A Cinderella Story | Dream x oc

Chapter 8

"C'mon, you can do this!" Phil encouraged me as I feebly tried to fly again. I strained the muscles in my new wings, flapping them up and down.

Minx joined him, shouting random things like, "Yea! Do it girl!" and, "Fuck gravity!"

"I don't think it's going to work." I said, ready to give up. Phil sighed, beckoning me to follow.

He asked Minx, "Where is the tallest tower in the castle." She pointed to the tower with my room. We headed towards it, curious as to what Phil was going to do. We reached the top of the tower, and Phil climbed on the windowsill, pushing the glass open. "I really hope you aren't afraid of heights." He said. I shook my head, taking his hand and joining him on the windowsill. I took a deep breath, looking down at the long drop. All of the sudden, Phil jumped, still holding my hand. He pulled me out of the window, flapping his own wings. He gestured for me to open my own, and I realized what he was doing. He was going to let my instincts teach me, knowing they would be easier to listen to than him. He said something, probably "Good luck," before letting go of my hand, letting me fall. I panicked, and my brain focused on keeping me alive. I went on autopilot, my wings spreading out. They caught the wind, allowing me to glide freely through the sky. I tested them out, flapping, and they responded, lifting me higher. I let out a squeal of glee and flapped them again and again, until I reached the same height as Phil, who was grinning. He stopped flapping, wrapping his wings around himself. I did the same, and we both plummeted headfirst toward the ground. He yelled for me to open my wings when he did, and I complied. We banked together and shot back into the sky. I was laughing, and he was too. I felt freer than I'd ever been, unbound by gravity. We flew until my wings gave out, and he grabbed me before I could fall. We finally flew back to my tower, and I flopped onto my bed, asleep before my head hit the pillow. My limp wings covered me like a blanket, and Phil chuckled, leaving me to sleep. We'd pushed the ball back one week, trying to give me time to adjust to my wings. Minx and I had decided to open the back of my dress so I wouldn't have to hide them. Phil taught me how to, folding them into my skin so that nobody could see them. We hadn't told the others about them yet, and we were planning to surprise them. We also found out I could communicate with birds, and wanted to try that out too. I listened to their songs in the morning, singing them to myself. They told me of stories, and of places far away. I knew every bird that came to rest on my balcony, but my favorite was a black raven that would visit me often, telling me stories. It told me of people like me, hybrids from faraway lands that could communicate with any animal they desired. I wondered if I was like that. We hadn't been able to try, since there weren't many animals at the palace. Phil told me he couldn't, but his dad could, so it was possible I could too.

By the time I woke, everyone was off doing their own thing. I walked over to the window, closing the glass again. A small breeze pushed against it, calling me. I wanted to leap into the embrace of the cold wind, to fly until my wings gave out again, but I had other plans for today. I walked down to the arena, finding Clay battling a ghoul. Halo was standing in the stands, waving his hands to orchestrate the movements of the undead corpse battling the prince. In a swift move, Clay decapitated the thing, effectively killing it.

Halo frowned, "Can't you let me win once," He complained. I realized this must be a kind of game for them, since Halo could make the ghoul crumble away at any moment if Clay was in danger.

Clay grinned, "Never."

"Where do you get the bodies for those?" I spoke up, curiosity winning me over.

The both looked at me, so enveloped in their game they hadn't noticed. Halo waved a hand in answer, the head of the ghoul flying back to the body and mending itself back together. The ghoul stood, waiting for orders. "It's only one body, an old assassin." Halo explained.

"He was my old trainer." Clay added, his voice sounding a bit wistful, "He was the only one who could beat me, since he taught me."

"Until me." I smirked, trying to bring his spirits back up.

It worked, "Well you certainly surprised me."

"I'm going to give you lovebirds some space," Halo teased, heading to leave. I stopped him, grabbing his collar.

"Hold up. I need you today. Dream, do you know where the blacksmith is?" I asked, still holding a confused Halo.

"By the village." He told me. "Do you need me to show you?"

"Yes, please." I nodded, releasing Halo. clay started to walk, and we both followed. He led us through the hallways of the castle, and I folded my wings to hide them from prying eyes. Clay walked the path to the blacksmith like it was one he took often. I suspected he did, knowing him. We reached the blacksmith, and Clay knocked on the door in a specific pattern. The man hurried to open it, and his eyes widened at the three of us.

"Come in, come in." He told us, beckoning us forward. "I wasn't expecting anyone, so apologies for the mess." He seemed nervous, although having a mysterious man in a glowing halo, a prince, and an unknown woman in your home will do that to you. I decided not to reveal my wings, as the space was quite crowded already and I didn't want to scare the poor man more. A small kitten sat on a chest in the corner. I smiled at it.

"Ben, these are my friends, Halo and Artemis."

"Hello, I'm Benjamin, but you may call me Ben. Everyone does!" The man said. He seemed extroverted, and I greeted him warmly.

"Hi, I'm Artemis."

"I know. Dream came here venting for ages after you beat him that one time. I've heard quite a bit about you!" Every sentence the man spoke seemed to end with an exclamation point, but something about him reminded me of Halo.

"I beat him a lot more than once."

"Technically I beat you, but that's past the point. Ben is the best blacksmith there is, show them, Ben." Clay encouraged him.

"I don't know, Dream. I know you trust them but I don't know if they can keep a secret." He sounded nervous.

"Do you have a bigger room?" I asked. He nodded, quickly leading us through a door into a workshop of sorts. He had a bed directly next to a lava pool, I assumed to melt metal. I wondered why, before I realized something. "You're a hybrid, aren't you?"

"N-no." He stuttered.

"Ben, it's ok," Halo said, pulling off his halo, letting his hood fall. Ben gasped, then sighed. He scrunched his face for a moment, then pulled off his thick goggles. Underneath, his eyes were flames, and when he removed his gloves, we saw his hands had a golden tint to them, looking almost like scales.

"I'm a blaze hybrid." He explained, "I'm resistant to fire and lava. That's why I'm a blacksmith."

"That's awesome!" Halo said, "I have fire magic!" He demonstrated this by lighting his halo on fire and throwing it in the air. Ben caught it, and the flames winked out as he handed it back to Halo. I agreed, it was indeed awesome.

"Do you think you can make Halo a sword?" I asked.

Ben looked at Halo, then nodded, "Yeah, you got any ideas?"

I grinned, "I have a few." We spent the next hour and a half with Ben, Halo trying out swords to figure out which one was the best balance for him. We found one, and I pulled Ben aside, explaining my idea for the sword. I also asked him about something else I had planned for the ball. He ginned, admitting it would be a fun challenge, then shooed us all out to get to work. We chatted as we headed back to the palace, and Clay asked what I would be wearing at the ball.

"Surprise." Was all I told him, flashing a mischievous grin.

Halo glanced at me, "Should I be worried?"

"Probably," Clay said before I could answer. I glared at him, and he grinned. I sighed, wondering why he had to be so annoying. But boys are boys, and there wasn't a thing I could do about it. I smiled, imagining what his face would look like when Minx and I's plan went into motion. I grinned, picturing a shocked look on everyone's face.

"What are you thinking about, Arty?" Halo asked.

"Nothing." I answered quickly, still grinning. We walked back to the castle in silence.