Cinderella and Fae Charming

Chapter 1 SHAWNA HID BEHIND THE apple cart, pressed hard against the wooden panels, hoping the shop keeper wouldn’t see her. She moved forward slowly, just far enough to see Mr. Ward. Hopefully, he would go inside soon. She’d already pocketed two apples from the cart, but that wasn’t going to last long. She needed something more substantial. Mr. Ward manned his stall like the best of them, his eagle eye sweeping the market again and again, looking back and forth. His prices were close to ridiculous. But everyone bought from him because his meats and baked goods were to die for. Almost literally, in her case. If she was caught stealing again... Shawna stayed hidden because Mr. Ward was watching for people like her—vagabonds who were going to steal from him. She hated that eating came to this, but had to do something to get food in her stomach. As if in response, her belly growled. It had been two days since her last meal and she was starting to get desperate. The smell of the baked goods from Mr. Ward’s shop wafted towards her on the wind, making her giddy. Damn it, what was taking him so long? She’d seen him drink three pitchers of water. The sun was hot, beating down from above. When was he going to go pee? Usually, Mr. Ward’s stall had a red tarp as a cover that blocked out the sun and made his stall stand out for the buyers to see. But this morning, a freak wind had ripped it off and torn it in half. Okay, so maybe that freak wind hadn’t come from Mother Nature. Maybe it had been Shawna’s dwindling Fae magic that had played a part. But she needed him to leave his stall and getting rid of his shade was the only way she could think of to get her hands on some food. She hadn’t meant to tear the tarp, only to blow it away. It had been an accident. But when it came down to her survival... Finally, he turned around. “Billy,” he called his assistant who stood on the corner with two rolls in his hand, telling passers-by about the food Mr. Ward offered. “Watch the stall.” Billy hurried over and nodded. “And for God’s sake, keep an eye out for thieves. You cost me more than I make sometimes, because you’re asleep on your feet.” Billy nodded again. He couldn’t speak. It was the only reason he was still working for the bald-headed man with the pot belly. Mr. Ward had fired more than a dozen assistants because he said they gave him too much attitude. Mr. Ward was an older Fae and once upon a time, used Old Magic, but he didn’t anymore. No one knew why. He was just a humble merchant, now. As soon as Mr. Ward disappeared, Shawna made her move. She lifted her hands, and summoned the tiny bit of power she still had left after this morning’s stunt. If she didn’t have food in her belly, she couldn’t summon any magic at all; and her magic had become the only thing she could rely on now, to survive. The apple cart started to tremble, and then it started to dance from side to side. The wheels had been locked, but the cart rumbled and the apples started to fall off one by one. And then in a bigger avalanche. Billy opened his mouth in a silent cry and leapt toward the apple cart. Fae magic ran so stronger through his veins, so the cart responded to his touch, and already started to steady. Shawna took her chance. She had to work fast. She ran from behind the cart, darting past Billy on the other side so he wouldn’t see her, and yanked her bag from her back. She opened it and grabbed the first things that fell into her hands—not paying attention to what they were. When she looked over her shoulder, Billy had the cart stabilized and he turned to face her. He froze when they locked eyes, her hand still on a block of cheese. Billy started toward Shawna, his face a mask of anger. She yanked the cheese from the board, turned around and made a break for it. She stuffed the cheese into her bag as she ran, scurrying through the market stalls. She took a left, a right and another right, and turned left again, winding her way through the market so that Billy wouldn’t catch her. Twice, she looked over her shoulder and didn’t see him, but she didn’t stop until she was on the far side of the marketplace where she knew he couldn’t follow. He wouldn’t leave the stall for too long because if Mr. Ward found him away, when he’d been told to watch it, Billy would be in a world of trouble. He already would be for what she’d stolen, but hopefully Mr. Ward wouldn’t notice. Or at least, not all of it. A pang of guilt shot into her chest. She wondered what her father would say if he saw her now. Billy was going to take the fall for her theft and her father wouldn’t approve. But today it came down to Billy’s job and her possibly starving. She had to choose herself. Surely her father would understand that. She started walking through the narrow streets of Vanbourne, one of the larger cities in the Boreal Court, known for its plantations. It fed the mouths of thousands. The Fae that lived in the city were well-known for their Earth magic and the incredible produce they could grow with it. Merchants from far and wide came to buy here and take it back to villages like Chrodale and Blackwallow where their magic was focused on other things. Shawna kept to the back alleys and put her head down. She wore a hood so that her red hair wouldn’t draw attention, and didn’t make eye contact, even with those she knew. She was truly ashamed that she had to steal to eat. The back alleys were for those with no class and no money. The noblemen and merchants used the wide roads for their luxurious vehicles. It didn’t take long for her to reach the crude shelter she’d created for herself. She climbed the ladder she’d built almost a year ago, hopping onto the