Finding a castle(52)

Zane woke from his dream to find the young beauty next to him. Would they really be married that long and still be happy. He had hoped so.

She stirred and opened her eyes,"Good morning."

"Hey Beautiful."

"Will you read to me today?" She asked yawning.

"After breakfast I have some conference calls after that I am all yours." He said.

They got up and dressed. They had a good breakfast. He was glad Bella was gaining some good weight back.

Bella went to the rose room and picked up her book.

◇◇◇♡♡♡◇◇◇ CINDERELLA cont.

Then both the sisters were overjoyed to hear this; for they had beautiful feet, and had no doubt that they could wear the golden slipper. The eldest went first into the room where the slipper was, and wanted to try it on, and the mother stood by.

But her big toe could not go into it, and the shoe was altogether much too small for her.

Then the mother said, "Never mind, cut it off. When you are queen you will not care about toes; you will not want to go on foot."

So the silly girl cut her big toe off, and squeezed the shoe on, and went to the king's son. Then he took her for his bride, and rode away with her. But on their way home they had to pass by the hazel-tree that Cinderella had planted, and there sat a little dove on the branch, singing-- "Back again! back again! look to the shoe! The shoe is too small, and not made for you! Prince! prince! look again for thy bride, For she's not the true one that sits by thy side."

Then the prince looked at her foot, and saw by the blood that streamed from it what a trick she had played him. So he brought the false bride back to her home, and said, "This is not the right bride; let the other sister try and put on the slipper."

Then she went into the room and got her foot into the shoe, all but the heel, which was too large. But her mother squeezed it in till the blood came, and took her to the king's son; and he rode away with her.

But when they came to the hazel-tree, the little dove sat there still, and sang as before. Then the king's son looked down, and saw that the blood streamed from the shoe. So he brought her back again also. "This is not the true bride," said he to the father; "have you no other daughters?"

Then Cinderella came and she took her clumsy shoe off, and put on the golden slipper, and it fitted as if it had been made for her. And when he drew near and looked at her face the prince knew her, and said, "This is the right bride."

Then he took Cinderella on his horse and rode away. And when they came to the hazel-tree the white dove sang-- "Prince! prince! take home thy bride, For she is the true one that sits by thy side!"

◇◇◇♡♡♡◇◇◇

Zane finished his meeting and headed for the rose room to meet his Bella. When he got a call.

"Brother-in-law I found the perfect place. It's an old castle that is like a fantasy world. You can take her there for a weekend get away and then pop the question. They even have a huge rose garden. It would not be hard to set up."Betty said.

"Great lets get together tomorrow and make plans. My office... lets say 10." He was excited hoping number three is good.

He walked to were Bella was waiting.

"Ok what story will it be today?" He says sitting in the big chair in the rose room.

Bella had just finished Cinderella, "Faithful John" She handed him the book.

◇◇◇♡♡♡◇◇◇ FAITHFUL JOHN

Once upon a time there lived an old King, who fell very sick, and thought he was lying upon his death-bed; so he said, "Let faithful John come to me."

This faithful John was his affectionate servant, and was so called because he had been true to him all his lifetime. As soon as John came to the bedside, the King said, "My faithful John, I feel that my end approaches, and I have no other care than about my son, who is still so young that he cannot always guide himself aright. If you do not promise to instruct him in everything he ought to know, and to be his guardian, I cannot close my eyes in peace."

Then John answered, "I will never leave him; I will always serve him truly, even if it costs me my life."

So the old King was comforted, and said, "Now I can die in peace. After my death you must show him all the chambers, halls, and vaults in the castle, and all the treasureswhich are in them; but the last room in the long corridor you must not show him, for in it hangs the portrait of the daughter of the King of the Golden Palace; if he sees her picture, he will conceive a great love for her, and will fall down in a swoon, and on her account undergo great perils, therefore you must keep him away."

The faithful John pressed his master's hand again in token of assent, and soon after the King laid his head upon the pillow and expired.

After the old King had been borne to his grave, the faithful John related to the young King all that his father had said upon his death-bed, and declared, "All this I will certainly fulfil; I will be as true to you as I was to him, if it costs me my life."

When the time of mourning was passed, John said to the young King, "It is now time for you to see your inheritance; I will show you your paternal castle."

So he led the King all over it, upstairs and downstairs, and showed him all the riches, and all the splendid chambers; only one room he did not open, containing the perilous portrait, which was so placed that one saw it directly the door was opened, and, moreover, it was so beautifully painted that one thought it breathed and moved; nothing in all the world could be more lifelike or more beautiful.

The young King remarked, however, that the faithful John always passed by one door, so he asked, "Why do you not open that one?"

"There is something in it," he replied, "which will frighten you."

But the King said, "I have seen all the rest of the castle, and I will know what is in there," and he went and tried to open the door by force.