Come morning, the group was already downstairs trying their best to fix up the bakery for business. James had baked some loafs of bread to be sold on a cart outside for the people in the street, while the others were cleaning up the bread and pastries thrown on the floor.
"I'm gonna make a run to my house and we'll stop by Jack's along the way" said Cinderella reaching for a satchel from the closet.
"Be careful and hurry back" said James with concern in his voice.
Jack and Cinderella headed outside, witnessing all the destruction that the giantess caused in broad daylight. But then a voice was heard over the sounds of people rebuilding their homes.
"Attention all, ATTENTION" shouted a booming voice that belonged to none other than the Royal Steward. He and Prince Charmont were walking about town "his royal highness wishes to address his loyal subjects" he shouted again.
Cinderella stared at the prince, she could tell he had an air of sadness upon his charming face; he must've heard about his brothers death she thought. She couldn't help but think of the love that they have shared with each other before...the terrible thing happened. She began to wonder if he loved her for her cleverness or he loved her for her beauty. Suddenly she snapped back when she heard the steward shout in pain and then she realized that Jack was not standing next to her. Jack had hit the steward on the head with a pebble, by means of his sling and then the small boy began wrestling the steward to the ground.
"You feckin' bastard" Jack kept shouting while hitting the Steward "I'll feckin' kill you" he shouted next.
Cinderella ran in and pried the boy off the older man, while Prince Charmont pulled the steward away. Charmont looked up to see that it was Cinderella holding the young lad who was kicking and shouting, so he wanted to know what was going on.
"What is the meaning of this" Charmont asked with concern.
"Indeed" the Steward huffed as he brushed his coat "control your brat madam" the pompous windbag shouted.
Charmont silenced the steward and walked towards Cinderella and Jack.
"What is going on Cinderella" he asked, this time with sincerity.
"Why don't you ask your Steward what is going on" she said while glaring at the small man "ask him what he did to this boy's mother" she finished.
Prince Charmont turned to the steward and looked at him with a quizzical look.
"What did you do" he asked with a harshness to his voice.
"Wha- nothing your majesty, this woman is mad she-" he said before being cut off.
"DON'T...CALL...HER...MAD!" He shouted furiously at the man.
Hearing the prince defending her honor almost made Cinderella feel like he still cared about her, but she wrote it off and waited for what might happen.
"Well Steward confess" The Prince demanded.
"W-w-w-well- sir you must understand that I was-" The Steward muttered.
"Thinking of the greater good" Charmont asked with a hard stare "return this man to the castle, then the courts will deal with him" he finished while motioning for the guards.
The steward tried to protest, but he was dragged away kicking and shouting. Charmont walked over to Cinderella and Jack, then he knelt down to the boys level and looked him in the eye.
"I apologize for what my steward had done to your family" he said to Jack "I will be sure that he receives justice for what he did" he finished.
Jack simply nodded and then looked down, while Cinderella looked at the prince with a look of confusion.
"Why would you do that" she asked her ex-husband.
"Because I'd do anything for you" he said staring into her eyes.
"How is Snow White" Cinderella asked before he could push the moment further.
"Actually it's Aurora now" he said looking down ashamed.
"Of course" she said "have you told the minister that I was a victim of the giantess and our marriage was dissolved in death" she asked him directly.
"Yes" he said, still ashamed.
"Good day then your highness" she said walking away with Jack.
"Good day...madame" he said walking the other way.
Jack looked back at Prince Charmont and then at Cinderella.
"I just beat up a steward, but even I think you were too hard on him" he told her.
"He needs to grow up" she says "if he is to become king, he has to take responsibility for himself and the kingdom, end of discussion" she said firmly, but still retaining kindness.
Cinderella and Jack continued on their path, not speaking for a while, until they stopped at Jacks house...if you could call it that.
"You lived in a barn" Cinderella asked.
"Yeah" Jack said looking down.
"Oh God I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..." Cinderella said trying to apologize for her statement.
"It's alright, I just stopped to grab Milky White, maybe h- I mean 'she' could make some milk for Mr. Baker or something" Jack said heading inside "besides it's just a barn now, our new house we bought with the Giants gold is over there" he said pointing to a shattered mansion.
"Wow that must've looked great, you need anything from there" Cinderella asked.
"Nah" the little boy said "truth be told I didn't have much, all my belongings are here" he said.
Cinderella and Jack went inside the rickety barn, where they were greeted by chickens who immediately fluttered out the door. Suddenly a noise came from the other side of a door on the right. It was the most lovely music Cinderella had ever heard and it sounded like the finely tuned strings of a harp. When they opened the door, they were then greeted by a "moo" from Milky White.
"There you are old pal, right where I left ya" Jack said giving his pet and only friend a hug.
"Aw, she's kinda cute" Cinderella said while petting Milky White on the head.
Cinderella then caught eye of the Harp in the corner and, to her amazement, it was playing by itself.
