Ashes to Cinders

As the young woman who called herself Cinderella tended to the small garden outside her home, she hummed lightly to herself, having no reason to think that today would be different than any other before it. Bending a knee to examine the berries, she smiled, realizing it’d soon be time to harvest them. Despite this unreadiness, she plucked a small one from its tiny branch and carried it in the palm of her hand over to a small stump in the corner of the yard. For years this stump had sat in this corner – she could, in fact, not recall a time when it was anything other than the hewed tree base before her. It had a split down the middle from which a small iris flower bloomed, right in the stump’s center. This flower, too, had been there for as long as Cinderella could remember.

Kneeling in front of the unofficial altar, she gently placed the unripe berry before the flower, her long brown hair enveloping her face as she bent her head. “Enjoy, o faeries.” On her knees she stayed for a few moments more, humming softly with a smile on her lips, before finally rising to her feet.

Upon returning indoors, she busied herself with her typical morning breakfast preparation, wanting to have it ready before anyone else ventured downstairs, something that was in her best interest.

Anastasia, the youngest of Cinderella’s two stepsisters, was the first to stumble down the stairs, her shoulder-length braids swinging wildly with each lurching step. Dark, slightly thick fingers desperately grasped the handrail, the only thing keeping her on her feet. She gazed about the room with bleary eyes, which eventually fell upon Cinderella.

“The other two aren’t here yet?” the sleepy girl said, mostly as a mumbled statement.

Cinderella smiled and shook her head. “Not yet, Anna.”

A faint smile flitted across her stepsister’s face. “Thanks, Cinderella,” she mumbled before wheeling around and back up the stairs. This was a regular occurrence that Cinderella couldn’t help but still find amusing. Anastasia always woke up later than everyone else, then rushed downstairs to make sure she wasn’t holding everyone up with her tardiness. She rarely was, however – the other two always took much longer to get ready, and were rarely finished before Anastasia had awoken.

The next person down the stairs was also no surprise, but was far less happy a sight. Lady Tremaine stepped gracefully off the final stair, her straight black hair done up in the typical tidy bun, her thin form wrapped in one of her everyday, though no less fancy, dresses. Sharp grey eyes flashed from within a dark brown face and around the room before locking in on Cinderella, whose own eyes felt more comfortable staring anywhere else.

“Everything looks in order… I assume you have already completed your outside duties?” Lady Tremaine’s voice sounded cold and emotionless, as it always did when she spoke to Cinderella.

“Yes, ma’am.”

The faintest wisp of a smile appeared on Lady Tremaine’s face, though even this paltry expression felt less than genuine. “Very good, Ash.”

No matter how often she was forced to hear it, the use of that name was difficult for Cinderella to avoid reacting to. It felt as though she were being punched directly in the gut every time that particular name fell out of someone’s mouth.

“Th-thank you, ma’am.”

With a curt nod, Lady Tremaine glided over to the teacup that Cinderella had filled only moments before. Taking a small sip, she said “Yes, very good,” before taking a seat at the head of the table.

Anastasia was soon back downstairs, looking far more awake than she had before. Cinderella gently set a plate of food in front of both her mother and the seat Anastasia quickly slid into.

“Thanks!” she sad, beaming, before digging in rather ungracefully.

Peering over her steaming teacup, Lady Tremaine arched an eyebrow in disapproval. “You are never going to be as thin and as beautiful as your sister if you keep shoveling your food like that.”

Anastasia’s pace slightly slowed. “It’s the same amount the rest of you eat… I just eat faster,” she muttered. The continued stare from her mother quelled any further arguments.

Drizzela was the last to appear, looking just as prim and proper as her mother in both dress and gait, with her long, straight black hair hanging down to the middle of her back.

Grabbing Anastasia’s now clear plate, Cinderella made her way to the full plate sitting near the stove that she had prepared for Drizzela. Suddenly, she felt something bump hard against her legs, ruining her balance and causing her to tumble to the floor, where the dirty dish she had been holding shattered. She stared at the floor for a few seconds before pushing herself to her knees. When she looked up, she found Drizzela staring down, a glint in her eyes.

“Mother, did you see that?” the older stepsister said, her voice a perpetual whine. “He slammed right into me; I almost fell!”

Anastasia stared at Cinderella with wide, scared eyes, Lady Tremaine with narrowed slits. “Young man, I expect you to be more aware of your surroundings. Apologize to your sister and clean up this mess.”

If falling hadn’t been painful enough, her sister and mother’s misgendering accusations certainly had been. Getting to her feet as quickly as she could, Cinderella stared meekly down at her waiting sister. “I am so sorry, sister. It won’t happen again.”

“It had better not,” Drizzela said with a sneer, finally heading toward the table. Cinderella went to grab the broom, her muscles aching, when Drizzela’s voice pierced her ears again. “Hey, I’m hungry over here.”

“Sorry, of course,” Cinderella said, shuffling around the shattered plate on the floor to grab the food-laden one on the counter.

“Can you believe that clumsy oaf of a stepbrother?” Drizzela said to Anastasia between tiny bites of food.

Eyes flitting between each of her family members, pausing briefly on Cinderella, Anastasia said, “Um… yeah… he sure is ridiculously clumsy.”

