Cinderella: There's No Happy Ending

The King

Days passed and word was spread throughout the kingdom that the King was very ill. Ella worried incessantly over Kit and how he would fare at the loss of his beloved father. Alice was digging up a new plot in the front garden when a messenger ran past, proclaiming loudly that the King had died. Alice ran inside and gave the news to the family who all looked appropriately sad. With the death of a monarch, there was always fear and uncertainty about the next ruler. Would they be as good to the people? Would they avoid war unless absolutely necessary? Would there be an heir soon after in case the worst happened? All these and more buzzed around the towns and countryside for weeks.

"Alice!" Ella's voice carried over the house to the kitchen where Alice was finishing up the dishes from lunch. Ella floated into the kitchen, she had been doing that a lot lately. Dancing across rooms and walking as though there were clouds under her feet. Alice couldn't help but smile every time she saw it. Being the more practical one, Alice held in her joy and kept it locked in her heart only to be let out at the appropriate times.

"Anastasia and Drisella want to go into town for a while to look at the market. Will you join us?" Alice smiled at her friend but shook her head quickly.

"I can't, I have so much I still need to do today. The kitchen needs to be cleaned again and I have a couple dresses I still need to sew for Lady Tremaine. Though if you could pick me up a few pieces of fruit in the market? Anything is fine, we've just run out and I've been wanting some." Alice handed Ella a few coins from her dress pocket before shooing the woman out into the rest of the house. There really wasn't much to be done in the kitchen but there were dresses that needed to be sewn. However, the truth was that Alice was scared to go into town.

She knew that the Captain would most likely be looking for her, he had said it would be a crime to let her slip away again. The guards were probably told to be on the lookout for her and Ella. There was no problem of Ella being recognized, she looked completely different for some reason; probably magic but Alice wasn't sure. She however, looked as completely normal as she had on the night of the ball and would be easily recognized. Alice wouldn't mind meeting with her handsome Captain again but Ella had insisted that she didn't want to see the Prince again, lest she become a burden or embarrassment. So Alice had stayed hidden for Ella's sake.

It's probably for the better anyway. Who would want someone like me? A dirty servant girl that was simply playing dress up for an evening. Kit would be lucky to get a girl like Ella. She's beautiful, honest, and kind. I would be the true embarrassment. I'm not worthy of a man like the Captain.

Alice was snapped out of her dark thoughts by the sound of the front door slamming. That meant that the girls had gone to town and Alice began walking upstairs to start working on those dresses. When she passed by the door to the attic, she heard what sounded like someone walking around and stomping on the floor. So she naturally went to investigate. As she climbed the stairs, the noise got louder and she could also hear labored breathing but it didn't sound like Ella. Pushing the door open, Alice let out a loud rush of air when she came face to face with Lady Tremaine, holding Ella's glass slipper in her hands.