Cinderella couldn't help but wake up with a smile despite the overcast weather outside her window. Today was the day that she would finally get an answer regarding her ability to watch over her niece and whether her step-sister would be free from the Isle.
"Excited for your meeting?" Kit asked, emerging from the closet and brushing a bit of hair out of his eyes. Somehow, Kit would always wake up before Cinderella. It was something that never failed to amuse the former scullery maid.
"Excited and nervous," Cinderella said with a sigh as she reluctantly pulled back the covers. The weather had started to get a bit colder and Cinderella made a mental note to make sure the staff had enough wood for the fires. While the castle was heated, sometimes there was nothing better than a nice roaring fire. "Ben could easily say no to the request."
"Well except for the fact that Mal and Evie both adore Dizzy," Kit told her, buttoning up his cuff links. "No man in his right mind would do something that might anger his wife or girlfriend. We may have to be prepared though for the possibility of only half the request being granted."
Cinderella sighed and nodded. "I know dear. Trust me, but there's nothing I want more than for Dizzy to be free from the Isle. She's only been here a short while but I love her as if she was my own. However, she does deserve to be around someone familiar like Anastasia."
"And I love that about you Ella," Kit said, walking toward her and wrapping her arms around her. "But we do have to be realistic. This is the sort of thing that would be up to a council vote, not just Ben's authorization.
Cinderella nodded. "At least he'd be able to bring her children over. Considering they would fall under his decree about giving the villain kids a second chance."
"Exactly," Kit chuckled, breaking the embrace, laying a kiss on her forehead and heading into the hall. "Is Jacob meeting you at the school or here?"
"We're meeting at Auradon Prep. It's probably less nerve wracking than sitting in a car with the step sister of your wife," Cinderella told him as she entered the closet to get dressed. "I'm tempted to surprise the kids but I'm not that cruel."
"Send a photo of their faces if you do," Kit said, his voice trailing off as he descended the stairs. Cinderella shook her head in amusement before getting dressed. Choosing one of her more formal gowns, she quickly got changed. Normally, a meeting with Belle or Beast would have been an informal affair. But this was an official request to a new king. The last thing Cinderella wanted was to insult Ben by assuming anything.
"Aren't you a little too dressed up? After all, it's a meeting with Ben. You've never gotten this dressed up for a meeting with Beast or Belle," Kit stated as Cinderella walked into the kitchen. "That being said, I've always liked this gown."
"This gown got us Alexandria so I know you do," Cinderella chuckled, smoothing out part of the bottom portion of the silver gown. It had been a gift from Fairy Godmother a few years prior. "I'm glad she's finally feeling a bit better though. Nothing worse than a bad head cold."
"I'm just glad she didn't pass it along to anyone else," Kit said, handing Cinderella a cup of coffee. "Then again, with our three elder kids off at Auradon Prep, the only other people she could give it to would be us and Dizzy."
"I may have ordered the staff to be extra diligent in cleaning while Alexandria was sick," Cinderella told him, a small smile gracing her features before taking a long sip of coffee. It was the perfect temperature, not too hot as to scald the roof of her mouth but not too cold either. Nothing was worse than cold coffee...with the exception of possibly reheated cooked pasta.
Kit shook his head in amusement before turning to scramble the eggs he was cooking. Cinderella shook her head as she leaned on the counter, drinking her coffee. Ever since they got married, Kit had taken an interest in learning at least one 'servant' role as some of the other royals would call it. So far, cooking was the only one he truly enjoyed doing. "Why does that not surprise me?"
Cinderella rolled her eyes and finished her coffee. "I should go. I don't want to be late for this."
"It'll be fine," Kit told her, laying another kiss on her forehead and taking her empty cup. "Don't be nervous."
"You know that's easier said than done, right?" Cinderella asked, patting her mouth with a napkin to avoid coffee ring as she left the castle. Quickly walking down the stairs, she couldn't help but smile as she saw that both shoes were still on her feet. No matter how many times she walked down those steps, it always seemed as if she was losing one of her shoes.
"Finally," she sighed and entered the limo.
"Where to, ma'am?" Her driver asked, looking through the rear view mirror.
