Cinderella floated in the never-ending space between the fabric of the multiverse, musing on the differences between this instance of reality and all the others she had encountered so far. If one asked her about numbers, she would simply shrug instead of losing herself in futile calculations, for the truth was it mattered not. Only the outcome was important. As long as no deviations threatened it, she was ready for all possible scenarios.

Nonetheless, there was no denying her natural curiosity. Too much had happened already to look at things as simple mutations and the sooner everything unfolded the better. Ellen may have been wise in not wanting to know more ahead of time, but her preternatural nature allowed her to make different choices. Focusing her thoughts on Prince Phillip and the castle once more, she drifted into where she wanted to be and appeared there, invisible to prying eyes. What she saw was not at all what she expected.

The prince stood by the front door of his chambers, banging like a madman in desperate need of release.

“I command you to open this door immediately!” he shouted to the guards stationed outside. “Do you hear? Let me out!”

“I’m sorry, My Liege, but the King has spoken,” one of them replied. “You are not allowed outside that room until you’ve regained your senses.”

“There’s nothing wrong with my senses. I know you have your orders, but if you let me leave, I’ll make sure no harm comes to you out of disobedience. Open this door.”

“We can’t. It’s not that we don’t believe your word, but the King’s wrath is mightier than anything else in the kingdom. Our lives will be forfeited the moment we open this door without permission so it stays shut. Please don’t make this any harder than it already is, My Liege!”

“Damn you fools and your unquestionable loyalty!” he fumed, despite not believing his words. In an age where betrayals were paramount like a second skin, honor was appreciated above all, and he respected the men and their choices. He stopped hammering at the door and sat on his bed, head buried between his shoulders, and sighed.

“Well, what do we have here?” Cinderella thought. This was definitely something she had never seen before, the biggest detour from her familiar view of things. Sometimes, ripples of change were so microscopic no one noticed them, but not this one. She was looking at a pool of transformations big enough to drown the entire kingdom. Hundreds of possible futures flashed before her eyes, each one more outlandish than the rest, driving her need to interfere once more to unimaginable heights.

“It seems you’re in an unexpected predicament,” she said, her voice carrying across the chamber in a way only he could hear.

The prince perked his ears, looking everywhere for the origin of the sound, yet finding nothing. “Who said that? Who’s there?”

“Someone who probably shouldn’t be talking to you, Your Highness, but here I am anyway. Now, why is a member of royalty locked up in his bedroom like a petty criminal?”

“That’s a question you should address my father not me, stranger. Show yourself so that I may know who am I talking to.”

“Not right now. The King, huh? I’ve noticed he has a bit of temper, but this is not something I saw coming.”

“Neither have I. The world is full of surprises, and it seems I find myself wrapped in another one as well. Are you a demon whose silky voice has come to tempt me from the Underworld?”

“Hardly, Your Highness. I’m just a friendly voice in the air and it seems you need a friend right now.”

“What I need is to leave this place. It has only been a few hours and yet I’m already bored. There’s work to be done that requires my attention elsewhere, but my father is too thick to realize how important this is to me.”

“Parents often misunderstand their offspring, even more so after they’ve reached adulthood. Still, I hope you do not allow your thoughts to be clouded by anger because that never ends well.”

“I’m not angry,” he laid his arms to the side and fell on the bed. “I’m just disappointed this is happening.”

“What were you going to do that got him all so riled up?”

“You ask too many questions for one who dares not to show herself. I shall answer nothing else until you show me the courtesy you’ve been lacking so far.”

“Seeing is believing, huh? Very well, but please don’t be alarmed.”

Cinderella snapped her fingers and appeared on the other side of the bed, looking down at him like a teacher intrigued by her latest pupil. Her feet hovered slightly above the carpeted floor.

“Hi,” she said.

“Hello,” the prince confronted her gaze sternly. “What matter of creature are you? Not a demon but certainly not a human either, unless humans learned how to fly.”

“I’m just levitating,” she smirked. “And yes, neither of those, although I was just like you once.”

“Are you part of the Fair Folk, then? A sprite or a fairy?”

“Yes to the latter, and may you never run into the former. They’re nasty little creatures when they don’t get what they want.”

“Hmmm… May I ask why is there a fairy in my bedroom?”

“I asked myself the same question the moment I got here, but I always go where I’m needed even if I don’t understand it. You need help. Shall I offer it to you?”

“If you can make me escape this unfair detention, I’ll gladly take whatever help comes my way.”

“Not so fast, Your Highness. I’ve given you the courtesy you asked, now please tell me what I wish to know. What are you in here for?”

“I guess it depends on who you ask. Some will say it’s for lust and a need to skirt my duties, but what really drives me is curiosity, attraction, and dare I say, love.”

“Love?” she smirked. “I love the sound of that. Tell me more. Who’s the lucky lady?”

