"OMG, the price is coming here!" Donna exclaimed, while bowing (almost) gracefully, just as she and her family entered the grand ball room. "We are delighted to meet you, your highness..."
"PRINCE!?" the time lady shouted astonished, when a familiar frustrated person in royal outfit appeared in front of them.
"We need to talk, Doctor." Master told her.
"Doctor?" Adelaide was confused. "Your grace is mistaken. It's only our Cinderella."
The time lord looked at his best enemy up and down, as if only now noticing what she had on herself, and suddenly started laughing so loudly that surely a half of occupants in the huge chamber had to hear him. Then, Master just spared a glance at three women, which accompanied Doctor, and ignoring their shouts, grabbed the time lady's hand and pushed her quickly after himself.
"What are you doing here?" Master questioned her, when they were alone on an abandoned balcony near the palace's garden. (Of course, guards listened to him and would make sure that he and Doctor were not to be disturbed.)
"I could ask the same about you, 'your highness'."
"I'm playing in being a prince, obviously. Instead of a cleaning girl." Master picked the hem of her long skirt up to check shoes underneath it. "Where are your slippers? Yyy... whatever Godmother, gave you this dress, had too be very poor. My kitchen maids have better clothes than this."
"Stop it." Doctor backed away. "So, it's your doing. What kind of evil scheme do you have in mind now?"
"An evil scheme? Look around, idiot! Why would I have to lower myself to use a child's stupid story to catch you, kill you, torture you and kill again?"
"...well..."
"Not a word." Master glared and tried to forget that to survive or torment Doctor, he was actually capable of lowering himself to the lowest. "But know this, I haven't planned it and I want to get out."
"Then, do you remember how you got here?"
"And you?"
"So you don't. Blast!" Doctor threw her hands up. "I thought that coming to the ball will help somehow, but nothing happens. Except of meeting you...Ugh."
"Didn't you ask your Fairy Godmother for help, Cinderella?" Master mocked.
"There was no Fairy Godmother!" she shouted. "There isn't even any evil stepmother, ugly stepsisters and Cinderella's father isn't dead!"
"And coincidentally, all of them look like your former companions (but I don't recognize the old one). Interesting. Haven't you thought that all of this could have been done for a reason?"
"Of course, I have, but to them I'm just Cinderella. Moreover, the story is all wrong." she crossed her arms frustrated. "If I was real Cinderella, then I would be stuck in kitchen from the beginning. Instead, they all are very nice and I was allowed to come to the ball. Donna even made this dress for me."
"It seems that we are the only ones, who are aware that the fairy kingdom is an illusion."
"Is it possible that we are here because we are time lords...?"
"NO!" Master suddenly burst out. "I am the time lord! You're just some ancient organism, who decided to visit my galaxy. You might have forgotten that, but I'm certainly not."
"The link still exists." she had replied stoically after a long pause. "How have you survived?"
"Huh?"
"The destruction of Gallifrey."
"Let's just say that I'm so clever that I can be in few places at once." he answered. "Can we go back to the topic?"
Doctor rolled her eyes. Master never liked to reveal much... Well, she also preferred to not tell him how she ended in Judoon prison, got out and started travelling with her Fam again. Adelaide said that Graham was her father in the current universe, but Doctor doubted that the man was really her companion. Who could have a face of Yaz and Ryan? Wherever her Fam was, she hoped that they were all right.
"Cinderella should loose her slipper on the ball." Doctor stated. "However, one pair of shoes was already prepared for me by Donna and it went missing."
"Start crying and maybe the fairy will hear you."
"You are joking, right?"
"Unfortunately, no. I'm only the price. (Such injustice) My job was only to organize a ball, meet you, find slipper and look for you, finally - marrying you. (Yuck.)" he took a step closer to her. "You must have noticed that it doesn't matter how people are treated, but if we follow the story. You have the main role. Take advantage of it. Lure your Godmother out and catch her."
"She didn't appear to me, she might not even exist."
"You can be really dump sometimes."
"Oi!"
"Cinderella has the contact with the only magical creature in the fairytale. I bet that she is our way out ticket. Moreover, I already know the reason why she ignored you."
"Because I didn't need her. I went to the ball anyway." Doctor realised. "Fine. I'll try TALKING to her. Go hide yourself behind that column, so she wouldn't see you."
"Whatever. Remember to look convincing." Master advised while backing away.
"Ugh, I know, go." Doctor looked around checking if she was only by herself, then started 'crying'.
