Well, Nanowrimo exhausted me, but I did it! 50,375 words in 29 days. Hooray! The story is called To the Gentleman in the Back. It will eventually be posted, but if you would like to read a teaser you may find the link on my profile page.

And now back to your regularly scheduled updates! Enjoy!

The House on Thornrose Lane: A Grimm Tale
Alicia Blade

Chapter 6: Cinder Girl
She sat down on a stool, took her foot out of the heavy wooden shoe, and put it into
the slipper that fit her perfectly. After she stood up and the prince looked her straight
in the face, he recognized the beautiful maiden who had danced with him.
from Cinderella

Knock! Knock! Knock!

The same woman as before answered the door of the city's last noble home, her cold eyes glowering at Serena, but Serena ignored the glare and swept into the foyer. "Where is the cinder girl? I must see her."

"You must nothing," the woman snapped, one hand resting on her hip. Her politely charming smile had vanished, replaced now by a cruel, unwelcoming gaze. "If you hadn't heard the prince, dear child, he is not interested in marrying some servant girl. Besides, you're sadly mistaken if you think that he could ever have come to—"

"Hello?" Serena screamed up the stairwell. "Cinderella?"

"—love that indolent stepdaughter. Besides, she wasn't even present at the ball. She was here, cleaning the—"

"Cinderella? Cinder girl?"

"—fireplace like the wretched maid that she is. Of course there was no way that I would ever—"

"Where are you? I need to talk to you!"

"—allow the girl to attend a royal ball and bring shame and humiliation upon my household and would you stop yelling?" Her voice had risen steadily throughout her speech so that now they both stood screaming while Serena stuck her head into each door in the entryway.

"Where is she? She must be around here somewhere. CINDERELLA!"

"Yes?"

Serena froze, her scream echoing up the staircase. Spinning around, she was met with the sight of a girl not much older than herself. Her long brown hair was being held out of her face by a scrap of green ribbon and her lightly tanned skin was smudged all over with dirt and ash. The dress she wore was too big and sagged around her shoulders and waist, while her apron was tattered and covered in soot. Her eyes, however, stole all attention away from these imperfections, captivating forest green eyes that glittered behind thick eyelashes.

"I apologize. I was milking in the back and did not hear your call." She lowered her eyes and nodded politely to her stepmother, who held a deeply creased scowl on her face. Serena noted a pale of frothing milk in her hand. "May I be of any service?"

"No," her stepmother spat. "Go finish with your chores and be quick about it. I need you to tend to Faith. She's had an accident and will need fresh bandages throughout the evening. And I noticed that you didn't finish the mending yesterday, which must be done by supper, and the fire's about to go out. Prepare more kindling. Well, get on with it! Don't dawdle, girl!"

The cinder girl curtsied gracefully and turned to leave through the same door she had come through. But before she could disappear, Serena gathered her breath and proclaimed, "Prince Nephlite of Aysel Kingdom is madly in love with you and I'm sure he will take you as his wife if you come with me to the palace right away!"

The cinder girl stumbled, her first non-graceful movement that Serena had seen. She turned back again. Milk splashed down around her ankles. "Prince . . . No. Is it true?" Her sparkling eyes filled with something quite new. Awareness, recognition, and perhaps even hope.

"Nonsense! This girl is under the impression that you attended the ball last night and we both know it isn't possible. She simply has the wrong person. Now get on with your work!"

But the girl didn't move, only stared at Serena with the same enchanted gaze. "Did he really say that he was . . . with me?"

Serena smiled, her feelings of irritation lifting with the joy she could see in the girl's face. She nodded. "With you. And he wants to marry you. He would have asked last night, but you ran away so quickly. Please, come with me. I'm sure once he sees you—"

"That is enough! You, get out of my house! And you, if you don't get back to work immediately I'll throw you out as well!"

But the cinder girl was already setting down the pale. "I haven't any nice clothes."

Serena smiled. "It won't matter. The castle is full of them."

"Lita," her stepmother said, quite firmly, her hysterics suddenly vanished, "you know as well as I that the prince is not in love with you. You will be laughed at and criticized and I will not have such a humiliation put upon my household. If you leave with this girl, you are no longer welcome in my home. Do you understand?"

