The Cinderella Coup (Revved Up Fairy Tales Book 2)

by Diana Flame

  Now was a good a time as any to try calling on the beast. He’d been able to bring it out while in training. At those times, he’d been frustrated and angry. Now he was neither, but he believed his focus on his mission would help.

  Closing his eyes, he focused on his inner bear, requesting that it show itself. Nothing happened. He attempted several times without result. It was when he began to feel some amount of anxiety in not being able to get to the palace in time, that he felt a stirring. He tried to control his emotions but at the same time allowed the beast to start manifesting.

  It took a great amount of will to keep from fully transforming. His arms and thighs bulged while he grew a few feet taller. His eyes changed from cobalt to orange flames. At this time, when he was able to see clearly, he willed himself to halt the transformation.

  It wasn’t working as he wanted as the change continued. If he wasn’t able to control his change, this would pose a problem. Galen dug deep, remembering Rufus’ words. It still did not help. The face of the witch, Marge, popped in his head. This gave him the strength he needed to will the transformation to cease.

  With new determination and the ability to see clearly through the dark tunnel, Galien was on his way. He moved quickly, reaching his destination within minutes. At the end of his journey, he paused to transform back into his human self.

  The passage led to the wine cellar beneath the pantry through another hatch. Inside was musky, cold and dark. From where he stood in the cellar, he heard the music of the party in progress.

  As he moved through the pantry, someone came in to fetch items on a shelf. She picked a jar of oclaret (tomato-like fruit) preserves from the shelf. As though sensing him she turned to his direction and stood still. The plump woman looked at him with wide eyes and opened her mouth to scream.

  “Soleil,” he said, and the jar slipped from her fingers, dropping to the floor with a smash.

  “H-h-how doth thou knowest my name?” she stammered, her eyes wide.

  Galien stepped close to the woman. She stepped back, looking around frantically.

  “Soleil, ‘tis I, Galien,” he softly said.

  Soleil’s mouth hung as she stared wide eyed at the man before her. Her eyes raked over him then came back to connect with his. A flicker crossed her face before her features soften.

  “My Prince,” she bowed, getting down on one knee.

  Galien gripped her shoulders and gently pulled her up. “No need for that now. This day I shall return to my rightful place. Then and only then, thou shalt kneel.”

  “Aye, my Prince.”

  “Very well, I shall take my leave,” he said.

  Galien quickly departed the pantry, leaving Soleil bowing her head in reverence. When he passed through the kitchen, the cook and scullery maid looked up. He could see the surprise on their faces, but they ignored him, allowing him to pass. The sounds of a commotion caught his attention. He hastened his steps fearing that Cinderella might be in trouble.

  Using the servants’ stairwell Galien found his way to the second floor. A battle between the upper contingent and lower rank soldiers was in high gear. The prime suspect for such a commotion, of course, was Cinderella.

  He made his way past them without detection up to the third floor of the palace. Once there he headed for the king’s bedchamber. He was not yet inside the room when he heard footsteps and yelling behind him.

  “Halt!” was the command. “Who goes there?”

  He ignored the voices and hastened inside the room, latching the door behind him. The large bedchamber occupied half the third floor. On the wall behind the bed head was the carving of the king of Taucia from 100 years ago. The eyes of the king were stones of amethyst. Galien stealthily moved towards the bed and removed one of the king’s eyes.

  As soon as the eye of the king was removed, the wall behind the bed cracked open. It shook the building. Galien pushed the wall back and replaced the stone in the slot. A bright light emitted from behind the wall as it gave way to another room. Voices were coming from outside the king’s chamber while he continued pushing against the wall. As the new room manifested itself, the door to the king’s bedchamber burst open.

  Quickly he moved, stepping through the entry as his heart drummed heavily. Whosoever had opened the door was coming towards the secret room. Not wasting time, Galien trotted forward.

  “Capture that Gent!” a voice commanded.

