Soren found a wig and had made Cyrus wear it. Cyrus grudgingly wore it only if Soren stayed at Cyrus's beck and call for three months. Soren had to agree to that. Though he didn't appreciate his freedom being stolen for three months. Then the both of them had met up with Marryanne and the others who were waiting by the back of the curtains leading to the stage.
"Oh, our Prince is back." Ray was the first one to notice Soren.
Jay chuckled and looked at Soren, "we thought you might have ran away with your Cinderella."
Soren laughed a bit, "No," he is holding Cyrus's hand without realizing it, "Prince and Princess are still here."
Fallon notices the 'girl' Soren is with. "Hey, Big bro, who is that pretty girl with you?" He asked without knowing that it's Cyrus in a wig.
"Oh this is–"
Soren gets cut off by Jay gasping in horror, "don't tell us that you are cheating on Cinderella."
"No this–" Soren tried to explain again, trying to hold back his laughter.
Ray's eyes widened as he also cut Soren off with another horrified gasp, "Big bro Soren, how could you do this to Big bro Cyrus."
Marryanne crossed her arms as if she was a disappointed teacher and sighed, "we expected better from you."
Soren, still trying to hold back his laughter, his shoulders shook as he put his wrist over his lips to stifle his laugh.
Maelis and Levi, ignoring the whole situation, were playing on their own. Levi coughed but they kept playing together.
Cyrus's face became a scarlet shade of red. He gritted his teeth, his jaw clenched. His grip on Soren's hands got tighter, painfully making Soren wince a little.
"I'M," Cyrus, using one hand, peeled off the wig from his head. The blond locks fell like the rays of molten sun on his hand. His own equally sunny blond locks tousled after the removal of the wig, "CYRUS!!!" he yelled.
Everyone gasped except Soren.
"Oh shit-" Fallon gasped, "you are cheating on Cyrus with a boy–" Fallon gets cut off by Cyrus's wig thrown onto his face.
"You all dumbasses…" Cyrus huffed, voice lowered at a dangerous level, "...couldn't even tell by the eyes… who other than me has two coloured eyes!" he squeezed Soren's hand more without knowing it.
"Ah-"
Ray and Jay glanced at each other.
Marryanne shrugged, "that wig did make you look like a girl."
Fallon, still holding Cyrus's wig looking astonished.
"S-Sunshine…" Soren winced again, "that hurts… ow."
Cyrus noticed Soren's hand painfully clutched in his grasp. He snatched his hand back releasing the painful grasp on Soren's sore hand.
He crossed his arms over his chest, "be careful next time. Crow."
Soren blows on his sore hand. "Roger that, sunshine."
Everyone except Soren and Cyrus giggled.
Marryanne laughed, "Come on, it's our turn."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The curtains slowly lifted up showing a beautiful 'girl' with rags on and beautiful golden locks falling on to 'her' eyes. 'She' was scrubbing the stage floor. As Marryanne starts the narration.
"Once upon a time there lived a poor girl. Who had lost her father."
He doesn't like this. Cyrus keeps a level headed mind even when some kids murmur.
"Who is that girl?"
"Is She new?"
"I haven't seen her before…"
"She is so pretty!"
"I wanna marry her."
Cyrus feels like hiding under a pillow and scream. He huffs, his fingers clenched against the rugged fabrics of the cloth he is holding.
Marryanne's narration continued. "She lived with her two step-sisters," Ray and Jay stepped on the stage, "and step-mother." Marryanne herself steps on the stage.
Some kids start snickering at Ray and Jay and some wooing at Marryanne and some still haven't figured out that the 'new girl' is Cyrus and still think they have a chance with 'her.'
Marryanne narrates as the three of them start to walk towards Cyrus, "The poor girl was bullied by her step-mother and step-sisters." she paused and let Ray and Jay say their lines.
"The room is still dirty. Do you seriously can't clean well???" Jay said in a sassy tone.
"You are such a useless girl, Cindy." Ray added with a smirk.
Cyrus raises an eyebrow on their acting. They are pretty good. He took a deep breath and and held his breath to sound more girly.
"Oh my!" He said in a girlish tone, "sister's I-"
"That's enough!" Marryanne's voice cut through, "you better clean the room up real good or I would have no choice to kick you out."
Cyrus was impressed by Marryanne's acting, he lolled his head down and smirked slightly, "Yes mother…" he said slowly in a low voice. He still hated the distant whispers of the audience.
"Her voice is so adorable!"
"I don't know… it sounded a bit deep for a girl."
"But still it's kind of adorable."
Soren hearing the murmurs off stage giggled a bit. He couldn't wait until his time came. He wants to see what the kids would say about him as well.
Marryanne continued her narration, "it happened to the poor girl every single day. She got used to the misbehavior."
The curtains fell.
Cyrus leaned back as the props were picked up abruptly by Marryanne.
"Was I too mean?" Marryanne guiltily put her hand behind her neck.
"You were mean for putting me in a dress and for letting Soren put the wig on me again."
"Well," she shrugged, "you are also getting something out of it like big bro Soren being at your call for three months."
"I guess…"
Marryanne called for Maelis and Levi. They came to Marryanne, running.
