In a small, cozy cabin nestled deep within the woods, Cinderella could be seen dancing joyfully around the room with a woven fruit basket held carefully in her hand.
Ever since she had married Fergus, her life had only gotten progressively better with each passing day. A few days ago they had decided together to camp out in the woods for a few days as a small getaway trip, but she was so overwhelmingly happy that she had completely forgotten to bring it up to him beforehand.
Fergus on the other hand didn't mind at all. He only wanted to do whatever made her happy and brought joy to her heart. He had already started the process of planting various fruit trees around their campsite.
Their time spent together in the woods had been quite fruitful and rewarding. Almost every single moment of the day they would spend quality time with each other, enjoying one another's company.
Cinderella, who had been starved of genuine affection for so long, had never been more happy in her entire life. Every single time she had the opportunity and chance, she would lean over and kiss him gently and slightly on the cheek.
But not everything went exactly the way Fergus wanted it to go. Cinderella in his eyes was far too pure, innocent, and kind for her own good. He had asked her multiple requests and posed scenarios that he thought she might refuse or turn down, but she always accepted without hesitation.
As of this very moment they were having a serious conversation together. This was one of his mandatory safety practices that he insisted upon.
"If three men approached you and said they needed help, and they pointed towards a dark alley way, would you follow them?" He asked her directly.
She nodded her head in agreement.
"No," he said, clear frustration evident in his voice. "Why would you even say yes to something like that?" I asked her with concern.
"Because they said they needed help," she muttered softly in response.
I facepalmed in exasperation.
"Don't believe people so easily like that. Not everyone out there is a good person with good intentions," I said firmly.
She pursed her lips together thoughtfully.
"But what if on the off chance they are actually telling the truth and really need assistance?" She asked earnestly.
"Then let that off chance be and pass by. It's not your job or responsibility to save people you don't know," he answered her firmly.
"But—I want to save them and help people in need," she muttered quietly.
He sighed deeply at her words and her stubborn kindness.
"Ok then. If I were badly hurt you, would you still stay with me?" He asked her pointedly.
She nodded once more.
"Why?" He asked again, this time with a voice that was a little colder and more serious.
"B-because I love you," she stuttered nervously.
He frowned deeply and grabbed her firmly by the shoulders.
"Is that your only reason for staying?" He asked, clear disappointment evident in his voice.
"I—I," she stuttered and went completely quiet, unable to find words.
"Answer me," he pressured her, his tone growing more insistent.
"I—I don't want to do this anymore," she muttered softly, holding back tears that were threatening to fall.
"N-" he stopped his next words abruptly when he saw clearly that she was on the verge of breaking down in tears.
His eyes widened a little in realization before he immediately knelt down and grabbed her hands gently.
"I'm sorry," he said with genuine remorse.
She simply nodded quietly in acknowledgment, and he spent the entire rest of the day trying his best to cheer her up.
"How about this," he said hopefully, taking out a beautiful, sparkling ring.
She didn't even look at it for a single second before turning away from him.
"It's alright," she muttered quietly.
He sighed heavily in disappointment. Though he thought she was still sulking and upset, she was actually very happy deep down inside.
Every single time situations like this happens between them, she had learned to take full advantages of the opportunity. During these particular times he would spend the whole entire day either trying earnestly to make her laugh or smile.
Though she tried her best to keep it hidden from view, she had a constant, delighted smile on her face. Of course Fergus knew exactly what she was doing but still went along with it since it made her genuinely happy.
Though she felt it was somewhat selfish of her to do such manipulative things, she told herself it was perfectly okay since they were married now and that stuff like this was completely normal between couples.
It was perfectly normal for your husband to spoil you, love you unconditionally, embrace you warmly, and surprise you with thoughtful gestures. She just wanted to experience it for the whole entire day. In her honest opinion, it wasn't that bad of a thing to desire.
Fergus smiled warmly to himself, a knowing expression crossing his face as he carefully reached into his pocket and took out something special that he had been preparing and planning for quite a while ago.
"Then what about this?" He asked her gently, his voice filled with anticipation.
Cinderella, still playfully pretending to be upset and playing her little games with him, looked over casually but suddenly froze completely in place when she finally saw what he was holding. Her eyes widened dramatically in surprise and delight as a genuine smile spread across her entire face.
"Guys," she said with pure joy in her voice, her smile growing even wider as she reached out and tenderly patted each of the mice's small heads one by one. Then, as if on cue, the beautiful birds that had been perched quietly on his shoulders suddenly flew gracefully into her outstretched hand.
As she felt the overwhelming happiness wash over her like a warm wave, a friendly dog then suddenly popped up energetically from behind Fergus and barked excitedly, his tail wagging enthusiastically back and forth as he looked up at Cinderella with adoring eyes.
She immediately knelt down on the ground and gently ruffled his soft fur with affection and happiness radiating from her entire being.
