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chloe-spade · 2 years ago

Text

The Glass Slippers Prologue: The. Beginning

🌠

Impossible..

For a yellow pumpkin

To become a golden carriage

Impossible

For a plain country bumpkin

And a prince to join in marriage

And four white mice

Will never be four white horses

Such a fol-de-rol and fiddledy dee dee

It's Impossible...!

🌠

Cater was a young lad, already just as bright and cheery as you expected a child to be. His view on the world was strange, but it was never frowned upon by his family, Lord and Lady Diamond, who adored him and treated him like a little prince. Sure, he didn't have a title or a castle, but the one thing he had was courage and kindness. Especially when it came to animals.

"Little Ace? Where did you go?" He called out in the gardens, "You shouldn't be out here alone." Cater looks down at the mouse and picks him up, giggling as Ace nibbles on some food. "Silly Ace," Cater giggles, "those are for the chickens, not for you. You could've just asked me for some."

Cater's mother laughed, tending the flowers. "Do you truly believe they can understand you?" she asked, looking at Cater.

Cater nods and helps Ace into his pocket, letting him continue eating. "And I think I can hear them speak as well, Mother. If you can concentrate on them speaking, you can hear words forming instead of little squeaks." Cater explained, petting Ace.

"I have told you that," Lady Diamond said, "I'm not surprised you can understand them. It takes the kindest of hearts to understand and care for even the smallest animals."

"Really?" Cater asked.

"Really. But there's so many more stuff to believe in, and when there's kindness, there's magic."

"Magic?? Like what, Mother?" Cater wondered.

"Fairy Godmothers..or some Fairy Godfathers." Lady Diamond whispered to Cater, "But shhh, it's a secret." Cater nods and covers his mouth, agreeing to keep her the secret.

Lord Diamond was a merchant who often had to leave for extended periods of time, so long that every time Cater heard the familiar pats of horses and the carriage, he was already running towards the entrance to meet his father, like he always does.

"Father!" He cried to the carriage.

"Haha! My boy!" Lord Diamond laughed and got off his carriage to give Cater a big hug. "My stars, you are growing every day!"

"Cater's a growing boy," Lady Diamond giggles.

"I can tell!" Cater laughs as his father sets him down on the fountain. His father gave him a present, it was small, but it was decorated beautifully. "Open it," he whispered. Cater carefully opened it, and it was a small butterfly-shaped locket, something matching his mother's. "Aw, you got him a Papillon Locket," Lady Diamond gasped, walking over to them, "It's like the one you got me."

"Well, I heard him talking about your locket and since I was traveling, I went to the nearest shop and found one."

Cater stared with a grin, "It's so beautiful! Thank you, Father."

"Anything for you, Cater." Cater hugged his father tightly and was lifted by his father once again.

"Now! How about some nice food and drinks," Lord Diamond suggested, "I am quite hungry after all my travels." Cater and his family spend the rest of the day in the gardens, starting a mini picnic, eating some food and looking up at the clouds, just relaxing underneath the summer sky. That night, Cater was starting to sleep, his eyes looking up at the paintings he painted, small butterflies sprawled across his walls and glowing birds. His mother was singing, it was a nice simple lullaby that he would always fall asleep to.

Lady Diamond carefully walks away, still singing, sending Cater to his Dreamland. Doors closed. The parents walked away from Cater's room, already speaking pleasantries of love toward each other, compliments and all before Lady Diamond slowed, causing some concerns. But before anyone knew, she fainted onto the ground, completely unresponsive until the doctor came to visit. Cater remembered that day, him outside his mother's room, hearing muffles belonging to his father and the doctor.

"She may not have enough time, I'm afraid," he heard the doctor say, "it's best to keep her inside until then." He watched the doctor getting up and walking out of the room, suitcase in hand, followed by Lord Diamond. "I'll be visiting in a couple of days to see any progress of recovery."

"Of course, doctor." Cater watched the man leave, too scared to move from his chair before he felt his father's hand on his back. "Come, Cater," his father spoke, "Your mother wants to speak to you." Cater looked and nods, getting up and walking into the room, head down.

His mother was now on her bed, her eyes showed sadness, almost no life in her eyes whatsoever, but she had her beautiful smile. "Cater," his mother spoke, her voice low, "May I tell you a secret? Just the two of us?" Cater walks over to his mother, hearing the door close behind him. He gets on the bed, hands intertwined with his mother's, fighting the tears that threatened to show.