The girl she had called Lita turned to her stepmother, her head still slightly bowed, from respect or habit, and her hands clasped together over her apron. "I understand, Stepmother. But perhaps you're wrong. Indeed, I did attend the ball last night. I even danced with Prince Nephlite. And maybe, just maybe . . ."

But her stepmother was no longer listening. Her hands were clenched in fists at her sides, her eyes wild. "Attended the ball?" she screamed, her shoulders shaking. "You disobeyed me! You disrespectful, inconsiderate—gah! Get out! Out of my house! I hope the prince laughs at you! I hope he makes you a scullery maid for your ungratefulness!"

Lita took a step back, momentarily surprised, before anger and stubbornness arose in her. "Well it would be better than being your slave for another day!" Untying her apron, she threw it on the ground at her stepmother's feet and stormed out the front door.

Serena chased after her, still hearing the woman screaming from the doorway. "Arrogant! Filthy! Wretched! Unappreciative tramp!"

Lita stopped on the sidewalk, slightly out of breath and her face flushed from the anger she had released. "I suppose this is yours?" she asked, indicating a stationary carriage before her. Serena blinked at it in surprise, then noticed the coachman with familiar long black hair and teardrop tattoo and smiled.

"I suppose it is," she said, holding the curtain for Lita to climb inside. Once they had both been seated on a cushioned bench, comfortable if not as luxurious as the prince's carriage, Serena found herself eyeing her new guest curiously. The spite and authority that Lita had displayed in the foyer seemed to fall away from her as she smoothed her linen skirt over her legs.

They were silent for a long moment as the carriage rumbled along the cobblestone roads, bumping and shaking as the brightly painted houses rolled by, clumped closer together as they approached the heart of the city, and the castle.

"It was the first time I've ever yelled at her."

Serena looked up, startled from watching the red and white scenery rattle by. Smiling, she said, "I do believe she deserved it," and the girl smiled back. "My name is Serena."

"And I'm Lita." After another quiet moment, she asked, quite serenely, "Are you sure he loves me?"

With a grin, Serena responded, "How could he not?"

Serena put her hand on Lita's forearm to comfort her as they walked into the throne room. The girl was shaking tremendously, once in a while reaching up to see if her hair was straight. It didn't make much of a difference among the dirt and ash smudges, but Serena still thought that she looked lovely.

The king and queen sat alone in their throne room, holding hands and chatting together. They both looked up as the two girls strode toward them. Queen Luna immediately jumped to her feet.

"Serena! Goodness, dear, Nephlite told us everything. We thought we'd never see you again!"

"Where is Nephlite? We need to see him."

The queen looked from Serena to Lita, before nodding her head. "Of course." She flicked a finger at a servant waiting at one of the curtained doorways, before hugging Serena tightly. "You poor thing, I'm so sorry how he treated you. He has quite the temper, I know, but he really is a delightful young man. It was just so emotional for him, you must understand. Oh, but what am I saying? You must be famished!" And with that, she gestured at another servant, who disappeared toward the kitchen. It was not long before Nephlite strode into the room.

His face turned dark when he saw Serena standing there, chin held high.

"What are you doing here? I told you—"

"Nephlite," she interrupted him coolly, "this is Lita. She is the girl you danced with last night."

"That's Prince Nephlite, and how do you—" he was cut short again, this time as his eyes fell on Lita. She sunk back a little under his stare, but held his gaze. Inhaling a deep breath, she attempted to stand as tall as she could, which was already quite tall to begin with, even though her natural posture was more suited for sweeping. She looked awkward in the lavish room, looking into the eyes of the handsome prince. Awkward, frightened, filthy, and immensely gorgeous.

"Her name is Lita," Serena repeated, noticing sparks between the two that may or may not have been her imagination.

Nephlite took a step closer, analyzing Lita's face. "It is you," he whispered. "But you were …. You had …." He gestured at her ragged, baggy dress and soot-stained skin.

"It was my fairy godmother," she said quietly. "She gave me the dress and the carriage and the slippers. It was all magic."

