Chapter 7

Something was amiss. Charles' fencing master and regular tutor were both missing. When he went to his father about it, the king told him that someone had suggested it might be time for them to retire. Now he had younger teachers who could better keep up with his "youthful energy".

"But I was quite fond of Gandis and Frederic. Who was it who requested they be retired?"

"No one requested it, son. Duke Zaral simply pointed out that they had earned a break. You are not an easy pupil."

"Duke Zaral?"

"Yes. He has been chosen by the council to be my advisor regarding your upbringing. He will be charged with ensuring you receive the best possible education, as well as helping you find a suitable bride."

"When was this decision made?"

"Yesterday in the council meeting."

"But father-"

"No buts, Charles. You will return to your lessons. It's time you began taking greater responsibility. The future of our kingdom rides on you, my boy."

"Yes father." Charles returned to his lessons, but inside he was furious. Who was Duke Zaral to replace his tutors without even giving him a chance to say goodbye? He had learned much from Gandis about politics, history, mathematics, and more. The old man had been unendingly patient with his less-than-engaged student. And Frederic had been an excellent fencing instructor. Charles could hold his own against any of the royal guards.

That afternoon, when Charles saw Duke Zaral conferring with his tutors, then leaving in a carriage, his curiosity was aroused. He decided to follow Zaral. Alex lent him some more commoners clothes and promised to come after him if he hadn't returned by dusk. Soon, Charles was on Duke Zaral's trail. It didn't take long to catch up with the slow carriage. Charles hung back, so the duke wouldn't notice him.

Eventually, they rode into the forest along a road that looked like nothing more than a cow trail from a distance. The cover of the trees allowed Charles to follow the carriage a little more closely.

The carriage kept going until, rounding a large cliff, it stopped outside a small cottage in a clearing. Charles dismounted and tied his horse to a tree just off the road, out of sight of the cottage. Watching around the cliff, he saw Zaral get out of the carriage and go into the small stone house.

Charles decided to wait for Zaral to leave before investigating. He found a seat in a tall tree where he could see the cottage clearly, but could not be seen.

After at least two hours of waiting, Zaral finally left. Once the carriage was well out of sight and hearing, Charles leapt down from the tree and walked quietly to the side of the house. He was just standing to peek through a window when he heard a loud voice. "Hey! It's an intruder!" He looked behind him to see a large, angry man running towards him.

Running back towards the trees, Charles was dismayed to find another man running from around the cliff. He stopped, pinned in by the two men on one side and the cliff behind him. He pulled out his knife, and the two men pulled out guns.

"Who are you?" one of the men demanded, aiming his gun right at Charles' heart.

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It was a beautiful day to be out in the forest. Duchess Dalben had sent Cinderella to gather roses for the dining room table. Cinderella and Patch were enjoying the fresh air and sunshine. They had eaten their picnic lunch and were strolling along a path on a high cliff.

"I'm so glad Mother isn't expecting us back until after dinner," Cinderella said. The duchess had told Cinderella that she and the girls were having company- some duke- over for dinner and it would be best if Cinderella wasn't around, so Cinderella had prepared a nice dinner that could be eaten cold, finished up her cleaning and laundry, and set off for a day in the woods. She had thought about inviting Charles, but she decided against it, since she wasn't sure if she could even find him.

Her pleasant walk was interrupted by loud shouting coming from below. She peeked over the edge of the cliff. There was Charles! Two men were shouting at him and pointing guns at him. She tried to think of a way to stop them.

Patch barked, drawing her attention to some large rocks near the cliff edge. If she pushed them over right- she grabbed one and pushed it, aiming carefully for the larger of the two men. Her aim was right on, and the rock knocked him over. The other man was distracted long enough for Charles to escape. Cinderella smiled, glad she could help her friend.

Her smile disappeared when the other man looked up and caught her eyes with an angry glare. She turned and ran back along the path into the trees, but she hadn't gotten far before she heard him chasing her. She didn't stop to wonder how he'd gotten up the cliff so fast- there was probably a path. She ducked into a patch of bushes to hide and Patch dove in next to her.

When she heard the man coming, she tried to make herself smaller, hoping he wouldn't notice her. He walked past, but quickly turned and came back. Reaching into the bush, he grabbed her by her golden braid and yanked her out.

