A/N: A longer time than usual, sorry about that, but you know me already ; )

Thank you for all the reviews and especially to whitneysixx and grayribbon whose reviews during my Christmas Holiday alerted me to the fact that "Hello! It's my holiday! I can actually write something other than school stuff!" So thank you. I've been writing the whole day and got this chapter finally done. Yes! It's been bugging me forever. (I think it's the Prince, he's a hard one to write about…)

But anyways, I hope you'll enjoy the chapter : ) And I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas!

10.

Prince Charles was currently pacing in front of double doors that led to his study where his wife, the stone statue of lord Falad and the lord's wife, lady Rella, were waiting for him to arrive. The room where they had been working on, a small library of sorts, was being repaired and cleaned up and Charles had ordered the statues of the soldiers to be taken into some safe place until it was certain if they would be able to change them back. He really hoped they could, not only because the soldiers' families would be devastated but also because lord Falad's turning into stone could have some serious consequences with Dherr'eshaan.

And they didn't want that. His father had made it very clear when he had been told about this whole fiasco. Charles winced inwardly as he thought about the fit his father had thrown, one of the worst he ever remembered. It also appeared that his father had better memory than he did, the king remembered the girl who supposedly tried to kill him. And he wasn't very happy that she was here. Charles just couldn't understand why he didn't remember it. One would think that something like an assassination attempt would stay in one's mind. In fact he didn't remember lady Rella at all. Of course she did seem somewhat familiar, but he had just thought that he had met a woman who looked similar to the dherr'eshaanian lady, nothing more.

And what really confused him was all the talk about his wife, his beloved and beautiful Anastasia. He loved her and he was pretty sure – no he was absolutely sure – that his wife loved him, so all the talk about Anastasia's mother putting charms and spells over him for Anastasia was unfathomable. He couldn't understand it, why would she need to do this since he loved her. He had fallen in love her deeply when they had learned to know each other after the strange things he no longer remembered correctly. Anastasia had been amazing then, helping him to get over… what exactly? He had forgotten that too?

The thought that Anastasia had been involved in all this was painful and he was torn between a fit similar to his father's and a desire to never to see the woman again. But he couldn't do that. Not until he knew what had happened then, why everything had happened and how it had happened. Perhaps the answers to those questions would also bring more light to Anastasia's actions and if they were what they seemed they were.

The prince shook his head to clear his mind and stopped his pacing. He shouldn't be stalling like this and if his father would see him pacing like this he would be getting a lecture about manners of a prince he hadn't gotten in since he was eleven and caught in nicking apples. He would get his answers, hopefully all of them, when he would go inside his study.

Reaching his hand to open the door, he stepped inside the room and was met with the sight of his wife comforting lady Rella, who was leaning her head against one of her hands. The prince drew a calming breath and approached the ladies closing the door after him. Both of them glanced up as they heard him enter the room and Charles saw a flash of pain in his wife's face before she turned back to lady Rella.

Lady Rella sat up straighter and appeared to be trying to compose herself. After a few moments she was still looking a bit worn and worried, but other than that one couldn't have guessed that she had just moments ago seen her husband turned into stone.

"Are you alright, Rella?" Anastasia asked quietly.

Rella nodded. "I'll manage, thank you."

Prince Charles nodded and drew himself a chair. He leaned against his knees and breathed out a sigh. Lady Rella was watching him expectantly while his wife was staring at her hands looking downright heartbroken. Charles was at loss, he really didn't know where to start. He opened his mouth to speak a few times, but nothing seemed like a good place to start. Finally he sighed annoyed and threw his arms in the air.

"Could you just please tell me what on earth is going on?"

Rella nodded and smiled slightly. "Sure, it is probably best if you hear the whole story."

Charles nodded. "Yes, that would be very nice."

Rella opened her mouth to speak, but Anastasia's hand on her shoulder stopped her. She looked at her stepsister questioningly.

"No, Rella", Anastasia said. "You don't know the whole story."