"It's you both's turn."
Both Maelis and Levi nodded.
Marryanne along with Maelis and Levi hopped out of the way as the curtains lifted. Cyrus was visible to the audience's gaze and murmur.
"But the poor girl wasn't lonely. She was never alone."
Marryanne said as Maelis and Levi stepped onto the stage and went beside Cyrus.
"because she had little mice friends to talk to."
Some of the older kids of twelve or fourteen awed at Maelis and Levi. The rest are still trying to figure out who the mysterious pretty girl on stage is.
Marryanne began again, "the mice were her only friends as they have treated her with kindness."
The curtains shifted, changing the backdrop to a painted night sky. Cyrus was still kneeling, Maelis and Levi circling him as the "mice."
Marryanne's voice carried smoothly, "But one day, a grand ball was announced at the palace…"
Ray and Jay pranced onto the stage again in exaggerated flouncy gowns. The audience giggled at their dramatic curtsies.
Jay fanned himself, "Oh sister, can you imagine? The prince choosing one of us as his bride!"
Ray twirled dramatically, nearly tripping on the hem, "He will fall in love with me the moment he sees my beauty!"
Some kids laughed in the audience, whispering "They're so silly," while others kept their eyes on Cyrus.
Marryanne continued, "But the stepmother would never let the poor 'girl' attend."
She glided back on stage, voice sharp and commanding, "Cinderella, stay home. You have floors to scrub, and soot to sweep."
Cyrus huffed quietly through his nose, keeping up the act. He stood, gripping his rag. "But, mother—" he said softly in that forced girlish tone.
Ray and Jay instantly cut him off.
"No buts!" Jay snapped, wagging a finger.
"You're not good enough for the prince anyway!" Ray chimed in.
Cyrus clenched his jaw so tightly his cheek twitched. The audience thought it was part of the act, but really, it was just him trying not to storm off stage.
The "stepfamily" flounced away.
Cyrus lowered his head dramatically, playing his part well. "I guess… I really can't go to the ball…"
Marryanne's voice dropped into a softer tone. "But just when the girl thought she had lost all hope…"
Whoosh! A swirl of glitter (that Fallon had insisted on throwing from a pouch) rained down. Fallon appeared on stage in a gown way too sparkly for comfort, with a wand made out of a tree branch. He swirled it dramatically like he was summoning an army.
The audience gasped and clapped. Fallon grinned, "Ta-da! Fear not, my darling Cindy!"
Cyrus blinked once. "…" he has no words for the creature in front of him.
"Ahem," Fallon coughed, deepening his voice to sound mystical. "I am your Fairy Godmother, and I have come to save you from despair!"
Cyrus's lips twitched. "You look so ridiculous in glitter."
"Shhh, stay in character." Fallon tapped his wand on Cyrus's shoulder with flair. "You shall go to the ball, Cindy!"
Some kids in the audience clapped excitedly, "Yay! She gets to go!"
Cyrus forced himself to smile, grumbling under his breath, "I'll murder Soren after this."
Fallon twirled his wand again, sprinkling a handful of glitter right on Cyrus's hair. Cyrus flinched. "…I hate you."
Fallon ignored him, speaking grandly, "Now, my dear, we must dress you properly." He pointed his wand. "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo!"
Ray and Jay peeked from behind the curtains, holding the sparkling blue gown. Fallon held it up dramatically, "Behold—the gown of destiny!"
The audience "oooh'ed."
Cyrus muttered as Fallon draped it against him, "Destiny sucks."
"Not when it comes with shoes!" Fallon snapped his fingers. Levi ran up with the crystal slippers carefully balanced on a tray. He looked nervous but adorable, earning an "aww" from the crowd. Although the shoes were too small for Cyrus.
Cyrus slipped into that god-forsaken gown properly now, his golden wig shimmering under the stage lights. The murmurs in the audience grew louder—half the kids still convinced he was a new 'girl' they'd never seen before.
"Wow… she's so pretty."
"She really looks like a princess now!"
"Her eyes are glowing…"
Cyrus wanted to crawl into the floorboards.
Fallon clapped his hands, beaming. "Now, go, Cinderella, and make that prince fall for you!"
The curtains closed briefly for a scene change. Cyrus sagged against the backdrop, muttering, "This is torture."
Fallon smirked, patting his shoulder, "You'll thank me when everyone bows to your beauty."
Cyrus shot him a death glare. "You're dead after this."
Fallon winked. "Worth it."
The curtains lifted again, revealing the painted palace ballroom. Ray and Jay were pretending to dance clumsily. The audience laughed at their over-exaggerated twirls.
Then—
Trumpets sounded (courtesy of Jay secretly blowing into a cardboard tube).
"The prince has arrived!" Marryanne announced grandly.
And there he was—Soren. Striding onto the stage in a regal cape, chest puffed, smug grin plastered across his face. He looked like he was born to play the role. He was half giggling to himself. He shamelessly winked at the audience. And he could swear that he saw some kids faint.
The audience broke into excited chatter.
"He winked!!! Ahhh he is so perfect."
"Whoa, he looks so cool!"
"That's the prince?!"
"He's handsome!"
