Prince Stefan stood poised upon the dais in the great hall, where stretched before him a line of twenty waiting girls buzzed with anticipation. Behind him were his father and mother's unoccupied thrones, and beside him stood his very best friend, Marius, who was allowed to join him on the dais as a special honor. The hour was nine o'clock, and Stefan had already greeted dozens of guests. The procedure was to formally introduce himself to them one by one, and to promise a dance with the ones closest to his age—it would be impossible to dance with every guest in one night. Stefan was terrified to dance with twenty strange girls—he wondered, what did they even think of him? What did anyone think of him? Who besides himself was forced to be paraded around in front of thousands of people on his birthday?
"She seemed nice," Marius murmured supportively. The previous girl wafted off into the crowd, her cheeks burning red after stumbling over her own name. Stefan didn't hear him, he was too busy fighting the muscles in his face to suppress a yawn. Yawning in front of guests would land him in hot water with his father, even if he were actually tired.
"Thanks for doing this with me," Stefan whispered in reply as the next girl prepared to introduce herself. "I think I trust your judgment more than my own."
"That's because I'm the smart one," said Marius, his mop of curly hair bouncing as he laughed.
A dark haired girl in a yellow dress stepped up and curtsied deeply. Stefan's automatic smile stretched across his face as she stood to face him. When she opened her mouth to say her name, though, barely a peep came out.
"Pardon?" Stefan said, leaning slightly forward to hear her better.
She blushed furiously and was just about to repeat herself when the girl standing behind her in line inserted herself between them.
"Umm," she began, her grin wide and frightening, "My name is Anna. I was the first one here today, you know. Waiting to meet you! My sister Didi—" she gestured to her sister standing in the line, "and I were sent to the back for a silly reason, but we should have met you first. The invitation says you have to dance with every girl, doesn't it?"
Stefan, speechless, exchanged a glance with Marius. Doing his duty, Marius stepped forward.
"Sorry, what was your name again? And why are you cutting in line?"
Anna's eyebrows drew close together in a scowl. "I'm not cutting in line—I was the first one here! I just said that. I've been waiting to meet the prince for hours, you know!"
The original girl too quiet to speak stormed away into the crowd. Marius quickly followed her.
"I am sorry for any inconvenience," Stefan said to Anna, "and yes, you're right. I have to dance with all the guests."
"Well, I've been here the longest," said Anna, "so it's my turn now!"
Just then, DiDi darted forward, shouldering Anna out of the way. "No she hasn't, I have! I got here before her and so it's my turn!"
"Whoa—whoa," Stefan said, stepping forward, "there's no need to fight-"
It was too late; the sisters were now slapping at each other, caught up in the heat of the moment from an argument that had no doubt lasted hours. In their struggle, one of the sisters nearly ran into the prince. Stefan's guard, Lance, stepped in to defuse the situation.
Marius returned, shaking his head. "The girl's name was—wait, what's going on here?"
Anna was in the middle of reaching forward, her arms sprawling around Lance, grabbing at her sister's long beaded necklace. The necklace snapped and beads exploded in the air and fell to the floor with a clatter.
Stefan palmed his face in frustration, rubbing his temples. "I can't do this."
Marius clapped him comfortingly on the shoulder. "Go. I'll take over for you."
The prince hesitated, unsure.
Marius shrugged. "It's your birthday! Your father is long gone, and I haven't seen your mother tonight. Who's gonna tell?"
Stefan grinned. "Okay. Just for a quick break, though. I'll be back." The wide doors leading to the garden were inviting; so Stefan ducked out for a breath of fresh air.
Above me, the castle illuminated golden light into the night sky—and music poured out from over its walls, adorning the humid night air with a sprightly melody. I had never before been so drawn to a place. The evening was full of magic: I could feel it everywhere.
