Kyle Langdon

I. Was. Pissed. Some new girl was coming today, and she was supposed to be the prince's girlfriend or something, and everyone was busting their asses trying to make everything nice. I had to do a lot of work, running around, obeying people and doing shit. I had a feeling that I would not like this girl at all.

My anger was also the product of this sucky punishment I had been given. So what if I'd defaced the prince's car? It's not like he didn't deserve it. And now, because of one stupid act, I was forced to be a slave and serve some probably stuck up little princess and entertain the prince's girlfriend.

Ugh, can someone just kill me now? I can just imagine the night.

Stuck-up-princess girl: "Oh, come here servant boy! Can you take little Fifi and walk him? Here's his bag, you know, for when he 'relieves' himself."

Me: "…uhh. What? You want me to pick up after your ugly hairless poodle?"

Princess Girl: *Makes offended noise* "Fifi is not ugly! Hmph! While you're at it, can you polish all my diamonds for me?"

Then she would turn to her boyfriend and be all, "Do you guys have fountains of caviar and pools of gold? What? You don't have those? But every self-respecting royal must bathe in gold and caviar!"

At this point, I come back with a knife and stab her.

Just kidding; I'm a delinquent, not a murderer. My boss snapped my out of my daydream and reminded me that I actually had chores to do. I groaned, definitely not anticipating the night. I continued to scrub the floors, pretending that the ground was her spoiled face. I didn't know it then, but I had never been more wrong about someone in my life.

Cinderella Evans

I looked like a fish. My eyes bulged out of my head and my jaw dropped to the floor. I mean, I knew I was going to have to meet the parents sooner or later, but I didn't think it would be so early! I thought the first couple of days, I could just get some food and watch TV during my meals.

"Um… Ok! Brilliant! That's fine, just fine. I can meet the King and Queen today, no problemo. No problemo." I chuckled nervously.

Charles looked concerned. "Are you sure? Because if you really don't want to, we could always reschedule, I mean-"

I cut him off. "No, no, it's fine, I can deal. Go, shoo, let me go and use all these beautiful products that the Queen has oh-so-generously prepared for me. I'll be fine."

His face reflected his immense relief, and after he bid goodbye, I slammed the door and whirled around.

"Okay, Keira, time to make me pretty-ful!"

After all the washing, plucking, pulling, curling, dusting, brushing, dressing, and choosing, I was finally ready to meet the Royal Family. I looked fabulous, but I was too nervous to care.

Charles was waiting for me outside my room. When I stepped out, I heard his sharp intake of breath.

"Wow, Cinderella, you look stunning. How did I ever get so lucky?"

All the blood rushed to my cheeks. "Stop it, you flatterer. May I say, you look quite dashing as well."

He gave me a strange look, which I returned with one of confusion. What? I don't get much social interaction, so of course I'm bound to be on the strange side.

As we made our way to the Dining Hall, I became more and more nervous. With each step came a disastrous thought. I shared my worries with Charles and he listened with incredible patience.

"What if I trip and fall? No, what if I trip, fall, and then smack someone holding food, and then it lands up all over the Queen? I saw that in a movie once, you know. No wait, what if I fall, and the person I smack is actually a secret agent with a hidden weapon, and as I flail around, he mistakes me to be the secret signal that he was told to wait for, and then…" I continued on, closer to the verge of panic attack.

He placed one warm hand on the small of my back; instantly, my nerves calmed down. They really should make anti-anxiety pills with the essence of my boyfriend. He had this soothing effect on people, or maybe that was just me.

Seeing as his touch was not enough solace, he stopped, turned towards me, and fixed me in place with his forceful, yet warm, gaze.

Oh man, I thought to myself, his eyes are so pretty. Like pools of chocolate syrup topped with caramel bits that I could just drown in.

"Cinderella?" He gently brought me back to attention.

"Sorry," I said sheepishly, "I was just thinking of something else."

His affectionate smile warmed me to my toes.

"I want you to listen to me. You don't need princess etiquette lessons. You don't need to be less clumsy. You don't need to do anything to change. You are perfect the way you are. Even if this dinner goes horribly, which it won't because my parents will adore you, it won't matter because you'll always have me, ok? Remember that and stay calm."

How could I disappoint such an earnest face? I nodded, and gave him my word that I would be myself and relaxed at dinner.

"Besides," he added, trying to lighten the mood, "as long as you don't mistake which fork does what, you'll be fine."

That just sent me into another mini heart attack.

"There's more than one kind of fork? And they have purposes? I thought they were just used for stabbing your food to get it into your mouth!"

I groaned. Tonight was going to be fun.

Charles Remington the Third

Your body radiated waves of your anxiety. Even though I was pretty sure you couldn't tell, I was also nervous as hell for tonight, but I knew I had to keep up my front for you. I was your rock, and although you were so tense, it comforted me. I liked the fact that you let me be your protector, and I promised myself I'd do my best to keep you safe and happy, no matter what.

Just like I'm doing now.

Anyways, when you entered the room, you suddenly grabbed my hand, in desperate attempt for comfort. I squeezed it twice, showing you that I was there for you, and that I wouldn't leave you.

When you saw the King and Queen, I think your brain short-circuited or something, because you suddenly turned into a frantic mess. Your mouth fell open, and you did some strange combination of a curtsy and the Funky Chicken. It was hilarious, but knowing how nervous you were, I tried to suppress my grin. It probably didn't work, seeing that glare you sent me.

On the bright side, it seemed as if my parents were also amused by your awkwardness and seemed to find you endearing. My dad stood up and boomed,

"Finally we get to meet the girl who has captured my boy's heart!"

My mother smiled warmly at you and I think that was when you seemed to relax.

I leaned down and whispered,

"It's okay; you're a part of our family now."

Your smile could have matched the brilliance of a thousand stars.

At first, you were awkward and blurted out some pretty random things. However, the patience and affection my parents showed toward you warmed you up and soon enough, everyone was laughing and joking around. I'd rarely seen my parents laugh as hard as they did that night.

I also noticed that you were glowing from how quickly my family accepted you. I knew how important it was for you to finally have a family, and that was what made me the happiest that night.

I sound so cheesy right now, but that's really what I was feeling.

At the end of dinner, when the servants came around to collect the plates, you furrowed your brow, and said, "No, it's okay, I can do that."

My parents were shocked. Even though they knew you were from a rich family, they did not know that you were forced to be a slave for all those years. The other girls I had brought home were so different; always complaining and treating the help like dirt. You were the first compassionate one, and my parents saw that.

You got up, and started to help in collecting the dishes. Needless to say, the servants froze, clueless about what to do for the first time. But your cheeriness and movements seemed so natural that they quickly ignored it and went on with their job.

When you left the room, my parents told me, "Son, you better not let this girl get away, because she is one in a million."

"I bet she knows how to cook, clean, wash, and sew! She'd be a perfect wife and mother, royal or not," My mother exclaimed. At that moment, I was glad you weren't in the room; otherwise I think I would have died of humiliation right then and there.

Their words, embarrassing as they may have been, were all accurate, and I knew it too.

Suddenly, we heard a crash from outside. I didn't know why at the time, but I felt a deep sense of foreboding.

I turned my head and saw you, on the ground, staring wide-eyed at Kyle Langland.