Dancing on Glass

Gypsy in The Garden

Cinderella sat in the ruins of her mother's gown for a long, long time, the silence of the hall only broken by Dia's hushed sobbing and Edgar's gentle cooing to try and calm her.

It wasn't until the front door suddenly opened and the footman looked in, half way through calling for Edgar when he saw the destruction, making him stop dead and break the spell that lay across the three.

"What happened?" Collins gasped, hurrying in, closing the door behind him and crouching by Cinderella.

"What do you think?" Edgar said, shaking his head.

"Did the mistress do this?"

"Not by her own hand, but close enough."

Collins eyes darkened as he settled his hand on Cinderella's shoulder. "No, she never does anything by her own hand," he muttered bitterly.

"Dia."

Cinderella's hard, steady voice cut through the air making everyone jump and tense. Dia curled in against Edgar's chest, terrified of her young mistress's potential fury for wearing her mother's dress and the resulting destruction.

"You'll be late."

Everyone looked at her in confusion and Cinderella lifted her head, her eyes like ice as she looked at Dia and slowly, carefully, got to her feet.

"We need to change you into the other dress, if you don't leave soon, you'll be late," she said, walking passed, taking Dia by the hand as she did and dragging her to her feet.

"What?" Dia asked, shocked as Cinderella pulled her up the stairs.

"Collins, make sure the pony and trap are ready to leave as soon as Dia is ready, I don't want to her to miss the night," Cinderella order.

Collins stared at her then looked at Edgar. The butler gave a quick nod and Collins bowed towards Cinderella. "Of course," he said and hurried out.

While Edgar started to clean up the mess of the gown, Cinderella pulled Dia to Jezabelle's bedroom and found the golden gown she had worked so hard to make beautiful for her friend.

Without pause, she undid what remained of the white bodice and pulled the dress off Dia.

"I can't!" Dia cried as Cinderella picked up the golden dress. "I can't go to ball without you! This isn't fair! And after I wore that dress and got it ruined and—"

Cinderella turned and grabbed her arms, shaking her, making her stop.

"Did you know it was my mother's dress?" she asked, her voice hard.

"What? No, of course not, or I wouldn't have touched it!"

"Then you did not play a part in ruining it," Cinderella said, "The ones who ruined it are the ones who stood by and did nothing. My stepmother and sister for allowing in. Giselle for slicing it. Gozer for holding me. Me, for not fighting harder. You did not do anything wrong."

"If you're to blame then so am I! I didn't try and protect it!" Dia said, staring.

"I would rather you protected yourself then protect a dress," Cinderella said and slid the golden gown over her head, turning her around and doing up the back.

"This isn't right," Dia said, "if you can't go then I shouldn't either."

"Dia, I appreciate the thought, but not tonight," Cinderella said, gently settling her hands on her arms before taking a breath and letting go. "This is not the night for you to stay around. Now come."