Rella blinked. "What do you mean?"

"Let me tell you", Anastasia said and started at the first beginning. She talked a long time. She told them how in the first timeline Cinderella and the Prince had been married after the Prince had found Cinderella and how they had been happy, and how she and Drizella had taken to Cinderella's old duties and how their mother had fallen into dark moods constantly cursing Cinderella and how she had ruined everything.

She also told them of their anniversary when she had seen them and found out about the Fairy Godmother and her magic wand which had literally dropped right in front of her. And how she had took it to her mother.

"I really didn't mean it to be used like mother did. I thought, that with the wand we could have made our living conditions a little better and gotten a little more money, so that we could have been better off and maybe eventually finding nice husbands for us too, since Cinderella had married the Prince", Anastasia wiped her eyes and thanked Rella as she held a napkin for her. "I was in love, or at least I had a major crush, with the Prince then already, which is probably why I didn't protest much when mother took the wand ad turned back time."

Rella and Charles' eyes widened.

"She turned back time?" Rella asked faintly.

Anastasia nodded and proceeded to continue the story. She told them how they had returned to the day when the Grand Duke arrived with the glass slipper and how their mother had used the wand to make it fit Anastasia's foot. And how in the palace her mother had used the wand to make the Prince forget Cinderella and think he had danced with Anastasia instead.

"I don't know how, but when mother managed to get Cinderella deported, something happened to make you remember her", Anastasia said to the Prince. "You tried to catch the ship where Cinderella was, but you missed it. And when you returned alone mother was keen on wiping your memory again, but I asked her not to.

"I didn't want to fool people again. I wanted to see if something could come out of our relationship without any magic poking around behind every corner. And I wasn't sure how much magic could be used like that before something bad would come out of it. Because I know there has to be rules and ways that restrict the ways magic can be used. The Fairy Godmother was very worried about that then."

Anastasia dried her eyes again and breathed out a sigh.

"I don't know when mother did something to you with the wand again, Charles. But she has had to, if you do not remember Cinderella. I didn't want her to do that, I wanted to see if we could fall in love with me as the real me. I remember having constantly huge fights with mother about not using any magic on you. I suppose her patience finally ran out one day."

Anastasia sniffled. "And now… I feel like we have been living a lie all this time. And I don't know what to do about it."

Anastasia's voice broke down with the final words and she finally succumbed to her tears long held in during her story. Rella wrapped her arm around her stepsister and tried to comfort her as Charles tried to process what he had just heard. Magical wands, timelines and talking mice? Were those even real or had his wife just lost her mind? Then he frowned. Now that he thought about it, the talking mice sounded awfully familiar for some reason… And lady Rella seemed to believe everything Anastasia said.

Charles looked at Rella with a slightly desperate look. "Lady Rella? Is she telling the truth? All that… it really happened?"

Lady Rella nodded slowly. "Yes, I'd say she's telling the truth. Everything she has said after the… change in time, has gone exactly as she described. In my part at least. And I don't see why she wouldn't be telling the truth about the rest as well."

Charles nodded. He was going to need to do lots of thinking, about Rella, about Anastasia, hell… about everything he supposed. But right now he didn't have the time. They needed to find lady Tremaine and get the wand away from her as quickly as possible. Who knew what the crazy woman would do now that the truth was out and she was hunted for imprisonment. Because that was what she was going to get for everything she had done.

"Where's this Fairy Godmother? Would she be of any help to us?" Charles asked.

Anastasia shook her head. "No, she was turned to a stone statue when… when we took the wand. It was an accident, on my part at least."

"And we need the wand to change anyone back to normal", Rella said.

Anastasia nodded. "Yes."

"Damn", Charles muttered.

They fell silent, thinking. There really wasn't any way for them to find lady Tremaine unless she wanted to be found and as long as she had the wand she had the advantage. But how to get the wand from her?

"She's going to come after me, you know", a cool and collected voice said.

