! PLEASE READ - This is NOT a new chapter - I just accidentally deleted ch 8 which was already up - really sorry!
Disclaimer: I'm still not the wonderful Marissa Meyer and the phrases underlined here are taken from her novel Cinder.
Chapter warning for swearing: the f word is used once. (Also for a canonical but fairly appalling lack of physical distancing in a pandemic situation. [Don't go to a ball in the middle of a global pandemic. Be safe people x]).
As ever, a big thank you to all the lovely people reading and reviewing!
On with the story!
She was alive. She was safe. She was thanking all her lucky stars, one by one. She had, somehow, survived the plague which had killed everyone else in its path. She should barely be able to turn her thoughts towards anything other than just how grateful she was to have caught letumosis and lived to tell the tale. And Peony was incredibly grateful – of course she was! But…if she were honest with herself, she was also incredibly bored.
She hugged the pillow to her chest, feeling the now-familiar sensation of guilt claw inside her. People were dying and she had the gall not just to be recovering from letumosis, but to be bored about it? But she didn't even know how many days she had been trapped in this room, with only a netscreen for company. On the one hand, it was nice catching up on the net-dramas she had been missing, and she had watched more documentaries on deep space exploration than she had been aware existed. On the other hand, for some reason the netscreen also refused, point-blank, to pick up any news channels. Not a single one. It was unsettling and there was no way this was happening by chance. Peony was starting to feel freaked out by just how cut-off she was.
Her visitors had consisted of silent med-droids, who noted her vital signs and brought her meals, and occasionally Doctor Erland, who looked steadily more harried each time he came to check up on her and take blood samples. Each time, Peony had pleaded with him about getting in contact with her mom, Cinder and Pearl, since she no longer had her portscreen, but each time the doctor just sighed sympathetically and rattled off a long and very complicated speech about data protection laws. Each time, Peony would nod understandingly, feeling utterly convinced by his words. It was only when he left that she would suddenly realize that she still didn't understand his argument at all. And that she still had no idea of what was going on in the outside world. There weren't even any windows to the room for star's sake.
Peony shivered. There was something very weird going on. But the doors wouldn't open without an identity card and there was no feasible way she would be able to break them down so, for the time being, it seems she was stuck in here.
She grimaced and swiped her fingers through the air, flicking the netscreen on yet again. She let out a startled gasp. Finally! It still wasn't news exactly, but the channel had started broadcasting what appeared to be actual live footage of…Peace Ball festivities? It was the night of the Ball already? Peony listened to the reporters' commentary, feeling steadily more confused. There had clearly been a lot going on in the past week or so.
The images were rotating between shots of celebrations throughout capital cities in the Eastern Commonwealth and the pouring rain lashing on the palace gardens of New Beijing. This latter, less than thrilling footage was apparently due to the fact that Lunar queen had insisted on a ban of recording within the ballroom itself. Still, at least there was audio of events within the ball, informing her that Prince Kai and Queen Levana were currently dancing. Peony sighed and settled back, readying herself to listen to a night of music and laughter through a screen. At least with luck she would pick up some more news from the commentary.
As if in answer to her hopes, there was a sudden fanfare of trumpets. The reporters stopped talking, surprised, as a new voice boomed through the speakers.
"Please welcome to the 126th Annual Ball of the Eastern Commonwealth, a personal guest of His Imperial Majesty: Linh Cinder of New Beijing."
Peony shrieked and flailed her hands wildly through the air, seriously wondering if it was possible to spontaneously combust from fangirling. Her sister? And Prince Kai? Together? She desperately tried to calm her heartrate which had suddenly rocketed, and her thoughts, which seemed to have been reduced to a string of frenzied, nonsensical letters.
There was complete silence in the ballroom. Everyone, from the reporters, to the guests, to the queen herself seemed to be needing a moment to take in the announcement.
Then, a soft censor bleep broke through the silent airwaves, followed immediately by a sharp, incredibly familiar voice. Just a few words, but the frustration was palpable in every syllable. " – sake, Cinder."
Peony's eyes widened, if possible, even further. Pearl.
Fuck's sake, Cinder. In the perfect silence, the words echoed around the ballroom, doing nothing to dissipate any of the tension building in the room.
Hundreds of faces were staring at her, amid a sea of vibrant colors. Cinder lost count of the styles of formal wear and fabrics from throughout the Commonwealth suddenly scrolling in green text across her retina. She swallowed, aware of every smear of grease on the silver dress, the brown patches at the hem where she had stepped out of the hover with her stepsister – and straight into a puddle. Unlike Pearl, Cinder's hair was still drenched, and her gown was still sodden from venturing outside the cover of the Phoenix Tower Apartments to flag down a hover. In the deafening silence, her audio interface registered the distinct sound of water dripping off her and onto the pristine ballroom floor. She didn't need to look down to know that Pearl's milk-white boots were now a muddy grey. Only the silk gloves were still, somehow, presentable, although there was a tiny rent in the left one, where she had managed to snag the material on a screw from repeatedly removing them to preserve the sumptuous fabric from the weather.
She dared a glance at Pearl, whose expression had turned stony. Cinder could tell her stepsister was preparing a silent mental tirade against her but beyond her single expletive it seemed she had decided not to make a scene. Instead, her gaze was scanning the ballroom and Cinder saw her spine suddenly straighten. She nodded and began to trip lightly down the ballroom stairs.
Cinder squared her shoulders and looked at Kai, whose mouth was hanging open. She dialed down the voices of the whispering guests with her audio interface and began to follow Pearl, walking towards him, one careful step after another, trying not to notice the squishing sensation the boots made each time she lowered a foot to the ground.
