Cinderella and Alangazar - страница 14

But something felt… wrong.

Then he spotted the gleam of a dagger hidden in the moss – his father's gift.

– Grandmother, could you hand me that dagger? – he asked politely.

– Boy, croaked the woman, if I sit, I won’t rise again… if I rise, I won’t sit again…

He didn’t dismount.

He leaned down, grabbed the dagger himself – and in that instant, the “granny” became a witch:

Her cloak turned into storm clouds, her hands into claws, her eyes flashed green fire.

He spurred his horse – they fled, the witch close behind.

– Earth, open! – he cried in desperation.

And the ground split open under the horse's hooves.

He fell into darkness – into the underworld of giants and flame serpents.

There, through trial and battle, he grew – in strength, in spirit, in skill.

When he emerged, he was no longer a boy – but a man, quiet-eyed and steady.

Now he had returned – and was requesting service in Cinderella’s army.

“And then, if you permit, I will return to my homeland…”

– the letter concluded modestly.

He never mentioned that he had fallen in love with Cinderella from the first tale he heard of her.

He simply ended with a beautiful, deliberate period.

Cinderella paused, a faint smile flickering across her face.

She closed the folder and placed it carefully in her drawer.

– Enlist him, she said. And tell him to come by – I want to speak with him myself.

The adjutant nodded and left.

Cinderella looked out the window: soldiers drilled on the parade ground, Alangazar had already dropped another kettle, and far off on the road, a figure approached – wearing a dark cloak and a silver-bladed sword on his back.

The office was quiet.

Cinderella and Ertochtuk

Through the open window, soft sounds drifted in —

the click of boots,

the thud of training swords,

and the smell of freshly watered grass lingered in the air.

Cinderella stood by the window, thoughtful.

Her uniform, the color of field cornflowers, shimmered slightly in the morning sun.

A command tablet hung from her belt, and beside it lay a stack of papers and a cup of cooling tea.

She watched drills, bustle, life outside —

but inside, she held a sliver of quiet.

Suddenly – a knock.

She turned, calm as ever.

– Enter, she said.

The door opened, and a young man stood there – tall, clear-eyed, with a shy smile.

He held his cap respectfully in both hands.