The Nutcracker

Chapter 1

Lancelot sighed in frustration as he ran his hand through his hair. He never had this much trouble with women, but for whatever reason McKenna always left him tongue-tied and flustered, he just didn't understand it. His brothers in arms just laughed when he became flustered around her and gave each other knowing looks (they had yet to divulge their little secret to him though). He had met McKenna over two years ago, but he still remembered it like it was yesterday.

Vanora had dragged him to the local ballet production claiming it would be good for him to get some fine arts into his system, and the fact that apparently one of her friends was a dancer in the company. He wasn't one for the "finer things in life" as people put it he was a soldier, not some upper-class fop. However, as much as he grumbled about it, no one could really say no to Vanora, as she did so much for his commander, Arthur, and his fellow brothers in arms. After the production was over Vanora had taken him backstage to meet her friend, McKenna, and he had fallen for her the moment he laid eyes on her...

Lancelot was shaken from his thoughts when someone shook his shoulder roughly, when he came back to reality he noticed it was McKenna.

"Lancelot! Are you deaf now as well as dumb?" McKenna asked in a tone filled with annoyance.

"Sorry, my mind was elsewhere love. What did you want?" Lancelot asked in reply to her question.

"I asked if you were going to just sit there all night moping, or actually order something. Vanora is getting tired of you sitting here all night and never buying anything. Besides I can't make a wage if you don't buy anything, I don't work here just out of the goodness out of my heart you know" she said.

"That's a lie, I had an ale the other day! I know you only work here so you can come to look at my pretty..."

"Face? Yeah already heard that one, try something original. Your ale that you claim you bought, you couldn't pay remember? I ended up buying it for you" McKenna said.

"Oh yeah...I still owe you for that don't I?" Lancelot asked as he reached into his pant pocket. He may be a womanizer, but he was a womanizer who had manners, sometimes, and manner's dictated that he repay the lady who had paid for his drink.

"Don't worry about it, I don't want your money...just your love" The last part went unspoken. "Now if you'll excuse me I do have other customers to take care of. If you do want something just let me know." She stated as she walked off.

'I do want something, you!' His mind screamed.

~/~

McKenna swore under her breath and she wobbled out of her pirouette piquée*, yet again. If she kept this up she wouldn't be dancing next week, which was opening weekend, or ever again she had a feeling. She just didn't understand why she couldn't land what was normally such a simple move for her...It wouldn't have anything to do with a certain soldier, would it? Her mind asked. "Of course not! Why would I waste my thoughts on someone who isn't interested in me, he wouldn't even notice if I didn't show up to the tavern to help Vanora out" She replied silently to herself.

"Miss. Knight! Do I need to remove you from the role as the sugar plum fairy and put Miss. Giry our alternate, in instead?" Mr. Howell, her ballet instructor, asked exasperatedly. He was losing what little patience he had left with his principal dancer extremely quickly. Why she was failing at such simple steps recently was beyond him, it was almost as if her thoughts were elsewhere these days.

McKenna's face flushed from embarrassment, she had been caught daydreaming, something that she had never let herself do while in practice before. She had seen too many of her fellow dancers get hurt because their heads were up in the clouds instead of down on the ground where they needed to be. "Pardonnez-moi M. Howell. Je promets que cela ne se reproduira plus." she said, slipping back into her native language. She really needed to get her shit together or she was going to lose her job.