The bed is moving and the covers are shifting. Cinderella blinked open her crystal blue eyes and saw the King getting out of bed. Cinderella rubbed the sleep out of her eyes as she began to wake up. She shivered from the lack of body heat. With a groan she says, "Oh Charming, I'm cold, stay in bed just a little longer!"

"I'm sorry Cindy, I need to get working," Charming doesn't look at his wife.

"Forget work! We can just cuddle our troubles away."

"Cindy, sometimes you still act like you did when you were young, always believing in dreams, all play and no work," the King said with a sigh.

Cinderella sighed also. Her dream life had begun to fade away. She remembered their wedding day as if it was yesterday, and their coronation day as if it was only a few hours ago. Charming's Father's funeral was solemn, and to be honest, very boring. Cinderella didn't get to know her Father-In-Law and only shed tears at his funeral so she did not look like a heartless wench. Cinderella didn't realize that all the coronation meetings and planning would be even more deary than the funeral. The only thing that kept Cinderella smiling through it all was knowing that she had a wonderful man at her side and the fact she would soon be Queen.Cinderella blinked the memories away as she watched her husband dress for the day.

"You're never home anymore," Cinderella whined as she stepped out of bed, pulling her robes close to her body.

"Look honey, I'm a King, I have things to do. I'm sorry."

Cinderella preceded to put on hand-stitched slippers.

"Perhaps this is I bad time to mention that I'm leaving tomorrow, we're headed out to Bulgaria to meet with the Duke."

"Why wasn't I invited?" Cinderella exclaimed, offended.

The King let out a deep sigh, "I know how bored you get with everything businessy and I wanted to spare you from it all. Besides," he dropped his voice to a whisper, "I don't really trust Janice with our children."

"'Businessy'? You know that is not a word!" Cinderella chided.

"Now is not the time to trouble me with correct grammar!" The King walked out the door, slamming the wooden door in his anger.

Cinderella sighed, and began to sing and hum, "So this is love? Mmmmhmmm, so this is what makes life divine?" Despite her despair, Cinderella chuckled at the irony. She waltzed around as she hummed her tune. She dreamt of earlier times when her and Charming would attend lavished balls and waltzed until midnight, then come home to a welcoming bed to preform 'Night Magic', as they told their curious children. How she missed those warm nights.

Cinderella waltzed over to her vanity desk and sat down. Her face was growing in age and wrinkles could be easy noticed. She dabbed a bit a powder on her white cheeks and smiled into the looking glass. Wrinkles stood out like a sore thumb. She sighed, knowing her prime was ending.

Without warning the door open and a body pitter-pattered into the Queen's quarters. Cinderella whipped around to see her youngest child walking into the room in her sleeping robes. She had blonde hair that came down to just her ice blue, innocent eyes.

Cinderella smiled gently and scooped up her child, "Trinity, what are you doing up here?"

"I wanted to see you!" Trinity's voice was small.

"Well a good morning to you, my dear," with a quick kiss on the forehead, Cinderella set Trinity back on the floor. "Are your sisters up?" Trinity nodded. "And Philip?" Trinity shrugged. Cinderella patted her daughter on the bottom to hurry her out of the room, "Get dressed for breakfast."

Cinderella spun around and headed into her closet. She continued to hum as she put on a blue dress. It was hooped at the bottom with a tight abdomen and long lacy sleeves. Not bothering to put on shoes, Cinderella walked down to the eating quarters barefoot.

Breakfast was already on the table, and her four children were there waiting for her. Trinity looked like she dressed herself, for her gown was on backwards.

"Trinity, do you realize what you are wearing? Who helped her get dressed?"

Cinderella's older daughters both shrugged. Cinderella chuckled, "As long as Helga doesn't see you like this." Helga was their uptight maid. Helga had been with her children since Hannah, her oldest, was barely born, that was twelve years ago. She thought that a woman shouldn't be seen till she was presentable, and should never been seen as Trinity was now.

After breakfast, Cinderella sent her children to their studies, and she was forced to sit in on a town meeting to listen to the kingdom's problems. Quickly, Cinderella's attention faded and she dreamt of elegant balls and waltzing music. In her dreams, life was one big love story, where the man was cuddly, and payed attention to her needs.

"Will that work my Queen?" A parliament member questioned

Cinderella snapped back into reality and said, wide-eyed and confused, "Of course!"

"Great, then it's settled."

The offspring of the Queen were still in their lessons. It was a sunny spring day, and all the flowers were abloom, so Cinderella took a stroll through the gardens, dreaming of the fairy tale life she used to hold. But times, change, and she knew that if she still wanted her wishes to be fulfilled, she would have to change also.