Chapter Text
Summary: „The magic will only last so long“ – the fairy godmother gave Ella a warning, no advice, actually. So what if Ella decided not to run away? At least, not completely. Running, in fact, made her brain working again ;)
Disclaimer: Again, nothing belongs to me but my idea.
Genre: Romance
There’s this trick about midnight
Ella heard the prince, shouting to her to come back. It was almost midnight, and she was running down the steps of the palace. As fast as she could. For the spell would only last until midnight, and then… all would be gone, her dress, the carriage… the prince.
Actually…really?
She stumbled and lost a shoe, trying not to fall down at the last steps. She turned around, and saw him. Saw him up there, standing, not daring directly to run on.
“Where are you going?”
She blushed, looked back at the carriage.
“I don’t know,” she breathed out, barely hearable.
She looked up again. If she would run away now, she would neither be brave, nor kind. Not brave enough to trade this perfect, dreamlike night for reality and deal with the consequences. Not kind towards the prince who had shown her such… Did he not deserve to know? And… if he truly liked her, would it matter that she was no princess? There might still be problems with the nobles who wanted an arranged and so called 'advantegous' marriage for him, but... wouldn't she be a coward running away now? And it would be her decision. The very last stroke would not surprise her...
I made sure that everyone could come, because I hoped to see you again.
I thought you were a good honest country girl.
“You need to jump in now, Ella!”, Mr Lizard suddenly said, a worried look upon his face. Ella touched his hand gently.
“I am sorry. There is something…I need to do this now. I will make sure you will get back.”
With this being said, she turned back towards the stairs, looking at Kit, who slowly began to come down the stairs, realizing that she would not leave, after all. Her heart pounded heavily. She was terribly afraid, but it was too late to back away from this now. It would happen. She saw him laughing out happily.
“We were alone earlier, you did not have to come here for that!”
As he came closer, he made out the serious and almost sad look on her face, and his smile vanished, a look of concern forming upon his handsome features.
“Are you alright?”
She breathed in a couple of times.
“My name’s Ella. Or Cinderella. I do not really know anymore.”
“Wha…”
All of the sudden, Mr Goose’s nose changed very quickly into a beak, and mice’s ears popped out of the horses. Ella dared not to look the prince into the face at this moment, just hoped it would be over quickly. Courage and kindness… No. She would look him in the eye, and would not be ashamed of this. Of herself. Her dress was still blue and beautiful and unharmed.
“What you see happening… is what I am. You see the servants? They are lizards. You see my horses? They are mice. Do you see the coachman? He is a goose. And the carriage…”
"A pumpkin!", came out of his mouth, confusion and amusement and shock displayed.
The golden colour of the carriage began to drop off, revealing the orange of the pumpkin, the whole carriage becoming smaller, as the mice horses were, until the pumpkin fell down on the earth, got crushed. And Ella was looking at Kit, trying to draw strength from the wonderful memories she just made earlier with him. No matter what would happen in the next seconds, these would always belong to her. The first stroke happened, and she felt her dress changing again, how the shoulders got ripped off again. The bluest blue turned into pink.
And Kit’s face, oh his face. He seemed shocked, concerned, confused… but there was no disappointment, at least she could not see any. She was now standing in rags before him now, her hair loose. As she was. Nothing more.
“So? What… do you say?”, she asked him, and tried not to cry. There was no reason for it, at least not right now. She would be brave.
It took him a few moments before he was able to answer.
“I am trying to work out what would have happened if you had been in this pumpkin, if this would have happened on the road…”, he breathed out, and came closer to her, holding her bare arms, stroking them gently. “You could have got hurt, Ella.”
She stared at him. This was so not the answer she thought he would give, but she actually had no idea what she actually had expected… It was more she hoped for. A tear finally came out of her eyes. Her heart seemed to soar, and without any second thought about it, she jumped to him and hugged him tightly. He laughed breathlessly.
“Hey, it’s fine, Ella…”
“Goodness, it is so good to hear you saying my name…”
“I am just so glad you are here. That you came to no harm.”
She pulled out of his arms now, looking at him questionably. He smiled at her.
“You were wrong about one thing.”
“Oh?”
“Nothing is different. Not for me.”
Such sincere words, and she saw in the light of the fires that his own eyes were watered with tears not yet coming out. She let go of douts, at least for now. Slowly they drew closer, almost shyly, until their lips brushed like feathers. Maybe reality was not so harmful, after all.
Beneath them, four mice climbed into the glass slipper that was still lying abandoned at the stairs, while the two lizards climbed up to Ella where she was holding the second slipper.
And then there were the voices of the Grand Duke and the Captain.