Nephlite's eyes lit at the sound of her voice. "I thought I'd never see you again!" He reached for her hands, cupping them in his palms. But instantly the light in his eyes faded and he looked down at their joined fingers. Lita followed his gaze as he turned her palms up, being met with blisters and calluses and dirt beneath her nails. Instead of pulling Lita into his arms, he dropped her hands and took a step back.

"And you are indeed a servant girl," he whispered. Turning his back to her, Nephlite lowered his head shamefully. "My apologies, Lady Lita. It appears that I was wrong. I did not fall in love with a girl; I fell in love with the magic." He paused, his voice dry and scratching at his throat. "You are dismissed."

Serena's jaw dropped. "What? Are you crazy?" She started to storm forward, but Lita held up her hand to prevent her. Lita's head was lowered, her eyes filling up with tears, though none fell. Her jaw was set.

"I see." Inhaling a slow breath, Lita slipped a hand into her dress pocket.

Nephlite remained turned from them, placing a hand on the back of his mother's throne. He ignored Lita as she approached him and brought a glass slipper out of her pocket. "If you have no need of a servant girl," she whispered, setting the slipper down on the arm of the chair, "then I have no need of a prince." She turned and walked slowly out of the room, her head high as she left. No one dared to speak until the sound of her footsteps was little more than a memory.

Serena spoke first, her anger having swelled inside her since the moment he had turned his back on them. "You are the sorriest excuse for a prince I have ever known. I am sorry and ashamed that I ever wasted my time in helping you. I hope you never find true love." She turned to leave before she resorted to screaming again. Nephlite called her name once, but she ignored him and stomped out into the hallway, heading toward the castle's southern exit. She was stopped, however, by a man, an elf, and a fairy.

"I don't want to hear it!" she screamed before any of them could so much as open their mouth. Her hands flew into the air. "I tried! But there is simply no helping that man! He doesn't belong in a fairy tale, anyway. I don't know what anyone was ever thinking putting him in one. He's lousy and rude and arrogant and I bet he doesn't have one chivalrous bone in his whole body! He's not even that cute! Now I'm really sorry that your land is all messed up, but it certainly isn't my fault, and I'm not going to waste any more of my time trying to set things right if everyone's going to be so damn stubborn. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going home."

She attempted to brush past them, but Seiya stood in her way. "I'm afraid I can't let you pass."

"Why not?" she screamed.

"Because," Hota said from behind, still perched on Andrew's shoulder, "there is a very large, very hot, very delightful meal ready for you in the dining room prepared specifically for your return and if you don't come and enjoy it now, it will all go to waste."

Serena's flared frustration subsided instantly and as if on cue, her stomach rumbled loud enough for them all to hear.

"Food?"

Seiya nodded.

"And perhaps," Andrew noted, very quietly, "all this will look better on a full stomach?"

Serena harrumphed. "Doubtful." But she did turn and follow them to the dining room without further insistence.

She found the prearranged meal to be exactly as Hota had described it and so much more. Her mouth began watering as soon as she laid eyes on the extravagant feast and smelled the mixture of savory treats laid out for her. Sitting at the table, quite alone and without so much as a fork in front of her, was Princess Mina. She smiled as Serena entered and gestured at the chair beside her, which Serena gladly took.

"Please, eat as much as you like. I understand you didn't so much as bring a snack for your long quest today."

Serena began piling up the plate before her without further prompting and soon was burying her teeth in a large leg of turkey coated in a sweet mustard sauce. She became aware of her un-ladylike nature as the sauce dribbled onto her chin, but didn't mind as Mina passed her a cloth napkin and began picking green grapes off of a platter herself.

