Chapter 7
The room became silent at Drizella's question. She immediately regretted asking it. Tension built within the room. Anastasia nervously looked at the king and then the prince. The prince leaned back slightly and rubbed his temples. The king opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted when the door opened. A chambermaid entered and brought them their main course. No one felt like eating at that moment. The chambermaid placed the plates at their places and left. A brief silence followed before the king opened his mouth and said, "Drizella, I do not feel that you are in any position," before he was suddenly cut off by the prince.
"I don't know."
Everyone turned their heads towards him. The king seemed particularly surprised at this.
"We haven't planned that far. We haven't really planned anything." He pointedly omitted that they planned to bring back Cinderella. He remembered that Drizella had never gotten along with her stepsister and didn't feel like testing her loyalty at that moment. "And I don't think we should discuss this anymore this evening."
Everyone nodded. Drizella slowly reached for her fork and knife as the prince suddenly spoke up once again.
"Drizella?"
Drizella's fork stopped inches from her mouth as the prince spoke her name. She put the fork back down on the plate and looked towards him.
"Were you still interested in that tour?"
The question signaled the end of the tension and the conversation resumed.
…
Later that night, Anastasia was curled up in her bed, trying to fall asleep. All she could think about was Drizella's question. She hadn't dared ask it herself. But Drizella had, and she had feared how the king and prince would react. He had surprised her when he said that they hadn't planned anything. Did she still have a chance? The thought should have made her smile. But deep down, she realized that it was not right. She noticed that the prince made no mention of their plans to look for Cinderella. He was probably being precautious given her sister's animosity towards Cinderella, but the thought weighed heavily on her. The fact that he omitted it made her think about her stepsister all over again. It seemed like no matter what she did, she couldn't hide from her. This made it especially difficult for her to fall asleep. She knew that she could never forgive herself if Cinderella were harmed. But would Cinderella ever forgive her? Would they ever see each other again? The thought lingered in her mind for what seemed like hours before she finally fell asleep.
…
Anastasia found herself in a long hallway. There were no other people nearby. She blinked a few times as she took in her surroundings. The hallway didn't seem familiar to her. As crown princess, she had become quite familiar with the palace, and she had never seen this hallway before. She took a few steps before she saw that she was dressed in an elegant ball gown.
"You don't deserve to wear that," a voice hissed behind her. Anastasia tensed for a second before she whirled around to meet the voice. Her breath caught in her throat at what she saw. An unmistakable figure stood before her. Strawberry-blonde hair cascaded down her back. But what scared Anastasia was the way her sapphire-blue eyes looked at her. They were narrowed and darkened.
"Cinderella?"
She sneered maliciously at her.
"Anastasia," she said back, her voice cold.
"Are you alright?" she asked hesitantly.
Cinderella stood motionless. "Why would I be alright? All my life you treated me like dirt. You stole the prince from me! You had me banished because I stood in your way!"
"No, my mother did that to you. I didn't find out until after you had been banished."
"Why should I believe you?" she asked bitterly.
Anastasia was at a complete loss for words. "Because…I've…"
"Changed?" she asked tauntingly. "You're too far lost to change. Your mother spoiled you so much as a child that you became rotten to your core. And because of that, you only made the lives of people you were around completely miserable."
"I'm sorry!" she cried. Cinderella paused at this, staring blankly at her stepsister. "Sorry?" she asked quietly. "Sorry?" she asked slightly louder than before. "An apology cannot undo everything you ever did to me!" she shouted. "And it's not enough for me to forgive. Nothing will be enough to make me forgive you."
"Cinderella, please, I…"
"I have nothing more to say to you," Cinderella spat before she turned on her heels and began to walk away.
"Please, come back!" Anastasia cried after her, but Cinderella paid no attention. She walked to the end of the hallway and slammed a door behind her. Anastasia run towards the door, but found that it was locked. She sank to the floor.
