The Search for Cinderella

Chapter 12

Prince Edward released her from his firm grip and the girl fell to the ground and gasped in the precious air. Once she was back on her feet Jade could see the terror in the Prince's eyes. He glanced down at his brother and then back at her. A flock of guards wearing red greatcoats pushed through the unyielding crowd and bowed swifly.

"Take him," The crown Prince uttered harshly, losing all other emotion visible in his eyes.

"I've done nothing wrong," Jade protested as the guards positioned themselves on her sides as if they feared she too would fling herself down the cliff.

"Take him to Elliot," The Prince ordered and turned his back at Jade. He instead cast a hateful glare at the rest of the crowds, "Leave. If I see another ugly mug loitering a second later they will be hung upside from the clocktower."

There was a frenzy of movement where the Lords disbanded as soon as the Prince uttered his words. Horses winnied as they were forcefully placed into position and made to move back to the starting line. Jade was not even given a choice and her pace was set by the two guards surrounding her.

"Mr. Ward," Emma shouted to get his attention. The banner fell from her limp hands. The guards would not let Jade's horse come to a stop and the girl could only reduce her speed to meet her friend.

"There's something very wrong with Prince Luke. He was a mere hair's breadth away from jumping off a cliff," Jade bent and hissed into Emma's ear who had elbowed a guard and propelled herself next to her friend.

"He showed no signs of distress when I saw him grooming his horse," The girl warbled, sounding as sad as she looked.

"It wasn't distress. It- I'll explain later," The taller girl waved as her horse was urged into moving faster. She had no control over it by now.

Once into the palace with her horse safely in the stable master's hands she was marched into Sir Elliot's formal office room. The guard waved her in and she walked in dejected expecting a tongue-lashing.

"What trouble have you gotten into now?" The toupeed man groused from behind his desk.

"None at all. I saved Prince Luke from tumbling down the cliff like a ragdoll and being squashed to bits," Jade exhaled her story and then remembered to bow, "Sir."

"I have heard as much. What I want to know is why would a perfectly normal man who's only woe is an elusive girl could go to the trouble of offing himself so publically," Sir Elliot wrote heavily on the notebook in front of him and slammed it shut.

"It was because of the girl.
He said he could see her," Jade explained as succinctly as possible.

"Preposterous," Prince Edward,who opened the door at that very minute, answered instead. The girl was disappointed to see the other brother did not accompany him.

"What does he say; I mean Prince Luke?" The girl asked eagerly as the man marched in and slammed the door shut.

"He cannot remember anything," The Prince gritted out and threw his riding whip on the floor.

"He also couldn't remember when we met at night near the library. I thought he was walking in his sleep," Jade rounded towards the older man who seemed to be listening to her quite carefully.

"I warned him, yes, I did. I should have known a public outing would be trouble in the making," Elliot grey eyebrows were scrunched as he sighed regretfully.

"It's a spell of some sort, I am certain. His eyes, his voice, his mannerisms, everything was altered. He was seeing things he should not. He said she was right in front of him," Jade pressed her assumptions forward.