[AN: I had originally intended Chapter 3 to be the king getting ready for bed, jubilant at the thought of grandchildren. Unfortunately, without writing in an OC, there's no interaction, and not really any action, either. I haven't given up on it entirely, but I'm moving on (for now). Let me tell you, this scene was MUCH more fun to write!]

Chapter 3: Watching and Whining

Anastasia hopped up and down, craning her neck. "But who is she, mother?" Her ostrich plume bobbed precariously.

As the couple danced past, Drizella tried to peer between the people who blocked her view. "Do we know her?" she asked. While she nearly upended her crinolines, there were too many others watching the prince dance with the mysterious newcomer for her to get more than a fleeting glimpse between the waists of the ladies in front of her.

"Well the prince certainly seems to," sneered Anastasia, her curls flailing as she hopped again. "But I know I've never seen her."

Lady Tremaine shook her head. "Nor I," she said as the prince and Cinderella twirled by. "But she certainly is - wait..." She stroked her chin thoughtfully. "There is something familiar about her." Curious, she followed the couple at a discreet distance.

Drizella scowled after her. "Well what are we supposed to do?" she complained. "It's not like there's anyone around for us to dance with. But that's what's bound to happen if you invite every girl in the kingdom and none of the young men." She folded her arms across her chest, her mouth screwed into a sulky pout.

"What about that fellow over there in the blue?" asked Anastasia, squinting.

Rolling her eyes, Drizella elbowed her sister. "Stupid. We can't dance with the guards." She sniffed. "They're common."

Anastasia stuck her tongue out at Drizella, completely ignorant of the raised eyebrows that were being directed their way. "Stupid yourself - not the guard, the one with the sash." She pointed a knobby finger at a figure across the ballroom.

Now it was Drizella's turn to squint. "That's just Colonel de la Tour. He's old. Really, if I'd known nobody important was going to be here, I wouldn't have bothered with my double-layered overskirt." She fluffed the expensive fabric and tilted her nose up. "I really think if that rude girl hadn't barged in while we were being announced, though, the prince might have danced with me instead."

With a noisy sigh, Anastasia rolled her eyes. "Now who's being stupid? I'm the one he was staring at. And I didn't even get to wear my best pink feather."

An elderly lady near the sisters cleared her throat rather noisily. Drizella scowled at her. "If you're sick, you ought to have stayed home instead of infecting everybody else." She took her sister's arm. "Let's head back to the carriage," she said, looking down her nose at the other woman. "I'm tired of being around people who are ignorant and rude."

And arm in arm, Cinderella's stepsisters flounced out of the ballroom, never noticing the audible sigh of relief behind them.