Cinderella Junior Novelization (5 page)

T
he palace was buzzing with young ladies waiting to meet the Prince. Eager maidens were dressed in their finest gowns, and each one hoped for the chance to win the Prince's heart.

The grand ballroom was majestic and massive. The walls were covered with ornate trim and long draperies. Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling. Music played by the royal orchestra filled the air.

A long, narrow red carpet stretched across the center of the shiny tiled floor. At one end of the carpet, the ladies of the kingdom were assembled, each patiently waiting for the court announcer to call her name from a long list of attendees. Once called, the young lady would walk down the long red carpet for the opportunity of a lifetime.

At the other end of that carpet stood the very handsome Prince. He was tall, with dark brown hair and eyes. He wore a regal red-and-gold suit and greeted the ladies like a gentleman. As each lady curtsied, he bowed graciously. Though the Prince was smiling politely, his heart was not really in the royal proceedings. He was actually quite bored. This was not the way he wanted to meet the love of his life.

The court announcer continued to call names from his long list and the ball carried on. A huge tapestry of the royal family crest was draped from a large balcony overlooking the dance floor. On that balcony, high above the crowd, the King sat in his large red velvet chair. He watched the reception with the Grand Duke by his side. He was not pleased with his son's lack of enthusiasm.

“The boy isn't cooperating,” he said, throwing his hands up in the air. He was frustrated. He just wanted his son to find a wife!

The Grand Duke shrugged and grinned as if to say “I told you so.” He leaned on the King's chair and rolled his monocle up and down like a yo-yo. Having this ball was not a good way to find a bride for the Prince, and the Duke was proud of himself for knowing that.

The King slumped down in his chair and held his head in his hands. He closed his eyes and wrinkled his nose in dissatisfaction. He perked up when the next lady walked toward his son. She was attractive, thought the King. Surely the Prince would agree. He was expecting a warm response from his son, but instead, the Prince yawned, covered his mouth, and peered up at his father.

“I can't understand it!” yelled the King, banging his fist on the balcony's ledge. “There must be at least one who would make a suitable mother!”

The Grand Duke stopped playing with his monocle and shushed the King.

The King covered his mouth and cleared his throat. He realized what he had said. “Suitable
wife
,” he said, correcting himself, and once again slumped down into his chair. The King had only one thing on his mind—he wanted the mother of his future grandchild to be chosen from the crowd. With the way the night was going, things didn't look very promising.

And then the young woman in the blue dress walked in.

A
stunning young lady arrived at the palace, wearing a dazzling blue ball gown. She walked up the stairs to the inside hall and stopped. The entranceway was magnificent. She looked around, took a deep breath, and proceeded down the long hallway. Palace guards flanked the entrance. They stood at attention, but they all followed her with their eyes. They simply couldn't help watching the girl.

The young lady slowly walked up another grand staircase carpeted in red velvet. She finally made her way up to the grand ballroom.

Meanwhile, the court announcer continued his introductions.

“The Mademoiselles Drizella and Anastasia Tremaine,” he proclaimed. The sisters fluffed their dresses and hair, preparing for their big moment. Anastasia turned and kneeled down to adjust her dress. She stepped on Drizella's dress at the same time and caused Drizella to get mad and stumble slightly. Drizella then pulled her dress from under Anastasia's feet and almost made her sister fall flat on her face. Drizella started up the carpet without Anastasia, who eventually collected herself and went running after her sister. The girls finally made their way up to the Prince and curtsied.

The Prince couldn't help noticing how awkward and gawky the two girls were. He immediately knew that the Tremaine sisters were not his type. He sighed and looked up at the ceiling, wishing the evening were over.

The King shuddered at the sight of the sisters. “I give up!” he said, shaking his head as he watched Anastasia and Drizella greet the Prince. “Even I couldn't expect the boy to—”

But the King was interrupted by the smirking Grand Duke.

“Well, if I may say so, Your Majesty, I did try to warn you, but you, sire, are incurably romantic,” began the Duke pompously. The King covered his ears with his hands and leaned on the balcony ledge. He tried to muffle the sound of his companion's irritating voice, but the Duke continued to rant about the impossibility of finding love in such a forced setting.

