Once Upon a Time: Ever After High (Book 13)

Ch.25 Powers of the Leaves

(Flashback) When they finally arrived at Nathan's palace, the two entered pass the main gates as Justine was blown away by the beauty of his home.

"Oh my God" she gasped in amusement "This is amazing."

"Thanks" he smiled "Come on, I'll show you around, after I help my mother first."

"Of course."

Once inside, Justine had to wait in a hall as Nathan went to help his mother in her room. But as she was waiting, she decided to look around at all the paintings and artifacts that displayed in the hall. She first admired a painting of Nathan's parents who were dancing together, and then one of them on their wedding day, and another one of Nathan at the age she assumed was between 9 and 10, when he was still human.

She noticed he still had his father's bright blue eyes and his mother's smile, and even as a wooden figure he still contained those features. Just then she heard the door open as she turned to see Nathan stepping out with a bowl of soup in his hand.

"So how is she?" she asked.

"Well thanks to your leaves" he smiled "She's gonna get better."

"Well that's great" she beamed.

"Thank you by the way, for letting me take some of the leaves when we knew I shouldn't of done that."

"Oh please, it was more your mother, she needed it. And you're welcome. But uh, what are you gonna do with the rest of that soup."

"Something I've been wanting to try" he grinned "Follow me."

Justine followed him into his room where he set the bow of soup on a desk.

"So you know how the leaves have multiple uses?" he questioned.

"Yeah."

"Well, I've been thinking, and I've wondered what would happen if I use them on my sword."

"Your sword?"

He pulled out his Nutcracker sword he had hanging on his belt.

"I know my sword is already useful, but I wanna see what happens when I use the leaves on them."

"Go ahead" she offered "I wanna see too."

He picked up the bowl again as they headed out onto the balcony, and there Nathan held out his sword as he began to slowly pour the magic soup all over his blade as a faint glow suddenly beamed.

"Oh yeah it's doing something" Justine observed "But what?"

"Only one way to find out."

They went back inside his room as he searched the place for something. And that's when he spotted a jar filled with stones as he took one out and handed it to Justine.

"Would you toss this in front of me?" he asked.

"Uh, okay?" she replied a bit confused while taking the stone as he stepped back a few paces.

When she was ready, she tossed the stone in front of Nathan who swung his sword out to slice it. But instead of it failing, they were both full of surprise when the blade sliced through the hard stone with a loud slash as the stone fell to the floor, now in 2 halves.

"Did that just happen?" Justine gasped with her wide eyes on the stones.

"Oh yeah" Nathan grinned "I was hoping that would happen."

"So your sword can now cut through hard substance?"

"That's what it appears to be, I now have an awesome sword unlike those other ones."

He slid his sword back into his holder. But when he looked back up at Justine, she was still frozen in shock by what she just witness.

"Um, if you're thinking I'm gonna use my sword for something sinister, I'm not" he assured.

"Oh um, that's not what I'm worried about" she replied "I'm just still shocked that's all."

"Well, why don't I just show you around?" he offered in a smile.

"I would like that" she smiled back.

Now at the place she works at, a club called 'Party Fever', since it was her day off, Nicole took a seat at the counter where she stared at the Nutcracker she placed in front of her.

"I feel so bad for you Nathan" she mumbled "I don't know if you can hear me or not but, I feel like a terrible person for not looking for you before, and now that I finally found you, I don't know what to say besides that."

"Are you talking to a Nutcracker?" she jumped in her seat before turning around to face Danielle Weston, also known as Farrah Goodfairy, daughter of the Fairy Godmother.

"Oh um-" Nicole replied a bit embarrassed "Yes, but it's not just a nutcracker, it's Nathan."

"Nathan?" Danielle gasped as she turned to the nutcracker and studied it "Oh my God it is him! Where did you find him?"

"Gold's shop" she muttered "He was probably in there since the curse happened, he was all covered in dust, I don't think he was ever found until now."

"Oh no" Danielle breathed in dismay.

"I don't know if he can still see and hear or not, but either way, I feel so bad for not looking for him earlier, he could of gotten help and turn back, but with the whole dilemmas that are going on now, it's like no one's able to help him."

"Um, hello?" the fairy suddenly spoke in an obvious tone "You're talking to a fairy right now, a fairy with magical powers."

"But you don't have the Blue Fairy's wand, Brooke has it locked up in her house, and with her gone, I don't know where the hell it is."

"I do" Danielle smiled as she reached into her boot and pulled out the very item "I have it right here."

"What the hell?!" Nicole gasped "You've had it this whole time?!"

"Brooke said I can hold onto it until it's time to break the curse, but since I don't know when that's gonna happen with her being missing and everything, I think now would be a good time to use it."

Nicole's face lit up as she turned to the Nutcracker.

"Well Nathan" she smiled "You ready to turn back to your old self?"

Silence.

"Of course you can't reply" she sighed "I'm talking to a Nutcracker."