…
Anastasia awoke with a gasp. She covered her mouth with her hand to keep her from screaming. She had had another nightmare. Her heart was beating wildly and she placed her hand over it, hoping that that would calm it. She slowly got out of bed and lit a candle before looking herself in the mirror. The reflection she saw shocked her. She was sweating all over. The nightgown she was wearing clung to her body. She was shaking all over. Her hair was a mess. She placed her hands over her face and took a deep breath. She turned and looked out the window towards the sky.
I can't too this alone. I'm too scared. Please, help me.
She saw the rope hanging from the ceiling. Seconds later she was standing underneath it. She reached for it and then hesitated. The Grand Duke told her she could ring it any time of day, but she didn't want to seem too demanding. But then one look at the mirror reminded her why she even thought of it. She reached up and pulled down on the rope. Please be okay with this. About a minute later she heard someone knocking at her door.
"Anastasia?"
She went to the door and opened it to find Abigail standing out in the hallway.
"Did I wake you?" she asked hesitantly. Abigail shook her head, to Anastasia's relief. "I was already up. I had a feeling you might need me. How can I help you?"
"I…I…"
"Did you have another nightmare?"
She nodded weakly, opening the door so Abigail could walk in.
"The same one as last night?"
Anastasia shook her head, trying to hide her tears.
"I saw her, she refused to forgive me. I know what I did was wrong, but if she can't forgive me…"
"Anastasia, I may not know much about your past, but if this is who you are now, if you really have changed, and Cinderella ever sees you again, I believe that she will, in fact, forgive you."
"I wish I could believe you."
"It will take time, but I think everything will turn out fine in the end."
Anastasia surprised herself when she smiled. A year earlier, she wouldn't have paid this girl any attention. She would have been just another servant girl. She would have looked at her the same way she had looked at Cinderella. Abigail reminded her a lot of Cinderella.
"Would you like to talk some more?" Abigail offered.
Anastasia nodded and Abigail took her seat in front of the vanity.
…
At the other end of the palace, Prince Charles had an equally restless night. Every time he tried to sleep, he thought back to Drizella's question. He didn't blame her for asking. Regardless of her intention, it was still an honest question. The real problem was that he had no idea what their plan was. Up until this point, his only real intention was to try to recall Cinderella from banishment. But as he lay in bed, he realized that he didn't even have a plan for that. He wasn't even sure if there was a way they could bring her back. Lady Tremaine was sure to find out if they were to plan anything. Plus he still didn't know where that left Anastasia. He would not punish her. He had already promised that to her. But then what? What would become of her? Would he marry Cinderella and keep the promise that he had supposedly made to himself but could not remember because of the spell? Or would he marry Anastasia as was promised in the proclamation? He inwardly shook his head at these thoughts. It wasn't doing him any good thinking of them. It was not the time to worry over whom he would marry. First thing came first, and that was figuring out how to bring Cinderella back from banishment. But how was he going to accomplish that? If there was even one minor slip, he would be back under a spell, and most likely his father would be under one along with him. Lady Tremaine would be sure to notice if either he or his father went out to the dock. It probably wouldn't work if he sent out a guard to do it, either. Plus he wasn't sure he wanted a guard to do it. He felt that it was his responsibility. He found that he wanted to do this on his own. He realized that he would need to act in secret.
The prince rubbed his eyes and sat up in bed. It must have been late by now. The room was still completely dark. He slowly got out of bed and walked over to his bedside table. His clock showed that it was two o' clock in the morning. He walked back towards the window and saw a light rainfall. The prince sighed. This was the only time he could do it. He walked towards his dresser and lit a candle. The light cast a small glow on the room. He reached down and opened one of the drawers. He would need to wear something dark. It would help him stay hidden. He quickly found a dark gray shirt and black pants, perfect for what he was planning. After he changed into them, he looked back out the window and remembered that it was raining outside. He didn't want to leave any evidence that he had been out in the rain. As he put the cape on, he picked up the candle. He was now ready to head out.
