"Cinderella! What on earth are you doing here?" She spun on the spot, dropping everything in her hands out of fright. She waited for her eyes to focus on the person in front of her in the dark.
"Fairgem?" It was Fairgem and she was holding a package under one arm.
"What are you doing in the forest, girl? It's almost full dark! You should be on your way to the ball, not here." Fairgem watched as Cinderella's face crumbled, her shoulders stiff. "She didn't let you." Cinderella nodded, trying to look unaffected.
"What are you carrying?" Cinderella took the large package from the woman, it was lighter than she'd imagined.
"Never mind that, come, I'm taking you home, away from that place." She took hold of Cinderella's arm.
"Oh, but I cannot. I must finish her dress for her by the time she comes back from the ball. I can't just leave all my things." Fairgem sighed, looking at her daughter wearily.
"Cinderella. You deserve to go to the ball, forget her silly dress. Come with me." Cinderella wanted to but instead she turned away and picked up the things she'd dropped earlier, the dress and the two diaries. "So you won't go meet Jon tonight, you'll just leave him to wait for you? I never took you for a coward, love." Cinderella turned around in anger.
"I can't. I want to, but I am not who I said I was. He thinks I am a normal young miss. He doesn't know about the illegitimacy of my birth. He would hate me. He would turn away from me. Treat me the way my family does." And there was the heart of the matter. It would be easy to go. Meet Jon, dance and laugh and fall in love. She could easily steal another dress, one from Anabeth's room that fit better. It would not be easy, however, to be shunned. It was not easy being disgraced. Hated. Fairgem took her hand softly, waiting for Cinderella to look at her.
"Trust yourself."
She sighed, "It is too late now. She has destroyed my dress." Fairgem gave the gown in Cinderella's arms an appraisal and smiled,
"Just come with me."
CHAPTER
SEVEN
"Now let's see here," Fairgem laid out the dress on the table, making a clicking noise with her tongue, "That horrid woman." Cinderella sat on the chair behind her, exhausted from all the crying. She put her head in her hands, leaning her elbows on her knees.
"It's no use. Even if my dress were not ruined, she still expects me to have mended it and let the waist out by the time she returns from the ball tonight." Fairgem leaned back on her heels shifting her weight from foot to foot before she turned to look at Cinderella, a broad grin on her lips and excitement in her eyes.
"I have the most perfect thing!" Before Cinderella could ask, Fairgem had rushed off in a hurry, running behind a curtain. She stood up from the chair, stretching her limbs and yawning. All the night's events had taken a toll on her nerves. Fairgem emerged from the curtain carrying what appeared to be a mountain of fabric. Cinderella assumed it to be a dress but couldn't find a bodice or sleeves or anything but fabric in all the layers of white Fairgem held. "This will look perfect on you!"
"Fairgem, no." she backed away from the dress, unwilling to allow herself to hope for a moment that she could wear the gown, that she would go the ball.
"Cinderella, if you love me then you will at least try the dress on." She paused, with such an ultimatum she was forced to undress and allow Fairgem to drop the folds of fabric over her. When everything was buttoned up, Fairgem led her over to the mirror in the corner of the room. She looked in the mirror. "I couldn't possibly." The dress was beautiful, utterly, impossibly beautiful. Cascades of white silk falling from a gorgeously beaded bodice that hugged her waist and curled around her bosom as if made for her. Layers of fabric that moved around Cinderella as she turned too and fro in front of the mirror, as if part of her body. "Fairgem..." Her voice faltered, she ran her hands over the silk, feeling its smoothness, unable to pull her hands away from the folds.
"Oh, and I haven't shown you his present." Gone in a blink was her fascination, in its place confusion and disbelief. She watched as her old Nurse rifled through cupboards, shelves and boxes impatiently.
"His? He gave you something? When did you see him? How? Why didn't you tell me?" She looked over boxes at Cinderella, a small smile curling the side of her mouth.
"You didn't ask, and anyway he told me not to." Cinderella was quiet as she turned back to the mirror, watching her reflection and the emotions that flittered across her features. Shock, then anger, then bewilderment.
"He told you not to. Why?" Fairgem made a loud triumphant sound and held up the package she'd been holding earlier when they'd bumped into each other in the forest.
"The question you should be asking," she came closer, slowly opening the box, "is what has he given you." It wasn't her most pressing question but nevertheless Cinderella peered into the box and found a pair of shoes. They were a deep gold colour and so fine that Cinderella could hardly fathom the idea of putting such delicately made things on her feet. With a modest heel and rounded toe it's defining feature were the carvings along the side of the shoe. Made of a clear and solid material, it almost looked to Cinderella like, "Glass." She spared her nurse a glance to watch her looking down at the shoes with a critical eye.
