The Princess' Keeper- A Cinderella Re-Telling

Chapter Three

The carriage trudged along at an uneven pace. The craters in the dirt road were so bad at times, my head brushed the roof.

Darnella sat beside me, her face green. Hannah sat across from her beside stepmother, who would occasionally bang her silver cane against the door, yelling at the driver about the unpleasant ride. Despite their bitterness, the three of them chattered excitedly. What would their rooms look like? What would the Palace serve for dinner? What should they wear?

I sat quietly, miserably looking past the curtains out the window, and trying hard not to cry. Stepmother had chosen a light blue gown for me, suffering Mrs. Farley, wife to the stable hand who’d saved me, to ready me early this morning.

“I cannot tell you how sorry I am Adira.” She’d wiped away her own tears as she pulled the fabric over my head.

“Do not be sorry for me. Please, I can’t stand it.”

She’d shaken her head, her lower lip trembling. “Sometimes I wish my husband had never pulled you from the house.”

I’d stared at her, wide-eyed and deeply hurt. She’d laid her hand gently on my cheek.

“Only because of the poor way you’ve been treated since, my dear. Of course, I am happy he saved you. But this is no life for you.”

How could I argue with her? It wasn’t as if I hadn’t had the same thoughts over the years. Not wanting to upset her further, I’d simply hugged her tightly, reminding her not to forget my cream.

Now I was sitting here, wondering idly if stepmother had mentioned to the King in their negotiations about my disfigurement. If not, the Prince would be in for a nasty surprise. The fact that neither of my stepsisters showed even a hint of jealousy only proved what kind of man he was. It was true that any girl should want to be a Princess, yet none in this Kingdom had that ambition. When I was a girl, I used to imagine my future love would be full of adventure with someone who wanted to see the world as much as I did. That desire had only grown after Papa died but also shifted. I wanted someone who would give me a life free of my stepmothers’ manipulations and schemes. Someone that would protect me from my stepsister’s t*****e, and someone who would look past the gruesome reminder of my father’s death to the person I was on the inside.

Instead, I was marrying a man who was part of my stepmother’s plans. The Prince was using me just as much as she was, only agreeing to marry me so he could finally go to war. Shouldn’t it be the King going to war instead? What kind of King let his only heir risk his life on the battlefield, especially against the Keepers? Unless they hoped I would fall pregnant beforehand. . . I shuddered, pushing the thought away.

“Adira!”

Glancing at my stepmother, it became clear she’d been trying to get my attention.

“Yes, stepmother?”

“Pay attention!” She banged the end of her cane on the floor of the carriage.

I only stared at her, still too outraged to pretend to be polite. Truthfully, I’d given that up altogether. Why should I show kindness to her? To any of them? They didn’t care about me. Stepmother narrowed her eyes.

“When we arrive at the Palace, you will greet the Prince with grace and poise. Smile. Compliment him. And if he invites you to walk or dance, accept graciously.”

“I’d rather eat dirt.” I snapped.

The cane came down on my hands sharply.

“You will stop this at once. Remember, you have no choice in the matter.”

“Thanks to you.”

My knee erupted in pain as she swung her cane again. I held back a yelp by the skin of my teeth but leveled an ice-cold glare at her instead.

“You cannot blame her for being upset, Mother,” Darnella smirked. “I can’t imagine marrying a man like the Prince!”

“Thank goodness the King has promised to find us good husbands!” Hannah added.

Stepmother didn’t say a word. So, she knew! She knew all along how horrid the Prince was and threw me at his feet anyway. My hands clenched tightly on my lap. Two hours later, we were still on the road, but thankfully it had changed from rough terrain to a more level cobblestone. When we started passing the first houses, much grander than any in the little town near our house, I knew we were close. My breathing became laboured as we drew on and I dared not look out the window anymore. I stared at the floor instead.

“Make sure you’re covered.” Stepmother hissed at me.

Hannah handed me her pocket mirror. Quickly, I checked my neck, making sure the scar was still covered. I had my cream in my bag, on top, just in case. Satisfied, I handed the mirror back, ignoring how my stepsister wiped it on her gown as if it was now contagious.

Twenty agonizing minutes passed, listening to the women in the carriage with me oh and awe at the view. The urge to flee was becoming overwhelming and without thinking I grabbed stepmother’s hand.

“Please! I beg you, stepmother, please don’t make me marry him! I will give you my wealth, every last penny if only you will relent!”

For a second I thought she would consider it. But then she drew her hand away, raising the cane. I flinched back. The only thing that saved me another blow was the carriage grounding to a stop. Low voices drifted to us from outside and then a face appeared in the window. A Palace guard.

“What business do you have at the Palace?” His eyes landed on the four of us individually, stopping at stepmother.

“The future Princess.” She waved her hand at me. “This is Adira Winchester, bride-to-be to Prince Rialóir.”

Something akin to pity clouded his eyes when he glanced back at me.

“Very well.”

He disappeared from view. We began moving forward again. Trumpets sounded, signaling our arrival and my stepsisters practically jumped in my lap in their eagerness to see our new home.

“Would you look at that!” Darnella squealed.

“I’ve never seen anything like it! I bet the Ballroom is enormous!”

“As if you’ll have much use for it,” Darnella sneered, “Who would ever ask you to dance?”

“I’ll have you know. . .”

They bickered away until stepmother reprimanded them harshly. Hannah gave her sister a sharp pinch as they clambered off me and back to their seats. The carriage rounded a bend, stopping.

I couldn’t breathe.

Two more Palace guards hurried to open the door. One offered his hand to my stepmother, helping her out. Then my stepsisters. When he turned to me, I was as still as a statue. The only thing between me and a lifetime of misery was this carriage. Unexpectedly, the guard leaned into my little sanctuary, lowering his voice.

“It will be alright my lady. I promise.”

His face was soft, his tone sincere. He wasn’t looking at me with pity, but rather unaltered kindness. Slowly, I placed my hand in his, allowing him to draw me out.