Cinderella Part 4

"Cinderella!" Prince Lucas looked everywhere for his betrothed but she was nowhere to be found. The King and the Queen hurried behind him.

"Did she just leave?" the King said.

"Of course, she didn't just leave. What girl would give up the chance to be princess?"

Lucas swallowed. He knew Cinderella wasn't any ordinary woman. Did she have second thoughts after all? His stomach churned at the thought. He needed to find her, to convince her to come back. He would do anything.

He ran out of the ballroom and to the palace entrance, hoping he could find her before she got into a carriage a left. But the entrance was abandoned. There wasn't anything there except a shoe resting on the steps. Her shoe. He knelt down and picked it up. With a thrill of anxiety he realized it wasn't just because she was having second thoughts. He turned back to his parents. "Someone's taken her," he said.

The King and Queen looked at him skeptically. "Perhaps she just ran away," the Queen said. "It's easy to lose a shoe like that if you're in a hurry."

"How do you know it's her shoe?" the King asked. "How could you have possibly seen her feet beneath the dress?"

Lucas knew exactly what Cinderella's shoes looked like because he had taken them off himself before caressing and massaging her feet. He submitted to her that night. But he wasn't about to tell his parents any of that. "I have a bad feeling."

The King and Queen sighed. It was clear they didn't believe him. They probably didn't think he even found a woman to marry and was just trying to get out of an engagement by claiming a mystery woman ran from him.

The Queen smiled at him. "Come on. Let's go back inside. I'm sure she was lovely, but there are plenty of other lovely women wishing to speak to you."

"You two go ahead," Lucas said. "I think I'll look a little longer. Whether or not she wants to marry me, she'll be needing her shoe back at the very least."

"Suit yourself," the King said.

The royal couple went inside, leaving the prince to himself. He clenched the shoe in his hand. He had to find her. Even if only to make sure she was okay.

There was a flutter of wings. "She was taken," a stranger said.

Lucas jumped and turned around to see a fairy hovering a couple inches from the ground. "What?"

"Cinderella was taken," the fairy said. "She's in danger. We have to go after her."

Lucas nodded. "Yes. Of course. Let's go. Wait, who are you?"

"My name is Avery. I'm a friend of Cinderella. We don't have time. We must go now."

"Let me get my horse and my sword. Tell me everything you know."

As Lucas got ready to go, Avery explained how he helped Cinderella and took her away from her abusive stepbrothers and stepmother. "And now they have her again. They saw her at the ball and they took her before I could get to her. I should have killed them when I had the chance."

Lucas nodded as he mounted his horse. The thought of anyone hurting Cinderella filled him with anger. He would make sure no one ever hurt her again. "Let's go."

Avery flew above in the air while Lucas rode below him. The stepmother's house was hours away from the palace and unfortunately Cinderella was taken over an hour before he had even found her shoe.

By the time they reached the house, the kidnappers were already inside, and with Cinderella. Lucas stopped his horse and quickly dismounted, ready to go up and break down the door. Avery held him back. "Wait," he said. "I can get to her and get her out. But you need to distract them."

Lucas shook his head. He didn't want to distract anyone. He wanted to kill someone. All of them.

Avery's grip on him tightened. "Let me get her out of harm's way."

Right. He was right. Cinderella couldn't get hurt. That was top priority. His anger could wait. Lucas took a deep breath and nodded. "Let's go."

Avery flew out of sight and Lucas tried to put his best diplomatic smile on his face as he got Cinderella's shoe out of his bag. He had an idea. Not a great idea but hopefully it was enough. He knocked on the door, holding the shoe up.

A man answered, his dress suit disheveled and partially open. He looked annoyed until he saw the prince and he bowed. "Your Highness. What can I do for you today?"

"Good evening sir. I believe you were a guest at my ball tonight. I'm looking for the owner of this shoe. Would you happen to know who owns it? It was left on the staircase in front of the palace."

His brow furrowed. "This must be a very important shoe, Your Highness, for you to come yourself."

"Well, you see, this shoe is very valuable and I want to make sure it gets back to its owner. Anyone with information about its owner would be well compensated, of course."

The man shook his head. "I don't recognize it. Let me go get my mother. She would know more about shoes." The man went inside for a moment and came back with an older woman who had a sour disposition. She gave Lucas a graceful curtsy. "Your Highness. What an unexpected surprise."

"Madame, would you perhaps know who the owner of this shoe is? If you have any leads, you and your family will be well compensated."

Her eyes lit up with greed and she took the shoe from the prince's hands. He noticed her knuckles were bruised and anger surged through him once again. She shook her head ruefully. "I don't know, I'm afraid. But perhaps Silas, my other son, knows. I'll go get him. I'll just be a moment."