"I must say that I was apprehensive at first, but the glass touch has certainly grown on me. These shoes would be fit for royalty. Your Jon has a very good eye indeed." Cinderella felt none of that apprehension for as soon as she'd laid eyes on those shoes she knew that anything smaller than the Kings army would ever be able to separate her with the gift.
"Who is he?" She genuinely needed to know. Who was this man who consorted with royalty, this man who bought a girl the most impractical type of shoes. Fairgem softly placed the shoes on the floor before Cinderella and she gingerly inserted her feet and watched them in the mirror.
"That is for him to tell you."
"It must have cost a small fortune," she said, releasing her skirt so that it flowed over the shoes and hid them from view.
"A mighty waste I might say, no one will even see it. But sometimes fancy footwear does give a girl courage." Cinderella stared at her reflection. She couldn't believe her eyes. She looked like royalty. Despite her hair and the redness in her eyes, she looked like someone who wasn't capable of being afraid, only confident.
"Were you in the forest coming to give me the shoes?" Fairgem nodded silently behind her. Her eyes had welled up with tears, a happy grin on her face. "Why are you crying?" She hastily scrubbed at her eyes.
"Because I'm happy. Happy that you're here with me. Happy that you'll finally be getting what you deserve. You deserve happiness Cinderella." They hugged and as they did Cinderella cautiously decided to trust her instincts. Within the embrace she became determined. They finally pulled away from each other at which point Cinderella made Fairgem aware of how atrocious her hair looked. Walking in the forest in the dark had led to leaves and other unmentionables stuck in her hair. She sat down in front of the mirror as Fairgem worked. Laughing at the memories that were conjured by the activity. Early mornings when Cinderella was just a little girl, singing to her Nurse as she combed and styled her hair.
"Whom did you make this dress for?" Cinderella asked, smoothing the silk over her shoulder as Fairgem continued her ministrations.
"A woman from the nobility, she told me she wanted something white and beautiful then left the shop promising to come back in a week for it."
"But how can I wear it out to the ball if it is to be hers soon? What if she sees me in it? It could ruin you."
"Oh stop your worrying," she fixed her with a maternal look in the mirror then continued on her hair, "Just bring the dress back to me so that I can alter the design and give it to her. I may never talk to you if you spill anything on it, ok?" Cinderella smiled.
"Ok," suddenly remembering something, "oh, but what about her dress, I need to have fixed it by the time she returns home."
"Never mind that, I'll fix it for you and have it delivered so that it's there when you return. Discretely of co
urse."
"Thank you Fairgem, how can I ever begin to-"
"Don't be ridiculous child. It is nothing a mother would not do for her daughter." She looked down at her gown, mesmerised by its fluidity, its beauty and came to a sudden realisation.
"My dress! I told him pink with lace, he will not recognise me." Fairgem brushed aside her worry with a flick of her wrist.
"Trust your instincts, deduce, you will find him." Cinderella turned back to the mirror, noticing the way that her hair was now placed in a stylish up do at the top of her head. Fairgem had inserted flowers that highlighted the colour and shine of her hair. She turned her head from side to side, trying to glance at her hair from different angles.
"Oh, it's beautiful. Thank you." she was silent for a moment, biting her lip with worry. "I hope Jon isn't disappointed with what he finds."
CHAPTER
EIGHT
Prince Mark was not acting as royalty should, his family surrounding him remarked. In a sea of merriment and colour, of champagne and laughing, dancing couples and lively music, Prince Mark stood waiting. Earlier he'd asked the front guards to notify him if a woman dressed in pink with sleeves of lace arrived. They had received nobody of such description. His senses were on high, worry coursing through him, fear of her reaction. Silently, in the balcony with the rest of the royal family, he watched below as the nobility danced. Elegant and resplendent, the music encouraging them to step with flare. Every so often his mother would tap him on the shoulder and direct his attention to a female she'd personally invited. He would then have to stand up and bow. Each time he sat back down he tried to ignore the look of disappointment on her face. Mark was waiting. Through the night, he made pleasantries with those who talked to him, smiling and pretending that every fibre of his being wasn't lying in wait of Cinderella. He'd prepared, he had a corner of the royal gardens sectioned off so that they could take a stroll in private, talk, share a kiss. With every hour that passed the Prince sank lower into his chair, worry turned to confusion which then turned to anger. This had been her idea meeting! Feeling suffocated by the noise in the room and the sideways glances of his mother, the Prince stood and made his way down the stairs and outside the ballroom. Ignoring his mother's questions. Slipping out of the hall and into the garden he was greeted with silence, he breathed in the cold and crisp air. Following the path, he relished in the privacy, the quiet. When he turned the corner around a fern he stopped in his tracks. There was a woman. To Prince Mark's eyes, she was an angel. She sat on the edge of the fountain, her head tilted up to the heavens. Eyes closed, bordered by delicate lashes. Her small pink lips displaying a whimsical smile. She hadn't noticed him. He watched the fair beauty. She looked to be only a few years younger than he, her hair held at the top of her head by wild flowers. She was dressed in some type of white concoction that hugged her delicate curves until it expanded at her waist in an explosion of fabric and hit the floor. She was incredible. Mark discovered he'd been holding his breath. He took a hesitant step forward, not wanting to disturb her. Then he remembered Cinderella and sighed. The girl heard his exhale and opened her eyes in fright, almost falling backwards into the fountain during the process.
