Cinderella: A Fractured Fairytale

Thirty-Two

Ana's POV

Chapter 32

***

The morning light shone through the trees and made everything seems bright and happy.

However, I was feeling quite the opposite as Eric bent down to examine the ashes of a burned out fire. He reached out and touched the ashes, then looked at me. "Still warm. This is recent."

"How recent?" I whispered.

"Yesterday. If I had to guess, I'd say Ethan camped here." His expression was grim.

"How did you know to look here?" Ella asked, her voice timid.

Eric bit his lip. "This was our... special hiding place when we were younger. We came to play here together." His voice faltered. "And then..."

"And then?" I encouraged. Eric hadn't told us much about his brother.

He sighed and looked at each of us in turn. Me, then Mother, then Ella and Phillip. "You want to hear about him, don't you?"

I nodded.

Eric glanced away, then sat down on a stump. "May as well sit down. If I'm going to tell you, I'd better tell you everything."

I sat on the ground with Ella and Mother. Phillip remained standing.

Eric was silent for a moment. Then he began to speak slowly, as if lost in memory. "Ethan and I used to be the best of friends. We did everything together, and even though we had our disagreements, we were inseparable. Ethan was a few minutes older than me, so usually he was blamed for everything I did. He resented that, but it never got in the way of our friendship. I was the impulsive, hotheaded one, and Ethan balanced me out with his patience, tact, and thoughtfulness."

There was a long moment of silence as Eric collected his thoughts.

"Ethan only ever wanted to please our father. When Father was disappointed, Ethan was devastated. When Father was angry, Ethan would beat himself up over it. He felt as if he would never measure up, never become something of worth to him. All he wanted was for Father to be proud of him."

Something in Eric's eyes changed. "Then, when we turned ten, we learned of the plan he had to overthrow the king and rule the kingdom through fear. I had a very definite sense of right and wrong, and while I relied on my emotions and feelings to tell me what to do, Ethan was more likely to listen to the voice of logic. When we were told about the plan, I was shocked. I had always thought of my father as a good man, and I didn't see how it could be possible for him to do something so obviously bad. Ethan, on the other hand, seemed to see both sides. True, he had his doubts, but he wasn't going to openly rebel." Eric's expression twisted. "That night, I tried to run away. One of Father's men spotted me, and I was caught. However, there was a mix-up, a misunderstanding. In the darkness, the men saw me and thought I was Ethan. And-" His voice broke and he stopped. His eyes were wet. "Ethan was such a good brother. When I was marched back to our room and locked inside, he made me tell him what had happened. When he heard that the men had mistaken me for him, he wasn't afraid. He wasn't angry. He wanted to please Father so badly, but when Father came, having heard what had happened, he pretended it had been him running away. He protected me, took the blame for me one last time. Father took my heartstone and dragged him from the room, and I didn't see him again for a long time. My father gave me my heartstone back the next day but wouldn't tell me where Ethan had gone." Eric twisted a blade of grass between his fingers, staring at the ground. "Weeks later, he was back, but... it was as if he were a different person entirely. He acted as if he didn't know me. He was cold and emotionless and he barely spoke. He did whatever Father told him to do, with no more playing, no more happiness, no more laughter. I never saw him smile again." His voice wavered. "And he never spoke another word to me. After a few months, he was sent off without any warning.

"I never saw him again."

Silence fell throughout the clearing as we all absorbed the story, trying to think of what to say.

He stood and turned away, walking towards one of the trees. There was something etched into the bark that he traced his fingers over slowly. I stood up and went to him, putting my arms around him and leaning against his shoulder. In the bark, in a child's shaky hand, were carved the words, brothers forever.

Eric engulfed me in a tight embrace, holding onto me like I was the only lifeline keeping him afloat in a raging tempest. His eyes were anguished, and I felt his pain as keenly as if it were my own.

"I'm sorry," I whispered. "I'm so sorry, Eric."

He stroked my hair, remaining silent. He probably didn't trust his voice not to waver.

"Ana..." he finally said, too quietly for anyone else to hear. "There's something I didn't tell the others that I want to tell you."

"I'm listening," I replied softly.

"Ethan was a sorcerer, too - you already know that. Before that night when we were ten, his heartstone looked almost exactly like mine. It was warm and it glowed, but it was blue. We always joked that we were like fire and ice, but I suppose that wasn't true, since his was warm like fire and not cold like ice. After that night, though... his heartstone was different."

"Different, how?" I asked.

"Cold. It radiated a chilling cold that I've never felt the like of before." He shivered. "And, Ana... his stone was black.

"Pitch black."