Chapter Eighteen
Cindy woke up with a really bad headache, panicking because she had no idea where she was. It took her a moment to realise that she was on the move, most likely in a carriage.
Slowly her memories started coming back to her. She recalled heading over to the brothel and asking Martha for help. Then they both went out, leaving for the castle, but they stopped in the tavern and Cindy was chatting with Charles about Red. Then she felt a little dizzy and went to the bathroom. Her memories ended there, and the pain in her head was mounting. She had a feeling that something was terribly wrong.
Then a voice in the darkness startled her.
“Mommy is already planning to punish you for running away. She made a deal with Londis and once you’re his wife, he will lock you up in his farm forever.”
She recognised Susan’s squeaky voice, and noticed that she and Teresa were sitting opposite her. There was also a man in the carriage who looked like a huntsman. He glared at her with his tiny hazel eyes, and Cindy thought he was there to keep an eye on her. Cindy rubbed her eyes and pulled herself to a sitting position. Anger rose within her. She should have known that Ida would send her daughters to find her.
“Your mother can’t force me to marry Londis,” Cindy snapped, tired of listening to those stupid girls. They weren’t her real family, and they had been nothing but cruel to her over the past several years.
Her stepsisters both laughed, then Susan nudged the man with her elbow.
“Oh yes, she can and she will. Mr. Roweling is here to make sure you don’t do anything silly. Mommy’s sorting out the last bits and bobs for your lame wedding, and welcoming the arriving guests. Londis is paying us good money to take you off our hands,” Teresa sang and fluttered her eyelashes towards Mr. Roweling, who totally ignored her.
Cindy noticed that he had a selection of knives by his side, and realised that now she had no chance to sneak away.
“In about two hours everything will be over. Mommy went to the king and he offered to find you, but then we got word that you were in the tavern with some hooker,” Susan stated, brushing her red hair. “So we didn’t need his help after all.”
Cindy glanced out the window, realising that the carriage was moving quite fast. It looked like the coachman was told to hurry up, and she didn’t recognise her surroundings. They were probably already halfway to Gardland’s Kingdom. Cindy’s heart sank in her chest. Ida must have come back to Farrington as soon as she realised that Cindy was missing.
“You can say whatever you want, but I just refuse to stand by him at the altar,” she said, folding her hands over her chest and feeling sick.
“We’ll see about that,” Susan snapped. There was no point discussing anything with them, because her stepsisters weren’t listening. Cindy was looking forward to seeing Ida and telling her directly what she thought about her. At the same time she was worried that Ida could force her to say yes to Londis by using her magical powers.
The journey was dragging and her stepsisters were flirting with the huntsman all the way back. She was slowly losing hope, knowing that she had nothing that she could bargain with to change Ida’s mind.
If only she had made it to the castle. Caspian would have saved her. Now it was too late for him to do anything. Besides, he didn’t even know where she was. Eventually, she drifted off for a bit, hoping that at least Martha was concerned about her safety. The hooker was blessed with magic and Cindy was hoping that she could find a way to stop her wedding.
The carriage stopped an hour later, and the huntsman dragged Cindy out. Ida was already waiting for her outside.
“I underestimated you, Cinderella. I didn’t think you had it in you. No one can run away from their responsibilities, not when I’m in charge,” Ida stated, staring down at Cindy with her usual stern look. Her stepmother looked relieved, and Cindy’s blood pressure rose. “And you will be flogged for almost ruining the wedding.”
“I’m not marrying that idiot, Londis. My father wouldn’t want that kind of husband for me,” she nearly yelled, trying to pull away from the grip of the huntsman, who was hurting her. “You’re a rotten human being, and you will pay for this, stepmother!”
Ida shook her head and smoothed her hair.
“Roweland, take her inside the cottage and keep an eye on her. Also, make sure that she puts her wedding dress on. We don’t want any more delays. Everyone is already waiting for the ceremony to start,” Ida said, through gritted teeth, as if she didn’t hear Cindy’s insult. “You have embarrassed this family enough, and you will go through with it. I’m sorry, Cindy, but you haven’t given me any other choice.”
Cindy opened her mouth to tell her that she wasn’t done talking to her yet, but Ida was already walking away. The huntsman nearly pierced her skin with his sharp nails when he was dragging her back to the house. She didn’t see Londis or anyone else outside. She was taken to a small room upstairs where her ugly wedding dress hang in the wardrobe.
“You have ten minutes to get ready. Don’t force me to rip your clothes off and put that dress on you myself,” the man said, with a twisted look on his face that made Cindy sick. Luckily, he didn’t stay in the room with her, and when he slammed the door behind him, Cindy ran to the window. Her room looked out at the back and that’s where she saw that all the guests were already seated. Londis was waiting for her at the altar.
This was her worst nightmare, and she didn’t know what to do. She was trapped, but deep down she knew that Ida couldn’t force her to say yes to Londis. This was dead simple, and she had already made up her mind. Keeping her reputation wasn’t worth ruining her whole life and she could prove Ida was lying, papers or not.
