Part 1

Chapter 4

Cinderella felt empty. Darkness surged through her veins, slowly crawling about every inch of her body. She felt empty. Needles of ice pierced her neck, sliced her back, sent shivers up her spine. She felt empty. She saw the baby, ripped from her arms, wailing, and still felt empty. How strange to feel excruciating fear and pain but also feel nothing at all!

Cinderella's eyes snapped open, and she fought back the urge to scream. Sitting up in her bed, she buried her face in her hands. She'd had the same awful dream every night since she's arrived at the baker's house. Darkness. Pain. The child's cry. Emptiness. Cinderella never had nightmares before. So why now, when she was finally peaceful?

How strange indeed.

That morning, Cinderella prepared breakfast for one. The children were off exploring, the baby was taking his morning nap, and the baker was presumably still asleep after a long day at the market. The night before, he'd arrived home very late and very solemn. Cinderella thought of him sleeping soundly, splayed across the couch, and smiled. In sleep, he seemed as innocent and peaceful as his son, but how on earth could that little lump ever replicate the strong chin, the soft curls, the warm eyes of his father?

Cinderella gazed at her own reflection, blurry and warped in her spoon. Or maybe it wasn't warped at all. Maybe that's just how she looked now. Swollen eyes from weeks of poor sleep. Sallow complexion from lack of sun and proper nutrition. As she stared at the sickly woman in the silver, she was suddenly startled by a rustle, and a soft voice.

"You haven't gotten lost in your spoon, have you?"

Cinderella turned and was greeted by a pair of deep brown eyes and a warm smile.

"Good morning to you too," she laughed, motioning for the baker to sit down. "You gave me quite a start! I've never heard anyone get up so quietly." She remembered her stepsisters awaking in fits of rage, screeching insults before they'd even pulled down their sheets.

"Is that so? It seems to me as if you were simply in a trance," the baker said, with a timid playfulness that warmed Cinderella's heart.

Looking down, she said thoughtfully, "Oh, I've just thinking a lot, that's all. Force of habit. I have the strangest tendency to float into dreamland, even when I'm working nonstop." She glanced back up, face aglow. "But enough about me. How was your trip into town? I must confess, I'm painfully curious."

The baker's smile remained gentle, but something somber crept into his eyes. Cinderella felt the loss of light immediately.

"Town is about as devastated as we expected. Homes crumpled in, trees ripped from their roots. And yet," he smiled, "some life still flourishes."

At this, Cinderella couldn't help but beam.

"It's relieving to think that life might be able to move forward, don't you agree? The kingdom will be able to rebuild in better ways. I know it will." She reached her hand out to touch the baker's, determined to send any kind of encouragement to enliven his mood. Yet somehow that dark edge was still in his eyes. Was it sorrow? Embarrassment? Guilt?

The baker opened his mouth to speak but quickly shut it. After a second he rose from his chair. "I wish I could speak with you longer, but I saw some rainclouds rolling in last evening, and I'm determined to set the roof before they descend," he explained. Cinderella nodded knowingly as he turned to leave the room.

In the doorway, he paused and looked back toward her. Cinderella was surprised to find that his face was flushed and his eyes shone. "I just wanted to thank you for everything you've done. For all of us. You're worth so much more than the Prince ever could have given you credit for, and it's a privilege to have you here."

Cinderella started at these words, so passionately delivered, and wondered if she'd ever been thanked before.

"Most importantly, thank you for your compassion for my son. I'm still learning what it means to be a father and..." The baker continued his speech, at the mention of the baby, Cinderella's mind once again escaped her. Her nightmares flashed though her mind. The chill on her neck, the darkness in her veins, the emptiness. She was dying inside, she was dead already, she was lost.

She smiled.

"You're welcome."

Sorry it's been about a million billion years, and sorry for the darkness of the chapter. But plot ranks above fluff, at least in this story! I'll try to update more, I only really get the muse for this story when it's late and I'm procrastinating. But now that I'm in college, that's probably gonna be a lot.

Thank you for your loyalty and kindness!