WIP Wednesdays -Nutcracker Prince (Patreon)

Hullo here's the moment you've all been waiting for: a sneak peek into my latest project which goes live December 1st: The Nutcracker Prince! I hope you enjoy and please come back to read Part 1 of 4 on the first!Love, Britt xoxo

“Finally,” Clarence whispered softly to himself as he managed to back out of the hall unseen. He thought he was alone until he heard the sound of Louise opening the door.“Oh Jakob!” The blush in Louise’s tone was evident.Clarence turned to watch his sister and her treasured Jakob as the young man stepped inside smiling. He was finely dressed and quite handsome which is why Louise loved him so. Or so Clarence figured. He had never bothered to ask his sister.“This is for you, Louise. Merry Christmas,” he bid her as he slid a small corsage of flowers onto her wrist.“Jakob they’re beautiful! They’re so pretty!”“You’re the one that looks beautiful,” he replied.“And you look so distinguished!” she cooed as he offered his arm and she took it. The two walked arm-in-arm into the hall together and Clarence watched them go with a mixture of feelings swirling around in his chest.At sixteen, he was now at the age where he knew he was no longer a child and yet a piece of him wished he still were. The stress and pressures to participate in being incredibly social especially with people his own age strained him. He found himself unsure of what to talk about in conversation and longing to be left alone. He loved parties though, mind you. He just wished he could attend them without having to converse with so many people. He much preferred to listen and to watch the festivities instead of being a part of them at every given moment. His introverted tendencies seemed to cause him more and more trouble with each new year that went by and with each party his family held or were invited to. A bit of him also felt a bit of jealousy towards Louise. She was very beautiful in her features: bright expressive blue eyes, caramel coloured hair and petite lips and a constant blush to her cheeks. This bothered Clarence only a little however. He could care less about appearances.He was growing into an attractive young man himself. Clarence too had the same sort of expressive eyes that they shared with their mother except that his were green and he’d always been told his smile could light up the darkest winter’s day. Tonight he had his lengthy and often unruly honey-coloured hair tied back in the style of the day with a dark green ribbon which matched his waistcoat. He was skinny as a child but once he’d gained some height his body seemed to proportion itself a little better and his gangly arms filled in some meanwhile his bony shoulders began to resemble a more aristocratic bearing as his father’s too did. Most of all Clarence had been glad that his lanky legs and ankles had finally become stronger and agreeable to his dancing which he loved above all in the world.But thinking on his sister again, Clarence was at odds. Louise always seemed to know how to talk to people (except her own siblings mind you) and she was charming enough to have people interested in her conversation. And she had Jakob whom she adored and almost worshipped really. Clarence had no such luck. A few of the girls in town were clearly interested in him and found him incredibly handsome but he always found an inexcusable fault in each of them and those young ladies which had caught his eye seemed to feel opposed towards him.He sighed softly to himself and scratched Pavlova’s ears. “All I wish for Christmas this year,” he murmured to her, “is to find one decent person to talk to besides Uncle Drosselmeier or Ma-ma and Papa or you Pavlova...”Just then, his father beckoned him back into the room and the young man was forced to resume the party once more.