Cinderella (Camren)

Locked Up

"Normani wake up."

Snoring.

"Normani?"

More snoring.

"Mani"

One nudge.

Still snoring.

A sigh.

Then a snap of her fingers.

"Normani!"

Normani gasped and sat up in the carriage, looking all around as though she were getting attacked by Godzilla. "Who? What? When? Where? How? Why? Wha?"

Ally leaned back on the carriage seat and lightly folded her arms. "You were out like a light. You must be exhausted."

Normani yawned and rubbed her eye. "I am." she nodded. "Where's the glass slipper?"

Ally pointed knowingly to Normani's lap. "Right there."

Normani looked down to see the slipper safely on a pillow in her lap, though the thin cloth that had concealed it from the women until their arrival had fallen to the floor.

"Right, right. Of course." Normani nodded as she sleepily picked up the cloth.

Ally sighed. She knew Normani was completely out of it when she was tired. They had searched endlessly for hours on end trying to find Lauren's mystery girl and were now returning to the castle for a status report. It was Normani's job to go around the kingdom announcing the royal proclamation and see who the slipper fit. Ally was there to accompany her as the royal footwoman, and to have a witness for who the shoe did and didn't fit. Plus, it came in very handy to have someone that helped keep her awake once in a while. But even Ally knew that in between trips Normani did need a quick nap. Unfortunately, a quick nap didn't seem like enough. She knew reporting back to Princess Lauren on how the search was going wasn't going to take long, but it would be a good idea if Normani did get a little more shut eye. So Ally, not only being the loyal member of the castle but also a caring friend, made Normani an offer as the carriage arrived in front of their home.

"Why don't you stay in here and rest a little longer? I'll go talk to Lauren."

Normani shook her head. "She's my sister. I have to tell her how it's going."

"If you keep going like this you'll fall fast asleep by the time we reach the next house." she replied. "I'll wake you up when you get there."

"Oh...I'm not that tired." Normani lied, even though a yawn did escape her.

Ally smiled lightly and shook her head. "Nice try, Grand Duchess. I'll be back out in a few minutes." She then exited the carriage and made her way into the castle.

Normani yawned and looked to the carriage driver. "Do I really seem that tired?" she couldn't help but ask.

The driver looked at her with an obvious look. "You've barely even tried to hit on the footwoman all trip."

"You know about that?" Normani asked sleepily.

"Madam, the only one who doesn't know about it is your father and the footwoman herself." he responded.

Normani sighed and collapsed back into her seat. Could they go back to worrying about Lauren's love life now? Alright, maybe after a nap. Not even waiting another second, Normani fell right to sleep.

Ally entered the castle and made her way right to the kitchen, knowing that's where the princess would be right about now. Not just because it was about time to eat, but because sometimes Lauren ate when she was freaking out. And what a shock, that's exactly where she was. Lauren was sitting at the counter nibbling on a piece of toast just staring into space. Ally took a deep breath and walked over to her.