'Are we there yet?'
'No.'
The silent night was filled with Cinderella's and Aiden's footsteps. They have been walking for at least an hour, and Aiden's feet started to hurt.
'I'm tired. Can we take a short break?'
'I know you're tired. You have been telling me that over the past hour. Not that anyone is counting, but this is the fifth time.' Cinderella answered. 'And no, I think we're almost there.' Or that was what she hoped. She had no idea how the abductors got away so quickly and traveled such a long distance.
'Are you sure we're on the right path? I feel like I've seen this tree before.'
'I'm trying to pay attention to the trail they left, but someone keeps bugging me.' She looked around irritated and shot him a daring glare to say one more word.
Aiden stopped walking and held up his hands defensively. 'Fine. I'll stop talking.'
'Much appreciated.' Cinderella turned around again and started walking up a hill. This was the most frustrating and annoying hike she had ever been on. Stuck with a guy that sometimes makes her heart skip a beat and sometimes acts like a total toddler.
On top of that, she had her worries about The Boss. She knew she would make it out alive. The Boss was strong and wouldn't give in for anything, but Cinderella suspected that the abductors wouldn't be just anyone.
These guys knew about the crown. They had been following Cinderella and The Boss for days probably and acted when they had the most chance of succeeding.
The conversation with the salesman still bothered her. He was talking about some tattoo The Boss had. And if he was speaking the truth: how would it affect their relationship? Had The Boss been lying to her? About everything? Or just some parts? And what parts were real, and which were lies?
'Are you overthinking again?' Aiden's voice pierced through her thoughts.
A flare of irritation, which Cinderella couldn't place, shot up. 'And what if I am? Sometimes it's good to think about everything. Also, haven't I told you to shu-'
Aiden abruptly stopped her, grabbed her shoulder, and pushed her down to the ground. He was right above her, and because Cinderella was on her back, she could only glare at him. Before Cinderella could push him off, he said: 'It's not if you don't pay attention to your surroundings anymore.'
'What?'
'Look.'
He pointed in the distance and turned away from her. Cinderella could finally breathe normally again and turned around on her stomach. Then, she saw why the prince had pulled her to the ground.
An abandoned land house stood quietly in an open field. There was barely any grass, and the grass that was there was mostly dead.
Suddenly, a chill ran down Cinderella's spine. This felt bad. Everything in her screamed to get the hell out of here. Her legs trembled, and she shuffled anxiously backward.
'She must be in there.' Aiden whispered.
'Yeah...' He was right. The trail led them all the way up to here. The straws of hay thinned out, the way over here.
'So... Ladies first?'
Cinderella wanted to punch him right there and then but held back because she was afraid he might see her shaky hands. 'I hate you.'
He didn't grin like she was used to by now but smiled instead. He helped her get up from the cold ground and held her hands. He looked at the abandoned house when he said: 'Mine are shaky too. We're in this together, alright? You got the front, and I the back.' And just like that, the anxiety slowed down, and she was able to use her rational brain again.
'Alright.' Cinderella took the lead but only when she knew the prince got her back.
The ground beneath them was wet and covered in dead leaves. The wind had free range but therefore covered the sound of their steps.
Not only her nerves were out of control. The prince hadn't been lying when he said his hands were shaky as well. But he stood his ground and checked for any dangers in the back.
They got near the house; it was even scarier up close. The walls were heavily damaged and grown over by plants. Windows were shattered, and the wind had free game on the house as well.
'Are you sure she is in here?' Aiden asked.
'No, I don't know, but I hope so. We just have to... wing it, I guess.' She pressed her body against the cold wall and urged Aiden to do the same. Cinderella heard him mutter to himself but blocked it out. There was no room for error here. If she got distracted, things wouldn't only go bad: it could even be fatal.
'Keep quiet and copy my every move.' Cinderella went front again and grabbed Aiden by his wrist. She saw a way in; a cracked door provided enough space for her and the prince to go through.
Cinderella stepped inside, pulling Aiden with her. Once they were inside, it looked like they were in the back of the house. An old chandelier was barely hanging on the ceiling. Black stains were on the bare walls.
