This chapter might not be ready yet, but I wanted to post it today. Check for revisions after a few days.

Chapter 10: At the Ball

Cinderella stood frozen in her spot as Anastasia looked back at her. She felt very nervous, not knowing how Anastasia would react. Her first instinct was to turn and run, but that would create a scene. Even worse, it would make it more likely that Anastasia would realize who she was, and she didn't want Anastasia to make a scene. She would have to be much more cautious if she was going to escape. She decided to try to talk with her. It would make Anastasia far more likely to recognize her, but Cinderella felt it was the least risky option. She swallowed nervously and approached her.

"Good evening, milady," she said nervously.

Anastasia looked to her left then to her right, before looking back at Cinderella. "Oh, were you talking to me?" she asked hesitantly. Cinderella nodded. "Good evening," Anastasia said, feeling slightly embarrassed for not realizing that right away. "Have we met before?" she asked.

Cinderella then had a shocking realization. Anastasia did not recognize her at all! Cinderella felt more relaxed and decided to continue the conversation. She realized she was probably pushing her luck, but for the first time in a long while, she had a chance to have a pleasant conversation with one of her stepsisters, and she wanted to take that chance.

"No, I don't believe we have. Are you enjoying the ball so far?" She remembered how excited Anastasia had been when her mother read the invitation, and how jittery she had been while coming down the stairs even more recently.

"No, it…it hasn't gone as I had hoped so far," she said. Cinderella was surprised. She never would have thought that Anastasia would be disappointed so quickly.

"Why, what's wrong?" she gently asked.

Anastasia looked at her curiously. She didn't understand why this woman she had never even met before was that interested in talking with her, but she chose to continue the conversation anyway.

"I had hoped that I could get the prince's attention earlier, but he hasn't approached me at all. I don't suspect he will."

Cinderella nodded. She should have realized that Anastasia would have done that the minute she arrived. Her mother had made such a fuss about the possibility of the prince choosing a bride either evening. For Anastasia -and for most of the women here, no doubt- the thought of getting the chance to marry the prince would have been too much to resist. Drizella had probably done the same thing. Regardless, she tried her best to reassure her stepsister.

"Oh, don't worry. I'm sure you could find someone else here, perhaps one of the noblemen. You can't let it upset you that much."

Her words of encouragement didn't seem to help Anastasia. "But my mother will be disappointed. She wanted me to get the prince's attention."

Cinderella nearly shuddered at the thought of her stepmother. The woman was obsessed with status and wealth. She knew all too well how much she wanted Anastasia and Drizella to marry into it. That mentality had led to her servitude because her stepmother saw her as a threat to her plans. Cinderella never understood why her stepmother wouldn't just try to make own daughters kinder, but there was no use thinking of that at the moment. She was more concerned about Anastasia.

"So it's your mother that wanted you to marry the prince, but what about you? What do you want?"

Anastasia lowered her head slightly as she appeared to be pondering the question. She looked back up after a few seconds and said, hesitantly, "I…I haven't thought of that very often."

"Do you want a husband?" Cinderella asked.

Anastasia nodded quickly. "Yes, I do. My mother has always told me that wealth and status are what matter most in marriage, and I suppose that having wealth and status would have its benefits, but…I…" Cinderella could tell that Anastasia was struggling with the question, either because she didn't know or because she didn't want to say.

"But what?" Cinderella pressed.

Anastasia hesitated. "I…don't want to say. It's embarrassing."

"No, please, tell me," Cinderella pressed again. "I won't think any less of you."

Anastasia took a deep breath. "I've never told anyone this." She paused. "I suppose status and money would be nice, but I only want to marry someone if he loves me."

Cinderella could hardly believe what she had just heard. The fact that Anastasia wanted a husband was hardly surprising. Cinderella already knew this. It was probably why Anastasia was so excited about the ball. She remembered well how Anastasia had claimed she would find a "better" husband than Drizella. She had claimed that he would be rich, powerful, and handsome. Cinderella suspected that several of the noblemen at the ball would meet at least the first two of those qualities. But just now, her stepsister had admitted that the one thing she wanted most wasn't wealth, or status, but love. She had never admitted or even hinted at anything like that. Cinderella had long believed that, somewhere inside, the stepsisters with whom she was once so close still existed. Now, she knew it. It made her smile. She placed her hand on top of Anastasia's reassuringly and said, "I understand. And no, I don't think that's silly at all. In fact, I think it's wonderful that you feel that way."

"My mother will never understand, though."

"Well I think your mother is wrong," Cinderella said quickly. She was quickly taken aback by her own words. She had practically snapped at her. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to put it that way. I meant that I'm not sure your mother may know what's best. Yes, I think it's a good idea to find someone who can take care of you, but I think you might know what's best for you. But I probably should be going now. You won't get a chance to meet anyone if I keep talking to you. Now, I don't think I caught your name."

