Chapter 11

Cinderella hadn't seen Charles around for a few days. Of course, she hadn't been to town much either. The duchess had lots of chores around the mansion for her to do. She was missing her friend a lot.

When Jeanne and Catherine had a bunch of errands for her to run one morning, Cinderella was excited. Hopefully she'd get to see Charles again.

Cinderella cleaned her face and straightened her head scarf before heading out with Patch at her heels. She had a basket of letters to take to post for Catherine and some money to buy stationary for Jeanne. After the prince danced with both girls at his luncheon, they had decided they wanted to write him letters.

Posting Catherine's letters went quickly, as did buying stationary for Jeanne. She was heading towards home slowly, still hoping to run into Charles, when she noticed a girl running across the square.

"Stop that boy! He stole my bag!" she cried. Cinderella saw the boy ducking away and ran after him, the girl close behind her. He turned a corner and by the time they reached it, he had disappeared.

"Oh no! What will I do! That bag held everything I had!" the girl cried.

"I'm so sorry!" Cinderella said, laying a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I don't know where he could have gone. We can look around a bit if you want."

"Okay," the girl sniffed through her tears. They set off, looking through windows and around corners. They were in a rougher part of town and Cinderella shivered, remembering what had happened last time she was in this part of town. Her thoughts were interrupted by a rough hand on her elbow and a rougher voice.

"What are two ladies like you doing in a place like this?" a large man asked menacingly.

"A boy ran off with my bag. We're trying to get it back," the other girl answered indignantly.

"Well, maybe I can be of assistance. Come with me." The girl went willingly, seeming to trust the man's word. Cinderella noticed the glint of his knife, which he held threateningly, so she didn't dare object either.

Patch started growling and ran towards the man, but the man kicked him aside.

"Patch!" Cinderella cried.

"Get going," the man said, holding the knife towards her. She glanced back at Patch and noticed that he was stirring. Satisfied that he would probably be okay, she followed the other girl as the man herded them to a small, broken down cottage. Inside, they found the boy standing over the open bag.

"Father!" he cried. "Look what I found!"

"I see. I've found quite a prize myself," the man growled, locking the door behind him. "If you two ladies even think about escaping. . ." He finished his threat by throwing his knife and hitting a target on the wall in the dead center. "The boy is as good as I am, too," he added.

The other girl seemed to realize what was happening at that moment. "What!? You're kidnapping us? How dare you! I am Isabel, daughter of Duke Zaral, future wife of Prince Charles!"

"Oh ho ho, a princess, huh?" The man laughed. "Well then, we should get a pretty penny in ransom for you. How about you, girl. Anyone going to pay a ransom for you?" He looked questioningly at Cinderella.

"No. I'm just a servant," she said. "But I can clean and cook for you."

"Well now, that sounds real nice. You won't go running away, will you?"

"And risk a knife in my back?"

"Ah, good point. You're a smart girl. Son, show. . . What's your name?"

"Cinderella."

"Show Cinderella to the kitchen. Let's see if she cooks as well as she claims to. And show her all the cleaning supplies too. It would be nice to get this place cleaned up for once."

While the boy showed Cinderella around, the father tied Isabel to a bedpost. She fought hard, but he was much stronger than she was. Once she was tied up, Isabel just sat in the corner and cried. Cinderella got busy making food and cleaning. She was glad she had useful talents, otherwise the man might have just gotten rid of her. She shuddered at the thought.

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Charles was ready to throttle Isabel. If he ever found her, that was. She had run away, leaving a letter for him about how she loved him, but since her love was not returned, she was going to leave for a while.

Zaral came to the palace shortly after lunch. The man looked nearly insane. He waved the letter in Charles' face and shouted at him for a few minutes before Charles managed to calm him down enough to understand why he was upset.

Once Charles read the letter, he and Alex asked Zaral where she might be. They raced to the family property in the country, but Isabel wasn't there.

Now Zaral was waiting at home in case she returned while Charles and Alex scoured the town and countryside on horseback. Charles had borrowed some of Alex's clothes and messed up his hair so he could travel without being recognized as the Prince. It was already late afternoon and he had searched most of the area around the town. Now there was little left to do but search in town.

His search in town didn't go well at first. He found Isabel's hat in the square, but there was no clue as to where she might have gone. He was moving into the seedier part of town when a familiar bark reached his ears.

Patch ran to his side, panting. "Patch!" Charles exclaimed. "Where is Cinderella?"