Meanwhile, the Prince was bowing to the Tremaine sisters, who were still clumsily curtsying and grinning, trying their best to spend as much time in front of the Prince as possible. When he lifted his head, he caught a glimpse of something magnificent. He perked up and walked between the two sisters, who thought he was showing interest in them. He briskly made his way to the balcony, where a striking young lady looked over the railing. The Prince went to her and took her hand. She turned around and their eyes locked. He bowed to her and she gracefully curtsied in return. The Prince took her other hand.

The Prince had fallen in love with none other than Cinderella!

It was love at first sight for both of them! And the King had been watching the whole encounter. He rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't dreaming. He rubbed his hands together with excitement. The whole time, the Grand Duke continued to blabber about love and fairy tales in the face of reality.

“… a pretty plot for fairy tales, sire,” chuckled the Duke. “But in real life, it was doomed to failure.” He proudly grinned and cocked his head. He was quite pleased with himself.

But the King quickly returned the Grand Duke to reality.

“Failure, eh?” shouted the King. He grabbed the Duke's monocle and pulled it toward the Prince and Cinderella. He then shoved the Duke's head right into the monocle so he could see the excitement below them. “Ha!” laughed the King. “Take a look at that, you pompous windbag!”

Through the monocle they watched the Prince kiss Cinderella's hand. The Grand Duke was in awe.

The King continued to laugh with joy and anticipation. He summoned the orchestra to play a waltz, then whistled for the lights to be dimmed. He wanted the scene to be set just as he had imagined it. He was finally content.

“Well, now for a good night's sleep,” said the King, yawning and stretching his arms. The Duke agreed. When the King headed for the exit, the Duke followed, but he was quickly halted.

“You will stay right here,” the King said, pushing the Duke back into his chair. “See that they are not disturbed. And when the boy proposes, notify me immediately.” The King left through the curtains. The Duke was annoyed and frustrated. He had been made to look like a fool. He slumped disgustedly in the chair and mocked the King's request. But he was quickly startled by the King's voice. The King had stuck his head back through the curtains. If anything went wrong, he warned, the Duke would be held accountable.

With those words, the King glanced down at the lovely couple one last time. Then he officially made his exit from the balcony and danced down the hallway. He hummed and kicked up his heels. He even took a butler's hands and waltzed with him.

The King was very pleased. He disappeared into his room, shutting the huge doors behind him. His dreams that night would be sweet and satisfying.

T
he Prince and Cinderella walked to the center of the dance floor hand in hand. At first, Cinderella was a bit intimidated by all the people watching them. But when the Prince put his hand on her hip and they stared deeply stared into each other's eyes, all her worries disappeared. Cinderella had come the ball to meet the Prince, but as soon as she had looked deeply into the eyes of this handsome gentleman, she had been smitten. She did not realize that young man she was dancing with
was
the Prince!

The couple waltzed around the floor with a soft light shining down on them. The crowd of guests encircled them. All eyes were on the Prince and his mysterious dance partner, who danced as if no one were watching.

The most curious onlookers of all were Lady Tremaine and her daughters. Anastasia and Drizella tried to sneak a peek over heads and under legs of the other guests.

“But who is she, Mother?” asked Anastasia curiously.

“Do we know her?” asked Drizella.

“Well, the Prince certainly seems to,” replied Anastasia. “I know I've never seen her before.”

“Nor I,” replied Lady Tremaine as she peered over a gentleman's head for a closer look. The Prince and Cinderella danced closer to where the Tremaine women were standing. Though the Prince's body blocked Cinderella's face, Lady Tremaine did catch a glimpse of her.

“Wait,” began Lady Tremaine, her eyes squinting. “There is something familiar about her.” She walked quickly to catch up with the couple as they danced away from her.

Cinderella and the Prince waltzed off the dance floor and onto the balcony. Lady Tremaine followed them. Just as her view of the girl became clearer, a large red curtain with golden tassels closed in front of her. Her chance to identify the girl was thwarted.

The Grand Duke had pulled the curtain closed. He was following the King's orders. He wouldn't let anyone interrupt the Prince. He looked at Lady Tremaine and cleared his throat. That was his subtle way of telling her that she would not be allowed to proceed any further.

B
ehind the curtain, the dancing continued. The Prince and Cinderella twirled around and stared deeply into each other's eyes. Their smiles stretched from ear to ear. They were both experiencing feelings they had never had before—it was true love.

