by Aron Lewes
“No, don't kill it!” Cinda cried. “It might be Fenix!”
“Really?” Terra's eyebrows jumped to her forehead. “There's no way Fenix would be in the Winter Palace, though... right?”
“No. Fenix is here,” Cinda said. “I saw him the other day, and I forgot to tell you about it.”
“You forgot to tell me?” her stepsister shrieked.
“I'm sorry. I've had a lot on my mind, and...”
Terra interrupted before she could finish. “You and I barely see each other anymore, so I'm hardly surprised.”
Fenix didn't stay for the rest of their conversation. He slipped from the room and continued his ignoble mission. With a dissatisfied squeak, he skittered down to the dungeon and searched for the skeleton key in Rank's cell.
To his amazement, he found it, and it was still tied to the shoelace. “I guess Rank had no idea what he was leaving behind,” Fenix squeaked as he reclaimed the lost key. He took the lace in his mouth and dragged it upstairs.
As soon as he was out of the dungeon, Fenix returned to human form and pocketed the key. He was still wearing his guard's uniform, so he could travel through the palace without attracting too much attention.
“Still...” Fenix whispered to himself, “I'm safer as a mouse. No one pays attention to a mouse.”
However, a mouse couldn't accomplish what Fenix needed to accomplish. He needed arms and legs and an ability to heft weight. Fenix pilfered an empty bag from the maids' broom closet and made his way to the Winter Palace's vault, which was locked and constantly guarded.
“Uh... hello.” When Fenix spoke to the vault's stern guard, he tried not to sound too nervous. He was failing, of course. Telltale sweat beads dotted his forehead. “I'm here to relieve you from duty.”
“Izzat so?” the guard croaked. “I ain't seen your face before, boy. The same three guards watch this vault, and I haven't heard anything about a new one. What's yer name?”
“Um... P-Peter.” Fenix winced when he stuttered the name.
“Well... me, Bruno and Harry take turns guarding this hall. I haven't heard nuffin about a Peter. If you were added to the rotation, someone would've told me, eh?”
“I'll talk it over with Bruno and come back later,” Fenix said. “Bye.”
Fenix's plan changed—he decided to track down Bruno instead. He hurried to the guards' quarters and checked the roster, hoping to discover Bruno's location. Fortunately, there was only one guard named Bruno, and he was training in the courtyard with a dozen fellow soldiers.
When he reached the courtyard, Fenix randomly approached one of the guards.
“Excuse me,” Fenix spoke up. His voice cracked, so he cleared his throat. “Excuse me, can I ask you a question?”
The man lowered his sword with a snort. “Yeah? Did you need somethin'?”
“I'm looking for a guard named Bruno,” Fenix said. “Do you know where I can find him?”
“Aye.” The guard turned his head and spat on the grass. “I do. I absolutely do. Because I'm Bruno.”
“I'm, uh... I'm supposed to train with you,” Fenix lied. “I'm a new recruit, so...”
“I don't train new recruits,” blurted Bruno, who spat again. Fenix was shocked by the amount of saliva in the rugged man's mouth. Bruno was tall—well over six feet—and his beard was so long, it dangled just above his naval. His face was greasy, his nose was bulbous, his lips were cracked, and his eyes were small and beady. Donnabella wouldn't like him, but Fenix had to assume his form.
So he pinched Bruno's beard and plucked out a few hairs.
“What the hell?” Bruno roared. “Why'd you do that, you little shit?”
“Uhhh...” Fenix's teeth clenched as he pocketed the hairs. “I wanted to see if your beard was real.”
“Mah beard? Of course it's real. Are you thick in the head, son?” Bruno gave Fenix such a hard slap on the arm, he made him stagger. “I've already lost my patience with you, son. Get out of my sight!”
With slumping shoulders, Fenix returned to Donnabella's bedroom. As soon as she saw him enter, her eyes lit up. She crawled to the end of her bed with an excited squeak.
“Well?” Donnabella's fingers nervously fidgeted as she waited for a mission report. “Do you have any money?”
“Not yet. I ran into some trouble at the vault.”
As Donnabella's smile faded, she apathetically asked, “What sort of trouble?”