"I really must apologize for Malachite's brother," she said after the turkey leg had been devoured and Serena had moved onto a dish of red potatoes and baby carrots smothered in gravy. "Nephlite is usually very polite. It's just that, well, he has so much pride. You know, Malachite is the oldest and I think Nephlite has always looked up to him, even envied him. I was a commoner, too, here in Aysel, you know. But when I was betrothed to Malachite, they believed that I had the power to spin straw into gold. Well, I couldn't. Actually, it was that little man, that Rumpelstiltskin, that could. So, even though I was a commoner, no one knew it. They all thought I was something more, and I think Malachite and I have been very lucky that our marriage has been such a loving one, despite the strange events leading up to our engagement. Anyway, what I was trying to say is that I don't believe it has ever occurred to Nephlite to marry a . . . you know, a commoner. I'm sure if he just has some time to think it all over, after he calms down and gets over the shock, he'll see that that Lita girl is more than what one sees on the surface. You'll see. He really is a sweet man."

Serena took a sip from a crystal goblet of robust red wine. "What will happen to Lita now? Her stepmother said that she couldn't come back to live with her and since Nephlite wouldn't give her a chance, well, what's going to happen to her?"

Mina smiled. "King Artemis offered her a position here in the castle."

Serena was happy that Lita would not be thrown to the streets due to her ruthlessness, but couldn't help but to let her shoulders sink. "A scullery maid, I imagine?"

To her surprise, Mina laughed. "Oh no! I think the king took an immediate liking to her. I hear she's a very charming girl. He asked her what she would like to do, and she claimed to be quite adept at cooking. She'll begin an apprenticeship with our head chef in the kitchens tomorrow. I hope it's something she'll enjoy."

"A chef? Tell me, do the chefs often, that is to say, will she ever come in contact with Nephlite, much? In that profession?"

Mina shook her head. "It's quite unlikely. But . . . when the prince comes to his senses, he will know just where to find her." She winked and Serena began dishing herself out some honey-glazed strawberry pie.

"Well, when he does, I hope she turns him down. I hope she laughs in his face and makes him do something terribly daring and dangerous to win her back. Not that it matters," she sighed. "I won't be here to see it anyway."

"Why ever not?"

"I'm leaving first thing tomorrow morning. I was going to leave tonight, but it is getting awfully late, and I'm exhausted."

"Oh, you can't mean that. You don't really think that you aren't welcome in the castle anymore, do you? Nephlite realized you were telling the truth and knows you have just as much a right as any guest to be here. And either way, it isn't really his decision who stays and who doesn't."

"It isn't him, so much," Serena admonished, scraping her fork over a near-empty plate to pick up the last flakes of crust. "It's just that I believe I've already outworn my usefulness. I think I better go home before I cause any more trouble."

"Trouble? Oh, dear, you've been such a blessing already to this kingdom that no trouble could ever make us love you less. Besides, you can't leave tomorrow!"

"Oh?"

Mina shook her head adamantly. "Malachite's other two brothers are returning from their hunting trip tomorrow. There's going to be a huge celebration and feast and I would love for you to come. I'm sure they'll both want to meet you."

"I don't know. They'll probably be so worn out that a stranger to entertain will be a bother."

"No, no, no. They're both very friendly and, knowing them, they'll want to share every moment of the hunt with any ear willing to listen. Especially—"

"Mina, darling?" Malachite interrupted, striding into the room with baby Cytherea tucked into his arms, crying and screaming. "I think she needs her mother."

Mina smiled and moved to stand. "You will stay, won't you?"

Serena hesitated, sipping at her wine, before smiling softly. "I suppose. But just for one more day. Then I really would like to go home."

The princess beamed and gave Serena a quick hug before pulling her daughter into her arms and trotting out of the room.

Serena spent the next morning exploring the palace. Prince Jadeite, the fourth son, offered to give her a tour of the grounds, but she politely declined, claiming that she preferred to have some time alone. Truthfully, she simply felt as if she'd had enough royalty in the past twenty-four hours to last her a lifetime. She dressed as simply as she could, providing the over-luxurious dresses in her room, put her hair up, and decided to venture bare foot rather than stand another day in heels. Her personal maidens had not come to her that morning, surely to let her sleep after her hectic day searching for Nephlite's mystery girl, though she was sure they would find her before the day was through and the next feast began.

Serena soon discovered that the castle was not quite the labyrinth that she had previously perceived. Now, as she traversed the hallways, she realized that the castle was in a very predictable circular pattern. There stood an entryway for each point of the compass, and these were all flanked by tall, cylindrical towers. The outside was surrounded by a series of beautiful gardens that could be seen through every window, shadowed throughout parts of the days by the encompassing stone wall that separated the palace from the town beyond.