"Auradon Prep, Richard," Cinderella told him as she sat down and shut the door.
"Ah. Is young master Chadwick in some sort of trouble again? Or is this more in relation to young mistress Katherine or Lucille?"
Cinderella couldn't help but give a small smile as her driver insisted on using her children's full name in addressing them, even in conversation. "No, Richard. I have a meeting with King Ben."
"Yes ma'am," Richard nodded. Richard's tendencies to use as few words as possible was one of the many things that endeared him to Cinderella. "Would you like the partition rolled up or down for this trip?"
"Up, if you please Richard."
Richard nodded and rolled the partition up so that Cinderella was now alone with her thoughts. She watched the scenery outside her window zoom past, a blur of various hues; some green while others were red, orange and the occasional brown. The gray sky only served to be a conduit to her feeling of unrest.
What if Ben said no? Cinderella thought, turning from the window. How could I look Jacob in the face, knowing his children and wife were trapped on the Isle?
Even worse, what if Ben denied Dizzy a place to live? I'm not sure the kids would ever forgive me if that happened.
Cinderella shook her head a little, banishing those thoughts from her head. Even if she did have to be realistic about the matter, it didn't mean that she couldn't have a little faith. Something would turn out well at this meeting.
"We're here, ma'am," Richard's voice broke through Cinderella's thoughts and she was surprised to find out that he was correct.
"Thank you Richard," Cinderella told him and exited the limo. She couldn't help but smile as she saw Jacob standing in front of the statue of former King Beast. "Richard, wait for me. The meeting shouldn't be too long. I'll send word if it changes."
"Yes ma'am," Richard nodded and drove off as to not be parked smack dab in front of the school. Cinderella made her way toward Jacob, who was still staring at the statue.
"Jacob?" Cinderella asked, and the man jumped a little in surprise, his tie smacking him in the face. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to startle you!"
"It was my fault," Jacob told her once he had settled down, brushing the tie back down into place. "I was lost in thought."
"Still, I shouldn't have snuck up on you," Cinderella told him, offering him a small smile. "Shall we?"
Jacob nodded and the two of them quickly made their way to Ben's office. While Cinderella was sure that Ben would set up his own office soon, she hoped that the young man was currently using his father's old office. Belle hadn't said anything so Cinderella was making the familiar trip by memory.
Jacob was oddly silent, staring around the school as if he had never seen the inside of the halls before. With a jolt, Cinderella realized that he hadn't—both of his children were trapped on the Isle. Sneaking a glance at her watch, she slowed her pace to allow Jacob more time to look around.
"Hard to believe kids go to school here," Jacob told her, finally breaking the silence. "It feels more like some place adults would go."
"Trust me, kids go here," Cinderella chuckled. "I've got three examples here myself."
"Soon to be four," Jacob said with a smile, which Cinderella returned. The whole kingdom had been informed with each pregnancy and so knew about Alexandria along with her brother and sisters.
Cinderella wondered what Alexandria's experience at Auradon Prep would be, especially with children knowing she was a Charming? Would the actions of her brother turn the students against her?
Shaking her head, Cinderella banished those thoughts. After all, Kitty and Lucy were Charming's as well. Besides, Fairy Godmother hadn't sent her any reports about Chad. Maybe he was changing back to the sweet boy Cinderella had known him to be.
Wake up and smell the pixie dust, Ella! It's only been four days since the viewing!
Sometimes, she really hated her inner voice. She wanted desperately to have faith that her son had turned a corner but she had to be realistic. Four days was a small amount of time to realistically make a change.
Not when she didn't know just how long her son had been acting the way he had.
"Welcome your majesty," Ben's aide stated, breaking through Cinderella's thoughts as she realized that they had arrived to Ben's office. "His Grace is expecting you. Shall I announce you?"
"Thank you Dean," Cinderella nodded. "But it's not necessary."
"Very well," Dean nodded and sat back down. Cinderella took her hand and quickly rapped three times on the door. Hearing a response, Cinderella opened the door; allowing Jacob and herself to slip inside.
