Cinder Maid

Untitled Part 11

The day after the next Cinder purposely held off on her chores wanting an excuse to leave by midnight. Every second she spent there the more intrigued she became about the palace. About the prince. The thought brought tears to her eyes as she swept.

She’d grown so fond of the prince since they’d danced at the second ball that it seemed almost suicide to return. So she wasn’t going back. She couldn’t.

She wasn’t going back. There wasn’t to be twelve chimes of the grand clock, she wasn’t going to avoid her stepmother, she wasn’t going at all. She kept repeating that in her mind.

I am not going. I am not going. I am not going. I am not-

She was wiping tears off her cheeks as she scrubbed the floors. She had to go back, to say “good bye” at the very least.

She sat up on her knees and ran her damp fingers through her hair. She would go back.

The dull tap and whoosh of water from a falling bucket sounded and she looked up at the spilled bucket of water. Wendy stood in front of her with her hand on her hip.

“Stop blubbering about,” she paused to think, “whatever you are blubbering about.”

Cinder nodded. “Can I help you, Wendy?”

“You looked so nice in that dress the other night that I figured you could help me pick out my gown for tonight’s ball,” she said. “Since you are slacking on your chores I’d assume you are not planning to go.”

“No, I am not.”

Wendy clapped her hands once. “Well then you have plenty of time! This last ball will run rather late anyway.” She bent on the waist and did a stage whisper. “This is the night the prince will choose his bride.” She stood up straight again and clasped her hands together. “Pity you’re not going, he seemed quite fond of you.”

Going.

“I’ll be at your room after I clean up this spill,” Cinder said.

Wendy smiled coldly. “Yes, of course.”

She walked away as Cinder watched her damp footprints. She shook her head sadly.

She had to go now.

About an hour later Wendy stepped out of her room in a gold and silver gown and Lily in a metallic ocher one. Though Wendy’s was more elaborate something about Lily’s made Cinder want to bow down to her.

Ella’s indigo gown looked like an evening sky on a summer’s night. It clashed with her red hair but she obviously didn’t care as she let it flow over her shoulders.

“Cinder,” she said. “Why aren’t you dressed?”

“I’m not finished with my chores,” Cinder said.

Ella tilted her head to the left. “Pity.” She motioned for her daughters to follow her to the door. “Let’s go.”

Cinder stood in the doorway, helpless to do anything. Instantly changing her mind she jogged to her room. On the table was a box with a large crimson ribbon. On top of the box was a pair of golden shoes. She picked up the shoes to find that they weren’t pure gold but sewn with a golden thread. There was a piece of parchment inside.

From Rumpelstiltskin.

Cinder smiled. It was the most amusing thing her sister had written in those notes.

She opened the box and pulled a piece of parchment off a bundle of fabric.

I hope you changed your mind about going to the ball tonight. If you haven’t than I have wasted some perfectly good money for these gifts.

                                                                                                                                                -Lily

 

Cinder sat the parchment on the table and unfolded the fabric. She gasped at the beautiful dress that came out of the folded fabric. It was a metallic white and it was soft against her finger pads.

She put it on carefully, not tearing the delicate fabric from which it was made. As she slipped the golden shoes over her heels she noticed a note that must of fallen out of the box.

Tie the ribbon around your waist.