Living in the castle might sound like a dream to most people, but it really isn't. There are the hassles of always having to dress as if you were attending a formal event in, even if you were in your own home. Then there was the 'no privacy' matter. Everywhere I went, I would be bombarded with endless priorities and events I had to attend. I was in a nightmare, and the only way out of it was to wake up. I scoffed. Like that was possible
I suddenly heard a knock on my door. "Prince? Are you in there?" I heard someone ask. I ignored them, and after a minute of knocking foot steps could be heard getting fainter as he walked away.
I put my head in my hands. When was the last time I had control of my life? Never.
This was really a nightmare. If only I could wake up…
My head snapped back up. That's it. I'll just have to wake up, and take control of it by myself.
Birds chirped their lovely song peacefully on top of an overgrown tree. Children ran around, laughing and playing fun little games. A middle-aged man rushed to his office, silently wishing his boss wouldn't scold him for being late. The cool fall breeze raced everywhere, making everyone zipper their jackets or tighten their scarves. "One large coffee please." A woman asked a cashier in an open stand sweetly. Everything was normal.
Well, except for me.
I walked along the street, feeling so out of place. Sunglasses protected my eyes, so nobody would know my identity. A baseball cap was covering my hair, making me feel like a regular kid again. Not a prince.
I crossed the street, and shook my head. What have I gotten myself into? Only my father knew what I was going to do. He had said no at first, but after a little persuasion with his favorite desserts, he complied.
My thoughts came to an end when the smell of fresh pizza interrupted them. I looked to my right, and spotted a pizza shop. Its smell was hypnotizing. I walked in, and the fresh aroma of multiple sauces hit me. It was a feast of hot pizza, just waiting to be served. I spotted families sitting around having dinner, laughing and enjoying their food.
"What would you like today, Sir?" The cashier asked me. I jumped, not knowing that I was right at the counter. "Umm.." I began.
"Perhaps a job application?" He said. My eyes brightened at the idea. Sure, it wasn't the best job, but it couldn't be that hard. What do you have to do? Put a few toppings on bread and cook it? It sounded pretty easy to me.
"Sign me up." I said with a grin, accepting the admissions application he was graciously offering me.
Mushrooms, anchovies, sausage, tomatoes, broccoli, spinach, the list could go on and on. It was like a whole bunch of foods screaming out to me, telling me to choose them. It was horrifying.
"One large mushroom pizza with spinach and broccoli." Someone chirped in front of me. I looked up, and through the short glass protecting the vegetables from the customers, I spotted a girl about my age. She had delicate light brown hair, chocolate brown eyes, and a breathtaking smile. But that wasn't what caught me off guard.
She was dressed in rags, from head to toe. Her dress looked like she had fought World War 2 in it. It was a mix of rips, mud stains, and cinder marks all over it. She didn't look like the kind of person who could afford a pie, especially in a restaurant like this. It was them I notices my mouth was open, and I quickly snapped it shut.
She looked like she was in a hurry, so I quickly began the pizza. I grabbed a piece of dough, and dumped some sauce on it. I grabbed a handful of mushrooms with my glove-covered hands, and let them fall swiftly on top of the sauce. Next I added some broccoli and spinach, raining them down on top. After that, I added some Mozzarella Cheese and oregano.
"Excuse me?" She asked. "That doesn't look like how I usually get it."
I looked down, and instantly became confused. Wasn't that the way you made pizza? She noticed my confused expression, and chuckled. "Well, for one, I usually have the sauce spread out, not in a bog glob in the middle. And the toppings go all around the pizza, not in a straight line right through it."
I studied my pizza carefully, and saw what she meant. It looked like a train wreck, not an edible pizza. I blushed, and fixed it up. I put it in the oven, and turned back around to face her.
"So.." I said.
"So.." She replied, imitating me. Her cell phone suddenly rang, and she rushed to pick it up.
"Hello?" She asked. I heard a loud voice on the other end, and she flinched when the voice calmed down. "I-I'll be right there, Stepmom. OH! I mean m'am." She said obediently. Tears sprang to her eyes when the other voice continued, but she held them back. "O-Ok. I'll be right there." She hung up, and looked at me. "When will the pizza be ready?" She asked.