"Cater," He remembered her say, "I know that this will bring you down and how it pains me to know that," her hand rested against his cheek, now wiping flowing tears, "I want you to smile, be happy, no matter what life does to bring you down, you'd best show that you won't let that bring you down and smile. Cause no matter how your heart is grieving, if you keep on believing, the dream that you wish will come true."

Cater sobs and hugs his mother, her arms weakly hugging him back. "..promise me," she whispered, "...have courage and be kind. Don't ever forget that. You have so much kindness in that heart than people in their entire body. Don't even stop being kind. Promise?"

"I-I promise!" Cater sobs, "I promise, Mother..."

"That's my son," she whispered, holding Cater close.

🌠

He found some comfort in the gardens after his mother's passing. He can sense her presence within it, like magic in the air.

"Look at this, Ace," Cater gasped.

"What is it?" Ace questioned.

Cater looks over to a small dandelion, "It's mother's favorite flower. It finally bloomed. After all that time." Cater watched how some dandelion petals flew in the air, far away from the gardens. "It's so beautiful," he sighed to himself.

"Cater!" Called out Lord Diamond, "Your friend has arrived!" Cater looked up to see his friend, Vil, and his father, Oliver Schoenheit, and younger baby brother, Epel.

He met Vil with some other friends of his, seeing him alone by the fountain and offered to play tag with him and they played for hours and hours before he had to leave, but he and Vil still wrote letters to each other and sometime visit for weeks. Today was no exception.

"Hi!" Cater greeted them, walking over to them, "Everything's ready for the picnic, and I even got food for Epel."

"Be gentle now," Oliver chuckles, handing Epel to Vil, "Epel has just started teething and he'll bite everything he got his hands on. I recommend you be very careful."

"I will, Mr. Schoenheit," Cater grinned. Both men nodded and walked inside, preceding their conversation. Vil and Cater walked over to the small picnic, disappointed that Ace had already started to eat the strawberries on the shortcakes.

"Ace!" Cater lectured, "Those are for our friends, and you promised you wouldn't eat them."

Ace squeaked and jumped down to escape, only to be grabbed by Epel's small fingers and almost eaten if it weren't for Vil interfering.

"Don't eat that, Epel," Vil lectures, "Mice are dirty."

Ace squeaked in offense as he scurried into Cater's pocket, hiding from the baby. "That's what happens when you eat someone else's food without permission." After settling down and starting their picnic, Vil started a conversation trying to feed Epel. "How are you feeling?"

"Uh..I've been well," Cater answered, looking down, "helping father around the house, tending the garden, and just...being me."

"I meant emotionally," Vil spoke, "You may be doing fine in a mental way, but you must be sad after what happened, Cater. You don't have to lie to me."

Cater looked away in silence before he began to sniffle, and soon after, started to cry. Vil grabbed Cater's hands and pulled Cater into a hug, patting his back and letting him cry.

"I miss her, Vil," Cater sobbed, "It's hard to forget that she isn't here anymore, that I still want to call out to her when something bloomed in the gardens. I hate that I always must remind myself..."

"That's how grieving works," Vil reassured, "this is the normal process, and you shouldn't be ashamed of it."

"I shouldn't?"

"Never. As my father says, you should give yourself time to grieve, and when that time has passed, it'll become a powerful memory."

"I like that."

"My father's a wise man." Vil grinned, "Now let it all out, Cater, and I'll be right here." The picnic lasted for the rest of the day, with Vil and Cater talking about the small things in their lives and watching the sunset.

✨

Cater was now 13, roaming around the town for some food with his father. He was carefully choosing some better fruits and vegetables, and he looks at his father, who was silent and seemed distracted. How distracted? He was now staring at a woman, someone beautiful, selling some lovely jewelry to many. Cater knew that look, his father was now starting to fall in love again. Not that Cater minded, however.

"Father? What's on your mind?" Cater asked.

"Oh, nothing, my boy," Lord Diamond laughed, "I got distracted. What did you get?"

"Father, I noticed you staring at that lovely women over there. Why don't you talk to her? I bet shes really lovely."

"Oh I can't do that, Cater." Lord Diamond stammered, "I-I don't want to seem odd to her."

