"La-la-la-la…" Emma's song faded as she walked into the house. A stern glance met hers, but quickly melted into a smile.

"Vincent! I'm so sorry I am late. You wouldn't believe it if I told you, but as I was out walking-"

"Emma, dearest, I understand that you needed to be out, but you had better get back to your chores. We can't hide you from them forever," the older man sighed.

Vincent was the butler in the household and his position was fairly established. Despite all this, he had a very kind heart and he could not help but pity the poor little girl who suffered so much abuse at the hands of his mistress. He wanted Emma to confide in him, but quickly learned that she would tell nobody where she came from or how she had crossed the Duchess.

The household staff conjectured that she was a form of indentured servant, for why else would she remain under the Duchess's command?

"Have they returned from the jeweler's?" Emma inquired while taking off her thin coat. Her arms had turned a veritable blue in the cold, and she shivered slightly to come back into the warmth.

"Yes, and they wanted to see you."

"What? They wanted to see me?"

"Well, specifically, Maria did."

"Ah, that would explain it…"

Just as Emma had grown older, Maria had, as well. Much as she hated to admit it, Emma knew that Maria was absolutely beautiful. Her face was the palest shade of ivory, tinged only with roses on her cheeks. Her blue eyes were shaded by long black lashes, which rose and fell lazily over her eyes. Blonde curls, painstakingly arranged each morning before dawn, framed her lovely face. In short, she was the ideal of beauty.

Emma was not ugly, but she was not like her stepsister. Her face was simpler, her hair was lank and the colour of dishwater, and her eyes were more gray than blue. This is all if one saw past the dirt which habitually coated her face and body.

Maria, as before, loved nothing more than to lord over Emma and remind her of all that she did not have. She did this by trying on dresses and jewels and ribbons in front of her, tossing them about and telling Emma to retrieve them and give them to her. Emma would do so, attempting to dirty the beautiful things as much as she could in the process. She would never concede that Maria was the better of the two.

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Upon this occasion, Maria seemed far more excited than ever.

"Oh, Emma, just listen!"

"Do I have a choice?"

"Hush, Emma, you talk too much," she pouted. "I told you to listen."

Emma lowered her face and gave a small curtsy. At this, Maria beamed.

"Well, I am going to a ball two nights from now!"

"You go to many balls, Mar- Miss," Emma sullenly muttered.

"Oh, yes, but this one is special. You see, this ball is in honour of the prince! The entire royal family will be there, and it is said that the guest of honour will choose a bride that night!"

"Don't be ridiculous, Maria!" Emma finally exclaimed. "Everybody knows the prince is a dullard or possibly hideous. Why else would his family hide him from society as they have been doing these past years? Did you not tell me these things?"

Maria looked slightly offended. She opened her mouth, and then closed it again.

"He is not hideous, silly girl. I have seen him. He is far from hideous." A smile played around her lips. "As for his being a dullard, I could not believe that. His eyes are far too lovely."

"Honestly, Maria, how could you possibly tell?" Emma finally burst out, frustrated. She often spoke to Maria in a condescending tone, not daring to let her be made a fool of, for she was a clever girl. This was the last straw, however. She was sick of being blunt. This comment did not escape Maria's notice.

"Are you implying that I myself am a fool?" Maria narrowed her eyes and stared at Emma. "If you are so wise, why is it that you are dressed in rags and scrub floors, whilst I attend parties with the most intelligent men in the country?"

"Fate is cruel, I suppose," Emma replied bitterly.

"You are never to call me 'Maria' again, do you understand?" she whispered. Her anger was finally aroused. "You are an idiot scullery maid and that is all you will ever be good for. If you dare to speak to me in that tone again, I will have Mother give you a decent flogging."

"Your mother does not know about these meetings of ours where you throw your things around for the scullery maid to pick up," Emma retorted.

Maria flushed, but quickly recovered her composure.

"I don't care. She will take my side no matter what, do you understand?"

"I suppose."

"Good. Now leave my sight," she commanded, pointing toward the door.

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Alone, Emma pondered the consequences of Maria's prattle. So, the prince was getting married? He was far from hideous, Maria had said. Emma had always thought that such a rumor could not be true. Princes were handsome, after all. How could they be otherwise?