I quickly turned around, and snatched the pizza from inside the oven. I gave it to her, and slipped an invitation to the ball my parents were having inside of it. She looked like she deserved a fun night out.
She thanked me, and left. I sighed. Now, to go through the next customer.
I took a deep breath, and entered the ballroom. My parents were very old fashioned, and liked to hold a ball every once in a while. This one was to find a future Queen. I felt like my heart was about to leap out of my chest. People rushed back and forth, getting into their places. I spotted my parents sitting down in their royal thrones, ready for the crowd of people to come in. I went over and sat next to them. My father motioned for the guards to let all the villagers enter.
At first, I thought everyone would be dressed in formal dresses and tuxes. Instead, everyone came in with a mask covering their eyes, and they were all wearing gloves and extremely fancy dresses. A sea of colors swam in as all of the girls tiptoed in, smiling widely at how exquisite everything looked. It was a sea of colors, each with its own crazy pattern and feather hats. I didn't know anybody still wore those.
I forced myself off my throne, and onto the dance floor. Girls squealed when I walked past them, but I simply ignored them. My parents got off their thrones too, and began greeting everyone. I spotted my little sister, Angel, and walked over to her.
"Having a good time?" She snickered. I scoffed, and looked at her. "More like the opposite. There isn't one girl here that isn't covered in pounds of make-up." She glared at me. "Hey!"
"Oops." I mouthed, and chuckled. She slapped my arm playfully, and started staring at me. "What?" I snapped. She shook her head, and pointed behind me with her mouth wide open in shock.
I turned around, and opened my mouth in shock. Right there, descending the stairs, was the most beautiful girl I have ever seen.
She was wearing a soft white dress, with a flower pattern on it. She didn't have gloves, just a mask. Her hair was tied up in a bun, loose strands hanging out as if they were meant to be like that. Her mask was covering around her eyes, but I could spot a pair of chocolate brown eyes between the openings.
"Oh my god, Charming. You have to dance with her. And look! She isn't even wearing any make-up!" Angel cried. I turned back around and raised my eyebrows. She scoffed. "Of course, a guy wouldn't know the difference." I shook my head, and took a deep breath. I turned around and walked up to her. She didn't seem to notice me at first, but I tapped her shoulder and she looked up at .
"Would you like to dance?" I asked softly. She nodded, dazed. I took her hand and led her swiftly to the dance floor. A soft song began playing, and I guided her across the dance floor. We moved in sync, our instincts leading the way. It was a dream, a real fairytale. My eyes never left hers.
When the song ended, she stopped, and began to pull away. "It was a pleasure." She said softly, and began to walk away. I heard the heels of other girls click as they raced across the floor, each trying to get the next dance with me. I grabbed the girl's hand, and she jumped up in surprise. "One more?" I merely asked, and she looked taken aback. Before she could answer, I motioned for another slow song to come up, and we began dancing again. This time, we danced all the way over to the balcony. I could practically fell the glares of the other girls off on the side, but I could care less.
When we reached the balcony, we stopped dancing. I let go of one of her hands, and we walked hand- in hand to the edge. We sat down, and I looked up at the sky. It was a breathtaking sea of dark blue and patterns of clouds. The moon was a full moon today, resting peacefully in the sky.
"It's beautiful." She mumbled, and I looked back at her. Raising my hands, I lightly took off her pure white mask, and gasped.
"It's you." I mumbled. She was the girl from the pizza shop. The same girl that was dressed in rags. I recognized her from her eyes, now that I could see them more clearly.
"What do you mean?" She asked, puzzled. "We met at the pizza shop two days ago." I answered. Her eyes widened. "T-That was you? The prince?" She exclaimed softly. I nodded, and she quickly pulled back a loose strand of hair. Looking down, she said, "I guess you should go back inside, everyone must me waiting for you. Especially all of the girls." She mumbled.
"I don't have to." I said. She looked back up, smiling. The clock stroked twelve, and she laughed. "It's midnight." She said. Suddenly, she jumped up. "It's midnight!" She exclaimed. "Yes, it is." I said, getting up with her. "What's wrong?"
