Cinderella had been right about recovering the relationship between herself and her stepmother. They had woken up the morning after the storm, well rested and at peace. Before she returned to the palace, she sat down and had a long talk with her stepmother, discussing what they should do next. It was agreed upon that she would be moving to the palace, though they would keep the chateau for a sort of vacation spot. Today was that day.
It had taken some convincing and promising, but Henry and King Rupert had eventually given into her pleading. Though they weren't there for the moving, they promised to be civil toward the older woman. It was bright and beautiful, and the only things that were moved were her stepmother's clothes and her extensive book collection. Everything else was left at the chateau and covered in sheets. The Princess herself was helping, much to the displeasure of Prudence.
Cinderella was once again dressed as a maid, and picking up and moving things here and there. The others fussed over her constantly, worried the strain would make her lose the baby, until she pointed out that if she had married a man of lower birth she would be doing exactly the same thing. They quieted down after that, but she still caught a few anxious glances being thrown her way. Her stepmother seemed a little nervous, but after all, that was to expected, especially with some of the dirty looks the servants kept throwing her way. To her credit, she kept her composure and remained silent.
It was awkward at first, having Lady Tremaine living in the palace. The air was hostile, and it seemed the whole castle was against her. She didn't leave her room very often, though Cinderella couldn't say she blamed her. With so much anger vibrating through the halls she was finding it rather hard to settle in. Whenever she did venture out of her room, it was only to go to Cinderella's chambers or to the dining hall for meals.
It was on once such night that Cinderella brought up the matter to the older woman. She was sitting on her bed reclined against the headboard, resting with her eyes closed after a stressful day. Her hand rubbed circles on her growing stomach, hoping to soothe the baby that had recently begun to move.
"Stepmother, how are you settling in?"
The older woman sat down her book and sighed.
"Not very well. Everyone seems to hate me, though I have to admit the King and Prince hide it well."
"They're trying, really. It's just...everyone knows what happened between us. And I'm sorry to say they resent you for that."
"Have you not told them about my apology?"
The older woman sounded hurt and defensive, and Cinderella knew she had to tread carefully lest she upset her further.
"Yes, but you'll find that our staff are fiercely loyal, and some can hold a grudge for an unbelievable amount of time. They'll come round eventual-"
She stopped mid-sentence, her eyes flying open in shock. Her hand froze on her stomach and she sat up. Lady Tremaine instantly forgot what she had been angry about, concern for the young princess taking up her train of thought.
"What's the matter? Cinderella?"
The young woman sat frozen, though tears began to glisten in her eyes. This further worried the older woman, and she hesitantly rose and approached the bed. She sat beside the young woman, which seemed to jolt her out of her stupor. Seeing Lady Tremaine so close to her, her first reaction was to draw back. A hand that had been extended drew back quickly as if burned.
Realizing what she had done, Cinderella reached out and firmly grasped her stepmother's hand. Her head turned to face her, and there was no mistaking the hurt that resided there.
"I'm sorry, Stepmother. Old habits die hard."
"It's all right. But what was wrong? You just froze."
As an explanation, Cinderella took the hand that she was holding and placed it on her stomach. They both sat still, though Lady Tremaine was unsure of what they were waiting for. A gentle nudge on her hand broke her train of thought. It came again, just barely brushing her palm, and she finally realized what it was.
"Oh," she breathed, eyes fixed on her stomach. "That's amazing."
"I know. He'll be a strong one, that's for sure."
"Does it hurt?"
"Stepmother, you've been with child before. Can't you remember?"
"I tried to ignore it when one of them moved. Pregnancy did not suit me well. You, on the other hand..."
She was right, the Princess was glowing, and it only added to her beauty.
"Thank you, Stepmother."
The two returned to their previous state, though Lady Tremaine opted to bring her book over to the bed so she could sit beside her stepdaughter. Cinderella eventually fell asleep, but Lady Tremaine continued to read. It grew late, but she took no notice of the time. At some point in her sleep, the Princess rolled over and curled against her side. The warmth from the young woman soothed her, and before long she was asleep as well.
...
Early in the morning, the Prince entered their bedroom. He was shocked, to say the least, when he saw his wife curled against her stepmother and both of them asleep. Deciding he'd rather not wake either one of them, he blew out the various candles around the room and exited. Surely one night alone in his old room wouldn't kill him.
It was about a month later that the royal banquet was to be held. In the chaos surrounding the preparations Cinderella didn't see her stepmother very often. But she did find that the staff were beginning to warm to her a bit. At least when she exited her room there were no murderous glares thrown her way. She supposed that was a good thing, though she did wish they could see the good in her.