The office seemed larger than Cinderella remembered it in her prior visits, but then again most of Beast's affects seemed to be removed for Ben to grow his kingly collection. It honestly didn't make much sense to Cinderella but then again she wasn't going to argue with the king and queen.
"Your majesty!" Ben announced, standing up from his desk and walking toward them. Cinderella shook her head.
"Your Grace, you really don't need to call me by that title," Cinderella told him, giving a curtsey as etiquette stated was proper . "You're my son's best friend after all."
"If that's the case, then we can dispense with the titles for all of us," Ben said, a large smile on his face. "We're all friends here."
"Where's the Queen Mother?" Cinderella asked as Ben pulled a chair out for her before quickly grabbing one for Jacob. "I thought she would be attending this meeting as well?"
"My mother will be with us shortly," Ben said. "I'm still not entirely sure why—"
"I approached Belle the day before your coronation," Cinderella explained. "She's attending as a friend. Nothing more."
Ben's shoulders seemed to relax a bit at that and Cinderella couldn't help but wonder what that must be like. To be the king but have the former rulers still alive and have one attend a meeting as a friend of your guest?
It honestly was probably better than the alternative, considering the former rulers were his parents.
I hope I didn't just horribly overstep my boundaries, Cinderella thought with an inward sigh. Then again, Ben knows his mother and I are friends outside of our diplomatic roles. For something this huge, would it not make sense for me to have a friend present?
"So sorry I'm late," Belle's voice rang forth and Cinderella turned to see her brunette friend walking toward the desk. "Mrs. Potts had a kitchen emergency and by the time I saw a clock, I was worried I'd missed the meeting."
"We waited for you, Belle," Cinderella said, standing up and giving her friend a hug. "How's retirement?"
"Not as exciting as I thought it would be. I think I've finally made a dent in my reading backlog," Belle told her, looking over at the desk and patting the blonde on the shoulder. "But let's catch up later."
Cinderella nodded and sat back in her seat just as Jacob sprung out of his to offer it to Belle.
"Oh no, honestly I couldn't—"
"I'm standing all the time in the shop, your majesty," Jacob told her. "I'm used to it. Standing for this meeting wouldn't hurt me."
"But you're our guest. I can't take a chair from a guest!"
"Or—" Ben's voice rang out, causing both Belle and Jacob to turn toward him. "I could just page Dean to bring in another chair?"
Belle blinked and then cleared her throat. "Excellent idea. Honestly I'm surprised I didn't think of it before."
"Your Grace, I really don't mind standing," Jacob told him and Ben shook his head.
"As I told Cinderella, there are no need for titles—"
"Jacob," the baker told him, the word flying out of his mouth before he could stop it.
"Jacob," Ben nodded and picked up his phone. "Dean, do you mind bringing in another chair? It seems I miscounted."
No response could be heard on the other line but the next thing they knew, Dean was walking toward them; chair in hand.
"There. Problem solved," Ben said with a smile as Jacob sat down, Belle taking the seat that he had previously vacated. "Now, shall we begin?"
"Yes, thank you," Cinderella nodded and took a steadying breath before looking straight at Ben. "Ben, I would like to petition to be the foster parent to Dizzy Tremaine so that she can get off the Isle of the Lost. I would also like to petition for Anastasia Tremaine and her children to be set free from the Isle."
Ben blinked, obviously taken aback by the turn."Have you spoken to Dizzy about this?"
"I have," Cinderella nodded and she couldn't help but be nervous at the conflicted look on Ben's face. "Ben, if there is any doubt about Chad, I can promise you that—"
"No, no," Ben shook his head and held up his hand. It would be uncommon for a king to interrupt someone but Cinderella let it slide. It was a rather uncommon circumstance after all. "It's not Chad."
"Then what is it?" Belle asked, looking at her son.
"During the viewing, I noticed Mal and the other's reactions when confronted with their parents or even just talking about them," Ben said, looking over at his mom. "There was anger, distrust, and in Carlos' case, fear. There was none of that with Dizzy. Yes, she seemed a bit more subdued when talking about her mother but there was still a bond there."
"You don't want to take Dizzy away from a mom she loves," Cinderella said softly and Ben nodded.
