A/N: Nightwing and Red Robin go on patrol. While on a break, Nightwing uses his dream weaving ability to weave a fanciful fairy tale for Tim to later tell to his children. Narissa, Ethan, and Aimee are three of Tim's children. They only appear in the beginning of this story. They will appear in later stories as the Earth 14 stories progress.
Cinder Bat Fella
By
AJRedRobin and JasonToddLover
Par 10
At the Palace Saman'ta was being escorted to the ballroom. Saman'ta ball gown was black satin with red feather accents on the bodice. She wore a red ruby necklace in the shape of a bird. Ricard, the Duke's son had given it to her for her 16th birthday. Her parents were sitting on their thrones watching as the guests came in. Each one was introduced, waiting for her to choose them for a dance. Saman'ta was starting to get bored. He twirled around in her dress ignoring everyone. No one seemed suitable. Ricard noticed her boredom and decided to take her for a spin on the dance floor. Hopefully it would clear her head for the last few guests that were arriving.
"Don't look so gloomy, my princess," Ricard said. You'll find someone. I have a feeling that person will walk down those stairs and you won't be able to take your eyes off of him."
"I hope so Ricard. Thanks for dancing with me."
"You are most welcome, your highness. Now go greet your guests, and choose someone to dance with. You're going to have to eventually choose, and dancing with someone will help you to know which one that will be. "
The Alcazars entered the palace and walked to where the ballroom was. They walked with an air that said, they had every right to be there, while others did not. Antonio Alcazar handed over the invitation.
"Are you the last?" Jason, the head of the guard, asked as he took the invitation.
"There was no one else behind us, so, obviously we are the last."
Jason didn't comment. He checked the invitation to be sure it was signed. He then took the stack of invitations to a different room so they could be counted to be sure the right number of guests had attended. What Jason didn't notice was that the number on the Alcazar's invitation had changed from three to four, and a name appeared at the bottom.
The coach arrived at the steps of the palace. Fella climbed out and stopped for a moment to take it in.
"Remember Fella," Raven squawked. "You must leave BEFORE stroke of midnight."
"I won't forget," Fella said, and he began his ascent up the steps.
Saman'ta was swaying in her dress. She twirled around in it, hoping to meet some one that will love her for herself. She was spinning around on the ball room floor, greeting couples and singles alike as she danced her way through Even though someone would ask her to dance. She waved them off. It was as if the air was telling her to wait, just wait a little longer and the one she was waiting for would come.
Ricard watched the princess spin around the room by herself. He decided to dance with Saman'ta for a bit and hopefully ease her fears. He walked up to her bowing. May I have this dance?
Saman'ta nodded her agreement. "You're the only one I want to dance with right now. I'm just not interested in these guys. They don't seem to see me. I caught one guy eyeing my necklace."
"I'll be sure to tell Jason if you'll point him out later. Like I said earlier, you'll find some one for you. This is a magical night."
"I hope so Ricard. Thanks for dancing with me."
"So my princess I shall let you go," Ricard turned toward the stairs and looked up. "Who is that?" An unknown male entered the ballroom. He was dressed all in all red.
Samantha's jaw dropped and she placed her hand over her mouth. 'It's him,' she thought, the one in my dream that I had last nght.
Fella was looking around. It was incredible. The room looked like it was floating on air. He had butterflies in his stomach. He closed his eyes behind his mask to steady himself. 'Courage Fella,' his mother's words came back to give him strength. Then he opened his eyes and he descended the stairs.
"Who is that?" Vince questioned.
"I love his cloak," Victor replied. "Why didn't I wear a cloak. Look at that mask he's wearing. It makes him look like a bird. Or maybe he's prince in disguise."
Both Saman'ta and Ricard were captivated by the young man descending the stairs. Ricard, had an eerie feeling come over him. If only he could see the young man's face.
"Ricard, I must talk to him!" Saman'ta said.
"I will send him your way," Ricard stated. It would give him a chance to get a closer look at the young man's face and maybe the color of his eyes. The mask hid a good portion, but there was something so familiar about the young man that he could not ignore it.
"The princess is eyeing him," Victor mocked, disgusted. She hadn't even looked in their direction.
"I wonder who he really is," Antonio commented.
Fella watched nervously as someone approached him. He looked familiar. 'Is that Ricard? The Duke's son? I remember him.' Fella bowed his head in respect, but did not say a word.
