The Anti-Fairy Tales Cinder Umbrella Arc Part Five

The Demon Prince

They came to a crystal dance floor. He put his hand on her hip and she rested her hand on his shoulder. Their opposite hands joined and then their eyes joined.

“I must admit that I don't quite know how to-”

“Just follow my lead.”

She nodded as he slowly spun her around and then his hand gently pushed her. She looked down and followed his lead as they took their first step forward. He then pulled her in close.

“Go to the beat of one, two, three, one, two, three.” he whispered into her ear. She nodded and got the beat in her head on repeat.

They then took step after step, first slowly and then when she became confident and more comfortable they went slightly faster. He then broke off and she held his hands on her hips as he lifted her, keeping her reassured with his eyes. She then let go of his hands and then, with her heartbeat beating like a drum, she extended her arms out like a bird about to take flight. He then spun her around letting her see the rest of the dance floor from above. She then slowly dropped and she rested her hands on his shoulders and they spun slowly around the dance floor. She then tripped slightly and was about to fall back but he covered that up as a lean. He the let her rise and lifted her again and her cape rose and what she landed her feet were both clear. He then placed his hand on her hip and she, his shoulder and they then continued the way that they started.

Then the music stopped. They broke away, for a moment they were the only two people in the world. Cinder felt different, somehow and part of her knew that, whatever was to happen now, she could psychologically go back. She knew that she had left something behind with that dance. She could not quite know or could tell what but she knew that she had left, whatever it was, behind and she was never going to have it back.

“Are you going to put a ring on her now?” boomed a strong voice. Demice went completely red in the face.

“I can not believe that he said that!” he groaned. Cinder giggled slightly.

“I'm willing to bet if I was in your position I'm willing to bet that my father would do the same.” she laughed.

“ Really?”

“Really.” she repeated as her eyes me the face of a clock. To her utter shock it was five to twelve! With all that talking and dancing she had not realised just how fast time had flown! She had to leave as soon as possible. She also had to do it in a way that did not seem rude.

“Speaking of which I'm sorry, but I have a curfew.” she said. “It was really nice meeting you your highness, however I must say my goodbye!”

She gave him a quick bow and then ran out of the dance floor. She then ran down the corridor but then her foot seemed to misplace itself and she tripped she hit the carpet and then she quickly got up and then ran on. She spotted that her cape had started to disappear. She then spotted the bannister of the stairs. She knew that it would be rude but she knew that the quickest way to get down saw to slide down. She then slid down glad that everyone was at the dance so she was never seen and she fell from the end and onto the floor. She spotted that her dress was starting to disappear too!

She reached the carriage in time and she almost threw herself inside. She reached her home for half one. She ran up and then put on what she thought was her night gown but was actually a shirt she put on another pair of briefs and then crashed down onto the bed and closed her eyes.

She soon had dreams let her to a boy her age she saw several images flicker before her, a life where she went by the the name of Alex, one where she was a princess and another where she was in several different worlds, then she was led to the White Demon, and then she was frozen. She also, somehow got out and killed her. It seemed as if ever since then she had been deathly pale like ice.

She then found herself looking at a man and woman that looked like her but then a boy younger than her, almost identical.

That's my brother and they are my family!

The word were so easy to come to her mind, even easier to believe them. So, when she woke up the following morning at no earlier than quarter past four, she knew who she truly was and what that meant.

That was when the memory flooded back to her, the one of the night that they were attacked. They only intended to pass Glahod, but it seemed that Wolfox had other ideas. He must have known that they were going to pass Glahod and he had prepared. She then remembered the humanoid bull and pig raining their hooves down on them, with their frothy mouths and their glowing crimson eyes. She then remembered that Wolfox pulling her away. She saw the snake covering her and then she squirted her venom in her eyes. She was helpless as she was being carried. She then stopped and then a single finger touched her forehead.

“Forget.” came Prince Demices' voice and then everything went black.

Now that she had the linking memory she knew the truth, they were all in it together. Now she had to act. The first thing she did was get out a plane grey shirt and some leather pants. There was no time to get anything else. She then ran down to the dungeons. She felt herself shaking slightly as she unlocked the door.

“Phyredoor come on. We've got to get out of here before everyone wakes.” she whispered.

“Pheoshan?”

“Yes, come on!”

They then ran as quietly as possible to the door, but not before getting a few loves of bread and a few slabs of meat. They were soon out of the house and as she ran her bear feet hit the ground until out of the blue the tap became a ting. She even felt something supporting her heel. She looked down to see, to her surprise, the black glass slippers on her feet.

“How did they get there?” she asked.

Phyredoor gripped her hand.

“Never mind! We've got to move!” she said as she snapped her back to reality.

She soon came to the edge of the kingdom when they saw a figure at the top of the hill they had to cross to their freedom, and to their dismay, it was none other than the demon prince himself!