"My name is Anastasia."

Cinderella smiled. "Well, Anastasia, it was very nice meeting you. Perhaps we could talk again later."

Anastasia looked at her curiously before nodding. "I suppose so, yes."

Cinderella turned and walked away, leaving Anastasia to think over what she had said to her.

…

Prince William stood at one of the refreshment tables, looking out at the assembly. A few people had greeted him but he had yet to engage in any serious conversation with anyone. He soon crossed paths with Gregory, who was in particularly high spirits.

"Good evening, Your Highness!" he said cheerfully.

"Good evening, Gregory."

"Are you enjoying the ball so far?"

"Yes, and I didn't think I would say that."

Gregory raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Oh? Why would you think that, Your Highness?"

"Didn't you hear?"

"No, hear what?"

"My father only threw these balls so that I might find a bride."

"And that's a bad thing?"

"Not quite, I had originally thought I would be forced to choose one even if I weren't interested in any of them. But it turns out I was mistaken."

"Well, that honestly doesn't surprise me, the balls being for you to choose a bride, that is."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you are approaching that age when you're expected to marry soon…you and me both." He spoke the last part more to himself than to the prince.

"I suppose you're right," the prince said, looking out at the assembly once again.

"Look, if it's any consolation, Your Highness, I should tell you that I, too, feel pressured into marrying soon," Gregory said suddenly, pouring himself a cup of punch.

The prince turned his head back towards Gregory and raised an eyebrow. "You do?" he asked.

Gregory nodded. "Well, yes, it is my parents' wish. How could I not honor that?"

"I'm surprised your parents haven't tried arranging one for you."

Gregory sighed. "They've thought about it, your highness. But I would only wish that as a last resort."

"Why is that?"

"I said that I had wished to honor their wish. If a match were arranged for me, I don't really think I would be honoring their wish if they did all the work for me."

The prince nodded. "Yes, I suppose you raise a good point. While we're talking about this, Gregory, let me ask you something. Do you believe in true love?"

Gregory hesitated for a moment, lowering his head in thought. After a few seconds, he lifted his head back up and said, "I'm not sure, Your Highness. I can't exactly say I think on the subject very often. I will say this much, however. I do believe that one can find someone who can make them so happy that they can't help but feel that that person was somehow destined to find them. In a way, that is also part of the reason why I feel pressured to marry soon. We are, after all, talking about someone with whom I would spend the rest of my life, and I would very much like her to be someone who would make me happy, and is happy herself. Wouldn't you agree, Your Highness?"

While Gregory was speaking the prince looked out towards the center of the ballroom and saw a very beautiful woman with strawberry blonde hair and was wearing a royal blue gown, and she seemed to be walking around the ballroom aimlessly. There was something about her, almost as though he remembered her from somewhere. He decided to approach her.

"Your Highness?"

The prince was briefly pulled away from the woman by the sound of Gregory's voice. He turned back towards the nobleman.

"Oh, yes, quite right," he said distantly before asking, "Would you please excuse me for a second?"

Before Gregory even had a chance to answer, the prince quickly left and walked towards the center of the room, leaving Gregory on his own.

"Now what was that all about?" he muttered to himself, before he looked up and saw where the prince had gone. "Oh, I see. Well, I think he's found somebody." A grin crossed his face as he turned and walked back towards the table.

…

King Francis stood off to the side of the room, observing the early stages of the evening. Though he had sorted things out with his son, he still hoped that the prince would choose a bride by the end of the following night. He kept a close eye on his son, while the Grand Duke stood close beside him. He had agreed to let his son move at his own pace, but he was slowly becoming more discouraged. Up until the ball began, he thought that his plan was fail-proof. There was absolutely no way that his son could go through two entire balls with every noblewomen in the kingdom present, and not show any interest in a single one of them. But in the first half-hour of the ball, he was still yet to approach any of them.

"He's not cooperating!" he shouted exasperatedly.

The Grand Duke, believing himself to be the voice of reason, quickly said, "But your Majesty, it's only been half an hour on the first night. You didn't expect the prince to choose someone this quickly, did you?

The king shook his head, realizing the Grand Duke had made a valid point. "I suppose not, no. You're right, it's still very early. Soon enough there will be someone here who would make a suitable mother."

"Your Majesty!" the Grand Duke interjected.

"I mean…a suitable wife."

After several more minutes the king threw his arms up into the air.

"I give up. Even I couldn't expect him to go along with this."

The Grand Duke, sensing vindication, began to say, "Well, if I may say so, Your Majesty, I did try to warn you; but you, Your Majesty, are incurably romantic. No doubt you saw the whole pretty picture in detail, the young prince looking out at the assembly. Suddenly, he stops. He looks up, for lo...there she stands, the girl of his dreams. Who she is or whence she came he knows not, nor does he care, for his heart tells him that here, here is the maid predestined to be his bride. A pretty plot for fairy tales, I suppose, Your Majesty, but in real life? Oh, no. No, it was foredoomed to failure."