Patch whined and sniffed the hat in Charles' hand. He barked again and began running. Charles followed. Perhaps Cinderella was with Isabel! But if they'd been separated from Patch, they might be in trouble.

They raced deeper into the rough part of town. Finally, just as the sun was beginning to set, Patch stopped in front of a small, run down cottage. Charles jumped off his horse and ran to the door. He tried opening it, but it was locked. He pounded on the door and yelled for Isabel and Cinderella. He thought he heard a voice calling to him, but he couldn't be sure.

It took him a few tries to break down the rickety door. Once he got it down, he and Patch rushed in. They raced through the tiny house, but no one was around. The remnants of a delicious smelling dinner were on the small table and the fire was still going in the hearth. A small back door took Charles out onto a dock. He looked down the river and saw a small boat sailing away. "Charles!" Cinderella's voice floated back to him.

Running back to his horse, he hopped on and headed to the path by the river. Patch was close on his heels. The boat was just a small speck when he got to the path, but he began making up the distance.

By the time he reached the boat, it was tied to shore and empty. He looked around and noticed a wagon on the road ahead. It had to be them!

As he got closer, he saw Cinderella and Isabel. They were lying in the back of the wagon, bound at the ankles and wrists. Cinderella met his eyes and he saw the fear there. It filled him with anger and he spurred his horse forward even faster.

When he came up beside the man driving, his eyes caught the glint of a knife in the man's hand. Before he could react, Cinderella threw her bound arms around the man's neck. He cried out in surprise and let go of the reins. Charles caught them and gave them a pull. As the wagon came to an abrupt stop, the driver, the boy next to him, and Cinderella all flew off.

Charles jumped from his horse, called for Patch to stay put, and ran to the man, who had freed himself from Cinderella's grasp and now stood over her brandishing the knife.

"You little demon!" he shouted, driving the knife down at her. She rolled out of the way as Charles tackled the man. He quickly subdued him and took his knife. Pulling a length of rope from his own knapsack, Charles tied the man up, then turned to the boy. He was holding a knife of his own and his brow was creased in anger.

"Give me the knife," Charles said softly. "I don't want to hurt you."

"We were going to get out of here. We were going to be free. Now we're going to prison," the boy yelled. "It's all her fault!" He pointed his knife towards Cinderella.

"No, Jakob, it's your fault. Stealing and kidnapping are not the right way to buy freedom. Even if you had made it out of here, your heart would never have been free from the guilt of doing such horrid things," Cinderella's stern voice broke in before Charles could say anything.

"But we ain't been dealt fairly. It's not our fault."

"There are other ways to make a living. Better ways. You can still live a happy life after you do the punishment for your crimes. Please, Jakob. What would your mother say?"

The boy began crying and ran to Cinderella. She put her still bound arms around him and held him close. "Make her proud, Jakob. Don't choose a life like this," she said soothingly, holding the boy close. Charles looked at her with surprise. He was impressed and touched by her gentle manner with the boy.

"Son, I'm sorry," the bound man said. "I've led you wrong. Do better than me." He too began crying.

"Hello! Is anyone going to get me out of here?" Isabel cried from the wagon. Charles looked around, unsure of what to do next. Cinderella nodded towards the wagon.

"Go help her. Jakob can cut me loose." The boy nodded and made quick work of Cinderella's bonds with his knife. Charles pulled out his own knife and ran to the wagon, where Isabel was sitting, looking tired and angry.

"It's about time," she said, holding out her wrists. Charles quickly freed her and helped her down. When he looked back at Cinderella, she was standing alone, watching two figures race away down the road.

"Cinderella!" he cried. "You let them go?"

"Oh Charles, I'm sorry. But I truly think they're ready to make a fresh start somewhere else."

He admired her soft heart, though he wasn't sure he agreed. He would send guards to check on the two thugs later. For now, he needed to get Isabel and Cinderella home. Isabel stood next to the wagon, her arms folded.

"Hmph. I had hoped the Prince would come for me. Not some commoner."

"Isabel! That's no way to talk to Charles. He saved our lives, you know. We very well could have died without him!" Cinderella turned to Charles. "Thank you for coming for us. It was very brave of you. You're a true prince to me!" She wrapped her arms around him and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before heading to the wagon.

"Climb on, Isabel. I can drive you home."

"I'll come with. I've got to make sure you two stay out of trouble," Charles said, his cheek still tingling from Cinderella's kiss. After greeting Patch with a big hug, Cinderella helped Isabel up and they all headed back to town.