Chapter 17

One morning, as Cinderella went to pick up some packages for the duchess, she heard an unexpected rumor. Everyone was talking about how Duke Zaral had narrowed the choices for Prince Charles' bride down to Jeanne and Catherine. Since Cinderella had heard nothing about this from the duchess, she hurried home and asked.

"Oh, how silly," the duchess said, laughing. "I mentioned to a few people yesterday that Duke Zaral had been over to dinner a few times, and that he had sent my girls to the castle to meet the Prince, and that we hoped he might choose one of them to be the Prince's bride. That's all. Amazing how quickly rumors grow and spread around here, isn't it? Can you imagine? Well, at least it's a very flattering rumor."

Cinderella felt an unexpected swell of relief. She didn't know the Prince, but she couldn't imagine that either of her stepsisters would make a very kind or helpful queen.

That night, Cinderella was awoken by a strange crash from downstairs. She jumped out of bed and ran down to the second floor. The duchess and her daughters were standing at the top of the main staircase looking down at the front entryway. A large man dressed in black with a mask over all but his eyes stood with a torch next to a broken vase. A few other men in the same clothes stodd around him.

"Duchess Dalben," the man growled. "Your daughters will not marry the Prince. Leave the country! You have two days to comply, or we'll be back!" He grabbed another decorative vase and threw it on the floor for emphasis, then he and his henchmen turned and ran back into the night.

"Oh Mother, whatever shall we do?" Catherine cried.

"I don't want to leave the country! I want to marry the Prince!" Jeanne wailed.

"We aren't going anywhere, girls. No one will frighten me from my home. Cinderella, you and Pierre will hold night watches. If they return, you'll defend our home."

"Mother, I don't know how to fight."

"Then learn. Tomorrow, you will go to town and purchase strong locks for the doors and windows. You will also take your father's sword and see if you can find someone to teach you to use it."

"Yes Mother."

The next day, right after breakfast, Cinderella was on her way to town. She had the sword strapped around her waist and coins in her pocket for the locks, as well as an empty basket to carry them back in. Patch accompanied her. She had decided she would try to find Charles. She hadn't seen him in almost a week, since he came to check on her after her adventure with Zoray, but she knew he was a talented swordsman and she hoped he would teach her.

Buying the locks went quickly. Finding Charles took a little longer. He caught up with her as she walked past the park.

"Cinderella! Where are you going?" he asked.

"Oh, there you are! Actually, I was looking for you, Charles. I need your help." They walked into the park and sat on a bench as she told him of the previous night's visit.

"Mother is having Pierre and I keep watch every night. She wants me to learn to fight. I've seen you before, and you're very talented. Would you be willing to teach me?" she asked.

He looked surprised and just sat in silence for a moment. "Of course I'll teach you," he finally said, "But I don't like the idea of you and Pierre fighting off a bunch of goons on your own. Maybe I can come help."

"I wouldn't want to take you away from your home all night. Besides, we're not sure if or when they'll even come back."

"Still, it would make me feel better."

"Okay then. Thank you!"

He stood and began showing her how to use the sword. He started with the basics: how to draw the blade from the sheath, the proper way to hold it, and a good fighting stance, then launched into some basic steps.

Cinderella didn't get home until early afternoon. Charles had had to go take care of some things before he joined them for the night watch. She helped Pierre install the locks, made dinner, and then prepared for the night. It was difficult working in her skirt, so she borrowed an old pair of pants and a loose white shirt of Papa's. They were a little big, but if she put on a belt and rolled the pant legs and shirt sleeves, they were better than her dress.

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Charles was surprised to see Cinderella in pants. They were much too big, as was the white shirt she wore, but she still looked beautiful. She tossed her long braid over her shoulder and adjusted the sword hanging at her side. "Thanks for coming, Charles," she said with a big smile.

"Of course."

They sat on the front steps for a few minutes, watching the moon rise over the mountains. The silence was interrupted by a loud clanking. An old suit of armor approached from the side of the house.

