A/N: Sorry for taking long once again! Truly sorry.

Thank you for all of the reviews, I hope that you can bear with me and my slow pace. About the chapter, we finally meet the prince and because the deciding was so hard and, well royalties have long names right, I used most of the names you suggested :) Thank you!

On to the chapter, I hope you like it!

3.

"You look confused, dear."

"How could the slipper fit Anastasia? I danced with the prince! That was my slipper! Here, I have the other one, I'm the one he's looking for."

"You may have danced with him. You may have even thought it was love. But the slipper fits Anastasia and that's who he's marrying! Whatever you think happened last night was a dream. I don't care where you go or what you do but you stay away from the palace. Stay away from the prince! Oh, and ah… clean up that broken glass."

The words of lady Tremaine ran through her head as she remembered the last time she had been in the Manor, the place hadn't changed. That was when everything had gone wrong. It was hard to believe it had been six years since then. But in a way, what happened wasn't so bad after all. Yes, it had certainly felt like it when she had wandered in the city of Hald'aan alone, with nothing but her clothes on, but she had met wonderful people and gotten a new family, a proper family, thanks to the deportation. If she hadn't gone to that ship she would never have met Falad either. Sometimes she wondered if she would have then married the prince after all.

Rella watched through the window of the carriage and looked as the Manor changed smaller and smaller as they moved further from it. Their next stop would be the Castle. It was possibly as scary as the Manor. At least Anastasia would be there, possibly also Drizella and lady Tremaine. She didn't want to meet them. Well, she might manage with Anastasia, she was the most reasonable of the lot if asked her.

Rella was startled out of her musings as Falad touched her hand. She looked up to his face that gazed down at her looking puzzled.

"She called you Cinderella", Falad said. "Cinder… didn't it mean something in this language?"

Rella looked at her hands and nodded. "Ashes, embers."

Falad furrowed his brows. "But why would they call you that?"

Rella looked uneasily out of the window.

"Rella?" Falad asked worriedly and took her hands in his. "Please, tell me."

She bit her lip and sighed. "They… Before… When I was younger and smaller, they made me sleep in front of the fireplace and well… it's not the cleanest place and I was often covered in cinders. So they started calling me that. Cinderella", she shrugged. "I didn't mind, it wasn't so bad for a name."

"They made you sleep-", Falad couldn't continue.

"Hey", Rella said and stroked his cheek with her hand. "It's okay."

Falad looked at her incredulously.

"Really, Falad", Rella assured him. "It's not like I'm sleeping in cinders anymore, is it?"

""Well, no", Falad answered. "But why did they do that?"

Rella shrugged. "They didn't like me, I suppose."

Falad nodded frowning. He had known that Rella's family and she were in a really bad terms and that her stepmother had deported her, what he had never understood why, but that they had gone that far. There must have been something wrong with them. Rella was an amazing person, how could they not like her?

Rella smiled at him bravely and glanced outside the window again.

"Look, it's the Castle", Rella said.

Falad leaned forward and looked past Rella at the big structure with many towers and made of white stone. He tilted his head slightly.

"Hmh, I think the emperor's palace is nicer", he said.

Rella chuckled. "Yes, I guess it looks a bit warmer than this one."

Falad smiled at her. The carriage drove to the gate that was opened to them and continued to the stairs before the main door. Falad stepped down from the carriage and turned to give his hand to Rella who grabbed it smiling and stepped next to Falad. She stared at the stairs, she wasn't sure was she imagining it, but she felt that the stairs seemed longer and bigger than last time. As she watched them, they noticed a figure hurrying down towards them. They glanced at each other and decided to wait. The figure proved to be a dignified middle aged man with a slightly grayish hair. He was standing straight and bowed swiftly to them.

"Good afternoon, your grace", the man said. "I am Mr. Richardson, the butler of this Castle."

Falad and Rella nodded and gave their greetings. The butler looked at Rella.

"And who is the lady by your side, sir", he asked.

"My wife, Mr. Richardson", Falad answered.

