Cinderella vs. Happily Ever After

Chapter 13

            “I am getting really sick of forests,” Valerie said as she picked herself up off the ground, trying to rub the dirt off her hands. It was the third time that morning she’d tripped over a root. If she wasn’t prone to random bouts of klutziness she’d have suspected the Assemblage of getting back at her for her comments the night before.

            “I told you you should have found a walking stick like me,” Isaac called over his shoulder, the smug smile on his face making her want to take the stick from him and hit him with it.

            “I have always wondered, which side are you two related on?” Miette asked, watching as Valerie tried to sneak up on Isaac. “You do not have a lot of the same features.

            They both turned to stare at her. “Related?” Val said, forehead wrinkling. “Where on earth would you get the idea that we’re related?”

            Isaac chuckled. “You forget sweetie, Darren told everyone we’re cousins so no one freaked out about me being around you all the time and unchaperoned. Since he wasn’t about to tell everyone the real reason that wasn’t as issue.”

            She shook her head. “I did forget. Me and Isaac are best friends, Miette, not cousins. And Isaac’s gay so there’s none of that between us.”

            Miette frowned. “I am aware that Isaac is gay but I do not understand what that had to do with-”

            She was cut off by Valerie’s sudden laughter. “I’m sorry,” she said, still chuckling a minute later. “But that was almost the exact same response Darren had when I explained it to him. Gay, where we’re from, means that a man likes other men. Not women.”

            “Oh. Oh. I see. It is no wonder then that Darren is comfortable leaving you in Sir Isaac’s care.”

            He chuckled. “It’s Isaac, Miette. And little does he know that I secretly yearn for Valerie,”  he said, one hand reaching out to his friend.

            She rolled her eyes at him. “You are so full of shit your eyes are brown.”

            “But my eyes are green.”

            “Yeah, you’re a sick dude so it’s diarrhea.”

            “You are the absolute worst lady to ever have been given the title,” Isaac said admiringly.

            She grinned. “Damn straight I am. I’m wondering how long before they stop calling me one.”

            A crashing sound to their right made them drop all games and fall back together. By unspoken agreement, Isaac and Valerie put themselves to opposite sides of Miette, hands gripping their weapons tightly. She noticed but said nothing, only pressed her lips together as she took possession of Isaac’s thick walking stick. She would worry about getting defensive training when the war was over. There was no time now.

            The snapping of underbrush and shushing, crinkling sound of leaves being kicked up and stepped on got closer. It sounded like someone running headlong through the forest, Valerie decided. A moment later, she was proved right, when a small figure burst through a bush in front of them to come tumbling to a stop at their feet.

            She looked down into a another set of eyes and swore before further crashing sounds announced the arrival of pursuit. “Miette,” she said. “Take care of Bayon.”

            The man who came stumbling to a halt was dressed in a military uniform, the jacket being the same grey and purple kind she’d seen on the guards at the gate when they’d left, his pants black. He stared at them for a moment, panting. “You,” he said, his voice quavering up before he cleared his throat. “You,” he tried again, voice not breaking as much. “You are interfering with my work. Th-that b-bo…child has information that is vital to the war.”

            Valerie watched the man lick his lips endlessly, his eyes darting all around as if he expected pursuit. The way Isaac was shifting himself made her think that he too, felt that there was something wrong about this man. “Whose side do you think we’re on?”

            “I am working as a covert agent, mast-miss. Now hand that boy over to me. I need to-to…question him,” he said, taking a step forward, one hand reaching out.

            “Can’t be much of a covert agent if you tell people that,” Isaac said, dropping his hands to his sides, flexing his fingers.

            A memory form elementary school surfaced in Valerie’s mind and suddenly she knew what had her back up about this man. She moved slowly over, holding her hands up to show she held no weapons. “Now, I’m sure we can come to an agreement if we talk this over rationally. What exactly did you need him for?”

            He twitched, one hand twisting a chunk of his pants around. “Q-questioning. Information. It’ll take time. And privacy. Can’t-can’t have the information falling into the wrong hands and all that.”

            “Oh, you’re quite right,” she said, taking the last step she needed to be within range. She shot her arm out and grabbed him around the neck, squeezing hard enough to make him choke. “Now,” she said quietly. “It’s time for you to tell me the truth. Trust me when I say I’ll know if you’re lying. And lies make me…unhappy. I get all tense, and my hands often make fists and that wouldn’t be comfortable, now would it?”

            He shook his head as much as he could. She smiled, a bearing of her teeth rather than an expression that held any kind of amusement. “First off, why are you really chasing him?”

            “Infor-” Val’s hand cutting off air stopped him.

            She put her face closer and hissed, “I said no lies.”

            He looked at her, eyes wide in a pinched face. She loosened her grip and he sagged slightly.

Isaac’s shout of, “Val!” saved her life. She instantly released him and jumped away, making the knife he swung at her go wide. She drew her sword and slashed in, being stopped just short by his sideways sweep.

She pressed down and twisted, catching his wrist and drawing a bright line of scarlet along his wrist. He cried out, dropping his knife. She lunged in, her sword point sinking into his chest. She gave it a sharp turn to make sure the wound was fatal, feeling the almost familiar feeling of warm blood splattering her.

“B-bloo,” he choked, red foam appearing on his lips as he tried to speak.

She ripped her sword out of his chest. “Damn right there’s blood. Why do you think they call me Ruby?”

His corpse dropped, the red of his blood dying those leaves not already scarlet. Valerie turned away to look at the others. They stared back with wide eyes.

Note: I'd just like to say thank you to everyone reading this, especially those of you who take the time to vote and comment on every chapter. It really means a lot to me and hearing your thoughts on what I'm doing as I go really motivates me. I really appreciate it. Thanks!