  Galien knew the voice was Tobyn’s, but he did not halt his mission. His heart raced, not from fear but from anticipation. Moisture formed on his forehead while beads of sweat trickled down his back. The light that emitted from the room came from a sphere, which sat on a dais on the opposite side of the room. Galien approached on wobbly knees, setting down the quiver and bow belonging to Cinderella on the floor. He could hear whispers and gasps as well as footsteps.

  “Stop, I say!” Tobyn commanded him.

  Galien stole a glance behind him, noticing three soldiers and their refusal to enter the room. Tobyn withdrew his sword and advanced. As he neared Galien, a magnetic force coming from the sphere passed through Galien and slammed into Tobyn. This force threw Tobyn against the wall. He slid to the floor with a loud groan. There he sat, his eyes bulging as he witnessed the spectacle.

  Galien returned his eyes to the sphere. The stone that hung as a pendant around his neck glowed with a blinding light that he had to shield his eyes. The closer he got to the sphere, the brighter it became. When he was but an arm's breadth away, the globe began to crack. He stood watching in awe as the object shattered, leaving behind a pile of glass. Galien stepped closer and as he did, the glass began to swirl upward.

  In that moment, a thundering voice said, “Halt, at once!”

  Galien’s head whipped around to see the king entering the room. “Was this here all along? How did thee not find it, thou incompetent fools!”

  “Thy highness, thee never allowed us to search thy chamber,” a brave soul replied.

  “Silence!” King Hughoc shouted, then directed at Galien. “Young lad, step away from that… thing… this minute.”

  “I cannot do that,” Galien calmly replied.

  “My son, the Prince, will take it from here,” Hughoc declared. “On thy feet, Tobyn,” Hughoc commanded and Tobyn scrambled to his feet. The King continued, “Get up there.”

  Tobyn moved with halted steps to the dais, but another invisible force slapped him again. He hit the wall and slid to the floor. This time his eyes slammed shut as he lost consciousness. The King staggered back as The Queen came to stand at the entryway with an awestruck expression.

  The pieces of glass that swirled in a circular motion emitting their bright lights began taking the shape of a crown. Galien kept his eyes on it. After the crown was complete, it began slowly descending. When it was a breath away from Galien’s head, the cord on which his pendant hung, snapped. The pendant dislodged itself. As though a force had dragged it upward, it zoomed through the space. The stone settled into the face of the crown as if though it belonged there.

  “He is truly the Prince,” a breathy voice uttered.

  Galien reached up and set the crown upon his own head. The scepter that Rufus had gifted him sparkled, sending an electrical charge through him. With the electrical charge came a disintegration of his sheepskin garment. His sword hung in midair while his leather suit fizzled into nothingness. Replacing his garment was a golden suit, which materialized as though from thin air. The robe was gold with scarlet trim all around.

  When the garment was complete, the lights began to diminish. His sheath snapped back around his waist and he was all set. He picked up the bow, quiver and his scepter and turned to face the onlookers.

  The walls of the room began closing in, startling Galien. As the walls closed in the room got darker. Galien had to move quickly because of the rapid movements off the walls. A couple of the soldiers lifted Tobyn and ran from the room, followed by the king and queen. By the time Galien stepped through the entrance back
into the king’s chamber, the secret room was no more.

  The wall that had opened up from the chamber now slammed shut. Around the edge where the sealed had cracked a glow appeared for a second. The wall then smoothed, the crack disappearing as though it had never opened up. The two eyes off the king of Taucia flew through the air and lodged themselves into the sides of the crown. The mission was now complete.

  From outside the bedchamber, the king's voice commanded, “Arrest the intruder!”

  Two soldiers blocked Galien from leaving the bedchamber, their swords drawn. Galien made a purposeful stride toward them. They held their ground. The younger of the two soldiers’ hand began to tremble with his weapon. When Galien made another step closer, his sword fell to the floor with a clang.

  “My Prince,” he said, with a tremor in his voice.

  The Prince stepped even closer, raising his scepter. “Pledge thy allegiance now,” he commanded.