The night of the banquet arrived, as did all the guests and dignitaries. Lady Tremaine paused outside of the doors to collect herself. This would be the first event she had attended since Cinderella became Princess. She had to make a good impression. It wouldn't do for the stepmother of the future queen to be ridiculed by the court.
Taking a deep breath, she held her head high and entered the room. The volume dropped noticeably as soon as she set foot through the doors. Everyone stared at her and whispering began, and she knew it wasn't because of her dress. Determined not to let it get to her, she began to socialize with people who would actually speak to her. Cinderella came over almost immediately, as if sensing her distress.
She greeted her formally, and they chatted about the usual things before Cinderella leaned over to whisper in her ear.
"Ignore them. They know nothing except the rumors they've heard. Just remember that if worse comes to worse you can always leave."
She straightened back up and smiled at her, and she returned it. The Princess left soon after to join her husband for a dance, and she found herself all alone. The evening wore on, and the stares and whispers did not die down as she had anticipated. If anything, they grew worse as the guests grew more intoxicated. She remained alone in a corner, all possibility of enjoying the evening out the window.
She couldn't take it anymore. As soon as she could, she exited the celebration, quickly finding an empty room. It appeared as if it was hardly used, which was just fine with her. Less chance of being caught. Her back hit the door and she slid to the floor, thoroughly wounded after her horrible evening.
And Lady Tremaine, the ruthless, cold-hearted woman, finally allowed herself to break. She hadn't even cried when she'd apologized to Cinderella. But now, after seeing just how much the kingdom hated her, she found she couldn't help it. She supposed she had never really gotten over the pain of her own family ( the King and Prince) despising her and since then, every hateful word or glance chipped away at her already wounded heart. Sitting there, she felt it shatter.
Tears slid down her cheeks as she mourned what her choices had earned her. She sat there for she didn't know how long, and the tears kept coming. She found herself lying on the dusty, cold marble floor sometime later, and couldn't help but sigh at the fact she hadn't been missed. By the position of the moon, she could tell it had been at least an hour since she disappeared, and felt hurt that no one had bothered to look for her. She was just about to stand up and pull herself together when she heard voices outside the door.
"Please, you've got to find her!"
The voice was desperate and sounded like...Cinderella? She pressed against the door to listen.
"We've looked everywhere, your Highness," a man, probably a guard, responded.
"You must find her! She disappeared without a word to anyone over two hours ago!"
So they were talking about her then.
"Majesty, if I may so enquire, why is it so important we find her? Isn't she the woman who made you a slave in your own home?"
A sigh filtered through the door.
"Yes, she is. But she's still my stepmother, and my family. I can't just ignore the fact that she's missing. I forgave her a long time ago for her actions, and we've settled things since then. Please, you must find her!"
"We understand, you Highness, and we'll search until we find her."
"Thank you, Geoffrey."
The sound of boots echoed down the hall, and she took that as the sign they had gone. She backed away from the door, her mind spinning as emotions began to assault her. She felt fresh tears slip down her face and wiped them away angrily, ashamed to have cried so much in one day. But it seemed her mind had other ideas as fresh tears continued to fall. The sound of heels clicking in the corridor sent her scrambling away from the door.
She ducked behind an old statue as Cinderella herself entered and crossed to the window. She watched her watch the stars, carefully keeping quiet so she wouldn't be noticed, too ashamed to come out. The Princess sighed again and placed her fingertips on the glass.
"Where are you, Stepmother?" she asked the empty room.
Lady Tremaine sucked in a quick breath, and released it as a whimper, shocking both herself and the room's other occupant. Cinderella turned and gazed around the room.
"Who's there?" she called bravely.
Deciding to come out before she was found and dragged out, Lady Tremaine gracefully stepped into view. Her eyes locked with her stepdaughter's, noting the relief that filled them to the brim.
"There you are," Cinderella sighed and placed a hand over her heart. "You gave me quite a scare when you disappeared without a word."
"Why?"
Her voice came out hoarse and scratchy, evidence that she'd been crying. Cinderella stepped closer, and her eyes widened as they noticed the tear tracks and red eyes.
"Stepmother," she breathed, "what's wrong?"
It was that simple question that sent her over the edge again. More tears came, though she didn't know where they could possibly be coming from. She felt gentle arms wrap around her, and before she knew it her face was buried in a ball gown clad shoulder. She heard soothing words whispered over and over, which only served to make her sob harder.
"Why did you ever forgive me? You've heard what everyone's said. I'm not worth it. I can't even get near you without making you flinch."
Cinderella pulled back in shock as she realized what it was about.
"Stepmother, is this about what everyone is saying? I told you not to listen. They don't know what they're talking about. Actually, just before the banquet ended, I stood up and told them the truth. They left much more enlightened."
