The Tempest Act 3 Scene 1 Part 2

Act 3, Scene 1 Part 2

"Freddy, that's my name." The young man walked up but he was stopped by Ariel in his path. "Ferdinand Thomas Nates. I...."

Ariel slapped the rod against the young man's back. He called out in pain.

"Stop that, Ariel." Miranda commanded the imp. "Do not hit him anymore."

Ariel was to defile the command when he saw his benefactor standing by the doorway of the other room. His benefactor signaled to him to come forth thus leaving the two alone. Ariel reluctantly walked over and his benefactor took him to the next room. There was a mirror there where he could see the library.

"Sit down, Ariel. We have a show to view." Paul offered Ariel a seat next to him. Meanwhile across in the Library, Miranda spoke out to the young man.

"Please take a chair and sit by me." Miranda asked of him. Freddy took the offer and pulled a chair up. It was then he saw that the lady was blind.

"You are..." Freddy uttered out in surprise.

"Yes. I am blind." Miranda replied. She looked down to her hands on her lap. Freddy immediately replied his apologies.

"I am sorry. I was not to know..." Freddy then looked at her. He saw then was more than beauty in her eyes, she was like his mother. She was sweet looking and the lips of her's was made to be kissed. He felt like when he first set eyes on Alice.

Alice? That shook him off his thoughts.

"I am sorry. I was rude to had ..." Freddy tried to made amends. He was to get up when she spoke.

"None was taken, Freddy." Miranda replied. "Funny, I once knew a boy named Freddy. He was older than me and had some nice manners. If he was not reading his books."

Freddy laughed to her words. He heard them all but he had not listened not one of it, but the voice of hers was like melody to his ears. He then asked how long was she with that handicapped.

"I do not want to talk about that." Miranda looked away, and Freddy saw the tears welling in her eyes. He took to change the subject by offering to tell her a tale.

"Do you read too?" Miranda asked. She knew that Ariel reads but she could not do much with her ailment. So she have her father read to her.

"Yes, I do." Freddy replied to her and saw the smile. He was taken in by her and offered to read any book she wanted to hear.

"Any one would do?" Miranda replied. In her mind then, all she could visualize was the man before her was her Prince. And he was to take her away to a new life. She await eagerly for his proposal.

"Let me tell you the story of Cinderella." Freddy replied. Then he began to tell her the tale while his eyes roved over her beauty. He told her of the Prince who came courting for his wife and had only a shoe to identify her. It was then he saw Miranda shuffled her feet under the couch for she was not wearing any shoes. She was barefooted.

"If I may, my dear Princess. May I cleaned your feet and placed them in a pair of slippers?" Freddy asked of her. She was taken aback by his request and then nodded. Freddy got up and looked for any material to make the slippers. He recalled seeing one in the other room down by the hidden corridor, and he rushed out for it. He also found a bucket which he filled with water to bring back with him.

"If I may, my dear Princess." Freddy asked again. Miranda nodded, and he gently took her left feet to placed it on his knees. He had the earlier rag that he used to wipe the table to cleaned Miranda' feet. She giggled when he wipe under her soles but he was ever gentle about it. He recalled when he was young, he used to play with his mother's friend's daughter. He could not recalled her name, but he did like to play house with her as his wife then. He was the wonderful husband who comes home for dinner. He tried to recall her name but the memory evades him.

"And to what are you doing, impostor?" Freddy heard the voice behind him when the rod hit his back. He rolled away but the imp was consistent with the blows.

"Are you okay, my darling?" Paul saw down next to his daughter and held her hands. She was upset that Ariel was beating her friend.

"Ariel, stop the beating. I tell you to stop." Miranda pleaded with her eyes flowing tears. Paul stopped his servant, while Freddy was curled up like a baby on the flooring.

"Take him away." Paul told Ariel. The later did so and Paul soothe down his daughter. But Miranda insist on seeing Freddy.

"I must see to him. If he is fine and not let Ariel hit him." Miranda told her father. "He is a good man. I..."

Miranda could not bring herself to speak it. But she did in in the next line.

"I think I loved him." Miranda spoke up.

"Preposterous! You hardly know him. All he did was wash your feet like any servant would had done." Paul replied in anger. "If I had not come in here on time, he may had done you worse...."

"Father, speak not of then. I still hold the nightmare of it." Miranda held her head on his chest. "Please let me see him.."

Paul agreed but he expressed his intentions was she must not get too near to him.

She agreed.