In 1512 in Spain, orphaned Daniel El Barbero's chance meeting with the Queen's daughter sets off a chain of events that make his life as a servant in the house of his cold and scheming stepfather more difficult than ever before.
Despite revolutions and wars, the magnificent castle known only as Catalonia remained untouched and kept its fragile beauty. Those who had built it had chosen not to take away from the magnificent surroundings and leave the castle as a part of the mountain it sat on. The interior, however, had been decorated to rival palaces like Barcelona. The Indian girl and the two brothers made their way up the grand staircase, glancing appreciatively at the beauty of the hall that surrounded them. Soon enough, they were led into the parlor where the Gran Señor was seated on a throne. He looked up and nodded politely as they were seated before him. His voice was aristocratic to the extreme.
"You might ask why an old man wishes to speak to the authors of children's stories." He continued, complimenting the Indian girl and the brothers on their stories, but soon getting to the point of her request that they meet him. "I was disturbed by your telling of the 'Little Cinder-Boy.'"
The Indian girl answered, explaining how she had believed the story, with its fairy godfathers and magic pumpkins, to be the closest to the truth. As she spoke, the Gran Señor motioned to a footman who brought him a silver box. Not noticing her action, the two brothers found themselves drawn to a portrait on an easel. It was of a young man with messy hair the color of spun gold and eyes turned downward in an expression that hinted of both courage and romance.
"The young man in the portrait . . .he is quite extraordinary." The Gran Señor turned to him as though he expected him to see the portrait and comment upon it. "His name was Daniel El Barbero." He reached into the open box and lifted out a stunning satin slipper. It was silver in color and studded with tiny jewels. The small heel, they could see, was made of clear glass and studded with jewels as well. The Gran Señor continued, ignoring their gasps of wonder at this marvelous object. "And this was his glass slipper." The Indian girl and the two brothers were dumbfounded and they stared at him in wonder. He continued calmly, understanding their confusion. "Perhaps I should begin they way you do: Once upon a time, there lived a little boy who loved his mother very much . . ."
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