The short, stilted, fake laugh that Cinderella suspected was the only one her sister had poured out of Drizzela’s mouth, and Lady Tremaine’s mouth curled into a small smirk.

~~~

That afternoon, while Cinderella was busy sweeping the kitchen, Anastasia burst through the front door, a basket of fruit swinging wildly on her arm, a look of extreme excitement upon her face.

“Mother!” she cried, drawing Lady Tremaine’s cool but questioning gaze from the nearby sofa. “A ball! At the palace! Tomorrow night!”

Lady Tremaine was on her feet so quickly that it made Cinderella momentarily doubt the woman had ever been sitting. “A royal ball?”

Practically bouncing up and down, Anastasia yelled, “Yes, Mother! And everyone is invited!”

“How exactly was the invitation phrased, Anastasia?” Lady Tremaine said, her eyes focused.

Taking a moment to calm herself, Anastasia’s brow furrowed in thought. “Um, well, specifically they said ‘any unwed person of marriagable age, and their family.’ And since none of us are married, and all of us, save for you, Mother, fit the age description…”

“Splendid,” Lady Tremaine said, pressing her fingertips together. A conniving grin spread across her face. “Drizzela, where are you, dear?” she called.

Soon after, Drizzela glided to the middle of the stairs, one side of her hair done up in a peculiar style. “I was upstairs trying some things with my hair, Mother.”

An irritated sigh. “You know it looks best straightened out.”

Drizzela looked away only briefly before replying, “Yes, Mother, my apologies.”

With a dismissive wave, Lady Tremaine continued. “There is a royal ball being thrown tomorrow evening. We have all heard the rumors about the Princess…” All three of Lady Tremaine’s children nodded their head. “Tomorrow we will go into town and purchase the most beautiful dresses we can find. We will have you and your sister looking as beautiful as possible, and at the ball you will both do everything you can to catch the Princess’ eye.”

“But… but Mother,” Anastasia said hesitatingly. “I’m not sure I’m actually interested in women… or anyone, really…”

Drizzela responded with a derisive noise and an eyeroll, while Lady Tremaine’s voice bore a cold and hard edge as she spoke. “Anastasia, I have taught you better. Your preferences do not matter, and are hardly the point. The point is to become royalty, you silly child. I do not care if you find yourself solely attracted to toads – you will use every ounce of your meager acting ability to convince the Princess that you are head over heels for her. And if she picks you, you had best remember the family that got you to that coveted position and your newfound wealth. Do I make myself clear?”

Anastasia cast her eyes to the ground, her reply sullen. “Yes, Mother, of course.”

Returning to her place on the sofa, Lady Tremaine picked up the book she had temporarily stopped reading. “Now, go put the fruit away before you drop it. And you,” she said, her eyes flashing to Drizzela for a quick second before returning to her book, “straighten out that hair.”

“Yes, Mother,” came the response, in unison.

Once Anastasia had passed, Cinderella cautiously moved forward toward her stepmother. Lady Tremaine gave no indication that she noticed Cinderella’s presence once the girl drew near, so Cinderella timidly cleared her throat. The grey eyes locked on Cinderella for a moment before returning to the book.

“Did you need something, Ash?”

Wincing, Cinderella said, “Y-yes, Mother… I… Well, I was wondering if…” The grey eyes found her again, clearly bothered that she was taking so long. “I was wondering if there was any way that… I could go to the ball, too.”

The book slowly lowered, until it lay on the sofa beside Lady Tremaine. One calculating eyebrow raised, her eyes looked Cinderella up and down in perhaps the most unpleasant way they ever had. Finally, after entirely too long, she said, “Hm, well… It would be… strategic, to bring you. To have both bases covered. But the rumors of the Princess’ sexuality are quite strong, and from some of my most reliable sources. And I am not sure we have the money to buy a good suit in addition to two new dresses. No, Ash, I do not think we will be able to do that.” She picked the book back up, the conversation clearly finished as far as she was concerned.

Normally, this was indeed where the conversation would end, but the one-in-a-lifetime nature of this opportunity gave Cinderella just enough strength to press on.

“But, Mother…” Lady Tremaine’s eyes were the slightest bit wider than usual when they locked onto Cinderella this time. “I was actually hoping that, perhaps, I could wear, you know…” She swallowed a lump in her throat. “…a dress?”

Lady Tremaine’s eyes narrowed.

Rising to her feet, Cinderella’s stepmother fixed her with a gaze that made her feel small despite being the taller of the two. “Ash, you know that simply will not do.” The woman took small, slow steps forward, each step making Cinderella feel smaller and smaller in the worst possible way. “I tolerate your delusions as much as I can when we are in the confines of our own home… Your excuse that wearing that tattered rag of a dress is easier to do your chores in has never actually been convincing, dear.” Cinderella cast her eyes to the ground. She hadn’t realized. “But the people outside… they will not understand.” Her stepmother drew close and ran one thin finger along her cheek before lightly, but firmly, grasping the better part of her jaw. “They will hurt you, poor boy. Perhaps even kill you. And I will not allow such a thing to happen to my child, blood or no.” Releasing Cinderella, the woman spun on her heel to face the sofa. “You are not going to that ball, dear boy – not in a suit, and certainly not in a dress. You are much safer here than you are anywhere else, and you had best accept that fact.”

Lady Tremaine returned to where she’d been sitting and immediately resumed reading, the conversation once again finished. Cinderella simply stood there, trembling, unable to do anything else. She was unsure how long she stood before a light touch on her shoulder caused her head to jerk toward its source.

“Ash…” Anastasia said, her face full of concern. If Cinderella attempted to respond she was reasonably sure she’d be unable to hold back her tears, and she really didn’t want that to happen around her stepmother. “Maybe you should… Go to your room, for a bit? Here, I’ll help you.”

The pair slowly started up the stairs, Lady Tremaine not once glancing up from her book. A small time later they were both up in the attic, Cinderella’s bedroom. Anastasia led Cinderella a small ways inside, then cautiously took a few steps back. The way her eyes danced between Cinderella’s face and legs suggested she was hoping the still trembling girl wouldn’t collapse.

“Are you… going to be okay?”

There was no response.

Slowly, though both sisters retained eye contact, Anastasia backed toward the door. “I’m going to go for now. Please rest at least a little bit before you come back out.” Cinderella again gave no response, and Anastasia turned away, opening the door wide enough to leave through. Before she left, she turned her head, and said over her shoulder, “She’s right, you  know. About the people outside. They wouldn’t understand, and they’d probably get violent about it. ….I know that it’s hard here, especially for you, but… it’s better than death, right?” Cinderella only trembled. “Alright. Well… goodbye for now, Cinderella.”

The door closed, and Cinderella fell to her knees and cried.

~~~

The next day, Cinderella’s stepmother and sisters left early to head into town for their dresses. After completing her usual morning chores, including her daily offering to the faeries, Cinderella returned to her room in the attic, where she immediately crawled into one of the far corners. She had to maneuver around the end of a pipe – part of an old stove ventilation system that had never been completely removed – but she managed to grasp, sitting in the corner next to a beam, a small wooden box.

Crawling, then walking back to the middle of the room, she placed the box on her mattress and pried it open. Beneath a silver locket and a pair of silver earrings was a simple blue dress, which she gently removed. She spread the outfit across her bed, taking note of the few places where there were small rips or tears. Taking out her sewing kit, something she mostly used to keep the raggedy dress she currently wore in one piece, she went to work on the blue dress.

Some time later, she stood, holding the dress out in front of her. It looked almost as good as new. Removing her tattered dress, she carefully put on the recently repaired one and was surprised by how well it fit, considering her height and build. The chest was a bit too big for the tiny breasts that she had thus far managed to keep her stepmother from noticing, but otherwise, it was a near perfect fit. She was certain her birth mother had never been so tall… perhaps the dress had belonged to her mother’s first wife that Cinderella could, unfortunately, remember even less than her birth mother.

