Twisted Fairytales

Ella in the Castle

 Once upon a time, there lived a poor orphan girl named Ella. She resided in the large castle of her stepsister, Anastasia, and her stepsister's wicked mother, who mocked Ella every time she scrubbed the muddy castle floor. Ella had no way of staying clean, for the grimy castle and the ashes of the fireplace would singe cinder onto her clothes.

"What a mess!" Anastasia would laugh. "What man would ever call you his princess?"

Because of her laborious life, Ella had been more commonly referred to in the household as Cinderella, the girl who "cleaned like a blind mouse," as her stepmother would taunt.

As winter turned into spring, the day came once again for the legendary Royal Ball. Hosted by the King and Queen, the Royal Ball was a perfect opportunity for love to ensue in the town. After all, Cinderella's other stepsister, Drizella, had recently become wedded to the eldest Prince, and his younger brother was next in line for marriage. Cinderella's stepmother pushed more than ever for Anastasia to go once more and find a suitable future husband. As for Cinderella, it would be her first springtime ball, but it seemed as though no one else wanted her to tag along.

"Can't this slipper fit me any better?" Anastasia screamed. Cinderella's hands were bruised red as she tried desperately to fit her stepsister into the ill-fitting glass shoes.

"Sew faster!" the stepmother taunted. "Don't you know that my dress will be the talk of the town?" She motioned to the elegant ball gown that fit her body effortlessly while Cinderella, who had been working on her own dress for days on end, rolled her eyes and continued threading.

Quietly, Cinderella answered, "I have to finish my own dress, too. I don't want to be late."

All she received was a laugh in the face. "What makes you think you can tag along?" the stepmother spat. "What makes you so deserving of a handsome man like the prince?"

The stepmother started to walk out the door to the ball when Cinderella then rose from the floor, her dress a tattered mess and her normally blonde hair an ashy brown with cinder. "I don't need him in order to know I'm a person," Cinderella said.

Her stepmother turned back around slowly, looking Cinderella in the eye. "A person?" she cackled. "You're worth no more than Drizella's cold toe." With that, she beckoned her daughter Anastasia to the door, and the two left for the ball. Their luxurious carriage awaited them outside, and they left giggling and sneering at poor Cinderella, whose subsequent tears stained the floors she had worked so hard to clean.

Cinderella was so struck with emotion that the tap on her shoulder was almost imperceptible. She wiped her eyes suddenly and looked up to see a majestic figure standing over her.

"Are you my guardian angel?" she wondered aloud. "I've heard about those before, and frankly, I've always wanted to have one."

The man pulled down his hood to reveal his face. Imprinted on his cloak was a tag that read "Charming."

"Actually, I'm sure they refer to our kind as 'fairy godmothers,' but I'm really fine with whatever."

"That works, I suppose." Cinderella shrugged her shoulders nervously. "What brings you here, to an ugly duckling like me?"

Charming took her tear-stained face in his hands. "My apologies, but I'd hate to leave you here like this." he cooed. "Unless you want that, of course. Would that make you happy?"

"Please, don't." Her whimpers filled the room, followed by more uncontrollable sobbing. In an attempt to console Cinderella, Charming tightened his hold on her, and she dug her fingers into him to bring him closer.

"There's no need to be sad, Ella. I know your wish, and I have come to grant it."

Cinderella was taken aback by his comment. "You don't know anything!" she snapped back in defense.

Charming brought a careful hand to Cinderella's forehead, her darting eyes his main source of intel. "I know you want to murder your evil stepmother." He raised an inquisitive eyebrow, taking Cinderella's silence as a confirmation of his hunch.

Cinderella did not fight back, but rather, she scratched her knotty hair in exasperation. "Well, I can't go to the ball like this," she said. "I'd easily be mistaken for a town beggar."

"Or worse," he chuckled. "A dwarf, perhaps?"

"Do I really look that bad?"

"I never said that." Charming closed his eyes. "But never fear!" With the flick of his wand, Cinderella's rags magically transformed into a beautiful ball gown, complete with matching shoes and gloves. Her radiant blonde hair, carefully braided and curled, fell gracefully at her sides.

"It's beautiful!" Cinderella exclaimed, spinning around to admire herself. "I never thought this shade of blue would actually suit me."

Charming's gaze never wavered, as if to agree with her. "I think you're missing the most important thing." He reached into his cloak and gifted to Cinderella a matching blue dagger, which undoubtedly caught Cinderella by surprise. In an instant, she tried to envision what would happen once she returned from the palace later that night. When she reverted back to her original self, dropping to the muggy castle floor in overwhelming tiredness, would she regret her decision against her stepmother? Would Charming still want to be her guardian angel? The more she thought about these things, the more the tranquility of her heart grew silenced by her desire for blood.

Charming noticed her internal distress and held a single finger to her lips, as if to silence her mind as well. "Let's let magic do the talking, princess."

Cinderella took the weapon with a new determination in her eyes. "Thank you," she whispered gently, looking out the stained glass window into the unknown night.

"Your carriage is waiting outside," Charming winked. With a kiss to her forehead, he sent the ravenous Cinderella on her way. "Just promise me you'll be home before midnight."

♡