'Seems like there was a fire here.' Aiden whispered. 'Do you think it's safe for us to go in further?' He looked at the ceiling, which had cracks all over.
Cinderella followed his gaze and thought the same. It probably would be best if the left right now. She also looked at the stairs, and like the rest of the house, those didn't look reliable. At all.
'We just have to find The Boss and your crown, remember? They're here somewhere...' And just when Cinderella finished her sentence, she heard noises coming from upstairs. A sound like something was falling, followed by a string of curse words.
Cinderella was already running. The prince followed her lead, and they both ran up the stairs, not looking at the steps. Cinderella was too worried about the Boss. The prince was afraid that the stairs would fall apart if he looked at them.
Again, shouts and fighting noises were heard, and it led them to a room on the right. When Cinderella was to open the door, a blinding blue light came out from under the door. The prince took Cinderella's hand away from the doorknob, pushed her against the wall, and sheltered her with his body. The door that was just there a second ago; shattered into tiny pieces.
This all happened in a split second. Cinderella's ears were ringing because of the explosion, and she felt dizzy.
'Are you okay?' Aiden took a little step back to give her a bit of space. He lifted her chin, softly, to look at her face. 'Are you okay?' Cinderella didn't really know what was going on, but she felt warm. Cozy. Like this was natural. Him, being worried about her. It had been a long time since someone had worried about her.
She nodded.
'You guys are late.' And just like that, the coziness was gone. The voice of the Boss pulled them apart, and the prince didn't know how to behave. Cinderella thought it was cute.
She pushed herself off the wall and walked over to the Boss. 'Looks like we are not really needed here anyway.' Cinderella walked into the room and was shook by the thing she saw. The men who had captured the Boss, three of them, were lying still on the ground. 'Are they...?'
The Boss followed her gaze and shook her head. 'No, they will awake anytime soon. They are just sleeping. It's the same thing I used on the guards that night at the ball.'
Cinderella remembered. The guards in front of the king's bedroom. They just fell asleep. She looked at the Boss. She looked tired and had a few bruises here and there but overall looked alright. Cinderella felt a sense of relief washing over her.
'Now. As for why your highness is here...' The Boss didn't notice the distress Cinderella was in and walked to a corner of the room. The crown was upside down in that corner. It was a bit dusty, but everything was there; the jewels, the gold. 'I think this belongs to you.'
The prince stood behind Cinderella and awoke from his daydream he seemed to have. 'Ah, yes. Of course.' He walked past her and took the crown.
The Boss raised a single eyebrow. 'That's the reason you came here, right?' For a split second, she looked at Cinderella and grinned.
'No. Of course.' He hesitantly took the crown from her. 'Thank you.'
Cinderella felt miserable with the minute but didn't feel like she could say anything. He never lied to her in the first place. The prince told her he was looking for the crown. He found it, so he should go back.
'You should go back to the palace. Before the guards wake up and you get in trouble.' Not only the Boss but the prince was surprised as well.
'You think I should go back?'
Cinderella nodded and let the words fall out of her mouth. 'Yes, right away. Before the people in the palace miss you and begin looking for you. You don't want to be found with us.'
'Excuse you?' The Boss interrupted. 'What's wrong with us? We are decent people!'
'Yeah, right. Decent people who steal and get into fights.' Cinderella focused on the prince again. 'I think you need to go before you get into more trouble.'
The prince looked confused, but what Cinderella was saying wasn't irrational. He could really get into trouble if the royal guards caught up with him.
And so he left. Almost as if he were a stranger, and they sent him on his merry way. Cinderella felt like she made the biggest mistake she had ever made but wasn't courageous enough to get him back.
Cinderella went over to the Boss and offered her arm for support. 'Are you hurt?'
The Boss took Cinderella's arm and chuckled softly. 'Not really. My legs are wobbly but nothing serious.'
'Good. I was worried.' Cinderella looked at The Boss's body in concern, searching for any injuries.
'Well, from what I saw in the hallway, you weren't the only one who was concerned.' She smirked.
Cinderella slapped her arm. 'Please. I don't wanna talk about it. Let's just get out of here.' But no matter how much Cinderella repressed her thoughts, she knew the Boss was right.
She didn't know it would take a long time to be able to admit to it.