One of the few memories she could still recall of her original mothers was an evening that had more than likely occurred many times throughout her childhood. She was sitting by the fireside in her birth mother’s lap, smiling up at the woman’s beautiful light brown face as she was told stories about the faeries. The exact words of the tales escaped her, but other smaller details had stuck, such as the wavy locks of brown hair cascading around her mother’s face, and the hand, belonging to her other mother, resting on her leg, the more hazy parent’s form snuggled close to the other two. It was a soft hand, and also, in her memories, fairly large. It was hard to tell if it only seemed that way because Cinderella herself was so small.

A loud screech tore Cinderella from her reverie. She turned her head to see Drizzela standing in the doorway, her face a mix of shock and sadistic glee.

“Wait until Mother sees this.” Drizzela said with the most terrifying grin.

“Sister, please, no!”

But Drizzela was already gone, moving much faster than Cinderella had ever seen her move before. Panicked, Cinderella pulled the blue dress off as quickly as possible, then threw on her normal clothes. But she was unable to stuff the blue dress back in the box before she felt three pairs of eyes upon her.

Shaking, she slowly turned to see her stepmother and sisters standing only a few paces behind. Their eyes were all wide and upon the dress, though the expressions they wore ranged from gleeful, to sorrowful, to white hot with rage. She wasn’t sure why this dress would put such a terrifying look in her stepmother’s eyes, and she adamantly wished to never find out.

“Where did you get that,” Lady Tremaine said, her voice barely above a whisper. Even Drizzela, finally looking at her mother, seemed a bit unnerved by the unexpected reaction.

“I-I-I’ve h-had it…” Cinderella choked out, visibly trembling.

The grey eyes slid over from the dress to bore holes into Cinderella’s soul. “And you, what? Thought you would sneak out in this and attend the ball after I explicitly said you could not? After I made it clear how dangerous such a thing would be?”

“N-no! I just… I just wanted to pretend, for a little while…”

Lady Tremaine seemed to be growing, filling up the entire room from top to bottom. Her voice was no longer quiet. “You pretending is what keeps you sick in the head like you are! It is what will get you killed if you go out into the world spouting this nonsense! If you keep feeding it you will even infect others with your delusions. You will make other women that claim to be interested only in women think it is alright to be with a freak like you! You will be just like…” She cut herself off, one eye twitching slightly and her breathing ragged. All three of her daughters stared at her in terror.

Collecting herself, Lady Tremaine’s face went blank, save for the wrath still reflecting in her eyes. “Drizzela. Anastasia. Destroy that wretched piece of cloth.”

“Yes, M-mother,” Drizzela mumbled, no hint of glee on her face any longer. The elder stepsister took several steps forward and began to tear at the dress, her face blank.

“Drizzela, please, no!” Cinderella sputtered through tears.

“Anastasia. Now.” Lady Tremaine said to her daughter who had thus far remained frozen.

Slowly, Anastasia stepped forward to stand next to Drizzela.

“Mother, no, please!” Cinderella begged, falling to her knees before the woman.

The grey eyes looked only at the dress being torn apart. “This is for the best, Ash. You are never going to get better if I let you keep that thing.”

No amount of tears from Cinderella did anything to dissuade her stepmother, and eventually all that was left of the blue dress was a mass of torn cloth held in Anastasia’s hands. Silently, Lady Tremaine glided over to Cinderella’s bed, picking up the still open box that now had only a locket and earrings inside. She stared at them for a few moments before closing the box and placing it on top of the pile of cloth in Anastasia’s hands.

“Burn it all.”

All three sister’s eyes went wide again. “Mother…” Anastasia began to dispute.

“Do not make me repeat myself,” Lady Tremaine said.

“Y-yes, mother…” Anastasia said, walking swiftly out of the room.

Crawling on the ground, afraid to look her in the eye, Cinderella desperately grasped the edge of her stepmother’s dress. “Mother, please, not that too… It’s all I have to remember my passed mothers by…”

Lady Tremaine roughly pulled the edge of her dress away. “Your mothers are dead. They can do nothing for you. I am the only one here to care for you now.”

Loud sobs tore through Cinderella’s throat as she collapsed to the ground. Without another word her stepmother and stepsister exited the room, closing the door behind them.

