A/N: Hello!! Here is chapter 7 of LF! I would like to thank Ferlinda the Dreamweaver for beta reading this chapter! I would also like to thank everyone that read the last chapter and especially everyone that reviewed! So please read, review and enjoy! Any questions/Comments please review or PM me... So please enjoy!
Disclaimer: I still do not own COTT... i would like to but I can't.. I can't even get it on DVD... :(
Chapter 7: On the Way
"Ok, Edmund it is then," Atlanta says.
"Rapunzel, is there any way I can help you out of this dreadful tower?" Edmund says boldly, kneeling down on one knee and taking her hand again.
"Umm… Could you go back to wherever it is you live and get me something sharp?" Atlanta asks hopefully, pulling her hand out from his.
"My dear? Something sharp? Well… Yes, but why would a fair maiden such as you need something sharp?" Edmund hesitates in his reply.
"Edmund, I need something sharp to cut my hair so I can climb down the wall of the tower!" Atlanta says in exasperation.
"Of course, I shall fetch you my sword. Sharp and stable! Stay put, fair Rapunzel! I shall return with my sword and prepared to escape into the sunset with you tomorrow evening," Edmund states valiantly, standing up again so he is on both feet.
They are still standing just beyond the window and are close enough for him to toss her hair out the window and begin to climb down before she can register what he said.
As he reaches the ground and she feels him let go of her hair, she looks out the window.
"I don't want to escape with you! I just want to escape!" Atlanta yells at Edmund who is getting on his horse.
"Til tomorrow evening! Sweet, fair Rapunzel, I shall see you when the sun begins to set and we shall begin our journey together!" Edmund says as he rides off on his trusty steed.
"Ergh! Stay put? It's not like I can go anywhere! And I thought Neil was dopey! Oh well… As long as he brings his sword…" Atlanta states while turning away from the window.
Theresa picks up the wooden bucket and scrubbing brush, preparing herself for the horrible prospect of scrubbing the floors.
'Not much longer. I just got to keep telling myself that,' she thinks, 'Soon I will be out of here.'
She fills the bucket and walks upstairs. She starts to scrub the floors. She decides to begin with the hallway where she can eavesdrop on the stepmother and the two sisters.
"Mother! That dress will look much better on me!" one of the sisters shrieks.
"Shush, I'm deciding what you're wearing! You have no clue, Anastasia!" the stepmother states.
"But that colour looks horrible on Gabriella!" Anastasia whines.
"Mother picked it for me, Anastasia! Get over it!" Gabriella screeches.
"Gabriella, please leave for a moment. I will finish with you later!" their mother orders.
Theresa hears the door open and focuses on the scrubbing brush in her hand. Gabriella, dressed in a green and blue ball gown, walks past her. A smirk appears across her face when she sees Theresa. As Gabriella walks past, her dress gently brushes Theresa's shoulder. This instantly sends Theresa into a vision.
Jay's face is in front of hers and they are spinning? She can see hundreds of people, including the stepmother and her daughters, watching with anticipation, astonished by the sight of them.
Her vision is cut short by the voices of the stepmother and Anastasia becoming louder.
"There! You're finally done! If the prince doesn't notice you, Cinderella can stop doing chores!" the stepmother states proudly and begins to laugh.
'He'll certainly notice her,' Theresa thought, 'But not in a good way!'
Theresa then remembers her vision. She becomes excited.
'Oh my god! Jay is the prince!' she thinks, bouncing on the spot.
Ruining her excitement, the stepmother and Anastasia walk out of the bedroom. They both look at Theresa with looks of disgust upon their faces. Anastasia is the first to pass, before the stepmother. As she walks past the stepmother nudges the bucket of water 'accidentally'. This sends water everywhere.
"Oops! I guess you'll have to add mopping the floors to that list. If it wasn't there already?!" the stepmother says, giving Theresa a fake, apologetic smile.
Theresa continues to scrub the floor, eventually giving up scrubbing and getting the mop.
When she has mopped the floors, she is in the kitchen holding the list in her hands. She looks at the next item on the list: feed the animals.
"Ergh…" Theresa lets out with a sigh.
