Sinderella

Chapter Ten: Cinderella The Innkeeper

When she returned home, Katreena marched straight through the front door and into Cinderella's bedroom. She had some choice words for Cinderella after what she had done at the ball that night. Given Cinderella's track record of not feeling any remorse for her actions, Katreena expected to find Cinderella sitting in her room completely unnerved by what she had done that night. To her surprise, Katreena found quite the opposite waiting for her in Cinderella's bedroom. Instead of finding a completely unbothered Cinderella, she found a Cinderella having an emotional breakdown.

Cinderella was sitting on her bed with her face planted into a pillow. The pillow muffled Cinderella's sobbing, and it was clear that Cinderella regretted what she had done that night. Katreena sat on the edge of Cinderella's bed and placed her hand on Cinderella's back. When Cinderella felt her mother's hand touch her back, she shivered. Cinderella was afraid of her mother, not because her mother was mean, but because she knew that what she had done at the ball was wrong. She feared the consequences that would result because of her actions. However, even though she did not want to face the consequences, Cinderella knew that she deserved whatever consequence her mother saw fit.

"Mother," Cinderella said, her voice muffled by the pillow "I am so sorry."

Katreena had never heard Cinderella apologize so wholeheartedly before. Katreena laid down beside Cinderella and wrapped an arm around her waist to comfort her.

"I know, sweetheart." Katreena said. "I am sorry too."

Katreena was not apologizing for not letting Cinderella attend the ball, she was apologizing for allowing Cinderella's behavior to go unpunished for so long. If she had been able to nip her bad behavior in the bud, Cinderella would not have grown into a selfish young woman. If she had caught Cinderella's behavior earlier, then Cinderella would not have embarrassed herself at the ball. While she did not blame herself for Cinderella's actions, Katreena still felt guilty for Cinderella's behavior to get out of control. She hoped that Cinderella's experience at the ball would be enough to make her change her ways.

A few minutes later, there was a knock on their front door. Sabelina went to answer it and was greeted by the undeniably familiar figure of Prince Jonathan. He was unaccompanied and had only a horse with him, which he had tied to a post on the side of the road.

"Hi there," the prince said, humbly "Sabelina is it?"

"Yes?" Sabelina replied.

"Is your sister, Cinderella at home?" Jonathan asked. "I would like to speak to her."

Sabelina told him that she was home, but that she was not taking visitors. She did not want to interrupt Cinderella and Katreena's conversation.

"Sabelina, who is at the door?" Katreena asked from Cinderella's bedroom.

"The prince, mother." Sabelina replied. "He is here to see Cinderella."

Katreena welcomed the prince into the house and showed him to Cinderella's bedroom. Cinderella was sitting on her bed, her makeup had been smudged by the tears rolling down her cheeks. When she saw the prince enter the room, Cinderella snatched a scrap of fabric and used it to wipe her face off. The cloth did nothing to clean Cinderella's face, but the prince did not mind.

The prince asked for a moment alone with Cinderella, and Katreena allowed it. Katreena left the room and closed the door behind her. The prince sat down on the edge of the bed and turned to face Cinderella.

"How are you, Priscilla?" the prince began making a point to use Cinderella's fake name. "Or should I say Cinderella?"

Cinderella buried her face into a pillow when the prince said her real name. She was embarrassed beyond belief, but she could not believe that the prince was sitting in her bedroom with her. Cinderella wished she could erase the name Priscilla from the prince's memory. She could not believe that she had lied directly to the prince's face.