GONG
Her head flew up, or as far up as it could fly tucked under her partner's chin.
She jerked back and blushed when she saw the questioning look on his face. "I- I'm sorry. I just...heard the clock, and- "
He smiled at her, and it was the smile that made her feel like everything would be all right.
"Don't be afraid. It's just the tower bells. They're loud but they won't hurt you. Shall I have them stilled, if it would ease your discomfort?"
GONG
But to his dismay, she only grew more agitated. She thrust her hands against his chest until he loosened his grip and stumbled away from him. Her shoes were giving her trouble, it seemed.
"Please- are you well? What can I do?"
She swallowed hard and cast her eyes to the clock. It was huge monument in the castle's courtyard, complete with massive, stylized black hands and an eerie yellow face.
"I- I- please excuse me!" she gasped. Panic flooded her body, numbing her fingertips and rushing energy to her limbs. She turned away from her partner and bolted for the ballroom.
People scattered about the stairs from the balcony parted before her, muttering about manners and the youth today. From outside the grand ballroom, she could faintly make out another
GONG
"STOP!" a man's voice ordered. It was sharp and forceful, but not angry. She pushed through a tangle of young women casting her dirty looks and moved as fast as her voluminous white gown and crystal shoes would allow.
"STOP, NOW! LADY!" he shouted, but he was half a crowded ballroom away and she was moving so fast- a slender crystalline butterfly, winging for the door.
"Herald! Detain her!" he ordered across the room. From the corner of his eye, he could see his parents rise in alarm at the steel in his voice and the young lady fleeing from his sight.
"My son!" his father commanded. "What has happened? Have you offended the lady?"
GONG
It seemed to the girl on the stairs that the gongs were coming faster. Which was that? Fourth? Fifth? The stairs! Finally!
She was forced to push her way past a bony figure in black silk- her stepmother- and two beautiful young fillies in velvet and tulle- her sisters.
The stairs were steep and red-carpeted, plush to her tall heels. A hand on her arm and she almost fell- but it was the herald, ordered to keep her. She twisted one ankle painfully and was forced to abandon the delicate slipper that had nearly caused her fall.
"My lady, please, I must ask- "
She twisted away from him and he ripped her sleeve with his grip. A soft gasp echoed over the mass that had paused in its revelry to watch this scene unfold.
GONG
"Fifth..." she whispered as she fumbled past the man. Behind her, the young women requesting his attention parted reluctantly as her suitor attempted to follow her through the crowds.
What if she didn't make it? What if her godmother's magic wore off...right here...it was terrible to think. These elegant crystal chandeliers and spectacularly arrayed people casting disgusted eyes down on the ragged, sooty child in their midst...
She took the downward stairs two at a time and burst into the flagstone courtyard perilously fast. Guards blinked at her in confusion, this fine, distraught creature fleeing so quickly from the ball. More than one brought his weapon to bear behind her to perhaps PROTECT her from her plight.
GONG
The gleaming white carriage had already pulled up on the road; snorting moon-colored horses arching swan necks in their fury to be off. The doorman accepted her into the carriage and latched the door after her, and the driver cracked his whip. The stallions guiding the makeshift vehicle threw themselves forward-
GONG
The men-at-arms straightened when they caught sight of the young men who had come running after her. They'd lay no hands on HIM, this night or any other.
"Gateseman! Close the gates!" the young man snapped. "By the order of the Prince!"
She heard him, over the screech of the wheels and the screams of the horses; she heard what he said. One hand flew to her mouth.
"Prince?" she gasped.
Craning her neck around the carriage window, she caught sight of his strong frame at the bottom of the stairs, braced with anger. In his hand, he held something small, something so delicate- something glass?
GONG
And they were at the gates, the massive, black iron gates groaning closed so slowly- did they have enough room?
She threw herself forward in the carriage and looked out of the window on the opposite side.
"Driver, please HURRY!" she pleaded.
"Yes, my lady," was his unhurried response.
Closing, closing, they were so close, but it was CLOSING-
They made it through with inches to spare. The horses squealed with fury as the metal loomed in at them and galloped all the faster when they cleared it. The metal of the spokes crunched as it grazed the bottom of the gate. But they were clear.
GONG
She sat back against the seat of the carriage and breathed a sigh of relief, for the moment, at least. All they had to do was get back to her family's castle- a long drive, even by carriage. Even longer on foot, which was what she'd be doing in a few more strokes of the clock tower.
GONG
The Prince twisted away from the damn gates and ordered the nearest dozen horseman after the carriage.
He watched with mounting anger and cold confusion as they scrambled to the ready to follow. What had he done? Had he offended her, the shy little thing so new to his court? Had he scared her? Her behavior had been so erratic...he wanted only to catch her, to hold her until she stopped trying to push away, to find out what had happened...
He twisted the delicate slipper in his hands and pressed it to his chest. He would find this woman, if it took him the rest of his life.
GONG
The court had resumed its merrymaking since he had darted out to stop his lady. When he arrived on the top of the steps, level with his parents' platform across the ballroom and above the rest of the court, much attention was directed up at him.
He held up the shoe, the flawless crystal figure that was his only clue.
"I will give money and land to whomsoever can find the owner of this shoe. Someone must have known who she was. Bring her to me."
GONG...
And somewhere in the wilderness around the castle, cold and dark and damp and unbeknownst to the men flooding out of the castle in pursuit of her, Cinderella sat unkempt and alone and surrounded by rats. But she was happy.
