If The Shoe Fits

"Good afternoon," I said tentatively as I stepped into the kitchen. The man looked up and I shuttered as he glanced me over.

"How do you do?" he asked with arched eyebrows. He was wearing a white linen shirt, breeches and brown boots. The cape around his shoulders gave him a villainous look.

"Where are Allison and Madison?" I asked my step-mother, not meeting the Lord's eye.

"You see Lord Cadaver, I told you she was sweet," she told the lord. I looked at both of them and they stared back at me. I was tired of the triangle of dialogue. Chris and Cly were still outside and Astra was missing. I did not have time to waste conversing with this man who was looking at me like I was a piece of meat. I shifted uncomfortably and looked to the door. "Isabella," my step-mother said. "I expect lunch shortly." She turned and led Lord Cadaver out of the kitchen. They disappeared behind the dining room door.

I pushed open the kitchen door. "Chris," I called in a loud whisper. "Chris!" I said again. He and Cly appeared from behind a crumble wall of the old kitchen.

"Who was that?" Chris asked.

"Lord Cadaver," Cly answered, walking behind him, "he owns some land in the next county over."

"What is he doing here?" Chris asked, directing the question towards me. I smiled nervously. Chris seemed like the jealous type. How would he act when I told him I was practically engaged.

"What does it matter?" He gave me a look and I shook my head. "You both have to go. My step-mother will kill you and then me if she sees you. I will meet you at Cly's."

"No Bella, I am not going to leave you here alone. You said so yourself, your step-mother will call the authorities as soon as she finds out you were at the ball."

"She won't find out. I will leave as soon as I can. I just have to humor her for a bit and then I can sneak away. Right now you and Cly have to get out here. Do not be so hardheaded Chris." He rolled his eyes and was about to say something else when Cly grabbed his arm.

"We will see you soon Bella," Cly said with a laugh. He took a step back. I turned back to the kitchen with a sigh. I grabbed the pot of semi-cooked vegetables and drained them. That along with a few cuts of ham was lunch. Walking into the dining room with my makeshift meal, I saw my step-mother and Lord Cadaver huddled together in deep conversation. I laid down the pot with a loud clash.

"Sit Bella," Lord Cadaver said, gesturing toward the seat next to him, "I have looked forward to seeing you again for some time now."

"Oh," I answered, sitting down across from him instead.

"We meet at the market." I nodded but he did not catch my eyes. He seemed to be staring at my neck. I rubbed my hands together nervously. "Your step-mother and I have come to an agreement. You come live with me, as my wife, and Mrs. Ashen's debt to me, your late father's debt, will be resolved." My step-mother smiled in agreement.

"You could be married by early winter. I have always loved winter weddings," she added. I could feel the bile rising in my throat. I guess the sickness showed in my face.

"You could live here until the wedding if that would suit you," Lord Cadaver said. He reminded me of a snake, the way he was so vile and thought clever.

My step-mother shook her head quickly. "Not marrying you at all," I said, before she could open her pouty little mouth. "That would suit me."

"Isabella!" my step-mother shrieked. I stood from the table and slammed in the uncomfortable wooden chair. Lord Cadaver chuckled.

"Now, now no need to get raddled up dear." I took a step back, trying to escape this miserable situation. Lord Cadaver raised his hands in mock surrender.

"Bella, really sit back down," my step-mother said, regaining her composure.

"No! This is ridiculous. I will not be your wife." With that I turned around and walked out of the dining room, the wooden door swinging shut behind me.

"Isabella! Where will you go?" my step-mother called out.

"Don't fret," Lord Cadaver said just as I was about to turn the knob of the kitchen door, "a few days on the street and she will come running straight into my arms."

"How did you know of the assassination attempt on the Crown Prince?" Lord Javier asked, eyeing Sir Lawrence with suspicion. The young knight was now in a very different part of the tunnels, the dungeons. When Sir Lawrence had told Lord Javier that there was a plot to kill the Crown Prince in the works, word was quickly sent to Sir Richard. At the same time, the news of the attack of Crown Prince Chadwick was being sent to Lord Janvier. Sir Lawrence had been so close to achieving his mission but now everything had backed fired.

The knight looked up at the lord with heavy eyes. "Sir please, I swear it, I am merely a messenger."

"Who sent the message?"

"I do not know, my supervisor just announced that he had a message for the king, and I was chosen to deliver it. It could not have been more than a month ago when we got word."

"If you cannot tell me who sent it then tell me what the message was, word for word Sir Lawrence?"

"I cannot tell you my lord, I was told it was only for the ears of the King." Lord Javier bowed his head in frustration.