How long Cinderella stayed there on that floor she couldn’t be sure, but when she looked up at the window and saw black smoke in the sky from their chimney, she stayed there much, much longer.

~~~

That evening, Cinderella’s family left for the ball without a word. She hadn’t left her room anyway, so it was hardly surprising.  For some time now she had been kneeling by the window, staring up at the stars.

A strange light suddenly caught her eye – coming from the ground rather than the sky. The garden, specifically. She tried to focus her eyes on it, but from this vantage point she couldn’t tell what was causing it. The light was calming, however, and blue. It called to something deep inside her, beckoning stronger and stronger the longer she stared at it.

Finally, she could take it no longer. Backing away from the window, she was soon out of the house, a step or two into the garden. Still she could not tell what exactly was creating the light, but she was sure the source resided near the faery stump. Drawing near to the natural altar, it appeared as though the flower in the middle was shining.

But that wasn’t it – the light rose up from behind the flower, then moved directly toward Cinderella. Part of her wanted to flee, or to at least take a few steps back, but her legs wouldn’t budge.

The light stopped a few paces away from her, then began to grow. As it did, a form began to emerge, one with arms, and legs, and a head. Before long, a human stood before her, or at least something like one.

Short, bright, blue, curly hair adorned a round, freckled face. Their nose was wide and short, with large nostrils. Green clothing, a mix between what looked like fabric, leaves, and chain armor haphazardly covered the person’s quite wide, but only about five-foot-tall form. Besides a slight glowing, their skin was around the same light brown shade as Cinderella’s – not something she was used to seeing. Their skin was also covered in intricate patterns across most of their body.

The strange but entrancing person’s face suddenly jerked straight up to look at Cinderella, their large eyes opening to reveal glowing yellow sclera with darker yellow cornea. Wings appeared from behind the being’s back, thin, purple, and with intricate patterns all across them, similar to the patterns covering the being’s skin. The wings began to move, and a moment later the mesmerizing person was hovering above the ground, right at eye level with Cinderella.

“H-hello?” Cinderella said hesitatingly.

A wide grin spread across the being’s face. “Hello, Cinderella. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you face-to-face.”

Cinderella’s eyes were practically as wide as the hovering person’s grin. “Y-you know my name? My real one? Wh-who are you?”

Pressing one thick hand lightly against their breasts, the magical being said, “Why, I’m your Faery Godmother!”

Cinderella’s eyes were physically incapable of opening any wider than they were currently. “F-f-faery!? Godmother?”

Her Godmother nodded. “Yes! My name is Amalia, to be more specific. Did you think we hadn’t noticed your little daily offerings?”

An excited squealing sound that Cinderella had quite possibly never made before erupted from her mouth as her body almost involuntarily jumped up and down. “You’re real! You’re really real!” She stopped and became motionless, staring at her Godmother. “And you’re so… so beautiful…”

Grinning widely again, Amalia said, “Thank you, dear, but just to be clear, faeries don’t date humans.”

The look of disappointment on Cinderella’s face was slight, but noticeable.

Lightly placing a hand on Cinderella’s shoulder, her Godmother said, “Look, Cinderella, we’ve been worried about you for a long time now.”

“We?”

“The other faeries and I. We’ve been trying to figure out how we can help you, because our magic is inherently quite limited. Almost anything we can do will be only temporary. But, this ball… we think it’s a very real possibility that, if things go well there, you could end up with a much better life. And though we’re limited, our magic can most certainly carry through the night, to give you the boost you need.”

Cinderella stared in rapt attention, unsure of where this was going, but eager to find out.

Fluttering up and away a slight bit, Amalia smiled warmly. “We’re going to give you the most beautiful dress magic can muster, and a horse-drawn carriage to take you to your fateful night.”

With a flick of their wrist, a wooden, knobbly wand appeared in their hand. They gave it a swish, and a swirl of light enveloped Cinderella. A moment later, she found herself clothed in a gorgeous red dress, that stopped just short of the ground. Upon her feet were a pair of immaculate glass slippers. She also felt much cleaner – and looking at her uncovered arm she found that all the daily dirt and grime she was accustomed to was gone. Her hair, too, was clean, the long brown curls cascading down her back and over her shoulders. She noticed an unfamiliar weight around her neck and on her ears. Running a hand over them, she gasped.

“Are these-!?” she said, wide-eyed. Her Godmother nodded. “But… I thought they were gone forever!”

With a knowing smile, Amalia said, “They might not be as gone as you’d imagined. But that’s a conversation you’ll have later. For now, just enjoy having them back for a while.”

She wasn’t sure what they were talking about; magic things, most likely.

A few more swishes of their wand caused one of the garden’s unripe pumpkins to float up into the air and transform into a glittering white carriage, and a small group of mice to float in from various places in the yard and house before being transformed into horses and a coachwoman. Cinderella had always believed in faeries, but to see such power on display before her eyes was utterly amazing.

Floating down to eye level again, their wand disappearing with a swish, Amalia took Cinderella’s hands in their own. “Now, there’s a few more things that are important for me to mention. Please pay close attention.”

Dragging her eyes away from the idling horses took some effort, but Cinderella managed.
“Firstly, I have cast a spell that will make it so even the most hateful of eyes will see you as the beautiful woman you are.”

Cinderella frowned. “…What do you mean?”

Scrunching up their nose a little, Amalia explained. “Some people, when they see a nose, or a jaw, or a general body shape like yours, refuse to see those as things belonging to a woman. They will take those beautiful but different aspects of you and decide they somehow prove you are not what you know yourself to be. For tonight, those gorgeous features of yours will still exist, but no one who sees them, even the most hateful of people, will consider them anything less than stunning. Do you understand?”

“I think so.”

“Good,” her Godmother said with a grin. “Secondly, since your stepmother and sisters will be there, I have cast a spell which will make them unable to recognize you.”

“Ah, fantastic!”

Gripping Cinderella’s hands a little tighter, Amalia continued. “Finally, and most importantly, is this: as are all faery spells, these things are temporary. We can guarantee that all of it – the spells we mentioned, the transfigured plant and animals, and your clothing – will remain as they are now until midnight tonight. When the clock strikes twelve, however, we cannot guarantee any of it will remain. Make sure you leave before then, else you risk exposure, in more ways than one.”

“I understand.”

“Good!” they said, fluttering upwards a small ways.  They drew Cinderella into a warm embrace, which she enthusiastically reciprocated.

A small time later, Cinderella stepped carefully into the immaculate white carriage. As it began to move, her Faery Godmother waved, tears in their eyes.

“Be safe, dear! Have an amazing night!”

And just before Cinderella was out of earshot, “We love you!”

Feeling something wet on her cheek, she reached up and, to her surprise, wiped away a single tear.

~~~

The ball was even more grand than Cinderella could have ever imagined. After being helped out of her carriage by two courteous castle staff members, she was escorted by one of them up a grand staircase that led directly to the ballroom. Standing in the entryway, she stared in awe at the enormous room and the giant mass of people, all in fancy attire, and so many of them incredibly attractive. Rows of tables ran along the sides of the ballroom, covered in a vast array of delicious-looking food.  A small orchestra on a balcony overlooking the room played music more beautiful than any Cinderella had heard before.

Cautiously, she entered the throng, gently pushing her way through to the edge of the giant ring of people that milled about the dance floor. She had never danced before, or even seen others do so, and it was a sight to behold. They all looked so beautiful and graceful… She could hardly imagine looking like that, no matter how much magic the faeries threw her way.

As she stared at the dancers, one in particular caught her eye. A fairly tall woman, though not as tall as herself, with beautiful dark brown skin like the rest of Cinderella’s family. Most eye-catching, however, was her hair. Either side of the woman’s head was shaved close to the skin, and in the middle was a dark red mass of hair that stood rather tall, falling in the back to around the woman’s shoulders.

Cinderella’s heart thumped loudly in her chest. Her face was warm. She couldn’t stop staring.

The gorgeous woman locked eyes with her for a short moment, a moment in which Cinderella felt sure that she was going to melt into a puddle. The woman ceased the dance she had been sharing with someone else and began to walk directly toward Cinderella. It suddenly felt as though Cinderella very urgently needed to run far, far away, but her body was completely immobile.

“Hello,” the gorgeous woman said, her voice cool and melodious, everything about her dripping in charm. “Who might you be, beautiful stranger?”

It really didn’t make sense to Cinderella that she was not a puddle on the floor in this moment.