Cinderella was disappointed. She'd spent hours avoiding her stepmother and asking everywhere for Jon. Nobody knew who he was, perhaps because she didn't even know his surname. She could hardly comprehend the idea. That she knew so much about his character, his likes and dislikes, but she didn't know where he lived, she didn't know his surname. In the end it had all been for naught, but as she sat next to the fountain watching the stars and relishing her freedom she almost didn't care. This moment, her eyes closed, away from all the pressures of her life, surrounded by ferns and nothing else, she felt content. And then she thought about Jon, and she sighed. Her sigh was echoed by a deeper one. In shock she sat up too fast and almost fell back into the fountain before she grabbed hold of the stone she sat on and righted herself. Looking up she found a man was staring at her, two deep blue eyes pierced her. A face framed by a straight nose and muscular jaw. He was dressed impeccably. Cinderella tilted her head, he almost looked like-
"Y-your Majesty," she gasped, hurrying to stand and bow, almost falling again before regaining her balance.
"This is a private area" he watched her strangely, it made her feel awkward and flustered.
"I apologise, I assumed that this area was available to guests." She made to leave before he held his hand out,
"Please, sit with me." she took his hand, it was warm and sure. They sat next to each other in front of the fountain silently. Each lost in their own thoughts before the Prince asked, "What would persuade a woman, such as yourself, to sit alone outside when there is a ball inside?"
Forgetting that she was talking to the Prince and future ruler, Cinderella countered, "I might ask you the same question." He laughed, glancing at her from the corner of his eye.
"I was meeting someone," she shifted the skirt of her dress, deciding that tonight was not the night to be weighed down by propriety.
"It would seem that is the theme for tonight. Might I venture to guess that you also did not achieve the outcome you'd hoped for tonight?" He watched her for a moment, trying to understand the confusing, beautiful creature beside him.
"You would be correct. And you?" She smiled, but it was without humour, merely the strains of lips.
"I always assumed that royalty was spared feelings of rejection or neglect. I suppose I've been fairly narrow sighted." He turned to the fountain, tapping the water, creating small circular ripples.
"She's not royalty," This peaked Cinderella's interest, she was pulled from her own self-loathing thoughts about Jon by her intrigue. It was quite a scandal for royalty to mix with people below their station, at least seriously.
"What a tricky situation. And do you care for her, this woman?" He laughed.
"Tricky," he rolled the word on his tongue, satisfied with its description. "It doesn't matter how I feel anymore, she has made it clear that she does not wish to meet me"
"Ah, so you are like me. Hopelessly in love, but without any hope."
"Unless you met your love by stumbling upon their diary in the forest, we are nothing alike." Cinderella's hand froze on her skirt.
"Diary in the forest?" She couldn't breath, her face went hot and then it went cold. She watched with bated breath as he laughed bitterly, running a hand through his short, cropped hair.
"It is as strange as it sounds. To fall in love with a commoner." Cinderella barely heard his words. Her ears were pounding. It was like some horrid sick joke. She'd thought her chance was slim with a simple gentleman but with the Prince? It was impossible. She stood abruptly from the fountain.
"I must go." She stammered. She had to get as far away from him as possible. She'd been ignorant this whole time. She was certainly no Princess. If the idea of telling Jon that she was illegitimate had scared her then, the idea of even broaching the topic with Prince Mark terrified her beyond reason. He said nothing to her announcement of leaving. Cinderella glanced back at him, he looked deflated. He appeared how she felt. Her conscience refused to leave him without any comfort, to allow him to feel misplaced rejection. She sighed and sat back down. "Maybe something held her back?"
"Very possible."
"But you don't believe that?" He took a deep breath, staring up at the sky.
"Perhaps she somehow realised I was the Prince and took off," Cinderella felt her cheeks burn with shame, that had been exactly what she was doing, "or perhaps she finally decided that I wasn't worth the trouble." She felt horrible.
"Or, perhaps she realised that you two came from different worlds and wanted to save you the heartbreak?" He looked at her hard.
Dearest Cinderella Page 4