Hello to all you iGlobe readers! Sorry to keep you waiting on my next chapters of Midnight: A Retelling of Cinderella. I had a bit of trouble with the k-mailing system, but everything should be fine now. This entry has two chapters in it - one is a previous chapter I sent in before because one of the most important points of the chapter didn't make it into the iGlobe page. The next one is the newest one that hasn't been posted yet. Mata ne, and merry Christmas/happy Hanukkah/happy Kwanzaa (and if I missed anything on this list, happy holidays)! Midnight: A Retelling of Cinderella: Chapters 3-4
Chapter 3: Plot
“I’m not going to the ball,” Ena said decisively.
“Why not?” Masao replied. “It’s for royals and commoners alike, and it goes for two days. Seeing that the first ball’s tonight, it’s a bit spur-of-the-moment, but you deserve two days off.”
“That’s not it.” Ena said. “Kohana just broke her ankle. There’s no way I’d leave her, even for a night.”
She looked concernedly at Kohana. Any other day Kohana would tell her, “I’m not an invalid!” after Ena would refuse to leave her side. But now? Silence, so thick a samurai’s sword could cut right through it.
“Ena, please reconsider—” Masao started.
“No. I can’t just leave Hana here. What if infection settles in to her ankle?”
“Kohana’s a strong girl. She’ll be okay.”
“Will she?”
Masao ruffled his hands through her hair affectionately. “Yes, Cinderella.” He stood up. “Could you head to the healer’s and get some herbs? They could help her with her foot…”
Ena bowed. “Yes, Masao-san. Watch over Kohana and if anything happens to her, find me as soon as you can.”
Masao chuckled. “I will, Cinderella.”
~
The sound of Ena’s feet seemed to be the only audible sound in the entire village. Nearly everyone was away at the ball, providing no sounds of life.
There weren’t many sounds of life anyway, even with them here, Ena thought. Finally, the healer’s was in sight. Ena’s feet picked up speed. Please, please let the healer’s be open…
Ena ran through the door to find a middle-aged woman in a rough cotton kimono. Her dark hair was pinned up in a neat bun. “Oh, kon’nichiwa,” She said. “I’ll be leaving in ten minutes for the ball, so what can I do you for?”
“Do you have any teasel root? My friend’s ankle is broken.”
The woman nodded. “Certainly.” She took a packet of tea and handed it to her. In return, Ena gave her a few yen. “Thank you for coming—” she started, a bang interrupting her. Both Ena and the woman turned to find a peasant girl, her face smudged with dirt, tiptoeing towards the woman.
The peasant girl limped towards the herbalist. “Pennyroyal,” she whispered. “Pennyroyal oil.”
“O-of course,” The woman replied, handing her a vial of golden oil. “It’s very concentrated, so be careful with dosing.”
“Thank you,” the girl replied, placing some yen in the woman’s palm before fleeing.
“I’ve been selling quite a bit of pennyroyal to that girl lately. Not sure why…” The woman whispered, but Ena was already gone.
~
Akihiro wanted to groan when he saw Kimi in a bright pink kimono, walking haughtily down the aisle to him, and looking down her long nose at nearly everyone in the pews. Empress Yuri had insisted the wedding take place that day, and Hekima had agreed. He supposed it was because the sooner they saved Matsu, the better.
“Dearly beloved,” the priest began when Kimi finally came to the altar. “We are gathered here today to witness the joining of this man and this woman in holy matrimony.” The speech lasted only a few minutes, but every word seemed like an hour to Akihiro. “Do you, Princess Kimi, take Prince Akihiro to be your lawfully wedded husband?”
“I do,” Princess Kimi replied. Akihiro figured she asked the priest if she could say the words before Akihiro did – symbolically lording over him even before marriage.
It took a few minutes before Akihiro realized it was his turn to speak. “Wh-what?” He stuttered.
Kimi sighed dramatically and motioned to the priest to repeat what he said. “And do you, Prince Akihiro, take Princess Kimi to be your lawfully wedded wife?”
He wanted to say no. He wanted to refuse to marry Kimi and tell her exactly why. But then his eyes set on Empress Hekima.
I’m sorry, musuko-san, she mouthed. But please, do it for Matsu.
He took a deep breath and savored his last moments of freedom before saying the words he dreaded to hear. “I do,” he replied.
