The world outside the castle felt different from anything I had known. The air was fresher, the sky clearer, and there was a quiet sense of freedom hanging in the breeze. The castle had been a prison for both of us, one we hadn't even realized we were trapped in until we'd broken free. Now, standing in the open, with only the vast horizon before us, the future seemed limitless.
The sun had just begun to rise, casting golden rays across the landscape. It felt symbolic somehow—the dawn of a new era, not just for the kingdom, but for both of us.
"So, where to?" I asked, glancing at Cinderella as she stood next to me, her gaze on the horizon.
She paused for a moment, as though weighing the options in her mind. "I don't know," she said quietly. "I've never really thought about what comes next. I've always been so focused on survival, on escaping... But now, it's different."
I nodded. The past few days had been a whirlwind of chaos and magic, but now it was over. The prince was gone. The castle was nothing but ruins. The world was ours for the taking.
"We have time to figure it out," I said, offering her a reassuring smile. "We don't need to rush."
Cinderella turned to face me, her eyes still uncertain but somehow lighter than before. "Do you think... do you think we can ever truly be free of everything that happened?" Her voice was quiet, almost vulnerable, and I could hear the weight of her question in the way she spoke.
I looked at her, taking in the scarred but strong woman standing before me. She had fought so hard, against so many forces, and yet here she was—still standing, still fighting for something more. Something better.
"I think," I began slowly, "that freedom isn't something you just find. It's something you make. Every step we take, we make it ours."
She considered my words for a moment, her eyes thoughtful. Then, she nodded. "Yeah. You're right. We can make our own freedom. Our own future."
With that, we began to walk—slowly at first, as though the weight of the journey ahead still hung in the air. But with each step, the uncertainty seemed to melt away, replaced by a quiet sense of purpose. We didn't need to have all the answers. We just needed to keep moving forward.
The path ahead was unmarked, a winding trail that could lead us anywhere. We could go east, to the cities where people were rebuilding their lives after the prince's reign. Or we could head west, into the mountains, where the wilderness offered a kind of peace that we had never known.
But, in truth, I didn't care where we went. As long as we were together, I knew we could face anything. The power that Cinderella had gained was still there, humming beneath the surface of her skin, but she had learned to control it. And as for me... well, I had found something I hadn't known I was looking for. A purpose. A reason to fight. To live.
We walked in silence for a while, but the quiet was comfortable, not tense. For the first time, it felt like we had room to breathe, to simply exist. And as we passed the rolling hills and thick forests, I could sense that we were no longer running from anything. We were running toward something. A future, uncharted and unknown, but ours to create.
After some time, we came to a small village nestled in a valley, a place far removed from the remnants of the prince's kingdom. It was peaceful here—small cottages, children playing in the streets, farmers tending to their crops. A simple, quiet life.
Cinderella and I stood at the edge of the village, watching the everyday bustle unfold. For a moment, I wondered if this was what we were meant for—a life without the bloodshed, without the burden of the throne. Just a life of peace, where we could find happiness in the smallest things.
"What do you think?" I asked, turning to Cinderella.
She was smiling now, a real smile, one that reached her eyes and softened the lines of her face. It was the first time I had seen her truly happy since the moment we'd met.
"I think," she said, her voice light, "we can start here. We can build something. Together."
And that was all it took. The world wasn't perfect. It never would be. But we had each other, and that was enough. We could build a life from the ashes of the past and shape our future with our own hands. A future free from fear, free from control, and free to live on our own terms.
As the sun climbed higher in the sky, we made our way into the village. A new chapter was beginning, not just for us, but for the world around us. And I knew one thing for sure—whatever came next, we would face it together.
[The End]