The second brother came down with the mother a second later. He was older than the first one and there was a bloody scratch on his face. Cinderella. Lucas couldn't wait to kill them. He repeated the story about the shoe, doing his best to keep his features relaxed even though he was sure he couldn't hide his tension.

The older brother was suspicious of the story, but he was too smart to question a prince. He looked at the shoe politely and said he didn't recognize it. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Avery with Cinderella in his arms. Finally.

Lucas didn't let the monsters finish talking. He pulled out his sword and killed all of them in an instant. Years of sword lessons had served him well and he glared at the bodies on the ground. He wished he could have caused them more pain, as much pain as they had caused Cinderella. But that didn't matter now. They didn't matter. He needed to go check on Cinderella because at that moment she was the only person who mattered.

***

Avery held me in his arms. After my stepbrothers and stepmother took me home, they beat me. All of them took turns restraining me and punching me. Luckily the brothers weren't able to do more than that but I almost blacked out from the blows.

By some miracle there was a knock on the door and one by one, all of them left the room, leaving me broken and bleeding in what used to be my bedroom. I needed to get out of here but I could barely stand let alone walk.

The next thing I knew, Avery had picked me up in his arms and was flying me out the window. It had to be a dream. All of it felt like a dream. But what a wonderful dream it was.

"It's okay, love," he whispered. "You're out of there. For good this time. I'm so sorry they got to you. I should have been there to stop them. I'm so sorry, love."

I moaned slightly and leaned into his chest. It was nice to just enjoy this dream.

"Is it done?" Avery asked.

"Yes," another voice said. "It's done. How is she?"

"Not great. Those bastards did a number on her and I don't have enough magic to heal her right now. I had to try and impress her by creating the world's fastest carriage and used all my magic up. None of this would have happened if I hadn't gotten so careless."

I felt a gentle hand on my shoulder. "I'm so sorry, my lady. I should never have left you alone at the ball. They'll never hurt you again. Nobody will. I swear it."

I finally placed the voice. Lucas. He was also here in the dream.

***

Avery carried me in his arms as we flew. It felt really peaceful and I dozed on his shoulder. Lucas rode his horse beneath us. I don't know how long we were traveling before Avery landed. I was too tired to look around my surroundings but Avery set me down on a soft bed. "Rest, love," he said. "I'll heal you as soon as I recover my magic, I promise."

A thick blanket was placed over me as my mind drifted off into darkness.

***

I woke up with a slight headache but feeling okay for the most part. Memories of the night before came rushing back and I shuddered, remembering the brutal beating my stepbrothers and stepmother had given me. My arms and stomach weren't covered in bruises and when I lifted my hand to my face, I didn't feel any pain.

I sat up and looked around. The bedroom was lavishly furnished with a roaring fireplace and mahogany dressers. I was in a huge canopy bed, covered with a silk blanket. And lying on an intricate carpet was Lucas and Avery. Avery was asleep but Lucas was reading a book. He sat up as soon as he saw me. "You're awake."

I nodded. "What happened, exactly?"

"When I discovered you were gone, I panicked. Avery found me and told me what happened and we came to save you." He got up and sat down on the bed next to me, pulling me into his arms. "I'm so sorry, my love. You'll never be hurt like that again."

"What about my family? What happened to them?"

He was silent for a second before saying, "they are no longer welcome in the kingdom."

I buried my face into his chest, feeling happy and safe again.

Lucas leaned down and kissed. me. He held me closer as his lips danced with mine. He let out a small groan and I broke apart. "Wait. You don't want to wake Avery."

"He won't wake, not for a while. His magic was depleted when he found me but he depleted himself further to heal you."

I sighed. "He shouldn't have done that."

"He didn't want you to spend a second in pain if you didn't have to." Lucas ran his fingers through my hair. "I would have done the same if I could."

"I know." I kissed him before shoving him down on the bed and getting on top of him. "Now shut up. I want you right now."

Lucas gasped. "Yes, my lady. My princess."

I pressed my lips against his as I unbuttoned his shirt, revealing his muscled chest beneath it. I grazed my nails against his skin and he shuddered, his breath growing ragged. Running my fingers through his hair, I pulled his head to the side, exposing his neck to me. I licked him just below his earlobe and he let out a soft cry of pleasure. "Please, my princess. I want you. Please." His words came out in soft gasps.

"Patience." I enjoyed teasing him this way. It was a lot of fun watching him squirm. I trailed kisses and licks down his neck to his collarbone as I unbuttoned his pants. His hips started moving up and down with need as I sprang his hard cock free from his pants.

