"Your highness, the king and queen would like to speak with you," Yamato said, standing in the doorway. The prince sighed. "Yamato, how many times have I told you not to call me that," he said. "Sorry, Gray. I just...um…" Yamato replied, rubbing the back of his head.
"It's ok, Yamato," Gray replied, laughing as he walked past his friend to go see his parents. He knocked on the door of the room his parents were in. "Come in, Gray," his father's voice said. Gray opened the door and walked in.
"You wanted to see me?" he asked, standing in front of his parents. "Gray, your father and I have decided that it's time for you to find a young lady, whom you will marry," his mother said, smiling.
"And to do that, we're going to hold a ball and invite everyone from the kingdom so you can find a girl to marry," his father said. "But mom, dad, I don't want to marry someone I don't know!" Gray protested.
"Gray, you would have time to get to know this girl better," his mother said. Gray sighed. "Yeah, I guess you're right," he said. "That was all we needed to talk to you about, son. You may go now," his father said. Gray bowed and left the room, closing the door behind him.
"So, Gray. What was that all about?" Yamato asked as the prince walked down the hallway. Gray sighed as he began to tell Yamato everything that had happened.
"So, your parent's want you to find a girl whom you will marry? But you're only twelve!" Yamato said. "I guess it's because they want me to be able to get to know this girl before we do get married," Gray replied, staring out across the kingdom from the balcony the two now stood on.
"Don't worry, Gray. I'm sure you'll find the right girl," Yamato said, smiling. "Yeah, I hope you're right," Gray said, smiling back. The two friends just continued to stare out across the kingdom.
Meanwhile, a young girl with brown hair ran around the house doing tons of chores. "Allison, are you done with those chores yet? We're hungry," her oldest stepbrother, Enjyu, said. "Not yet. I still have to do the laundry, wash the windows, and several other things. Can't you, Wen, and Li make yourselves something to eat?" Allison replied, trying to hold up a basket of clothes that needed to be washed.
Enjyu smirked. "No way. Cooking is your job," he replied. "Fine, I'll go do it," Allison replied, sighing as she left to go to the kitchen. 'Why do I always have to do this kind of stuff? I wish I didn't have to stay here with Enjyu, Wen, and Li anymore,' she thought as she began to cook breakfast.
Chapter 2
"Good morning, Allison. What are you doing?" Terry asked as he and Bull walked into the kitchen. "Cooking breakfast for the three pains in the neck upstairs," Allison replied, turning to face her friends.
"I don't understand. Why do they make you do this stuff? It's not fair," Bull said. "I know. But unfortunately, I have to, no matter how unfair it is," Allison replied, sighing as she went back to cooking.
"Well, we have something that'll cheer you up!" Terry said, smiling. "Allison, hurry up with our breakfast!" they heard Enjyu yell. "Yeah, we're starving!" Wen added. "I'm working on it! Keep your pants on!" Allison yelled back.
"Can you tell me when I come back, Terry? I need to take this breakfast to the boys so they'll be quiet," Allison said. Terry smiled and nodded. Allison smiled back as she took the food upstairs. A few minutes later, she came back into the kitchen.
"Ok, what is it you wanted to tell me?" she asked, sitting down. Terry and Bull opened their mouths to say something when the three heard a knock on the door. They got up and went to answer it. When Allison opened the door, Yamato stood there with a bag full of rolled up papers.
Without saying anything, he smiled as he took one of them out of the bag, handed it to Allison, and left. Allison closed the door and unrolled it, quickly reading it. Terry and Bull read over her shoulder. "That's what we were going to tell you about," Terry said, laughing.
"Yeah, the king and queen are holding a ball tonight so the prince can find a girl to marry," Bull said. "But, I can't go. Not only do I still have a lot of chores to do, I don't have a dress," Allison said, sighing.
"Don't worry, Allison. Bull and I will help you make a dress," Terry said, smiling. "You really mean that?" Allison asked. "Yeah, we promise!" Bull said, giving her a thumbs up. Terry also gave her a thumbs up.
"Thanks guys," Allison said, hugging them. "Though, I think I should go ask Enjyu if I can go before we start making a dress," she stated. "You go do that and Bull and I will go get supplies for your dress," Terry said. "Thanks guys!" Allison said, smiling before she went upstairs.
