Chapter 3

The next morning dawned warm and sunny, perfect for a picnic. Duchess Dalben hadn't forgotten her plan for the day. As soon as Cinderella had done some basic cleaning and done the necessary preparations for a picnic, she was out the door, on her way to town to find Alex. She brought Patch along. Maybe he would be able to find Alex by scent.

When she got to town, Cinderella quickly checked every place she could think of that Alex might be. He wasn't in the square, or the park, or any of the shops. Finally, she decided she'd have to check the castle.

The walk to the castle was a good few miles. She moved as quickly as she could without exhausting herself. When she arrived at the gate, the guards called down to her, "State your name and business."

"My name is Cinderella. I'm here to speak with Prince Charles' page, Alex."

"One second, Miss," one of the guards called. She sat calmly, waiting. Soon the gate opened and an unfamiliar young man stepped out. He had light brown hair and gray eyes, not the dark hair and blue eyes she was expecting. He was also a little shorter.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Who are you?" she asked.

"I'm Alex, Prince Charles' page. The guards told me you asked for me. Have we met?"

"No, I don't believe we have. I apologize. There's been a terrible mistake." With tears in her eyes, she turned and ran away. Ohhhh, that boy! He lied to her! And she'd thought he was so nice. If she ever saw him again, she would really give it to him.

By the time Cinderella got home, her tears had stopped, but she was covered in dust and sweat from her long run.

"Mother, the boy I met isn't really Prince Charles' page. He was lying to me," she said as soon as she found the duchess.

"Now now, Cinderella. Why would he do a thing like that? Perhaps you are just trying to save yourself extra effort in finding him?"

"No, I went to the castle. I saw the real page, and it wasn't the boy I met."

"I don't believe you! You bring that boy back here! You won't eat again until you do." The duchess glared at Cinderella until she left. What was she going to do? She'd just have to find the boy again, whoever he was, and have him pretend to be the prince's page.

The walk back to town was long and painful. Cinderella was so exhausted. Thankfully, Patch kept right by her side, barking an occasional encouragement when she slowed down.

She again checked all the places she had checked earlier, but still saw no sign of the boy. Finally, settling down under a large tree in the park, she pulled her legs up, bowed her head, and began a good cry. "Oh Patch, I don't know what to do! If I don't find that boy, I may as well stay in town and starve in the streets as go home! But I have no idea where to look! I've checked the castle and everywhere in town I can think of twice!"

Patch just looked at her with his big, sad eyes. She sobbed and he nuzzled closer.

"What's all this?" a familiar voice asked. "Did you miss me that badly?"

Cinderella looked up to find the boy himself. He was looking at her with a big smile. "Where have you been?" she asked, her tears replaced with anger.

"I've been around. If I had known you were looking for me, I'd have been easier to find." He laughed. Cinderella jumped to her feet, her hands on her waist.

"Do you think my tears are funny? And who are you really?"

"I told you, my name is Alex and-"

"And you're the prince's page," she cut him off. "But I went to the castle and I talked to Alex the page, and let me tell you, he is not you!"

The boy's expression turned to one of confusion. "You went to the castle looking for me?"

"Yes! And I've never been so embarrassed in my life!"

"I'm sorry! I just- I-" he stopped. She waited, glaring at him, but he didn't say anything else.

"Are you going to tell me your real name?" When he just continued to look at her, she stomped her foot. "Fine then, don't tell me! I guess we won't be friends after all. Goodbye!" With that, she walked quickly away, her anger replacing her exhaustion.

Cinderella made it all the way to the other side of town before she realized that she still needed the boy to come back to the house for a picnic. She made it back across town pretty quickly, but he wasn't in the park. She checked the usual places again, and then resolved to try a new part of town. The sun was sinking in the sky and she only had another hour or two to get him back to the house.

The houses she passed were very old and rickety. Cinderella realized she probably wasn't in the best part of town. Patch kept growling at shadows and alleys. Just when Cinderella decided it was time to leave, a large man stepped out of a shadowed doorway.

"Well, what's a little lady like you doing in a place like this?" he asked in a deep voice that sent shivers (and not the pleasant kind) down Cinderella's spine.

"I, uh, I was just leaving," she said, turning away from the man.

"Not so fast. I think we should get to know each other," he growled, grabbing her arm. With a bark, Patch jumped up and bit the man's arm. He loosened his hold and Cinderella took off, running as quickly as she could.

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Charles left his spot in the tree. He'd seen Cinderella come back to the park, but he wasn't ready to face her yet. What has he supposed to say? He could give her a different fake name. He sighed. He was tired of lying. He could give her his real name and just leave out the rest. There were probably plenty of men named Charles around. Just because he had the same name as the prince didn't mean he was the prince.

Of course, none of that would matter if he never saw her again. He sighed again and headed towards the town square. As he walked past the fountain, he heard a scream. A girl dashed past him. Cinderella!

Charles chased after her and caught up. "Why are you running?" he asked.

