Cinderella Spell - Laurie Lee Page 0,10
we’ll see the crowds. The trumpet heralds the coming of the king. People may toss flowers.”
His predictions proved true. As they turned yet another corner, Marissa looked down at the roses piled over her feet. Then she noticed an arch crossing the road. She peered up as the carriage passed beneath. Carved angels, forever frozen into the tray ceiling, looked down on her. She smiled with whimsy, but then a shadow crossed over. The chill that followed the lack of sunlight seemed colder than it should be. Something menacing lurked. She twisted to see, but the sun returned, and the feeling faded. Still, she looked behind. The captain noticed something as well. His hand moved stealthily to the hilt of his sword as he focused sharp eyes into the crowd. Marissa strained to see what he noticed. A blur of cold eyes and blond curls jolted her where she sat. She looked at Robert, who had noticed nothing, then back into the crowd. Whatever had startled her was no longer visible.
Cinderella slipped through the crowd until she reached the edge closest to the road where the parade would turn on its way back to the castle.
“Horses are coming. I can’t believe we’re this close to the parade route,” a young woman babbled.
Cinderella set herself between two larger men. The sound of clomping hooves led to her first sighting of the caravan. The crowd surged around her. A soft-spoken spell and imperceivable touch kept the men from blocking her view.
King William’s horse pranced behind the church relics. Cinderella narrowed her eyes as he passed. “Fickle man. Where’s your love for your queen?” The king’s sallow face had filled. His smile seemed easy as he spoke with his bride. She scoffed at the pair of them. “Too easily swayed by another woman.”
The other woman pressed next to Cinderella. “Not a beauty, is she?”
Cinderella shrugged. “She sits her horse well enough. One of the manor mistresses could give her a few hints on adding some curves to her chest and hips.”
The young woman giggled. “She’s about as enticing as a street beggar. Does she resemble the first queen?”
“Not at all. I wonder what caused his taste to change.”
She tilted her head. “You speak as though you knew her. Perhaps the queen is watching over them, protecting them from the grave.”
Cinderella laughed. “The dead have no power in this world.” A carriage rumbled along the cobbled brick road behind the king and his bride. Her attention turned to the prince.
“When did the prince turn into a young man?” The woman asked with a sigh.
Prince Robert sat on one side of the open carriage. Cinderella watched him. “He’s maturing.”
“He’ll have wide shoulders like the king. His face… dd his mother have dark hair and pale features?”
“From what I remember,” Cinderella nodded. “He looks less rustic than his father. I bet he breaks plenty of hearts.”
“Or wins the best heart. Who’s that with him?”
Prince Robert leaned across the carriage to speak with someone. A young woman, practically still a girl, sat across from him. His smile and his laugh were received and reflected in the guileless face of the girl. She was a charmer, Cinderella scowled, clenching her fists.
“He doesn’t have a sister, does he?” The young woman asked.
“No, he does not. Whoever this little girl is, best not get in my way.”
“What do you mean? Get in your way?”
“I’ve always fancied the prince could fall in love with me, if we should meet at the right time.” Cinderella touched the woman, and any questions forming faded away. With the distracting stranger silenced, she breathed as the carriage turned the corner to follow the king beneath an ancient archway. The girl turned to look behind. One moment longer, and Cinderella could lock eyes with her.
But Someone else was seeking her power. As Cinderella summoned a spell to alight on the girl in the carriage, she felt an opposite, competing power. The whisper of recognition flared to burning pain. Cinderella gasped, turning away before she could complete her attack.
More carriages followed in the parade, but the dignitaries were of no interest to Cinderella. She placed her hand on her companion’s arm.
The woman shook her head, and then smiled. “Is it over? I was dazzled.”
“Royalty can have that impact.” Cinderella slipped away. A few blocks brought her to a tree-lined street of houses and shops. She stopped at a windowpane of glass in a door reflecting the morning sunlight. With no one on the street to witness her