"Please hurry, Mr. Goose!" cried out Cinderella as she tumbled around in the carriage, being knocked in every direction. Oh, what a fool she had been. Had she not told her fairy Godmother that midnight would be more than enough?

But Kit….her thoughts were then distracted by the sounds of a goose calling.

"Oh, no!" she cried. She looked to her side to see that the coachmen had turned back to lizards and were now crawling inside the quickly dissolving carriage. Then it happened: the carriage finally came apart from beneath her and threw her through the air, landing face down in a disgraceful heap. She felt pain wrack through her body.

But she didn't have time for pain, as she heard the sound of horses' hooves surround her. Cinderella slowly looked up to see the castle guards with shocked looks on their faces...whispering at one another at what they had just seen. She got to her knees and realized she was now back in her mother's pink dress, that her stepmother had ripped, only now she had ruined the memento of her mother further by dragging it through dirt.

Cinderella then realized something. Her shoe...it was still glass.

All the magic was supposed to be gone. She heard a man dismount and the squeak of her mice friends. She quickly took off her remaining slipper and ushered her mice into it before she hastily stood up. She was face to face with the Grand Duke.

His expression...she didn't like it. A clear look of displeasure was in his eyes. He eyed her rat-filled slipper.

"Why put mice in your slipper?" The question seemed to have a double meaning of, Are you an idiot?

"They are...my friends, Your Grace." She gave the best curtsey she could in her state, but the Duke didn't look any more impressed by her gesture.

"Coachmen turning into lizards, horses turning into mice, a carriage turning into a pumpkin, a princess turning into a peasant, and now the said false princess has mice as her friends." There was no humor to his tone.

"Come along, girl. You are to be brought back to the palace, but what fate you are to face for your deceit at making the prince think you were a princess…"

Cinderella began to protest. "No, Your Grace, I didn't even realize he was the prince—"

The Duke raised a hand as a gesture to silence her. He gave a motion to one of his men. "Let her ride with you…and I suppose she can keep her 'friends' with her. After all, it would be good for the prince to know what company the false princess keeps."

Cinderella didn't say another word. She could hear the soft squeaks of her mice friends attempting to comfort her, but the girl covered in mud and torn clothing, who was about to be presented before the prince, could not be comforted.

She barely registered it as she was lifted onto the horse, clutching the waist of the soldier in front, and the glass shoe in her other hand.

What would Kit think of her now...or should she say the prince? She thought back to where he took the back rooms when she found out he was the prince. She should have told him right there that she wasn't a princess, but she was afraid...he would reject her. But perhaps it would have been better to be rejected dressed as a princess than a mud-covered country girl in a torn dress carrying mice as friends.

She thought back to Kit's kind smile. Could he really be cruel to her? The answer came to her...no. Kit was not that kind of person. He would never do anything to hurt her even if he didn't want her anymore. She repeated her mother's words in her mind.

Have courage and be kind. Have courage and be kind. Have courage and be kind.

But did she have enough courage to face royalty...as a plain country girl?

These thoughts troubled her as they made their way back to the palace. She kept thinking of what to say to Kit: apologies, pleas asking for forgiveness, or would she be even able to speak? Oh…what was Kit going to think? She remembered that sweet smile and the loving look in his eyes he had given her in both the forest, back when she just thought he was an apprentice learning a simple trade.

Why couldn't have Kit been just another man instead of a prince?

Likely for the same reason she was a country peasant instead of a princess.

She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't notice when her rider stopped in front of the palace. One of the soldiers was kind enough to hold her slipper full of mice while she dismounted. Taking the slipper again, she was led into back into the palace.

It was a completely different experience than when she entered with her fairy Godmother's magic. Gone was the beautiful dress, the enchantment, and the wonder. Now she was a country peasant with dirt on her face and a torn dress, carrying a shoe full of mice. What was once wonderful became frightening.

The grand halls that had once welcomed her into the splendor of the evening were now foreboding as it seemed to belittle her even further. The guards of the palace that had once added to the sense of royal presence now became something to fear. The princesses, princes, and nobles that had watched her in wonderment now gave her looks of contempt and disgust. A few princesses and noble ladies even gave shrieks at the sight of her friends, frightening them.

"Don't worry," she whispered to her mice. "Just have courage and be kind."

The Grand Duke had clearly heard that and gave a scoff.

"So this is the mystery princess?" came a voice.

Cinderella turned and gasped. Her heart dropped into her stomach. The King was before her, his expression unreadable as he eyed her.

"No, Your Majesty, but a mystery peasant playing the part of a princess," the Grand Duke told him with some amount of pride in his voice.

The King didn't show any signs of shock or disapproval. His face was as unreadable as ever. He glanced down at her hand with the mice-filled slipper.

"What is that?"

"Her 'friends', Your Majesty," the Duke answered for her.

If the King had a reaction to it then he showed none. "I see. Well, then." He gave Cinderella a come hither motion. "I would like to speak to you."