"Oh, just go on ahead!" Cater encouraged, pushing his father away, "I'll be right here."

Cater watched his father walked over to the lovely women and start a conversation with her. "Hello," Lord Diamond spoke, "I couldn't help but noticed such a beautiful woman such as yourself around here."

"Oh," the women giggles, "Thank you, kind sir. You are a handsome man yourself." Lord Diamond grinned and took her hand a kisses it, "I am Cornelius Diamond, my lady."

"Rosalind Dior," the lady introduced herself. "That is a lovely name, Lady Rosalind Dior." Cater grinned, watching his father finally meeting someone new. It was nice to his father actually happy, after his grieving.

Turns out, Mrs. Dior was a widow, her husband dying of unknown poison throughout his entire body, no cure in sight. He left Rosalind with her daughters, Elise and Astrid, who are the same age as Cater. Cater also learned that although Mr. Dior was well off as a doctor, money was always tight around the household, but no reason was ever stated. They hit it off pretty well, going on dates frequently around town, sometimes even small picnics in the Diamond Estate Gardens. Cater adored watching them in the gardens from his bedroom window, though he couldn't interfere with the date.

It took only two years for them to wed and Cater was now meeting his stepsisters for the first time, although he's incredibly nervous.

"Cater, don't be nervous," Cornelius spoke, "those girls are the sweetest people I've ever met. And I'm sure they'll love you ever much." "I know," Cater smiles, "but it's someone new and we haven't had any guests live with us for...forever. And I just want to make a great first impression."

"You already remind me of your mother every day, Cater," Cornelius laughed. The horses alerted them about the girls' arrival, in such a dark carriage, with golden curves all around, surely something that gave Cater enough nervousness for him to grip his father's hand. The coachmen walked towards the door and opened it, revealing two young ladies, both pushing each other to get out of the carriage first, just for them to fall onto their faces and Cater rushing to their aid.

"Are you two ok?!" Cater asked, helping the girls up.

"You are such a nuisance, Elise!!" Astrid huffed, fixing her dress and hair, "I told you have gotten fat! You shouldn't eat those cakes."

"Excuse me," Elise scoffed, "It seems like you are the one who's getting fat."

"Girls, girls," Rosalind spoke, carefully getting off the carriage, "That wasn't a very good impression on our new family." "Not my fault she's getting horribly fat..."

"You haven't even thanked Cater for helping your clumsy butts." Rosalind walked over and patted Cater's head.

Cornelius walks over and kisses Rosalind on the cheek, which he received back. "It's great to see you at our home, my dear," Cornelius grinned, "this home is now your home."

"Aw, such a wonderful thing to say," Rosalind swooned, "that's what I adore of you, darling. Now please excuse my daughters' incredibly rude manners. They haven't even introduced themselves yet." The girls immediately stood up and bowed towards Cornelius, still glaring at each other with hatred.

"Cornelius, Cater," Rosalind spoke, "These are my beautiful daughters, Elise and Astrid."

"A pleasure," both girls spoke in unison. "It's a pleasure to meet you two," Cater greeted, looking at the girls, "Let me show you around."

"Such a nice gentleman." That's how it went from day to day, Cornelius was out for the day, leaving the rest to try to bond, or at least try too. It wasn't easy, considering that Astrid and Elise fought over everything, clothes, makeup, and food. It also leads to big messes in their rooms, which Cater tripped over multiples times when visiting their rooms. Rosalind was more manageable, as she was simply in her office, creating more jewelry for her shop.

She's a busy lady so Cater doesn't bother her often. Though on Sundays, Rosalind would have small get-togethers to massive parties, which can be fun for Cater, but it's also tiring. He's amazed at how Astrid and Elise are able to stay up after midnight. One Sunday, he greeted the guests and joined his father in his study to read his book.

"Not partying, Cater?" Cornelius chuckled, not looking up from his papers. "Not tonight," Cater answered, "I partied myself too hard last weekend, and I just need to finish this book before I return it."

"Since when do you read, Cater?"

"Vil told me that reading is a good escape from reality. And he's right, I've been immersed in this story for hours now." Cornelius nodded and continued his paperwork. "How about you?"

"Eh, you know I don't exactly care about parties, not when there's work to be done."