“I-I-I…” Beating back her nerves proved difficult. “I-I’m Cinderella. Who might y-you be?”

A look of complete surprise briefly overtook the woman’s face, soon replaced by a huge grin and a particularly enticing glint in her entrancing blue eyes.

“My name is Kat. Would you like to dance, Cinderella?” she said, holding out an open palm.

Staring at it in shock, Cinderella mumbled, “I-I don’t really know how…”

“It’s easy enough – just follow my lead.”

There wasn’t any way she could actually turn this obscenely attractive woman down, and thus moments later the two of them were slowly waltzing in the middle of the dance floor, Cinderella doing so a bit haltingly and awkwardly, but not altogether awfully.

“So, Cinderella, what kingdom do you hail from?” Kat asked after a few minutes of verbally guiding her partner’s dancing.

“I-I…” They were so close, and holding hands, and one of those soft hands was on her hip… “This one, a-actually…”

“Ah, so not royalty, then. Which makes sense.” Kat’s luminous blue eyes grazed over Cinderella’s body in a way quite unlike how her stepmother’s had. “Your arms, in particular, have a bit too much muscle for most overly delicate royals anyway, if you don’t mind me saying.”

Anyone else making that observation would have made Cinderella feel wretchedly self-conscious, but the way Kat said it made her proud of her arms in a way she never had been before.

“Do you like it here?” Kat said, no doubt noticing the small smile that had appeared on Cinderella’s face.

Staring about, at the absurdly high ceiling, the mass of people, the elaborate decorations, Cinderella’s answer was obvious. “Yes! It’s amazing… Such a grand room, such beautiful decor… And so many gorgeous people.” Nervous, inexperienced eyes fluttered back to Kat before nervously fluttering away again. “Some very gorgeous people.”

Kat’s grin encompassed most of her face. The pair of women slowly danced toward the far end of the room, Cinderella keeping step fairly well at this point.  She barely registered the fact that an uncomfortable amount of eyes were upon the two of them.

“So the Princess that threw this thing… what have you heard of her?” Kat asked, cocking her head to the side a little, one eyebrow raised.

“Nothing more than what everyone else has,” Cinderella said with a small shrug. “She has remained unwed for much longer than expected, and the rumors are strong that the reason for it is that she is only interested in marrying women. The invitation to the ball called simply for any unwed person of marriageable age, though, so perhaps she’s open to any gender?”

Leaving Cinderella’s face for perhaps the first time since meeting her, Kat’s eyes darted to the side. “Or perhaps the Queen insisted it read ‘unwed men of marriageable age’, and the two fought about it and eventually agreed to compromise. …If the rumors are true, I mean.”

“Maybe,” Cinderella said. She hadn’t thought of that, but it seemed plausible.

Now at the edge of the dance floor, Kat stopped dancing, but continued holding Cinderella’s hand. “Walk with me?”

“Of course!” Cinderella said, beaming.

The two pushed through a throng of staring people toward an exit leading outside. Kat muttered something to a guard as they passed, which was a bit odd, and after the pair had walked outside Cinderella saw, in the corner of her eye, the guard slide over to stand directly in the doorway.

“So what do you like to do for fun?” Kat asked, drawing Cinderella’s attention again. The two of them walked through a beautiful garden, with bushes cut in intricate designs and a giant fountain continually spurting water from a golden statue of a deer.

“I, um, well…” Cinderella frowned a little, her answer more difficult to come by than she’d anticipated. “I don’t have a lot of opportunity for it anymore, but… I suppose one of my favorite things is to listen to stories. Especially fantastical ones. Stories of the faeries, in particular, have always fascinated me.”

Kat smiled warmly. “That’s wonderful! Do you only like listening to stories? Do you not enjoy reading them?”

Cinderella’s cheeks flushed with colour, for the first time this night in an unpleasant way. “I… I cannot read.”

Eyes wide, Kat’s responded with a tone that was somewhat nervous for the first time. “Sorry, sorry! How presumptuous of me. Please don’t feel bad, it’s nothing to be ashamed of. One becomes used to dealing with nobles, where such a thing is just assumed… Again, my apologies.”

The heartfelt apologizing more than made up for Cinderella’s brief embarrassment. “It’s fine – don’t worry about it.” Kat looked quite relieved.

The two women stepped out onto a balcony overlooking the rest of the massive expanse of land that contained the royal gardens.

Turning to face Cinderella, Kat gently grabbed both of her hands. “Cinderella, please, be honest…” She stared deep into Cinderella’s eyes with a particular fervor as she said, “Why are you here?”

There was silence for a moment, as Cinderella contemplated. Finally, she said, “Well, to be honest… My family is only here to try to marry into royalty. And I think that’s why my godmother wanted me to come, too.” Unmistakable disappointment appeared in Kat’s eyes, yet Cinderella continued. “But personally, well… I’ve never been able to go to anything like this before. The thought of attending an event with so many people, of wearing a dress and maybe trying to dance and just… of being myself in a way I’m normally not allowed to be… That thought was intoxicating.” The disappointment left Kat’s eyes, replaced by something Cinderella couldn’t quite place. “So the real reason I came here wasn’t to try to marry some princess I’ve never met for power and prestige, but simply to have fun being myself among a giant group of people for the first, and, most likely, the last time. And then,” she said, her cheeks warm once more, “I happened to meet an amazing person here, too.”

One soft finger lightly touched Cinderella’s cheek. “May I?” Kat said in an excited whisper, her eyes flashing between Cinderella’s eyes and mouth.

“Yes, please,” Cinderella replied.

Kat’s hand pressed gently against Cinderella’s cheek, drawing her head close. Their lips met, soft and warm. In the moment that their lips touched it was as though everything else ceased to be. There was only Cinderella and Kat and this delicate, intimate link between them. A tingling, electric feeling spread from Cinderella’s lips throughout her body, leaving her wanting nothing more in the world than more of the amazing woman before her. It was a moment that seemed to last forever, and yet was over far too soon, as Kat slowly, reluctantly, pulled away.

They stared into each other’s eyes for a few moments, and it was all Cinderella could do to avoid going in for another kiss. Finally, Kat hesitatingly said, “So, since you don’t seem to have realized, and since you should definitely know before we do anything like that again…” She paused. Then, “I’m not just Kat. People more often recognize me as Princess Katherine.”

The warm, blissful feeling Cinderella had going on instantly turned to dread. “Wh-what!?” She clasped her hands to her mouth, barely stifling a scream. “You’re-!? I am so sorry, I had no idea!! Sh-should I bow, oh my goodness, I don’t know how you are supposed to act in front of royalty!”