Excluding the towers, Serena counted seven stories in the palace, each with an identical pattern of hallways that created a round target pattern within the palace: three separate rings on each floor all interconnected by halls and rooms. Some of these rooms were very large and grand, such as the ballroom connected to the Western entrance; others were small and cozy, like a tiny reading parlor Serena discovered on the third floor. And every room looked different. Some were grand and cold, covered floor to ceiling in marble and ornate moldings, while others were warm and homely, filled with thick fur carpets and heavy draperies. But they were all beautiful, all elegant, and all fit for a queen.

Throughout her explorations, Serena kept her eyes open for any servants, specifically anyone who might look like a cook or baker, hoping that perhaps she could run into Lita or find out where she was living and working. But she saw very few people—surprisingly few people. A couple times she ran into a servant dusting a fireplace mantle or some long tapestries, and once she noticed a young boy organizing books in one of the libraries, but they all bustled away from her when she came into view with polite smiles and excessive bowing.

It was late in the afternoon when Serena discovered the grandest library she had ever seen. It took up a quarter of the entire fifth floor, the northeastern corner, Serena mused, glancing out the window to a sky that was already glowing orange beneath the drowsy sun. It was the most astonishing library she had even seen, ever imagined. Walls upon walls of books, stacks and stacks of books, books on the tables, the desks, the chairs, books beneath the windows, books on the ladders that were used to reach more books. It was chaotic, disorderly, messy, and completely delightful. Serena had usually left the love of books up to Melvin, her best friend from home, and felt overwhelmed as she walked in between the shelves and circled the room, her eyes skimming the spines, her fingers trailing over the gold embossed lettering. Despite all of the room's messiness, though, she did begin to see a pattern. On this wall she found traveling guides to other kingdoms such as the countries of Cashlin to the west and Obelia to the north. On another shelf was an array of cookbooks—The Year's Best Sweet Potato Pies and Mother Hen's Exceptional Egg Omelets were among these titles. Serena continued around the room, browsing through How to Safely Breed Giants, Modern Mysteries: The Lost World of Never Never Land, and Practical Curses for Good Witches. Eventually Serena came across an anthology called The Royal History of Aysel Kingdom, and, after pulling out a volume, she jaunted over to the tall windows. She cleared a stack of books from a very cozy looking armchair and settled herself in nicely with the book in hand, casually flipping to a random page and reading the chapter heading: King Jack IV.

King Jack IV, it turned out, was a kind and generous ruler who had come to the throne at the young age of 11. He was betrothed to Princess Jill of Cashlin Kingdom, whom he was to marry on his 14th birthday. However, their wedding never took place as Jack, at the age of 13, while trying to help a servant carry a pale of water from a well down to the kitchens, fell off of a small cliff and landed himself a fatal concussion. Heartbroken, Princess Jill jumped off of a much larger cliff the following week. This tragedy did, however, prompt the kingdom's finest engineers to install indoor plumbing to cut down on trips to and from the water well.

Serena shook her head ironically and flipped some more through the large volume.

Queen Goldilocks, she discovered, had been the great-great-great niece of King Jack IV. After thirty years of a successful marriage (rendering 12 sons) her husband had gone missing from a hunting trip and she had taken it upon herself to find him. Sadly, she wandered into an unwelcoming house of bears and was "gobbled up" one night. Neither she nor her husband were ever heard from again (lord only knows what happened to the poor king) and their eldest son, Peter, became the kingdom's heir.

Peter's fate was not much better, however, when the people overthrew him due to obsessive compulsive and psychopathic tendencies, such as his insistence on keeping his wife locked up in a humungous pumpkin shell (which had been created by a fairy godmother—out of a horse-drawn carriage).