"I wanna marry him too!"
Cyrus's stomach dropped. His cheeks burned as Soren's eyes locked onto him across the stage, grin widening. He had seen Soren in the prince costume before. But under the moon, it seems like Soren has jumped out of a fairytale.
The prince had arrived.
Ray and Jay, the step-sisters, froze mid-step. They both gasped dramatically, their acting half on-script and half genuine disbelief at Soren's shameless swagger.
Ray grabbed Jay's arm, whisper-hissing just loud enough for the audience to hear, "Sister, look! It's the prince! He's so handsome—he'll definitely pick me!"
Jay yanked his arm free, batting his lashes with exaggerated flair, "No way, me! The prince has eyes only for this radiant flower!" He posed, nearly slipping in his oversized gown, earning giggles from the audience.
Ray scoffed and shoved him lightly, "You? Don't make me laugh—you look like a wilted cabbage!"
The audience burst into laughter.
Meanwhile, Soren ignored their squabbling completely. He didn't even glance their way as he strode forward, his gaze fixed entirely on Cyrus. Every step radiated certainty, as if the stage, the crowd, and even the story itself had always been leading him to this moment.
Cyrus's lips parted slightly, his breath caught in his throat. He wanted to glare, to curse Soren for that face, but his body betrayed him with stillness.
Ray and Jay stopped bickering mid-argument, jaws dropping as they realized the prince wasn't looking at either of them.
"He's… walking past us?" Ray whispered in exaggerated mock horror.
"Wha–no–he's supposed to look at me!" Jay cried, tugging at his skirts like it would somehow redirect Soren's attention.
The audience giggled again, loving the brothers' dramatics.
But Soren never faltered. His stride was steady, his smirk growing smugger with each step closer to the trembling "my Darling Cindy."
Marryanne's narration carried smoothly over the tension, her voice knowing and sly:
"And when the prince entered the room, his eyes fell on none other than… her."
The audience gasped as Soren stopped just a breath away from Cyrus.
Cyrus's heart pounded so loudly he swore everyone could hear it.
Ray and Jay threw their arms up in outrage at being ignored.
"Whaaaaat?!" they cried in unison, their dramatic despair sending the audience into another wave of laughter.
But the prince didn't care. His entire world had narrowed to the 'girl' in rags, and the stage lights burned golden between them.
The curtains shifted gently in the winter air, framing the two of them in a perfect, inevitable spotlight.
Marryanne started as Soren got on his knees and took Cyrus's hand placing a soft kiss on his knuckles making Cyrus's cheeks turn a shade of red, "the prince asked the girl for a dance."
Marryanne continued as Cyrus reluctantly bowed with poorly practiced etiquette, "the 'girl' replied in the affirmative as the prince whisked the girl away on her feet in front of her horrified step-sisters."
Ray and Jay forgot that they were supposed to be horrified so they got into the act again.
Soren took Cyrus by his waist and twirled him around as Ray and Jay hopped off the stage.
"What are you doing, you- you Crow?!" Cyrus whisper-yell to Soren.
"Shh," Soren shushed him, "can't a prince dance with his princess." He teased.
"I'm not YOUR princess." Cyrus hissed but kept letting Soren twirl him around like a rag doll.
"Cute for you to assume that I'm talking about myself," He lowered his lips to Cyrus's ear, "...rage… princess…" he whispered in fragments.
Cyrus was about to protest but Soren suddenly pulled him flush against his chest, his arm tightening securely around Cyrus's waist. With a swift, practiced motion, he dipped Cyrus backward in a dramatic flourish — one arm supporting his back, the other keeping their joined hands aloft. Cyrus's hair brushed the air as his body arched, his face inches from Soren's, caught in a position that looked both elegant and far too intimate for Cyrus's liking.
The crowd gasped. Some wooed. Some covered their eyes. Some were jealous and some just wanted to see them kiss
"You did that to SHUT me up, didn't you?" Cyrus hissed again, tilting his head up to look at the infuriating prince in front of him.
"Yup." Soren said, being too cheerful, "and you look cute like this." He winked at Cyrus.
Cyrus wanted to say something but his words got caught in his throat. For a moment Soren looked too perfect to be real. Too ethereal.
Soren smiled gently, not the teasing smirk but a gentle smile as he leaned. Cyrus doesn't know when that infuriating smirk was replaced by that gentle smile.
If this goes on Cyrus won't be able to resist anymore. As Soren leaned more closer. Cyrus put his palm against Soren's cheek and closed his eyes.
Their faces slowly got closer.
Closer…
And closer…
Maelis's frantic cries made them snap out of the trance as both of them got their composure back. Soren steadied Cyrus as both of them ran towards Maelis. In the chaos Cyrus's wig fell off.
The crowd gasped in horror and the realization that the pretty girl isn't a girl at all.
Marryanne, Fallon, Jay and Ray arrived after Soren and Cyrus. As they got to the back of the stage. What they saw made their heart drop to their stomachs.
Maelis was holding Levi in her arms, clutching him tightly. Levi… wasn't moving, his eyes were closed.
She looked up from Levi. Eyes filled with tears as she muttered, "He's not waking up…"