Waving her hands back and forth, Kat said, “No, no, please, don’t be sorry! And don’t worry about behaving a certain way around me. Part of why I’ve enjoyed talking to you so much is because you haven’t been talking to me like I’m ‘the Princess’, but just like I was, you know, a normal person.”

Face beet red, Cinderella mumbled, “I-it’s really okay? I don’t want… I do not want to seem rude…”

Taking Cinderella’s hands again, Kat said, “Please, don’t worry about that, alright? Just be yourself – the self I’ve been falling in love with all night.”

Cinderella was fairly certain she was on fire – or that her face was, at least. “You in love with… with someone like me?”

Kat smiled, with less of the oozing charm from when they had first met and more genuine warmth and happiness. “It certainly feels like it, at least. We’ve only just met, though, so it’s hard to say for sure. But I’ve never met anyone like you… You’re so earnest, and with an inner strength that most people in my world don’t seem to have. You don’t look like them, either, which I mean in only the best of ways. Your nose, the shape of your face, your height and general body type… everything about you, physically and otherwise is so unique and different than what I’m accustomed to – and also utterly gorgeous.”

The overwhelming happiness bubbling up inside Cinderella suddenly burst, a sense of unease pervading instead. The words of her Fairy Godmother played in her head. She couldn’t help but wonder, and fear, that Kat’s words were influenced by the magic she couldn’t know was in effect.

“Is something wrong?” Kat said with concern, undoubtedly noticing the shift in Cinderella’s expression.

Bells started to toll from far away. Kat’s head turned in the direction of the sound. “Oh, midnight already. Time sure does fly.”

Panicked, Cinderella cried, “It’s already midnight!?”

“Y-yes, is that a prob-”

“I’m so so so so sorry, you’re absolutely amazing, and I’ll never forget this night, or you, but I have to go.”

Expression horrified, Kat said, “Go!? But why!?”

Throwing caution to the wind, since she didn’t expect to ever get to see the wonderful woman again, Cinderella drew Kat into an embrace and gave her another kiss. “Goodbye, love.” She said before running away as fast as she could, leaving a dumbstruck Princess behind.

She tore through the garden and practically leaped over the guard in her hurry to get past him. He moved aside, but the throng of people past him proved harder to push through. After far too many bell tolls, Cinderella emerged from the mass of people and dashed out the exit. As she ran down the steps, she briefly stumbled. One of her glass shoes fell from her feet, but she was in far too much of a rush to retrieve it.

The carriage and horses that had brought her here were nowhere to be found. She ended up running, and eventually, once she was far enough away, walking back to her home. By the time she got there her other glass slipper, her red dress, and even her locket and earrings had disappeared, replaced by bare feet and her normal tattered dress. Exhausted, she trekked up the stairs to her room. shut her door, and collapsed onto her mattress, falling asleep within seconds.

~~~

In the morning, Cinderella was woken up by a soft tapping at her door. This could only be Anastasia; the other two would not be so polite.

“Come in,” Cinderella said groggily.

Anastasia cautiously entered, smiling warily, one hand hidden behind her back. “Hello, Cinderella,” she said, as though her words might cut Cinderella’s skin.

Thoughts of yesterday, the bad part of it, drifted back to Cinderella. She’d almost forgotten, after the wonderful evening following it. She supposed she should be unhappy to see Anastasia, given the girl’s part in that awfulness, but her mind still bathed in a haze of good feelings and a good night’s rest.

Perhaps noting Cinderella’s mood, Anastasia slowly approached. “Are you… okay?” She shook her head emphatically. “No, of course not, after what they… after what we did. I don’t expect you can ever truly forgive any of us for that…”

Though Cinderella’s heart didn’t exactly feel hardened toward her nervous stepsister right now, she couldn’t exactly disagree with what was being said. Silence seemed the best option.

“But, um… Well, it’s not quite as bad as it seemed…” She ran one hand over her head furiously. “I mean it was awful, definitely, I’m awful, just not as awful as you probably thought when you saw the smoke and…” It seemed far too likely in this moment that Cinderella’s frustrated stepsister was about to start pulling her own hair out. “Oh goodness, just, here.”

Anastasia’s hidden hand jutted out from behind her back and thrust toward Cinderella. In it was a box – the very one that Cinderella’s stepmother had demanded be incinerated. Staring in shock, Cinderella took it and immediately threw it open. Inside was a few knick-knacks she didn’t recognize, along with the familiar locket and earrings, as well as a small bit of torn fabric.

“I couldn’t fit all the torn pieces, but I though you might like it if I saved a few,” Anastasia said, with the faintest of smiles.

Eyes like saucers, Cinderella stared up at her sister. “…How?”

Smile turning sad, Anastasia said, “I couldn’t burn your box… You didn’t deserve that, and it clearly meant so much to you, and I’d already had to help destroy your beautiful dress…” She trailed off briefly, eyes fixed on the unrecognized knick-knacks. “…I had a wooden box of my own, that those things you don’t recognize were in. I knew I had to burn something to convince mother, so… I burned that.”

“I know what box you’re talking about!” Cinderella almost shouted, leaning forward. “Didn’t your father make it?”

Tears in her eyes, Anastasia gave a weak nod. Cinderella moved over a little and patted the now empty spot on her bed, which her sister gladly sat on. As soon as she had, Cinderella leaned forward again and pulled her sniffling sister into a tight embrace.

“Thank you, Anna, this means so much…” She kissed Anastasia’s wet cheek, then squeezed even harder. “I know how hard that must have been for you.”

Still sniffling, Anastasia muttered, “Yeah, b-but what else could I do? I refused to hurt you more by burning your things…” Silence overtook them momentarily, briefly filled by a big sniffle. “…I just wish I’d been able to tell you yesterday. But mother told us to stay away from your room for the rest of the day, and I didn’t want her getting mad at you again if I did.”

With another squeeze, Cinderella said, “It’s fine, really. I was devastated when I saw the smoke, but there wasn’t much you could do that you didn’t already do, so don’t worry about it.”

The two of them sat there for a while, gently swaying.  After a bit, Anastasia turned toward Cinderella, tears mostly subsided.

“So I know you didn’t get to go, but did you want me to tell you about the ball?”

Pulling away, Cinderella enthusiastically said, “Sure!”

“It was so great! The ballroom was huge, and there were so many people, and I didn’t actually get to dance with her, but the Princess looked amazing!” She caught her breath, then continued, “The Princess only danced with women, just like we’d expected, but later in the night there was this one woman that she danced with for a long time, and then the two of them went off somewhere else. Everyone was talking about it. A lot of them were jealous. And I heard, though I didn’t actually see it, that the woman ran off at one point, and the Princess told her guards to follow. No idea if that’s true, or if they caught her.”

“Wow, that’s… so strange,” Cinderella said, trying to keep any unwanted emotion from her face and voice.

“No but really, the best part of the whole thing was the food. It was to die for. I didn’t eat a bunch or anything, but what I did eat…”

They talked quite a while longer, Cinderella enjoying each and every second.

