Happily Ever After || ~ Into the Woods ~

Princess, Peasant

Cindy thrashed her way through the branches, having drawn away from the trail as soon as she had caught sight of the village.  Finally! Home to Adam, home to Liam, home to Red and Jack.

But as she stumbled over the last tree root and onto the cobblestone path, her body went rigid and a heavy wave of defeat flared through her.  This was not her village! This was not the village Adam had taken them to.

It was another one.

How am I going to get home now? She kicked a bush and groaned angrily as a thorn raked her calf.  Throughout the day she had torn off the brim of her gown as it kept catching in branches and twigs. Now she wished she hadn't, watching from the side as a couple eyed her torn golden dress in shock.

Maybe I should find a tailor before setting off again.

Deciding that was best, Cinderella hugged her dark cloak tighter over her chest and walked out of the Woods in her most confident stance, hoping to look like she belonged in that village and wasn't just lost in the Woods.

As she made her way down the cobblestone path, her eyes wandered and she noticed a lot of people were in grieving. Most eyes were droopy with sallow skin, and a lot of people had tissues in their hands as they were comforted by those around them.

The sight brought back memories of her mother's grave and instantly she shut her eyes. No thinking of that today.

Making her way down the corner of the street, she caught sight of a tailor's shop and quickly ducked in. If she could get a new dress by noon, she could get home by Dinner.

"Welcome to Terry's Tailoring!! How may I be of service?"

Cindy turned to see an old man with a pair of enormous thick lensed glasses on his nose. His head was wrinkled and bald and he looked as if all his teeth had been knocked out in one blow, nevertheless there was a kind look in his eyes that Cindy couldn't help but smile at.

"Hi, I'm looking for a new dress, something brown maybe."

"Brown?" The old man examined Cindy for a moment. "Why brown? Peach would contrast nicely with your dark hair. Oh, and that nose, yes peach. But hang on, your eyes seem to shout out for blue. Yes, yes, your skin tone agrees. Blue it is!!"

"How strange," Cindy muttered. The Countess and this old man both seemed to think blue was her color.

"Now, do you mind?"

As the old man started to take her measurements, he tried to pull off her cloak and instantly Cindy closed her hands on the clasp.

"Madame, you'll need to take that off, thank you."

"I can't. It's stuck."

"Here, let me help you."

Before she could protest, the man grabbed her cloak and yanked it off. It came fluttering down in one fluid motion.

For a moment the tailor examined her torn rose gold dress and you could tell he was surprised by such finery. Then his eyes drifted to her face again and a hoarse gasp escaped his lips.

"My, my, my!"

The tape slipped from his fingers.

"It's the Princess Cinderella!" He cried joyously.

"No, it's -"

"Hello? Is this the Palace? I have the Princess Cinderella in my tailor shop!" He banged the phone down as quickly as he had picked it up. She didn't even remember seeing him dial a number.