"I said marry me."
"No."
"Why not? Do you think I'm not worthy of you?" Prince Stanley said in his cold voice.
Cinderella shook with fear at his low growl. "Please just let me go. I promise never to appear on your face again. Please, I beg of you." She said with tears already flowing down her eyes.
Prince Stanley was unbothered by her tears at the moment, he was already determined to make her his, either the easy or the hard way. "I've already gave a simple choice to regain your freedom, but it seems you don't appreciate my goodness. Then you leave me no choice but to take this the hard way."
Prince Stanley easily carried Cinderella from the ground and placed her on his horse. He climbed behind her, together they set off, heading back to the palace.
Reaching the palace gates, the guards saluted him and opened the gate for him to enter. All the guards were stunned to see their crown prince carrying a lady on his horse. They've never seen him getting close to any lady before, he even broke off every engagement his father made for him.
Rumours have it that he was into men and despise even the touch of other women, except for his mother and little sister.
When they reached to the palace, Stanley held Cinderella down from the horse, carrying her in his hands on a bridal style, walking into the palace.
All the maids who saw him bowed their heads in succession, quickly glanced their eyes to get a peak of the lady that was on the crown prince arms. "Is that the crown prince? And is that a lady on his arms? I must be getting blind right?"
"It truly is the crown prince! And a lady is truly in his arms." Hearing the whispers behind them, Cinderella face got flushed and she lowered her head in embarrassment at the manner of which
Prince Stanley was carrying her. She struggled herself to get down form his arms, "Please put me down, I can walk by myself." Stanley stopped his paced at her words, turning back he looked at all the servants and they hurriedly scampered to their various duties.
He turned around and continued walking, not minding what Cinderella said. He passed by the hallways and climbed upstairs to his room.
Behind him, prince Stanley did not notice the two pair of eyes staring at his back with their eyes and mouth wide opened in shock. "Mom, is that not eldest brother? Or am I hallucinating?" "If you're hallucinating, then I guess it both of us. Come, let's go to his room."
Standing behind Stanley was his mother, Elizabeth, the queen, and his little sister, Selena, the only princess in the kingdom.
Together, they walked upstairs to his room.
_ _
"Prepare some men to set out to the outskirts of the kingdom near Riverbend, there's a chasel you would receive front the king of Edinburgh. Keep some men in secret in case of an ambush." King Richard ordered to his commandant.
"Yes your majesty."
"Is there anything else, commander Raymond." He said to the commandant, who after receiving his orders, still stood there.
"I'm not sure if I should be saying this your majesty…"
"If you're not sure then you better not say it commander Raymond." He interrupted his commandant.
"I apologize your majesty. I just saw the crown prince carrying a young lady on his horse into the palace. I heard he took her to his room."
King Richard immediately stopped what he was writing, at the information he just received.
Slowly he stood up from his desk, with shock written all over his face, and stared directly at his commandant, "Did you just say…you said Stanley, with a woman, entering his room?"
"Yes your majesty." King Richard released the breath he never knew he was holding.
"Quickly, take me to his chambers." He commanded and was led away to the main palace.
_ _
~ Knock Knock ~
"Who?" Prince Stanley asked from inside his room.
"Open this door young man." The queen responded from outside.
Prince Stanley stood up from the bed and walked to open the door for his mother.
Once the door was opened, his mother and sister quickly barged into the room, looking everywhere with their eyes in search of the woman they just saw earlier.
"Where is she?" His mother questioned.
"She's taking her bath." Immediately he answered, the door to the bathroom opened and a fairy like lady wrapped in a bathrobe walked out.
As soon as Cinderella saw the queen, she immediately knelt down in greetings, "Your majesty." But the queen was too shocked at what she just saw that she did not immediately respond to the greetings.
"Mother, she's greeting you." Stanley had to remind his mother and made her recover from her shock.
"Stand up my dear child." The queen walked up to Cinderella with smiles, holding her hands to help her up.
Cinderella stood up, still keeping her head lowered in form of respect.
"What's your name child?" The queen held her chin gently, lifting up her face. "My name is Cinderella your majesty." Cinderella answered in a low voice.
The queen smiled at Cinderella, gently stroking her smooth cheeks with her thumb, "Cinderella, what a nice name you have my child. Tell me the truth my child, did he kidnap you and forcefully brought you here?"
"Mom!"
Prince Stanley immediately shouted as his mom provocative question.
"What? This is the first you've ever had any sort of contact with an outside lady, so of course I have every right to ask." The queen snapped back at him. "Just tell me the truth child, he won't do anything to you with me here." The queen stared back at Cinderella.
Cinderella glanced at Stanley, surprisingly she saw a pitiful expression on his face. This wasn't the face of the cold crown prince that forcefully took her away. Was he making that expression to gain her pity? He doesn't expect her to lie to the queen right in her face right? And she need her freedom from him. But what if she goes against him and he comes ba
ck to hunt her, or even kill her? Cinderella became confused on what to say to the queen.