"In all honesty Cinderella, I'm going to make this Dizzy's choice," Ben said, folding his hands and setting them on the desk. "Someone like her, someone with all the innocence of childhood left to explore, she should be here in Auradon. But I can tell as well that she truly loves the family she has on the Isle."
"What about Anastasia?" Jacob asked and then flushed as he realized he had spoken up. "Forgive me—"
"For what?" Ben asked, looking at Jacob. "It was a natural thing to be concerned about."
Ben sighed and focused his attention on the three of them. "While Ava and Anthony can certainly be invited to Auradon Prep through the same proclamation that brought Mal, Evie, Jay and Carlos here, Anastasia would have to be put to a council vote as she's an adult."
"Ah," Jacob said and fell silent.
"Trust me, Jacob, I wish I could just wave a wand and make it so that Anastasia could come over here," Ben told him, and Cinderella could see the sincerity in Ben's eyes. "I will extend the invitation to Ava and Anthony but I won't force them to come. I'd like any person from the Isle who comes to Auradon Prep to have come by their own choice."
"That might be none of them," Belle reminded him, the royal tone never leaving her voice. "Remember, Mal and the rest of them didn't want to come either. In all honesty you have Maleficent to thank for Mal attending Auradon Prep."
"Words I thought I would never hear but you're right," Ben chuckled and sighed. "I can arrange an invitation to be sent out in the morning and put Anastasia's case on the docket for the next council meeting."
"And Dizzy?" Cinderella prompted, hoping Ben would have somehow changed his mind. It was a slim chance but a chance she would take nonetheless.
"This has to be her choice," Ben said, and Cinderella's hopes fell as fast as they had risen that morning.
"She's ten! She can't be expected to make a choice like this!" Cinderella exclaimed. "Is it a question of parental rights? I can talk to Drizella, somehow. If Anastasia can get letters to Jacob, then I should be able to contact Drizella."
"If Drizella signs away her rights as a parent, then Dizzy might come to think that the only reason she's here is because her mother no longer wanted her," Belle said before Ben could speak. "I think, in this case, Ben is right."
Cinderella sighed and nodded. She didn't agree with the decision but knew that it was right. Someone as sensitive as Dizzy would instantly crumble if she learned that Drizella had signed away her parental rights.
Of course, it's entirely possible that Drizella would instantly sign away her rights, Cinderella thought with an inward sigh. Then again, she might not just because doing so would make me happy.
"I'll talk to Dizzy tonight," Cinderella said, looking at Ben. "We'll try to have an answer for you by the end of next week."
"Take your time though," Ben told her, a small yet apologetic smile gracing his face. "The holidays are coming up. Those are always super stressful, no need to pile more on."
Cinderella nodded, and she couldn't help but smile herself as she thought about the prospect of having Dizzy for the holidays. Those thoughts faded, though, as her eyes landed on Jacob and Cinderella remembered that he would be without his family for another holiday season.
"Thank you, Your Grace," Jacob said, his tone steady; giving no hint to his feelings one way or the other. "That's more than what we could ask for."
"Jacob?"
"If your Grace would forgive me, I can't take too much time from the business," Jacob continued, not looking at Cinderella. Ben nodded and stood up, shaking Jacob's hand.
"Jacob, I promise I'm going to do everything I can," Ben said, grasping Jacob's hand. "But I need to make sure it's done right. It's so early, one misstep could cause the entire proclamation harm."
Jacob nodded, not responding but shook Ben's hand and walked out the door. Cinderella sighed but couldn't blame him. In truth, she was a little disappointed herself.
"Will I be seeing you at the meeting Tuesday?" Belle asked, bringing her out of her thoughts as Belle stood up.
"Oh! Oh, yes," Cinderella nodded, standing up and giving Ben a handshake before making her way to the door. "It'll be your first one in a while. I think the last meeting you attending was—"
"In July," Belle sighed, shaking her head and grabbing the door. "The coronation and Ben's proclamation kept me busy, otherwise I certainly would have made it to more meetings."
