Two Cinderellas

CHAPTER ONE: Cynthia

I stared unhappily at the face in the mirror, scrutinizing the green eyes, dark brows and curling, waving masses of black hair. The brows puckered, frowning at the dusting of freckles that crossed my nose. Giving an unhappy sigh, I turned away from the mirror and turned instead to look at the dress that lay on the bed. A deep green that matched my eyes, and a black trim and underskirt, covered in swirling patterns of silver leaves. A masterpiece and a disaster rolled into one, the diamond necklace that matched it even worse. I shook my head once again at the taste that my aunt had acquired over the years of having her own seamstresses than never negated a thing she said. It seemed that once again, I would have to wear something that had a chance of making the front page…

I curled up in the chair by the window and surveyed the street below. I could see little of anything because of the rain that was coming down in sheets around the house. The fog was rolling over the mountains and resting in the hollow of the city, preventing even further my already futile motions. I began to hum to myself as I waited for Elsa to come.

A long while passed before I heard her soft footsteps come up the stairs, her humming in harmony with my own. I smiled in spite of myself, envying her graceful way of being. It wasn’t fair that she was unable to be what I was, when she was so obviously more suited for the life. I knew that Elsa worried over her hands, growing rough as they grew more accustomed to servant life. I wondered vaguely if there was anything that I could do for her.

I had bejun to look forward to the time of day when Elsa would come to my room and help me dress for the day. I could get into my outfits myself, we both knew it, but it was a time of reprieve for us. Usually, Elsa would have spent the time cleaning come dreadful fireplace, with soot raining down like water, or washing clothes in liquid that is hard to call water without lying. I would spend it playing the flute or piano, painting canvas, or listening to a neighbor recite a poem without mess ups. There was so much difference between our lives that it occasionally moved me to tears. I didn't understand how life could be so different for two of the same creatures. I gently shook myself out of my reverie.

Elsa burst into the room with the bright joy of living that I had come to expect of her, bubbly and enthusiastically charming me with her effortless flow of conversation. All that was required of me was an occasional nod and smile, maybe a yes or no. I let her soft and gentle voice carry me away as she tied the knots on the corset and slipped me into the dress. She bade me sit, than proceeded to work even more magic atop my head. Soon, I was covered from head to foot in green, black, and silver, with a pile of diamonds hanging at my throat. More diamonds studded my hair on the ends of pins.

“Well now, miss, you do look beautiful if I do say so myself, just like a queen, just like the queen you’ll someday be if Madame has anything to say about it, I heard just this morning that…” She bobbed her golden head as if divulging a secret, but I cut in quickly.

“Elsa, do you have a wish to come as well?”

She took a step back and began reassessing me, looking for some sign of insanity I am sure. “Yes, miss. But you know that’s such as dreams for one as I.”

"It doesn't have to be!" I was warming up to the idea. "You can be who ever you want to be, whatever that is. Do you believe that?"

"I always have," she smiled shyly."But it doesn't always seem that way for a servant."

"Really?" It was more of a rhetorical question, I knew that it was so. "Well, how would you like to go to the ball?"

"I'm not really the type..." She stalled, seeming to waver slightly, but still knew that that was what she wanted. "I don't have a single dress."

"I could let you borrow one of mine." I offered, starting to get warmed up to the idea. It seemed that I could help little Elsa out here. I didn't actually know why I wanted to give her a chance to have fun at a ball, after all, it would probably be incredibly boring, but it didn't seem right that she would be here at home while I was there. She was so small and petite, with beautiful golden hair and blue eyes, that she would surely be able to pull it off.

"Do you have any that will fit?" She asked a perfectly practical question, one that I was forced to answer with a resounding no. I was at least six inches taller than her, she stood at five feet three inches, and she had a waist that even I could span with my hands. I survey my closet, but even with the doors closed I could tell that I didn't have a single dress that would fit her.

"I could ask Mary." I spoke doubtfully, unsure as to whether or not my little sister would go along with the plan. Mary was a little ruthless at times, I was sure that her answer would demand some sort of payment. I wondered how much I would be willing to pay for this one. She would probably demand my emerald bracelet, she'd been asking for that one for a while and I was loathe to give it up. It was the one thing I had left from father. "Or maybe not," I finally voiced.

"That's alright." she sounded disapointed though. I shouldn't have brought it up. Her curls bounced as she shook her head.

"No, it is not. I'll see if mother has anything in storage." I reached down and scooped up a handful of my dress, smiling to myself. She would look beautiful in the orange dress I wore to my eighth birthday. I was sure that it was in the west garret, stored with the dolls from that same year.

"No, I think not." Elsa caught up with me as I gained the stairs. "What are you planning? They won't let me in anyway."

"Of course they will, Cousin." I smile beautifically down on her upturned face.

"Hah hah," she laughed, "very funny. I don't look a thing like you!"

"Cousins," I stressed the word, "don't have to." I continued up the stairs like she never had spoken. I entered the garret, pausing as I passed into the wing. I saw the dust that covered everything, and knew that it had been much too long since anyone had been up here. I turned to Elsa with a question in my eyes. She just shrugged. I supposed this meant that she didn't know who had cleaning duty of this wing.

We walked through the piles of boxes and crates, looking for anything that had a label on it. If it did, one of us would bend and blow the dust off the label and see if it contained anything that was of any importance. I knew that I was getting my dress filthy, a thing that Elsa commented on quite frequently, but I decided that I didn't much care. The dress would wash off, and by the time we were supposed to be assembled, I'd be quite presentable.

Meanwhile, we spent the last two hours of our time sorting through the miscelanous boxes, trying to find the gown that I'd worn on that long ago birthday when I'd still been only five feet three inches. When we finally found it, I shook it out and held it up to her for sizeing. It seemed that we'd found a perfect fit.

"We'll give you a necklace of stones to offset it." I spoke to myself, but Elsa answered it with a frown. She suggested diamonds, and I looked at her with suprise. I hadn't known that she'd wanted something grander, however I readily agreed. It would be her one night of fun, she might as well have something. It struck me as kind of greedy, yet I'd given her the permission to be that way. It was a difficult dilema.

Finally she was ready, decked out beautifully for a night that I knew she'd never forget. I'll admit I was pretty pround of myself for getting her ready for such an occasion. The last obsticle was to convince mother that she was a 'cousin.' But Elsa looked so beautiful that I knew mother would agree.

As we walked down the stairs, me in green, black and silver, and her in orange and white, I felt for the first time like I had a friend in Elsa. These balls had always been an ordeal for me, since I had not friends there and I was as of yet 'single' in every sense of the word, and the matronly world was looking on me as a failure. With Elsa, I would not be the only one talked of this night. I didn't know if I was throwing her into a welcome spotlight or to the sharks. Only time would tell the answer to that one.

Mother was delighted. I could tell that from the moment she set eyes on my maid dressed as a princess. "What a wonderful idea. I knew you were meant for more." I raised my eyebrow at this comment but let it pass. My mother was slightly tempermental, and it was good to see her in a good mood.

Once we got to the ballroom, I had gotten sick of her comments. I couldn't wait for the evening to end. However, just seeing Elsa smiling was enough to get me through.