Dance with Me
Summary: What if Cinderella and the prince knew each other long before the ball? And what if Cinderella was the fairy godmother herself? A Cinderella story, probably anywhere from 3-5 chapters.
Disclaimer: I don't own Cinderella.
A/N - So this just popped into my head suddenly after waking up one morning. I'm not entirely positive of what will happen, but I have a pretty good idea. So, read and review! Hope you like it!
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"Eline. Eline. ELLLIIIIINNNEEE!"
Eline stood up from the chair she sat in, shook out the apron around her waist, and quickly made her way downstairs to the parlor, where her sister called upon her. Her step-sister, to be exact.
Felicity was sitting next to the fire with a screen protecting her from getting covered in cinders, eating a tray of pastries.
She said, with her mouth partly full of a croissant that Eline had made herself earlier that day, "Eline, finally, there you are. Tend to the fire. It seems to be getting low. Go get some more logs, or whatever. You know what a fire needs, so go fix it!"
Felicity did not have all the chocolate chips on her cookies, you might say. Eline scurried out of the room, and went toward the garden shed. She stepped in there quickly, in search of firewood, but when she found none, closed her eyes and visualized firewood sitting right beside her. She opened her eyes, picked up the firewood she had just created, and set off for the parlor again.
You see, Eline had magical powers. She had inherited them from her mother, who had died just a few years earlier. She had recognized Eline's abilities early in her life, and had trained her to use them for the best reasons only. She was to use them only when she needed to, and Eline's step-family was very impatient. Eline had grown up learning the virtues of love, patience, and work. Of course she didn't like the work, and often imagined running away, but it was her mother's dying wish that she remain at their house. Eline thought about what her mother had told her, "The house has more secrets left for you to find." Sometimes she thought about it, but usually she had so much to do, she couldn't concentrate on it but for so long.
Eline quickly tended the fire, walked out of the room, and went toward the kitchen, since she could predict the next request from Felicity. It was almost peaceful that day, since her step-mother, Ruthia, was "visiting a friend." Eline wondered, "Does she have a friend?"
Felicity cried out, "And while you're at it, fix me some more of these bread-things!" Eline sighed, went to get out the leftover dough from that morning, and quickly stirred it a bit, no sooner than Felicity had cried out again, "Eline? Where are the bread-things?"
She would have to hurry. She quickly just grabbed out the small wand-yes, she had one- from her apron pocket, and pointed it at the dough. Instantly, it was a platter if steaming hot "bread-things," as Felicity called them.
Eline gave a sigh of relief, and carried the tray to her sister. She remembered the day her mother had given her the wand, which would only work when she used it. It was just a smooth brown branch to other people, her mother had told her, but it was her very own special thing that would stay with her wherever she went. Her mother had placed a spell on it-being a fairy as well- that made it stay with her at all times, so that Eline would never lose it. It was a good thing that she had, or it would have been lost long ago.
Felicity was staring at her fingernails, her eyes slightly glazed over, when Eline came with the bread. Her head snapped up, and she grabbed the platter. Devouring the bread, she scornfully looked up at Eline, who was quietly standing to the side of the room, trying not to gag from the animal-like way that Felicity ate, and said with her mouth full, "Scram!"
The other sister, Francesca, passed by the room, pinched her mouth into a tight "o," and raised her eyebrows at Eline. "Didn't I tell you to go to the market a while ago?"
Eline almost shook her head, but knew better than to, and ran to get a basket to put things in.
Felicity was just a spoiled pig, but Francesca was worse. She was cold and mean. She was almost exactly like her mother- beautiful, but in a hardened way, with her light blonde hair, ice blue eyes, and red lips. She was graceful and mannerly, and Ruthia hoped for Francesca to catch some nobleman's eye. Those who did not know her thought her to be beautiful, but those who did knew that she was like ice- cold and unreachable. She showed interest in only one man- the Prince himself. She did not know him, but as Eline had heard her say once, "he was the only one who was as beautiful as she." Eline had indeed seen the prince before. She had seen him many times. They had met as children, when her mother was still alive and her life was still happy.
She was contentedly sitting near a bakery, staring at the cakes in the window and wishing that she could have one. Being a smart child, she had learned to control her magic and not get everything she wanted with a snap of her wand. She had to work to get it. She watched her mother, then, instead, looking at the jade green dress and the dark brown braided bun. Her father was away, as usual. Eline tucked back a strand of wavy hair, nearly the same color as the sun. She looked like the sky's reflection, she decided, with her bright blue eyes as well. Sensing Eline's stare, her mother turned and smiled warmly at her only daughter. Eline smiled back, and felt someone staring at her. She barely turned her head and looked questioningly at the boy, who was around her age, with brown hair. He was dressed fancy to be at the market. She raised an eyebrow at the outfit, and smiled. He rolled his eyes back, but in a nice way. Her mother suddenly called for Eline, and she smiled at him again, and then quickly walked away.
Eline asked her mother, "Who is that boy?"
Her mother replied, "That is Prince Evander. Why?"
She smiled. "Oh, just wondering."
So it began that they met every so often around the market square, never revealing too much about themselves, but just enjoying one another's company and listening to what the other had to say.
They walked around a jewelry stand one afternoon, watching the elegant ladies' dresses trail by. Eline was fifteen, and her mother had died not too long before. She had just begun to know Ruthia, and was deprived of the finery she had once known. She now wore simple work clothes, and missed the fashion. She sighed after a jade green dress, nearly identical to the one her mother had worn that day she'd first seen Evander. She turned back to him, and said, "My mother had a dress like that." The sadness in her voice was evident.
His sea green eyes-which Eline secretly admired- were filled with sympathy for her. "I don't know what I'd do without my mother."
Her eyes danced as she said, "I bet she still has to lay out your clothes for you every morning, doesn't she?"
Evander said defensively, "No...not every morning." Eline laughed, and wondered what her life would be like if she had no friends.
And so, with laughter, happiness, and wares for sale, their relationship as friends grew.
The basket on Eline's elbow kept bumping into people, she'd just noticed, and she quickly moved it to her hand.
Her eyes were open for Evander as she selected and paid for the random things her step-sisters had demanded. A gold brooch, apparently, was of the utmost importance to Felicity, along with another box of bon-bons. A list was almost always left for her in the kitchen every morning of things that needed to be bought.
Just as all the frivolous things for that day were collected, Evander rushed over to Eline.
She looked up at him, an eyebrow raised. "What has you running so?"
He looked at her, his eyes wide with panic. "It's my parents. They're going to throw a ball for me. They want me to get married."
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A/N - Not much of a chapter, sort of short, but oh well. I'll have the next chapter out soon. Ooh ,the plot thickens! Thanks for reading, and please review! -dreamer303