"Are you happy now?" Fergus asked her playfully, this time with a distinctly smug and satisfied smile spreading across his face.
She looked up at him, her face glowing with pure contentment and gratitude.
"I am, thank you so very much Fergus," she said warmly and gratefully, her voice absolutely filled with genuine appreciation, deep gratitude, and profound love.
His previously smug and satisfied smile softened considerably and noticeably, transforming gradually into something much more tender, gentle, and affectionate.
"Well we'll have plenty of time together. But in a few months from now we will have to attend another wedding ceremony," he said to her.
She looked up curiously from her little friends with a lifted brow, her expression showing mild surprise.
"Another one already? But the last wedding ceremony was just a few days ago," she said with a hint of surprise in her voice.
He nodded his head in confirmation.
"It's Melody's wedding ceremony," he added as clarification.
"Oh really, that's quite nice to hear about." She said with a pleasant tone.
"Our suits and dresses are already being custom made for us so we have until then to simply enjoy ourselves and relax," he smiled at her warmly.
She smiled back at him in return, mirroring his warmth.
"Yeah, I really want to travel around a bit and see new places," she said with growing excitement in her voice.
He smiled at her suggestion with a mischievous glint clearly visible in his eyes.
"How about we have a child together first," he smiled suggestively.
She blushed deeply at his words.
"Uh, well-" she pursed her lips together thoughtfully and hesitantly. "We can definitely do that but you have to promise to be gentle with me," she said softly and shyly.
He paused momentarily at her words, his expression becoming more serious.
"Are you absolutely sure about this? I won't force you to do anything if you don't genuinely want to." He added with concern.
She shook her head from side to side.
"We've been wedded together for quite a long time now and I've been wanting a child of our own for a while now as well," she blushed even deeper.
The corner of his mouth lifted gradually into a smirk as he smiled knowingly. He walked steadily towards her and picked her up carefully in his arms.
"Alright guys. We'll be a little busy for a while so make sure not to bother or disturb us." He said to the animals and walked purposefully towards the bedroom.
The mice, birds, and dog all looked at each other with clear understanding visible in their expressions.
"Do you think Cinderella is truly happy with everything that's happening?" Jaq asked with a hint of uncertainty in his small voice.
The other animals turned their attention toward him, clear concern and worry evident in their expressions and body language. Though they had witnessed and observed how incredibly kind and gentle he had always been to Cinderella in every single interaction, they still couldn't be completely and entirely sure about her true feelings deep down inside.
"I don't smell even the slightest trace of fear coming from her at all, and she genuinely looks incredibly happy and content," Bruno added thoughtfully after taking a moment to carefully assess the situation with his keen senses.
The others in the group seemed to visibly calm down and relax considerably from his reassuring words. They all knew very well that Bruno possessed the special and remarkable ability to smell and detect fear and sadness in others, so they felt genuinely reassured and comforted by his confident assessment of the situation.
"Since we'll be staying with her for the foreseeable future, let's make sure to help out and contribute in whatever ways we possibly can," Suzy said with determination and purpose in her voice.
They all nodded their heads in complete agreement to her sensible words and immediately began moving around and getting to work. They were all quite small and diminutive in size, and cleaning and maintaining all of this space would normally be completely and utterly impossible for creatures of their stature, but fortunately they had something incredibly special and extraordinary that had been graciously gifted to them by Fergus's father.
Flashback
Erik's POV
"You want me to give them the actual ability to transform themselves into a human form?" I asked with clear surprise in my voice as I looked carefully at the small animals gathered before me.
Fergus nodded his head firmly at my words, confirming exactly what he had just asked me to do for him.
I lifted a brow in curiosity and interest. These particular animals did seem quite a bit more special and unique than ordinary creatures. They seemed to already possess some small amount of magical essence within them. And beyond that, they seemed remarkably and extraordinarily intelligent for animals of their kind.
I rubbed my chin thoughtfully for a long moment as I carefully considered the request. Doing something like this wouldn't actually be any significant trouble or difficulty for me at all. In fact, I had actually already planned and intended to give all of my dragons the special ability to transform into human forms so that we could have considerably more available space on the islands and make better use of our limited territory.
I looked up from my contemplation and stared directly and intently into Fergus's eyes, searching for his true motivations.
"Is there a particular reason or specific purpose behind this unusual request?" I asked him directly.
He simply nodded his head once more in acknowledgment.
"They are Cinderella's closest and dearest friends, and I genuinely want to give her a wonderful and memorable surprise that will bring her joy. And getting them human forms will make it significantly easier and more practical for them to help her with various tasks and responsibilities," he added by way of explanation.
His reasons and motivations were straightforward and simple enough, and I honestly didn't see any real problem or issue with granting his request. I nodded my head in agreement.
"I'll do it for you, but in return I want you to do something important for me as well," I said clearly.
"What is it exactly?" He asked with interest.
"I want you to-"