Chapter 1
Subtitle:Watching Over a Family That Never Returned
Chapter 1
As the curtains of night fell and a deep hush settled over the palace, a chorus of faint, muffled giggles began to echo through the halls.
Of course, no human ear could ever catch these voices. If anyone could hear them at all, it would only be a very young child. For these were the voices of the toys.
In this grand palace lived a vast multitude of toys belonging to the four princesses and the young prince. Every midnight, when the humans fell into a deep slumber, the toys would leap from the boxes where they had been tucked away, spending the hours dancing, racing, and whispering among themselves. The humans remained entirely oblivious—partly because they were fast asleep, but mostly because it was not the physical toys themselves that played, but rather their lingering souls.
Yes, the souls of toys are invisible to human eyes.
Among all the gathering spots, the room holding the dolls of the princesses and the prince was by far the most dazzling. It was as if a vibrant, glowing flower had suddenly bloomed in that single corner. These five dolls had been gifted by the King and Queen to their five children on each of their sixth birthdays. Crafted to mirror the likeness of the four princesses and the lone prince, they were breathtakingly beautiful. However, because their heads were sculpted from delicate bisque porcelain and easily broken, they were kept with utmost care inside a locked wardrobe.
The eldest sister-doll was named Natalia. Her younger sisters, in order of age, were Anna, Elena, and Nina. The youngest of all was their brother, Ivan.
"Listen to this, dearest sisters!"
Nina, the fourth sister-doll, was puffing her cheeks in sheer indignation.
"Lately, my Fourth Princess hardly ever plays with me!"
"Well, your Fourth Princess is already nine years old, isn't she?" replied Natalia, the eldest, with a gentle, placid nod. "She is at an age where the world offers many fascinating things beyond playing with dolls."
"But she spends so much time with her stuffed animals!" Nina protested. "She even cuddles with them in her bed every night!"
"We are simply not suited for bedtime cuddles, dear," Anna, the second sister, interjected with a calm, comforting voice. "After all, our porcelain heads will shatter if handled roughly. One must be exceedingly careful, especially around small children."
"But still, I cannot help but envy them! I want to be with my little girl so much more!"
"Our purpose is quite different from that of the plush toys," Anna explained patiently to her younger sister. "Our duty is to teach young children how to cherish fragile things."
Plush toys are soft; they do not break even if they are dropped. Therefore, they excel at being close companions, snuggling in bed and keeping their owners' hearts warm and comforted. In contrast, a doll’s bisque head will shatter upon impact. Anna explained in simple terms that learning to protect and preserve something so easily broken was a way for a young lady to cultivate patience and thoughtful grace.
Completely outargued, Nina drooped her head in a dejected pout.
"Anna, sister, please do not lecture her so harshly," Elena, the third sister, gently intervened, drawing Nina into a tender embrace. "Nina only wanted someone to say, 'I know, it feels a bit lonely, doesn't it?'"
"You sisters are so fortunate," Ivan, the youngest brother-doll, spoke up timidly. "As for me, my First Prince barely looks at me these days."
"Ah, yes," Natalia agreed with a sympathetic nod. "Your First Prince is quite enchanted by his toy soldiers and model ships now, isn't he?"
Being a boy, the First Prince preferred doll play only when it involved brave, martial manoeuvres. Though he would occasionally join his older sisters in their games of make-believe house, he never played parent to his own doll, nor did he care for dressing him up.
"In fact, your princesses play with me far more often than he does..." Ivan murmured sadly.
Hearing their little brother's melancholy words, the four sisters gathered around and held him tight in a warm embrace.
“But you will always have us, dear brother.””””
Just then, the bright fanfares of a toy trumpet rang out.
"Aha! Do not forget about us, our gallant Ivan! Commander!"
A troop of miniature soldiers came tumbling into the doll’s wardrobe. For toys, a locked door was no barrier at all. They numbered exactly twenty-five.
"Good evening, Princess of Spring, Princess of Summer, Princess of Autumn, and Princess of Winter," the soldiers chimed, bowing reverently on one knee before the five dolls.
"Good evening, gentlemen. It is a lovely night, isn't it?" Natalia replied on behalf of the five.
Like Ivan, these soldiers belonged to the First Prince. They were also comrades in the grand game of 'The Captive Princesses'—a favourite pastime whenever the human princesses and prince played together. The children would cast the dolls into a story adapted from an old fairy tale, where a wicked dragon steals the golden apples from the palace and kidnaps the four princesses of the seasons, plunging the world into total darkness. The prince must then slay the dragon to restore light to the kingdom.
The four elder sister-dolls played the captured princesses of Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter, while Ivan took the role of the heroic prince who leads his twenty-five soldiers to rescue them.
"Our brave Ivan! The bond forged in battle shall endure forever!"
And so, amid the lively, bustling chatter of the toys, the night deepened silently for the sleeping humans.
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