“It's guarded by the same three men. One of them is a guy named Bruno.” Fenix's nose wrinkled when he pulled the hairs from his pocket. “I got some of Bruno's hairs so I could... take his shape.”
“You want to turn into a random man named Bruno?” Donnabella asked with a snort.
“Yeah.” Fenix nodded. “It'll make this a lot easier. If I look like Bruno, I could rob the vault again and again.”
“Hmmm...” Donnabella's long fingernails raked across her chin as she considered the possibilities. “It's not easy to give you a new form, you know. It saps my energy. My magic won't fully recover for days.”
Fenix's shoulders fell. “I know...”
“Your natural aptitude for shapeshifting does make it a bit easier...” Donnabella crossed her arms and sighed. “Is Bruno handsome, at least?”
Fenix didn't want to lie. “Not really.”
“Will this really get you into the vault?” the witch asked.
“Uh huh.”
“Will you be able to get in with ease?”
“I think so.”
“Very well. Give me the hairs.” Donnabella held out her palm and impatiently flicked her fingers. As the hairs sprinkled into her hand, her nose was twitched by a sneer. She chanted a spell, the hairs glowed, and when she blew them at Fenix, he transformed into Bruno.
When Fenix saw himself in the looking glass for the first time, he gasped. He had never taken the form of another human before. He had never been tall before. And he certainly never had a two-foot, grimy, dangling beard.
“Ugh... you're ugly!” Donnabella whined as she collapsed on her back. “You were honest about not being handsome, but you didn't tell me you'd be ugly!”
“Sorry.” As Bruno, Fenix's voice was deeper and raspier.
“And now I'm so drained!” Donnabella cried. “For the next few days, my magic will be rubbish. I'll barely be able to manifest cakes for Prince Sharman. This better be worth it, Fenix!”
“It'll be worth it, Donnabella. I promise.”
“Ugh! Get out of my sight!” She dismissed him with a frustrated flick of her hand. “I don't like to look at you in that form! It's hideous! After we've robbed this place, that stupid form will be even more useless than your ridiculous onocentaur form! I can't believe you got me to agree to that!”
Fenix didn't want to test her patience, so he hurried from the room. As he made his way to the vault, his mind recited his many shapes. A fiery bird, a fly, a mouse, a bat, a horse, a wolf, an onocentaur... and a random guard named Bruno.
When “Bruno” reached the vault, the guard's eyes lit up.
“Bruno... thank God! I've been standing here all day! I can barely feel me legs!” the vault's guard groused. “A boy named Peter came 'round and tried to say he was going to guard this place, but I didn't trust 'im, so I sent 'im on his way.”
“Peter's alright,” Fenix bellowed in Bruno's voice. “But... yeah. I'm here to relieve you from your post.”
“Good.” The guard slapped Bruno's shoulder as he limped away from the vault. “Good luck, mate. I think you'll be here for the next eight hours or so.”
As soon as the guard was gone, Fenix extracted the skeleton key and used it to enter the vault. Sharman's gold was stacked so high, it stretched to the ceiling. Fenix's eyes were wild as he shoveled coin into the thick brown bag he carried.
“Sharman doesn't need all of this money...” Fenix whispered as coins flowed through his fingers. Under his breath, he added, “Rich bastard.”
When the bag was stuffed, Fenix tucked it under his a
rm and hurried away from the vault. He knew Donnabella wouldn't appreciate a visit from Bruno, so he returned to his own form before reentering her room.
The exhausted witch was so drained by her shapeshifting spell, she hadn't moved from bed. However, as soon as she saw the big bag under Fenix's arm, she sat up with a gasp.
“Is that it?” she cried. “Is that the money?”
Fenix ripped open the bag and let the gold pour onto Donnabella's bed. With an excited squeal, she rolled on her back and kicked her legs in the air. She was so thrilled by the prospect of money, she flailed for over a minute.
“Oh, Fenix, I love you!” The witch declared. “I love you, I love you, I love you!”
He was forced to repeat it back to her—all four times. “I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you.”
Donnabella rolled on her stomach and grinned. She crushed her cheek against the coins and trilled excitedly.