"You...you told them the truth? Everything? Including my apology?"
"Of course, and it seems they don't hate you anymore. And as for flinching, well, as I said, old habits die hard. Bear with me and I promise I'll stop doing that."
"As long as you promise to remember that no matter what I say or do, I love you. And I promise to make everyone see just how much."
Cinderella hugged her and felt relief and exhaustion flood her system. It had been a long night, and the pregnancy drained a lot of her energy anyway. They yawned at the same time and she laughed, enjoying the feeling now that everything was truly settled. Standing as gracefully as a woman who was three months pregnant could, she offered a hand to her stepmother, who was still on the floor. She took it and smiled at the younger woman, grateful for her kindness.
"Well, I'd say this has been an eventful night," Cinderella said as she turned toward the doors. "I don't know about you, but I'm exhausted." She turned when footsteps didn't immediately follow her to see her stepmother watching her with a peculiar look on her face. "What? Aren't you coming?"
"Oh, yes! Sorry, I was just thinking."
"About what?" the young woman asked as they started down the hall.
"About how you'll make a fine queen some day."
As a response, the young woman reached out and grasped her hand, never breaking her stride.
Another storm had blown in, and had woken both Lady Tremaine and Cinderella up. The Princess lay curled close to her husband, hoping that she would fall back asleep. It became apparent, however, that her wish, for once, would not come true. Sighing, she carefully rose from the bed and made her way down the hall to her stepmother's room, her priorities shifting from sleeping to her well-being. She shivered and cringed as she walked down the hall, the cool corridors and lightning flashes not mixing well.
As expected, Lady Tremaine was curled up tightly in the center of the bed, hiding under the covers. Cinderella shut the door quietly so she wouldn't startle her before clearing her throat. Her hair peeked out from under the blankets.
"Cinderella? Is that you?"
"Yes, Stepmother."
She crossed to the bed and was met with covers being thrown back. She climbed in beside the woman and quickly replaced the blankets to block out the chill in the air. Rolling over, she found herself staring into emerald eyes.
"How long have you been awake?" she asked.
"Long enough. Do you know what time it is?"
"I think it's about three-thirty."
She slid closer until their hands were touching. Lady Tremaine's eyes widened and she jumped.
"Good grief! Your hands are as cold as ice!"
She took one of her hands between her own and began to rub it in hope of warming them.
"The corridors are cold."
They laid there a while longer, though sleep didn't seem to be coming. Finally Cinderella sighed and sat up, deciding she couldn't take it anymore.
"Where are you going?"
"To the kitchens. Want to come?"
She was about to say no when a particularly loud clap of thunder made her jump.
"Of course."
They stepped into the hallway and she gasped at the drop in temperature. The Princess glanced at her but said nothing. The kitchens were better and were perhaps colder due to their being one of the lowest levels of the palace. Cinderella went about gathering ingredients while Lady Tremaine sat at the table.
"What are you going to make?"
"Hot chocolate."
Her plan revealed, she calmly began melting butter in one pan and heating milk in the other. The older woman watched, fascinated, as Cinderella crafted something from a lot of nothings. Once the butter was melted, she added some chocolate chunks and then slowly began to add the milk. Once all that was mixed she added sugar and it was finished. The whole thing couldn't have taken longer than twenty minutes, but the process had intrigued the older woman.
The kitchen had been warmed by the fire and was almost pleasant to inhabit. The Princess transferred the drink into two mugs and sat across from her stepmother. While the older woman was sure the drink was delicious, she didn't want to admit she'd never had it before. She watched the younger woman take a sip and sigh in pleasure before trying hers. She came to the conclusion later on, after her brain resumed functioning, that it was quite possibly the best thing she had ever had in her life.
"This is very good. Why did you never make it back home?"
"Well," the girl looked down and blushed, "you always liked tea, and I wasn't about to use that chocolate for just one cup."
"Well, I wish you had. This is possibly the best thing I've had in my life."
"Thank y-Wait. You've never had hot chocolate before?"
"Unfortunately, no."
"Well, I'm glad I decided to make some, then. Nobody should have to go without trying it at least once."
She smiled and silence resumed as the two women finished their drinks. The storm was slowly dying out, but neither of them noticed it much anymore. As she washed the two cups, Cinderella marveled at how far she and her stepmother had come in just a few months. Four months ago, she would have never envisioned herself in the palace kitchens doing something like that. When she was finished, she bowed playfully and extended a hand.
"Madam?"
She deepened her voice so that it resembled a man's, and Lady Tremaine had to force herself not to smile. She took the offered hand and stood from the bench gracefully. Not about to break the joke, she calmly tucked the girl's hand in the crook of her elbow and began walking.