If he was getting married, he might marry Maria. She was very beautiful, after all. If he was a dullard, which seemed likely, he would choose the prettiest girl, without caring whether she was cruel or idiotic. Yet… if Maria were to marry, she would leave Duchess's home and Emma would at least be free of her cruelty. It was a small price to pay, she thought, until she considered the damage Maria might do as queen. Again, she shuddered, though not from the cold.

Her thoughts drifted to the three strangers in the woods. They were obviously noblemen. All three were handsome, especially the best-dressed one. "Baby", he had called her. That was what all men thought of her, most likely. She was the dirty little girl. Foolish noblemen, she thought. The idiots couldn't even detect a lady in disguise. She liked to think of herself that way. She was a lady in disguise, hiding from a terrible enemy. It was not yet safe to take off the mask of dirt and reveal the glowing beauty underneath.

Her daydreams were interrupted by a shout.

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Dominic, Thomas, and Edward had been riding through the forest, vainly searching for game. It was as if the girl had warned every animal within riding distance. At long last, they saw movement.

To their surprise, it was not a fox or a doe, but a man in a wagon. He looked to be no older than they themselves were, but his face was smudged with dirt and his clothes were torn in some places. The cart swayed as he went forward and his eyes were glazed, as if he were not paying much attention.

Dominic spotted a tree limb which had a large nest resting on it. Smiling, he took out his bow and prepared to shoot. His arrow flew in a straight line and hit the nest, knocking it out of the tree and onto the boy's head. The boy, startled, gave a shout and slowed the horse. Dominic and the others had already run off, laughing loudly.

In his lap he held the remnants of the nest. He grinned and took its contents out: a small branch, to which were attached three little hazelnuts. Pleased with this discovery, the boy discarded the nest over the side and placed the stem in his pocket. The horse began its walk again.

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"Oy, Emms!"

"What is it, Henry?" Emma replied, jolted from her daydreams and shaking her head to clear it.

"I brought you a pres'nt!" His smile widened as he reached into his pocket.

"What's this about presents?" a voice intruded. The Duchess had entered the small kitchen where Emma was sweeping the floor and she stared at Henry, who looked taken aback.

"'S not much, M'lady. Just a lit'l thing. Not much, really," he stammered.

"Show me. Produce it immediately!" she shouted in response. Maria had also come in at this point.

Henry reached into his pocket and pulled out the small branch. The Duchess snatched it from him, inspected it, and laughed. She handed it to Maria, who also began to giggle delicately.

"Is it a gift from a squirrel, perhaps? Or a chipmunk. What great friends you are with woodland creatures, Emma!" the Duchess smirked.

"Why, she is even more of an idiot than I thought!" Maria exclaimed. "Oh, let her keep them, Mum, she won't do any harm with it. Maybe she'll enjoy herself. She has no toys, after all."

The Duchess nodded and Maria threw the branch at Emma, who did not even attempt to catch it. She looked truly miserable.

As the two women marched out, she turned to Henry with tears in her eyes.

"Why did you do that!" she whimpered.

"I…I didn' mean no 'arm, Emms. Oh, don' cry. Jest look!" He picked up the branch. "It fell righ' on my 'ead. Like you said, 'member? Righ' on my head…" he muttered, trying to console her by patting her arm awkwardly.

Emma sniffled a few times, then took the branch from him.

"Thank you, Henry. I am truly grateful."

"'S not much…" He shifted from foot to foot, uneasily.

"Oh, at least I know that somebody cares to remember what I say!" she smiled through tears.

At that very moment, in his room, stretched out on a chaise, the prince repeated to himself, "'She also hates pompous brats.'" It annoyed him a great deal that some stupid peasant girl's insult could get stuck in his head so easily.

A/N: Well, what do you think? Oh, it doesn't seem like much now, but there is a great deal to it! The next part of the riddle is coming up! Wait and see, I will have it up tomorrow, I swear! I hope everybody likes the character development. It's certainly different from the normal Cinderella story.

Oh, by the way, Maria's name is pronounced in the English fashion, "Mah-rye-ah". Just thought you should know!

Whatever you would like for me to add, please let me know. If there is something wrong, also let me know. I want to make this as lovely as possible!

I love you all!

Titania