Cinderella danced with the prince the next to festivities. Mrs. and Mr. Tremaine did what they could to enjoy the festival under the unsatisfying knowledge that none of their daughters had been chosen by the prince.
Anastasia, however, thinking recently about what was it that she really wanted - what was it that she was seeking out of a marriage - tried talking with almost all guy available in the dance. Finding almost all conversations dull and superficial. As she knew all along, her major asset were her looks - not anything that truly came out of her mouth. That's why she had fought so hard for so long to take care of her looks and still did. Confirming her original presumptions just mad her world a little darker and a little bit bleaker - that which Cinderella had set out to find: true love, did seem to continue panning as a naive fantasy from Anastasias point of view. Part of her did really hope Cinderella had found it with the prince. It would mean that maybe, just maybe, there could indeed be a little corner of the world that wasn't frozen.
She stood there, looking at them from the distance as she held her chapmaigne glass, induging herself on the thought that maybe - just maybe - she could have something similar in some alternative future where things were just a litlte less complicated than they were. A future in a world where she didn't know exactly how expensive her bracelets were as they claimed prominence. A world where her value was not placed in all the things that were to lift her essence. but rather in her essence itself.
'What's got you so wonderstruck?' asked Julian. It was a simple question, but also enough to make all her defenses come back up. She wanted as much distance between her and Julian as she could manage. She looked at him, calculated the amount of effort it would take to keep the conversation, and decided it wasn't worth it. Nevermind being polite. She did a sympathetic gesture with her face, and then just left. Leaving him standing there, wondering if it was something he said. It wasn't, but she didn't need to explain. No is a full sentence.
As they returned home that night, Lady Tremaine looked disappointed on her daughters, but Anastasia could not care less. She looked at her now from the mirror as she realized all the things lady Tremaine had passed on to them as tools to survive in a world that had made her cold. It was weirdly touching to see it - to finally see it. Lady Tremaine must have had to go through a similar process in her time. Mrs. Tremaine must have had a time where she had to go to dances like this one to meet the man who would eventually become their real father. Behind the wrinkles she gained with age was the wisdom that made her stern and stable. A platform that did not budge just so the flowers it raised could grow as colorful as she could never be. Be all that I couldn't be, have all I could not have, it said. And then hid this kindness under somber attention - because it wasn't kindness. Not really, that was the thing. Mrs. Tremaine didn't do anything for their daughters out of mere kindness, but rather out of unflinching unconditional, selfish love. Mrs. Tremaine would never change her habits, the way she related to them. Anastasia realized. She was too old for that, and too much pride to ever admit that she might have asked too much from them. That she pushed them to grow up too fast, and muster the entire weight of their future ever since they were little, placing unrealistic expectations over their heads - independently of whether they would crumble underneath its pressure. Anastasia thought all of this while also contemplating her loyalty - through it all - this was her mother, and beside her was her sister. Two people that meant way more than all those broken things.
As they entered the household they found the lights were off and the rooms clean. Anastasia looked around, wondering if she could go talk to her step-sister. She wanted to hear from Cinderella how things had gone despite putting at risk her cover. She looked around with wide expecting eyes while keeping her composure so that her mother didn't think anything of it. She couldn't however, just roam around the house without raising suspicions, so she headed upstairs along with Drizela.
//
That day Anastasia woke up to a silent morning. The birds that usually sung by her window did not really bring any melody into the home. She moved her curly red hair from her face and stood up somewhat alarmed. Something felt really - really off. She put on her gown, and went down the stairs to meet her family. To her surprise she was met by Drizella looking at her with an ear to ear smile.
'Guess who gets a re-do?' she said.
'Re-do of what?'
'Didn't you want the prince?'
Anastasia didn't answer, truth was she never did. She didn't feel like lying to her sister. 'I wanted his money and status, not him'
Drizella rolled her eyes 'Don't we all'
No, not all of us. Thought Anastasia, but she let the words drown in her mind instead of speaking them. Drizella was not the audience for that kind of commentary.
'Anyway, the mystery lady seems to have disappeared last night. The prince is knocking on every door to see if the shoe fits any of the ladies in each house. He believes if the shoe fits, that's her love.
'Hm. He must be stupid' said Anastasia.
Drizella shrunk her shoulders 'somewhat, yeah.' she agreed. 'But she was wearing a mask every night, and a hair do.
'I guess'
'So if the shoe fits me, he'll automatically make me his wife?' Anastasia asked.
'I don't know how it works. I don't think so. Maybe its just a filter he is doing to reduce the sample over which to look'
'Maybe... I'll be right back'
'Ahm, okay. Just, don't take long. They'll be arriving here soon. We'll be expecting you.'
Anastasia waved her sister off as she walked away. To her own surprise, she found herself walking in a direction she would never have imagined she would: the pigeon house. To find Cinderella.
//
'Now is when you take ownership of this charade' Anastasia said.
A sad Cinderella turned to meet the eyes of the step-sister she often bud-heads with.
'He wants you. Man up. Go confront the situation.' Anastasia expanded.
Cinderella kept quiet. She visibly scared of the situation. 'If he doesn't want me, mother will fell betrayed, and will leave me to the streets' she said.
'well, and if you don't he'll marry whoever a stupid shoe fit her. That should be you, idiot. Don't pretend you would be okay with that - like you pretend to be okay with a father that allows you to be our servant.'
Cinderella winced at her words.
'too far? good. I'm not sorry' said Anastasia harshly. 'If you let this slip through your fingers, you deserve your missery.' she said. With that, she walked away from the pigeon house.