~
Maybe it was her instincts or simply the thoughts of an impulsive young girl, but for whatever reason, Ena was following the peasant girl. The lady at the store said she’d been selling a lot of pennyroyal to her. Why would anyone need that much? She thought.
The girl ran into an alley. Ena dove behind the wall, peering out to the girl.
“It’s me. I’m here.” She said, her voice deeper, more commanding than in the herbalist’s shop. Two other women crept out of the darkness, one in the same peasant’s clothes as the first girl, the other in a pink kimono so brightly colored it hurt to look at it. But that wasn’t what really shocked Ena. There was something about the peasant girl’s voice, something so familiar…
“Did you do it?” One of the women said. This one had a younger voice than the first girl’s.
The girl showed them the vial of pennyroyal oil. “We’ll need to concentrate this even more. If we can do it by midnight tomorrow, we have only to put a few drops in Prince Akihiro’s tea. It’ll kill him instantly.”
Prince Akihiro? Kill? Ena wanted to scream, to call for help, to do something.
“Perfect. As his new wife, I can take over Retyo legally after his death. You’re a clever one, Mother.” The woman in the pink kimono purred.
Mother?
Ena squinted at the girl holding the pennyroyal and had to cover her mouth to restrain from gasping. The face under all the dirt was none other than Empress Yuri’s.
Chapter 4: Coronation
Akihiro took a deep breath as he walked through the doors of his palace. His silk kimono, dyed the purple colors of the royal family, should have been a comforting touch against his skin. Instead, the fabric felt cold.
He was going to be an emperor. He shouldn’t show any nervousness, not in the least. Even so, Akihiro’s shaking hands betrayed his mask of cool confidence. He had rehearsed it during last night’s ball. He was even brave enough to go through with his marriage to Kimi. So why was he so scared this time?
Because I’m only fifteen, his mind answered for him. I’m not fit to be an emperor.
“Akihiro,” someone said. He turned to see Empress Hekima standing behind him. “It’s time for the coronation.”
Akihiro nodded. Hekima kissed Akihiro’s temples. “I’m so sorry about your marriage—”
“I know, mama.” The informal word felt like a small comfort on his tongue.
“Shall we, then?” Hekima said.
“Hai. Let’s go.”
~
“Just to be clear,” Masao told Ena, “your stepmother – the ruler of this kingdom – is going to take your stepsister’s wedding to the prince to her advantage by poisoning him with pennyroyal oil?”
“I thought pennyroyal was a medicine,” Kohana said, finishing off her teasel root tea.
“It is,” Ena replied. “But it’s poisonous if it’s concentrated. And Yuri said she was going to concentrate it quite a bit.”
“I see. Does anyone else know?”
“Nobody knows. Everyone else was still celebrating after the wedding. So it’s up to me to expose the plot.”
Kohana dropped her teacup. “You?”
“Hana, I know royalty better than almost anything. I’ll sneak in and thwart her plan!”
“I’m coming with you,” Masao stated.
“Masao, no. Kohana needs you here.”
Masao looked as if he was about to object, but he stayed quiet. Ena turned to Kohana. “Kohana, I never thought I’d say this, but I’m going to need a dress.”
“Masao, get the chest.” She replied. Masao obeyed, and in minutes lifted a chest into the room. Ena opened the chest and pulled out a black silk kimono with purple flowers dotting the sides.
“That was my wife’s best dress,” Masao said. “I can’t find a better way to put it to use than for this mission.”
Ena was a tomboy, but even she was enchanted by the kimono. “Masao, it’s beautiful. Are you sure—”
“I wouldn’t want it any other way.” He held up a pair of translucent purple shoes. “Take these, as well. They’re made of glass, but I reinforced them with iron. They look about your size.”
Ena slipped her feet into the shoes. They fit perfectly. “Thank you, Masao, Kohana.”
“Have courage, Cinderella. I know this is scaring you—”
“What gave you that idea?” Ena said under her breath.
“—but one must stay optimistic, even in times like this. Think carefully. Find a way to solve the problem.”
“Anything else I should remember?”
“Yes. You might want to finish that sword. And, for the record, I think it’s time we started calling you by Ena again.”
~
It was time. The coronation had been finished. The banquet was about to start. Ena scanned the room for Akihiro and her bratty stepsister before settling on them both. Akihiro was in a purple kimono, and Kimi was again clothed in a pink dress and dripping with jewels more opulent than her outfit yesterday.
