A/N: Just a crappy one-shot done for a 30 day challenge. My take on the classic tale of Cinderella told from the perspective of the Prince, if the Prince was a actually a Princess.


As the clock struck eleven, the Princess was sat in the palace garden, doing her best to stay out of sight. The whole evening had been dance after dance with every lord, duke and aspiring nobleman that had been dredged up for the occasion. Eventually she'd escaped after the endless curtsies and fake smiles became too much to handle. Instead she was now hiding amongst the rose bushes, thanking the gods her parents had enjoyed enough punch not to notice she was missing.

As she began plotting ways she could sneak through the hall of people and away from the palace, she was startled to hear footsteps approaching. Peering through the leaves she could see flashes of blue satin moving over to the fountain. Moonlight bounced off the water and hit the dress in sparks and swirls, making it seem almost magical against the grey of the courtyard.

The Princess shifted to try and get a look at the face of the mystery girl, leaning off the bench as far as she could manage. As she finally laid eyes on her, the Princess felt her breath catch in her throat. The girl was more beautiful than anything she had seen before, her golden hair dancing in the wind as she gazed into the fountain. Before she could register what was happening, she felt herself slip from the bench, falling to the ground with a thud.

As the Princess lay in the dirt it occurred to her that her dress was probably ruined, she smiled, her mother would be furious. Before she could enjoy that thought too much, a face appeared above her, sparkling blue eyes staring down at her curiously. She realised a hand had been offered and gratefully took it, pulling herself to her feet. Subtly trying to fix her dress, she thanked the girl, curiosity winning over any sense of propriety she had left.

"Who are you? I mean, everyone who came here tonight is off having fun inside, and they're all men, and I'm sure I've never seen you here before. I would have remembered."

She managed to stop babbling as she noticed the girl begin to smile. "I'm Emily, by the way."

"I'm Cinderella; it's a pleasure to meet you." She smiled genuinely, curtsying.

The Princess grimaced, offering her hand for the Cinderella to take instead. She hesitated slightly before taking the hand and shaking it, amused.

The Princess blushed. "So, why are you here tonight?"

"Well, fundamentally I'm here so my step-sisters can feed off the Princess' sloppy seconds."

The Princess almost choked at that, "and what exactly is it they need you for?"

Cinderella smirked, "someone has to hold their hair back and tell them they're still beautiful when the night is over."

The Princess grinned, realising she felt more at ease with this strange girl than she had anybody else the entire evening. Glancing up at the sky for a moment she tried to collect herself, instead taking a breath and slowly taking a step toward the other girl.

"What about the, uh, 'sloppy seconds'? You're not interested in any of them?"

Cinderella smiled, shaking her head. "No, I'll gladly leave the awkward dances and loveless marriages to my sisters. What about you? Not interested?"

"Not in the slightest," the Princess sighed, suddenly noticing the stars reflected in the other girl's eyes. "The night's getting better though."

Biting her lip, Cinderella closed the gap between them, bringing her fingers up to brush a stray lock of hair away from her face. The Princess's eyes fluttered closed at the feel of soft fingers trailing across her cheek and, before she could recover, she felt lips upon hers.

The kiss was gentle but wanting, and completely unlike anything the Princess had felt before. She felt a hum spread across her body as every nerve responded, her head swimming at the sensation. As she slowly pulled away she stumbled slightly, Cinderella grabbing her arms to steady her. The Princess leant her forehead against the other girl, sighing as she heard the palace clock chime midnight.

Cinderella straightened, her eyes suddenly sad. "I should go, my sisters are probably looking for me."

As Cinderella began to turn away, the Princess caught onto her hand, pulling her back. "No please don't go." Bringing Cinderella's fingers up to her lips she placed a soft kiss to the back of her hand, eyes pleading.

"Do you have to leave? We could stay out here 'til morning, nobody would find us, and tomorrow I could take you far away from here. We could start a new life together, somewhere with no fancy balls or awful step-sisters. What have we got to lose?"

Cinderella stood speechless, shaking her head. "Nothing. I have nothing to lose." She shrugged, a smile slowly appearing on her face. "Let's do it, why not."

The Princess grinned, flinging her arms around the other girl and lifting her up off the ground. Cinderella laughed as the Princess spun her around, both of them out of breath by the time they stopped. Cinderella dropped her head to the Princess's shoulder, steadying herself.

"You know, I never asked you what you were doing here?" She mumbled against the Princess's gown.

"Oh, yeah, well I guess you should know my name isn't technically Emily, it's Emilia. Princess Emilia. This party was kind of my coming out ceremony."