~~~

After Anastasia left, Cinderella lounged about in bed for a while longer. Lady Tremaine no doubt expected her to be doing her chores, but the woman hadn’t bothered Cinderella about it yet, and however much longer she could hold off returning to her typical routine, even if it was a few minutes, seemed worth it. Her mind was irrevocably stuck thinking about the Princess, desperately wishing that there was some way she could see the gorgeous woman again.

The slamming of the front door caused her to jerk upright in alarm. Had someone just left, or returned? She wasn’t aware anyone had left, if it was the latter. She could hear one of her sisters – it sounded like Drizzela – yelling. Their voices were carried up to her by the defunct pipe near where she hid her box, but without moving close to it she couldn’t make out what was actually being said. The voices were very excited, though.

Finally pushing herself to her feet, Cinderella slid her normal dress on, then began walking toward her door. Just before she got there, however, she heard the sound of a key sliding into a lock and turning. Running the rest of the way, she frantically tried to open the door, to no avail.

“Mother, is that you? Did you lock me in!?” she cried, still tugging at the door.

“Yes,” came the only response.

She stopped her pulling, dumbstruck. “W-why!? Have I not been punished enough? What’s… what is going on!?”

“Stupid boy,” Lady Tremaine replied, almost spitting the words. “I know where you were last night. I saw you flee the castle. I know that you are the one the Princess is searching the town and countryside for.”

Cinderella froze for a moment, fear overtaking her heart, though a measure of joy creeped in after her stepmother’s last sentence. “She’s… she’s looking for me?”

“Yes,” Lady Tremaine said, nothing but contempt in her voice. “But I will be damned if I let another tranny ruin my life.”

It was as though a spear had pierced Cinderella’s side. “Wh-wha-what?”

“Your mother…” Lady Tremaine paused, as though speaking had become difficult. “She claimed she only loved women, yet she never stopped loving that fake that she had you with. She never loved me like she should have…” There was a sound almost like a sob. “…not with your freak father still controlling her heart, even from the grave.”

Standing felt too difficult. Falling to her knees, Cinderella sputtered, “M-m-my…? You m-mean my mother’s first wife? She was… like me?”

“He was just as wrong in the head as you. Just as beautiful, even though every bit of it was fake.” The sound of a fist hitting wood gave Cinderella a start. “I will not let you take what rightfully belongs to my daughters. They will be the ones to marry the Princess, or no one will – least of all you.”

“M-mother, no, please! I am sorry you’ve been hurt, but please, don’t do this!”

There was no response. Lady Tremaine was gone. Cinderella struggled futilely with the door, but it wouldn’t budge. She considered banging at it, but knew it would do little to better her situation, and could do a lot to make it worse. Returning to her mattress and collapsing upon it seemed like the only thing she could reasonably do at the moment.

How much time passed as she lay there she couldn’t be sure, but eventually she heard the sounds of horses nearby, a sign that company was no doubt at the door. A faint sound drifted over from the pipe in the corner, and, realizing that this was her only way to have any idea what was going on, Cinderella quickly crawled over to it. Moving her ear to where it was just shy of being pressed against the cold metal, she listened.

“…orders from Her Majesty herself, we have arrived to try to determine if anyone in this residence might be the girl Princess Katherine is searching for, a girl calling herself Cinderella.”

There was a sound of glass hitting the floor. “Anastasia, you stupid girl, clean that up this instant.” In a much sweeter tone, Lady Tremaine then said, “My apologies, gentle persons, my daughter can be a tad clumsy.”

If there was a response, Cinderella couldn’t hear it. “Ma’am, could we please have one of your daughters try this shoe on?” This new voice immediately struck Cinderella right through the heart. It was Kat – the Princess. She sounded weary and forlorn, however – not a tone of her voice Cinderella was happy to hear. And what was this about a shoe? Now that she thought about it, she had lost one of her glass slippers the other night while running for home… but she’d assumed it had disappeared just like the other one. Why wouldn’t it? Were the faeries still doing what they could to help her?

“Yes, yes, of course!” said Lady Tremaine. “Drizzela, hurry, sit, sit! And take off your shoes.”

After a few moments of little sound, there was a collective sound of disappointment. “No, her feet are too small…” came the Princess’ even wearier voice. Almost too soft for Cinderella to hear, came the words, “…just like everyone else we’ve had try it on.” Cinderella had always been self-conscious about how large her feet were, especially compared to other women, but the difference sure seemed to be beneficial in this particular circumstance. Though with her trapped up here, it would make little difference… She could yell into the pipe, but what if it wasn’t loud enough for them to hear? What if only her stepmother heard it, and made sure Cinderella regretted it later? Or what if the woman was able to play the sound off to the rest of the room as having come from an animal in the attic or…

Or what if none of that mattered, because the Princess, now that there was no magic working on her, didn’t find Cinderella attractive anymore? What if her stepmother was right, had always been right, about her being sick in the head? What if she was simply unlovable?

A tear fell into the end of the pipe just as Lady Tremaine’s voice drifted back up it. “Well, let us try my other daughter, then, shall we? Anastasia, put the broom down and come over here.”

“But, mother, you know they’re not m-”

“Anastasia you will shut your mouth this instant and try on the shoe.”

Cinderella heard no response, but a few moments later sounds of disappointment once more resounded. “I told you, mother,” came Anastasia’s bitter voice.

“If you have no other daughters, we will be on our way,” said the same voice that Cinderella had heard at the beginning of the encounter.

“Mother, you have to let-”

In a spine-chilling tone, Lady Tremaine said, “Anastasia if you do not shut your mouth immediately, and keep it that way, you will live to regret it.”

There were some low voices that Cinderella couldn’t make out, and finally, “We’ll be off then,” spoken by the Princess – Kat. The last words Cinderella would ever hear from that wonderful woman again if she didn’t do something. But what if the last words she heard were instead “I was attracted to you? You’re no woman.”

