The Princess and The Pauper (Lunar Chronicles Fanfiction)

Chapter 2

"Look at this dress too loose than what the customer needs, don't you know to stitch with the measurements given young lady, and look, the seams are coming out, You will have to stitch this perfectly with the correct measurements again, do you understand me cinder? CINDER!"

Cinder whose mind dozed off due to listening to this same phrase for the hundredth time of the day snapped back to reality "ah..yes Adri?"

"How dare you zone off while I talk young lady, I guess I should give you punishments then and there." cinder gulped

"You will not go out until you finish all these dresses." with that she walked off leaving cinder to stare at a closed door.

Cinder sighed and walked to her work table, "Again?" Her friend Iko asked Iko was also working for Adri's dress emporium.

Well, Iko was just working there as normal staff but Cinder was being treated as a slave, slave to Adri and her daughters, well at least peony was not treating her that way but she was nothing less than a slave.

Adri and her family were earthens, they were trapped in luna by the queen to make dresses while Cinder was not an earthen she was a lunar, except for Garan everybody thought that she was an earthen. Garan took a promise from her to never tell this secret to anyone, for safety purposes, but she couldn't understand why anyone kill her knowing she is a lunar?

"Yes you are right, I have to do all the dresses even today." Iko lifted a stack of fibres and placed it in front of her, "Well these are the dresses we need to finish today."Cinder looked at the pile and shrank back in her chair.

"All of these?" Iko nodded, "what did you do this time?"

"Well, I was not listening to her when she was talking and you know what happened next right?" Iko gave a flirtatious smile, "Who's the lucky guy?"

Cinders eyes widened, "What?" Iko giggled, "Wasn't that what you have been dreaming about?"

Cinder glared at her, Seriously? that's not what I have been dreaming about, well, my thoughts kind of fizzled out because of hearing to her always criticizing my work."

"Then what were you dreaming about?" Cinder walked to the only window in that dark room, "There is only one thing that I wish in this whole wide world and that is freedom."

Iko placed a hand on her shoulder, "You know dreams do come true and trust me one day you will be in a place where your heart belongs."

Cinder smiled, "Thanks Iko." Cinder turned her head and looked at the palace, and the beautiful lake, her stepfather Garan told her that he found her floating in that lake.

A tear rolled down her cheek, every time she remembers him she couldn't help but cry, he was really a great man, he was the one who taught her to be kind, to be selfless and most importantly to be a human and not to be one of those snarky lunars.

His death made her feel less loved and Adri's atrocities made her feel worthless, feel like she was a slave for life.

Iko hugged her from behind, Cinder wiped her tear, "We have to finish everything, come on let's begin"

Iko nodded, "Yes we should" they went and sat on the work table and began stitching, there was silence except for the sound of the needle piercing the fabric.

Suddenly iko squeaked, "Look, this dress is for Princess Winter!!!" Cinder looked at the paper with the measurements of a woman tucked inside the fabric with the royal emblem.

"It might be for the Queen?" Iko snorted, "I don't think the queen has a small waist, look at this measurements it's like a young lady's measurements, so this must be for Princess Winter."

Cinder gave in, "Fine, fine it is for the princess." Iko gave a victorious smile, and then came close, "Do you know that there is a rumour that Princess Winter is betrothed to King Kai?" She whispered.

Cinder raised her eyebrows, "Oh! But why would she marry him?" Iko whispered, "Because our kingdom doesn't have enough money and the queen decided to unite with the Commonwealth."

Cinder thought for some time, why would the queen want to unite with the people who are totally different from them? and as far as she has heard about Princess Winter, she doesn't think that the Princess falls for money.

There has to be a true reason behind this and maybe this reason would reveal the queen's haunted past which nobody dares to talk about.