placed his hands gently on the snow. I began to reassure him, “It’s okay Saragona… Just focus what’s going on right now… The past is the past…”

I could see that he wanted to cry, he wanted to let out his emotions but his stubbornness and self-centered attitude prevented him from crying. He stood up as he walked out of the cave before going on a rage. I could hear him scream and destroy stuff like bushes, tree bark and other sachen that I couldn’t even see.

I just stared at the night robe that laid on the floor; I wrapped the night robe around my body trying to comfort myself in this random time that I don’t even want to experience anymore. I took out the sketchbook I had in my bag and started drawing a small picture of Saragona. It wasn’t my best work but every time I look at him, I could always picture him as the pink haired version of Howl from Howl’s moving castle.  When I was finished, I just placed the sketchbook by the snow and I watched the fire flicker.

“I do wish I was home…” I spoke to myself softly before hearing the crunching of leaves nearby. I assumed it was Saragona so I packed up my belongings, making sure that not one bit would be left behind. As I was packing my belongings, I was then manhandled from behind with someone else's hand covering my mouth and that I was unable to move. My body tried to fight but I felt a small touch on my neck before I was frozen like a statue. I could feel my body being laid on the floor before a random knight (or a soldier, who knows) came into my view. They pointed their sword at me in case I decided to move. They then took out a picture from their pocket, shoving it in my face.

Upon further inspection of the image, the image was of Saragona from 9 years ago! My eyes looked at the knight and then at the picture. It kept doing that for a couple of minutes before I spoke, “I don’t–”

Panic tightened its grasp on me as the soldier moved the blade closer to my neck, sending a shiver down my spine. It was unimaginable that a simple soldier would cause my premature death, and in my panic, I found myself blurting out, "Seriously! I'm not sure." At that moment, the soldier took off her helmet to expose a young woman whose features were eerily similar to those of Saragona when he was human. Could this soldier be Saragona's sister after all? The girl held her ground as the blade drew more and nearer, and I felt my heart race before I could bring myself to yell, "Dude, I really don't know! Leave now!"

My hand sank into the bag and quickly closed around the chilly metal of a revolver. The loaded gun's weight served as an unsettling reminder of how dire things were; three bullets may change the outcome of this potentially fatal match. My thoughts scrambled for an alternate target, knowing that aiming directly at the armor would just bounce back hurtfully at me. I pulled up the pistol without thinking, aiming at a nearby stalactite rather than the young woman's face. The sound of the gunshot rebounded off the walls of the cave, generating a deafening noise.

The girl was startled and let go of the sword, her hands automatically reaching for her ears. She opened her mouth but not a word spoke out. I quickly gathered my belongings and dashed out the cave while I had the chance.

I kept running as fast as I could; searching for any traces of Saragona and then I notice giant footprints deeply printed in the snow. I look behind me to see the female soldier staring directly at me which then prompted me to run. I stumbled upon twigs and leaves that were also engraved in the snow; deeper and deeper into the forest I went as it turned pitchblack and I had nowhere else to see except the haunting trees that leaned forward towards me. I kept following the trail of where the footprints lead but soon enough, I was succumbed by a screeching owl and was swarmed by a bunch of bats that flew directly to my face. The branches and other stuff that stemmed from the trees pulled at my night robe and my pajamas as most of it tore small patches in my clothing. It hurt badly having to run and endure the pain of sticks tearing my clothing and pulling my hair.

I screamed in fear as I kept running deeper into the forest until I tripped and tumbled down a snowy hill which led me to a river filled with platforms made of ice. I quickly jumped on an icy platform only for it to separate and for me to be stuck on it. What didn’t help was the fact that the platform was drifting slowly towards a waterfall! Well, ain’t that interesting!

As soon as the platform dipped near the waterfall and the platforms slowly melting, I began to panic once more; only for someone to pull me away back to the surface. I looked to see who saved me… It was Saragona! He breathed heavily as he felt my body to see if I was alright; his eyes showed a sense of worry as he embraced me tightly. I blush madly before I patted his head.

"I’m fine–" I spoke before he lifted me off my feet, running back to where I was before, parkouring on the ice platforms before we didn’t see that little lady soldier come after us. I blinked before I asked myself, “Was that…"

Saragona heard me, though, and answered, “Yeah, that’s my sister Hollyanna.” The name echoed in my mind, leaving me puzzled by its uniqueness and simplicity.

“Holly…Anna?” I repeated, trying to wrap my head around the peculiar name.

“It’s a weird name, I know, but my mom thought it was a cute name for her. Last time I saw her was the day I got cursed.” His voice softened as we reduced our pace to a casual walk, the sun's gentle rays shimmering on the tranquil waters around us. “She was such a small baby… I can’t believe Lucanus did that to her…” Saragona's words dripped with a mix of sorrow and disbelief.

“Did what to–” I attempted to continue the conversation before he abruptly interrupted with a chilling revelation: “He tore off her tongue.” A wave of horror swept over me, the mere thought of such a heinous act sending a shiver down my spine. The brutal image of an innocent newborn suffering at the hands of that zombie rat consumed my thoughts, leaving me sickened to the core.

Soon enough, we stopped. Hidden far away at the top of a cliff, there is yet another beautiful view of The Land Of Dolls. I smiled, looking at the beautiful view. Soon enough, I began sneezing as the torn patches in my clothing let in the cold air, causing me to freeze slowly. Before I landed on my knees, Saragona quickly caught me. He held me up before saying, “What happened to you?”

“Don’t ask questions, don’t we still need to find the two key pieces?” I asked him.

“Oh yeah…” he paused before dropping me, causing me to land in the deep snow. My face clenched up as I felt the cold snow on my legs. I stood up, angry at him, ready to unless my fury but then I stopped myself. He was nothing more than a hurt prince inside the body of a toy. I sighed heavily before wiping the snow off of me. He held out his hand; looking at it reluctantly, I intertwined my fingers–not that it felt romantic but a small blush arose my face just to feel how warm his hands were.