Sir Gander had gifted me a full bloomed, red rose, and I tucked it into my hair for sake-keeping. Then, he took the carriage away until I was ready to leave, and so there I stood at the castle gates, the invitation addressed to me clutched in my trembling hands. I approached the posted guards, trying not to feel like an imposter. The invitation says MY name, I reminded myself.
The guards checked my invitation without a word and ushered me onto the pathway leading to the castle entrance. The castle interior was composed of towering white walls, enormous crystal chandeliers, hundreds of candles flickering among the hundreds of people in the hall standing on a vast, endless stretch of marble. My glass slippers made a peculiar noise as I walked slowly across the marble floor.
I made it, I thought in disbelief. I actually made it.
And there, up ahead on the dais stood a boy who was undoubtedly the prince, standing upon the steps before a line of waiting girls. My heart thudded uneasily at the sight of it—the prince was tall, wearing relatively plain dress clothes. His curly hair fell down to his shoulders, and his easy smile seemed to please the young girl standing before him.
He looks nice, I thought. He doesn't look like a prince at all. How come I never even considered that?
I glanced around the room to find the end of the line. The dais was at the back of the hall and beyond that appeared to be the garden, framed by enormous doors opened wide to the heavily scented evening. I took a deep breath and made to move through the crowd when a hand caught my arm.
"And exactly what are you doing HERE?"
It was Anna, her hair and dress partially undone, as if she had just been in a fight. I gasped in surprise and pulled away from her.
"I have an invitation," I said.
"Give it to me," she growled, snatching the paper from my hands. It immediately ripped.
"How did you get invited?" She demanded. "You should be up in your tower right now packing your bags, because the Necromancer is taking you away as soon as the sun rises!"
I stared at her in shock, my feet glued to the floor. "What did you say? Necromancer?"
She laughed cruelly. "That's what he is, Mary. Your new husband does a lot more than hunting, I've found out. So you better be a good wife and go home."
I began to back away from her; Anna's temper was rising, and she was unpredictable, like Lorna. I guessed she had a bad experience with the prince, and so I had two options: fight, or flight.
"Leave!" she insisted, stomping her foot. "Leave, or I'll tell everyone who you really are!"
I turned my back to her and left the great hall, my feet deftly moving me through the crowd of many faces. These people belong here, I thought furiously, unable to suppress my embarrassment. I don't belong here.
The fairy said I did. My mother put my name on the list-
But that was years ago. Everything had changed since that day.
"Mary!" a harsh voice spoke my name.
I nearly leaped out of my glass slippers; I looked around the garden, where the moon glowed softly upon a wall of towering hedges down the path. A glossy black bird perched on an overhanging branch of a flowering dogwood just above me gazed down with its imperceptible beady eyes.
"Mary!" It said again, and then fluttered off of its perch and onto the path. Then, it turned and lifted off towards the wall of towering hedges.
It said my name. How did it know my name?
I looked around me: I was alone. The other guests were gathered closer towards the doors that led to the great hall. There could be no mistake that the bird had addressed, well, me.
"Wait!" I took off down the path, following the bird deeper into the garden, where no torches lit the way. The hedges stretched high into the sky around me as the path wound about. The bird fluttered just ahead of me- always just out of my reach, leading me on. A fork in the path appeared. I stopped. The bird had vanished.
What was that about?
Which way had it gone? Down the left path, or the right? Or did it just fly off into the sky to leave me wondering what it all meant?
Left, or right? Right, or left? Or center? Dare I go further?
I stepped forward, and immediately collided with someone in the darkness.
"Oof!"
"Careful," they said, their hands quickly balancing me. I looked up at a stranger with a face shrouded in shadow.
"I didn't see you there," I said quickly, "I'm so sorry." I stepped back into the moonlight, and from the shadows emerged a boy about my age. In his hands was a familiar rose—the one Sir Gander had gifted me for the ball. He held it out for me to take. "Are you alright? This fell."