"Well we'll certainly be happy to see you," Cinderella said and the two of them walked down the hall. Cinderella could see Jacob faintly waiting by the door and so she paused and looked at Belle. "Belle, before we part ways for the day, I have to ask—?"
"Why I didn't support you in having Dizzy make this decision?" Belle asked, and chuckled at the slightly stunned look on her friend's face. "Ella, we've been friends for how long? It was a safe assumption."
Belle sighed and brushed a lock of her short brown hair behind her ear. "I've been talking a lot with Mal when I get the chance, and Persephone as well. Conversations about life on the Isle. Control seems to be the one thing the kids yearn for, even the ones who seem like they're too innocent for the Isle."
"You want to give Dizzy control," Cinderella said, and she honestly felt like whacking herself over the head. How many times in her youth did she long for the same thing? Control of her schedule, when she rested?
"Mom to mom?" Belle asked and Cinderella nodded. "I know we can't give our kids all the control they want. They'd run wild if they did. But for kids like Dizzy, who have grown up without any control of their life, where their food is coming from, how long their clothes will last—"
"I get it, Belle," Cinderella sighed. "It's selfish of me, I know, but I'm not ready to have this conversation with Dizzy. She just got to Auradon and now I have to make her choose between staying here or going back to the Isle?"
"It's a conversation you'll have to have regardless," Belle told her, resting a hand on Cinderella's shoulder. "And you won't be having it alone. I'm sure Kit will be there with you."
"He warned me, you know," Cinderella said as she shook her head, firing off a quick text to Richard. "This morning. Kit told me to be prepared for a decision that wouldn't go the way I thought. I guess I just thought it would be in favor of Dizzy staying here."
"She may decide to stay," Belle told her and grasped Cinderella's hand. "Trust me, Ella. You've made it through worse than this. Let me know how the discussion goes at the meeting, okay?"
Cinderella nodded and walked toward the door, Jacob barely acknowledging her. Cinderella had never been more thankful for Richard's prompt timing as the driver wheeled the limo around at that very moment.
"Jacob?" Cinderella said, turning to him. "This isn't over. I promise you."
"I know," Jacob nodded and gave her a small smile; the first one he had given since Ben gave him the news. "It just hurts, knowing there's possibly going to be another holiday season without Anastasia and the kids."
Cinderella nodded, knowing it had to be hard to be away from one's family. "Jacob, trust me. You're more than welcome to spend the holidays with us."
"Thank you," Jacob nodded and began making his way back to his car. Cinderella sighed and got into the limo.
"Partition up or down, ma'am?" Richard asked.
"Up, if you please."
"Very well ma'am," Richard said and Cinderella watched the partition slowly climb up. As soon as it finished its journey did Cinderella allow a few disappointed tears to leave her eyes. Quickly dabbing at them with tissues, she shook her head as Richard drove her back to the castle.
She didn't know what she had been expecting but it certainly wasn't this. How could she have this conversation with Dizzy?
You could always lie, a nasty voice entered her brain. Say Dizzy made the decision but you could make it for her.
Cinderella shook her head, knocking the voice out of her head. That might be the easy way, but it wasn't the right way. If Ben or Belle found out she had done that...
It was better not knowing what their reaction would be. Not to mention Kit—he would probably never look at her the same again.
"Ma'am?" Richard's voice broke through her thoughts.
"Oh, yes?"
"We've arrived back at the castle," Richard informed her, having rolled down the partition. "Would you be needing anything else today?"
Cinderella gave the driver a small smile. "No, thank you Richard. You should be done for the day."
"Very well, ma'am."
Cinderella exited the limo and climbed up the stairs to enter her home. To her surprise, the familiar sound of Dizzy's squeals and Alex's chortles were missing. Looking around, Cinderella found a note on the table in the front hall.
Took the girls to the movies. Yes, I drove them—it's Shelby's day off and you had Richard. Should be back soon—let me know how the meeting went.
Love, Kit
PS: We also made cookies. They're the ready cut kind and the girls ate about half the package before we could bake them but there should still be some if you want one.
Cinderella chuckled and set the note back down. She had no idea why they had ready cut cookies considering Kit considered them to be the cheater's way of making cookies, but right now she was happy they had them.
