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Chapter Text

“Cinderella darling, there is no need for you to do that.”

That phrase was something that Cinderella had been told too often as she got used to living in a castle. It had been two months since she married Christopher ,and already there was so much to get used to. So many rules. And certain things that Cinderella now can and can not do.
At least according to the Queen. Who she insisted on being called Constantina or even more nerve-wracking Tina. Imagine, Her Royal Highness being shortened or acknowledged in two syllables.

Cinderella learned that she couldn’t make her own bed every morning.

She couldn’t make her own meals or do her own shopping for groceries.

And now she couldn’t do her own hair.

That was just added to the list of things that Cinderella couldn’t do.

Her and the Queen were in the gardens having brunch and it was only the two of them. And the several servants behind them waiting on them. Having 'girl time' the Queen called it, something else she insisted on. Which usually turned into an hour of Cinderella overthinking what to say and agreeing with whatever the Queen said and talked about.

When the discussion went into the first Ball of the season. Cinderella mentioned she would need a day to do her hair. She still had just washed and retwisted her braids last week and needed to gather supplies to do her hair in time for the Ball.

Which now she cannot do.

“Pardon me, but I think I would have thought to do my own hair,” Cinderella said as politely as she could.

Normally she would nod and agree to the Queen. But she had been doing her hair almost her whole life, not to mention her stepsisters’ hair as well. She was more than capable.

“Sweetheart, I think the time has come for you to let the Royal Hairdresser do it. It is unbecoming of a future ruler to have her do her own hair.”

Unbecoming. Cinderella wrung her silk napkin under the table upon hearing that word. That word that took Cinderella back to her stepmother. The woman would use words like to describe her when she wanted something done around the house. Or when she wanted to correct her daughters in their speech or posture.

Cinderella thought back often to her days with her stepsisters and stepmother. Of them asking a million things of her. Of hearing her name followed by an order. She sometimes thought the silly thought that her old life had more freedom attached.

“I’ll have my assistant make an appointment for you with enough time to pick out an ensemble for the Ball.”

“Yes, ma’am.” She nodded and placed her napkin on her empty plate, signaling to the servants behind them that she was done.

She excused herself from the table and went inside to finish the rest of her day with Christopher.

As Cinderella retreated inside the castle, Queen Constantina watched the young girl. She adored the girl that her son had chosen to love and marry. She had hoped that spending more time with Cinderella would make the girl more comfortable in this new life. The Queen could see that she would need to use another tactic. Constantina’s wheels turning into something brilliant.

“Lionel, I have a great idea!” The Queen shouted at her most trusted advisor, who was always there.

Lionel was familiar with that glimmer in the Queen’s eyes. Even after all the years that he had been serving and advising the royal family. He thought of the worst and braced himself for the thing Her Majesty would say.

“I want to make Cinderella Queen. Just for a day or two as I visit family in the mountains.”

Lionel rose his eyebrows in surprise. Even after all this time, Her Majesty could still shock him.

“Your Majesty. Do you think that is wise? She is so young and -”

“Lionel. Are you questioning me?” She turned a stern eye toward him.

“Of course, not Your Majesty. I will… go and give notice to your Royal Court.”

“Excellent. This will be the perfect thing for Cinderella to gain more confidence.”

She got up from the table and went on about her day as she did, knowing that her perfect plan would come into fruition and success. Just like it always had.

Chapter Text

“She wants to do what?” 

Prince Christopher asked in utter disbelief. He was sitting in the suite of his and Cinderella’s part of the castle. They were given the news as soon as Lionel had time to tell them later in the afternoon.

“I tried to stop her, Your Highness, but you know how your mother is,” Lionel said, looking as concerned as the young prince.
Christopher sighed in knowing exactly what Lionel meant. He knew firsthand that once his mother made up her mind then, there was almost no stopping her.

Cinderella was still in shock and had not yet spoken or moved since hearing about the news.
Her. A girl who was treated as a servant to her family for most of her life. Queen? Before she married Christopher, she had only overseen a household of chores. Now Queen Constantina wants her to oversee the whole kingdom. Impossible.

“Ella?” Prince Cristopher called in a concerned tone.

Her name, Cinderella, she answers to everyone else when someone calls her that. Only Chris calls her Ella. She was alright with the name Cinderella. It was what she had always been grown used to hearing and answering to. It was the last thing she had of her old life.
She looked up from where she sat to look at her husband and his most trusted friend.  They were both looking at her, noticing she hasn’t said anything yet.

“She can’t just do something like this. Can she?” She asked.

“Actually, she can Your Highness. She says this is to build some confidence in you.”

“Nonsense. Ella has the most confidence in a woman I have ever known.”

Cinderella smiled at the Prince in his way that she described her. He always saw things in her that she never noticed about herself.  

