A Twist in Time

At the Ball

Green magic came from inside one of the rooms. Elliot hesitantly walked towards it. A bluebird flew onto his shoulder, twittering.

"You go get Y/n," he told him and he flew off.

"Bigger!"

Elliot watched from the keyhole as Dominique tried on different hairstyles and suits with the wand, looking at himself in the mirror.

"Ooh, let's try this! Oh, that's nice. So handsome." He clicked at himself, pointing to the mirror.

Lady Tremaine was horrified when she came in to her son playing around with the wand. "Dominique! Stop that this instant!" She turned him back, his hair an absolute mess now. "This wand is not a toy." She took it from his hands and put it back into the dresser drawer, locking it shut and putting the key into her pocket, then trying to brush out whatever mess she did to his hair.

Elliot, still crouched, whispered to Jaq and Gus, "It's in the dresser. Key's in her pocket. I've got to get in there."

"Cinderelly!"

"They'll see you!" Gus protested.

Jaq nodded, agreeing, "Yeah. Too dangerous."

He looked back in, biting his lip. "But I..."

"Ah tah tah. We'll take care of it," Jaq promised.

When he heard André coming, still muttering, "I do" to himself, he hid behind one of the tapestries until he went into the room.

Considering, he placed them down. "Alright. But whatever you do, stay clear of Lucifer."

"Zuk-zuk. No Lucify," Gus promised as Jaq dragged him away.

-

Lady Tremaine was on André in an instant. "What happened? What'd the king say?"

The redhead smiled back, different from his usual sneer. "He's really very nice. He gave me his most prized possession."

She showed it to them, Lady Tremaine still deadpanning. "Tch. A seashell?" She finished with Dominique's hair.

"It's a symbol of true love."

Their disappoinment turned to unamusment. "Oh, please."

"Hmph. How special," Dominique sarcastically sneered.

André tried to continue, hoping they'd understand. "He said his heart -"

The lady cut him off, becoming more frustrated with the fantastical ideas she had once used against him to manipulate him into falling for the princess. "What's love compared to the power we hold with the wand?! You will learn that soon enough."

"I want the princess to love me," he insisted. "I think she could."

Dominique feigned a disgusted expression. "Oh, you're serious."

"Well, the king likes me, too," he insisted. "He treated me like his own son." How face fell. "Maybe we shouldn't be doing this. Maybe I should have put on the shoe." Then, he brightened. "Maybe we don't even need the wand."

The cat popped up suddenly, hissing at seemingly nothing, running all around.

"Oh! Oh! Somebody put out that cat!" Lady Tremaine screamed, not realizing he was chasing after Jaq and Gus, having had prevented them from getting the wand.

"Lucifer!"

"Oh, hold still!"

He knocked over some water, drenching himself.

"Lucifer!"

He was quickly put out, the door shut in his face.

"Oh, someone fetch the housekeeper."