The Cobbler's Wish: A Short Story

Part 4

Over the course of the three weeks between Aidan's clandestine meeting with the princess and the Fall Equinox, he barely slept. Every waking hour was spent either working to fulfill orders for new shoes or secretly crafting a pair of beautiful slippers for Rosalind. He was thankful that he had saved up most of his earnings since his father's passing. It allowed him to purchase a fine, ivory-colored silk that he was painstakingly crafting into shoes that would fit Rosie's delicate feet. With the leftover coin, he had acquired two ruby brooches, which he used as buckles.

Making the slippers was simple enough for Aidan. Hiding his work and avoiding the frequently irritated Sir Kristopher was the true challenge. From the constant arguments between Kristopher and Wilhelm, they had yet to find something for Wilhelm to present to Princess Rosalind. If Kristopher didn't take his frustrations out on Aidan, Aidan would have been smug that he could succeed where Wilhelm would not. But he kept quiet, hoping that he could sneak out to the ball without being detected.

Aidan was successful in finishing the slippers before the day of the Equinox Ball, but two hours before the ball began, his luck ran out. Perhaps it was because Sir Kristopher was especially irritable and suspicious that day, or perhaps he was not meant to save Princess Rosalind from marrying Count Nikolai. Whatever the case, he found himself standing before a seething Sir Kristopher, Celine and Wilhelm standing gleefully behind him.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Sir Kristopher slammed the simple wooden shoebox on the worktable. The lid had been removed, revealing Aidan's shoes. "You ungrateful brat! Have I not fed you? Clothed you? Employed you and given you a place to sleep?"

Aidan raised his chin, staring at his father's treacherous business partner. He would not back down, not after he had come so close to seeing his dream become reality.

"How dare you try and woo the princess! She would not have a poor, filthy, illiterate boy for her king. Our kingdom would not survive!"

"And I suppose the kingdom would be in better hands if Wilhelm were selected?" Aidan knew he needed to tread carefully, but he could not help himself. "He lies around all day while others work hard long before he wakes and hours after he sleeps! What has he ever done to be deserving of the title of 'king'?"

"Much more than you! His bloodline is pure, modest though it may be!" Sir Kristopher leaned on the worktable, fixing Aidan with blazing eyes. "Your mother was of questionable origin. No one knows where she came from or to whom she belonged!"

"My mother was an honorable, hardworking woman who never shied away from any challenge!" Aidan's breathing was ragged. "Even in the face of death, she carried herself with as much poise and dignity as a queen. Celine is as lazy as your son. Furthermore, my father was hard working, building this business from the ground up! You stole it from him and from me when he died! If anything, you are the ungrateful–"

"How dare you raise your tone at me," Sir Kristopher spat, but Aidan barely heard him. The ringing in his ears and sting of his cheek were overwhelming his senses. Had Kristopher truly slapped him? The five years he had been under Kristopher's control, the older man had only ever been demeaning, never violent.

Aidan was dazed and barely felt himself being hauled up the ladder to his attic room. He only snapped back into reality as the lock clicked shut on the apartment side of the trapdoor. He groaned, slumping down onto the hard wooden planks as he listened to Kristopher, Wilhelm and Celine moving below him. They were clearly going to the ball with the intent to present his shoes as Wilhelm's creation.

Eventually, it was silent below and Aidan knew that they had gone. He felt an overwhelming sense of defeat as he sat, locked in his attic bedroom. He had failed Rosalind.

"If you ever find yourself in need, come to this tree and make your wish. It will be answered."

The words his mother had whispered to him long ago, as they finished planting the willow tree, returned to him and he stood. Perhaps his mother's tree could help him and Rosie. He moved to the window and unlatched it, briefly gauging the distance before beginning his descent. As he reached the ground, he turned his back on the flickering lights of the palace and the line of suitors' carriages, facing the forest. Perhaps there was hope for Rosie.

To be continued...

+++

Author's Note:

Hi all!

Happy Thanksgiving to my American readers!

You may have noticed that this is one of the chapters that show the stronger "Cinderella" elements of the story.  

I know that there was a bigger time jump here, and I'm planning on adding more content between the last chapter and this chapter. 

Is there anything you would like to see between last chapter and this chapter?

Again, thank you for giving "The Cobbler's Wish" a chance! I will see you next week!

-K.