"Look behind us!" He turned his head and caught sight of a big, angry-looking man chasing them.

"I'll get you, little girl! We're going to have fun together!" the man called. Anger took over and Charles turned to run towards the man. He pulled out the knife at his belt as he ran. Jumping, he tackled the big lug. They fell to the ground with a solid thud, Charles on top.

"Leave the lady alone," he said, holding his knife to the man's throat. The man's eyes filled with fear when he saw the blade.

"Of course, sir. I meant no harm. I was just having a little fun."

"Any more fun like that, and you'll regret it. I promise you. Now get out of here." Standing, his knife still held out threateningly, Charles watched the man get up and slump away. When he was sure the guy was gone, he put his knife away and turned around to find Cinderella.

He didn't have to look for long. She ran to him and threw herself into him, her hands on his chest, her head tucked under his chin. His arms wrapped around her almost before he realized what he was doing.

"Thank you," she said quietly. "I'm sorry I was so upset earlier. And here you are, saving me."

"I'm sorry I lied to you. My real name is Charles. Alex is a close friend of mine, and I guess I've always been a little jealous of him." So far so good. No lies.

"Are you the prince?"

Well, he'd have to lie a little. "No. I've been told that he and I look kind of alike though. What do you think?"

"I've never seen the prince." She sniffed a little.

"Are you okay?" He pulled back so he could see her face. Her tears seemed to have stopped, but he could tell she had been crying.

"I will be." She looked at the ground for a bit while he just stood there, his hands on her shoulders. Finally, looking back up, she said, "I know you don't owe me anything, but. . . could you come home with me?"

Cinderella must have noticed the shocked look on his face because she quickly added, "My stepmother and stepsisters still think you're the prince's page. They want to have a picnic with you, ask you questions about the prince. You can just tell them anything. I don't care. But if you don't come. . . well, I would really appreciate it if you did."

Charles didn't even want to think about what might happen to her if he didn't come. He didn't really need to be back at the castle until supper. Looking at the clock on the town hall, he smiled. He had at least four or five hours until then. Plenty of time to go with her. "I would be glad to accompany you," he said, enjoying the smile that lit her face.

Their walk was pleasant. Charles was surprised at how easy it was to talk to Cinderella. They had quite a bit in common, too.

They eventually arrived at a large mansion. Cinderella led him inside, where they found the women he'd seen her with the previous day. "Ah, Cinderella," the older woman said. "It's about time! I thought you were going to fail us."

"I'm sorry it took so long, Mother."

"No matter. The girls and I have set up a table out back for our picnic. Mr. Alex, you will come with me. Cinderella, bring the food out to us, then you can go get cleaned up."

"Yes Mother." Charles followed the women to a table set up behind the house while Cinderella went another way. She soon rejoined them carrying heavy platters of food: cold chicken, salad, fruit, and bread. He didn't usually see food this good, even at the castle. While they loaded their plates, Cinderella disappeared back into the house and the girls, Jeanne and Catherine, as they were introduced, began peppering him with questions about the prince.

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Once Cinderella was all cleaned up, she returned to the picnic. "Ah, Cinderella. There you are," the duchess said. "Please clear away this food and bring us dessert." Cinderella nodded and went to work gathering the dirty plates.

"I'll help you," Charles said, jumping up.

"Oh no, that won't be necessary," the duchess said. "Cinderella can manage on her own quite well. You were just telling us about the prince's hobbies and interests." He sat again with a frown. Cinderella threw him a smile before heading back in the house to leave the dirty dishes and grab the dessert, a berry pie.

When she carried the pie out, Charles was telling the duchess, Jeanne, and Catherine about the prince's love for hunting. "He often goes into the Forest of Renn to hunt on nice days," he said.

The arrival of the pie interrupted conversation for a moment. Once Cinderella was sure that everything was under control, she returned to the kitchen to do the dishes and eat a few leftover slices of bread. She worked in the kitchen until she heard the duchess calling her.

"Cinderella, you will accompany Alex back to town. You can do your chores when you return," Duchess Dalben said when Cinderella met them in the main hall. Cinderella nodded and led Charles to the door and back towards town.

"Did you make all that food?" he asked.

"Yes. I made it before I went into town this morning."

"It was delicious! You're a wonderful cook."

"Thank you."

Conversation turned to other subjects as they walked. They were only about halfway to town when Charles said, "You know, you should turn back. I don't want you to have to stay up late finishing your chores. I know my way home well enough. Besides, I'd hate for you to run into any more scary men in town."

"If you're sure." He nodded. "Thank you for all your help today. I'm sorry again for the mean things I said. I hope to see you again soon!" She waved as she turned towards home. When she looked back, Charles was still standing, watching her go.

Cinderella's chores took her a few hours once she got home. The sun was gone and the duchess and her daughters were already in bed by the time Cinderella finally finished. She washed herself again, changed into her old nightgown, and settled down for the night. Charles' handsome face popped into her mind as soon as she lay down and stayed until she drifted off to sleep.