Chapter 3
"Oh Yamato, you're back. Did you deliver all the invitations?" Gray asked as Yamato came back to the castle. Yamato nodded. "I delivered them to every house in the kingdom like your parents said. Though, I really think we need a real messenger," Yamato said, laughing.
"But Yamato, the reason I sent you was because I trust you," Gray replied, also laughing. The two boys continued laughing. "Hey, want to go take a look at the preparations for the ball?" Gray said, gesturing towards the ballroom. "Sure, we've got nothing to do right now anyway," Yamato said, following the prince.
Meanwhile, Allison stood outside the room where her stepbrothers were. She took a deep breath before knocking on the door. "Come in," she heard all three of them say. She pushed the door open without hesitating. "Why aren't you doing your chores like you're supposed to?" Wen asked.
"Because I came to ask you three a question," Allison said, looking down at the floor. "What is it?" Enjyu asked, rolling his eyes. "I was wondering if I could go to the prince's ball tonight," Allison said, holding up the invitation.
Enjyu took it from her hand and read it with Wen and Li. "Fine, if you finish all of your chores and are able to find a dress, you can go with us," Enjyu said, sighing. "Yay! Thank you, Enjyu!" she said, smiling as she left the room to go finish her chores.
"You're really going to let her go to the ball?" Li asked, once he was sure Allison was out of hearing range. "Not really. She has a lot of chores and I know for a fact that she doesn't have a dress," Enjyu replied, smirking.
"Terry, Bull, Enjyu said I could go if I finished my chores and found a dress!" Allison said as she arrived back in the kitchen. "That's great, Allison!" Bull said. "Don't worry, Allison. We'll help you finish all your chores so we have time to make you a dress," Terry said, smiling.
"Thanks, guys. Now, let's get started on those chores!" Allison said, smiling. The three then went to work on Allison's chores. When they were done, they started on making her dress. Little did they know that Li was spying on them.
Chapter 4
Later that night, as Allison was finishing up a few things downstairs and Terry and Bull had gone back to their houses to get ready, Enjyu snuck into her bedroom. He noticed the dress lying on the bed and smirked. "Sorry, Allison. But you're not going to the ball after all," he said as he began to tear the dress apart.
As Allison was walking up the stairs a few minutes later, she noticed Enjyu, Wen, and Li, who were already dressed, walking down the stairs. "Hey, wait you guys. I've finished my chores. I just have to go change into my dress," she said. They turned to face her as Enjyu smirked. "What dress?" he asked.
Allison eyes widened as she ran up the stairs towards her room. She could hear Enjyu's laughter as he, Wen, and Li left the house. When she opened her door, she saw the dress that she, Terry, and Bull had worked hard on in shreds.
Tears formed in her eyes as she ran downstairs and out into the garden. She sat at one of the benches and cried. Terry and Bull came into the garden and saw her crying so they ran over to comfort her.
"Allison, what's wrong? We saw Enjyu, Wen, and Li leave already. Weren't you going with them?" Bull asked. "No, that jerk Enjyu tore my dress apart," Allison replied between sobs. "We're so sorry, Allison," Terry said as he and Bull sat down next to her.
Suddenly, there was bright light that filled the garden. When it disappeared, a young girl with blonde hair stood there. "Don't worry, Allison. You'll go to that ball!" she said, smiling. "Huh? Who are you? And how do you know my name?" Allison asked, wiping the tears away from her eyes.
"I'm Liena, your fairy godsister," Liena replied, smiling. "But, I thought there were only fairy godmothers," Bull said with a confused look. "Well you see, I'm too young to be a fairy godmother, so that's why," Liena replied, laughing.
"Okay. Next question. How am I going to go to the ball? I don't have a dress anymore," Allison said, standing up. "That's where I can help you," Liena said, waving her wand in Allison's direction. In a split second, Allison was wearing a beautiful pink dress with matching pink slippers and her hair was done up in a ponytail.
"You look beautiful! Now, we have to get you a ride to the ball," Liena said, smiling. She then waved her wand as a carriage appeared along with four white horses to draw it. "Now all you need is a horseman and footman," she said, looking in Bull and Terry's direction. "We'll do it!" they said, nodding.
Bull got up in the seat and grabbed the horse reigns and Terry went over and opened the door. "Thanks, Liena. Without you, I wouldn't be able to go," Allison said hugging Liena. "No problem. But I will warn you that the spell wears of at midnight so you must be home by then. Got it?" Liena said. "Got it," Allison replied.