Her head flew up, or as far up as it could fly tucked under her partner's chin.
She jerked back and blushed when she saw the questioning look on his face. "I- I'm sorry. I just...heard the clock, and- "
He smiled at her, and it was the smile that made her feel like everything would be all right.
"Don't be afraid. It's just the tower bells. They're loud but they won't hurt you. Shall I have them stilled, if it would ease your discomfort?"
GONG
But to his dismay, she only grew more agitated. She thrust her hands against his chest until he loosened his grip and stumbled away from him. Her shoes were giving her trouble, it seemed.
"Please- are you well? What can I do?"
She swallowed hard and cast her eyes to the clock. It was huge monument in the castle's courtyard, complete with massive, stylized black hands and an eerie yellow face.
"I- I- please excuse me!" she gasped. Panic flooded her body, numbing her fingertips and rushing energy to her limbs. She turned away from her partner and bolted for the ballroom.
People scattered about the stairs from the balcony parted before her, muttering about manners and the youth today. From outside the grand ballroom, she could faintly make out another
GONG
"STOP!" a man's voice ordered. It was sharp and forceful, but not angry. She pushed through a tangle of young women casting her dirty looks and moved as fast as her voluminous white gown and crystal shoes would allow.
"STOP, NOW! LADY!" he shouted, but he was half a crowded ballroom away and she was moving so fast- a slender crystalline butterfly, winging for the door.
"Herald! Detain her!" he ordered across the room. From the corner of his eye, he could see his parents rise in alarm at the steel in his voice and the young lady fleeing from his sight.
"My son!" his father commanded. "What has happened? Have you offended the lady?"
GONG
It seemed to the girl on the stairs that the gongs were coming faster. Which was that? Fourth? Fifth? The stairs! Finally!
She was forced to push her way past a bony figure in black silk- her stepmother- and two beautiful young fillies in velvet and tulle- her sisters.
The stairs were steep and red-carpeted, plush to her tall heels. A hand on her arm and she almost fell- but it was the herald, ordered to keep her. She twisted one ankle painfully and was forced to abandon the delicate slipper that had nearly caused her fall.
"My lady, please, I must ask- "
She twisted away from him and he ripped her sleeve with his grip. A soft gasp echoed over the mass that had paused in its revelry to watch this scene unfold.
GONG
"Fifth..." she whispered as she fumbled past the man. Behind her, the young women requesting his attention parted reluctantly as her suitor attempted to follow her through the crowds.
What if she didn't make it? What if her godmother's magic wore off...right here...it was terrible to think. These elegant crystal chandeliers and spectacularly arrayed people casting disgusted eyes down on the ragged, sooty child in their midst...
She took the downward stairs two at a time and burst into the flagstone courtyard perilously fast. Guards blinked at her in confusion, this fine, distraught creature fleeing so quickly from the ball. More than one brought his weapon to bear behind her to perhaps PROTECT her from her plight.
GONG
The gleaming white carriage had already pulled up on the road; snorting moon-colored horses arching swan necks in their fury to be off. The doorman accepted her into the carriage and latched the door after her, and the driver cracked his whip. The stallions guiding the makeshift vehicle threw themselves forward-
GONG
The men-at-arms straightened when they caught sight of the young men who had come running after her. They'd lay no hands on HIM, this night or any other.
"Gateseman! Close the gates!" the young man snapped. "By the order of the Prince!"
She heard him, over the screech of the wheels and the screams of the horses; she heard what he said. One hand flew to her mouth.
"Prince?" she gasped.
Craning her neck around the carriage window, she caught sight of his strong frame at the bottom of the stairs, braced with anger. In his hand, he held something small, something so delicate- something glass?
GONG
And they were at the gates, the massive, black iron gates groaning closed so slowly- did they have enough room?
She threw herself forward in the carriage and looked out of the window on the opposite side.
"Driver, please HURRY!" she pleaded.
"Yes, my lady," was his unhurried response.
Closing, closing, they were so close, but it was CLOSING-
They made it through with inches to spare. The horses squealed with fury as the metal loomed in at them and galloped all the faster when they cleared it. The metal of the spokes crunched as it grazed the bottom of the gate. But they were clear.
GONG
She sat back against the seat of the carriage and breathed a sigh of relief, for the moment, at least. All they had to do was get back to her family's castle- a long drive, even by carriage. Even longer on foot, which was what she'd be doing in a few more strokes of the clock tower.
GONG
The Prince twisted away from the damn gates and ordered the nearest dozen horseman after the carriage.
He watched with mounting anger and cold confusion as they scrambled to the ready to follow. What had he done? Had he offended her, the shy little thing so new to his court? Had he scared her? Her behavior had been so erratic...he wanted only to catch her, to hold her until she stopped trying to push away, to find out what had happened...
He twisted the delicate slipper in his hands and pressed it to his chest. He would find this woman, if it took him the rest of his life.
GONG
The court had resumed its merrymaking since he had darted out to stop his lady. When he arrived on the top of the steps, level with his parents' platform across the ballroom and above the rest of the court, much attention was directed up at him.
He held up the shoe, the flawless crystal figure that was his only clue.
"I will give money and land to whomsoever can find the owner of this shoe. Someone must have known who she was. Bring her to me."
GONG...
And somewhere in the wilderness around the castle, cold and dark and damp and unbeknownst to the men flooding out of the castle in pursuit of her, Cinderella sat unkempt and alone and surrounded by rats. But she was happy.