Cinderella and The Shape Shifting Mice

Chapter Twelve

Mary Tremaine

I watched as the Prince danced with the strange girl in blue for what had been almost an hour now. Anastascia and Drizela had been complaining to no end about the strange girl, but she looked so familiar to me, yet I couldn't seem to place it.
  "Mooommm, It's just not fair! Why can't I dance with the Prince!" Drizella whined, tugging on my arm.
  "Knock it off Drizella, you will have your turn soon enough." I turned away from the strange girl and found the man who had introduced everyone, and walked up to him. I hadn't caught the girls name when she walked in, but I intended to find out.
  "Excuse me sir, but what is that lady's name?" I asked, poiniting to the girl in blue.
  "She told me her name was Lady E and that's all she would say." He answered back curtly.
I thanked him and walked slowly back to my girls, watching the Prince pull the girl closer with a stupid, silly grin on his face. A smile that was supposed to be meant for one of my girls.

I thought back to Cinderella at home, and didn't feel bad at all. When I had met her father he hadn't said much about her, and then when I come home to his beautiful chateau in the countryside, there she is! She had been a burden since the day I stepped in the door, but it was only out of her father's heart I kept the wretch around. Besides, she helped me run the side business.

When the song ended and I saw the Prince take the girl outside, I turned to my girls and began to devise a plan. They might have wanted the Prince, but I wanted that throne.

Ella

The Prince led me out into the gardens and they were absolutley stunning. Even more so than I remember them being. As bright as I had seen them from my bedroom window, maybe even more so. But with that thought, I grew slighlty bitter. This palace had taken so much from me, was I really going to spend this much time with the man who was some day going to be King?
  "-And this one is my personal favorite. There's nothing special about it, I just like the color." Georgie said, holding a pink and white flower. "For you my lady." He held out the flower and I took it, sniffing it. It didn't smell like too much, but it had a slight sweet scent.
I stroked the leaves as we walked, rubbing them absentmindly between my thumb and forefinger. Georgie and I walked side-by-side through the gardens until I realized we were walking through a maze.
  "We're walking through a maze." I blurted, pinching the flower.
Georgie laughed. "Yeah, that's why we keep turning around."
I looked at him, a little surprised. "We have? I havent even noticed..." I shrugged and gave a light laugh. I felt so happy right now. I was wearing this fabulous dress, the most comfortable heels I'd ever worn, through a garden that looked like magic, and all with the Prince no less! I blushed, and looked at the ground, brushing a piece of hair behind my ear.
  Georgie and I stopped at an intersection in the hedges and I looked around at the bushes and up at the sky. I was surprised I could se so many stars with it so bright outside.
  "What are you looking for?" Georgie asked, touching my shoulder lightly.
I turned and gave him a mischevious smile. "The way to the center." And I took off running.

The Prince

I chased after her through the maze, taking crazy turns but she never managed to reach a dead end. Her dress flew out behind her and she never tripped, never stumbleded or doubted which way she was going; keeping a steady pace in heels of which I had never seen before. They were like glass but sparkled like diamonds. I was shocked she could even keep her balance in those things.
  She turned a corner down a path lined with trees glittering with white lights and crystals shining all over the place as the breeze caused them to sway. Her dress seemed to shift colors and she kept peeking over her shoulder to check if I was there and I got a sudden flash of deja vu. It was just like in my dream.
  "Gosh will you slow down? How are you running this much?" I shouted ahead, pumping my legs faster. I felt bad that I was sweating in such an expensive suit, but that was no reason to stop chasing after this mysterious girl, who arrived at the perfect fashionably late moment.

At last, we reached the middle and she came to a halt at the foot of the massive fountain, sitting on one of the benches. She wiped her brow delicatly with her gloves hand and smiled at me.
  "How in the world did you get here so quickly?" I asked, sitting next to her.
She looked off into the distance towards the town. "See right over there?" She pointed towards the hills where mansions and chateaus dotted the countryside. "My bedroom looks right over the town directly to the palace. I've mapped this maze in my head since I was a little girl. I just needed to pay attention to the landmarks. Once I found all those tree's with the lights, I knew I was golden."
I gapped at her. "Thats incredible. You saw this place from all the way up there?"
She nodded. "Actually I've walked- Er, walked into a bookstore and talked to a guy about it too. The way he described it just made it seem so familiar." She picked another flower up and sniffed it. "Right down to the roses." She gave me a small smiled and picked off the bud of the rose, and laid it delicatley in the pool of the fountain.

We watched it drift around before she turned to me. "Why did you have this ball?"
I looked at her, a little startled. "Well it's my birthday and I'm supposed to find a bride."

She gave a small chuckle. "How are you supposed to do that in one night? That's literally saying that you will find your bride purely by looks. I mean, what if the person who was meant for you, couldn't even afford to get here? Or you thought this one girl looked liked the sunset over the ocean but had the mental capacity of a rock?"

I laughed and shook my head. "Well, its a good thing you don't have the mental capacity of a rock."

Her eyes widened. "You think I look like a sunset? I tend to see myself more as a rainstorm. Unpredictable, loud-"
  "But powerful and completly mesmerizing."

She narrowed her eyes at me. "Calm down, you'e trying a little too hard."

My face broke and she winked at me and laughed. She bumped my shoulder and stood up, stretching. "C'mon Highness, don't you have like 50 candles to blow out?"

Ella

The Prince gave me a small pout as he stood, and I appreciated again how fine he looked in that suit. I'd never seen a piece of clothing fit so well on a man before. It was distracting and alluring.
  "Not even my dad has that many candles to blow out."
I smiled and was about to reach for his hand when I heard a faint rining. Then suddenly it got louder. "Is that the clock tower?"
  "Yes! It's midnight, time to go eat some cake." He held out his hand and I stepped backwards, face burning.
  "I can't, I'm sorry. I have to go." I turned, holding my skirt, but he grabbed my elbow.
  "Wait, please. At least let me see your face. Or a name." He frowned, squeezing my arm but not enough to harm me.
I shook my head pulling away. "I can't, I'm sorry. Happy birthday!" I took off running down the maze and i heard his footsteps behind me.
  "Wait! Please wait!"
I didn't turn around, but made sure I always knew he was behind me. I took a short cut through some bushes, and out onto the front steps of the palace.
  "Please, wait." He didn't shout it this time, but spoke softly.
I stopped on the top step, clock still ringing, and turned around. He was standing there, fresh out of the bushes with leaves in his hair, looking at me with a look I hadn't seen in a very long time. It was one of longing; to not leave him.
  "Come blow out my candles with me. Have some cake. Dance. Enjoy yourself." He gestured towards the front door.
I shook my head and took a step down. "I'm sure you'll find me. If I'm a sunset, then you're the horizon. And if I'm the lightening in a thunderstorm, than you're the thunder. You'll find me. Happy Birthday Prince George." I turned and sprinted down the steps, the last chimes ringing out. I tripped on one of the steps and my shoe fell off.
I looked at it but kept running. I had to get home, there was no time.