She smiled to herself and quickly put her wedding dress on, knowing that she could still humiliate Ida in front of all the guests if she refused Londis. Her chest felt tight when she tried to breathe.
Her magic could only go so far.
The banging on the door brought her back to reality.
“Well, you look poor and uninteresting. Londis is just going to love it.” Teresa giggled with her sister, but Cindy ignored them. She was done listening to their silly insults. She wasn’t affected by it anymore.
“Let’s just get on with it. I really don’t want to waste my time,” Cindy barked at them.
She had changed her destiny by running away and she wasn’t prepared to give up everything without a fight. Even if that meant she had to scratch Ida’s eyes out with her own sharp nails.
She was just looking forward to seeing Ida’s face once she said no to Londis at the altar.
“I think Cindy might have lost her mind already. I’m so glad we don’t have to deal with her any longer,” Susan whispered to Teresa, when she moved past them.
No matter what happened, she had to keep her head held high. People needed to see that she was proud of who she was. Her stepmother wanted to see her tormented and miserable, but Cindy wasn’t going to give her the satisfaction.
Her stepmother was outside the house, and she handed Cindy a bucket with yellow flowers without saying a word. It looked like no one was going to walk her down to the altar. Some guests were already turning around. Cindy took a few deep breaths, while her heart was beating frantically in her chest. She was thinking about her late father and Caspian. The king—her king was somewhere out there and as soon as this silly wedding was over, she was planning to head over to the castle.
She started walking, feeling like she was in a fog. The wedding guests were staring at her, and some were even smiling. She thought that she looked terrible. The dress was horrible and not her style at all. On top of everything, she didn’t know any of the people who came to celebrate her special day, and it looked like the altar was set right in front of the pigpen. The smell was horrendous and Cindy just couldn’t believe this was happening. Over the years, she’d planned her own wedding, imagined every small detail, and in the end, she had ended up here, supposedly marrying a man who made her physically sic
k.
She approached Londis, who wore a tedious white suit and had a goofy smile plastered across his face. The priest was at least eighty years old and smiled kindly at her, holding a bible in his hands.
“Ladies and gentlemen…we have gathered here today…
She switched off when the priest started talking, trying to think about something else. Cindy was torturing herself, thinking about Caspian and remembering the way he made her feel. A fierce heat built up inside her as she was pumping herself with courage.
She was in love with the vampire king, and even if she wanted to, she couldn’t deny it. She wanted to scream at the top of her lungs that she had already found her real love, and that Ida was forcing her to marry the man standing in front of her.
“Now it’s time for one of the most important questions of the day.” The priest’s voice brought her back to the ceremony. Teresa and Susan were giggling away, sitting very close—too close. When she glanced back at Londis, she noticed that he was staring at her boobs.
“Will you, Mark Londis, take this woman, Cinderella Rutherford, to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?” the priest asked Londis first.
Cindy’s heart was racing away, and her vision went blurry. She couldn’t faint now, she still had to humiliate Ida, and let everyone know that she was an evil woman.
Then the question was going to be directed to her. She felt it in her bones.
“I do,” Londis answered, smiling at her. Cindy’s heart was racing and she thought that his palms were sweaty and disgusting.
Then the priest turned to face her.
“Will you Cinderella Rutherford, take this man, Mark Londis, to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?”
Strained silence descended around her, and Cindy couldn’t force herself to answer. Everyone was staring at her, and Londis was mouthing in silence “I do” to her, like she had forgotten her vows. Her heart skipped a beat, and she waited…not even knowing for what.
“No, I’m not taking this man as my husband. And you, stepmother can go to hell!” she shouted, shaking with anger.
Then Ida shot back to her feet, going pale and started mouthing something silently. Cindy feared that she was using magic to make Cindy say yes to Londis, but then many of the wedding guests began to turn around again, whispering and Cindy heard a horse jolting from behind them. She noticed someone galloping towards the cottage on a white horse. Her heart stopped, and buzzing started in her ears. She told herself that she was hallucinating again, because she saw dark hair, and a dark cloak as her vampire king tore through the middle of the aisle, then stopped his horse pulling on its reins. Some people screamed, others gasped, and Cindy stood in the same spot, paralysed, when her king jumped off the horse, meeting her eyes.
“Father, stop this whole nonsense. No one is going to force you to marry this clown,” Caspian shouted.
“My king, this is a private event,” the priest mumbled, looking confused.
“Yes, carry on, Father, please. Cindy is just about to marry the love of—”
“Actually, I just said no…
“Don’t even dare say another word, woman. You lied to her, and everyone else out here. You are forcing Cindy into a marriage that she doesn’t want with some absurd blackmail,” Caspian roared, cutting Ida off, who was already standing up. Cindy placed her hands on her hips and shook her head. Caspian was going to save her either way, but in a way she was a little annoyed that he took the fun of humiliating Ida away from her.
Heat danced on the surface of her skin. She couldn’t believe that the king had tracked her down.
Then she glanced at her stepmother, smiling. She wasn’t afraid of her magic anymore, besides Cindy officially refused to marry Londis in front of everyone out there.
