Cinder and the Princess Charming
Cinder had never liked his Step-Dad. The sorry excuse for a man beat his mother to a rotten pulp, not killing her until and 'accidental' incident soon after their marriage. His mother had officially died of a heart attack, but he knew that wasn't the truth. Unfortunately, when you're mayor and friends with everyone in the town, things tend to get pushed aside that would be otherwise investigated.
This corruptions and greed that ran their small town in the kingdom was why he wanted to go to the castle. The princess, a girl his age, was coming of age and was having a ball to find a suitor. Obviously, being of non-royal descent, Cind didn't have a chance with her. But if he worse his best clothes, he might get a dance, and in that time he could slip her a note to tell her what was going on in his small town, her kingdom.
"Wat're you doin'?" His stepfather asked, mildly drunk and massively unintelligent, the night before Cind was going to head there. In the tiny cellar Cind had for a room, rather than taking his step siblings 2nd play room, Cind had his nicest clothes and other supplies packed for the trip. He was sitting on his floor-made bed writing out his proposal. He'd always been a smart kid, and was using all of that skill now. His Step-Father yanked the paper out of his hands and his anger grew. "You ly-in 'bout me?" He yelled, enraged. His beer gut bouncing lightly as he yanked Cind up by his ratty shirt.
The older man got up close in his Step-Son's face, his beer breath making Cind want to gagg. "You ain't going no where you bastard," He said slowly, throwing him back on the ground and ripping the newly finished paper. He yanked the clothes out of the pack and knocked Cind back down after he got up, slamming the door behind him and yelling as he locked it. "Yo'se stayin' here till your last breath!"
Cind ran up the short flight of stairs, banging into the door with all of his might. It was no use, the door was thick oak and the wooden plane that kept it locked from the outside wasn't going to break. Skinnier than the average 19 year old, Cind didn't stand a chance against a normal door in their home, much less the cellar door. Angry and slowly becoming hopeless, Cind felt his eyes water and finally break free as he repeatedly banged the door.
As he sat on his blanket/floor/bed in the corner, Cind remembered his parents. His father when he was very young and watching him die, telling him what really made a man. Not being big or strong, not getting the most women or scaring everyone, but to be honest and reliable. To defend anyone and everyone who you could help, and do the right thing. He told him that he'd never believed in the phrase "real men don't cry" as he had tears running down his face because that only meant that 'real men' didn't have anything worth crying for.
He remembered his mother, a beautiful woman who sewed clothes for a living. She was kind and charming, the type of woman any man wanted by their side. She said to him once that not a fortune in the world was worth your honor or friendship or trust. She saw the goodness in everyone, to a fault that caused her marriage. Oh they had fought so much about that, his anger at her pain never ceasing. He remembered their last argument before she died. "This is how you follow my father, your old husband? That so-called man is a disgrace to his memory!" He had yelled before storming out, her eyes crying much like his now in shock from the harsh words.
"Oh there there," A woman said after his hours of tears, appearing before him in a pale purple dress and glitter surrounding. "No need to cry."
"What. The. Fuck." He muttered to himself, "I'm seeing things now, oh that stupid man really has banged my head one too many times." He closed his drying eyes, out of tears, and leaned his head against the wall.
"Cinder," She said, "I'm not a hallucination."
"Oh really now?" He asked, looking up through his blonde hair. He decided to give into the hallucination then, knowing he'd need amusement in the days to come. His Step-Father did this every month or so, locked him up for a week, but eventually he'd let him out, he always did. "Then what are you?"
"I'm your fairy god-mother," She said, a twinkle in her voice.
"Hence the wand," He said, nodding to the glittering item in her hand. "Yeah, ok."
"Now you listen here young man," She said, her twinkling voice becoming slightly shrill. "I'm here to help you if you'd just believe it."
"Aha!" He said with a laugh, leaning his head back again. "Of course, someone here to save me, what else could I possibly be doing but actually seeing that."
She sighed and tapped his head, the glittering magic flowing down him. With that he felt better, his face cleaned up and bruises gone. His closes were replaced as well, looking nice and clean. He looked professional, and no longer making him look even more malnourished.
He jumped up then, "What?"
"It's magic," She said. "Bibbity boppity boo!"
"Thank you, thank you so much!" He said, appreciative of the new clothes. He hadn't had anything this nice in years. He looked around, now if she would tell him how she got in he could get out. Then he could find a horse or hitchhike. He looked at his clothes again, almost wishing she hadn't changed his only pair so that he wouldn't mess these up in travels. The only reason royalty got away with wearing this type of clothing was that they rode in carriages when they went somewhere.
Watching as the teen hastefully tried to figure out how only a new pair of clothes was going to solve his issues the Fairy God Mother smiled. He was a good kid.
With a cough to gather his attention she spoke, opening the door. "Your step-father is asleep, and I have a carriage waiting for you out front."