The Grand Duke stepped forward.

"Alone," the King added, with...almost a bit of sternness, or was she reading this wrong?

"But, Sire—" the Duke began.

The King raised a hand for him to stop speaking, similar to how the Duke had raised a hand to silence her. The Grand Duke made no other gestures to follow as Cinderella stepped forward, but she could feel the hateful glare on her back.

The king led her into a fine parlor and gestured for her to sit down on one of the opulent sofas.

"Oh, thank you, Your Majesty, but I mustn't. I would stain your fine sofa."

The King just waved his hand. "There is nothing you can soil here that can't be easily replaced without even a wince from the treasury."

She blushed a bit at her peasant ignorance. Of course, it was nothing. She quietly sat down with her mice-filled slipper in her hand.

The King sat down across from her. "You may sit your 'little friends' on the table there."

She did so, gently. She balled her fists in her skirts in a nervous gesture. If she had just faced Kit she could have stood it...but the King. The King...she was now before the King in this state. He was going to berate her at the very least, if not throw her into the dungeons.

"Nothing is going to happen to you, girl. You didn't break a single rule."

Cinderella's eyes widened, but relief, along with confusion, swelled within her. The King leaned back, looking off to the side a bit.

"My son invited all eligible young maidens to the castle, including those of high and low estate. It doesn't matter what anyone thought you were. You didn't break a single rule. My son requested it like that because he met a girl in the forest on a hunt that he wanted to see again so very badly."

At this her heart fluttered. Kit had wanted to see her? Despite thinking she was nothing but a country peasant? So he didn't really care? Just like she hadn't cared if he was the prince or not. Happiness swelled within her.

"But he did it against my wishes."

A coldness came over Cinderella now. So the King didn't want her to be here...it made her feel so dirty and small in front of him, and why not? She was a dirty peasant girl in front of His Majesty.

"Tell me your name, young lady."

She bowed her head in respect. "It is Cinderella."

"Ah, curious name. Tell me, Cinderella, what do you think of our kingdom?"

Cinderella was being asked this from a king. What did she know of affairs of state? She was of low estate, and a woman at that, not expected to be familiar with the world of politics.

So she could only answer from the heart.

"I think our kingdom is beautiful," she began. "Our land has been blessed with fertile soil to give us a bounty of crops every fall, our lakes, rivers, and seas are clear and sparkling, the forests are full of life and mystery of animals." She gave a slight smile at the last as she thought of the stag.

"But...that isn't what makes the country great. Our land is made of people that have come from far and wide seeking welcome and a new life in its borders and our people have welcomed them with open arms. The citizens in our kingdom are kind, with open hearts" She then thought back to her step family. "There are exceptions, of course. But the people here are what makes this country beautiful."

If her words had any effect on the King he gave no sign of it. His face was as unreadable as ever. This made her nervousness grow. Had she sounded stupid to him? A simpleton talking about pretty crops and seas, and the kindness of the people?

"But you might have noticed our kingdom is small, very small. We have a small population. If some kingdom where to invade us our fields would be razed to the ground, lakes would be taken over, and the kind people you know would start to scramble and fight for what little resources are left. You will be surprised at how the kind can turn venomous once their lives and comfort is threatened."

She felt a stiffness come through her. Words running dry in her mouth as the images came to her mind. But then something…came to her memories...of her what her step family had done to her...and how she had reacted.

"Your Majesty, if I may speak...I think you are underestimating your people. Yes, you speak in truth that hardship can bring out the worst in men, but also it can bring out a sense of brotherhood. I know that true kindness and courage can make people rise from the worse of circumstances. No matter how much it hurts or how badly you want to run away...as long as there is kindness...there is… goodness...and where there is magic, true magic. Magic can bring and inspire anyone."

"You speak from experience," the King said, not even bothering to ask her if she had. It seemed that the King was an expert at reading people. No wonder he had been such a competent ruler for someone with a low ranking kingdom. It was no wonder Kit called himself an apprentice—his master seemed to be the best.

"But it is an experience I would like to hear."

Cinderella's heart once again had a lump in it. How was she ever to explain?

"Oh, Your Majesty, it would take up far too much time. And I know a king hardly has any."

"You are right, Cinderella, but tonight is different. I have quite a bit of time, and I want to hear the story."

This was a command from her King. She had to obey. She took a deep breath and began to relay her tale, starting from her father's marriage to Lady Tremaine, all the way to the night at the ball, but stopped before she discussed her fairy Godmother. She prayed he wouldn't press into that.

If the King had any sympathy for her plight or contempt for her weakness in letting herself be treated this way, he gave no sign of either emotions.

"I see," the King simply said. "So you are a late merchant's daughter of a country estate that your stepmother won't likely let you inherit. So you have no dowry to make the kingdom richer, you have no division to give, no benefits of making alliances to protect our borders and people."

Her heart sank to the pit of her stomach.