“Honestly, Fenix, you're the best!” she exclaimed. “Would you... perhaps... be interested in sharing my bed? I think we need to celebrate!”
Fenix had no free will of his own, but sex was the one thing Donnabella never forced on him. He was a man, and men had needs, so he often agreed to share her bed. However, meeting Cinderella had changed him. Ever since Cinda entered his life, he repeatedly declined Donnabella's offer.
When Donnabella saw him shaking his head, she pouted. “Awwww... why not? We haven't had sex in a long time!”
“I just don't feel... up for it,” Fenix quietly replied.
“Pfft. Get out of here, then!” Once again, Donnabella dismissed him with a wave of her hand. “Leave me with my money. I'll celebrate by myself.”
As soon as he left Donnabella's room, Fenix swapped his skin for Bruno's.
He thought it would be fun to experience life through another man's eyes.
As he reached for his fiance's hand, Sharman asked, “So... where would you like the wedding to take place? Here, in the Great Hall, or in the Winter Palace's Chapel?” He didn't wait for Cinda's opinion before sharing his own. “Personally, I can see the pros and cons of both. The Great Hall is immense, so it would certainly accommodate all of our guests. However, its close proximity to the garderobe is unfortunate. There is an occasional odor that seeps in, and I don't know why they constructed the palace that way. You can't smell anything right now, but you never know when--”
As Sharman rambled, Cinderella's thoughts drifted, and her lips were stretched by several yawns. Her tired yawns were so frequent, she stopped trying to conceal them. Sharman's speeches had a soporific effect on her. She hoped he would eventually get the message and let her get a word in. He never did.
“On the other hand, the Chapel is lovely, but it's too small. I've invited quite a lot of dignitaries, you know. If our wedding is in the Chapel, I'm afraid our guests might spill into the hallway, and we can't have that.”
Cinderella yawned again. Her eyes were watering, so she dabbed them with her gloved hand.
“What is your opinion, dear? Would you prefer the Great Hall or the Chapel... or maybe another location entirely, such as the garden?”
Cinderella had not given it a great deal of thought, so she gave him the first answer that sprung into her mind. “I think the garden would be nice.”
“Really?” How surprising!” Sharman exclaimed. “Will you be inviting your stepmother and stepsister to our wedding? Your other stepsister, I mean. Not Terra. I know you were at odds with them, so I want to be sure before I send out any invitations.”
“Oh, I don't know!” Cinderella's teeth clenched as she considered her answer. “I... suppose we can invite them.”
“Are you sure? You sound reluctant.”
“I am reluctant. But I feel obligated to invite them. They might have treated me horribly, but they're still family.”
“Hmm. You're far more forgiving than I would be, dear. If you wanted to cut them out of your life, I wouldn't blame you one bit!” Sharman's gaze suddenly dropped to Cinda's feet. “By the way, I have a request. Could you wear glass slippers at our engagement party? I want to recreate our special night.”
“I would... but I've lost them,” reported a sighing Cinda. “Well, one still exists, but I believe it's in your possession. Honestly, I have no idea why the glass slipper didn't revert back to an ugly old shoe with the rest of my clothes.”
Two days ago, Cinderella told him about her Fairy Godmother. She expected him to think she was mad, but to her relief, he believed every word. “I think it was my passion that kept your glass slipper intact,” suggested a smiling Prince Sharman. “I was so desperate to find you again, I kept the magic alive. And it's still alive. My adoration for you flows into that glass slipper with every breath I breathe.”
Cinda's lips tightened into a forced smile. She wished her heart was stirred by his words, but it wasn't.
“Anyway, I'm going to make another pair!” Sharman exclaimed. “New glass slippers will be created just for you. I told the shoemaker to spare no expense. I wouldn't want them to shatter and hurt your feet.”
Before Cinda could respond, they were approached by a tall, bearded guard. He must have been proud of his beard, because he never stopped stroking it.
“Your Highness,” the guard spoke in a raspy voice. “Pardon the interruption, but Cinderella is needed elsewhere. Her stepsister needs to speak to her straightaway.”
“Terra?” Cinda's tired eyes were suddenly alert. “Is she alright?”
“Aye. She just wanted to speak to you about an urgent matter,” the guard said. “Will you come?”