Charles started and whipped his head around to stare at lady Rella. The woman had moved while he had been thinking next to her husband's statue and was now gently stroking her hand over his features. Charles blinked, confused how the petite lady could appear so fragile and at the same time so strong.

"I'm sorry?" Charles said.

"Lady Tremaine. She appears to still have a grudge of some sort against me and from what I saw today, I'd say she's not going to give up or just lay off on me. So it is logical to assume that she will be coming after me eventually. That might be a good moment to catch her", lady Rella explained with calmness that made Charles wonder. From what he knew, not many people could act as calm as lady Rella just did. So how was lady Rella able to, if she was merely a diplomat's spouse excelling in drafting trading agreements?

"You appear very calm about this, lady Rella", Charles commented hiding an inquiry in the tone of his voice.

Lady Rella merely inclined her head and turned back to her husband. As she turned, Charles was able to her hand was gripping her small dagger so tightly, that her knuckles had turned white. Then it hit Charles. She was mad, no, furious. Furious enough not to be afraid, or perhaps she was already beyond fear.

He would need to tread carefully here. And get her to stay in the palace, where she could be kept safe and where they could keep an eye on her so that she wouldn't go and do something foolish.

"Lady Rella, perhaps you should stay here until we have apprehended lady Tremaine", Charles suggested. "It might be safer."

Lady Rella let out a morose chuckle. "Well, it's a good thing Falad cannot hear you now. He would be most insulted by that comment."

Charles coughed a bit embarrassed. "My apologies, my lady."

"It's alright, Your Highness. I think it is a good idea for me to stay here too. The dherr'eshaanian temper is a fiery one, it might be wiser to apprehend my stepmother here rather than in the embassy", lady Rella answered. "But before that, I must go and retrieve some personal items from there."

"Are you sure that some of the servants couldn't do that?"

"They might not get through the gates, and certainly not without a lots of questions", Rella said. "And I believe that you would not want them to know why I'm staying here."

Charles blinked. "You do have point."

Lady Rella nodded and glanced at her husband's statue. "Could he be moved to the quarters I'll be staying?"

Prince Charles nodded. "Of course."

Lady Rella nodded her thanks and exchanged a few more encouraging words with Anastasia before she departed to go to the embassy. As she went, Charles shook his head in slight confusion. What a strange woman. He really couldn't imagine himself being in love with her. Though to be fair, every time he tried, he got the very clear mental image of lord Falad and his very good aim with the musket…

xXx

The whole journey in the carriage had been agony. She had wanted to scream and hit and kick things, throw them too. Of course she couldn't do that in the carriage. There wasn't anything to hit or kick or throw. And the screaming might have spooked out the driver.

At truth to be told, Rella was a little confused. Her icy and sharp rage in the palace had suddenly morphed into this huge desire to break something, anything. She had never felt anything like it. She had only ever been once as furious as she was being today and then it had been that icy rage from the palace. Not this.

As soon as the carriage had arrived to the embassy, Rella had shortly instructed the driver to wait for her and then stormed through the embassy into their rooms where she had locked herself in for a moment and finally let out a scream of rage and desperation. She had also thrown a vase (it hadn't looked too valuable) into the wall, just to see if it helped.

It had helped a little.

Now Rella was putting together a small package of some more important items that couldn't be sent to her later to the palace with her maid who would follow her with the rest of her things. They had tried to offer her coffee, but it only brought Falad into her mind, so she had declined. No need to lose her composure in front of everyone. Since everything was alright in their point of view.

Which reminded her, she needed to pack up some of Falad's things as well, so that it would look like they were both spending a few nights at the palace. As she asked Corra to pack Falad's things as well, Rella went to his desk near the windows. She could take some papers of his with her and see if she could distract herself with some work.

As she stepped up to the desk, her eyes fell into Falad's musket and pistol he had been cleaning up on the previous day. Rella blinked and then she thought.

"Corra, pack Falad's guns as well, would you."