Cater looks over and walks over to Cornelius, looking at the notes he's been writing. "You're leaving again?" Cater spoke, "But you just came back a week ago. Shouldn't you be relaxing more?"

"Cater. I know you are concerned but I need to do this for the family, and to keep this house alive and thriving for you." Cornelius gets up and holds Cater close. "Especially when your mother's memory is still inside it."

Cater hugs him back, "...I can still feel her presence here. It..it'll be wrong to leave this place." Then he looks up at his father, "Do you still miss her?"

"Oh, every day," Cornelius answered, "I miss so many things about her, but what she left is extraordinary," he kept Cater close, "she gave me you, my glorious gift, and with you, her spirit lives in, even now."

Cater chuckles, still comfortable in his father's arms. "Then I'll do my best to keep her legacy here and forever more."

"And that is why I see such a beautiful spirit soul within you. I wouldn't be surprised if it's your mother's." They talked for much longer, unaware that Rosalind overheard that conversation and felt betrayed, heartbroken even.

She saw how Cornelius gravitated toward Cater, always complimenting his abilities, whether it was his gardening to his singing. Sure, he complimented Astrid and Elise, but no one was surprised when Cornelius said he cherished Cater. Why wouldn't he? Cater was his son , and that boy has a striking resemblance to Lady Diamond, who she seen in portraits that have been taken to the attic after her passing. But none of that attention has even gone to her. Since they've gotten married, due to his traveling, gifts don't seem to satisfy her anymore. But she lets the boys be and walks back to the party.

✨

"Now," Cornelius said, getting ready for his travels, "Anything you want from my travels?"

"Oh, a new dress," Rosalind spoke.

"Oh! Chocolate-covered strawberries!" Elisa cheered, "Something yummy and delicious."

"Fatty," hissed Astrid, "for me, necklaces, something to compliment my beautiful skin."

"And you, my son?" Cornelius asked Cater. "Oh, I don't need anything. I just want you to come back home safely."

"Of course, Cater." Cornelius grinned as gets on his carriage and with one last smile, he rode off, waving back before leaving. Everyone walked back inside and went through the day as normal, through Elise's and Astrid's arguments were driving Cater insane.

"That is mine!!" Astrid called, "You are a little thief!!"

Cater groaned to himself, clearly annoyed. He walked downstairs to escape from the noise and sees Rosalind having some tea in the gardens and figured why not join her? "Ma'am," He greeted, sitting down by the table.

"Oh, Cater, you don't have to be so polite," Rosalind grinned and offered some tea, "tea?"

"Thank you."

"I suppose you came outside because of the girls wretched arguing," Rosalind groaned, "I do apologize, those girls are not used to sharing a room. And their room is a cluttered mess on top of that."

"Oh no, I don't mind the arguing. I figured that's how siblings can be sometimes."

"You are so understanding, Cater," she takes a sip, "though I do wish for a solution. My girls can't stop fighting."

"Well..I can lend one of them my room," Cater offered, "and I can sleep in the-"

"The attic!" Rosalind cheered, "Such a fantastic idea, dear Cater! It's a perfect place for someone who needs some quiet in their life, hmm Cater?"

"Oh..uh, sure," Cater relented, "I'll tell the girls the good news."

Cater was moved to the attic as soon as he could, moving most of his stuff up there, even some sentimental items, like his Papillon Locket, which he wore every day. Squeaks caught his attention, and he looked over at the mouse's residence.

"Cater!" called Ace, "What are you doing here!?"

"Ace," Cater laughed, "so this is the place you and your friends reside. It looks comfy, though a little small."

"It's small but it's comfy and homey for us!"

"And who are you two?"

"I'm Riddle," the red one introduced himself, "I'm the one who keeps Ace and Ruggie in check if they get in trouble! Especially if it comes to them eating all the food." He then glared at the second mouse.

"You can keep a hungry mouse away from delicious food," the second mouse burped, "The name's Ruggie! If you have any food, I'll forgive you!"

"Duly noted," Cater chuckles, "I'll make sure you'll get some food."

Cater spent most of his time in that attic, cleaning it and fixing it up to make it a room for him and his new friends. It helps that he finally has time to himself when he gets chores done. But that day was a rainy one, hearing a knock on the door, and Cater answered.

"Excuse me, sir, are Cater Diamond?" The postman asked. "Yes, is something the matter?"

