As soon as the battle was over, Prince Sharman burst from his carriage and ran to his fiance. He started the journey on horseback, but after the first twenty minutes, he decided he needed to lounge. A seat was more comfortable than a saddle.
“Cinderella!” he cried. “Cinderella, are you in that wagon? Please! I must see you!”
“I'm here,” Cinda quietly replied. As she climbed down from the wagon, the prince was so overwhelmed by the sight of her, he staggered.
“My god... it's been so long since I've seen this face. This beautiful, gorgeous face.” Sharman closed the distance between them and lightly cupped her cheek. “You must have been through quite an ordeal.”
“It's certainly been... strange,” she admitted. “I've seen dragons and witches and all sorts of oddities.”
“And we should probably leave the area,” added Terra, whose head emerged from the wagon's interior. “Donnabella isn't too far away.”
Sharman's handsome face was twisted by confusion, so Cinda explained, “This is my stepsister, Terra. I believe you met her at my stepmother's cottage. I asked her to accompany me to the Winter Palace. After everything that's happened, I'm sure she regrets her decision to go.”
“Not at all,” Terra objected. With her crutches in hand, she carefully descended from the wagon. “It's been quite an adventure, to be honest. I never thought I'd get to see and do so many things. Until recently, my adventures were supplied by books and stories. This level of excitement is rather new to me.”
Cinderella echoed the thought. “And to me as well. Dodging dragons is slightly more dramatic than mopping a floor.” When her attention returned to Sharman, she changed the subject. “Anyway, is it alright if my stepsister accompanies us?”
“Of course, dear.” Sharman's smile didn't quite reach his eyes, so she assumed it was fake. “If her company makes you comfortable, she's more than welcome to stay with you.”
“Thank you, Your Highness. I appreciate that.”
“Thank you... Sharman,” the prince quietly corrected her as he raised her hand to his lips. When her knuckles were pressed against his mouth, he breathed deeply, as if trying to inhale the scent of her skin. As he released her hand, he lowered his voice so the stepsister wouldn't hear. “You really are the loveliest woman in the world. Your beauty astounds me. I'd almost forgotten how lovely you are.”
“Th-thank you.” She stuttered her gratitude. “As Terra was saying, we should probably head to the port. If Donnabella found us, we'd probably be doomed.”
“We'll leave as soon as my knights are ready.” Sharman glanced over his shoulder, checking the status of his soldiers. After the fight with Rank, most of them were stumbling, moaning, and tending to scrapes and bruises. “They took quite a beating.”
“Rank surprised me,” Terra spoke up. “I didn't think anyone could take on an entire army and win.”
“He didn't win,” Sharman gently reminded her. “That man is bound for prison, where he'll likely spend the rest of his days. Anyone who abducts the prince's fiance must be prepared to suffer.”
Cinderella almost asked what he intended to do about Donnabella, but she decided against it. She didn't want Sharman to become the witch's enemy. She just wanted to get away from Donnabella as quickly as she could.
If only Fenix could do the same.
“Sharman?” Cinda whispered his name.
“Yes, my dear?”
In the distance, she could see Fenix with his hands in his pockets. He was shuffling back and forth, trying to look disinterested in Cinda's reunion with the prince. “Before we depart, may I take a moment to speak to someone?”
“Of course,” her fiance replied. “As I said, my men need a moment to gather their wits. I'll, uh...” When his eyes landed on Terra, Sharman's nostrils flared. “I'll escort your sister to the royal carriage. Whenever you're ready, join us.”
Cinderella held her breath as she made her way to Fenix's side. It would be difficult to say goodbye—and even harder because she knew his fate. Her hero was doomed to a life as Donnabella's slave.
“Fenix?”
As soon as he heard her voice, he spun around and smiled. “Hello.”
“I guess...” Cinda's throat constricted. Her body was protesting against the terrible words. “I guess this is goodbye?”
“Yeah.” Fenix's lips fell. “It is. But at least your story has a happy ending.”
“It does. Because of you.” If Sharman wasn't nearby, she might have hugged him. “I'm eternally grateful to you.”
“Was your prince coming to save you?” Fenix asked. “It's a good thing he didn't make it all the way to Donnabella's boot. She would have torn him apart.”
“I believe it.”
“I'm serious,” Fenix insisted. “You saw what Rank could do, right? Imagine that, but ten times worse.”
“I can't imagine it.”
For the next few seconds, they were silent. Fenix's hands were still buried in his pockets. Cinda thought it made him look timid, as did his downcast eyes.
“I wish your story had a happy ending.” Cinda's sympathies were expressed with a sigh. “You're going back to Donnabella soon, and it kills me to think of it.”
“True.” Fenix nodded. “I'll be back in her arms by the day's end... after she's punished me, of course.”
“You deserve better, Fenix.” When her hero's eyes landed on hers, Cinda felt a shudder on her spine. “You do. You really do.”
“I'll be alright.” When he glanced over Cinderella's shoulder, he spotted Sharman in the distance. The prince was watching them. “I, uh... I hope your life with Sharman is full of happiness.”
For a moment, her heart stopped pumping. “Really?”
“Yeah.” Fenix nodded. “I just want you to be happy. After everything you've been through, you deserve happiness.”
“Fenix...” Cinda whimpered his name. Her stomach ached. She couldn't stop thinking she would be happier with someone else.
“W-well, I should probably get back to Donnabella before the curse takes effect again.” When he stepped away from her, Cinda's vision was blurred by tears. She was tempted to pull him back and beg him to stay. She wanted to keep him at her side. She wanted to protect him. “Farewell, Cinderella.”
“Wait...” she whispered weakly. Her voice was so soft, he didn't hear it.
Fenix morphed into a bird and spiraled into the sky. Some of Sharman's soldiers gasped at the sight. Cinda was no longer surprised by Fenix's many forms, but she could understand the soldiers' shock.
As she watched him fly away, back to the woman who made his life miserable, Cinda could feel her lips quivering. She kept her eyes on his retreating orange wings until they were barely a speck on the horizon. “I'll never see him again,” she quietly reminded herself. “Never.”
Cinderella was free from her stepmother. She was free from the witch. In a matter of days, she would be Sharman's wife, and they would live happily ever after.
It sounded like a perfect ending.
Even so, Cinderella felt an unmistakable twinge of emptiness in her aching heart.