They approached a small staircase leading to a lovely garden. They stopped dancing and the Prince took Cinderella's hand. They walked down the staircase without taking their eyes off each other. It was as if they were floating and nothing could bring them down to earth.

The couple strolled to a magnificent fountain. The garden was dark. The only light came from the stars and their reflections on the water. Cinderella dipped her hand into the fountain and made the reflections twinkle even more. Once again, she and the Prince took each other's hands. They danced through shadows of columns and tall trees as the stars glittered in the sky.

With the moon shining down on them, they walked over a small bridge. Cinderella stopped and rested her hands on the railing, admiring the lovely river below. The Prince leaned on the same railing, admiring Cinderella. He was in awe of her beauty. He had never imagined that his night would end up this way. His heart was bursting with joy—and though he'd resisted his father's plan, the Prince had really fallen in love.

The lovestruck couple sat down on a bench. It was the perfect place for their first kiss. The Prince held Cinderella's arms and leaned in to kiss her. Cinderella's heart pounded in her chest.

Suddenly, the chime of a nearby clock tower sounded.

“Oh, my goodness!” cried Cinderella, looking at the time on the clock. The first chime of midnight had struck!

“What's the matter?” asked the Prince.

“It's midnight!” replied Cinderella, standing up frantically.

“Yes, so it is,” said the Prince, reaching out to her. “But why…?”

Cinderella looked at the Prince and turned away. She knew she had to leave, and leave quickly.

“Goodbye,” she said.

The Prince stood up and grabbed her arm.

“No, no, wait!” he began. “You can't go now!”

“Oh, I must!” Cinderella said. “Please, please, I must!”

“But why?” asked the Prince, confused and disappointed. He held on to her arms and did not want to let go.

Cinderella paused. She clearly couldn't tell this gentleman about her fairy godmother and the magic spell. She tried to think of another answer as she pulled away.

“The Prince,” she replied. “I haven't met the Prince.”

“The Prince?” he echoed. He dropped his hands to his side and raised his eyebrows. The Prince was now even more confused. Not only was the love of his life running away, she didn't even realize
he
was the Prince.

The clock chimed again.

“Goodbye!” yelled Cinderella. She ran up the staircase leading from the garden. The Prince ran after her.

“No, wait! Come back,” he said, reaching for her. “I don't even know your name! How will I find you?”

Cinderella hurried back into the ballroom through the closed drapes. The Grand Duke was asleep in a chair, keeping guard. One of the drapes hit him in the face as Cinderella burst through them, and he woke up. Cinderella waved goodbye to him. He smiled and sleepily waved back.

The clock chimed again.

The Duke then came to his senses and realized Cinderella was leaving.

“Young lady, WAIT!” yelled the Grand Duke, jumping out of his chair.

Just then, the Prince came running through the drapes after Cinderella.

“Wait!” he called to Cinderella. He started after her again, but a group of female guests swarmed him. They wanted their chance to talk to the Prince. He was cornered and unable to go after the girl he now loved.

Cinderella quickly made her way out of the ballroom and down the grand staircase. She was halfway down when she realized that one of her glass slippers had fallen off her foot. She stopped and turned around.

The clock chimed again.

Just as she was about to get the slipper, the Grand Duke came running after her. She turned back around without the slipper and hurried to her carriage.

“Mademoiselle!” called the Grand Duke. “Señorita, just a moment!” He picked up the glass slipper from the staircase and continued after her.

The clock chimed again.

Cinderella made it to the bottom of the steps. The carriage was waiting for her. The footman jumped up and down, motioning for her to hurry.

Cinderella climbed into the carriage and it quickly pulled away as the clock chimed again.

“Stop that coach!” called the Grand Duke. “Close those gates!”

But the coach sped through the gates right before they closed.

The clock chimed again.

The Grand Duke was frantic. He had been warned that he was responsible if anything went wrong. The King would be furious to find out that the potential mother of his grandchildren had gotten away—under the Duke's watch!

The Grand Duke called for the palace guard to go after the coach. A cavalry of men wearing black-and-red cloaks and helmets raced after Cinderella's coach on their horses. They followed it through the streets of town, over a bridge, and up and down hills.

The clock chimed again and again as the chase continued.