by Diana Flame
“What is the matter?” she asked her driver.
Before he could answer, Cinderella saw a young maiden in a red coat. It seemed she’d stumbled and fell. The driver said the girl stepped into the path of the horses and was startled. Her hood fell about her shoulders revealing her raven hair and pale skin.
“Art thee all right?” Cinderella inquired of the young girl.
The girl raised her eyes and when she saw the crown on Cinderella’s head, she widened them. Scrambling to her feet, the girl bowed.
“Y-yes, Princess,” she replied, barely above a whisper.
“What art thee doing all by thyself in the forest?” Cinderella asked, concerned for her safety.
“I am on my way to visit my grandmother. She lives at the edge of the forest, near Padian.”
Cinderella was now much more concerned than before. If the grandmother lived near Padian, there was a shorter route for pedestrians from Izadel. Why take the long route designated for horses? Moreover, the girl came from the other side of the forest, not from the direction to which Cinderella was headed.
“Art thee from Izadel, perchance?” she asked the wench.
The girl shook her head. “Nay, Princess. I am from Copia, east of Izadel.”
This gave Cinderella a weird feeling. How was it possible that a parent would send a child alone to trek the forest, crossing two kingdoms to get to her destination?
Cinderella beckoned one of her guards. When he was close, she spoke in a low tone. “Will thee take another guard and escort this young maiden to her grandmother’s house?”
“Aye, Princess. As thou wishest.”
Cinderella noticed a basket by the girl’s side. This, the maiden snatched up quickly. The girl bowed before heading into the forest, escorted by the guards. Cinderella wondered about her and hoped she would meet her again.
* * *
The Prince was anxiously pacing the courtyard when her carriage pulled in.
Galien rushed to take Cinderella’s hand to assist her from her seat. As though he hadn’t seen her in a decade he pulled her into his arms and held her tightly.
“Galien, remember where we are,” she laughed.
“Pardon my forwardness, Princess. I missed thee very much.”
She touched his cheek. “And I missed thee.”
Grabbing her hand, he pulled her towards the entrance of the building. “I have two surprises for thee.”
Cinderella usually loved surprises, but lately she’d come to dread them. It had been one dreadful event after the other for the past few weeks. Her heart thudded heavily as Galien pulled her into the great hall of the palace. In the center of the room, was a pedestal with a glass showcase. In it was her left glass slipper resting on a small pillow. This slipper was receiving the same treatment as would the royal jewels.
“What is this?” she asked.
“The vote was unanimous. The glass slipper is now a royal weapon. ‘Tis the only one of its kind and Izadel and all of Taucia will forever treasure it.”
“This is ridiculous!” she chortled. “Art thee serious?”
“This slipper, my dear Princess is Izadel’s second most prized possession.”
“And what is the first?”
In response, Galien circled her waist with one arm and rested the other on her back. In one smooth motion, he tilted her backward and met her lips with his. A ripple of excitement rushed through her at the contact of his lips. He was just about to deepen the caress when they were rudely interrupted.
“Ahem!”
Galien reluctantly broke the kiss and straightened. Cinderella tried to catch her breath. Her knees had gone weak and her stomach trembled at Galien’s embrace.
“Rufus,” she heard Galien say, and turned her eyes to the elf in the red suit.
“Did thee bethink I would miss this occasion?”
Cinderella’s face broke into a broad smile. “Is this the surprise?”
“Nay, I had no idea Rufus would be here. Thy surprise is over there,” she said pointing to the royal podium.
Standing beside two newly polished cathedrae was her fairy Godmother, Lenora. Cinderella lifted the hem of her dress and ran forward. She embraced the woman, holding her tightly.
“Thank thee for always being there for me,” she sobbed. “Thou has always been there when I needed thee. When my mother hath passed away and when my father left this earth.”
“Did I not inform thee that thou wast destined to be queen?” Lenora asked.
And so it was. Cinderella married Galien with all of Izadel and some of the people of Padian as witnesses. Sadly, her grandfather, the King of Padian passed away before her return to that kingdom.
This was the beginning of the restoration of Taucia to one Kingdom. Many adventures would happen before the fulfillment of that mission.
Meanwhile, deep in the forest a pair of gray eyes watched the approach of a girl in a red riding jacket. The guards’ horses must have sensed the presence of something else as they whinnied and halted.
“’Tis not far now,” the girl in the red hood said.
The End of the Cinderella Story
Next in the series: You guessed it – Red Riding Hood.
Other books by this author
(Click book titles to be taken to Amazon sales page)
Awakening: The Prince of Nabalar
The Dragon Curse
Seduced by the Vampire Prince
Emergence: The Prince of Xygor coming in October
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About the Author
Diana has been a fiction and non-fiction writer for many years, creating compelling stories, web content, articles and poetry.
She lives on the island paradise of Jamaica, where she spends most of her days creating fictional words. She has always known that she would be a writer. Diana spent her adulthood dreaming of being a novelist while working a 9 to 5 job. With determination, she quit her job and started working at home full-time as a freelancer/ghostwriter. In 2016 resigned freelancing, dedicating her time to pursuing her dreams of being a published author.
She is a lover of animals, and has two dogs, a cat and several goats. There are four things Diana cannot live without: cheesecake, chocolate, good ice-cream and coffee.