“Ida forged your father’s will and added the clause about the marriage, twisting things around. One of my people has been following her and that clown all day long. He overheard her talking about it, and discussing the final payment she would get for you from Londis. I know about her blackmail and everything else that she has being doing to you over the years.” He grabbed her hand and brought her close to his chest.
“I think we’ve all heard enough,” Ida snarled. “Cindy is going to marry Londis, regardless of what you think. My men are here too and they can make sure that Cindy completes her vows.” Four other huntsmen stepped in front of her. Cindy didn’t see them earlier. Tension tightened across the king’s frame and Cindy couldn’t believe that Ida was daring to threaten Caspian. Didn’t she realise that she was committing a crime?
Maybe her magic wasn’t that strong after all.
“Get over here, you stupid girl. We’re already practically married!” Londis shouted, trying to grab her, but the king stepped up in front of her and then punched him. The groom went down like a sack of potatoes, falling off the altar. The priest looked bewildered, backing away.
“Are you aware that you’re challenging the King of Farrington?” Caspian asked, amusement in his tone. All four men took out their knives and Ida smiled. A few wedding guests were whispering, staring at Ida like she’d gone crazy.
Ida faced him with a vicious smile. “Too bad that you’re on your own, my lord. No one should be challenging me, not even the king. Now step away from the girl or my men won’t hesitate to kill you.”
Chapter Nineteen
The king was amused and in a way impressed that Ida was so determined to win. She was blinded by her greed, and Caspian was planning to teach her a lesson. He squeezed his hand around Cindy’s waist as she shivered in his arms.
Four huntsmen moved towards him. The king needed to act fast. He wasn’t worried, but at the same time he couldn’t expose his supernatural abilities to all the humans standing around. The priest was trying to tell everyone to calm down, while Londis backed away from the altar, his nose and mouth bleeding.
“I’m not losing everything because of you. The estate is mine,” Ida snapped, still not backing off.
“You’re making a big mistake,” Caspian said, a little tired of all the theatrics. Earlier on, he wasn’t planning to leave Ida with nothing, but now he decided she didn’t deserve his mercy.
“I doubt that. It’s you who’s making a mistake.” She gestured at her men to go ahead and do her dirty work. Caspian was still a vampire, even though his agreement with the old witch took away his immortality. He watched the huntsmen who crept towards him, and then leaned over to Cindy.
“I love you, and I’m sorry that you have to see this,” he whispered.
Caspian hated violence, but he wouldn’t mind strengthening himself with human blood. Two of them surrounded him and, using his inhuman speed, he took the knife from the smaller one and began slashing their throats, one by one, before any of them realised what was going on. His instinct took over and the beast inside him was awakened. All four huntsmen went down, gasping for breath as the blood poured from their necks. Some guests screamed, others started running away—panic took over the crowd.
The king stood by Ida a half second later, breathing hard. His fangs were out, and he was watching Cindy. He expected to see fear in her eyes, but she looked relieved instead. Londis was mumbling to himself, staring horrified at Ida’s men. The priest was asking God to spare him.
Caspian spoke directly into Ida’s ear. “I told you that you were making a terrible mistake, but you didn’t listen. Now, you’re going to pay for all of your lies, my lady. You have not seen me hurting these men. They fought with each other over their lost payment. Once you return to Farrington, my guards will take you away to my prison.”
Then he looked at the wedding guests repeating the same thing and using his glamour to make them believe that he’d shown up to rescue Cindy. He changed his mind about
feeding on the huntsmen, and partially healed their deep cuts. He didn’t want to worry about the mess.
Besides, his Cindy needed to see that he was still a human deep in his heart. Their love could survive anything, and he wanted a clean slate. His glamour drifted around, calming everyone and implanting new memories in their heads. As soon as he took Cindy away, people would believe that the wedding hadn’t taken place because the bride had changed her mind.
The huntsmen got up and started arguing, blaming each other for their lost payment.
“What happened? Why are they all so calm?” Cindy asked once his glamour began to take effect on everyone. He didn’t want her to stay there a second longer. He had to leave.
“Don’t worry, everyone believes that you changed your mind. I’m taking you to Farrington and now you’re the sole owner of your father’s estate,” he said. “Unless of course your stepmother was right and you want to marry Londis?”
Cindy looked like she was still in shock. She glanced at her stepsisters and Ida who were already rushing towards the cottage.
“No, of course not. I really thought that I’d lost you forever,” she said, and tears started streaming down her cheeks. The king laughed, and lifted her up, so she couldn’t avoid looking at him.
He saw the love in her eyes, and his heart warmed instantly.
“You were very naughty, my Cinderella. You should have told me that your stepmother was blackmailing you. Now, do you want to go back with me to Farrington and at some point become my beloved wife?”
She stared at him with her eyes wide—the king needed to give her some time to gather herself.
“Yes, take me away, I don’t want to be here any longer,” she pleaded and the king smiled.
He grabbed her hand and lifted her up, so she sat on his horse. Some wedding guests were still watching them; others were leaving. He jumped back on the horse, wrapped his arms around her, and off they went. Caspian whistled, knowing that his life was finally complete—he had his Cinderella back.