"Then I'm afraid I bare some horrible news," the postman spoke and handed Cater a letter, "It's from the kingdom across the land."

Cater hesitantly begins to read the letter that mentioned how Cornelius has caught a horrible plague while on his travels, which lead to his demise.

"I am so sorry, my child," the postman whispered, "your father was a good man, Cater. I wish I came with much happier news." Cater nodded and closed the door, before he began to sob, leaning on the door, clutching the letter in his hands.

✨

Things haven't gotten better with Cater as such horrible events, as he began to be overworked by his stepfamily. He wasn't being treated as family, no, he was treated as a servant, someone who isn't worth looking at. It is taking such a toll on Cater. There were nights when he sobbed and sobbed hard until he passed out. This led to where he was now, scrubbing the furnace and the only source of light was a single candle and a small window. His scrubbing pace begins to slow as tears form, messing with his vision. He couldn't continue as he begins to cry, cry to himself and cry to the world.

"I can't," he sobs, "why did this happen to me? It's hard to live in a place where you can't escape, even when people watch you suffer and do nothing about it but smile. No one can help you, no one to support you.." Cater looks up at the window, seeing a big star. "Would it be worth it to wish upon a star? To wish for an outcome that'll never happen?" He looks up at the window and sighs. "I suppose it could not hurt." He grips his locket and sighs. "I wish...I wish for an escape, or not just that..a way to maybe make this easier, to find a reason to make me happy again. I wish for that."

The star in front of him twinkled before it suddenly grew and was moving towards him, causing Cater to freak out and watch as the star zoomed past him and into the supply closet. Cater rushed over to the closet, almost hesitating to even open it.

"Well," coughed a stranger, "I wish I could've had a better landing," he groaned and getting up, unaware of the bucket over his head. "...who...?" Cater questioned before a few sparkles filled the air, creating a person, someone small and have big eyes.

"Kalim," he spoke in a surprisingly deep, "are you alright? You seem to have quite the ride down here."

"... dizzy..." Cater carefully takes the bucket from the stranger's head and helps him down on the chair. "I'll ask again," Cater questions, "Who are you two?"

"Oh, Cater dear," laughed the one standing, "We are your Fairy Godfathers. And we are here to help and guide you." "Guide me?" "Yeah! I'm Kalim," Kalim introduced himself, "and this is Lilia."

"Pleased to meet you," Lilia spoke, "Now..."

"I can't believe this," Cater muttered, "This isn't happening, this is not happening. I must have so much dust in my brain."

"Oh no, you know we exist," Lilia chuckles, "your mother believed in us quite often."

"My mother?"

"Yeah! She puts her faith in us, and so did you," Kalim pauses, "Well, until all of this, I mean...Hmm," Kalim walks around, "dust over here and there...dust is everywhere! I can't believe this..."

"May I ask why he's freaked out?" Cater asked, "Shouldn't I be freaking out by the fact that you two just arrived out of nowhere?"

"Oh don't mind him," Lilia laughed, "he's one of our new faes, and this is technically his first human. I'm here 'cause I want to and a guide."

"....that…makes sense…?" Cater nods as he and Lilia watch Kalim inspect the entire area, occasionally sneezing.

"That's enough, Kalim, you'll get dizzy sneezing like that." Kalim grabbed his wand and began to look around. He saw a broom and smiled wildly. "Now... what're the magic words."

"Magic?" Questioned Cater," What does he mean by magic?"

Lilia summoned his wand. "Oh don't fret too much, it's what we do. As fairy godfathers, we try to make you happy."

"I don't think I wished for happiness." Cater remarked, watching Kalim, "did I?"

"But you wished for a better way to deal with this mess of chores. So, we're here." Lilia grabbed some cleaning supplies." Bibbity," he looks at Cater with a smile, "Bobbity," he raises his wand, "Boo!"

Cater gasped as some of the brooms begins to move by themselves as if they were walking and with Lilia's guide, they begins to sweep.

"That's right!" Kalim laughed, "Bibbity Bobbity Boo!" With Kalim's magic, the scrubbing utensils that Cater was using were now beginning to clean the furnace, freeing Cater from cleaning it all night.

"I...I am so confused," Cater whispered. "It can be," Kalim agreed, "but don't worry, I'll be here to help you with all these messy chores." "..what should I do?"

