Nowadays, they called it Prosopagnosia, or face blindness. Back then they didn’t know what to call it. Many who knew about the situation thought it was a curse, that the King and Queen had angered some sort of witch or fairy, and the fiend had taken it out on their son.
Prince Liam just called it the bane of his existence.
He was always at risk of offending someone. Which meant they always had to make some excuse for him not being there when dignitaries and the like visited. And because of that there were rumors that he was very sickly. Rumors that they could not disprove, even by bringing him out into public. He couldn’t keep any close friends because he could never recognize someone, no matter how many times he met them. His own mother had literally worn the same gown and worn her hair in the same way, every day since they discovered the problem, but if she was talking with someone at an event, he couldn’t recognize her.
And arranging his betrothal was a complete no-go.
Then the queen had an idea. Arrange a ball and invite all the signal females of marrying age in the kingdom. “Something must surely happen.” She reasoned.
#
As he greeted yet another girl who’s face he couldn’t see, he didn’t think anything was going to happen except possible humiliation. That was until the announcer yelled called out, “Presenting lady Cinderella!”
She was about the same age as him with chestnut hair intricately braided on her head, dressed in a billowy white gown covered with sliver embroidery. Of course, once again, her face was a blur. But when she greeted him, “Hello, your majesty,” her voice had such a beautiful lilt, and she sounded so happy, he knew immediately, there was something special here. Something had happened.
Now the issue was finding her again. He searched though the entire ballroom and was giving up on finding her when he felt someone bump into him and heard a voice he recognized saying, “Oh, you’re Grace, I’m so sorry.”
“It’s alright.” He assured her, turning around, “And please, call me, Liam.”
“Alright—Liam.” The girl replied nervously, “I’m Cinderella.”
“Cinderella.” Liam repeated, “What a lovely name.”
“Thank you.” Cinderella replied, and Liam swore, he could hear her smiling.
#
And so, they spent the rest of the evening talking, and dancing. He knew he had just met her, but it was like he could see into her soul. And he liked what he saw.
And then it struck midnight.
Suddenly Cinderella stood up franticly looking around. “I have to go.” She said, before quickly taking off.
“But- “Liam began.
“Goodbye!” She called out ruefully as she ran down the steps of the palace.
Liam chased after her, but she was faster, or at the very least had a good head start. As he racked his brain to figure out a way to find her again when he nearly tripped over something. He looked down and saw a glass slipper with a small heel. Cinderella’s glass slipper. Suddenly he had an idea. He picked up the shoe and ran back inside.
After the ball when he told his parents what he wanted to do, his father was a little less than sure about the whole plan.
“Son, that plan is insane.” The King insisted, “You’re the prince. If you just ask if they’re the one who wore the shoe, every woman there will insist it’s theirs. Even some who weren’t there will say it’s theirs.”
“But how many women out there are named Cinderella?” Liam countered, as it was a rather unusual name.
“They could lie about their name; thought I suppose it wouldn’t take long to find them out…” The King replied, then looked to his wife for help.
The Queen took the slipper and examined it in her hands. “You’re intended has rather small feet.” She observed. Suddenly, she got an idea. “Here’s what we’re going to do.”
#
That was how the shoe was sent across the capital city, being tried on by all the females, even those who weren’t at the ball. Until they came to the house of a noblewoman and her two daughters and one stepdaughter…
The first two tried desperately to jam their feet into it. “No, I can do it.” The second one protested, trying to fit it over her heel, which was likely normal sized, but too large for the unusually small shoe.
As the guard took it away from her before she could break it and cut herself, he noticed a maid about the same age as the girls, standing in the corner looking at them hopefully.
“Maiden,” He called out gently, “I’m supposed to have every woman of age in the house.”
“That’s ridiculous.” The mother scoff, “Cinderella wasn’t even at the ball.”
However, saying that turned out to be a mistake, as though they had revealed the young woman’s unusual name to only a few, the guards conducting the search were those few.
“Cinderella.” He repeated, “Please come here.”
Cinderella did as she was told, sliding down into an overstuffed velvet chair. The guard took the shoe and slid it on and to the shock and horror of her stepfamily, it was a perfect fit.
“Cinderella.” The guard continued, “Would you mind coming with us to the palace?”
“No.” Cinderella replied with a small smile “No, I would not.”
#
When she arrived at the palace Liam was waiting for her at the steps. He threw all dignity aside and ran to her, picking her up off the ground and kissing her before he declared, “I feared I would never find you again.”
It wasn’t an exaggeration. For the last few days Liam had his heart in his throat, fearing they could never find her. That she was lost to him forever.
“I felt the same way.” Cinderella admitted, “But, Liam—what is all this? Why did you bring me back here? And what was all this business with my shoe? Couldn’t you just recognize me by my face?”
Liam’s heart dropped “Please, come with me to the gardens.” He requested, “And I will explain everything to you.”
#
And so, in the seclusion of the royal gardens Liam told her of his strange condition, how it made his whole life an utter misery, how when met her, he felt things he never felt before. How he knew he had to find her by any means.
She in turn explained the circumstances that lead to her being at the ball, and her sudden departure. Of years of enslavement and abuse at the hands of her stepfamily. Of an almost frighteningly beautiful woman with raven hair that fell everywhere, like a waterfall, dressed in silks as thin and increate as a spider’s web claiming to be her fairy Godmother. Of mice and pumpkins turned into a horse and carriage and midnight deadline.
“Cinderella,” Liam began when she was finished, “If you want to run away from me, I understand. I know I would only be a burden for you, and I will help you get away from your stepfamily—”
Cinderella silenced him with a kiss. “Forgive me if that was too bold, Liam.” She said, “But I don’t care about your condition. You are the most wonderful man I have ever met. That is the only thing that matters to me.”
“And you are the most wonderful woman that I ever met.” Liam said, then he got down on one knee and asked, “Lady Cinderella, and I know it’s a little fast, but–will you marry me?”
Tears welled up in Cinderella’s eyes. “Yes.”
And so, within a month they were married. During the feast that followed, no one noticed the Queen go off in a corridor where an extremely beautiful woman, with impossibly smooth raven-colored hair, in dress that looked as if it was made of spring leaves, watching the festivities.
“Tell me,” The Queen requested, “Was this all part of some plan? Did you know they were perfect for each other?”
“I didn’t know for sure.” The fairy Godmother of two families answered, “But I felt something might happen.”