“She calls herself Sin and is a mystery I seek to unravel. She was the highlight of yesterday’s ball and perhaps the best thing that happened to me all year. I loved everything about her except how short the time we spent together was. I need more. I need to find out everything about her as soon as possible.”

“Do you seek to woo this Lady Sin for real or is there something more guiding your intentions?”

“I seek to know her, talk to her, and learn more of her ways. She left a clue behind in the form of a crystal boot. It will be my beacon to tracking her down but only if I’m granted freedom to pursue my dreams.”

“Not so different after all,” Cinderella thought even though the ramifications in the timeline were still in flux. In her mind’s eye, she saw dark clouds billowing above the castle as Tatiana and her daughters gained a foothold in the court through yet another unrevealed conspiracy. Whatever caused that unsavory vision to eventually come true began with him being trapped there instead of looking for his path to happiness.

“I believe you.”

“Will you help me, then? Use your magic to get me out of here?”

“What about your father? How will he react once he finds out how you insist on defying him by fleeing the castle?”

“I’ll deal with him in due time. For now, the only thing that matters is to be on my way. I fear that the longer I dilly dally around here the less are my chances of being reunited with her. This is all too sudden and yet it’s what makes sense. I’m not sure if you believe in soulmates, fairy, but my heart is telling me she may be the one. I must go to her.”

“And you will. However, I suggest you do so in disguise unless you want all palace guards looking for you as soon as you leave.”

“That’s actually a good point. I’m also going to need that boot.”

“Leave those arrangements to me, Your Highness. Be right back.”

The Fairy Godmother disappeared once more into the void where no mortal could follow, tracking down the strings of fate that made that reality possible. It was the first time she was assuming such a direct role in the chain of events, but if not her, who would set the truth in motion? The first string led her to the guard’s barracks where she ‘borrowed’ a uniform in his size, a set of commoner’s clothes, and a hat. Then came the second that had her enter the King’s War Room where the monarch sat, discussing political alliances with a handful of advisors. The boot lay forgotten in a corner, gathering dust. No one saw it vanish in thin air and even if they had, it was already too late. She returned to the Prince’s presence before he could blink once, spreading her offerings atop the bed.

“There you go. Please get dressed and then I’ll see you out safely.

“You move surprisingly fast, fairy (not that I’m complaining!). Thank you for your service how I can repay you for it?”

“I wish nothing more than for you to remain true to your heart no matter what happens. And yes, I do believe in soulmates, and happy endings too. If my actions today help you get both, then I’ll be glad.”

“You’re a genuine lifesaver. Thank you once more. However, I will ask you for one last favor now.”

“What type of favor?”

“Would you be so kind to turn your back to the wall or at least close your eyes while I change?” He asked.

“Sorry, Your Highness,” Cinderella grinned, “but that is one thing I will not do. Don’t be shy about being left in your undies, though. You’ve got nothing under there I haven’t seen already countless times.”

The things he did in the name of Sin... Prince Phillip nodded and began to strip.

* * *

Meanwhile, Mistress Tatiana stood alone in her private studio/laboratory, musing about everything that had gone wrong the night before. Too many little details had come together to produce the biggest blunder of her adult life. If there was still any hope of salvation, she couldn’t see it, and that was unacceptable.

To pass the time while she thought of something, she tried out new tea recipes, using rare ingredients she had purchased from a merchant who had sailed to India and back. Few people recognized the intricacy of her work when they tried her creations, but it was always gratifying to witness the results, including those that ended in death. Lady Sin should have one with some aconite on the side. That would certainly make things easier.

Too busy with the combinations of tea leaves in her hands, she failed to notice the presence in the room with her until it was breathing down on her. It was the Count and his greasy manners, bearing gifts and apologies in his sleeves.

“What are you doing here?” she asked. “You have some nerve showing up after failing me the way you did, yesterday.”

“Apologies, Mistress, but I had to see you.”

“Well, I don’t want to see you. Leave before my mood becomes any worse than what already is.”

“But I have good news that I’m sure we’ll interest you.”

“What are you talking about?”

“The King and the Prince had an altercation about the latter’s preferred company during the ball. You’ll be pleased to know the Lady Sin has made His Majesty uneasy, too. While you won’t hear this announced anywhere, she has been forbidden to appear in any future celebration unless she does so without a mask.”

“Hmmph... too little, too late. How does that fix the damages to my daughter’s claims that resulted from yesterday’s spectacle of ineptitude?”

“It doesn’t, but it’s a small victory for you, nonetheless.”

“I don’t care about ‘small victories’, or ‘moral victories’, or whatever shit you spew. When the threat became real, you failed miserably. I won’t give you a chance to fail again.”

“I understand you’re upset, and so am I, but there’s something else you should know before you dismiss me,” the Count bowed. “Will you please listen to me?”

“Fine, but make it quick!”

And when he finally told her, she smiled openly at the prospect of what was to come.