"Oh, you should only get some rest, Cater," Lilia sets Cater down, "leave everything else to us. You deserve sleep." Cater nodded and yawned, before resting on a near-comfy mattress, created by Kalim.

"Kalim, I do need to leave soon," Lilia remarked, "Tell me that you can handle this job by yourself?"

"I will, and I'll do my best for Cater. I won't let anything bad happen to him as long as I have my wand."

"That's why I love working with you, Kalim. You have a fun spirit."

With that, Lilia disappeared, leaving Kalim by himself. "Well, I can't just sit here! A Fairy Godfather's work is never done!"

✨

Cater was awakened by footsteps, harsh ones. He knew that Rosalind was awake and was ready to see if Cater cleaned the basement.

"Cater!" She yelled, "You better have that nice and clean basement when I get down there!"

Cater looked around and was surprised to see the entire basement clean, though he could barely remember cleaning the entirety of it. He stood tall as Rosalind took her last step, examined the basement, and seemed impressed by the cleanness of it.

"Hmm..you managed to clean it all and cook breakfast," Rosalind scoffed, "...you are dismissed for now." Cater was still confused about it all but rushed over to his room in the attic, to catch his breath and to understand what happened last night.

"You look frazzled," Riddle pointed out, "Did something happen?"

"I... must've been... sleepwalking," Cater muttered, "I must've! Cause I have no recollection of cleaning that entire basement, and now she said I made breakfast."

"That's because of me!" Called out a voice inside Cater's pocket. Cater gasped and investigated his pocket to see a new mouse he's never seen before, just resting in his pocket. "..how?"

"It's me! Kalim!" In a burst of magic, Kalim appeared in the room, almost tripping.

"Who are you?!" Ace asked, "And what was that!?"

"...that wasn't a dream...?" Cater gasps, "You're real," he sits down on his bed.

"Yep! If you need a recap I can tell ya," Kalim grinned, "I am Kalim, your personal Fairy Godfather, here to make almost all wishes come true."

".... weren't there two of you?"

"You mean Lilia? Yeah, but he's a retired senior Fairy Godfather, so you might see him check in a few times."

"..why?" "Well, you are... technically my first human," Kalim admitted, "My first ever case."

"Oh... that's...nice to hear," Cater spoke slowly, still trying to process everything.

With a wave of his wand, a book appeared that was titled "Guides to Fairy God Mothers/Fathers, a guide for humans. "I can help you understand. It just needs some work."

"I... I have enough time."

✨

Lilia walked by the castle halls, getting back from late-night Fairy Godfathering. It has been so long since he retired but it's nice to help new souls occasionally. Though he made a habit of being late to his duties.

"You are late, Vanrouge," spoke the queen, "Malleus's training with his guards if you need to see him."

Lilia chuckles to himself, and he bows toward the queen. "Forgive me," he spoke, "Something happened last night that needed my attention. It was mostly all night, your majesty."

"Ugh, I suppose I can't fault you for that. You are one of my best supervisors, and the only person Malleus seems to listen to these days."

"Another argument?" Lilia gasps.

"Yes. Please speak to him." The queen sighs, "Oh, what did I do wrong? Malleus's next in line and all I say was that he needed to marry since he's so close now!"

"That is unfortunate, yes. I'll go speak with him."

Lilia bowed again and walked away to meet Malleus in the training yard, a place where Malleus would vent or fight his frustrations out, especially with the news of an arranged marriage floating around.

"Oh? Without me?" Lilia laughed as he grabbed a sword from thin air. "You are late, Father."

"Master Lilia!" "I don't need you," Malleus hissed, "and I don't need a bride that would rule the land with me! I am capable of doing that on my own."

"Oh, but you forgot," Lilia stood in front of Malleus, "you only have a few years until you have to wed someone of your grandmother's choice."

"Why should it be her choice?" Malleus questioned, "Will I even have a choice?"

"Wait until the opportunity opens," Lilia said as he dodges Malleus's sword swipes, only for him to sweep Malleus of his feet, "and when that day comes, be ready for someone to sweep you off your feet."

"How can you be so sure?" Malleus huffed.

"Well, think of it as an intuition." Lilia spoke, helping Malleus up, "and trust me, dear boy, when you meet that special someone," he watched as birds flew high above, singing to each other, "you may never want to let them go."