"How's it doing that" Cinderella asked.
"It's an enchanted harp" Jack said "come on let's get out o' 'ere" he continued.
Cinderella and Jack walked out of the barn and down the road to her house, which had become quite a mess since the earthquake. Cinderella felt heartbroken that the only thing that reminded her of her dearly departed father was destroyed. Her thoughts however were cut off by the sound of her stepmother.
"It's bad enough we aren't royal anymore, now we have to live in shambles" Stepmother Rodmilla shouted.
Suddenly, one of the blinded stepsisters, Lucinda, sniffed the air and caught the scent of a familiar perfume.
"Well look who it is mother" Lucinda pointed, even though she was pointing in the wrong direction.
Rodmilla caught eye of Cinderella and Jack, meeting the former with a wicked sneer.
"Well, are we satisfied now" Rodmilla asked her with a growl.
"What are you talking about" Cinderella asked.
"You know what I'm talking about" Rodmilla shouted "because you pronounced yourself dead, we have been forced to come back to this wasteland you call a house" she continued, still shouting.
"Really, it's a wonder they didn't toss you in jail" Cinderella retorted.
"How dare you talk to me this way, after all the kindness I've given you" Rodmilla said.
"In what way is scrubbing the floors, nailing the roof, polishing the silverware, picking lentils out of the fireplace and pampering your spoiled daughters, kindness" Cinderella asked spitefully.
"Mother are you hearing this" Florinda asked with annoyance in her voice for the defiance she is receiving from her stepsister.
"I will make you eat those words" Rodmilla told Cinderella "now...clean my shoes" she said raising her leg, revealing her muddy stilettos. Cinderella took one look at the shoe and then at her stepmother, with that wicked grin on her face.
"No" Cinderella said.
"What did you say" Rodmilla said with a look of anger and surprise.
"No" Cinderella said pushing the shoe away "did I stutter or do you wish to hear it again" Cinderella asked spitefully. "Now if you all excuse me, I'm here to collect my things and go" Cinderella said walking past her former stepfamily.
"That bitch, where is she" said Lucinda reaching her hands out blindly.
"Come Jack" Cinderella said coming back outside, but not without taking one last look at Rodmilla and her stepsisters "you know, I didn't know who you people were until today" she said glaring, but then her look softened "still, I hope that wherever you go and whatever you do, you all live well" Cinderella said "good day" she finished, walking down the road holding Jacks hand.
"Go ahead and leave" Florinda shouted "we never wanted you in our lives anyway" she finished.
"Shut up and get to work" Rodmilla said; with Cinderella gone, it's not like she was gonna do any work anyway.
Jack, Cinderella and Milky White were walking down the road back home, but suddenly Cinderella collapsed in the middle of the road bursting into tears. Jack tied Milky White to a fence post and came over to the young woman on her knees weeping.
"You alright" Jack asked as Cinderella held her head up.
"Jack you have to understand" she said "I have never been so spiteful towards anyone in my life, not even in my mind" she continued "just feeling angry towards my stepfamily makes me sick to my stomach" she finished.
"Well you 'ad a right to be angry didn't ya" Jack asked "I mean, they ain't been nothin' but rotten eh" he continued.
"Why my father thought that that woman would be the perfect mother figure I'll never know" Cinderella said "but she was the only mother I've ever known" she continued.
"But shouldn't a mother be someone who loves you" Jack asked Cinderella.
"Yes, she should" Cinderella said smiling a little.
"Kinda makes me miss my mother" Jack said as a single tear streamed down his face.
"Oh Jack" Cinderella said as she hugged the boy "she'll always be with you, if you remember all the good times you've had together" she continued "and if you ever want someone to help take care of you, I'll be here" she finished.
"Thank you" Jack said; his voice sounding so fragile.
"But you must also try to take care of yourself, because someday we all won't be here" Cinderella said "though it won't be tomorrow or even the next day, you will be a man someday and you'll have to be strong" she said.
"Your right" Jack said while wiping the tear off.
"Now come on, if we hurry we'll be home in time for supper" Cinderella said.
"Yeah" Jack said "you know my mum always used to sing whenever bad times came creepin' up" he said "you know any songs" he asked.
"I know one me and mother used to sing" Cinderella said.
"Could you sing it while we're walking" Jack asked kindly.
"Sure" Cinderella said and she began...
Lavender's blue, dilly dilly,
Lavender's green
When you are king, dilly dilly,
I shall be queen
Who told you so, dilly dilly,
Who told you so?
'Twas my own heart, dilly dilly,
That told me so...
Oh my god, this took freakin forever! BTW the names Prince Charmont and Rodmilla are borrowed from two different Cinderella-esque stories "Ella Enchanted" & "Ever After." Also, if you haven't guessed, the song at the end is from the recent Cinderella with Cate Blanchett and Lily James. Please read and review! Also, be sure to check out my other stories! Enjoy!