Confidence is something Ella had only mastered to use in the most important moments. She spoke her mind most innocently when she lived with her stepfamily before. But her thoughts spoken was always seen as something wrong or something to belittle her whenever she did that. So, when she married Christopher and moved into the castle, she only was polite and measured. Never speaking her true thoughts only to Chris and Lionel sometimes.   Never wanting to offend or say the wrong thing.
So, she did what she always did when something was asked of her. She nodded her head and obeyed the order. As she had done all her life. “I would be honored.”

Lionel reassured her before he left that the Queen doesn’t do anything major in the kingdom. No declarations of war or conversing with other kingdoms.  Queen Constantina mostly dealt with the events and the charities within the kingdom. But still. That was still more pressure than Cinderella had ever felt.

No matter what she did the rest of the day, she couldn’t keep her mind in one place.  When she was out in the gardens on her stroll, going into the library to read, dinner with Christopher, her mind wandered to the worst-case scenario that could happen tomorrow. She was even more nervous than she felt going to that fateful ball.

Cinderella laid in bed that night, her mind still spinning about tomorrow.

She heard the shuffling of the sheets next to her and felt her husband stare at her as she stared at the ceiling.

“You don’t have to do this. We could run away and never come back.”

She turned over to face Chris and smiled at the thought but knew that just wouldn’t work.

“Yes, I suppose. But then your mother would find us and be furious.”

Chris smiled in knowing that this was true but knew that she still appreciated the thought.

“Can I really lead the whole kingdom?  What if something were to go wrong? How do I know when to do what’s right?How will I know what the right thing to do is?”

Chris took Ella’s hands and kissed them, looking straight into her deep brown eyes.

“You are kind and courageous and brave. That’s all you need to be a good leader.” Her Prince said with all the kindness in his heart.

And Ella looked deep into his amber eyes, said to her loving husband.

“You don’t know either do you?” She asked teasingly. 

“No. I don’t.” He chuckled.

She put her head on his chest and giggled. He wrapped his arms around her and rubbed her back in small circles.

“Not yet. But I do have faith in you and I know that you are going to be great.”

And if Christopher thinks she can do it. Then why not have her at least try? It was only for a couple days. What could possibly go wrong?

Chapter Text

The next morning, Cinderella awoke and was escorted to the Royal Office where she was briefed on her duties as Queen. Lionel was there to help with the Queen’s five-person staff.

“Good Luck.” Chris kissed the top of her head and left. He had other things to do on his agenda and promised that he would check back in when he could throughout the day.

The Prince closed the door behind him. All the Queen’s staff looked expectantly at her.

A young woman looked to Ella and curtsied.

“Your Majesty, we must confirm the agenda for today.”

“Oh, of course.” Ella nodded and smiled,

A stretch of silence followed.

“Your Majesty, usually the Queen would make the schedule for today.”

She was passed a purple leather binder. It was filled to the brim with notes and papers all organized with separated dates and events. Balls, Kingdom Organizers, Honored Guests, the list was so extensive.

She looked up desperately toward Lionel for help.

The older man cleared his throat. “Of course, Your Majesty would like to go over the regular schedule as is. No need to change anything from Queen Constantine’s perfect system.”

Ella smiled in thanks. “Thank you, that would be sufficient.”

She was reminded of the instructions that Lionel gave her that morning as she was getting ready. She had to be fitted in a purple day dress with shiny, metallic trim. Instead of the plain pink silk one, she usually wore throughout her days inside the castle. It was accompanied by a silver tiara fastened into her braids by one of the Ladies in Waiting.

” You must never seem lost, even if you are. You must be firm in every choice you make. You must never have your head down in shame or regret.”

As soon as she was briefed on her meetings for that day. The day then started almost in that next moment. Organizers from the kingdom’s charities met with her on any events and needs that they would have in the coming weeks.

Ella mostly consulted the binder. Making sure that Queen Constantina’s notes were followed to the letter. The day was going rather smoothly as Ella was going through the lists that the Queen left for her. She was used to this, following orders. Making sure nothing goes wrong and unnoticed.

She was escorted into the dining rooms and the dance hall in the Entertainment part of the castle to finalize the details of the upcoming ball. The day's schedule was to be ended with hearing the townspeople in the daily town hall.

They were confirming the flowers and official colors for the dance. Ella felt silly, thinking that her feelings were way out of proportion before.

The flow of the meeting was then interrupted by a loud bang coming from somewhere inside the castle. Then, a group of footsteps coming from the entrance to the side ballroom. A shrill voice could be heard with the running footsteps on the marble floor.

“Cinderella!” A familiar shout bounced off the polished and pristine castle walls.

“Oh no,” Ella whispered under her breath.

Minerva. Her stepsister, once her tormentor, ran into the ballroom in a tattered, dusty orange dress and slippers. She looked like she was just in a fight from the look of her frizzy curls and smeared makeup. She must have because two guards two guards followed her into the room, their uniforms were askew and dirty as well.
The guards caught Minerva and held her back. More guards came in and helped to restrain the young women as she continued to scream.

“Unhand me! I must see my sister! She is a Princess!”