Heel-toe. Heel-toe. She glanced up again and saw that although Kai still looked stunned, his lips were twitching and he looked dangerously close to laughter. Pearl had disappeared into the crowd.
After what seemed an eternity, Cinder reached the bottom of the marble stairs. He was waiting for her. Kai held out a hand to her and bowed. "Linh-mei," he greeted her, his warm brown eyes dancing, "what a pleasure you could join us tonight."
Cinder coughed nervously. "The pleasure is mine your, uh, Imperial Majesty."
Kai's eyes crinkled with amusement as he gestured at the band, raising his voice into the silence. "This is a night of celebration and merriment," he said. "Please, let the dancing resume."
Then he placed his other hand on her waist and before Cinder fully realized what was happening, they were swaying on the ballroom floor. They were dancing. The other guests were still gawping at them. "Please, you are my guests. Enjoy the music," Kai continued, his tone light but firm and the floor obligingly filled up with dancers.
Guiding them out of the center of the floor, Kai grinned at her. "You have no idea to dance, do you?"
"I'm-"
"A mechanic?" Kai raised his eyebrows. "I noticed." His gaze fell on their intertwined hands. "Though I've also noticed you didn't get any grease on the gloves I gave you. I'm honored." He gave her a teasing smile. "But mostly I'm honored that you decided to come after all." He spun her gently and Cinder suppressed a startled yelp as she wobbled on her too-small cyborg foot, before collapsing back into his arms. Which felt a lot more romantic than it probably looked. She stared up at him for a moment, feeling a strange giddiness rush over her. Probably just a sign of low blood sugar. The smell of spices wafted towards her and Cinder's stomach made a plaintive gurgling noise, as if to confirm her theory.
Kai laughed, the bright sound increasing Cinder's giddy sensation, and gently coaxed her back onto her feet. They carried on swaying across the ballroom floor, inching closer to each other and Cinder realized that her left hand had come to rest gently between his shoulder blades as her feet gradually settled into something vaguely resembling the correct steps.
She shook her head, trying to clear it. "Listen, Kai, I came here for a reason."
Kai gave her a wry smile. "And from your expression, I'm guessing the reason wasn't just to be my dance partner?"
Cinder returned it. "You're guessing right. Listen, it's about Levana."
Kai looked strained. "What about her?"
"You can't marry her."
"Why?" Kai made an innocent expression. "Did you have another candidate in mind?"
Cinder made an undignified spluttering noise and almost overbalanced again. "Kai! This is serious! She doesn't just want to marry you for the Commonwealth." She leaned closer to him so that no one else could hear them over the music. "She intends to start a war with Earth whatever you do," she hissed. "Marrying you will just make it even easier for her." She hesitated. "And she knows about Nainsi too. She knows who your android was looking for and she's using the same information to try to find her! You know she won't take it lightly that you've been trying to find the princess. She's going to marry you – and then she's going to kill you."
Kai's eyes widened with fear, although his expression remained composed. "How do you know all this?"
"Remember the D-COMM chip I found in Nainsi?" Kai nodded. "There was this girl – one of the queen's hackers I think – who programmed it and she just commed me, telling me all this." She glanced around. "I have the chip with me but – but it's in the calf compartment of my left leg." Kai looked fleetingly surprised, before he nodded, as if he had always known about Cinder's calf compartment. "And – I have to tell you something else as well," she continued. Her gaze fell on the open doors leading to the palace gardens. They had danced all the way along the ballroom. "Can we get away from everyone for a moment? It's another thing about the princess-"
A dainty cough cut through her words like a knife and Cinder's blood iced over. Queen Levana was leaning against a nearby column, a goblet of wine clasped in her elegant hands. Next to her stood a woman with raven-black hair, sculpted cheekbones, her hands tucked into the white, bell-shaped sleeves of the Lunar head thaumaturge's outfit. Sybil Mira. And next to her – Cinder's breath hitched painfully – a flash of golden tulle skirts and sandals. It was Pearl.
"There has been enough music for one night." Levana's voice rang across the ballroom, sweet and clear as she glided towards Cinder. She waved a hand and the band ground to a halt. Cinder wasn't sure if the musicians had an incredible ability to read a room, or whether there was a little more Lunar manipulation involved in the sudden silence.
The queen continued speaking, each word perfectly articulated as it danced off her tongue. "It is time instead for my betrothed to answer a few questions about his 'personal guest'." Her gaze swept over Cinder, and the hatred burning in her eyes told Cinder she knew. She knew everything.
Cinder's eyes locked onto Pearl as her adoptive sister took a series of faltering steps towards her. There was an expression of panic on Pearl's face that she recognized. The terror of not being in control of your own limbs. "What have you done?" she hissed.
Pearl ground to a halt a few feet away from Cinder and Kai but her face was resolutely turned away from her stepsister's. Her jaw twitched and she was shaking like a leaf as she addressed the air above Cinder's left shoulder. "I'm saving mom. The only way I have left."
I've now started uploading this story onto A03 so if you prefer that website's format, feel free to find SLP over there :)
Re BookishFlyingGecko: Thank you so much for the feedback on Pearl - that's such a great compliment! (Wonder if you feel the same after this chapter?) Glad you're enjoying the secret-keeping - I've been enjoying writing it. Hope this chapter has answered a couple of your questions!
As ever, if anyone feels like sending over a review it really makes my day :)
[More updates not expected until early July...sorry!]
Stay safe,
Laure