Nuts About You by summerbirdy

1st Day ~ Story of Princess Kikyo and the curse of King Naraku

This little story is written for my and Dream's Drabble December 2012 challenge. Welcome to countdown till Christmas with me. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do. 

Prompt: Chestnuts

Word count: 399

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Once upon a time, in a distant kingdom, a King and his Queen ruled the land with a gentle hand. They had a beautiful daughter, Princess Kikyo. Her beauty was widely known and many knights and lords sought her hand.

One of these suitors was King Naraku, from a neighboring country. His face was handsome but his body was deformed and with a horrified look princess Kikyo denied his proposal. King Naraku was furious and before leaving the castle he cursed the beautiful princess.

"My dear princess, “ he purred dangerously. “You shall never find a prince to your side with a face like that.”

And then he vanished, never to be seen in that castle again.

When the court realized what had happened, they saw their princess with swollen head, bulged eyes and her small mouth was now in a wide, everlasting grin. The King and the Queen were devastated and announced that whoever broke the curse, would get the princess and half of the Kingdom.

Their counselor, old Totosai went to ask guidance from the wise priestess Kaede, who had the gift of the Seer. Her vision showed a young man breaking the nut with his teeth and feeding it to the princess, thus breaking the curse.

When the cure was known to all, many men came trying to save princess Kikyo. But none could break the nut with their teeth. It was only when old Totosai's nephew, Sesshoumaru, managed the task that he kingdom felt hope. He fed the nut to the princess who turned to herself immediately. But in her selfish haste to celebrate, she pushed her savior aside, making him stumble and stagger with his steps.

When Sesshoumaru rose to his feet, it was obvious to all that the curse had now transferred to him. Despite his looks, he bowed to the King, asking for the promised prize. Princess Kikyo flinched away from the man and cried

“Never shall I marry a man with a face of a nutcracker!”

Sesshoumaru's heart then turned cold, his golden eyes dimmed and silently he walked away from the selfish princess, never to be seen again.

Kagome's eyes twinkled as she listened her uncle Totosai once again telling them the story of Princess Kikyo. Nibbling roasted chestnuts, she tucked her feet under a kotatsu and hoped to hear if brave Sesshoumaru had finally removed the curse from him.  

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A/N The prompt chestnuts brought not only this chapter, but the whole story to my mind. I'm avid fan of Christmas and one of my most favorite Christmas memories is ballet The Nutcracker. Thus this story. While my life is bit more hectic than last year, I won't be able to post everyday, but I plan to finish this challenge in the timeline. 

I do not own a thing from IY or The Nutcracker. They belong solely to their owners. Nor do I make any profit from writing this. I write for fun and enjoyment. 

Please, read and review.