"Oh, poor me," she wept. "I'm so sad, very very very very sad, I'm the saddest person in the whole world."
Master shook his head with disappointment. He doubted that any fool would fall for this, but then he saw the light, which soon changed into a lady in blue gown.
"Oh, my poor Cinderella." the magical lady said. "I'm your Fairy Godmother, who has come to help you."
"Oh, hello." Doctor greeted her. "Would you by any chance know..."
"I've seen your pain, that's way I'm giving you this." she waved her wand and on Doctors' feet materialized glass slippers."
"Thanks, but..."
"Remember, the magic will end at midnight. "
"No worries, I can walk without..."
"That's why you must leave before that time." Godmother continued, not hearing her.
"Geez, these are just normal shoes. Not completely normal, but still - not end of the world. By the way, I have a question..."
"Don't worry about anything, my dear. Just go and dance."
"Are you even listening to me!?"
"Just grab her!" Master shouted and jumped at the fairy, however she vanished as quickly as she came. "Damn it."
"Funny, I've always imagined her differently. More emphatically, I would say." Doctor mused. "Did you recognize her?"
"Why should I?"
"Everyone around is similar to a person from our past. Thus, logically, Godmother should also be. However, I can't match her face to anyone. Can you?"
"This is your Godmother, not mine." he replied, while standing up from the ground. "She must be similar to your former companion or someone else."
"Come on, I didn't recognize half of people in the palace. They surely are yours, so the Godmother may as well. Who is the king anyway? What? Why are you pointing at that painting,... which actually shows the king... But, it's you! I mean other you. Past you."
"To clarify - yes, it's professor Yana and also... my 'father.'"
"Whoever put us here has a strange sense of humour. " Doctor commented and took off one of her slippers. "Take one, I will take the other. I hope that I'll see you tomorrow."
"Be assured that your prince will scoop you up and save you from your miserable life." Master sneered, while taking the shoe from her hand. "Would you care letting me know, where you live?"
"Cinderella's prince didn't need that, I'm certain that you'll manage just fine." she said with a similar sarcasm.
ooo
"Are you sure that you're all right, Cinderella?" Donna asked, when all four ladies sat safely in their coach and were returning home. "because if he did anything to you, I swear, prince or not, he would regret it!"
"Thank you, but I'm OK."
"But he had to mistake you for someone else." Bill insisted. "He called you 'Doctor'."
"...he called me like that because it was my nickname, when we were children." the time lady said at last, deciding that a half truth was the best option in current circumstances. Plus, it was already difficult to explain, why she was barefoot.
"You have never mentioned that you grew up with a member of royal family." Adelaide was surprised. "Neither, your father."
"We were friends once, but we went separate ways... I don't like to talk about it much..."
Hearing a sad tone in Doctor's voice, all three women didn't pressure her more and the rest of the journey was completed in silence.
ooo
"You let her go?!" the king shouted. "Son, are you completely our of your mind?"
"Don't worry. I have a plan."
Of course, he had, but after the horrible ball Master was tired and he only wanted to sleep, dreaming that all would be over tomorrow. Unfortunately, his father decided to visit his chamber and question him about the bride.
"I hope that it's a good one, my child. Because when, you meet your chosen one, you can't just allow her to leave. Especially, as you stated that the lady reciprocated your feelings and you don't know, where she lives."
"Chosen one? You're overdramatizing."
"I may so, but remember that life isn't a fairly tale, answers won't come to you just by themselves."
It wasn't a first time, when Master wondered, why he was able to stand the king's fatherly concern. He presumed that mostly because of the resemblance to his past self, however he might be wrong.
"What have you said?" the time lord asked, as if he was suddenly illuminated.
"Please don't make me to repeat myself, son. I'm an old man, but my mind is in the right place. Some thighs are easy to get, but for others - you have to work long and hard or even fight for it. I see that the lady charmed you very much and you're confident in your decision, but have you really overcome all obstacles, which are on the way, to achieve your desire?"
To Master's surprise, the king could be right. Finding Doctor wouldn't be difficult, however what the Godmother would do was a completely different question. She should have helped Cinderella, but the time lady didn't actually asked for any slippers (Doctor wasn't even allowed to voice any requests at all), but she was given them nonetheless. It was possible that the magical creature had a much different 'happy ending' in mind.
"Yes," he admitted to himself. "Life isn't a fairy tale... I will take a few guards just in case."