The time to think was past. Kat was probably already out the door, it probably wouldn’t do anything except make Cinderella’s life harder, but she would never forgive herself if she didn’t try. Moving her mouth over the pipe, she took a deep breath and bellowed, “Kat, it’s me!! I’m here, don’t leave me!!!”

At first, Cinderella could hear nothing. A few moments later, the stomping of approaching feet graced her ears, and suddenly her door was thrown wide open. Anastasia stood there, a key in her hand and a giant smile on her face. “You’re wanted downstairs,” she said excitedly to Cinderella, who was still crouched over the pipe.

Wasting no time, Cinderella made her way to the door and flew down the stairs, Anastasia right behind her. As she practically leaped down the steps to the ground floor, she saw with excitement the Princess and her two guards, along with Drizzela and Lady Tremaine, the latter of which looked less than pleased to see her. Lady Tremaine’s eyes, in fact, were absolutely terrifying to look into – so Cinderella instead turned her gaze back toward the Princess.

“Cinderella, is it really you!?” Kat said, her voice an excited, nervous whisper. “You look so different…” Cinderella’s heart sank – it had been the magic making her look beautiful all along.

“Please, sit,” the Princess said, gesturing at the couch. Somewhat reluctantly, Cinderella began to walk that direction, passing between the Princess and her guards on one side, and her stepmother and stepsister on the other. Suddenly, her foot slammed into an unexpected obstacle. She fell, crashing into one of the guards – the one holding the glass slipper. It fell to the ground and shattered into a thousand pieces.

“W-what…?” came the Princess’ voice.

“No… NO….” Cinderella said in a horrified whisper. Looking up, a demonic smirk consumed her stepmother’s face and Cinderella’s vision, the woman’s hate-filled eyes boring holes through Cinderella’s skull.

The room spun – her heart was nothing but despair. She had been so close, so very, very close, but her one chance at happiness had been blasted to pieces. Had she been fooling herself? Yes, definitely. People like her didn’t get, didn’t deserve happiness. There had been no real chance she’d get it.

Her stepmother had won.

A hand, a familiar hand, materialized before Cinderella’s face, shining through the darkness. Tentatively, she grabbed hold, and found herself being pulled to her feet by none other than the Princess.

The room gradually returned, and with it, Cinderella’s sense of touch. Her hands were both being held. They were being held by Kat. The amazing woman was staring at them, contemplating. Then her face and one hand rose. Bright blue eyes stared deep into Cinderella’s dark brown ones. One hand gently brushed aside some of Cinderella’s literally dirty brown hair, the other rose up to touch her cheek, the skin rough but warm. Softly, the gorgeous woman wiped Cinderella’s cheek, removing some of the dust and grime that had reappeared after last night’s magic had worn off.

“It is you,” she said quietly. “It was hard to tell… you’re so dirty, and your dress is so loose and tattered. But, underneath the dirt, it really is you, Cinderella.” She softly placed both her hands upon Cinderella’s cheeks, heat radiating through them. “I finally found the woman I fell in love with.”

Cinderella’s heart bounced right out of her chest as Kat pulled her head down for a kiss. A deep longing that Cinderella had hardly been aware of suddenly overtook her mind. She was completely sure now that what she wanted more than anything else in the world was to be with this woman forever, and to kiss her as many times as she could before she left it. Her heart felt warm, almost burning, as did her cheeks and her lips. She yearned for this moment of pure bliss to last the rest of her life, and was comforted only by the vague notion that many more like it would undoubtedly soon occur.

The two women pulled apart, Cinderella’s eyes catching a positively beaming Anastasia to her right.

“Cinderella,” said Kat, once more taking Cinderella’s hands in hers. “Would you please do me the honor of coming to live at the palace? We can get to know each other, and then, when and if we’re ready, we can marry.”

A significant part of Cinderella was ready to be wed right this moment, but she knew that ultimately Kat was right. They should spend more than a few hours together first. She glanced about the room again, taking in the unhappy faces of two of her relatives, the satisfied faces of the guards, and the positively joyous face of Anastasia – a face that was also tinted with a hint of sadness.

Turning back toward her new love, Cinderella said, “Of course I will! Under one condition.” Everyone looked shocked. “I’ll go if my sister Anastasia can also come, should she wish it.”

The hint of sadness evaporated from her sister’s face. “Of course, Cinderella, anyone you wish may also come,” Kat said without a second thought. “We have more than enough room at the palace.”

An excited squeal erupted from Anastasia’s mouth. “Yes, yes, thank you, Cinderella, you’re the best sister anyone could ask for!”

“Your highness, sorry to interrupt, but I feel I should inform you that this woman, Lady Tremaine, is the cause for miss Cinderella’s fall. She actively tried to sabotage you both,” said one of the guards, taking a place next to Lady Tremaine.

“What!? How dare you!” roared the Lady. “You have no proo-”

“Silence!” said the Princess, her voice more commanding and intimidating than Cinderella had ever heard it. “I trust my guards, and what reason would either of them have to lie about this?” Turning her face toward Cinderella, even Lady Tremaine didn’t dare to talk back. “She is your mother – what would you have me do with her?”

Solemnly, Cinderella looked to her stepmother and stepsister’s faces. In one, she saw nothing but defiant contempt, in the other, fear. Looking back and forth between the two of them, she took her time to come to a decision.

“Nothing,” she said, staring directly into her mother’s eyes. “Despite everything, I harbor no ill will toward her, and her attempts to prevent my happiness failed.” She turned back to look at Kat as she continued, “I don’t want to ever see her again, but I don’t wish any ill to befall her, either. Let Anastasia and I get our things, and then we’ll leave that woman and this place behind forever.”

Kat bowed. “As you wish.”

Cinderella walked toward the staircase, passing her furious mother and confused sister. Stopping right before the first step, she turned her head toward Drizzela. “Sister, if you ever wish to leave this place, to get away from our mother… As long as I reside at the palace you are welcome.” Drizzela stared, blank-faced, offering no response.

Minutes later, Cinderella and Anastasia had both grabbed any belongings they wished to take. These items were loaded onto one of the horses, followed by Anastasia behind one of the guards on one horse, and Cinderella behind Kat on another. As the small group began to slowly ride away toward Cinderella and Anastasia’s new life, Cinderella looked back at her old house, noting a faint light shining in the garden.

“Thank you,” she whispered, a smile on her face and a single tear on her cheek.