Chapter 22

Charles was leading one of the search parties in the moonlight when a soldier from another party rode up. "Sire!" he called. "We've found her mask!"

"Where?"

"The south road."

"Take me there." Charles followed the soldier to the south road and the men there showed him the mask. It was indeed the white, lace mask she had been wearing. "Perhaps she's left us a clue," Charles muttered, mostly to himself. "We'll continue down this road. Call back the rest of my search party and have them join us here. We shall go on."

They were quite a bit further down the road when a man with sharp eyes spotted the next clue. Cinderella's ring was glittering a short ways off the road. It was next to a path that hardly looked fit to travel.

"This must be where they've gone," Charles said, leading the party down the trail. It widened a short ways in and became more defined.

The next clue they found was the other slipper. It was lying off the trail. At this point, Charles had the soldiers light extra torches. "I believe they may have gone on foot from here," he said. "If so, we should be able to pick up their trail well enough."

They found the trail and tracked it through the woods, finally coming to a battered mansion. It looked very decrepit, but Charles knew Zaral favored such hideaways.

"Zaral," he called. "Your life is forfeit if anything happens to her."

There was no answer. The soldiers surrounded the house and Charles and a few guards broke through the front door. It was empty, though it appeared they had been there. The string of crystals from Cinderella's hair lay broken on the floor. Charles picked up a handful of the beautiful stones. "If anything has happened to her. . ." He didn't have the heart to finish.

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Zaral had split the group. Only he and one man remained with Cinderella. The others went a different direction. "They're too close," Zaral said. They had heard shouts in the distance and Cinderella knew the Prince and his men must be closing in. She was gagged after her many attempts to scream for help. Still, she was doing all she could to slow them down. She had nothing left to drop for a clue for Charles, so she fought the man holding her.

"Listen, girl," Zaral finally said. "If you don't stop struggling, we'll have to leave you behind, and if we leave you behind, you won't be breathing when Charles finds you." He backed his threat up with the knife he held, carefully making a small cut across her hand. She felt the warm blood trickling down. When a few drops splattered on the leaves below, she turned away from Zaral and smiled.

They kept moving along quietly. Cinderella stopped struggling and hoped that the trail of blood from her hand would be enough for Charles to find them. Zaral finally signalled for a stop when they reached a small hill. He stepped up to a rock face and pulled a hidden lever. A door in the rock swung open and Cinderella's heart sank. How would Charles find this?

As she passed the lever, Cinderella reached out and rubbed her bloodied hand on it. Zaral didn't seem to notice in the dim light. Once inside the secret passage, he closed the door behind them and lit a lamp.

They continued down into a labyrinth of tunnels. Every time they turned, Cinderella brushed her hand against the wall. She'd never been so grateful for a cut.

Their final stop was a small room with a wooden door. Zaral locked the door and the other man threw Cinderella to the floor. He sat next to her and stroked her face. "Perhaps we'll have some time later to get. . . better acquainted," he whispered. She tried to scoot away, but he grabbed her arm and held her next to him.

She didn't know how long they sat in the small, musty room. Eventually, she started dozing off. When she came to, Zaral was gone and she was alone with the other man, who was looking at her with a hungry expression in his eyes.

"Zaral said to keep you in one piece for your little Prince. . . for now. But I'm sure he wouldn't mind if we got acquainted." He grabbed her and began pulling at her dress as she kicked and clawed at him. He managed to tear the top of her gown and tried to reach in as she struggled against him.

Before he could achieve his desires, Zaral opened the door a crack. "I need you," he said. "Come on. We've work to do."

The man grunted in displeasure, but complied, throwing Cinderella roughly against the wall on his way out. She sank to the floor and curled into a ball. The emotions of the day overtook her and she began shaking with sobs.

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Charles didn't like the fact that their path had been marked in blood. He had a pretty good idea whose blood it was, and the thought made him boil with anger. He was also grateful, though, for Cinderella's thoughtfulness and intelligence. He never would have found the secret entrance to this labyrinth, nor his way through, without her markings.

