Cinderella: There's No Happy Ending

The Ball Announcement

The man, who Alice now knew was called Kit, rode his horse over to his companions and they all began to leave. However, before they got too far away, the Captain turned around and smiled at Alice. "Thank you for your assistance my lady." He followed that with a wink that had Alice blushing again and she nodded before looking down at her hands.

The two women turn the horses and head for home, allowing the animals to trot slowly. Ella teases Alice gently about the possibility of her being in love with the Captain. Alice sighs and rolls her eyes while smiling at her friend. They reached the edge of Ella's property and Alice sighed softly, catching the other woman's attention. "People don't fall in love at first sight Ella, especially not with ragged servant girls like me. The Captain probably won't even remember my face by the morning." Ella put her hand on her friend's arm and smiled sadly but she didn't have the right words to make things sound better so she stayed silent. Putting the horses into the pasture, the two moved into the kitchen to have a quick lunch of bread and cheese before they set out to the town.

When they reached town, they quickly went to the market and bought all the groceries the household would need for the next two weeks. Enough dried meat and canned things had been set aside that they only needed to buy the fresh vegetables and such that couldn't be grown at home. Once that was done, Ella found her friend and they began catching up. Alice joined them once she had put the groceries away in the baskets tied to their horses. She had given a young boy an apple and a silver coin to watch over the horses and he readily agreed, munching on the apple happily.

"You don't look well, miss. Neither of you. Why do you stay there when they treat you so?" Alice only shrugged as way of an answer while Ella smiled softly. "Because I made my mother and father a promise to cherish the place we were so happy. They loved our house and...and now that they're gone I love it for them. It's my home." The woman smiled and nudged Ella softly before changing the subject again. Alice, not minding being left out of the conversation, scanned the crowd. Suddenly her eyes catch sight of a royal uniform and all her attention is diverted there.

A royal crier is standing on a raised platform and begins calling for everyone's attention, effectively silencing the crowd. Opening a roll of parchment, he holds it aloft then begins reading. "Know on this day, two weeks hence, there shall be held at the palace a royal ball. At said ball, in accordance with ancient custom, the Prince shall choose a bride. Furthermore, at the behest of the Prince, it is hereby declared that every maiden in the kingdom, be she noble or commoner, is invited to attend. Such is the command of our most noble King." Many of the women around them began twittering to each other in surprise and joy, already making plans for the ball. All the eligible maidens would be vying for the Prince's attention that night and Alice knew it.

"Ella we must go home now. Your stepmother and stepsisters will want to hear the news. Lady Tremaine will be cross if she is the last to find out." Ella nodded and they quickly made their way to the horses. Fortunately, their horses were in a part of town that had yet to receive news of the upcoming ball. While Ella was off to get the horses from the young boy, Alice quickly bought a couple bolts of cloth for a great price from a merchant and stuck them in her bag. They rushed home and Alice agreed to put the groceries away if Ella would tell the girls what was happening. Hiding the cloth she had bought in the pantry, Alice put away the groceries then began making her way to the drawing room.

Ella met her halfway and told her what had happened when she told the women. "She won't have a dress for me and they keep calling me Cinderella! It bothers me so much but I wouldn't feel right saying mean things to them!" Alice soothed her friend and smiled at her.

"Don't worry Miss Ella, I'll help you make a dress and you'll go to that ball. I swear it." Ella hugged her friend then left to go back to town and tell the seamstress about making the dresses. She turned back around when she heard Alice call her name. "Tell that seamstress to have the dresses ready and delivered before the week is out." Ella nodded and quickly wrote down the measurements she knew by heart and took her horse back to town.