“Well, well, well, what are we doing here?” he asked with a pleasant tone. “I can't tell you just how much I have longed for you my dear! I mean after last night I was afraid that I will never see you again!”

“Drop the act prince charming.”

That was when his face changed to a much more crueller look.

“Oh, so you remember now?”

“Yes, and I even remember you making me forget too!”

He smirked.

“Excellent.”

“What? How-”

He laughed a chilling laugh.

“My dear Pyredoor, whatever would the fun be in you running away as Durn and Cinder?”

She frowned as his eyes slid to Pheoshan.

“I see that you get it. Don't you?”

Her face dropped at the regionalisation that he was right.

“After all whatever would be the fun in escaping without a little conflict. An obstacle to got in the way, something to fight.”

“And is that why you're here?”

“I am here out of curiosity. After all how much do you remember of that night?”

She frowned.

“I don't-”

“Do you remember what the Demon King wanted to do with us?”

“No, but let me guess he wanted to marry us right?”

“You're almost right. The next that he wanted me to do was to test that power within you. And, if what he said was true, then I knew that if I did that you would end up killing me. And any threat to me and my crown can not be tolerated.” he said as he pulled out a three bladed sword with the blades sticking out the shape of a fork. “Now, if I'm right, all I have to do is kill you before he gets here. Then you will be out of my hair forever human.”

He then closed his eyes.

“And, if I'm right I can not kill you in this form so, I am going to have to force that power out of you.”

He pointed the palm of his hand towards her. Soon she felt like she was on fire and cried out in pain as she felt her entire body become saw. She dropped to the ground and when her eyes opened they were the eyes of Wolfox, and in her hand, his weapon. She felt this dark and dangerous joy coursing through her like a dark flame had entered her heart.

“So? Are we going to fight or what?” she said in a frightful voice that sounded like a lion and felt like it was coming from the pit of her gut.

His eyes were wide and wild with a mixture of pure excitement and fear. His smile reflected this too.

“Yes let's fight.” he said as he too started to change. His flesh became stone. His hair became green and looked and acted like a plant. His clothes became roses and crimson lilies. He picked one and sniffed it.

“May I just say, you are even more beautiful to me in this form. Little surprising considering that every rose must have a thorn.” he said in a more gentle sounding voice. He threw the rose at her and she cut the rose in half.

She then ran up to him and went into slicing him but he saw this coming and met her blade with his. She put as much pressure on his as possible but he easily matched hers with his and soon the pressure became too much and she landed on the ground. He raised his blade above his head and chopped down but she bought her blade up and they met again. She then kicked his shin with her black glass heel. He fell and she rolled away from him. And used her blade to get up on her feet. A move tat he too copied. They then were facing each-other.

He then ran in and kept his blade low. She blocked his farthest bade to her with the prong that was closest to her. He then stepped aside and flipped his blade. Now the other two were pointing at her. He was now behind her, she felt his breath on the back of her neck. He hen drove the blades in and all that she could do was keep the latter blade away from her.

“Now, this is dancing!” he exclaimed in her ear.

Suddenly the idea came to the and she spun out, like she was still dancing. Now she knew what to do. She bent her legs in a mock curtsy and then her slid her leg back and waited for him to strike which he did. She stopped it and spun as she did getting behind his arm and then she was at his back and she went in to stab him. Then she laid her first cut in him. He then did what she did and seeing that he was about to stab her too she dropped down. She then rolled under his legs and then outstretched her legs and soon her heels were firmly in between his legs.

Suddenly she felt cold, but for some reason she was not shivering, in fact it was almost pleasant.

She then got to her feet. He covered the place and looked at her with shock.

“How did you do that?” he asked. “Only the White Demon can do that! So how did you?”

She frowned not knowing what he was on about. She then realised that he too was just as confused. She ran to him and she felt the pleasant cold all over her as she ran and then her blade met his and then ice ran up her blade and eclipsed his, now they were locked. She did not know how, nor did she know why but she knew that she was the one that was doing this.

She saw him quickly cover his shock with a playful, almost flirtatious.

“My, my, my dear, you are full of surprises. If I didn't hate humans like you, I could see myself falling for you.”

She scoffed at that.

“Well, you are right! I even surprise myself.” she said covering up her shock too. “Now, are you going to fight with me or flirt?”

He let out a chuckle.

“Can't I do both?” he asked as he tried to pull away, but it was far too late his blade was covered with her ice and the ice was growing. She felt herself growing colder and colder and even the ice was getting colder and colder. She soon saw that the ice grew to his hands and then up his hands and soon his body was eclipsed in it. She pulled her blade away, knowing that her ice would obey her will. She then struck the ice and the ice cracked into millions of pieces including the prince. The Demon Prince was no more. And now she knew why she was paler after her fight with the White Demon.