The king was no longer listening to the Grand Duke, however. He was watching intently at the scene that unfolded before his eyes. It was the very scene the Grand Duke had just described. Henri wasn't even paying the slightest bit of attention to the scene, and didn't see that the very thought that he just ridiculed had indeed just occurred. The king grabbed the Grand Duke by the shoulder and directed him towards it, shouting, "Failure, eh? Ha-ha! Take a look at that, you pompous windbag!"

…

Cinderella continued to walk around the ballroom in a sense of awe. She was relieved that Anastasia hadn't found out about her. It was almost surreal what had just happened between her and Anastasia. She enjoyed it while she could, but she also suspected that it would not have gone over nearly as well had Anastasia recognized her. She was quickly pulled away from these thoughts when she heard a voice say, "Excuse me, milady, but I don't believe I saw you among the first guests. Did you just arrive?"

She looked up and saw a handsome young man with dark brown hair and warm, brown eyes standing in front of her. He was dressed in cream-colored jacket with brass buttons, with red and gold embroidery on his sleeves. He also spoke in a very dignified manner.

"Oh, yes, everything is alright. Thank you for asking, sir."

"I have to admit I also approached you because I can't help but think I've seen you from somewhere before. Have we by chance ever met?"

"No, I don't believe so, sir. Where do you think we met?"

""I'm actually not quite sure, milady. It's just that for some reason, I…"

He never got a chance to finish the sentence before a passerby approached him and greeted, "Your Highness, I just wanted to say that…" he paused suddenly once he saw Cinderella. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know you were talking with somebody. I'll be going now." His face blushed as the man left them. Cinderella looked back at him.

"Your Highness? You're the prince?"

Prince William swallowed nervously. "Yes, yes, I am," he answered.

Cinderella stepped backwards and curtseyed towards him. "Well, Your Highness, it is a pleasure to meet you."

The prince grinned before saying, "There is no need to be so formal this evening, milady, but thank you. And the pleasure is all mine," he said, holding out his hand. Cinderella took his hand and the two resumed their conversation.

"So, what is it like? Being royalty, I mean," she asked.

"Well, it certainly has its benefits. You have everything you could ever possibly want or need. But there are several drawbacks, too. There are, of course, numerous responsibilities. For instance, this afternoon I returned from a two-month long mission where I tried negotiating a treaty with another kingdom. I was accompanied by two noblemen. My father hadn't even consulted with me when he selected them. They turned out to be very helpful, so I suppose it shouldn't matter, but honestly, there are times where I feel like I'm being held back. No one ever…sees you for what you really are." He raised his eyebrows when he noticed that Cinderella had spoken the last part of that sentence along with him.

"Yes, how…how did you know?"

Cinderella hesitated. She didn't wish to tell the prince about her stepfamily, not yet anyway.

"I…have struggled with this myself, at times," she quickly said.

"So then you know exactly what I mean." When Cinderella nodded, he asked, "How do you deal with it?"

"Sometimes, I try wearing a mask."

"A mask?" the confused prince asked.

"Well, I don't mean a literal mask. Sometimes, when I need to go into town, I dress as a commoner. I could just as easily order a servant to do this, but I find it somewhat relaxing."

"I see," the prince said, quite captivated. "And do you do this very often?"

Cinderella nodded. The prince grinned, finding this amusing.

"I suppose I might have to try it myself someday, but I'm not sure how my father will feel about it."

"Do you think he would approve?"

The prince smirked. "Doubtful, but if it helps, I might have to try it anyway."

"Would you, um, care to dance, milady?"

"Of course, Your Highness," Cinderella answered with a smile, not just because of this, but also because of what she saw further off.

…

Anastasia slowly walked over towards one of the refreshment tables, trying to think over what that woman had said to her. Her first thought about it was how brutally her mother would have dismissed such a notion. Up until that conversation, she thought her mother knew what was best for her, and rarely questioned it. Her mother had twice married into nobility, and she thought it worked for her. But suddenly she began to doubt everything she had been told. Was it possible that her mother was wrong? She found it strange that she would listen to advice from someone she had just met. But at the same time, the woman seemed to understand how she felt.

As she made her way towards the refreshment table, she stopped and noticed that the prince was now talking with the same woman whom she had met just moments ago. She knew she had little chance at the prince, but it still stung. She had thought that she could love the prince, and that he could maybe love her in return. But she would never know now. She began to feel very hurt as she continued to walk towards the refreshment table. She suddenly realized how she had looked down upon practically everyone she knew. Doubtless most people looked at her with nothing but contempt because of this. It made her feel even more hopeless.