"Now, go have fun at the ball," Liena said, smiling. Allison nodded and went over to the carriage. Terry helped her in, closed the door, and went to go sit with Bull. "Somehow, I don't completely trust you when it comes to driving," he said as they left. Liena waved as they drove off then she disappeared.
Chapter 5
Gray stood against the wall and sighed. "What's wrong, Gray? Haven't you found a girl already?" Yamato asked as he handed his friend a glass of punch. "No. I mean, all of these girls are nice, but they're just not the right girl," Gray replied, taking the glass. "Don't worry, Gray. I'm sure you'll find the right girl," Yamato said before walking off.
Meanwhile, Allison, Bull, and Terry entered the ballroom. "Remember, guys. We have to avoid my stepbrothers, got it?" Allison said. "And get out of here before midnight," Terry said. Allison nodded. Bull and Terry then left to go dance.
Allison sighed as she walked over to the refreshment table to get something to drink. As she was pouring herself a drink, she noticed the prince standing against the wall and blushed. The prince looked so handsome.
Gray noticed the girl looking at him. He decided to go over and meet her. "Oh, be careful. You don't want to overflow and make a mess," he said, laughing a little as he pointed to her cup. "Oh yeah. Silly me," Allison said, blushing as she took a sip out of her cup.
"So, would you like to dance?" Gray asked, holding out his hand. Allison blushed even more as she nodded and took his hand. The two then walked out to the dance floor and started dancing.
"My name's Gray, but you probably already knew that," Gray said, laughing. "Yeah, I knew that," Allison replied, smiling and still blushing. "So, what's you're name?" Gray asked, continuing to dance with her.
"Um, I'd rather not tell you right now," Allison replied. Gray laughed a little. "It's okay. You can tell me later," he said. As the two danced, Enjyu, Wen, and Li stood near one of the walls. "Hey, doesn't that girl who is dancing with the prince look like Allison?" Li asked.
"It couldn't be. I tore her dress up, remember? So there's no way that could be her," Enjyu said, smirking. Wen and Li just shrugged as they continued to watch.
After dancing for a while, Gray led Allison out into the palace gardens. "I had a good time tonight. You're the prettiest girl I've ever met," he said, smiling as he and Allison sat down. "Thanks," Allison replied, blushing again. "So, now will you tell me your name?" Gray asked, laughing a little.
Chapter 6
"Ok, it's…" Allison started before being cut off by the giant clock. It was almost midnight! "I'm so sorry. I've got to go now," Allison said as she got up. She curtsied quickly before running off. "Wait, come back! I still don't know your name!" Gray called as he got up and ran after her.
By the time he got to the stairs, she was already at the bottom and getting into her carriage. It then drove off before the prince could stop it. Gray then noticed a pink slipper lying on the stairs. He went down and picked it up.
"I may not know her name, but if we take this shoe to every girl in the kingdom and try it on each one, I should find her eventually," Gray said, as he stared off into the night.
"So Allison, how did it go? We saw you dancing with the prince," Terry said as the three sat in the kitchen. Allison was back in her regular clothes except that she still had one of the pink slippers. "It was the best night of my life! Prince Gray is so sweet and so handsome!" Allison said, smiling.
Terry and Bull smiled. "Well, we better get going. See you tomorrow, Allison," Bull said as he and Terry left. Allison waved before she went up to her room. She lye down on her bed and instantly fell asleep, dreaming about the prince.
The next morning, there was a knock on the door. Wen went over and answered it. "May I help you?" he asked, seeing Yamato with his cat on his head. "Um, yes. I was told that a girl lives in this house and I was given orders to have every girl in the kingdom try this slipper on," Yamato said, rubbing the back of his head with one hand and holding the slipper with another.
"Give me a second," Wen said, closing the door and leaving Yamato looking confused. "Enjyu, what should we do?" he asked, turning to face Enjyu. "I heard the prince is trying to find some girl and if that slipper fits her, then she's the one," Enjyu said. "Do you think we should let Allison try it on?" Li asked.
"No chance. She's locked in her room anyway," Enjyu said. Bull and Terry heard this from the kitchen and their eyes widened. "That is Allison's other slipper. I just know it!" Terry whispered. "Then we can go get her out of her room so she can come down and try it on," Bull said, also whispering.