"Yes, Your Majesty...I have nothing to give your kingdom." She now knew that there was no way that the King was going to bless the marriage, much less allow it to happen. But at the same time, another thought came to Cinderella. Had she been selfish? Had she been caught up so much in her love for Kit at the ball that she had forgotten what he really needed: a bride that could give him something?

"Kit has quite a few princesses who wish to marry him. Princesses of kingdoms rich in money, land, and military. If he were to marry one of them it would bring great things to the people of this beautiful land."

Cinderella closed her eyes, fighting back tears. Why did it have to be like this? After all the misery she had gone through, from the loss of her mother, to her father, and then finally being made a slave in her own home.

"Tell me what you are thinking?" His voice was not demanding, but it had never been during their conversation.

"I was thinking...it isn't fair. I had been so unhappy for such a long time...but when I meet Ki—I mean the Prince in the forest...it was the first time I was truly happy, truly happy in a long time." Then she couldn't hold it back. Tears started to flow from her brown eyes and run down her cheeks. "But he turned out to be the Prince. I wish...that he had been an ordinary man...that I could marry and live a happy life with."

"I see," the King said, once more.

Cinderella wiped her eyes. "My King, can I make a small and humble request of you?"

"What is the request?"

"Let him...marry a princess he can grow to love. I want him to be happy. Please, let him be happy."

"Love won't get the kingdom soldiers, land, or protection," the King simply told her.

Cinderella was trying so hard to keep herself from full blown crying that she had begun to shake. She wiped the tears from her eyes and spoke.

"There is something a kingdom needs, more important than any of that. A king with a loving heart towards his people. If a King does not love his people, then he can't become a good or even a great king. If the Prince marries a woman he doesn't love or doesn't love him in return...his heart could become cold...and I think having a King with a cold heart is worse than a kingdom being poor."

"Have you ever heard of the parable of the lady and the tiger?"

Cinderella blinked in confusion. "No, Your Majesty. I have not."

"Once there was a lady that fell in love with a man beneath her status, and her parents refused the marriage. They brought him before an arena with two doors. Behind one door was a beautiful woman that he could marry; behind the second was a vicious tiger who would kill him. It was left up to the Lady to decide what door she would open. Would she give him to the Lady and see him love someone who wasn't her, or give him to the beast to eat him up."

"What did she choose?"

"The tale ends there. It is up to the reader to decide. But what I am asking you is what you would have done."

Cinderella didn't even need to pause or think about it. "I would have given him the Lady. I have no doubt it would hurt, but it would be even worse to see him dead at my hands." But what the King meant was the kingdom would be dead in her hands. "I want to see the Prince happy. It is better one of us be happy than both of us be miserable."

The King closed his eyes. "Would my son have done the same thing for you when faced with that choice?"

Cinderella gasped in surprise. Her in Kit's place? What did it matter what happened to a country girl?

"He would have let me live. Kit is too kind of a person to allow me to die."

At that point the King stood up. "I have heard all I want to. Now follow me. We are going to straighten this matter out and all will be as it should be."

Cinderella carefully got up, picking up the slipper full of her friends and followed the King into the halls. Her head hung low in a pathetic attempt to hide her tears and reddened eyes.

This was going to be the last time she saw Kit. And she was a ragged dirty peasant in a torn dress with red puffy eyes. She prayed greatly that her fairy Godmother could come back and turn her rags into that beautiful blue gown...so she would at least leave him with a good memory of her.

But no fairy Godmother came. She was about to present herself to the Prince for what she truly was.

One of the scariest things a person could do.

Suddenly, the King stopped, interrupting Cinderella's train of thought. He then gestured her into the side hallway.

"Wait against the wall."

She was confused, but did as the King said. She waited in silence for a few minutes.

Then she heard him.

"Father—" came Kit's voice. Her heart skipped a beat.

"Son, I have arranged a marriage for you, and on my orders you will not refuse."

"No, Father, I won't. I cannot obey you in this command."

"I think you will...once you see the truth."

Before Kit could say another word, the King made a gesture for her to come out from behind the wall. Here it was. The moment Kit would finally see her...and the last.

She hesitantly stepped from behind the wall, showing herself to Kit.

"I present you the bride I have arranged for you: Cinderella. Once again I tell you that you cannot refuse this marriage by law of the King."

Cinderella was sure she was wearing the same expression that Kit now had on. But then she felt him embrace her, his strong arms around her. She embraced him as well.

"But, Father, why...why change your mind now?"

"Because, son, she is the Queen that the kingdom and you need. What she lacks in wealth she makes up for in kindness, and for what she lacks in armies is what she makes up in in courage, and what she lacks in power she makes up for in selflessness and love towards you. And most important of all, she is almost exactly like our greatest queen who ever graced our land."

Cinderella's heart swelled in complete and utter joy. She felt Kit start to kiss her, which she eagerly returned. When they broke it, she turned back to the King.

"Who was the greatest queen?"

"The one who would have been your Mother-in-Law."