I sat up and watched Lucas as I grabbed his cock and slowly started stroking it. His face was flushed, his eyes darkened with lust as he watched me. I kept stroking his cock, running my thumb over the head, spreading the precum around. He groaned and threw his head back, lost in the pleasure of me touching him like this. I kept stroking him until he was shaking and then pulled my hand away. He groaned. "Please, my princess. I need your touch. Please touch me. Please."

"Undress me, then."

He sat up, his hands going to the laces of my dress. He buried his face in my shoulder as he undid the laces and pulled my dress down. I stood up briefly to shimmy the dress off me before joining him in bed again. He stared at me in awe, taking in the sight of my naked breasts and wet pussy for the first time. "You're so beautiful."

With a trembling hand, he reached up and touched my breast, his thumb grazing over my nipple and sending a spark of pleasure through me. As much as I liked it, I pulled his hand away and pinned his hands down above his head as I kissed him, parting his lips with my tongue. He groaned and moved his hips against mine, his hard cock pressing into my body. I smiled and spread my legs as I sat up. With one smooth motion, I lowered myself onto his cock. Lucas let out a shaky moan as I started moving up and down his cock.

His lust started taking over him completely and soon he grabbed my hips to hold them still and started thrusting in and out of me fast. He reached down and grazed his thumb over my clit over and over, pleasuring me. I moaned.

The pleasure was building up inside me and soon I was coming, which sent Lucas over the edge and he came inside me, groaning. We were frozen for a second as we recovered from our orgasms before I pulled myself off him and collapsed on the bed beside him. Lucas gathered me up in his arms and kissed my forehead. "Thank you, my princess."

"Of course, my prince." I smiled as I looked up at him. He gazed at me with adoration I had never seen in a man before.

Avery stirred from the floor. "Looks like I woke up at the right time," he said. He sat up, rubbing his head with a groan. The fairy fluttered his wings as if he was stretching them out.

Lucas sat up, looking from me to Avery. "I think I'll find someone to get us all breakfast and tea." He stood up and stretched before leaving the room, buttoning up his clothes as he did so.

Avery and I sat in silence. I felt awkward. After all, he knew exactly what Lucas and I did. How would he feel about it.

The fairy stood up suddenly and smiled. "So, I take it you're happy with Lucas, then."

I nodded. "He's wonderful."

"He cares for you. It won't be long before he is completely in love with you."

"He said you exhausted yourself to heal me."

Avery shrugged. "It was worth it. Believe me."

I stood up and his eyes went over my naked body with a trace of longing before he looked back up at my face. "So, what happens now?"

He lifted a hand and brushed a strand of hair away from my face. "You get your happily ever after. And I'll help someone else in complete despair."

I looked down, feeling shy. "You know, I really did enjoy our time together. And Lucas told me he wouldn't mind me having other men in addition to him. So, if you wanted to visit me... I would like that."

Avery kissed my forehead. "I would like that."

I looked away. "My family is dead, aren't they?"

"They weren't your family. Family doesn't abuse each other like they did to you."

I smiled softly. "Lucas told me they were no longer welcome in the Kingdom. But he killed them, didn't he? Or was it you?"

Avery was silent. I knew he wouldn't tell me. I remember how much he wanted to kill them when he first found them and how I begged him not to. He was the one who told Lucas to lie to me.

"You're safe from them," he finally said. "That's all you need to know."

"I didn't want anyone to die on my behalf."

"Would you have preferred it for Lucas to arrest them? They would have been executed for torturing the prince's betrothed. You know it's true."

It seemed possible. If the Kingdom only looked at my newfound title they would have killed them. But I knew they didn't deserve to die for what they did to me. Despite what Avery and Lucas thought, I wasn't worth that much fuss.

"I know what you're thinking, love. And you're wrong. They deserved what they got. Frankly, they should have gotten a much slower death than they did. And now you're safe. No one will ever hurt you like that again."

I nodded. I couldn't change what happened. I needed to forget it and move on. "Thank you. For telling him to lie to me."

"He didn't want to. He hated the thought of being dishonest with you. But I didn't want you to feel guilty over that scum."

"I'll do my best not to feel guilty."

Avery leaned down and kissed me gently. His arms wrapped around my waist and he pulled me closer as he kissed me. Finally, he broke away. "I need to go," he murmured. "I already sense someone else in despair and I have to help them." He ran his hand through my hair as he studied my face, memorizing it. "I'll come to you any time you want me, love. Like your prince, I'll do anything for you."

"I know."

Reluctantly he broke away from me and jumped out the window. I watched him fly away, disappearing into the sunrise. I smiled and hugged myself as I looked around the lavish room. My room. It didn't matter what happened next. I was finally free. And I would live happily ever after.