Theresa walks to the kitchen and through it to the back door. Out in the backyard are the family's animals. Chickens and geese are roaming the yard freely. Theresa walks over to the sheds in the backyard. She finds the chicken feed and struggles to pick up the bag. She drags it out of the shed and is instantly mobbed by the chickens and geese. She can feel them scratching her arms and legs as she tries to escape the mob of birds. With feathers flying everywhere, Theresa comes out waving her arms about. She is covered in feathers and her arms are red with scratches. She walks back inside. She groans at the sight of the remaining chores on the list.
It is now late afternoon and Theresa is finally at the last item on the list: the laundry. She walks up stairs to collect all the dirty laundry from all the bedrooms. While walking up the stairs she examines her hands and arms. Both are red from all of the chores and the birds.
"Who thought chores could be so hard!" Theresa exclaims.
Walking into Gabriella's bedroom, she sees the stepmother trying to finish Gabriella's hair and make up. Theresa almost lets out a giggle at the hideous outfit and hairstyle, let alone the make up. However before she even says anything, the stepmother reacts.
"What do you want?" the stepmother asks rudely, staring at Theresa as if she was worthless.
"I just came to collect the laundry," Theresa answers timidly.
"Oh! The laundry is the last thing on the list, correct?" the stepmother questions.
"Yes, now that you mention it. Does that mean I can come with you to the ball?" Theresa asks, already knowing the answer.
"We will see. If all your chores are done and you have a suitable dress to wear, I don't see why not," the stepmother answers, unhappily yet confidently.
"But mother!" Gabriella objects.
"Shush, if Cinderella has done her part of the deal there is no reason for her not to join us," the stepmother says attempting to seem humble, "Your chores must be done and you must be dressed appropriately by the time we are leaving, if you are to join us. We are leaving at 8 o'clock, no later. Be ready Cinderella, we will not wait,"
"Oh I will be, Stepmother," Theresa answers knowing the stepmother will turn on her at the last minute.
Theresa picks up Gabriella's washing before moving onto Anastasia's room.
Anastasia just throws her clothes at her and stares at her haughtily, waiting for her to leave. She leaves Anastasia's room, glad to be away from them all. She reaches the kitchen, sees the tub used for the washing and dumps the clothes in.
"I guess washing machines aren't invented yet," Theresa states while sighing.
She gets started and washes all the clothes. Her hands feel unpleasant after all the cleaning and she still has to hang out the washing. She puts all of the wet clothes into a basket and wanders outside to find the clothes line.
Once she has hung out the clothes, she returns the basket. She, especially her hands, feels so awful. She walks back to the kitchen to look at the clock on the wall.
'7:43, oh well, its not like I was going if I was ready!' Theresa thought. 'I might as well go and see if there's is even a decent dress in that wardrobe.'
With that, Theresa walks up stairs towards the door at the end of the hallway that she had come out of earlier. Pushing the door open, she walks towards the wardrobe. Reaching in, she moves all the clothes to the right so she can go through them one by one. Looking at all of the pieces of clothing, she sees nothing that is appropriate for a ball. She is about to close the wardrobe when the stepmother calls her.
"Cinderella!" the stepmother screeches.
"Coming!" Theresa yells in response.
Theresa then leaves the bedroom and walks downstairs. She can see the stepmother and her daughters ready to leave and waiting at the front door.
"Not coming?" the stepmother questions with a smirk.
"No, I couldn't find anything to wear," Theresa answers, keeping a calm face.
"Oh, what a pity it is that you can't come. Never mind there is always next time," the stepmother says glaring at her awaiting her response.
Theresa is trying to maintain her composure but after doing chores all day, she has lost it over the whole situation.
"Goodbye then!" Theresa states.
"Excuse me? How dare you speak to me like that! It's a good thing I confiscated that dress of yours!' the stepmother states proudly and aggressively towards Theresa.
"Come on mother! We are going to be late!" Gabriella pleads.
"Goodbye, Cinderella, expect us home later this evening and have our beds ready," the stepmother says bluntly before turning away from Theresa and out the door.
Her two daughters follow. Theresa walks up and slams the front door shut before walking out the back through the kitchen. Theresa goes and sits on a bench outside.
"Thank god they are gone!" Theresa blurts out angrily.
She sits outside calming herself down. She knows what comes next and all she can do is wait.
Half an hour later…
Theresa hears a 'pop' and looks up to see a woman staring at her. The woman is dressed in blue and is very sparkly. She has her wand in her hand.
"My dear why is a pretty girl like you so glum?" the woman asks.
"Huh? Oh I couldn't go the ball," Theresa answers almost sarcastically.
