CHAPTER THIRTEEN
A/N: Just a quick note to say that I have changed the "Glass Slipper" part of the world famous tale just a little. Cinderella and her step sisters are not in this chapter, but fear not: they are in the next chapter!
For those who read the original "A Slightly Different…" version of the famous tale of Cinderella, this edition of my story is greatly edited, and thus, is NOT like the earlier fic. Things are about to go AU and a certain character that was in the other edition has been removed.
Disclaimer: all quotes are not mine. Just letting you know; though the book I am using is in the public domain.
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Prince Edward looked on as the royal scribe wrote the proclamation about the mysterious maiden who would marry the ruler if she fit the glass slipper he had in his possession. He felt a moment's hesitation as he considered his feelings for the one called Magdalena. She was the woman who ensnared his heart, but the Prince knew that he could not hurt his Angel's feelings. Besides, although he and Dalena had many things in common, that alone was not a basis for marriage, or even for a declaration of love between two people.
For all the royal knew, Magdalena could have another man tucked away. He had heard of some women having more than one suitor vying for their hand in marriage. It wasn't as though he held the exclusive right to her love. Edward hoped, though, that if things did not progress between himself and his Angel, he could get to know Magdalena better as a friend and possibly a lifelong companion. He left the scribe, going to his room and staring at the glass slipper, the shoe that held his destiny in its crystal colored heel. The Prince stroked the smooth surface of the shoe, wishing and praying for the outcome he sought.
Maybe the slipper might fit Magdalena as well as my Angel, he reasoned. Of course, if it did, then he risked hurting two maids. I wonder if one could wed my cousin, the Duke of Armyrah. He is desirable amongst many women…perhaps I could seek his aid, and let nature take its course, Edward thought. He went back into the room where the scribe was putting some finishing touches on the parchment.
"Your highness," the scribe said in a cheerful voice, "I have finished it! It states that 'whichever maiden fits the Slipper of Glass shall on that very day be pronounced the Prince's bride'".
"You have done well, as always, scribe," Edward told the man with a self-assured voice. He prayed, though, that he would be able to wed the woman he wanted the most, and that he was a good judge of who would suit him as the best wife.
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While Edward looked over the inscription on the parchment, Trillion flew on until he was exhausted. Never had he flown so far and so high before, but the young fae had to know if he and the Maiden of Cinder and Ash would belong to each other.
After what would have seemed to mortal men to be hours but were in fact days (for in the faerie's Time hours progressed faster,) Trillion found what he searched for.
Trillion reached the castle in the Western Province of Aramathea. He felt his skin tingling as he approached the mountain upon which the castle of HWHAK stood. HWHAK was short for "He Who Holds All Knowledge", a faerie man who was once a Dark King, in the days when Trillion's mentor, Max, was a young fey. But the Evil Monarch had long since reformed, and as penance, he became the Guardian of all of the Tomes of the Fairy Kingdom, most notably the Tomes Three: the Book of What Has Been, the Book of Ordainment, and the Book of Future Things.
Despite the seeming gloominess and the isolation of the Dark Castle, HWHAK could be a charming host when he so wished. Trillion had never met the former Dark Ruler, but the younger fey had heard that the Keeper of All Knowledge, as HWHAK was sometimes called, had a good heart. The Dark Castle did not have any luster to it; it was rather like a dark lump of coal against the brilliant blue sky. The younger fey let his wings carry him through the wind to HWHAK's wooden drawbridge. He glanced upward, seeing the red flags hanging over the openings of the structure. The flags were the only hint of color on the outside of the Dark Castle.
The bridge lowered slowly, its creaking the only sound in the silent edifice. Trillion walked inside, materializing a torch for light since there did not seem to be torches on the walls. Moments later, the young fey came to some torches on the walls. He rounded a corner, taking the path to where the throne room of HWHAK was. A shadow blocked one of the torches. Trillion cried out to it.
"Who are you?" he asked. The shadow gave no reply. "Whoever you are, I wish to see the One Who Holds the Knowledge of Three."
"I will take you to the One you seek," the low voice boomed throughout the hallway. "Come."
Despite his fear, Trillion followed the shadow. He found himself in a room with a black throne which displayed archaic symbols etched in white upon it. Like many rooms created by the fey, this one was sparsely furnished, since magic beings did not have much need for conventional things. There were two black urns on either side of the throne, and they were lit by a warm amber fire. There was a table, low and heavy looking, made of oak with a glass center. It was oval, and there were several parchments scattered upon it. Other than the table and the throne, the only other accoutrement in the room was a shelf which stretched as far as the eye could see with books on it. Trillion heard a sound like a scraping which grew ever closer.
His mind told him that the scraping sound was HWHAK. The young fey had heard that the Seer of All had suffered an accident, and he walked with a limp. Of course, that could have been false information, too. No one really had the whole story about the former Dark Monarch, so tales from as far back as anyone could imagine had been invented. Trillion decided to simply take things as they came, not giving into wild speculation. The footsteps grew closer.
"Ahh, it is the young boy, Trillionanaoscapie, is it not?" a deep voice asked.
Trillion saw that its owner was thinly built, almost like a wraith. The body connected to that voice had a long black coverage which was not a tunic, for it did not reach the being's midpoint, but it stretched over his whole personage. His face was covered by a black metallic mask, with only his chin showing from beneath it. Two slits were the only eyes gazing out of it. Gloves covered his hands, and from beneath the whole outfit, a black cape, somewhat tattered on the end, was billowing from behind him.