He cautiously opened the door, making sure not to make a sound. The hallway was completely empty. No lights had been lit, so the hallway was just as dark as his bedroom. He took a deep breath and stepped into the hallway. He started down the hall in complete silence. It would be bad if anyone knew what he was planning. The carpet on the floor muffled the sound of his footsteps. He placed a hand close to the flame. The room became considerably darker. He tugged at his cape as he stepped out into the palace gardens. The temperature had dropped since that afternoon and a chilly breeze made the prince shiver. It soon blew out the candle. The prince groaned and continued on his way. He hadn't brought any matches with him. There would be more at the stable. He would need them for the lantern. It was probably better that the candle had been blown out. He would blend with the darkness. If by some chance Lady Tremaine were still awake, she would not notice him.
Lady Tremaine.
The thought of her made him shiver again. The prince paused on the bridge, placing the candle on the railing. He leaned against the railing and pressed his hands to his face, trying to gather his thoughts. It had been here that he had taken his walk with Anastasia. It had been here that he had learned of her past, and told her of his own. It seemed that the two of them had more in common than he had previously thought. At that moment during their walk, he almost felt that he and Anastasia could relate to one another. His mind wandered back to that conversation. For the briefest of moments, he considered turning around and simply going back to bed. Drizella's question entered his mind again. The youngest daughter of the house of Tremaine seemed nice enough. He believed her and wanted to help her. He had defended her when the king had wanted her arrested on the spot. The Grand Duke probably would have sided with the king had he not said anything.
The prince shook his head again. He remembered that he had vowed that Lady Tremaine would not get away with this. It would have to be done at some point. He sighed and continued his way towards the stables, stopping when he realized that he had left the unlit candle on the bridge. After what seemed like an eternity, he arrived at the stables. He quickly stepped inside and saw that it was completely dark. The lantern was probably somewhere nearby. He placed the unlit candle on a nearby barrel. It wouldn't be very useful at that point. He sighed again as he realized that he would have to search in the dark. It didn't take too long before he saw it hanging from the ceiling. He reached for it and paced it next to the candle on top of the barrel. He turned and began to look for the matches. It didn't take him too long to find them. He opened the hatch on the lantern before lighting one. He turned around and found that all the horses were asleep. This would probably take a while. He placed the lantern back on top of the barrel and walked over to his favorite horse and nudged him awake. He reached into the bag and grabbed a carrot. Any horse could be bribed with treats. He held up the carrot in front of the horse and whispered, "Hey, buddy, we need to go somewhere."
The horse quickly stood up on its legs the minute he saw the carrot. The prince smirked at how easily the horse was persuaded. He patted the horse's mane and said, "Good boy." The horse answered by nuzzling into his chest before he ate the carrot. He patted the mane again before saddling the horse. After he picked up the lantern and led the horse out of the stable, he was ready. He mounted the horse and urged it forward with a nudge to his side. The horse began to trot slowly towards the front of the palace and the gate that led outside the palace grounds. The prince held the lantern up high. He rode the horse to the palace gate and stopped to ask the guards to open the gates. Once the gates were opened, he ordered the guards that they not tell anyone that he was there. Both guards nodded and the prince rode the horse out into the street. The horse began to quicken its pace as they rode through the countryside separating the palace from the nearby town. The wind caused the prince's cape to fly back. Prince Charles took no notice of nearby trees or wildlife, focusing only on the path in front of him. Moments later, he reached the outskirts of the town. He stopped his horse at what he saw.
The streets were completely deserted. It looked as though not a single soul was awake. The only light present came from his lantern. It cast an almost eerie glow on his surroundings. He had expected that few people would be up at this time of night, but he thought that maybe a few people would still be awake. He urged the horse to trot slowly. He wanted to make as little noise as possible. If he didn't make any noise, then he wouldn't accidentally wake anyone up. They slowly moved through the town, making their way towards the harbor. The rain had stopped and was replaced by a light wind. The wind and the sound of the horse's hooves were the only noise in the night. As he passed by empty shops and houses, the prince never felt so alone in his entire life than he did at that moment. The realization that he would have to rely on himself that night came upon him like a wave. The prince found it almost surreal. But he quickly shook his head at the thought. He was only riding through the town at night, and he had to reach the dock, so he simply urged the horse to keep moving. Soon enough the prince reached the familiar lights of the harbor, and he once again saw human life. A few people were walking around, making the prince slightly concerned. He wasn't quite disguised, but he wasn't sure if he wouldn't be noticed. After a second, he felt that few people would take notice of him if he merely acted naturally. Without trying to look particularly discreet, the prince dismounted his horse and placed the lantern on the ground before tying the reigns to a nearby post. He picked the lantern back up and left to meet with the dock officer that was on duty that night. He entered the building and soon found the dock officer at his desk filling out paperwork.