"And just how are we going to do that?" Terry whispered back. "With this," Bull replied, holding up the key to Allison's room. "Where'd you get that?" Terry asked, even though he didn't get an answer as the two of them ran up the stairs.
Chapter 7
Bull quickly unlocked the door and he and Terry went into Allison's room. "Allison, you have to come downstairs!" Terry exclaimed. "Huh? What do you mean?" Allison asked. Bull and Terry quickly explained everything. "Ok, coming!" Allison said, following them downstairs.
"Look, there aren't any girls in this house," Enjyu said. "But I remember handing an invitation to last night's ball to a girl," Yamato said. "That's because you handed it to me," Allison said from the top of the stairs.
Enjyu slapped his forehead, wondering how exactly she got out. Allison came down and sat in a chair as Yamato came over. Before Yamato could get to Allison though, Enjyu tripped him causing his to drop the slipper and having it fly towards the fireplace.
Thankfully, Terry caught it before it landed it the fire. He brought it back to Yamato. "Now you can try it on her," he said, smiling. Yamato smiled back as he took it from Terry's hand and went over to Allison.
He gently slipped it on her foot and saw that it fit perfectly. "So you're the one Gray was looking for," Yamato said, smiling as he stood up. "Yeah, I guess I am," Allison replied, smiling. "Well, come with me. Gray will be happy to see you," Yamato said, holding out his hand.
"Can my friends come too?" Allison asked, pointing to Terry and Bull. Yamato nodded. "Sure. Now come on!" he said, smiling as they walked towards the door. "Have fun doing your own chores boys," Terry and Bull said to Enjyu, Wen, and Li, sticking their tongues out before closing the door.
As the four approached the castle, Gray stood there waiting. "Yamato, you're back! Did you find her?" he asked his friend. Yamato nodded. "She's right here," he said, motioning towards Allison. Gray smiled and went over to her.
"I thought I'd never see you again," he said, hugging her. "Well, I'm here now," Allison replied, giggling as she hugged back. "You still haven't told me your name yet," Gray said, stepping back. "Oh yeah! It's Allison," she replied, smiling.
"That's a pretty name," Gray said, smiling back. "Gray, don't you think you should go introduce her to your parents?" Yamato whispered in Gray's ear. Gray nodded. "Allison, can you come with me? I'd like to introduce you to my parents," he said.
"But what about my outfit? I'm not exactly in the most suitable attire," Allison replied, rubbing the back of her head. "I wouldn't worry about it, Allison. Besides, I bet they would understand if you told them why," Terry said. "Yeah, you've had it pretty rough," Bull said.
"Don't worry, I'm sure we can get you some new clothes later," Gray said, smiling and causing Allison to blush. "Yamato, you keep Allison's friends busy while we're gone, ok?" he said. Yamato nodded and he, Terry, and Bull left.
Chapter 8
Gray knocked on the door to the throne room. "Don't worry. My parents are nice," he said, seeing that Allison was a little nervous. "Ok," she replied, smiling as Gray opened the door. "Mom, Dad, I've found the girl who I want to marry," he said.
"That's great Gray," his father said, smiling. "She is beautiful," his mother said, also smiling. "Thanks Mom. Thanks Dad. I'm glad you approve of her," Gray said, smiling as he hugged Allison. "Gray, have one of the maids start a bath for her and find her some clean clothes, ok?" his mother said. Gray nodded and left with Allison.
About an hour later, Gray was sitting in the library talking with Terry, Bull, and Yamato. Terry and Bull were telling Gray and Yamato about what Allison had to do while living with her stepbrothers. At that moment, they heard the door open and looked to see who was coming in.
They saw Allison standing there in a blue dress with her hair, still a little damp, hanging straight down. She went over and sat down next to Gray. "So you two, when's the wedding?" Bull asked, laughing a little.
"Not for a while. We're only twelve," Gray replied, laughing. Everyone started laughing. "Allison, come with me for a second," Gray said, smiling as he got up and took her hand. She nodded and followed him.
"What did you want to talk to be about, Gray?" Allison asked once they were on the balcony. "Nothing really. I just wanted to spend some time with you," he said, blushing. Allison laughed.
Before Gray could say anything else, Allison gently kissed him on the lips. When she pulled away, Gray smiled. "Thanks," he mumbled, blushing. Allison smiled. "You're welcome," she replied. They then hugged each other and kissed each other once more.