Loud horns and cheering interrupted Serena's reading. She looked around for a moment, before realizing that the sound was coming from outside. Setting the book down at her feet, she walked over to the huge window and peered out onto the garden. A parade of townspeople were all dancing and skipping along the main road, following a small procession of about twenty men, all of whom looked to be dirty, ragged, covered in mud, and beaming at the people who had come to welcome them. Serena could not see any of their faces but knew immediately that this was the hunting party Mina had talked of the night before. She could guess who the two princes were, though she could not see any of the men clearly, as she saw Queen Luna ran down to greet them, cupping two of the leading men's cheeks and kissing them furiously, though she avoided their filthy cloaks and tunics. She ushered her sons inside. Serena could glimpse the other three princes, King Artemis, and Princess Mina all waiting for them within the garden and greeting them with hugs and kisses. Six of the other members of the hunting party followed them into the castle, carrying large animal carcasses on makeshift cots, while the rest of the men dispersed to their families in the town.

As the cheering died down and the crowd thinned and the last few stragglers returned to their dwellings, Serena returned to her large chair and sank down into the seat. She lifted the book into her lap and turned to a chapter titled "The Frog Prince: Hacho and His Curse." But she soon found herself unable to concentrate—her mind kept returning to the image of Queen Luna cupping one her son's faces between her palms and kissing him on the forehead. Something about that prince in particular left her distracted. Something strangely familiar, perhaps the way he carried himself or the strange glinting of the setting sun against his hair. She sat in her own thoughts for a long time as the sky darkened beyond the wall of glass, her fingers blindly flipping through pages as her eyes stared up into the walls and books around her.

A gentle tapping stirred her and she saw that the elf, Andrew, had entered the room dressed in a handsome white tunic and silver cloak. She set the book down and stood, attempting a curtsy. He chuckled. "My apologies for interrupting you, Lady Serena, but I was sent to tell you that dinner will be served shortly and—" he paused, surveying her dress and bare feet and clearing his throat, "—perhaps you would like to change before we gather in the dining hall?"

Serena flushed, attempting to tuck her feet back behind her skirt. "Of course. Thank you, Andrew."

"Come, I'll show you back to your room."

She followed him to the guest suites and was once again left in the care of her four careful attendants who quickly undressed her, rubbed a damp warm rag over her body, and dressed her once more in two layers of undergarments, stockings, and a dress that was not as elegant as the one she had worn to the ball, yet still perfectly lovely and full. Her hair was taken down from its buns and pulled back into a roll at the nape of her neck and a small silver pendant was hung from a chain against her collarbone. Serena couldn't help admiring the maiden's work in the mirror, even when they brought out another pair of satin slippers with heels that she was beginning to dread.

When she stepped out of her room and into the hallway, Andrew greeted her with a warm smile. They began walking toward the dining room. "You look more beautiful every time I lay eyes on you, Lady Serena," he said.

"Surely you say that to every girl you meet."

"No. Only the ones that it is truthful of."

She laughed.

They continued chatting as he led her through the curving hallways and soon she was in front of the immense dining hall, aromas of delightful foods wafting on the air. Her mouth began to water. Once again, she realized that she had hardly eaten all day, which was terribly unusual for her.

"I do hope you'll enjoy your meal, and I'm sure you'll adore the third and fifth born princes. Especially Prince Zoicite. He's quite the romantic."

"You mean you won't be joining us?"

"Oh, no, mi'lady. I am but a humble guardian. My place is not with that of royalty. But, should you need me, I will be near." With a respectful nod, he disappeared around a bend.

Serena walked calmly into the room. All the familiar faces were there: King Artemis and Queen Luna, Malachite and Mina, who held little Cytherea, Nephlite, and Jadeite, all dressed in fine gowns and tunics.

"Oh! Serena, you've arrived!" the queen squealed, rushing to her and grasping one of her hands. "Please, I want you to meet my other sons. This is Zoicite." She gestured to a handsome man with shaggy dark blonde hair that tumbled over one shoulder in a messy ponytail. He smiled whimsically with a distant look in his eye and politely kissed the back of her hand.

"A pleasure," Zoicite murmured.

"And this is my youngest son," Queen Luna continued, wrapping her other hand around the stranger's arm and pulling him face to face with Serena.

Serena's eyes fell upon him and her heart stopped beating.

"Darien?"

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