Cinderella and The Shape Shifting Mice

Chapter Nineteen

The Prince

I walked out of the house extremely confused and was trying my hardest not to show it. The Duke was scribbling away on a piece of paper and his assistant was scrambling to keep up. Sam gripped my shoulder and I turned around.
"Strange turn of events, don't you think? Seeing her here?" he asked.
I nodded and placed my hand on the car door and waited for the Duke to get in. "No one finds out that I know her, do you understand?"

Sam nodded. "Of course sir. Any particular reason?"

I pursed my lips. The truth was, if I was going to be put through this hell I would really want a friend there who wasn't on my paycheck and being forced to take care of me. I loved Sam and most of the other palace workers, but it just wasn't the same. Ella was funny and witty and strong-willed, and she didn't seem afraid to speak what was on her mind, especially to me. I highly doubted I could ever fall in love with her, but at least we could dislike the same people together, the measure of true friendship. "I don't want the others to think she has an unfair advantage or something. So just keep it on the down low," I lied and climbed into the car.

As we drove away from the house I noticed Ella leaning out the window of a room at the very top of the house, cheek in her palm as she watched us drive away. I felt a pang of remembrance thinking of how E told me how much time she spent looking out at the palace from her bedroom window, and how Ella must feel the same way.
How sad it must be to live your life looking out from a bedroom window.

"She was the last one today," the Duke said, shoving his last piece of paper at his assistant who filed it in his binder.
"Thank god..." I leaned back and relaxed my shoulders a little. "When is all this starting again? Saturday?"
"Yep, bright and early. They'll be in their rooms before you even wake up," the Duke responded with a smile on his face.

I looked out the window and held back an eye roll. I seriously doubted that, I didn't sleep often. With my dad sick and my brother needing help with school or something of the sorts I was just always busy. Sleep was not in my top 10 list of priorities. Coffee, however, was.

"Fantastic. I don't know if you have an agenda but I would love to have brunch with them out on the patio in the gardens. Woman like gardens don't they?" I asked absentmindedly.

Sam chuckled softly beside me and the duke smiled. "Of course I can arrange that, woman love gardens and you're in luck ours is in full bloom. Now about that schedule when we get back, we should sit down and plan everything out..." The Duke began rambling, but I tuned him out. Its like that one friend that you keep around, but you're not entirely sure why. It's like they just get off on a rant one day and you want to punch them in the face. It's kind of how I felt with the Duke on a 24/7 basis. I saw him and I wanted to rip that stupid spectacle from his eye and smash it right in his face. Violent I know, but I just couldn't stand the prick. I don't know why my father has kept him around for so long.

"Your Highness are you listening to me?" The Duke asked as we pulled in front of the palace.

I sighed and looked at him. "Honestly? No. I will be going to have lunch, alone, and then taking a nap. We can meet at four in my office. Help your assistant organize all those papers so you don't lose anything and cause me to have a bigger headache over this whole ordeal then I already do."
With that I opened the door and climbed out without a backwards glance as I climbed the steps up to the front doors, going two at a time with Sam trailing behind me.

"Sir that was very unlike you," Sam whispered as he followed me up the stairs.
I walked silently into my bedroom and Sam closed the door. "I don't know what it is about that guy, but as soon as I'm King he's going to be looking for a new job," I hissed.

Sam nodded. "Would you like me to look into it sir?"
I gave him a thoughtful look as I slid off my shoes and began unbuttoning my shirt. "Not yet. I don't need you getting in trouble, and I'm not quite sure what his motives are. But as soon as I get a whiff I'll let you know."
Sam nodded as he took my coat from the back of the chair. "Very good sir. I'll leave you to your nap and wake you up before the meeting."
I slid into bed and sighed. "Sam I honestly think I would die without you."
Sam chuckled as he closed the door softly behind him, leaving me to sleep.

The Mice

I watched from the balcony as Ella and George exchanged words quickly before the party that was in the sitting room came out to greet them. Ella's heart was pounding I could tell, but George was absolutely clueless. His butler however, got a look in his eye the moment he spotted Ella.

"He knows..." I mumbled to myself as I watched them all leave. Ella stood a little dumbfounded but Mary had an evil look in her eye. She dismissed Ella but I knew she wasn't done with her yet. There was a secret agenda going on in her head. Why else would she have willingly let Ella go? She valued her skills too much. Free maid service and whatever else was in that locked room in the basement not even the mice could get into. Years before it had just been a wine cellar, but now there was something much more sinister in there. Something that kept Ella for long hours at a time and left her completely exhausted.

I ran into the wall and down where the rest of the mice where. I went right up to Marcie, panting.
"Something is wrong. Something very bad is about to happen."
She frowned. "How do you know?"
"It's the stepmother. She has this... Look."
Marcie crossed her paws and rolled her eyes. "Okay Jack, I'll watch her. You know you're really paranoid for a mouse."
She started to scurry away but not before I called out, "I'm only as paranoid as a mouse should be in a house full of cats!"
I sighed as I watched her go and I ran up the wooden rails to Ella's room, waiting for her to come back. She threw the door open and ran to the window, laying her cheek in her palm. I crawled up beside her just as a black car drove around the bend.
I gave a squeak and she looked at me with a small smile. "Something big just happened Jack Jack. And I have no clue what the hell I'm going to do about it." She turned and gave a sigh as she sat on the edge of her bed. "They're going to find out eventually... They're going to learn everything when I get there... You can't hide forever..." She mumbled. I tilted my head to the side. I knew she was talking about herself being E, but there was something else there too. Did it have to do what was in that locked room?
"Well Jack, old buddy old pal, looks like your neighbor is royally screwed. Literally," she gave a small laugh before laying down and curling into a ball, falling into a peaceful sleep.