Ena felt around for the sword under her dress. To anyone else she was another girl, but tonight she would save the boy emperor…she hoped.
She saw Akihiro – now Emperor Akihiro - leave the room to the courtyards, and – keeping an eye on him – she quickly followed.
~
Akihiro leaned against a rock, contemplating the surroundings of his courtyard. The moonlight and starlight reflected off of seemingly everything from the rivers to the trees. Fragrant cherry blossom petals idly drifted through the air. The surroundings should have lifted his mood, but not this time.
It was no secret that Retyo was opposed to boy rulers of all kinds. Perhaps they never showed it to his face, but the glares his subjects sent to him when they thought he wasn’t looking made it very clear that they would rather have an older, wiser ruler than an impulsive, introverted teenager. Akihiro was no exception.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?”
The voice made him jump, and he turned. Standing there was a girl a year or two younger than him, clad in a black kimono with purple accents. Her shoes looked to be made of glass, with silver streaks of metal woven through it. Her face, however, was what kept his eyes locked on her. It was a familiar face, with dark hair and equally dark eyes. The face that once told him she would renounce her title and become a blacksmith…
“Ena?” He whispered.
~
“It’s been a long time,” Ena said, grinning. “So should I call you Emperor Akihiro now?”
“No, just Akihiro. I want things to be the same between us, and anyway, I may not be emperor for long.”
“Why not?” Ena asked confusedly. After being crowned an emperor, she’d thought Akihiro would be ecstatic.
Akihiro took a deep breath. “Ena, Retyo isn’t like your country. Having a boy ruler is frowned upon, especially one with no guidance whatsoever.”
“And this has to do with you not being emperor because…?”
Akihiro stood up straight. “I need to do what’s right for Retyo. If my subjects don’t want me as a ruler, then I need to find someone who can rule instead.” His eyes became downcast. “I’m barely sixteen – too inexperienced to rule a kingdom. If my kingdom wants a better ruler, then the best thing I can do for it is to find a ruler with capability.”
The sound of inferiority in his voice made Ena want to wrap her arms around him. When she was a princess, she’d known that feeling all too well. She needed to give him a more positive outlook, so she did what she would do naturally: Push him into the river.
~
Ena couldn’t help but laugh as Akihiro floundered around like a beached fish. “What’d you do that for?!” He shouted, kicking water onto her dress.
“I thought you needed to cool off,” Ena replied. “Age has nothing to do with ruling a kingdom. Yes, there are some immature boy rulers, but other boy rulers are among the best their kingdom has ever known.” She gestured to Akihiro and his soaking kimono. “And there are some adult rulers who can barely rule.” She laughed bitterly. “Just ask my stepmother.”
Akihiro stared at Ena for a long time, something in his eyes that Ena hadn’t noticed before. Ena stopped and stared, too. The moonlight seemed brighter than usual when it reflected off of his dark hair, and his dark eyes seemed to match the deep black sky above them. Then, his eyes took on the same playful glint she knew as he took her arm and pulled her into the water as well.
~
A half-hour of talking and playfully splashing one another passed. Ena repeatedly dashed out of the way whenever Akihiro thrust water at her. She hadn’t felt this much joy in quite a bit of time – not as a blacksmith, not as a princess.
Ena knew Akihiro since she was a child, and he never ceased to leave her side. She had spoken the truth when she told him that he would be a good ruler – he was kind, loyal, witty, and smart. Ena tried to push the thought back into the deepest parts of her heart, but was she – a poor blacksmith-turned-princess – falling in love with the emperor of Retyo? Yes.
Ena suddenly remembered why she was here. “Listen, Akihiro – I need to tell you something. My stepmother – Empress Yuri—”
“Musuko-san!” A woman in a blue silk robe and a turquoise necklace started to run over to the river. “It’s time for the banquet! Hurry, it’s—” Question alighted in her eyes. “Why are you in the river? And who’s with you?”
Akihiro pulled Ena closer to the woman. “Mama, this is Ena. I told you about her. Ena, this is my mother, Empress Hekima.”
“Kon’nichiwa,” Ena said, extending her arm out. Without regards to her wet hand, Hekima gave it a firm shake. Ena decided she liked the empress.
“As I was saying, Akihiro—” Ena started.
“Come on! We’re going to be late!” Hekima shouted, tugging Akihiro out of the river and to the palace. Ena pulled herself out and followed.