Cinderella turned to Sharman. “You don't mind if we continue this discussion later, do you?”
“No. Of course not. If your stepsister requires your attention, that's perfectly fine.” Sharman's mouth twitched into a pretend smile. “Go on. I'll speak to you at supper.”
Cinderella followed the guard into the hallway, where he immediately transformed into someone much shorter, younger, and handsomer. As soon as she saw Fenix's face, she threw her arms around him, capturing him in a hug. “Fenix!”
“Hello again, Cinda.” Fenix smiled as she squeezed him. At the end of the hall, a curious maid was watching their embrace. He hoped she wouldn't commit his face to memory. “How have you been?”
“Bored. Tired. Sharman talks a lot.” Her arms finally fell away from him. “How have you been?”
“I've been... well.” Twenty minutes ago, Fenix robbed her fiance. It was hardly a piece of information he could share.
“You looked like another man,” Cinderella stated the obvious. “I didn't realize you could shapeshift into other people.”
“This is a new development. Donnabella gave me a new form. She thought it would be useful.” It was a lie, of course. Donnabella actually hated his new form.
“Donnabella?” The witch's name puckered Cinda's nose. “You've seen her recently?”
“Uhh... yes. She's staying in town.” More lies. Even if Fenix wanted to betray Donnabella, he couldn't. His curse made him the witch's steadfast ally.
“Why? Should I be worried?”
“No. She's just gathering ingredients for potions.”
“She traveled all the way to Westerwood to gather ingredients? That seems like a long way to go...”
Fenix was tired of lying, so he decided to change the subject. “Would you like to join me for a picnic, Cinda? There's a nice little waterfall that's not too far from the Winter Palace. I found it the other day when I was trotting around in horse form.”
Cinderella's hands flew to her hips. “Can I trust you, though? How can I know you won't take me back to Donnabella?”
“No... I swear!” Fenix exclaimed. “I swear on my life, I wouldn't deceive you again.”
Fenix's curse made him difficult to trust, but Cinda's reservations were exceeded by her desire to spend time with him. “Alright... show me this waterfall of yours.”
Fenix was hoping she would accept—he already loaded a wicker bask
et with sandwiches and fruit. After collecting the food, they headed to the stables to claim a pair of horses. The stable boy was absent, so Fenix saddled their steeds. As he affixed a horse's bridle, he said, “You know, you could always ride me instead.” When he saw her blushing, he immediately regretted his words. “That... sounded way worse than it was supposed to sound. Sorry.”
Cinderella wasn't a confidant rider, so Fenix boosted her into the saddle and promised to stay close to her. When everything was ready, they rode away from the Winter Palace and headed toward Fenix's waterfall.
“I really hope you're not taking me to Donnabella,” Cinda said.
“You're really hung up on that idea,” Fenix pouted at her. “I'm not going to betray you. I swear. If I was under the curse's control right now, I'd tell you.”
“Would you even be able to tell me, though?” Cinda raised an eyebrow. “I'm not sure.”
Fenix's eyes closed as they rode. What could he do to earn her trust? Was it even possible?
After a short ride through the woods, they reached the cascade. A crystal-blue deluge rushed over a towering cliffside, pounding the rocks below. The surrounding meadow was dotted by patches of wildflowers. Each time the petals were tousled by a breeze, the wind carried the flowers' honeyed scent to Cinderella's nose. It was the perfect spot for a picnic.
Fenix threw down a blanket and motioned for Cinda to join him. As soon as they were seated, he reached into the basket and extracted its contents. Cinda immediately claimed a handful of strawberries.
“It's beautiful here,” Cinda told him.
“Yeah, I really like it. It's a nice place to sit and gather your thoughts.”
Fenix took such a huge bite of his sandwich, he made Cinda sneer. “Why are men always in such a rush to eat their food? Why do they take such giant bites? Why don't they take time to savor it?”
Fenix chuckled at her observation. His next bite was barely more than a nibble. “Do all men do that?” he asked.
“Most. My father could consume a sandwich in three bites, I swear.” Cinda shook her head and sighed. “I miss him, you know.”
“I don't believe you've mentioned him before. Were you close?”