A nice sugar cookie and a cup of tea would be heavenly—even the weather seemed to agree with her as she could hear the the faint pitter patter of rain on the window. Making her way to the kitchen, Cinderella had to admit that she was a bit disappointed to see that it wasn't sugar cookies but rather chocolate chunk cookies.
Still, a cookie's a cookie,Cinderella thought as she took one and set it on a plate. Grabbing the tea kettle, she filled it with water and set it on the stove. Sitting down, Cinderella looked out the window.
Was there anything she could have done to sway Ben? Then again, did she want to be known as that kind of royal? Everyone knew Chad and Ben were friends—if Cinderella always got what she wanted from Ben, people might think Ben was giving her favors based on who Chad was.
The high pitched squeal of the kettle broke her thoughts and Cinderella made her way over to the stove to fix her cup of tea. Inhaling the steam, Cinderella grabbed the plate she had set aside and made her way to the den. Curling up in one of the overstuffed arm chairs Kit had secured for the den was heavenly.
"Why don't I sit in here more?" Cinderella asked, taking a bite of the cookie. To her delight, it was at the perfect cooling point where the cookie had hardened but the chocolate was still gooey. Looking around the room, Cinderella honestly could not remember the last time they used it.
It was one of their smaller rooms but that only gave points to its favor. Cinderella could easily imagine the room decorated for the holidays and a large tree in the corner.
"We're home!" Kit's voice broke through her thoughts and Cinderella blinked, the fantasy of the decorations floating away. "Ella?!"
"In the den!" Cinderella called back to him. It wasn't too much longer before Kit entered the den, closing the door behind him.
"How was the movie?" Cinderella asked and Kit chuckled.
"It was honestly tolerable," Kit told her. "It was that animated horror movie Alex has seen about seven times already but Dizzy had never seen it before. You know, the one where the main character almost has buttons sewed into her eyes?"
"Oh right," Cinderella nodded, making a small face as her husband described the plot. "I think I saw that once."
"You get next movie then," Kit said with a shudder but then turned and smiled at his wife. "How was the meeting? Did Ben give his approval?"
Cinderella's face fell and she looked away from Kit, shaking her head. "He said that he was going to make this Dizzy's choice."
"And Anastasia?"
"Her fate will be left to the council while Ben will invite her children to Auradon Prep," Cinderella told him. "She just got here Kit! Why should she have to choose between living here and living on the Isle?"
"She may choose to live here," Kit told her. "You said it yourself, it's a choice between the Isle and here."
Cinderella looked over at Kit. "Will you be there when I tell her? I'm worried I'll muck everything up."
Kit grabbed Cinderella's hand and laid a kiss on it. "If it makes you feel better, I will be there. We're a team after all. But just for the record, I don't think it's possible for you to muck anything up."
"You're my husband. You have to say that."
"Not true! I know for a fact that not all husbands say that," Kit chuckled as Cinderella whacked him with one of the nearby throw pillows. "What were you doing in here? We barely use this room."
"I wanted someplace small and cosy to think," Cinderella said with a sigh. "My parlor's nice but the den has these big chairs that you can sink into. Perfect for a rainy day."
Kit nodded as he looked around the room. "I agree—we should use this room more. Maybe once we talk with Dizzy, we can figure out what we can use this room for?"
Cinderella shook her head in amusement, giving her husband a small smile. "Why are you so good to me?"
"Because you're so good to everyone else," Kit replied, giving his wife a chaste kiss on the forehead. "Come on. It won't get any easier the longer we put it off."
Cinderella sighed and nodded, getting up from the chair. "I'm not ready for this, Kit."
"I'd be worried if you were," Kit said, grabbing her hand as the two of them made their way out of the den to have what they knew to be a very difficult conversation. All Cinderella could do was keep her fingers crossed that Dizzy would choose to stay in Auradon.
But with Anastasia's fate uncertain, Cinderella had no way of knowing what Dizzy would choose. If Cinderella had been in the red head's shoes, she knew she would have chosen to live with a beloved aunt. Even if it meant staying in hell.