"Well you are too late. The act has already been committed."

"Oh," the mouse yelped, "I am too late. The Prince, the poor Crown Prince, and I, Sir Lawrence, had the chance to save him. Oh, good lord, this is my entire fault. I lay my head in anticipation of your sword. Do away with me, I am useless, I am too late …"

"Lawrence, goodness get a hold of yourself." Sir Lawrence refused to meet the lord's eye. "The Crown Prince was not harmed. He is safe, and you still have a chance to help. Just tell me the message."

"Thank goodness! What happened?"

"The message Sir Lawrence!"

"Oh! I cannot my lord, I beseech you, take me to the king." Lord Javier shook his head.

"I will see what can be done. For the meantime stay here." With that the lord walked away from Sir Lawrence, who was near tears, and back to his office.

"He is useless," Lord Javier huffed to his advisors who were waiting outside the door. "Completely useless." The older knight who had brought Sir Lawrence – Sir Humphrey – took a step forward and spoke in an effort to redeem himself.

"Perhaps we should take him to the King?"

"That is ridiculous. I doubt that mouse has an ounce of sense."

"You doubt he has a message? Then how would he have known of the murder plot?" a seasoned adviser asked.

"I do not know and it is not important. What he said was to happen has happened; now we have to figure out who was behind it."

"Perhaps the assassin sent the mouse as some sort of decoy?" Sir Humphrey said quietly. Lord Javier turned toward him.

"Hum. What do we know of the attempt?"

"Not much," another advisor began, "we had no scouts in the courtyard at the time and I was present when Crown Prince Chadwick recounted his story to Lord Richard."

"No leads?"

"None my lord, all they have is a curious slipper fashioned out of glass. The story has been leaked to the public, and the Royal Militant has begun their rounds, searching for anyone who fits the shoe."

"A glass slipper?" Lord Javier asked with a cynical laugh. "Well if the shoe fits, one poor maiden will have a very unpleasant happy ever after."

Outside the palace the day was progressing as any other. Gossip was spreading like wildfire. To each house it jumped searching for fresh fodder. Bell Post Office was having one of its biggest days of the season. Letters were sent, messages written about the attempt on the Prince's life and one notorious glass slipper.

"Lily! Lily!"called Mrs. Bell. "Come here."

"Yes mother," the fairy answered, running down the hall. Her soft slippers slid on the wooden floor, and she fell right into the arms of a soldier of the Royal Militant. He righted her. "Hello," she said embarrassed.

"Hello maiden," the soldier said with a charming smile. "May we ask you a few questions?"

"About what?"

"The ball miss," behind him Lily could see a dwarf with a very long beard. The dwarf was dressed in a dark blue tunic that reached a little past his knees and tan tights. In his hands he held a blue pillow trimmed with gold, on which sat a slipper. It was very peculiar, with a diamond shine that reflected colors like a kaleidoscope.

"Oh, of course." She led him into the apartment's sitting room and took a seat. "I heard of the accident in the courtyard."

"Yes,"

"Was the Prince harmed?"

"No, he will be fine."

"And the visiting ladies?" Lily asked. She had not heard from Isabella for days and had begun to worry about her. She tried looking for her at the ball but Lady Jacqueline was nowhere to be found. Now there had been an attempt on the Crown Prince's life. Lily had no idea what Bella could have gotten involved with. "Are they all alright?"

The soldier scrunched his eyebrows. This girl with the bright clothes was odd. Why was she asking so many questions? He shook his head. "Yes, they are all fine. Um, what time did you get to the ball?"

"Around eight."

"What time did you return home?"

"I was still there when the ballroom was put on lockdown, so a half past one or so I would say."

"Thank you Lily Bell." He nodded and the dwarf, who seemed to glide across the floor, appeared at his side. "Your foot please."

"You cannot be serious."

"Quite miss, why?" Lily huffed and lifted a pointed, slender foot. Her foot was much too long for the slipper. It did not even reach past her heel. Lily giggled as the glass shaped to the part of her foot that it did cover. The soldier watched in amazement. The slipper had done that to every maiden who had tried it. But, after a few seconds …

"Oh," Lily said in a low, awed voice, as the cool glass released her foot and fell to the ground, an inanimate object once again. The dwarf returned the slipper to its pillow.

"Thank you for your time," the soldier said once again. Lily nodded. She led him to the door.

"Have a good day!" she said.

"You as well," the soldier said, tipping his hat.

"No luck?" her mother teased when Lily walked back into the kitchen. Lily shook her head with a smile. She looked out the window just in time to see the soldier mounting his horse. Where is Bella? she wondered as she watched him gallop away.