Mr. Richardson blinked. "Ah, of course. My apologies, your grace."

Falad nodded and the butler asked them to follow him while muttering something about killing the messenger. Rella held in a laugh and focused on watching the corridors. Last time she had been here, it had been at the ball. It seemed that the soldiers hadn't changed. Wonder if they had moved there at all in six years? This time though they walked past the ballroom and the butler led them upstairs. They finally stopped in front of a double doors which the butler opened and stepped aside to let them in.

"Their graces lord Ir'd'aran and his wife lady Ir'd'aran", the butler announced.

Rella felt like blushing when she felt the eyes of everyone in the room in them, but she tried bravely hold it back. When they started walking along the red carpet towards the king, she studied her surroundings and people. She hadn't seen anyone she'd remember yet, except Prudence, she thought as she noticed her by a side door. The prince wasn't here apparently, at least not yet. When she looked forward, she saw the king sitting in a large comfortable chair appearing to be in a good mood. She smiled. She had always liked the king, he seemed very kind like an old grandfather she had used to imagine as her own. Although, the temperament wasn't part of her imagining, she thought dryly as she remembered the famous temperamental explosions the king was prone to.

Not far away from the king sat an extraordinarily beautiful woman. She had gorgeous, red hair that fell behind her back and she wore a beautiful green dress that complimented her hair. At her lap sat a small, maybe three years old, child with black hair. When Rella's eyes passed her coiffure, her eyes widened slightly and she focused quickly back on the king.

Anastasia?

Could it be? No, no way. But she had the coiffure, and Anastasia never left it anywhere. But the woman was also much, much prettier than Anastasia. Not that she hadn't been pretty, but not that pretty. That woman was probably the most beautiful woman in all of Elethia. Rella snapped out of her thoughts as the king started to speak.

"So, you are the good people they've sent here to make the trading treaty", he said as Falad and Rella bowed. "Welcome, welcome. You shall be attending to it with my son as soon as that wayward boy gets here."

Rella cursed in her mind. She had hoped that she could've avoided the prince for a while. As they were stepping aside they heard the butler cleared his throat and announced the prince.

"His royal highness prince Charles William Albert van Barcleon."

The butler had not even finished his sentence when the prince charged in smiling widely.

"Father!" he said. "The merchants agreed to the deal we've made them."

The king smiled. "Brilliant, my son."

The prince stopped next to the beautiful lady and the child for a moment before continuing to the king who was gesturing towards Falad and Rella.

"These are lord and lady Ir'd'aran. They are here for the trading treaty between our kingdoms"

The prince turned around to face them and flashed them his gorgeous smile. It stung, Rella decided. Last time it had been such a wonderful smile, she had seen hope and dreams in it. Then that same smile had crushed those hopes and dreams when the prince had watched her with a confused smile on his face and told her that he didn't know her.

"Good afternoon, lord", the prince greeted. "And lady."

Then he paused and stared at Rella frowning slightly. "Well, this is odd. Have we met before, milady?"

"No, no your highness", Rella hurried to say as she tried to recover from her shock.

"Oh, well, I guess you just remind her a bit", the prince shrugged. "Now, lord Ir'd'aran, shall we?"

Falad looked at Rella. "Are you alright? Would you like to stay here?" he said in their own language.

Rella bit her lip and thought about it for a moment until she shook her head. "No, I'll come with you. I want to see that I've gotten over him."

Falad nodded and smiled. They turned to follow the prince who looked at them confused.

"The lady comes too?"

Falad nodded. "Yes, she's drafted half of the agreements, your highness."

"Oh, well alright then. This way", he said and they headed out of the room trailing behind the prince.

Unnoticed by them, the beautiful lady stared hardly after them.

...

Oh, and by the way.

If any of you happens to read my Narnia- fanfiction too, I'd be very happy if you could go to my profile and vote for which story I should start writing next. I have trouble deciding.

The options are my Prince Caspian AU, which I still haven't named yet and The Cordial. Both belongs to my Winter saga and there are short descriptions in my profile.

Please, vote :)