A Different Kind of Cinder

[AHeartlessNobody]

Mirabella Charleson

• 
  
  Name:
  Mirabella Charleston
  
  Age:
  18
  
  Role:
  Princess
  
  Talents:
  Music and Dance
  
  Appearance:​
  

  
  
  
  Other:
  Her father wishes for her to get married very soon, but she wants to get married to someone for love, not simply because her father wants to see her married. And so, her father has arranged for a festival within the kingdom, and during the three nights of the festival, there is going to be a ball. If in those three nights she can't find someone to wed, her father will pick someone for her. This leaves her stressed for time and hoping she will find someone she could see herself marrying.​
  
  
  

​

"Mirabella. You are to listen to me! I am your father as well as king of this kingdom! And what I say goes!"

The young woman that stood before the king crossed her arms over her chest in annoyance, tilting her head to the side, "But father, what you are saying sounds completely absurd. Only three simple balls to find a husband? That isn't at all enough time to--"

"Time?! Time?! Mirabella you've had time! I told you to begin your search for a husband over two years ago! I am not getting any older and I would like to see you become Queen before I am to pass! And for that to happen, you need a King! You will find a husband before the end of the third ball or I will choose one for you! And that is final!" The red faced king said with a click of his staff against the floor as he sat upon his throne. The princess opened her mouth to speak her position on the matter once more, but shut it right after with one stern look from her father. She huffed, the puff of air blowing some of her dark hair from her face, and then turned, stalking out of the throne room, racking her brain all the while of how to turn this whole situation around, though at the moment there didn't seem to be any options in sight or in mind.

She walked gracefully though the halls of the castle, up toward her room in one of the towers, where she closed herself in, pacing back and forth. None of this seemed fair to her, that she should be forced to make a decision on who to marry so quickly. And if she didn't find anyone, her father would choose for her and then she would surely be miserable for the rest of her life. She let out a sigh and sat on her window sill, opening it up and looking down at the town below. As she sat there, a little red bird landed beside her, making her smile. This little bird she had, just a few weeks ago, released after nursing its broken wing and it had visited her often since. She ran a gentle finger over its feathers, looking out onto the nearby village her castle overlooked, "Look at it all little one. So many people down there." She smiled to the bird as he moved to her shoulder, "I bet they don't have to choose who they have to marry in such little time. I bet there's no such rush for them at all." She let out another soft sigh, "What I wouldn't give to be in their shoes for one moment."

After saying that, there was a momentary pause and she sat up a little in thought, "Maybe...I can. Well, just for a little while." She said with a laugh and then saying goodbye to her little bird friend, rushing off out of her room to go find her handmaid.

It wasn't long before she had changed into one of her maid's dresses, smiling to herself, though her maid didn't seem too pleased with this, "Princess, don't you think this is an awful idea? Going out there, without guards to protect you. What if something were to happen to you? What if you got lost? Or injured?"

Mira smiled at the woman, "Relax, it's just for a few hours, just to clear my head and have some fun. In these clothes no one will have a clue who I am and I can see the village first hand. I think it's a brilliant idea, not awful." She grabbed her coin pouch, which held just a bit of money just in case, and put it into her dress pocket, along with a little pocket watch so she woudl be able to know what time it was and when to head back, "I won't be gone long. Just don't let my father know. I'll be back soon." And with that, ignoring any words from the woman trying to convince her other wise, she left, heading into the village with a bright smile on her face, looking through the windows in the shop and browsing about curiously, having a good time in seeing what the commoners of her kingdom did on a daily basis.

 

[Aztec]

The sun rays had only just barely started to pierce the clouds when Arthur was awoken with a bucket of cold water chucked over his feet. Why his feet? Well, because his 'father' didn't want to wet the sheets and as the boy was too tall for his bed his feet would always stick out at the bottom and just dangle off the side of his bed and that way the wood wouldn't rot any further with the water, after all, the man couldn't be bothered to buy his stepson a bed.

The woman he had wed had been naive with a small fortune under her belt, where she had got it from the man didn't know, but either way, he had it now and well, he had destroyed the stereotype of the wife poisoning the husband, because, well, the woman had a weak heart right? Either way, he had pretty much only been affected by the positive sides of a spouse's death, the money, the inheritance, the land, just, well, the one downfall was he had to take care of her stupid brat of a son that was a good for nothing, nothing but eating away at his money.

"Arthur, get up you brat", the man screeched as the poor boy jolted awake, disoriented and cold as he shivered, the meagre blanket that he had not doing much to keep the heat, full of hole and haggard, the piece of cloth had clearly been used, in fact, it was so old the boy couldnt even remember his mother buying it. But leave it to his 'father' to find it in the attic for him to use. "Don't you dare glare at me, kid." The man warned raising an eyebrow along with his open palm as the boy was immediately aware of the imminent danger of another beating and quickly clambered out of bed, standing up and staring at his feet, awaiting his 'father's' chore list. In other words, all the different ways he could expect to be exploited today. "Just the usual today, make sure you eat before you leave, if the customers aren't satisfied you will pay, again. Do you understand? Do you understand?" He repeated harsher not hearing the boy's reply. Once he heard a somewhat acceptable 'Yes, Sir' he nodded, turning on his heel and walking out of the room, not bothering to even close the door.