"Thank you, sir. A lady such as myself does need some assistance now and then."
Cinderella couldn't take it anymore and began to laugh, Lady Tremaine following shortly after. They laughed all the way back to the bedroom, uncaring that it was early in the morning and that they could possibly wake someone up. Cinderella blamed it on lack of sleep and the sugar. Once they were settled in bed, and thoroughly exhausted from their little adventure, the older woman placed a hand on the Princess' extremely large belly.
"How's the baby?"
"He's fine. But I wish time would move a little faster. Being this big is starting to get annoying."
"You do realize you have three more months to go, don't you?"
"Ugh! I wish he would just get here! The waiting is killing me. I want to hold my baby already!"
"Patience, dear, patience. He'll come when he's ready. Until then you just have to wait."
Blue and green eyes were struggling to stay open, and Cinderella decided they could talk in the morning.
"Good night, Stepmother."
"Good night, Cinderella."
They fell asleep easily, not noticing the storm had stopped at some point during their trip to the kitchens.
Lady Tremaine was woken by a body pressing close to hers. She relaxed almost immediately when she felt the large swell of a stomach, indicating it was her stepdaughter who had woken her.
"Cinderella," she murmured, "what is it?"
"I had a nightmare."
She had been having those a lot as of late, and they didn't seem to have a set theme. And Henry and the King were away, meaning that she could stay by herself or come to her stepmother.
"What was it about this time?"
"D-demons."
"It was just a dream, dear. It can't hurt you."
"I know, but-" she shuddered, "it seemed so real."
The older woman calmly sat up and lit the candle on her bedside table. Pale light pooled out, just enough for her to find her stepdaughter under the covers. Gently, and mindful of her stomach, she coaxed her out from her hiding place.
"You're okay. Do you want to talk about it?"
"No."
She curled close to her stepmother, and laid her head on her shoulder. Her breathing was ragged, and her pupils no more than pinpricks. Whatever she had dreamed had obviously terrified her. She was still trembling from fear, and the older woman could feel her heart pounding. Worried she might have a heart attack or something equally as terrible, she began running her fingers through her hair in hope of calming her.
"Are you sure you don't want to talk about it?" she asked when her efforts didn't seem to be helping.
Cinderella took a shuddering breath, and Lady Tremaine feared she was going to refuse again.
"I was in a building. There was a little boy, and I think I was his age. We were friends, and were sitting and playing or talking or...I don't know. Then he-he transformed. I offered him something, I don't remember what, and he screamed at me, lunged for me.
"He screamed in this deep unearthly voice. Then, suddenly, I was running down a hall. A woman stopped me and asked if I knew why the boy was there. I said no. She told me he was actually a demon trapped in a boy's body.
"He had killed several people and thirsted for more. She warned me to stay away from him. Somehow I couldn't. I was always drawn back to him. Each time he grew more unpredictable.
"I was in a room. I don't know how much time had passed, but I was curled into a ball on the floor rocking back and forth. The room had no door and no windows. I remember I was absolutely terrified. I heard a psst noise, and I looked up.
"T-the boy was there...hanging from the ceiling! There was blood running from the corners of his mouth and he was deathly pale. There were dark circles under his eyes. He looked like he was dead. And the whole time...the whole time he was smiling!"
Cinderella began sobbing, burying her face in the older woman's shoulder. Lady Tremaine understood why the young woman had was so afraid. She couldn't even begin to understand why she had dreamed something like that, but she was glad she hadn't been the one to have the dream. Wordlessly, she began to rub the Princess' back. After a bit, her sobs subsided and she lifted her head.
"Thank you," she whispered, her voice hoarse.
"You're welcome, child."
Cinderella, although still scared, was tired and lay back down. She fought sleep as long as she could, but the lateness of the hour combined with the soothing circles being rubbed on her back caused her fall back asleep rather quickly. Lady Tremaine lay awake a while longer thinking about how much had changed in the last six months. She lived in the palace, her stepdaughter trusted her, enough that she came to her after a nightmare, and soon, she was going to be a grandmother. In six short months, her life had been upended and rearranged.
She wouldn't have believed she could love the girl lying beside her as much as she did, and it often astounded her how powerful love was. The servants and kingdom in general seemed to have accepted her and even the King and Prince were able to do more than tolerate her presence. Her life had improved leaps and bounds in a few short months, and she could hardly believe it. And she had done the one thing she never thought possible-she had salvaged the relationship between herself and her stepdaughter. Smiling to herself, she extinguished the candle and slid down under the covers, drifting to sleep with ease.