Trillion swallowed, saying, "Yes, I am." He tried not to sweat, but was failing miserably.
"I am HWHAK," the being said. He (at least Trillion thought it was a man given the voice), gestured to a table which materialized with plates of fruit and water on it.
"Please, sit," the mysterious fey said, his voice containing a hint of amusement. Trillion sat, and HWHAK did the same at his throne.
"Now, then…" he began, handing the younger fey a vessel of water, "tell me why you have sought an audience with me."
Trillion swallowed again, to which HWHAK replied, "come, come, young one. I am not a beast to devour you or rend you apart with fangs! You should not believe the tales you have heard about me, for they are just that: tales of wild accusation which have no basis in fact."
Trillion took a sip of his water, then said, "Forgive me, your Highness—"
"Highness I am no more," the older fey told him, "HWHAK will do, or one of my many other titles."
"Very well, HWHAK," Trillion said. "As I said, forgive me, but if I may be so bold: some of the stories are in fact the unvarnished truth. You were, at one time, a Dark Ruler, and some claim you suffered an accident, hence your mask and your impediment."
HWHAK bolted up from the throne; Trillion's eyes followed his every move. Though frightened, the younger fey could sense the mysterious seer smiling behind his face plate. "And," his deep voice echoed off the walls, "who do you say I am, young Trillionanaoscapie?"
"I believe that you are the One Who Sees the Past, Present and Future," he said. HWHAK nodded.
"I will tell you the truth of what I see," HWHAK said. "It is true: I am the keeper of the secrets of the past, present and future. That alone has placed a burden on me that you cannot imagine, a responsibility to see to it that your future, and everyone else's, is not compromised along with the past. Hold out your hand to me."
Trillion wondered why this older fey wanted such a thing, but he did as HWHAK requested. Suddenly, the younger fey felt his red hair standing on end as his body crackled with energy. Trillion's eyes started glowing. He felt like someone was stripping him of all of his knowledge, or perhaps making room for clarification and enlightenment.
The process was over in an instant, though the young fey felt as though he had been with HWHAK for years. The older, mysterious faerie saw the question in Trillion's now-glowing eyes before they returned to normal.
Astonished that his clarity had gone, Trillion said, astonished, "Is that all? I still do not have an answer."
"It is not for me to answer," HWHAK replied nonchalantly. "That which you need to know, my brash, young fae, is already there."
Trillion could not believe his ears! The Dark King was saying that he, in all his youth, had the answer, but that could not be. HWHAK sighed.
"You are not ready for the truth, I can see that," he said. "You will know when the time comes what should be changed and what should not. For now, trust that the elements of the Universe are on your side, and hers. Things will be as they should be, and all will assert itself correctly in the end. Until then, you should have no regrets. Be comforted. Trust that everything will be all right."
Trillion left the room in a huff, murmuring to himself. When he had gone, HWHAK considered what had transpired beneath his faceplate.
To himself he said, "That one is quite special, but if his desire to act rashly overpowers all…everything could be lost." HWHAK shook his head, trusting that the Grand Design and those who shaped it knew what they were doing.
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When Trillion returned to Max's keep, the older fey was stirring a pot of venison for supper. He offered him a ladle full of the great smelling stew.
Trillion shook his head, murmuring, "Why did I seek him out?"
Max sampled some of the soup, then put the ladle back into the pot. "Mmm…?" He asked. "I did not hear you."
Trillion repeated, "Why did I seek him out?" Realizing Max didn't know what he meant, Trillion clarified, "HWHAK! He didn't answer my question." Trillion paced, his wings carrying him slightly above the ground.
"He told me to 'be comforted', and that the answer lay inside of me! What kind of gibberish is that, anyway?! It isn't as though I know about my own future. I don't know if I will be with Cinderella!" The red headed fae cried.
"I thought you'd given up on her," Max said sternly.
Trillion landed gently on the ground as he eyed Max. "I…did," he admitted; then added, "sort of, but I wanted to be absolutely sure…".
Max put the venison stew into two bowls and gave Trillion some with a spoon. He accepted the bowl that time and ate. The older fae materialized bread and some water for his young charge. "It is good, I suppose, that now you know her destiny," he said.
Trillion took another mouthful of the stew, saying, "But that's just it! I do NOT know! HWHAK told me the answer lies inside of me, and that I must trust the Grand Design! How can I trust it if I do not KNOW what it is?"
Max told him, "I once read that 'faith is the substance of things hoped for; the evidence of things not seen'. It is in the Holy Book." Looking at Trillion with his serious, brown eyes, Max said, "trust in that. Faith and truth will guide you to the right answer when it is ready to present itself."
Frustrated, Trillion spat in a low voice, "you sound just like he does." He left the unfinished bowl of stew on a nearby table, telling Max he was going to his room.
Max sighed, hoping that something would give Trillion whatever confidence he needed to see that things were as they should be. He put both bowls in the washing tub when his eyes lit on a piece of parchment that had arrived earlier that day. It was a notice from a Mother Duck, who was about to have her duckling, and she wanted a faerie to preside over the hatching for luck and good fortune.
The older faerie smiled. Here was something that, given the long voyage to the duck's land, would take awhile…at least three days. It would occupy Trillion's time as a Matchmaker; after all, matchmaking could be between a mother and her son as well as Princes and Princesses.
Max began to make the preparations for the journey.