}~{ ​

Walking down the town streets, the boy chewed, his jaw visibly moving as he tried his hardest to break down the small piece of stale bread his father had given him, pulling his cap down and over his blue eyes as raven tufts of raven hair peeked out of the cheap brown material, until he visibly gave up, tossing the bread into a nearby gutter. Not even the rats would be able to gnaw through that, if his canines couldn't, theirs would definitely couldn't. Sighing as he shoved his hands in his pockets he looked up towards the sky, passing by unseen by the other people who milled around him idly, haggling market prices down or inspecting goods, he himself was a shadow and nobody ever saw him. Yet that was good, that was good in his line of work, something which not even his father knew about. His murdered mother might've guessed it but he had never told her directly. She had simply looked at him in the eye before she accepted the small leather pouches that he brought home every so often, and like every time, he wouldn't be able to look at her in the eye. He just couldn't. His real and only father wouldn't have approved and they both knew it, but after letting the reaper's take his soul before them, he didn't really have a right to judge. ​

"Oi Arthur," a familiar voice called from an alleyway, "Wasn't expecting to see you for another four hours Boss." a male voice called as Arthur himself walked over to him, leaning against the wall that was just outside the alleyway.

"How many times do I need to tell you not to call me boss?" Arthur asked somewhat exasperated as he gazed up and down the main street, watching every person intently, analyzing them, making up their possible backstories they both conversed back and forth, exchanging the info they had and how they were going to get the cash for a good meal.

 

[AHeartlessNobody]

This village was all so new and strange to her. It wasn't often the young woman ever got to leave the castle walls, and even when she did it was normal that was escorted heavily by numerous guards and carefully watched over, never allowed to talk to anyone. To be here, so un-noticed, away from the titles and formalities that always held her back, was such an exciting experience for the princess. She couldn't wipe the smile off of her face as she walked past the vendors and looked at all they had to offer, while trying to avoid bumping into anyone in the crowded walkways between the market stalls. As she walked children ran about, playing games with one another and their glee made her laugh softly, thinking back to when she herself was a child, playing such games with the servant children in the castle. Of course, after her father found out he stopped her from doing so, saying she shouldn't associate herself with the common folk. She herself had disagreed greatly, thinking of them as just like her, just born into a different role in life. But her father didn't think of it in that way and had continuously shielded her from the commoners, only allowing her to socialize with those of noblemen and royalty.

Still, out here, she wasn't royalty. She wore no crown and nor did people recognize her as their princess. How could they ever guess when she wore the clothes she had borrowed from a commoner and how she was never seen in public, always hidden away in the castle by her father to where all people knew of her was how the servants woudl describe her to them, whispers of her raven hair and bright blue eyes, beauty far beyond others. Of course, she got stares even now from young men that were about the market, but none seemed to guess on who she was, which was a relief to her.

She gasped softly as one of the children running about, a little girl no more than four years old, ran straight into her, causing the little girl to fall to the ground, tears in her eyes. Whether the tears were from thinking Mira might get angry or if they were from being hurt, Mira wasn't sure. She could imagine a lot of people would have shoved the little girl down a bit more or would have yelled at the child for not watching where she was going. At least, that was what Mira could assume from how afraid the child looked.

It was said how people treated each other sometimes, and very unfair. Mira didn't like when people looked down upon others in such a way, hurting them emotionally or physically because they were different or of a lower class. She always felt kindness was the best way to see a kingdom blossom and stuck to that, hoping to better the kingdom one day by ruling in such a way. Of course, even if she couldn't rule the kingdom in such a way now, that didn't mean she couldn't show that kindness and gentleness even now.

And so, the young woman knelt down and gently helped the little girl up, a gentle smile on her face, "Are you okay? You're not hurt, are you?" The little girl shook her head and Mirabella smiled a bit more in relief, "That's good. Be more careful while playing, alright? We wouldn't want anyone accidentally getting hurt."

The little girl said a quick 'yes mam' and ran off to play some more, leaving Mirabella watching with a smile still on her face for another moment before she went on her way, walking down the streets once more and in her distracted looking about, she accidentally bumped slightly into one of the fruit carts, almost knocking an apple off of it, though caught it before it hit the ground.

"You little scum! Watch where you're going!"

Mira looked up in surprise at being talk to in a such a way. Apparently she had been right about a lot of people looking down on the lower class, this merchant talking to who he thought was just a poor commoner girl. Bu Mira didn't get angry, merely speaking apologetically, "I'm sorry. It was my fault. I was just distracted and--"

"Save your pity party. I've heard all the stories from your kind. You have to pay for the apple. You touch it, you buy it."

"Oh. Um, yes sir." She got out her coin pouch and gave the man a couple of coins before making her way down the street once more. Only, before she could put her coin pouch back into her pocket, a teenage boy came running past her, snatching her coin pouch from her hand as he went, "Hey!" She said in shock, trying to run after him, moving through the crowds and trying to keep up with him, moving around corners and such, only to loose sight of the boy. She groaned and ran a hand through her hair, "Just great...I lost him..." She mumbled, leaning against a nearby wall, trying to catch her breath from the chase, cursing herself to all the bad luck she was having. Today, for sure, was clearly not her day.