"Oh, poor thing! Well, it's a good thing I dropped in then, isn't it?!" the woman says smiling proudly at Theresa.
"I guess…" Theresa begins to answer but she is cut off.
"You guess! Of course it's a good thing I can send you to the ball!" the woman exclaims excitedly before introducing herself, "For I am your fairy godmother!"
"Ok," Theresa answers.
"Well, we better begin! There's so much to do! I need a pumpkin, some mice, and some other things... oh, details, details," the fairy godmother rambles to Theresa while waving her hands in the air.
Theresa is just staring at her in disbelief.
"My dear, you should be excited! I am going to prepare you for the ball! You may meet your true love! Isn't that important?!" the fairy godmother asks.
"I guess," Theresa answers before remembering her vision about Jay, "You're right, lets get started!
"That's the spirit, dear! Now the pumpkin… Ah... There it is!" she says, looking around and, with a wave of her wand, the pumpkin floats towards them and transforms into a carriage.
"Next the mice…" the fairy godmother says before looking at the ground, "they have to be here somewhere…"
"Umm... Over there," Theresa says, pointing in the direction opposite to where the fairy godmother is looking.
"Why, thank you, dear! Can't have a carriage and no horses! Oops, we also need someone to drive the carriage… Say, do you know of any animals I may turn into a driver?" the fairy godmother says to Theresa while turning the mice into horses.
"The only animals I know of are the chickens and geese," Theresa says with a shrug.
"One or two of them will do," the fairy godmother says. She waves her wand around and a chicken and a goose come flying out from the barn. They turn into men right before Theresa's eyes. Then they land on the ground and climb onto the front of the carriage where the horses are attached.
"I think that's it, dear," the fairy godmother says, scratching her head.
"I think you may have forgotten something," Theresa suggests kindly.
"Oh, why, yes dear, you're right!" the fairy godmother states, "there are no footmen!"
"Oh!" Theresa exclaims, but that wasn't what she was thinking.
The fairy godmother brings out another chicken and goose and turns them into footmen, allowing them to climb onto the end of the carriage.
"There, it's perfect!" the fairy godmother exclaims excitedly, studying her work.
"I still think you've missed something," Theresa suggests again.
"Me? Forgotten something? I don't think so? Let me see… Carriage - yes, horses for the carriage - yes, driver – yes, footmen – yes. I have everything, dear!" the fairy godmother states.
"I still think you're forgetting something," Theresa states, looking herself up and down as a hint.
"Oh my! Dear, why didn't you say something?! You can't go to the ball dressed like that!" the fairy godmother exclaims, "Well, give me a spin!"
Theresa spins, expecting a ball gown to appear. The fairy godmother waves her wand. Theresa is still spinning and as she places each foot down she hears a clunk.
"Um… I don't think this is appropriate either," Theresa states, looking at the suit of armour she is now wearing.
"Oh sorry, dear, must've got distracted," the fairy godmother answers.
"Shall I spin again?" Theresa asks.
"Of course, dear, I'll get it right this time!" the fairy godmother replies.
Theresa begins to spin and again expects a ball gown to appear. This time she is dressed like a clown.
"Sorry dear, try again!" the fairy godmother says apologetically.
Theresa spins again and this time she is wearing a dress – the dress she was wearing before.
"Uh, sorry, dear, I'm waving the wrong end! That causes the spells to go wonky!" the fairy godmother says.
Turning her wand around to face the correct way, the fairy godmother casts her spell. Theresa is standing there in a beautiful pink ball gown. It is strapless and puffs out at her hips until it reaches the ground. She has pale pink silk gloves on and a choker around her neck. Her hair is in a bun with a tiara holding it in place. She is also wearing glass slippers.
"My dear, you look beautiful!" the fairy godmother says with tears in her eyes.
She shepherds Theresa to get in the carriage, but before allowing her to leave she speaks.
"Oh one last thing, my dear, the magic will all end at midnight. You need to leave the ball and return home before then. Have a good time!" the fairy godmother says, ending her comment in a cheerful tone, while giving the driver a signal to leave.
The carriage leaves and Theresa relaxes into the seat of the carriage before hearing another 'pop'.
"I thought I'd keep you company on the way to the ball!" the fairy godmother says energetically.
"Great," Theresa says sarcastically, but the fairy godmother takes no notice of the sarcasm and smiles happily at Theresa.