The last marking was outside a locked wooden door. Most of the soldiers stood guard while Charles and two men broke the door down. Inside, he found a dim, musty room and a small, sobbing figure curled up on the floor.

"Cinderella," he cried, running to her.

She didn't say anything. As he knelt at her side, he saw why. He pulled the gag from her mouth and cut the ropes binding her wrists and ankles. Her hand was covered in blood from a small cut along the back. Her ankles were raw and swollen.

As he helped her up, he noticed that the top of her dress was gaping open with a large tear in it and bruises were forming around her collarbones. He didn't want to think about how or why that had happened. Instead, he pulled off his cloak and draped it around her shoulders.

"Oh Charles," she said, pressing herself into his side. "I'm so glad you came for me."

"Always," he said. "We're going to get you out of here. How many of them are there?"

"Just two. We split from the other four in the woods. Zaral and another man." She shuddered as she said 'another man' and Charles felt pretty sure about who was responsible for her torn dress and bruises. The horrors she must have endured on this night that was supposed to be one of the happiest nights of their lives hurt his heart.

Charles sent half the men to look for Zaral and his henchmen while the rest accompanied him and Cinderella back out into the woods. He helped her up onto his horse and jumped up behind her. He would deal with Zaral later. The soldiers would find him. For now, he needed to get his Princess home.

"Where are we going?" Cinderella murmured as they set off.

"We're going home," he said. Her grip on his shirt tightened.

"Back to the duchess?" she whispered. He could hear the fear in her voice.

"No, to the castle. I'm not letting you that far out of my sight again."

Her grip relaxed. "Oh. Okay."

"What did they do to you?" he asked. He meant her stepmother and stepsisters, but she must have thought he meant Zaral's lot.

"Zaral cut me because I was fighting so much. The other man- he- he tried to-"

Charles interrupted her with a gentle kiss. "I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have left you."

"You didn't know."

"No." He paused a moment. He still needed to know what her family had done, so he asked again. "What did your stepmother do to you? Why are you afraid of going back to her?"

"She kept me locked inside most of the day. When I went out, she shackled my ankles so I couldn't run away."

His hands clenched on the reins. He would send the duchess to the castle dungeons right then if he could. Instead, he focused on Cinderella. She needed a warm bath, a warm bed, someone to tend to her injuries, and a safe place to stay. He could and would provide all of that. Forever, if she would let him.

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The trip back to the castle was a blur to Cinderella. She clung to Charles and tried to stay on the horse. When they arrived, she was whisked off by some of the girls she remembered from her brief time as a royal maid. They took her to a warm room, gave her a warm bath, dressed her wounds, and put her to bed. She fell asleep quickly and slept soundly through the night.

She awoke late in the morning to find a familiar face smiling down at her. "Good morning," she whispered.

"Good morning," Charles said. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better. What happened? Did you catch Duke Zaral?"

"Yes. The guards caught him trying to sneak back out of the secret maze. He's in the castle dungeons now, along with all of his henchmen."

"All of them?" She tried to keep the fear out of her voice, but the face of the man who had attacked her haunted her.

"All of them. And they will all be punished, some more severely than others." The tone in his voice was enough to assure her that he understood the cause of her fear and that he was going to take care of it.

"Thank you." She sat up and he adjusted the pillows behind her.

"I have written to your father."

"Oh! What did you tell him? I hope he doesn't worry too much. I would hate for him to have to come home early."

"Actually, I have requested that he come home."

"How come?"

"Well, I've also requested his permission to marry his daughter. I've planned this twice over and it hasn't worked out. I know this isn't the most romantic backdrop, but I have to ask." He got down on one knee at her bedside and pulled out a ring as he said, "Cinderella Dalben, will you marry me?"

"Yes! Oh yes, Charles!" She almost fell out of bed as she leaned over and threw her arms around him. He caught her and lifted her into his arms, then pressed his lips to hers.