I hesitated. I knew I had never seen this boy before, but suddenly there was something so profoundly familiar about him that I was momentarily speechless. My eyes raked over him in confusion—average height, lean, hair neatly combed back behind his ears, and curious hazel eyes that regarded me with equal hesitance.
No, I don't know. The boy in my dream was similar, but this wasn't him.
I breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you." I took the rose.
A strange moment of silence followed.
"Er—were you heading into the maze?" he asked. "It's quite large, and sometimes people get lost in there."
"No," I said. "It's strange—I saw a bird and it sort of led me here. I think it said my name."
The boy looked at me for a moment before erupting into laughter. He probably thought I was joking.
"I'm sorry to laugh," he managed to say, "it's just, that's happened to me before and no one ever believes me. The bird—a black one, isn't it?"
I nodded. Another strange silence followed.
The boy cocked his head as he regarded me. "I'm sorry—have we met each other before?"
Definitely not. I shook my head. "My name's Mary."
"Okay good, I didn't want to be rude—I've met so many new people here, but I thought I've seen you before-"
"And you are?"
"Stefan," he said.
I laughed. "Oh, like the prince? You and the prince have the same name?"
He seemed confused for a moment, but then he smiled and laughed it off. "Yes, like the prince."
Then I remembered why I had even come to the ball. "I should be getting back," I realized. "I'm supposed to meet him tonight. It's getting so late." I turned to go.
"Wait," said the boy quickly. I stopped.
For a moment he hesitated, like he wanted to say something he couldn't. And then the sky opened up above us and warm, mid-summer's rain began to fall.
Stefan looked at me, smiling oddly. "There's a shelter just down this path—it's dry." He gestured to the center path, and so we rushed deeper into the garden to escape the burgeoning downpour. Up ahead I spotted a round, glass gazebo and I followed the boy inside. We were out of breath from running, but we looked at each other and laughed.
"Look at us," I said, wringing some of the water out of my hair, "what would the prince think?"
"He would think we should have known it was going to rain; it's been thundering for hours," Stefan replied breathlessly, slipping off his golden-threaded doublet and shaking out the drops.
I stepped over to the gazebo window and placed my hand upon the glass. I could feel the rain running down it on the other side; it sent random shivers down my spine.
"Are you cold?" Stefan asked. His hair, before combed back neatly behind his ears, was now hanging around his face in damp strands.
"A little," I admitted, and then I chuckled as a memory popped into my mind. "Only this morning I was melting under the morning sun in the market. Summer mornings are busy and hot."
"The market?" Stefan asked. "What's it like? I've never visited it before."
"You've never been to the market? How do you buy things?"
He looked at me curiously again, and then said, "The servants buy anything I need. Don't you have servants?"
I bit down hard on my tongue to keep myself from saying something rude. Clearly this boy was a privileged member of society—he was at the prince's ball, of course. His clothes looked expensive enough. Why would he think I'd be any different? I was dressed just as well as him, and attending the same occasion.
"I prefer to do things for myself," I explained mildly. "The market is lively, and the bookshop is right around the corner. Sometimes I spend my entire afternoon reading there."
He looked contemplatively out the window as the rain continued to fall. "I'm not allowed to spend my entire afternoon reading. I don't have freedom like that."
"Why not?" I asked, genuinely curious.
He just looked at me and smiled politely.
Just then, the rain let up and a fine mist hung in the garden. 'Speaking of freedom," I noted. "It's stopped raining. I think we could go back."
Stefan stood by the far window, his doublet drying on the bench. "I don't think I'm ready to go back," he said.
I opened the door to the gazebo and in rolled the humid mist. Faintly I could hear the music wafting from the castle, and the fireflies returned to light the path through the garden. "Come outside," I said. "It feels… magical."
Stefan rolled up the sleeves to his loose fitting under-shirt and slowly stepped out into the garden. He looked like a different person from only a few moments ago, when I first saw him. Before I could stop myself, I reached up to him and brushed a wet strand of hair away from his face. He didn't stop me, but he did look surprised.