"I have to go!" She said, and began running away. I grabbed her wrist and pulled her back. "You can't go now. I don't even know your name." I said. "It would be better not to." She croaked, and pulled her wrist back. She raced back into the ballroom at full speed. "WAIT!" I yelled. "Come back!"
People looked up, startled at seeing me come backing yelling. I followed the girl out of the ball room, down the steps, and outside. She slightly tripped on the stairs, and her bracelet scraped against the railing. It fell to the floor. She quickly bent down to pick it up, but when she saw me she gasped and continued running. "Come back!" I cried, but it was too late. She hopped into her car, and raced out of the castle gates. I sighed, and walked over to her bracelet. Picking it up, I noticed it had a heart locket on it. I opened it, and there was a name engraved in it.
Cinderella.
"Did you ever make this bracelet?" I asked the jeweler. He inspected it, puzzled. "I don't think so." He replied thoughtfully. I sighed, and pulled out my iPhone, eliminating one of the many jewelry stores in this neighborhood. I was going to find her, no matter what it took.
"It has a name engraved inside the locket." I told him. He opened it, and his eyes lit up. "I remember this! I made it a long time ago!" he exclaimed. I grinned. "Do you know where she may be living right now?" I asked him.
He looked at me, then went into his computer. "I always keep a file of people I make jewelry for." He mumbled to me, his glasses slipping off his nose while he leaned down. He pushed them back up, and looked back at me. "She lives on Ruthenhood Street, 845-65. I just hope they haven't moved since I made this." He said. I thanked him, and rushed out the door with the bracelet.
When I got to her street, I quickly got out of my car and ran up the porch. Ringing the doorbell, I waited patiently until somebody answered. To my dismay, it was the mistress of the household. "Prince Charming! What an honor!" She said, surprised. She quickly bowed, and batted her eyelashes. "Did you come to see one of my oh so beloved daughters?" She asked. I nodded, and she grinned. "One minute."
When she went back inside, I heard her yell something up the stairs, and something crashed down to the ground. I sighed, and a few minutes later two dressed up girls with puffy pink dresses and hideous faces came out to see me. They pushed each other to get in front, and both of them got squeezed into the door.
"Um, isn't there a third daughter?" I asked politely. She mother looked at me, confused. "What do you mean? I only have two daughters!"
"No, you have three." I said to her. She looked at me with a bewildered look in her eyes. "If you didn't come for my two daughters, then who did you come for?"
"Stepmother? I have washed all the dishes. Can I please eat dinner?" I heard someone yell from inside. I could have sworn I heard that voice before. It sounded so familiar…
"Cinderella! How dare you act of this behavior in front Prince Charming?!?"
She cried. I heard a gasp from inside, and Cinderella came out from the kitchen. She was dressed in the same clothes I had seen her wear in the pizza shop. She stared at me, and covered her mouth in shock.
"You." She whispered. I smiled widely, and pushed my way through her stepsisters. They fell to the ground, their dresses stuck to one another accidentally. I raced over to Cinderella, and grabbed both of her hands. "I finally found you!" I cried. She smiled brightly.
"Oh no you don't!" Cried the step mother, pushing Cinderella aside. She grabbed her two daughters, and pushed them up in from of me. "These were these were the only girls in this family at the ball. "
I took the bracelet out of my pocket. I heard Cinderella gasp, but I knew what I was doing. "One girl in this family wore this bracelet to the ball. If it fits in your wrist, I will marry you." I said to them.
The two girls laughed, and both pulled their wrists out to me. I tried fastening it on the first one, but she was much too fat. Her sister snickered, and shook her head in fake disappointment. I fastened it onto her, but she was too skinny. The bracelet fell right off of her wrist, falling to the floor. I picked it up again, and faced Cinderella, knowing it was her.
She smiled and held her wrist out to me. I fastened it on, and she held her wrist in the air.
Perfect.
Epilogue
As me and Cinderella raced down the stairs of the castle, the chimes rang, announcing our wedding was over. We hopped into our limo, waving goodbye to everyone. "I'll miss you!" Cinderella called out to everyone. I could spot dozens of people crying, a quarter of them of happiness and the others for sadness.
Me and Cinderella both laughed, and the limo driver sped down the road, into our happily ever after.