  The young soldier knelt. The second soldier staggered back, then turned and fled. The soldier that knelt before the Prince offered his life for service to the crown Prince. Galien strode toward the door with the soldier following close behind. As he entered the passage, a contingent of seven met him from his left. Their weapons were already drawn as they sought to apprehend him.

  The King and Tobyn stood behind another large group of soldiers. More soldiers closed in on the opposite end of the hallway. However, ahead of them in hot battle was a woman with her glass slippers in one hand and a sword in the next.

  The group of soldiers that approached him was ready to carry out the king’s command. His one guard stepped forward, blocking the enemy.

  “Thou shalt not harm the Prince,” the youth yelled.

  “The Prince is beside The King,” one of the soldiers declared. “Who is this gent?”

  “He is crown Prince of Izadel, King Reginald’s son. Can thee not see he wears the crown?” Galien’s guard returned.

  The group all gawked at Galien for what seemed like eons. “That-that-that is impossible,” the soldier in front stammered. “He has been long dead!”

  “Nay,” one of the seven intervened. “He is The Creature, doth thee not know the story?”

  The soldier standing in front of the group boldly stepped forward. “If thou be the Prince, prove it this day.”

  “Art thee certain thou wilt be able to withstand the truth?” Galien asked with a grin.

  The soldier shuffled his feet but did not lower his weapon. The battle to his right was getting closer, and the soldiers to his left began to separate. They argued among themselves.

  “He is not the Prince, that gent is an impostor!” some shouted.

  “Only the true Prince could have entered the secret chamber,” another said.

  “Tobyn is the impostor. That is the reason he could not find the room.”

  With the argument as to whom the real Prince was, came a separation of the soldiers. The ones who defended Galien surrounded him as a shield, holding off the others with their weapons.

  “He will prove it,” one of Galien’s men declared. “King Reginald’s son is The Creature. If this is The Creature, we will pledge our allegiance now.”

  “Aye!”

  “Arrest them for treason,” King Hughoc commanded as soon as the soldiers stated they would pledge allegiance to Galien.

  Galien pushed through his men to stand in front. No one approached. The fear on the opposing soldiers’ faces was apparent.

  “What art thee afraid of, King Hughoc?” Galien asked.

  Someone bumped into him and he glanced their way before turning back to look Hughoc straight in the eyes. It was Cinderella and she was breathing heavily. More soldiers joined forces with the ones already standing behind him.

  “I, King Hughoc, fear nothing!” the orotund voice of the king returned.

  “Then why thou wilt not allow me to prove that I am the true heir to this throne?” Galien asked. “I have already proven it by passing the test, but thee fail to believe what thou have seen with thine own eyes.”

  “Then prove thou art The Creature,” Tobyn stepped forward bravely. “Prove it this very moment.”

  “And what shall thee give me in return for my proof?”

  “I-I-I-I,” Tobyn stuttered.

  Galien advanced by a step. The soldiers stepped back. “I shall have thy head if it be proven that I am The Creature.”

  As he spoke, his eyes glowed yellow, scaring a few of the men. The ones in front fell to their knees. But Hughoc and Tobyn were still unconvinced. Galien advanced still, his mouth slowly transforming into a bear snout as thick brown hair pushed through his skin. His muscles began swelling and he began growing in height.

  Shrieks and screams filled the hallway. Some of the guards began running away. The men who had joined Galien’s army stood their ground, growing more confident with the evidence before them.

  The King and Tobyn took a few steps backward, commanding their men to stand their ground. Galien advanced on them, his eyes like flames.

  “Apprehend him now!” the king thundered.

  A soldier, who Galien had noticed fighting alongside Cinderella, stepped between the two forces.

  “Stop, I say!” the soldier ordered. The soldier turned to Galien. “I am Captain of the lower guard, Markus. My father served thy father well, and I will serve thee,” he said while kneeling.

  Galien touched Markus on his shoulder with his scepter. “Rise, and serve me well,” she said.

