Cinderella: There's No Happy Ending

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Alice heard the carriage pulled away and heard Ella's voice yelling good bye. Lady Tremaine entered the drawing room and sat down, watching Alice as she worked. Almost immediately, Alice began humming softly. The tune was soft and soothing; something she hoped would soothe Lady Tremaine's nerves.

"If you were to no longer be in our employment Alice, what job would you attempt to acquire next?" Startled and slightly afraid, Alice turned around quickly to face the Lady. Looking into her eyes, Alice relaxed as she saw only curiosity and realized that it really was just a question. She wasn't getting dismissed any time soon. Continuing her work, as she knew the Lady wouldn't mind, Alice answered honestly. "I would try to find work as a seamstress Madam. Before she died, my mother taught me everything there is to know about the profession. However, I've heard that the job itself is lonely and not nearly as demanding as I'm used to. I love company and I love having something to do constantly. If the order demand was low, I would likely take to sewing random dresses to be bought off the shelf."

Lady Tremaine watched Alice as she worked, stunned by the woman's answer. Then she looked carefully at the servant girl's dress and noticed that the work wasn't of any seamstress from town. Alice must have made the dress herself and she had done a fine job of it. The stitches were so small that they were invisible and were obviously strong enough to handle the abuse Alice put them through daily.

Alice heard Lady Tremaine call for Ella as she walked past the drawing room. The two began speaking and Alice kept humming but quieter than before, a soft music in the background that could be easily ignored. Alice did her best to ignore the conversation but she couldn't help the sneer that crossed her face when she told Ella to call her Madam. That was something a servant should use to address those of a higher rank, not something a stepdaughter should call her stepmother. Finished with the drawing room, Alice moved toward the door to continue with the other rooms when she heard Lady Tremaine tell Ella that she would be sleeping in the attic. The woman paused for a moment, outrage coursing through her before she remembered her place and continued with her chores.

Later that day, when Ella makes her way up the attic stairs she opens the door and sighs at the emptiness. Moving across the room, she sets her box of sewing supplies on a box before noticing a pile of blankets. They're all folded neatly and obviously freshly washed. Sitting atop the pile is a leaf folded into the shape of a small bird, obviously a gift from Alice. The young woman loved leaving small gifts like this for Ella to make her smile. "Thank you Alice. Thank you so much." Ella's voice was soft, practically a whisper but was filled with enough gratefulness to allow anyone listening to understand how much Ella appreciated her friend.

The next morning Alice had assigned herself to kitchen duty as it was the day the kitchen received a thorough cleaning. The ovens were scrubbed out, the floors cleaned, the fireplaces completely emptied, the pantries reorganized, and lists of groceries were made. While Alice trusted the others to do every other task around the house, this one of the few that should would only allow herself and the cook to do. Besides her work, Alice had two great passions and cooking was one of them. She refused to allow the kitchen to be dirty and the food had to be perfectly chosen. The cook appreciated the help and never complained when Alice took her kitchen over for a day.

Ella found Alice after she had eaten breakfast; the young woman was covered in ash and was currently finishing her own breakfast but looked incredibly unhappy. "Whatever is the matter Alice? You look as though someone has just taken your first born child." Alice rolled her eyes and used her head to gesture at the cook. "I wanted to get all the work finished before I ate but our cook here insisted that I eat now."

Ella smiled and sat down next to her friend, keeping a clear distance of her ash covered dress before pulling a napkin from one of her pockets. "Well it's just as well that you're eating now. I've come to give you something." Alice opened the napkin to find a hard-boiled egg and a piece of toast with jam on it. Ella knew that the servants only received porridge and a piece of fruit for their breakfast. Ella also knew, from servant gossip, that Alice ate less than any of them and often gave her food away to someone else. Smiling, Alice took a bite of the egg and leaned her head against Ella's shoulder. She never allowed anyone to take care of her but Ella was the exception because Alice knew she never expected to get anything from it. Pulling the toast in half, Alice offered one half to the cook who took it with a smile. Nobody in their right mind argued with Alice anymore. Again, Ella was the exception.