Cinderella: A Retelling of an Old Classic

The Day Arrives - Chapter 24

The day of the ball had finally arrived. After so many days of pacing up and down the throne room, yelling at any unsuspecting page boy, and in general terrorizing anyone that came remotely close to him, the king was beside himself.

Of course he wished his son all the happiness in the world but was he truly doing the right thing? After all, these days people did marry ridiculously late in life...perhaps the people would truly be understanding and give his son more time. Whether or not the neighboring kingdoms would do so however, was a different matter entirely. The invitations had been coming in at an alarming rate, each one a prospective daughter-in-law or wife. The queen had herself been sifting through the piles of acceptance letters remarking that they were more like applications for governess positions than anything else.
"Look at this one dear! You will never guess what it says?"
The king was sitting with his head in his hands and mumbled something his wife assumed was the appropriate response.
"They actually had some artist paint a rendering of the girl on the back of this acceptance letter!" the queen laughed gaily before moving on.
The king looked up, eyeing the mounds of paper before her reproachfully. "Must we really go through all of these?"
Queen Annabella looked up through her spectacle and sighed, "Must we really go through this once more darling? I thought we had settled all these doubts yesterday." 
"Doubts?? Doubts?? What are you talking about my dear, the king never has doubts! replied King Hubert pompously.
"Oh? Is that why you've worn another track in the carpet? Honestly dear, I did love this carpet." the queen replied looking ruefully at the now permanent indentation in her favorite Persian floor covering.

"Well I do apologize Annabella but can you really blame me? The dignitaries and monarchs and their daughters have been pouring into the city since a fortnight ago. If we really have to go through all of these acceptance letter by tonight..."
"No, no darling, don't be such a worry wart. Now we have but to look through the invitations from the Secretary of State there on your desk and we shall be free the rest of the evening."
"But what if Damon choose a girl from one of the invitations we haven't read? What if she is a terrible warmongering hag, or worse!" the king whispered, "what if she is....you know..."
The queen looked at her husband with a longsuffering expression painted on her face. "I'm afraid I do not know. You will have to explain."
"What if she is, ahem," the blustering red faced monarch said the next words with the most painful expression. "loose?"
"Loose?? In a physical sense of in the moral sense of the word?" the queen teased.
"Hang it all!! The moral sense! You know that!"
"Yes yes dear, I'm sure I did but I do love to aggravate you at times."
"Yes," the king replied not too patiently. "I do, however this is not the time for you practical jokes, or rather in this case, impractical jokes."
"Yes dear, I apologize. I allowed myself to be carried off by my wit." the queen said with a twinkle in her eye.

"You did," King Hubert began to agree before realizing her play on words. "Now see here Annabella!"he began.
Before he could start another of his tirades the queen quickly spoke, "I do think our son will have better taste than to choose a woman with less than perfect moral standards. Damon cannot abide woman who simper and sulk and he is even less patient with those whose moral compass does not match his own. Whether these qualities are good or bad in this case I cannot tell but for now we must rely on his sense of judgement."
King Hubert sat silently pondering the words of his wife. "perhaps you are correct, however, I do believe we should have had some kind of research done before we invited all of those foreigners into our kingdom. Who knows what strange customs they will bring!"
"Darling, I think we hardly need worry on that score! Everyone here will be most genteel I am certain."
"You have a much stronger belief in the goodness of humanity then I my dear." he replied looking at her fondly. "Who knows, perhaps I married you because of it."
"You forget Hubert, I was disinclined to marry you right from the start. I was not aware you were a gentleman until several months after we were wed, let alone that I would be happy with you."
"You take the romance out of everything." the king humphed.

The queen laughed gaily, "And you always remind me of it whenever I do."

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Far from the palace Adella was tying ribbons, powdering faces and layering rouge for her sisters.
"No Cinder girl, my lips aren't red enough! Are you sure you bought the right color? I said ruby red not this orange mess!"
"I bought the correct color, wait and let me apply another layer. The color will intensify, I promise."
"NO! don't you touch my dress with those hands! You will get it all dirty!"
"I won't I promise Jacqueline, I washed and put on a fresh dress only this morning. Your tassels are so tangled, I only wished to fix them."
"Then hurry up you lazy little thing! What do you think you are doing just standing there!"
Adella rushed to tidy the offending tassels before reaching to help her step-sisters with their shoes. However, though she pushed and pulled, shoved and stretched the slippers were simply too small to fit comfortably.
"Now what have you bungled?"

"It seems the shoes are too small," Adelle replied, dreading what would happen next.
The offending article was shoved into her chest as her step-sister screamed, "I KNEW you would mess something up!! You always do! You are completely incapable of doing anything correctly!! Well!! Mother will punish you for sure and certain!! MOOOOOOOOOTHEEEEEEEEEER!!!"
Wincing at the shrill tones that made her ears ring Adella waited for but half a minute before Regina arrived. In a flurry of lace and satin her step-mother arrived looking every bit as beautiful as she was black at heart.

"What is it my darling? Surely you are ready by now! The coach is ready and standing."
Jacqueline began to blubber and wail. "Mother, Cinderella ruined everything! My rouge is far to orange, the tassels on my dress are completely knotted, my hair resembles an ostriches nest and just look at these shoes! They must be four sizes too small!"
Regina surveyed the scene before her with growing anger. "Darling your hair is beautiful and the tassels have been untangled. As for the rouge and the shoes come into my room and we will make everything right. You Adella, you stay in this spot until I am free to deal with you."
With a sweep of their gowns the two ladies left, leaving Ella in their wake, shaking.