"Will no one love me?" she cried to herself. She became so lost in her thoughts that she wasn't looking where she was walking and suddenly collided with somebody. She then felt something cool and wet on her, realizing that punch had been spilled on her.

"I'm so sorry. I wasn't looking where I was walking," she began hastily as she reached for a napkin. She didn't notice that the other person was doing the same thing.

"No, it was my fault. I didn't see you there. Are you alright?" a male voice asked quickly.

She immediately snapped back to attention to see who it was. She had collided with a young nobleman, not much older than she was, a few years at most. He had dark brown hair and bright blue eyes which complemented his navy blue attire. He was of average height, and somewhat lanky, though he still appeared to be rather well-built.

"Yes, thank you," she replied sheepishly.

Seeing the moment as an opportunity for conversation, he quickly asked, "I don't believe we've met before. What is your name?"

"Anastasia," she said nervously. "Anastasia Tremaine." If he knew about her family's reputation, he might very well make some excuse to get away from her. The young nobleman raised his eyebrows upon hearing her last name. Oh, no, she thought to herself, please don't run away from me.

"Tremaine? As in Lord Albert Tremaine?" the young nobleman asked.

Anastasia nodded. "Did you know him?"

"No, I never actually met him, but I knew of him. He served with my father on the royal court for several years. He said that that he was one of the most influential men on the court, and spoke very highly of him. I didn't know he had a daughter."

"Stepdaughter," Anastasia corrected him. "I was only his stepdaughter."

Anastasia began to feel increasingly embarrassed the longer the conversation went on. She had been conversing with the man for barely one minute and she felt she'd already made a fool of herself in front of him twice. Fortunately for her, what she said didn't seem to bother the noblemen at all, who simply shrugged and said, "I see." He frowned when he saw the beautiful young redhead starring glumly at the floor. He could tell something was bothering her, and he couldn't help but ask, "Anastasia, is something wrong?"

Anastasia nodded and said, "I'm sorry, sir. You must think I'm not very good company."

"Why would I think that?" he quickly asked.

"We didn't start out right. I collided with you and spilled your punch all over you."

"It was an accident. There was no harm meant."

"I'm sorry, sir, I don't believe I ever asked for your name."

"My name is Gregory," the young nobleman said. "And it is a pleasure to meet you, Anastasia. That is a very beautiful name, Anastasia."

Anastasia blushed and said, "Thank you."

Gregory began to pour himself another cup of punch. He began to take a sip when he looked back at Anastasia. He then set the cup on the table and began to pour another cup. He then offered the cup to Anastasia. She smiled as she took the cup.

"So, Anastasia, are you enjoying the ball so far?"

"I suppose it's alright. I was so excited when my family received the invitation, but so far nothing particularly exciting has happened. And you?"

"Well, I had just returned to the kingdom this afternoon. I and another nobleman accompanied the prince on a diplomatic mission that lasted nearly two months. We were to negotiate a treaty with another kingdom, and it was a very tiring ordeal."

"I would imagine so," Anastasia said.

"Yes, it was especially tiring for Prince William. He practically spent the entire return trip reviewing the treaty, as if he were determined to find some flaw in it. It was quite annoying, since I was actually the one who wrote most of it. After I'd found out these balls were arranged so that he could find a bride, I thought it was too bad the treaty itself wasn't a woman. He was practically attached to it.

Anastasia laughed.

"Another nobleman went on the mission with us. He also has quite a few good stories about it, but truth be told he would tell them a lot better than I could. He's probably around here some- oh, he's talking to some woman wearing a yellow a dress."

"Yellow dress?"

Anastasia turned around to see where the young nobleman was looking. A look of surprise crossed her face when she saw it.

"Oh, he's talking with my sister, Drizella!"

"I see. Well, there are several more stories I could share with you over dinner." Gregory quickly stuttered and then, added, "That is, if you would like to sit with me at dinner, and perhaps we could dance afterwards?"

Before Anastasia could answer, the palace clock tower began to chime, signaling seven o' clock. Gregory held out his hand and asked, "Shall we, Anastasia?"

A wide smile crossed Anastasia's face as she took his hand. "I would love to," she told him.

…

A/N: For those of you who haven't seen the Cinderella sequels, the stepsister Anastasia was drastically altered. When in the original film she was portrayed as the snobby, spoiled, selfish, bratty, ugly, stepsister (along with Drizella), in the sequels she's portrayed as a sympathetic, romantic, character who desperately longs to find her own true love, just like Cinderella did. Being the sappy, hopeless romantic sucker that I am (and yes, I'm slightly embarrassed to say that), I decided to go that way with this story. So a few questions to consider for this chapter: clearly I've made Anastasia much more sympathetic than I did in any previous chapters, is her character development realistically paced? Should I go back and revise Anastasia's character in previous chapters to make up for this?