ALBERT
“Itold Robert he could come tonight,” I said to Delilah as she helped me get into the costume my mother had given me for tonight.
“Albert is that a good idea, you know the Chromatics can’t go in their human forms for too long?”
“He’ll be fine, besides, he really sounded happy to go. He knows if it gets to be too much, he can leave.”
“You and your crazy love for dangerous things. The girl who is going to steal your heart needs to be someone really special.”
“It doesn’t matter,” I sighed. “I’m the prince, remember. We don’t have the privilege of choosing who to love. Father learned that the hard way.”
She flatten out my shoulders and the jacket hung beautifully. I did look like the prince I was. I smiled at Delilah in the mirror as she just stared at my buttons. No emotion on her face. Just staring. “What is going through that mind of yours?”
“I’ve been thinking, you know how Gabe looks a lot like you. I mean your mother has mistaken him for you many times just by his hair.”
“And your point is.” I squinted.
“I want to give you a night of freedom, Albert. Let Gabe pretend to be you and just enjoy the evening in whatever way you want to. I’m sure we can throw something together for you to wear.”
I smiled. “You are a genius.” I kissed her on her cheek. “I love it. Let’s mess with everyone at the ball.”
She laughed. Her laughter always made my skin flush. She had such a good and pure heart.
“Your mother won’t be pleased later tonight,” Delilah said.
“Let me worry about dear old mom. She wants me at this stupid ball, I’ll be there in all my forms.”
KATIE
I looked at myself in mom’s mirror. My mother’s wedding dress didn’t even look like the dress I had held in my hands a couple of days ago. She had done so many alterations to it and tears glistened in my eyes. I looked like a real princess with a shoulder cut off dress that accentuated my middle and a puff of white fabric.
Maggy’s mom, Rowena Trin, put some color on my lips.
Beautiful glitter sparkled around my eyes. It felt like a waste as it would be hidden behind the mask that we had to wear the entire evening.
“Oh, Katie,” mom said and cupped her mouth. Tears glistened in her eyes too. “You look absolutely beautiful.”
“But there is something missing,” father’s tired voice came from the entrance of the room. He was leaning on the side of the door and on the cane in his hand.
“Daddy,” I ran to his side. “You should go back to bed.”
I put his weight under my shoulder. He protested.
“You are going to ruin your beautiful gown. Please, I’m fine.”
“No, Daddy, bed, now.” I tried to sound stern.
“Wait, Katie, please.” He was so out of breath. I wanted my father’s health back so badly. “I have something to give you.”
“In the room, Father. You’re weak and you have to get under the covers. It’s cold out here, please.”
Father gave me a soft smile.
With the help of mother we got him back to bed.
Once he was nicely tucked in, he spoke softly to mother.
She smiled, nodded, kissed him on his head and left the room.
“Where is Mama going?”
A smile lingered on my father’s tired face. I closed my eyes, just wanting to cry more as the image of him, the way he used to laugh, had made all of us join in with his laughter. It was so contagious. I missed all of it.
Mother entered the room with the most beautiful cloak, and in her hands were a delicate piece of artwork.
The candle’s light made it sparkle.
It made me think of glass.
Mother handed it to me, too scared to touch it.
She just smiled.
I looked at my father who could barely keep his eyes open, but he smiled too.
I finally held the artwork in my hands and discovered they were wings.
They weren’t glass, to be honest, I had no idea what they were made of.
Father was really good at making things out of barely nothing and making them beautiful.
They were not heavy.
Mom took me to the mirror while she quickly sewed the wings to my dress.
I couldn’t help but wonder where father got the time or the energy to make them.
“How?”
“Shhh, Katie,” my father whispered. “You deserve tonight.”
Mother chuckled. “You can say that again.” She touched my shoulders. “We want you to enjoy every single bit of tonight.”
I nodded. “Thank you Mom.”
“You are welcome sweetheart.”
They were the most beautiful creations I had ever seen. Two wings flared from the top with two smaller ones below.
I looked like a fairy princess with my mother and father taking the place of the fairy godmother.
“Go, show them us commoners can take more than just the scraps from their tables.”
I laughed at her sense of humor as I knew she meant that I was going to take breaths away tonight. I sure felt beautiful, really beautiful.
I found my father staring at me. And a feeling of pure joy mixed with sadness and gratitude flushed through my entire soul. I ran over to his bed and gave him a big hug. “I love you, Daddy. They are gorgeous.”
The hooves of Ramon’s horses pulling the carriage filled the night.
“It’s time, Katie. Enjoy it for all our sakes.”
“I will Mama,” I said.
My brother and sisters all stood sleepy in the doorway of mother’s room and I gave all of them a big hug.
“You be good now, Samuel. Go back to bed and tomorrow I’ll tell you everything about the ball.”
His eyes lit up. “You look like a fairy princess, Katie.”
“But bed, now.” I tickled him softly and he rushed back to his bed in mother’s room.
I smiled at Samuel and gave Susannah a kiss. She was a few years older than him and shared our brown hair.
“Go, Katie, you are wasting time, saying goodbye.” Mother placed her hand softly on my shoulder.
“Thank you so much, Mom. This dress is absolutely gorgeous.”
“You are gorgeous.” Mother put my cloak over my shoulders and pulled the hood on top of my head.
She gave me a soft kiss on the cheek and waved at Maggy who was inside the carriage waiting for me. “Have fun tonight, girls.”
“We will, Mrs Squire.” Maggy said and I smiled at mother and my brother and sisters one last time before closing the carriage door.
The carriage pulled off and I smiled at Maggy who was beautiful in her lilac dress and matching mask.
“You look stunning, Kate.”
“I feel weird.” I said honestly. I had never had this many layers on my body.
“It’s about time that you were wearing something as magical as this.” Maggy sat back. “Just imagine the time we are going to have.” She closed her eyes, daydreaming already. She was finally going to meet Helmut for real.
I smiled and shook my head just staring out the window and watching the scenery we passed.
“Just remember, Ramon has to leave at the stroke of midnight Kate. Otherwise he isn’t going to be back in time for Mr Fletcher.”
“He does know that Ramon is taking us, right?”
“Calm your beating heart. Where is your adventurous side? Of course he knows.” Maggy smiled.
Okay, I thought and sat back and relax.
Tonight was really going to turn out to be just like that fairytale, Cinderella.
Everything would be just like that story.