"What the-" Charles said.

"Oh Pierre, why are you wearing that old thing?" Cinderella asked, laughing.

Pierre raised the visor and peered at them. "This suit protected my grandfather and my father when they fought in the wars against the northern kingdoms."

Charles found himself laughing with Cinderella. The old man did look pretty silly in the rusty armor. But he was also glad that Pierre had it. He didn't want either of them getting hurt if and when those bandits showed up again.

The night passed slowly. Charles tried not to doze. He and Cinderella talked to keep each other awake. He found out a lot about her mother and father, and about her childhood. Strange that less than a year ago, she had been treated just like Jeanne and Catherine instead of like the family maid. He was surprised to learn that she knew how to ride horses, though he shouldn't have been.

He shared a lot about himself too. He didn't mention any of the royal parts, but he talked of his parents, how they could be a little suffocating. He told her about how frustrated he was with their desire for him to grow up and take responsibility, and yet at the same time, their refusal to listen to him and take him seriously.

"It's like they want me to be a man, but refuse to treat me like a man," he said softly.

"Perhaps they are torn between their desires for you to succeed and wanting you to remain their little boy. I've found that parents can be like that. Papa has always treated me well, but he still treats me like a little girl sometimes even though I'm old enough to be a lady now."

"You are definitely a lady now," Charles corrected.

"And you are definitely a man. Your parents will figure it out. Just give them a little while to adjust."

He grabbed her hand and held it in both of his. She leaned her head on his shoulder. He wished they could stay like this forever.

Eventually, the first rays of sunlight interrupted their talking. "I'd best get breakfast going," Cinderella said, standing and stretching. "And you should go home and get some sleep. I'm sorry we kept you up all night, and for nothing."

"I enjoyed being with you. I'm glad the bandits didn't come back. Maybe they won't."

"I hope so." They said their goodbyes and Charles headed home. When he reached his chambers, he washed up and dressed and collapsed in a chair at the breakfast table. Alex soon joined him.

"Charles, how did you sleep?"

"I didn't."

"What?"

Charles told his friend what had happened.

"So you stayed out all night long? You haven't slept at all?"

"No. I'll probably sleep in between classes today."

"You're not going to do this again, though, right?"

"I have to! What if they come back and Cinderella gets hurt, or even killed. I can't let that happen. You know that."

"But tonight is the fancy ball your parents have planned for the officers in the royal guard. You can't miss that."

"I forgot about it. Well, that's fine. I'll just leave a little early."

"Charles!"

"Alex! This is really important to me. If you're so worried, why don't you come with me?"

"Really?"

"Really."

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Cinderella was a little worried. Charles still hadn't shown up and the moon was getting high in the sky. Maybe he couldn't make it tonight. She sighed and tried to keep her eyes open. A sleepless night followed by a long day of work around the house had left her exhausted. She was just nodding off again when she heard the door open behind her.

"We made you some hot chocolate. Thanks for staying up and keeping watch," Catherine whispered, handing her a warm mug.

"Thank you!" Cinderella answered with a surprised smile. She gratefully took the warm drink. It woke her up and warmed her up at the same time. Pierre joined her after that for a few minutes, then she decided to take a walk around the house to stretch her legs.

She was at the back when she heard shouting and clanking. Running through the back door, across the main floor, and out the front, she found Pierre lying in the grass groaning and the thugs standing over him. With a yell, she drew her sword and launched forward. She fought as hard as she could and managed to beat one of the men, giving him a good slice across the arm, but suddenly she was picked up from behind.

"Drop the sword, girl." She dropped it, but the arms squeezing her just got tighter and tighter until she couldn't breathe. Her vision was starting to swim when she heard a loud crash followed by a scream and the arms loosening. She jumped away and looked around to see what had happened.

The duchess had thrown a large metal pot from the balcony, hitting the leader of the thugs right in the head. Catherine and Jeanne appeared behind their mother and began throwing things at the thugs.