"Excuse me?"
The dock officer looked up from his work, clearly startled. His eyes widened when he saw who had addressed him.
"Your Highness?"
The prince nodded and placed the lantern on the desk. "Yes, and I would prefer that you not tell anyone I was here or that we even spoke to each other."
The dock officer leaned back in his chair and rubbed his eyes in fatigue. He would have come to that conclusion even if the prince had not requested or ordered it of him. The prince had come alone, in disguise, in the middle of the night. It didn't take much to discern that he didn't want anyone to know he was there.
"How can I help you, Your Highness?"
"I'm here about what happened yesterday."
The dock officer leaned forward and rested his chin on the palms of his hands, his fingertips pressing against his cheeks.
"I would be more than willing to help the crown with this, but I told you yesterday afternoon that there are no records of anyone being banished yesterday."
"I hadn't expected you to find any, sir. I'm only here to find out what ships left yesterday afternoon. When they return, I would like to meet with their captains and find out where they went."
The dock officer nodded his head absently. "I suppose I can help you with that. One moment while I get the records, Your Highness." He left the room and returned a few minutes later with a book. He opened the book to yesterday's page and asked, "Do you remember what time of day you arrived at the harbor?"
The prince shook his head. "No, it could have been anywhere between the hours of noon and five. It was before sunset, that's all I can remember."
The dock officer hummed as he ran down the list of ships that were scheduled to depart in that time span.
"According to this, there were fifteen ships departing in that five-hour span: Gladiator, Victorious, Adventurer, Voyager, Umbra, Trident, Hydra, Vendetta, Hawke, Aeolus, Atlantica, Tiber, Blackadder, Centurion, and Aphrodite."
"I already searched the Blackadder and Tiber, and she wasn't on either ship. What about the other ships? Do you know where they were headed?"
"The Gladiator left at around quarter after noon and was heading towards Casau."
"Casau isn't too far from here. One could conceivably get there by carriage. I don't think she'd be taken there."
"If I may be so bold as to ask, Your Highness, who is this woman you're so interested in finding?"
The prince sighed and sat down in the chair opposite the desk. "It's a very long story, sir, and I'm not sure I feel very comfortable telling anyone. This is a rather secret mission and I feel that I cannot afford to let many people know of it. Not even my father knows that I'm here. It should be enough to say that this woman was unjustly exiled from the kingdom, and I would like to undo her sentence."
"Are you saying that you're not the one who passed down the sentence? If you father decided that it was enough," he began.
"He didn't sentence her, either," the prince quickly interrupted. The dock officer blinked in confusion. His eyes narrowed at this unsettling revelation. He looked back at the page before he turned to the prince again and asked, "Then how is it that she was banished?"
The prince gave a long sigh. "That is rather difficult to explain, and it doesn't help if we don't find out where she is. In due time, all that has happened will be announced. But we need to act quickly before someone realizes I'm not in my room."
The dock officer nodded and looked back at the book. "I will prepare a list of the kingdoms." He reached for a sheet of paper and wrote down the names of the seventeen kingdoms that the remaining ships had visited. The prince glanced at the page before he folded it up and hastily shoved it into his pocket. He thanked the dock officer for his time and reminded him to keep their meeting secret before quickly taking his leave. No one paid any attention to him as he returned to his horse and untied the reigns. He mounted the horse and urged it forward. It was a quick ride back to the palace. The gates opened for him as he arrived. He brought the horse back to the stable before retiring to his room for the night.