I blushed, looking away. He is just a stranger. You don't really know him.
I turned to go.
"Er—before you go," he said, "what would you say if I asked you for a dance?"
A dance? How could I keep forgetting why I was here and who I was supposed to meet? Even rain-soaked, it was my destiny to meet the prince. I couldn't allow any more time to slip by. "I really must go," I said apologetically. "Maybe after I-"
"—meet the prince?" Stefan finished.
I nodded.
He sighed, and nodded. "I understand."
I hesitated. Why did I suddenly feel like walking away would be a mistake?
"Actually," I said, "a few more moments won't hurt. I just—you have no idea what I went through to get here tonight. It's been… surreal."
"I'm glad you came," said Stefan. We linked up right there on the misty garden path as the music from the castle met us as gently as the swaying of the hedges in the soft breeze. Standing so close to him, I breathed in his scent with the lingering petrichor hanging in the air. Is this what falling in love with someone feels like?
By the time the music died, the garden air had cleared and once again the moon bathed the castle in silver. Stefan's hand was warm against mine.
"I'll walk you back to the great hall," he said. We went slowly, our words passing back and forth with enthusiasm.
The interior of the castle was a stark, blinding contrast compared to the shadows and glow of the garden. The guests were all gathered together now, chatting animatedly in the hall. With no music playing, it seemed like everyone was waiting for something.
As Stefan led me inside heads began to turn towards us. I gazed around, confused why everyone was suddenly paying attention to me. I stopped in my tracks.
They weren't waiting for something, I realized. They were waiting for someone.
The boy with the curly hair, whom I had originally thought to be the prince, approached us through the parting crowd. He bowed to Stefan.
Prince Stefan.
"I was wondering when I'd see you again," he said to him. "They're waiting for you."
Prince Stefan smiled wanly, and turned back to me. I dropped into a deep curtsy, my heart racing in horror.
"No—it's okay," he said quietly to me as the guests stared on with curiosity. "We've already met, remember?"
I looked up at him in shock. "Why didn't you tell me?"
Before he could respond, my step-sisters materialized from the crowd.
"She's not supposed to be here!" Anna shrieked, breaking the hanging silence in the hall. "She's my servant—she stole my invitation to get in!"
Didi nodded furiously beside her. "It's true! I can prove it! And she stole my mother's dress!"
My heart dropped into the pit of my stomach as they continued to scream. Stefan stepped between us, and his friend quickly moved in front of them.
"That's enough! You have disrupted the peace too many times tonight. Stefan—give me the order and I will see them out," said a young man dressed in guard clothes.
Stefan turned to me, his eyes full of concern. "Mary, do you know them?"
My mouth went dry and my head was swimming. The hall around me was stretching into a blur. "I—I", I tried to speak, but I stumbled over my words.
And then Lord Terrowin appeared beside them. He was dressed in his long, black coat, anger etched tensely across his gaunt face. "The girl belongs to me," he said, pointing to me. "Her step-mother legally signed her to me this morning. I have the papers here-"
He was interrupted by the village clock's booming chimes echoing over the castle. DONG! DONG! DONG! It was midnight.
I turned and ran.
Out of the ballroom I fled, past the confused guards and guests and away from Stefan's calls. I think he tried to come after me, but I was determined to lose him and get as far away as possible. I flew down the palace steps to the carriage path where Sir Gander waited, and it began to rain again.
"We have to go now!" I urged him, "Please hurry!" They're going to get me and take me back, I thought with horror. I can't let them find me.
I climbed into the carriage and hastily shut the door. Sir Gander got the horse moving immediately, and in no time we were racing down the street away from the castle, and away from the city as well. I peered out the back of the carriage to make sure we were not being followed.
We were getting away.
I sat back in the seat, relieved and exhausted, and only then realized that I was missing one of my glass slippers.