Cinderella took advantage of the confusion to retrieve her sword and attack another man. Everything seemed to be going well when she smelled smoke.

One of the thugs had set the bushes in front of the mansion on fire. Taking advantage of Cinderella's distraction, the man she was fighting knocked her sword from her hand and sliced down, leaving a burning cut across her stomach. She cried out and clutched the wound. It wasn't terribly deep, but oh it hurt! As she fell to the ground, the man over her smiled menacingly.

"That serves you right, girl. Maybe you and I can have some fun together." He stepped forward and reached for her hair.

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Charles arrived just in time to see Cinderella go down. Alex was right behind him and he gasped as he saw the fire growing in the bushes, the bandits scattered about, Cinderella collapsed on the grass, and Pierre lying inert. The duchess and Jeanne were still throwing objects off the balcony at the men while Catherine appeared to be trying to pour water from a small pitcher onto the fire below.

"I'll go to Cinderella, Alex. You work on that fire." Charles wasn't too worried about the thugs. Besides the one who had just cut Cinderella, the rest were unconscious or running around in confusion. He drew his sword as he ran, placing himself between the man and Cinderella.

The man's eyes showed fear as Charles began a relentless onslaught. He soon had the man disarmed and bleeding.

"If we ever meet again, I will kill you," Charles warned as the man fled. The other men saw him running and followed suit. The only two who stayed behind were passed out on the ground. Charles made sure that Alex had the fire well contained, then knelt next to Cinderella. Her shirt was covered in blood and her face was pale in the dying firelight.

"You came," she whispered before her eyes drifted closed.

"Always," he said. He lifted her and carried her into the house, laying her on a couch in the entryway. Catherine was there, looking a little worried.

"Will she be alright?" she asked with the first speck of concern he'd ever seen any of them show for Cinderella.

"She has to be," he said. "Get me a light."

Catherine moved quickly, lighting the nearest lamp. She continued lighting them until the room was bright. When Pierre and Alex arrived, Charles sent them to get medical supplies from Pierre's cottage.

Jeanne and the duchess soon joined him and he sent them for some clean water. Pulling Cinderella's torn, bloody shirt up, he flinched at the long cut across her stomach. Once he got it cleaned, he was relieved to see that it wasn't deep. Alex helped him clean her wound, apply some medicine, and wrap a bandage tightly around her abdomen.

"She should not be up and about for at least two days," Charles said when they were finished. "Bring her nightgown down and change her while we clean up outside, then I'll carry her up to her room. I expect you to bring her food and water and let her rest. If I hear that you've got her up and moving before she's healed properly, I will not be happy."

The duchess and her daughters nodded. "What will we do if the bandits come back?" Catherine asked in a quivering voice.

"They won't."

Charles took Alex and Pierre outside with him to tie up the remaining men. There were broken statues and random pots and pans scattered all over the yard from the women on the balcony. Charles moved the broken items into a small pile and left the rest near the front steps.

When they went back inside, Cinderella was wearing her nightgown. She looked so fragile. Charles carried her limp figure up the rickety stairs to her small bedroom and laid her in the bed. Pulling the covers tightly around her to protect her from the draft, he felt tears prick his eyes. She never would have gotten hurt if he and Alex had left earlier. He had worried about offending his parents when he should have been there for her.

As he turned to leave, he heard her whisper his name. He turned back to her and knelt next to the bed.

"Thank you," she said with a small smile.

"I'm sorry, Cinderella. I'm sorry I was late." One of the tears swimming in his eyes ran down his cheek. She raised a cold hand and wiped it away.

"It doesn't matter. All that matters is that you came. You saved my life. You seem to be very good at that."

He held her hand against his face with his. "I want to always be the one who saves you."

She gave him another small smile before her eyes closed and her hand went limp in his. He tucked it back under the covers and left. He would check on her tomorrow and make sure the duchess and her daughters were taking proper care of her.