She screamed and flailed, trying to hit, kick, or bite the man, but he just laughed and threw her over his shoulder like a sack of flower.

"Don't worry, little miss. I'm just taking you home, where you'll be nice and comfy." Cinderella continued screaming and hitting him, but he ignored her until they reached a small cottage, well hidden in the trees.

"We've got a visitor," he called. Cinderella shuddered as more men joined them. Her captor carried her to a small closet and threw her in, locking the door behind him. She felt tears stream down her cheeks. Now what was she going to do? Patch! Maybe he could bring back help somehow. He was her only hope.

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Charles couldn't believe that rock had come down at the perfect time. He hadn't had time to question it in the moment, being too busy running away, but now he was starting to wonder if someone had thrown it down. If so, he owed that person his life.

As Charles galloped along the path, he heard a frantic barking. Pulling his horse to a stop, he looked back to see a dog chasing him. Patch!

"What is it, Patch? Where's Cinderella?" When Patch began running back towards the cottage, Charles felt a sinking in his stomach. Cinderella must have been his mysterious benefactor. But if Patch was here, that probably meant she'd been captured in his place!

Turning his horse, Charles raced back to the cottage, Patch close on his heels. He tied his horse in the trees again and motioned for Patch to stay back. He began creeping through the trees. This time, he caught the guards unaware. There were five total. With each, he crept up, knocked the man out, dragged him to a clearing, tied him up, and took his weapons. Once he was sure he'd gotten all the guards outside the cottage, Charles hid their weapons a little ways away in a clever hole under a tree, then covered the weapons with leaves.

He reserved two guns and a second large knife for himself. Armed and ready, he strode towards the cottage. He was met in front of the steps by another man holding a gun. Charles aimed his gun at the man and the two stared each other down.

"Will we do this shootout style?" Charles asked.

"You tell me," the man growled. "If you put your gun down, we might let you live. But no way you're getting out of here unless it's on our terms."

"And how can you be so sure?"

"We've got you outnumbered!"

"Have you? Doesn't look like it to me."

The man gave a shrill whistle, then looked to the trees, expecting to see the guards coming out. When nothing happened, he whistled again, louder. Fear was creeping into his eyes.

"If you're looking for your friends, I've already taken care of them."

The fear turned to anger. "You won't get away with this!" the man shouted.

"Just let me take the girl you're holding and I'll go," Charles said. "I'll even tell you where to find your friends."

"Oh, you're here for the girl. She's a pretty thing. Feisty, too." Charles didn't like the look in the man's eyes. The surge of anger in him almost made him pull the trigger, but he held back.

The door opened behind the man and another, bigger man stepped out holding a familiar figure in front of him.

"Cinderella!" Charles exclaimed. "Are you okay?" He couldn't look at her too closely. He needed to keep his eyes on the man with the gun pointed at him.

"I'm alright Charles. You should get out of here! Save yours-" Her words were cut off by a thump and a small cry of pain. The anger in Charles grew to fury. How dare they hurt his princess!? Without thinking, he quickly moved his gun and shot, hitting the man holding the gun in the shoulder. He went down and Charles turned to face the bigger man, who was now holding a knife to Cinderella's throat.

"Your little girly here ain't going anywhere," the man said. "She's staying right here. And so are you."

The man on the ground groaned, but didn't get up. Charles figured he'd been knocked out by his fall. He stared at the man holding Cinderella, trying to decide what to do. He needed some kind of distraction. As if he could hear Charles' thoughts, Patch appeared out of the trees and ran towards the man, growling.

While the man was kicking at Patch, Charles aimed carefully and shot. He hit the man in the shoulder, right next to Cinderella's head. The man staggered back and his arm jerked, pulling the knife across Cinderella's shoulder. Charles ran and caught her as she leapt away. Patch was continuing his attack on the man, who had now fallen to the ground. Leaving Cinderella's side for a moment, Charles joined the fray and delivered a knockout blow with the butt of his gun.

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Cinderella felt a few tears coursing down her cheeks. She was so relieved to see Charles, and so glad to be free of those awful men. Once Charles had tied up both of the men he'd shot, he came back and pulled her into his arms. She held him tightly and buried her face against his chest.

