The prince tilted his head to the side as she saw Anastasia sitting on top of a cream colored horse. He seemed to try to recognize her, play with his own memory. Anastasia looked back at him silently. Sh didn't smile and did the most she could to conceal the fear, sadness, horror and helplessness that consumed her at the moment. She was now scared of the idea of the prince. What else could be done to her in order to make her erroneously fit whatever expectations this man had.
The prince nodded and grabbed the horse by the riendas. 'Let us be, we are going for a walk' he commanded. He started walking alongside the horse. Didn't mount it along with Anastasia. Anastasia blinked, thinking this was weird. The whole point was to ride together. He seemed untrusting. Unsure.
'Tell me something. Anything.'
Anastasia could not speak. The risk of saying to wrong thing was too high. Saying the wrong thing would also imply she lost her toe for nothing. Part of her wanted to run away. Part of her wanted this to work only so that she could justify her loss. However, silence could be just as dangerous.
A couple of seconds went by, and Anastasia had not yet said a word. She noted, in the distance, the pigeon house. They passing by the pigeon house. At a distance, but passing by it nonetheless. Had he only known her true love was hiding form him there.
The silence was broken by birds singing from the pigeon house. This made the prince look in that direction, and consequently looking at where Anastasia foot would be. A red pool of blood had stained the lower part of her dress, as the shoe grew unable to contain it. As the prince looked at it, Anastasia chose to reject the situation as a whole. The prince, like the shoe, was too small. That ending to her story, as a whole, if it included betraying herslef, was too small.
'It seems you can tell I'm not the person you are looking for' she said sharply. 'But you had to look to my feet in order to answer that question yourself, so I do have a follow up inquiry. Why can't you recognize your future wife by using your eyes?' she asked. Her voice came out deeper and more cutting that she originally intended.
The prince laughed. 'why do you think I'm going personally to try people a pair o shoes' he said. It gives me the chance to look for her. It's an excuse so that the people that attended the ball actually open me the door. I really did highly doubt it was you from the beginning. The woman I hope to marry.. she.. she was waring a mask all of the nights. I have never actually seen her face. I could not recognize her if I wanted to. So there is always the possibility that I will knock on every door in this kingdom and never find her.'
Anastasia's eyes never softened with any of the words the prince spoke. However her heart might have, her eyes would never show it. It was years and years of practice. Softness gets punished.
'I do think I remember you though.' the prince said. 'If I' not wrong, I think I saw you talking with her that very first night I met her. It was brief, but I was wondering. Would you please tell me who she is. How to find her.'
Anastasia smiled then. It was a weird and rare thing to happen - those smiles. 'Yeah. I can. But you need to take int consideration that she may need some help as I don't believe she wants to be found.'
'What do you mean?'
'You'll see, she is frightened. And rightfully so. I would be scared out of her mind if I was her even though I would never admit it to her face. She was never supposed to be at the festivities. She disobeyed my mother's orders in doing so. If she is found to have atteneded, and you - for some reason - reject her or change your mind about taking her with you to eventually be your queen, she'll lose everything. She doesn't have a lot to begin with. I would be powerless to do anything about it.'
"I would never reject her. I don't care who she is or what she has been through.'
Anastasia's smile grew deeper. Maybe the prince was not so small afterall. Maybe the life her stepsister was being offered wasn't so small either. As long as it was hers. The shoe that was too small for Anastasia, may not really be too small for Cinderella. To her it did fit. 'Her name is Cinderella, and she is hiding in the pigeon house to our left as we speak.'
The prince looked into that direction immediately.
'Oh, come on! be discrete!' Anastasia blurred out. The prince laughed.
'Look, this is what I think you should do. Go to my mother, and tell her you saw my injured foot, and therefore know its not me you are looking for. Good God, had you really have to find such a silly way to try and find your wife? a stupid shoe? anyway, she'll offer the hand of my sister Drizella. Likely her feet will have undergon a callamity like mine. I don't think I know a way to save her from that. Ask if there is anyone else. Ask my step father specifically, and you should insist. He is scum, but I really I'm hoping he is not that much scum. He should let you see her. Reasureher, when you see her. Tell her evertything you told me, and tell her you would never leave her. Then, and just then, you may have a chance she tries on your stupid shoe. You are the only think that would save her from ruin, so you need to demonstrate her that you are trustworthy and stable ground. '
The prince nodded.
'Thank you' he said.
Anastasia rolled her eyes in response. This was way too sweet for her. She didn't do sweet.
'where you always this eloquent?' the prince asked smiling.
'Jee, I don't maybe I since I had to cut off my toe today i feel like I earned the right to say whatever I want' she answered.
'you did what?'
'My mother is a monster. Just ride the horse back home and interact with her the least possible. I would do the same if I were you.' The prince smiled. Anastasia was blunt. Too blunt maybe. But here would always be space for blunt in his table, as long as it came as well informed and good intentioned as it just did.