"What?" Cind asked, ecstatic. "Oh thank you so much!"
"No need," She said, "Child, just remember, the magic will wear off at midnight. Your clothes will go back to normal and you will only have a horse. Also, your step-father will wake up in the morning or sooner."
"The ball starts at 7," He said with a smile, his face for once looking like that of an attractive young man, not a malnourished slave. "That's plenty of time, thank you!"
Cinder ran out then, hopping in the carriage right before the man, he supposed a friend of the Fairy God Mother's, slapped his ropes to make the horse go. It wasn't too long of a ride, and the entire time Cinder smiled. For this one night he was no longer the red-headed (okay, blonde) step-child. No, for this night he was Cinder, the nicely dressed representative of his town. He no longer hoped to be successful, he knew he would be. He had to be.
He wasn't. The ball was amazing, and not five seconds before he finally got to tell the princess about his horrid step-father and the corruption in his town, the clock struck 12. He could do nothing but run from the gorgeous princess he had spent all of his night with. So he did, "I've been most enchanted to meet you." He said swiftly, looking at the clock one last time before rushing out, "But I must go now." He gave her a peck on the cheek and ran off, noticing the disapproving looks from the King and Queen as he did so.
Stupid! He was so stupid! On a mission to tell the princess about his town he failed miserably. Destrcted by her beautiful eyes and long black hair, braided up perfectly around her perfectly designed face he had talked about everything else but his town. What was worse was that he couldn't find it in himself to be truly angry, as he had had an amazing time. The princess was kind and modest, insisting he call her by her first name. He even forgot to lecture himself about it on the way back home, too busy thinking about the night as well as a decent amount of sleep-riding. He got home late, and his Step-Father was raging when he did.
"You went you slimy bastard!" His Step-Father yelled, "I can't even take a goddamn nap without you sneaking out- well that's the last time I leave your door unbolted!" He grabbed him by the shoulder of his rags and threw him roughly down the stairs into the cellar, locking and (this time) bolting the door shut.
Cinder couldn't help but laugh lightly, chuckling as he stripped to his boxers and got into his floor-made bed. For once, minus the sprained ankle, his stepfather had given him exactly what he wanted. One way ticket to his room, to sleep without interruption
As Cinder slept, the Princess argued with her father. He didn't know it, but it was only two days later that the Princess had found her way to him.
"Hello?" She asked, knocking on their front door in her door to door search to be face to face with his step-father. "Does a blonde boy live here?" She asked, "he would be blonde, about this tall," She moved her hand up, about 4 inches taller than herself, to show how tall her could be. She continued to describe Cinder, leaving the stepfather horribly angry and upset.
"Oh, no, no boys by that description here." He said. "Sorry to disappoint."
"Oh," She said, sure this was where he said he was from. The disappointment was clear in her eyes as she turned to leave.
In his cellar Cinder banged and yelled at his tiny window, jumping to hit it or yell out. It was something to get her attention, and while he wasn't sure it would work at all, he had to try.
The Princess reached the edge of the home, looking back one last time where she was sure the man lived. He had been the first person she'd ever had any connection to, and the first to treat her like an intelligent member of royalty, not a pretty doll. Her eyes watered lightly as she resigned herself to getting married to some prince, some prince that would rule her people without her. Some prince that didn't even love her.
She saw something funny then, the man's face. Bouncing in and out of view from the cellar window. It couldn't be. However, after seeing it a second time she ran back to the house, her guards trailing after.
She banged on the door, "I saw him!" She yelled, "He's here!"
"I'm sorry?" The stepfather asked, faking ignorance well. "I'm telling you, it's just me and my two sons, no blondes here."
"In the cellar," She said. "I'm not sure why he's there, but he is."
Cinder had changed his process as he saw her run back. He was now running up the stairs to the door and banging at it, still trying after 15+ times. His shoulder hurt, but he wasn't giving up. He heard a giggle on his last try, a soft "Bibbity Bobitty Boo" and then the door crashed open into the living room.
"Princess!" He yelled, shoving past his Step-Father. "Princess, what are you doing here?"
She blushed then, smiling brilliantly. "Well, I was supposed to pick someone to wed last night, and after deliberation with the King, I have the support of everyone when I say, I picked you."
Cinder did not know what to say, was she proposing to him? His mouth gaped open, and his Step-Father fainted. "Wha-"
The Princess interrupted him accidentally, "Of course theres courting to be done, and you'd have to prove capable and-"
Cinder walked up and kissed her right on the lips then, pulling her close and smiling as she wrapped her hands around his neck.
"Of course" He said. "I would love to court you."
And from then on, the town Cinder grew up in was watched, along with all others, for corruption. Cinder was a supportive husband to his Princess, soon after their marriage Queen. He was exceptional at his position as King and from then on,
he lived happily ever after.
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Sorry for the slow reply, I was super busy all weekend, I hope you enjoy!
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