After a few minutes, he pulled back and looked at her shoulder, where the man's knife had cut her. It had mostly just torn her sleeve, but there was a shallow cut as well.

"We need to get that cleaned and bandaged," he said. "I'm so sorry for dragging you into this."

"Why were you here? Do you know these men?"

"No. I followed one of them here because he looked suspicious."

"Are you a soldier or something? I heard them talking. It sounds like they're plotting to take over the kingdom! They said something about arranging a marriage for the prince and getting rid of the king and queen."

"Did they really?"

"Yes! Do you think we should warn the royal family?"

"Let me take care of that. For now, let's get you taken care of. We should get you home."

"I can't leave yet. I came to pick roses. Mother will be very upset if I come home without them. Besides, she didn't want me home until after dinner. They're having an important guest tonight."

"Who?"

"Duke Zaral, or something like that. Apparently he's been tasked with finding a bride for the prince. Mother thinks if she can get on his good side, he'll choose Catherine or Jeanne."

"Well, we really need to get your shoulder taken care of before it gets infected. Could we sneak in a side door?"

"Pierre lives in a groundskeeping cottage behind the house. We can go there. I'm sure he won't mind. But I would like to stop and gather some roses on our way. Is that okay?"

Charles smiled. "I suppose we could do that. Now let's go."

They walked back to the trees where Charles had tied his horse. Patch seemed to have come out of his fight without any damage, so he strutted behind them. They rode back up to the top of the cliff and picked up Cinderella's basket where she'd dropped it when she began running from the man. Once the basket was full of large, fragrant rose blossoms, they headed to the mansion.

Charles stabled his horse and walked with Cinderella to the small cottage, almost hidden among the trees around the edge of the yard. She knocked softly. Pierre peeked out. When he saw her, he smiled.

"Dear Cinderella. Come in, child."

"I've brought a friend. Pierre, this is Charles. Charles, Pierre. Pierre has been with our family for years. He knew my father before he married my mother."

"I have seen many years with the Dalben family indeed," Pierre said. "Though this year has been the hardest, I daresay."

"Oh Pierre, I'm sorry Mother has been so hard on you."

"It has been far harder watching how she treats you, Miss," he said.

Charles broke in before they could commiserate further. "Cinderella is in need of some bandages and clean water. She was injured while she was out today."

"Of course! Right away." Pierre disappeared and returned with a large bowl of water, clean towels, and a pile of soft cotton bandages. "Here you are. The duchess has just called for me at the house, so I must go, but I will return directly."

"Thank you Pierre," Cinderella said with a smile as she watched her old friend leave. When she looked back at Charles, he was studying her intently.

"What?" she asked.

"You are very polite, even to servants."

"Papa always said that nobility of heart is more important than title. He taught me to treat everyone with the respect I hope to be treated with."

"Your father must be quite a man."

"He is! I can't wait for you to meet him. I'm sure he will like you very much."

Charles smiled. "I hope so. I look forward to meeting him. When will he be home?" As he spoke, he dipped one of the towels in the water and began gently cleaning her shoulder.

"He will be back in 10 months," Cinderella answered, trying not to flinch.

"So he is gone for a year?"

"Yes. He's an ambassador for the King."

"I see. Where is he now?"

Cinderella told Charles about Papa's work in a far-off kingdom. He hadn't written yet, but she hoped he would soon. While she talked, Charles finished cleaning her cut and pulled up her sleeve so he could wrap it in bandages.

"There," he said as he tied off the bandages. "You'll need to clean the cut and change the bandages again tomorrow."

"I will. Thank you Charles." Cinderella looked at him with a shy smile. He really was quite handsome. She leaned forward as she stared into his blue eyes. He leaned towards her with a small smile. Their moment was interrupted when Pierre burst through the door.

"The Duke is gone, Miss. You'd best get back to the house. The duchess is not happy. She's asking when you'll be back."

"Thank you Pierre," Cinderella said. She and Charles stood and walked back to the main house. "I hope the king can stop those men. Don't forget to talk to the royal family about what we found, please, Charles. I'd hate to think of something bad happening to the royal family. And you be careful! I won't always be around to distract your enemies, you know." She smiled to let him know she was joking.

"I don't know what I would do without you, Cinderella. I'll make sure the royal family knows. I'll see you again soon, I hope."

"I hope so too."