"You worry too much," Cly said before biting into an apple. He and Chris were sitting in the kitchen in his home.

"I did not like the looks of Lord Cadaver."

"He is probably Bella's intended."

"What do you mean?" Chris asked, his voice high.

"Well Bella is of marrying age, and she's quite beautiful, and Lord Cadaver is a lord, so I was just putting two and two together."

"Oh no, we have to go back." He was already walking towards the door.

"Relax Chris, she will find a way out of it, she always does. Have you told her?"

"Told her what?"

"You can play dumb around the guys but I know you Chris. Have you told her yet?

"No," Chris said, taking a seat on the counter once again.

"When are you planning to?"

"I do not know Cly, I have been a little preoccupied. This whole thing with the ball and Chadwick and now Astra's missing. Look we cannot just wait here, Bella might be in trouble."

"What can we do? She said she would meet us here as soon as she could. You have to tell her."

"I know. I will. I just need to find the right time to do so."

"What happened last night?"

"What do you mean?"

Cly ran his hand through his hair and smirked, "You meet with her right?" Chris nodded. "So the Queen finally had some time to see you? Odd, on the night that her son gets attacked no less," Cly said sarcastically.

The older shook his head and although he was smiling the smile did not reach his sparkling blue eyes. He lifted his hand and noticed his pallor. He was losing his tan color. His skin was becoming almost translucent. He had been here for much too long. If he did not leave soon he would be trapped in this world forever. That is what Queen Evangeline had said. He remembered when he first arrived in Breena, over five years ago. He had been a stupid youth at the time, intent on finding adventure. This world had been a dreamland to him. Robin Hood, the legendary Robin Hood that he had read stories about as a child, was to be his guardian. It had been his punishment for a life a thievery. The archer took the boy in right away, treating him as his own son. Chris had found what he had come looking for but Bella complicated things. He wondered if one the time came and it would soon, would she truly be willing to leave with him?

I ran through the garden and did not stop until I reached the dirt road. My step-mother made me so angry. What right did she have to dictate my life as if I was some life size puppet? Lord Cadaver was even worse. He truly believed whomever he married was lucky to have him. I felt bad for that poor girl because I knew it was not going to be me.

"Wait!" someone called behind me. I slowed my pace and glanced over my shoulder. I small flutter of blue was coming towards me.

"Blue Jay?" I asked, stopping completely.

"Yes, of course. You did not think you were going to leave me there?" I shook my head.

"Come on then. Lady Deliria's manor is up the road."

"Who?"

"Never mind then," I started walking once again and the bird hovered next to me. "Chris and Cly are waiting for me there."

"The two men that were in your home?"

"Yes, do you have any idea where Astra is?" The bird titled its head.

"The ball." I sighed. The manor came into view.

"It's just up the hill," I said, breaking into a run.

Chris and Cly jumped when I opened the door. I laughed and Chris gave me my smile. "Hey Belle, are you okay?"

"Yes, I am fine. I just will not be going back home anytime soon," I said. Cly shrugged his shoulders in question. They both seemed preoccupied and I had the feeling I had interrupted something.

"Then what do we do now?" Cly asked.

"I have to find Astra. I have to make sure she's safe." Chris' eyes flashed. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." He and Cly shared a look. "Where do we start?"

"If she went to the ball then she has to be in Faylinn." More looks were passed between the two.

"The soldiers are on full alert. They are searching for who every fits the glass slipper," Chris noted.

"I know but …" I was at a loss for words. I could not just leave Astra, she had done so much for me. Faylinn was a huge city, I had no idea where we would even start. I rubbed my head in thought. "I guess I will have to avoid them." Chris could see the frustration written on my face because he gave me a reassuring smile. Bored, Blue Jay flew to the other side of the room and picked at an apple core on the counter.

"I guess," Chris said finally. It was decided. We were going to go back to Faylinn. Wherever Astra was I hope she realized how much more trouble she was causing me.

Hello readers! I hope everyone is having a good summer. Sorry for the long wait, finals and all, but updates should be coming much quicker now. So that's chapter 20! I just want to thank all my readers and reviewers. I really hope you are enjoying the story. Please review or send me a PM. I really want to hear what you all think. And for the readers of Mermaid's Tale, I think I might discontinue it and then come back to it. I have so many things written down but I hate leaving you all hanging for months on end. For anyone on fictionpress I have a new account there (penname BlueJayWay) so look out for new stories. Again thanks so much and don't forget to review ~Iris Lily~

P.S. Fanfiction is not letting me use the astrix does anyone know how to fix this?