When he finally set her back down, they were both out of breath. He sat on the bed next to her. "I want to set a date as soon as your father returns. I flatter myself that I will get his permission. I'm so glad you said yes. I was worried that- after last night- you've been through so much already. I just worried that you might have tired of the adventures. I'm afraid that life with me may always be a little dangerous."

"You're worth it. All of it! I've wanted to marry you for so long! I love you, Charles!"

"I love you too! Now I'd best leave you and let you dress. It's probably not fitting for a man to visit his fiancee in her nightclothes." He smiled and gave her one more kiss, then left the room. As he went out, the two girls from last night came in to help her get ready for the day.

She was dressed in the finest gown she'd ever worn, her hair done up with pearls to match the ring Charles had given her, when a messenger arrived to summon her to the throne room.

"The King and Queen would like to meet you, milady," the young page said. She followed him to the large, grand room. It had been cleaned up since Zaral's attempted rebellion. The King and Queen sat on their thrones on a raised dais. Charles stood at their side, a bright smile on his face. As soon as she entered, he strode to her side.

"Mother, Father, may I present Cinderella Dalben, daughter of Duke Dalben, Ambassador to the Islands."

Cinderella dropped into a low curtsey. The King motioned for her to rise.

"Welcome, my dear! We are pleased to at last meet the maiden who has captured our son's heart. We have heard much about you. Your courage and loyalty, it seems, have saved the Prince on many occasions."

"Thank you, Sire. More often than I have saved him, the Prince has had to rescue me, I'm afraid."

Charles laughed and pulled her close to him. "Cinderella has agreed to marry me. We'll set a date as soon as her father returns. In the meantime, I have made arrangements for her to remain here with us, if she will." He turned his attention to her with the question in his eyes.

"Of course I'll stay, Charles. But I would like to bring Patch and a few other things from home."

"I'll accompany you there today. It seems only fitting that we announce our engagement in person to your family and our friends, as well."

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Marcel and Yan were thrilled for their friends. Paulette smiled knowingly at them and promised to stay in town until after the wedding. Nicolas and Variel laughed and said they knew it was coming.

Charles was glad their friends still treated him like a friend. They were a bit awkward at first, bowing and addressing him by his title. But as soon as he told them to call him Charles and treat him as they always had, they quickly returned to normal.

He shouldn't have been, but Charles was very satisfied by the stricken looks on the faces of Cinderella's stepfamily when they arrived at the house. They were welcoming and polite, but he could see the masked fear and anger in their eyes. They were not happy that he was here with Cinderella. But they were also afraid, he was sure, to be outed as abusers of the woman he loved.

Charles remained downstairs while Cinderella went up to her room to gather her things. He sat in silence with the duchess, Catherine, and Jeanne at first. Finally, he decided to speak.

"I have written to Duke Dalben requesting his permission for Cinderella's hand in marriage. I have also requested that he return to the Kingdom posthaste. As soon as he arrives, Cinderella and I will set a date."

The girls gasped, but the duchess maintained a calm, cold demeanor. "We are very happy for both of you, Your Highness," she replied.

"I thank you for the many opportunities you have given me to spend time with Cinderella over the past few months. It has been a pleasure to get to know her. She will make a wonderful Princess and, eventually, Queen."

"Of course. We are so glad to have made Your Highness happy."

Cinderella had been gone for a while. When Charles commented, the duchess volunteered to go check on her. He didn't trust her, so he said, "No, thank you. I'll go. I know the way." He smiled at their looks of discomfort as they remembered the day they had put him to work around their house. Hurrying up the rickety staircase, he found his lovely bride-to-be sitting on her bed, looking at a picture.

He sat next to her. "Are you okay?"

"I'll miss this home. It hasn't been the same since Papa left, but I have many happy memories here. Even some with you."

"We'll return to visit often, I'm sure. And the castle will hopefully hold as many wonderful memories in time."

"I'm sure it will."