  “Thou might not remember,” Markus said, standing to his feet. “But we played in the palace, hidden from all eyes. Until one day, thou hast disappeared. I was thy only friend and thee were my only friend.”

  They eyed each other for a while. A flicker crossed Galien’s face as he recalled the child who played with him in the palace. She made a step closer, but a soldier’s voice rang in the air.

  “Captain?” one youth stepped close to his commander. Quite a number of confused faces look on as well.

  Markus, turned bellowing at the men he led, “Join me now or perish!”

  A large number of soldiers ran forward immediately while others hesitated, looking from Galien to the king. Finally, a few more joined Markus while the others drew back towards the king’s men. In all, Galien’s force now grew to about eighty men. About thirty men remained with the king. However, Galien knew the king’s army remained formidable because there were still soldiers outside the palace. There was also a reserve army to which only a few were privy.

  * * *

  While the upheaval happened inside the palace, a lone horseman snuck away. Heading towards the untrammeled path leading to Padian, he held tightly a message to the ailing King Talebot of the Padian Kingdom. The royal seal of Izadel made the message of great importance.

  Chapter 4

  Deep inside the Black Thorn Forest, in a cold damp cave, burned a bright flickering fire. The wood sparked and crackled as the flames formed shadows on the blackened cave walls. Two pairs of eyes stared at each other across the fire pit. In the meantime, another set of eyes looked curiously from a dark corner.

  A figure belonging to one set of the eyes sat back on her heels. She growled deep in her throat at the stupidity of her younger sister, Isolde. That sister was staring at her in terror across the flickering flames.

  The elder sister snarled, “Ye clotpole!” … meaning, ‘idiot’!

  Isolde cringed at the sound of Olga’s voice. The last time she saw her sister this angry, was when they were children and she messed with her sister’s magic doll. That resulted in their house catching fire when Olga has screamed and yelled. That’s when they all knew she was a witch.

  Now sitting across from her with the blazing fire between them brought back those memories and the fear they had invoked. Her parents had been forced to send Olga away. This cave was where Olga decided to stay.

  “How could ye make such a foolish promise to the king?” Olga bellowed. “Doth not ye know what a brutal man that king be? D
o ye even know where Marge is? Not even I, the great Olga can find her.”

  Isolde hastened to her sister’s side, kneeling and clasping her hands together. “I beseech thee, my great elder sister, assist me this once and I shall ne’er bother thee again.”

  “Ye foolish wench,” Olga scoffed. “Ye have wasted thy life. How could thee bethink it was wise to murder thine own husband? Now, look at ye. Pathetic!”

  “’Tis that Cinderella’s fault. If she had not exiled me from the house, this would not have happened.”

  Olga rose to her feet and shook her head pitifully. “Depart from me at once, I cannot be of assistance to thee.”

  Isolde grabbed Olga’s foot. “I beg of thee, please do not send me away from thee. Thou art all I have now.”

  “Git!”

  “Nay, I shall not leave thee. I beg of thee. Do not send me away.”

  “What wilt ye have me do?”

  “Help me find Marge. I know that thee can do it. Thou art the great Olga, the most powerful witch in all of Izadel!”

  Olga grinned. ”Well, thou hast spoken truly. I am the most powerful of all the witches…,” She paused as her face became somber. “Only one was greater than I and she has been missing for three decades. How am I supposed to find her?”

  Isolde scrambled to her feet, straightening her back. “Use the magic water, the way thee did find Cinderella.”

  Olga lumbered to the corner of the dark cave where she kept her potions and ingredients. In a corner was a sphere of polished obsidian. She picked it up and placed it on a stone block that she used as a table.

  “What may that be?” Isolde asked.

  “Quiet. Me needs to concentrate,” Olga reprimanded. “Keep quiet or I shall have thee removed from the cave.”

  Isolde pursed her lips and lowered her gaze. Olga held her head back and started speaking.

  “I call upon the great dark angel to give me sight to see what has been hidden from view. Oh great Gagallim, give me the power, the strength and the might. Oh Great one, give me sight!”