Cinders

Prologue

            Once upon a time...that's how these things usually start, right? Yes, well, once upon a time there was a little girl named Evelyn Cinders that lived with her family in one of the seven kingdoms. They were located near the edge of the third region, sharing a comfortable and happy time together. I can still remember it sometimes.

A little girl sat in front of her mirror, as her mother brushed the girl's hair that fell in honey-blonde waves. "Mother, what are we doing tomorrow?"

The girl's mother was a beautiful woman, with the same hair that crowned her child's head and large, expressive brown eyes. She was gentle and nurturing, having enough love in her heart to mend even the most broken, but it was her smile that was the most captivating and enchanting feature; the thing that had won her husband over the second he saw it. The woman donned her breathtaking smile, looking down on her daughter lovingly as she combed the unruly hairs from a full day of playing. "Must I tell you again?"

The girl looked guiltily to the side, but her mother tickled her daughter, causing the child to squeal with delight. "So forgetful you are. Well, first we need to take care of Daddy's work."

The girl's little blonde head swished side to side in frustration. "I don't wanna!"

"Want to," the mother corrected with a pointed look, before continuing. "After that, I promise we will go somewhere fun."

The girl twisted around energetically, bouncing in her chair. "Truly! Can we go to the park?"

"Sit still you wilding," her mother playfully commanded before beginning to braid the girl's locks. "And as to your proposition, I will ask your father, but I'm sure it can be arranged."

The little girl cheered with excitement as her mother finished plaiting, and the woman plucked the child's beloved blue ribbon from the dresser and tied up the girl's hair. Sweeping her daughter into her arms with a heave, the mother tucked her child in amongst the variety of dolls and stuffed animals adorning the bed.

Clutching a doll, the girl looked up at her mother with blue, pleading eyes and the woman chuckled. "What is that look?"

The girl threw open her arms, inviting a hug, causing her mother to chuckle, "Yes, yes. I love you, I love you, my beautiful and bright little girl. May the stars watch you while you sleep until the sun comes to wake you in the morning."

The girl smiled and finished their saying. "And may tomorrow bring the world to your fingertips until your hands are full wondering wonders."

The woman hugged her daughter and placed a kiss atop her head, saying her final goodnight.

After that, the nightmares came. The little girl had been sleeping soundly, but then a roar and cackle threatened from outside her door. She held tightly to the raggedy doll she'd had since birth, as horrifying monsters split apart the wooden floors. The girl sat in horror, whimpering and crying from childish despair and fright. The little girl's father burst through her door and immediately rushed towards her, scooping his child up into his arms. Still scared, the girl cried out, "Daddy!"

In a rush, her father ran her down halls painted red and yellow, like the walls were trying to swallow them up in flames. Flames. They were everywhere. Licking every surface of the home, leaving no place untouched. The little girl cried, but everything was fine because her daddy was there and he was big and strong and would protect her. Reaching the front door, the girl's father burst through the suffocating heat, plunging them into cool, night air, and stopped a ways from the house.