roof and following the thick wall to the far end where another building—one with three stories, met the one she stood on. The buildings created a corner and she’d added a few beams and brown tarp to keep out the sun and rain. A weather spell had allowed her to waterproof the shelter, and it was perfect to stay in. Well, maybe perfect wasn’t the right word for it. It was makeshift and ugly and far from luxurious. But it was home and it was hers, alone. She crawled in through the opening between the tarps and sat down, unpacking her bag to see what she’d gotten. A hunk of meat, a round bread that smelled so good her mouth watered, and the block of cheese. She’d nearly lost that one, but she hadn’t wanted to give it up for the sake of getting away sooner. Cheese had fat in it, and she needed the energy. This meal alone would keep her going for a few days, then she’d need to find the next target. Shawna lifted the bread and took a huge bite, moaning in pleasure as she chewed. She could feel her strength returning with every morsel. Magic danced in her veins and shivered along her skin. She put down the bread carefully and picked up the meat with one hand. She took a big bite, loving the juiciness of the piece, while holding her other hand palm up. She pushed the magic into being so that it danced on her palm like a blue light, and smiled, relishing in the feeling of her power returning. She shouldn’t wait so long before eating again. She had to make sure she found something sooner. Suddenly, as if something had yanked at the power, her magic shot from her palm onto the wad of blankets and rags she slept on, and they caught fire. “s**t!” She cried out, and grabbed for her lumpy pillow, swinging it and pressing down on the blankets to stamp out the fire. When the flames were finally gone, she coughed and spluttered, her eyes watering from the smoke. She took some deep breaths, trying to calm down after the shock. What on earth had just happened? It was the second time in the same day she’d lost control of her magic. The first time had been when she’d made that tarp blow off and split. She’d used weather magic to summon the wind, and although she’d only meant to create a small gust, the wind had ripped the tarp down the middle instead. Something was wrong. Her magic had never been like this before. She had to work out what was wrong with it. But first, she had to go to sleep. A suddenly full belly after being hungry so long was making her drowsy, and she needed to recover her strength before she headed into the city again. Shawna lay back on the blankets and rags, trying to avoid the spot of cinder where the flames had eaten her bed, and closed her eyes. I’ll have to scavenge some more materials to replace that blanket now. Suddenly, she sat up, and scrambled to find the little wooden box hidden amongst the blankets. When her fingers finally clasped the small box, it had black markings from the fire and she anxiously opened it. Inside, the silver locket that had belonged to her mother was safe, unscathed by the fire. “Thank the heavens.” She let out a breath of relief and closed the box again, tucking it back under the blankets. At least, the locket was safe. She closed my eyes, and this time, it was easy to fall asleep. “Shawna,” father called. “Where are you? Where’s my little girl?” I covered my mouth with my hands and tried to suppress a giggle that would give away the hiding spot behind the living room curtains. Father was walking through the house, looking for me, and so far, he hadn’t found me. “Where’s my little munchkin hiding?” he asked again. He was in the room now, and a thrill traveled through my bodye. He was so close. So close... I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to will myself invisible. My magic wasn’t very strong yet, but I would learn. My father said he would teach me. Wind ruffled my hair, letting it fall over my face, and lifted the curtains I hid behind, so I squealed. I slowly opened my eyes and looked up. My father stood in front of me, a grin on his face. “I found you,” he said and scooped me into his arms. “I couldn’t hide,” I said, pushing my hands into his beard. “I couldn’t make myself invisible.” “You’ll figure it out, sweet pea,” father said and pushed my hair out of my eyes. “You’ll be just as powerful as anyone in the Twill family. I’ll show you.” I wrapped my arms around his neck and breathed in my dad’s scent. Shawna sat up and looked around. It was late—much later than she would have liked—but the sun hadn’t set yet. She took a deep breath and could almost smell her dad’s scent on her clothes. But that was a long time ago. It had been many years since he’d passed away. And even longer since he’d married Valorie and brought her two awful daughters into the house. It had been a long time since Shawna had known anything like the real happiness she’d experienced as a child. Unable to stay quietly in her shelter now, the dream settling uncomfortably in her chest, she left and climbed back down to street level. She would go and see the only real friend she had in the city. When her feet hit the cobbled alleyway, she started walking in the direction she went almost every day. Her feet knew the way, and they carried her through the city that was starting to pack up and get ready for the night. The tailor’s shop was in the middle of town, squashed between a shoe-maker and a hat maker. She’d always thought it was funny that anyone could be dressed from top to toe between those three shops, but Blaze never saw the humor in it. When she pushed open the door, the cool shop interior offered relief from the heat outside. Then Blaze turned from a stack of material rolls and smiled at her.