"The princess wishes to speak with you," Ricard stated. He turned and headed back toward where the thrones sat on a raised platform overlooking the ball room. He realized that the figure in red wasn't following. Ricard crooked a finger motioning for Fella to follow.
Fella swallowed the lump in his throat then followed Ricard to where the princess was waiting.
Saman'ta watched as Ricard brought him to her. "Hello."
"Hello, your highness," Fella said shyly.
"Your suit is very lovely. Tell me, are you from a neighboring kingdom? Or a person in mine?"
"Um, within." Fella looked around and everyone was staring. He leaned in a little. "I think they are staring at you. You're so beautiful, your highness." Fella blushed.
Saman'ta blushed as well. It sounded right coming from him. "Would you care to dance?"
"I would be honored. Fella took her hand in his and walked her to the dance floor. He placed one hand on her waist and he took her other hand in his. They started slowly and he was soon spinning her around the dance floor. He could not help staring into her eyes. They were as green as he remembered them being. 'If only I could tell her it was me, the boy who rode with her on her pony.
Saman'ta started giggling as Fell was spinning her around the ballroom. 'I wish I could see his eyes.'
"Look at our daughter how happy she is," Queen Selina said. "Could he be the one?"
"Well, she seems to be taken with him," King Bruce agreed. "But I wonder who he is?"
Fella kept dancing until they were both breathless. They danced until they danced out of the ballroom and out into the gardens. Fella and Princess Saman'ta weren't aware they had two jealous eyes on them. They wanted to follow the couple, but Ricard went over and shut the French doors so the princess and her dancing partner could have their privacy.
They stopped for a moment and walked through the garden. "Oh wow, that was so fun."
"You're easy to dance with," Fella said. "I'm never going to forget this night."
"I don't do the fancy things," Samantha said. She stood close to him. She reached up slowly. She wanted to see his eyes.
Fella pressed the hidden button on the mask. It had lenses that could be lifted. The lenses lifted so he could look at her with her own eyes. It still hid a portion of his face. At least they had privacy.
Saman'ta's own eyes went wide when she looked into her masked dancing partner. Those eyes were so familiar. Saman'ta leaned up and pressed her lips against his.
Fella's eyes went wide when he got a kiss from her. He couldn't believe how soft her lips were. His heart sored. It had wings, carrying him high up to the sky. He took her in his arms and started dancing with her again. Then he started signing to her.
"Tem minutes ago I saw you, you looked up when I came through the door. My head started reeling you gave me the feeling the room had no ceiling or floor. Ten minutes ago I met you and we murmured our how do you does, I wanted to ring out the bells and fling out my arms and sing out the news. I have found her, she's an angel with the dust of the stars in her eyes. We are dancing, we are flying and she's taking me back to the skies. In the arms of my love I'm flying, over mountains and meadows, and glen. And I like it so well for all I can tell, I may never come down again. I may never come down to earth again."
Fella spun her around and danced with her in the moonlit garden. He wasn't aware that another pair of eyes were watching them, but this time. The person had a very pleased look on his face.
'I think we have a winner.' Ricard leaned against the pillar, watching them dance.
Fella walked with her on his arm. She felt so right. They ended up in the rose garden.
"Tell me, what is your name?"
That was a question Fella wasn't expecting. "My name . . . I . . ." He couldn't tell her. His stepbrothers and stepfather called him Fella, but his real name, that he didn't know. Fella started to panic when he heard the clock strike the quarter hour. "Um . . . What . . . What time is it?" He didn't think they spent all that time already.
"Almost midnight." Saman'ta said when he started to move away. "My prince! Where are you going?"
"I . . . I have to leave . . . I . . . I'm really . . . Sorry . . . I . . . loved the dance . . . And I'll . . . I'll never forget you." Fella raced through the gardens.*
Saman'ta at first was shocked. She stood there for a moment then realized he was leaving her. She ran after him. "Wait! Wait!"
Fella had tears in my eyes. He didn't want to leave but he had to. He raced through the gardens and back through the ballroom. He didn't expect to run right past his stepbrothers.
"Look, it's him," Vince tugged on his brother's coat sleeve. "Why is he leaving? Wait there's the princess. Come on Victor, now's our chance."
Fella's step brothers didn't realize they were aiding him in his escape by coming between him and the princess. He raced back up the stairs and through the hall leading back to the courtyard where he first arrived.
