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Okay. Now... remember that this is a fractured version of Cinderella. This is where it starts to piece together slowly. Enjoy!

Chapter 4

Cinder couldn't even find the motivation to stand. She decided she would just starve herself to death. Anything had to be better than this. She was lying in her own waste, sobbing uncontrollably. She felt like the lowest form of life. She was bound in chains, in agony. He neck and ankles were even bleeding from the cuffs. "I hate my life. I hate the barronesss. Somebody just please, make my death less painless." She prayed, trying not to move much, as to agitate her wounds. "I hate being a drragon!"

"Dragons are supposed to be a proud race." A woman's voice said from behind her. Cinder glanced back to see a woman in silver robes that had long flowing white hair. The woman looked to be around twenty years old.

"Who arre you?" Cinder asked, confused. "Am I hallucinating?" She asked. After all, random people didn't just pop up out of nowhere in people's basements.

"I am Celina Astral, a travelling sorceress. I came here, Cinder, because I need you." The woman said, smiling gently.

"Okay, just kill me quick and painlessly." Cinder cried. She didn't really care about anything. She was broken. "You can have my pelt.

"That is not what I want. What if I could grant you something better?" the sorceress asked.

"Okay, what arre we talking about?" Cinder asked, standing up. Suddenly, all of her bonds unlocked and fell on the floor. "How did you do that?" Cinder asked, looking around.

"I told you, I am a sorceress. I have many magical spells at my disposal." Celina said, waving her hand. Suddenly, all of Cinder's cuts from the cuffs tingled, and the pain faded. Looking at them, she saw that, in fact, her wounds were gone.

"That'ss amazsing!" Cinder said, stretching slightly. With another wave of her hand, a giant tub of hot water appeared in the room.

"Anyways, Cinder, go ahead and take a bath, and meet me upstairs in the dining room when you're done." The sorceress laughed. In a sudden flash, the sorceress vanished.

"That wassn't sstrrange at all." Cinder said, looking at the water. It was pure and clean looking. "Anywayss..." she sighed, stepping into the tub. As the hot water rushed over her scales, she deeply sighed with relief, and sunk into the tub. Why did some random sorceress with all that magical power want her help? Why her, of all dragons? That, and how did she know her name without asking? Cinder was full of questions, but that tub was full of hot water. She wasn't going to pass up an opportunity for a nice, long soak.

"Did you enjoy your bath?" Celina asked as Cinder walked into the dining room.

"Yess. Thank you verry much. By the way, why is it that, the insstant I sstepped out of the tub, I was drry?" Cinder asked, looking at the sorceress, who sat at the dining room table. A large feast of fresh fruits, vegetables, and soups was laid out on the table.

"Come over here and eat, darling. And, before you ask any more questions, the answer is magic, my ruby-scaled friend." Celina said, pulling out a chair for Cinder. The dragoness happily hopped up on the chair, and began filling her plate with food.

"Sso, what did you need me for?" Cinder asked, taking a bite of watermelon.

"Well, you see, I'm sure you know that the prince is having a ball tonight, tomorrow, and Thursday." Celina said, sipping tea from an ivory tea cup.

"That'ss why everryone left me herre."

"Well, the prince is in danger. On Thursday, a powerful demon named Zallgonis plans to kill the prince. Zallgonis simply wants to kill the prince, since the king has no other heirs. Once the prince is dead, and the king isn't fit to rule, Zallgonis's forces could easily take over the kingdom."

"Sso thiss demon iss planning to kill the princse? Why doessn't he jusst kill the king, too?" Cinder asked, confused.

"Zallgonis is cursed. If he takes a life, he turns to stone for one year. His plan is to kill the prince, fly off to a safe place, then, when he breaks free from his stone prison, he will return. By then, he figures the king will be ill and sickly from his depression." Celina said, looking Cinder in the eyes.

"That'ss terrrible! But why doess thiss involve me?" Cinder asked. She started to feel slightly nervous.

"I need you to help me kill Zallgonis." Celina said, causing Cinder to spit watermelon on the table.

"Me? Kill a demon? I wouldn't norrmally hurt a fly!" Cinder cried, looking at Celina. "Why don't you just zap him with your magic?"

"It's not that easy. Zallgonis can't be killed by magic. Only dragon fire can dispel his magical barrier, and only a dragon's claws can pierce his hide."

"Forrget it. I can't brreathe firre, and I can't fight!" Cinder growled. "Bessidess, how would I get to the prrincse to protect him?"

"Well, hold on, and let me finish. I was going to have you disguise yourself as a human girl, and join in at the prince's ball." Celina said, smiling.

"Lissten, I can't turrn into a human yet." Cinder said, getting annoyed. "I can't fly, fight, orr brreathe firre. I'm not going to be able to help you."

"That is where I come in. I have three things that can help you." She said, pulling out a cotton satchel. "First, I have a stone containing the fighting spirit of a dragon within it. Once you touch it, you will know how to fly, fight, and breathe fire." She said, pulling a green crystal from her bag, which glowed with an eerie light.

"I'm not into fighting, though." Cinder said, growing annoyed. "Why did you pick me out of all the drragonss in the area?"

"Well, Cinder, this stone was from your father." The sorceress said, smiling.

"You mean Doctor Johnsson?" She said, looking at the stone.

"No. Your real father. The dragon that single-handedly killed Zallgonis's brother, Vamgonis." Celina said, getting a confused look from the red dragon. "Your father was a very strong dragon. However, he descided to seal his own powers away in this stone, so that one of his descendants could use it if another demon were to arise." She said, looking at the stone. "However, he didn't realize that Vamgonis had a younger brother. After he sealed his fighting abilities in this crystal, your father became vulnerable to attack. That is why he wasn't there for you as a child."

"Sso thiss demon killed my fatherr?" Cinder said, feeling slightly angered. "Fine. Tell me what elsse you have. I might help." She said, starting to feel more motivated.

"That's more like it." Celina said, smiling. "Anyways, I also have this amulet." She said, pulling a small necklace out of her satchel. "When you transform into a human, this amulet can change into any kind of clothing you wish. Not only that, but it repels magic." She said, smiling,

"That iss nicse, but I can't turn into a human." Cinder said, lowering her head.

"That is why I have this." She said, pulling out a beautiful glass pendant that had a crescent moon on it. "Clutch it in your paw, and pray. It will cause you to transform into a human. The pendant will magically appear in your hair. Remove it, and you will change back."

"Rreally?"Cinder said, stretching out her neck. "Can you put the amulet on?"

"So you'll do it?" Celina asked, excitedly.

"Well, it's better than being in this misserrable dump." Cinder said, as Celina attached the amulet's strings behind her neck.

"What made you decide to go?" Celina asked, standing back.

"Well, I've alwayss wanted to talk to people on equal grround. No drragonss and humanss. No prredjudicse. Just a bunch of equal living beingss interracting." Cinder said, thinking deeply. "I've alwayss been a sslave to people who think I am lesss of an equal. I jusst want to, one time, be like everryone elsse. Plus that frreak killed my father."

"Well, Cinder, once you take this stone, your destiny will be set. Are you ready, Cinder?" Celina asked. "The ball is tonight."

"I'm ready." Cinder said, taking the green stone.