"Wait!" Saman'ta cried out when the two twins got between her and her prince. She pushed them out the way, trying to get the stairs quickly but he was gone. She noticed the red mask that he wore was lying on the floor at the top of the stairs. She leaned down and picked it up. She felt enchantment within it's fabric and knew that only one person could where this mask. And she would not rest until she found him.
Fella looked around but the mask I was wearing had fallen off. He couldn't stop to get it because his step brothers would see. Fella raced to the coach and climbed in as the clock counted its way to midnight.
"Hurry Raven we must get home before my stepbrothers and stepfather return."
Raven snapped the reins and the horses sped down the gravel path and out the gateway as quickly as they could.
Saman'ta raced to the courtyard only to find it empty. "My prince." She stared at the mask once more wondering who it was behind the red face concealing covering.
Ricard had raced after the princess. He was curious as well about the boy. He had not seen him before. And he seemed to be about the right age. "Princess, you need to come inside."
As the clock struck the 12th bong the coachman changed back into a Raven and the horses back into mice. The coach fell apart and Fella's own clothes turned into rags, except for the cape. It remained. And then it started to rain. Fella walked the rest of the way home, but he still felt like his heart had wings. When he got home Virgil was a cat once more.
"Oh Virgil, that was, was wonderful. Fella took the cape and hung it in the old wardrobe in the attic. He would never forget that night. Even if he never saw her again, the memories he would carry with him for the rest of his day. Then he heard the coach of his stepfather and stepbrothers approach.
~You must tell me about it later,~ Virgil meowed.
"I will," Fella promised.
"Where is that orphan," Vincent complained. "I want some tea now!"
"Fella!" Victor screamed for him. "Get down here."
Fella rushed toward the attic stairs knocking over a box he had not noticed before. "Coming." He rushed down stairs to the kitchen
"Tea. Now," Vincent barked. "Or we won't tell you what happened at the ball."
Fella put the pot on for water and pulled out some cookies and placed them on a plate and set them on the table. "So, how was the ball?"
"You seem cheerful," Victor noticed.
"I took a walk after I cleaned up the ashes."
"Cheeky," Antonio stated. "You were supposed to go to your room. Trying to spy on the ball I bet."
"Some idiot hogged the princess to himself all night," Victor cut in.
"Oh, really?" Fella turned his back and smiled. He grabbed the tea cups and put them on the table. "Tell me more."
"The princess was so worried about that idiot that she ended the party after he suddenly left before any one else could dance with her."
"Worried." Fella bit his lip, remembering the taste of her kiss.
"He had on this gosh cape. Who wears feathers these days," Vincent took a cookie and as Fella pours the hot water for tea, he couldn't help noticing there was a red feather sticking in Fella's hair. "Um father. Don't you think it's time to go to bed?"
Fella went to put the pot back on the stove and he was swaying back and forth. 'The princess was worried about me?' The fact that someone would worry about him, made his heart feel loved, again.
"I am going to sleep. I am tired," Antonio announced. "We shall discuss your punishment in the morning for disobeying."
"Yes, sir. Goodnight, sir." Fella started humming a tune that he didn't know he new. Then he was singing it under his breath as he cleaned up the dishes. He was singing it in a language he did not know he knew.
Vincent's eyes narrowed. He tugged on Victor's sleeve and then went to the second floor to their shared room.
"We should check his room tomorrow while he's busy feeding the livestock and working on our breakfast."
"Why? You think that boy at the ball was him?" Victor asked.
"I will kill him if that was him."
"Why kill him. I bet he knows where that fortune is hidden. We should beat it out of him. Or threaten to go to the king and say he stole that cloak, that the prince that was at the ball was an imposter. I bet it's worth a fortune."
Fella was singing as he finished cleaning up. Then he went up to his attic room. His foot touched the box that had fallen on the floor earlier. "What's this?"
He opened it up and found a baby blanket inside. It was faded. He unfolded it and there was a name sewn along the edge. He read each of the letters. "T . . . I . . . M . . . O . . . T . . . I."
Fella's eyes grew wide. He remembered my stepmother telling him that Fella wasn't his real name. 'Could this be mine?' he thought. 'My name is Timoti?'
There were other letters and a crest in between. It showed a red bird. He traced his fingers along the other letters and realized what they said. "Oh my god, I'm, I'm . . . "
He hugged the blanket against him. He made plans to return to the palace as soon as he could with the blanket to show it to the king and queen and the princess.
Continues with Part 11
A/N: Ten minutes Ago - R & H Cinderella 1964