Ella never missed the volume of Minerva’s voice when she wanted something. Ella looked around her surroundings and realized that she was not at home in her apron. There were a lot of people, florists and workers, staring, some with their mouth opened. Everyone was paused in horror at her stepsister's antics.

One of the guards stepped forward and bowed to Ella as Minerva continued to scream and struggle.

“Sincerest apologies Your Majesty. We were getting the townspeople into the hall when she ran off.”

“Cinderella, you have to help me! Mother is in trouble.”

Her stepmother? In trouble? Cinderella handed the binder and flowers she was holding to the staff and stepped closer.

Cinderella knew more than anyone that Minerva would break through the guards at any moment. Even though Minerva never worked a day in her life, she was strong when she wanted to be.

“Minerva, I-”

Before she could speak, Lionel spoke in a tone demanding order.

“First of all, that is Your Majesty to you. You will speak to your Queen with some respect.”

“Queen?” Minerva paused for a second in the middle of her tantrum to really look at Ella for the first time.

“Well, then you must help us! Mother is in debtor’s prison because of you!”

Prison? Her stepmother? Those words didn’t seem to fit together in Ella’s mind.

Too much. This was too much for Ella to handle. But everyone was staring at her.

She held her head high and spoke with power in her voice, “Guards, see to it that she is escorted to a meeting room until we can get to the bottom of this.”

With more disapproving shouts and curses, Minerva was dragged out of the room. Throwing curses at Ella, making her want to excuse herself and rush out of the room. But she held firm in her decision and went back to looking at the next thing on her list.

Chapter Text

Christopher and King Maximilian came from their respected duties. Ella and Lionel waited for them in a meeting room. Ella had been chewing on her nails, an old habit that was shamed out of her by her stepmother.

They all sat at a long table while Lionel briefed the King and the Prince of the situation.

Chris took Ella’s hands in his as he sat next to her.

“Send her in.” The King’s voice ordered from their side of the meeting room door.

The guards escorted or more like dragged Minerva into the meeting room in front of the royal court.

“Leave us.”

The guards bowed and left the room. Before Minerva could start shouting the King spoke to Ella’s stepsister.

“You will speak to us with respect or we will send you to prison for trespassing and harming royal guards. Now state your reason for being here.”

She curtsied in her dress as her mother taught her. Minerva’s voice turned to a whisper in an almost strained and controlled way.

“It was like I told you. My mother is in debtor’s prison.”

The person who made Ella’s life miserable for years. In prison. 

“How did this happen?" Ella asked "My father left plenty of money for your mother. I saw the will.”

When she first moved into the castle, one of the first things that Ella did was see who her stepmother was now that she had access to the truth. She went into the family records kept in the royal archive. Her father gave Ella's stepmother everything that he owned in his will. It was enough for everyone in her household to live off comfortably. He left Ella with her mother’s simple rings and necklaces that she had kept since she was a child anyway.

“I don’t know. One day she came in and said that we had no money. It didn’t help that we had to hire someone for chores ever since you ran off.” 

“Where’s Calliope?” Those two did everything together. It was weird to Ella not seeing one stepsister without the other.

Minerva stared at the floor as if it was speaking to her and not Ella. “She left. Said she was going to run off with some baker in town. Fell in love like you.”

Venom was in Minerva’s voice.  She said love like it was a dirty word, showing that Minerva was her mother’s daughter.  Thinking that loving other people was foolish and a childish dream for someone to have.

“What about you?”

Minerva folded her arms in front of her. “There were no proper prospects for me.”

Ella knew what Minerva was not saying. Even if Minerva were to fall in love. Ella knew her stepmother wouldn’t allow anyone to marry her precious daughters unless they were tied with wealth or high status.

“What exactly do you expect us to do?” Christopher asked, keeping his tone professional.

Ella told him everything when he found her at her house with her glass slipper. She told him everything about her home life and she asked him not to harm or punish the women that Ella knew as family.

“If it weren’t for my mother you wouldn’t have this life anyway. You owe her this. The least you can do is free her” Minerva remembered her place, “Your Majesty”.

“How long ago was she taken in?” Ella asked.

“Two days ago.” 

Everyone looked to Ella after Minerva gave more information from Minerva about which prison her mother was located in.

Her husband leaned over and whispered in her ear. “Ella, whatever you choose, we’ll support you.”

The irony of Ella having the choice to save her remaining family. To not save her stepmother would be cruel. Right? Her stepmother never harmed Ella and her stepsisters physically. She would say mean and condescending things here and there. There was unfair treatment, but does that mean she deserves to rot in prison for the rest of her days?

“Before I make a decision. I need to talk to speak with her.”

Minerva looked frightened of Ella’s choice. Showing that she never expected that request to come from Ella. Everyone else respected her wishes. Lionel prepared the carriage.

The carriage dropped off the ruling Queen and her husband at the front doors of the prison.

Ella hoped she was ready to do this. She hadn’t seen the woman ever since she married Christopher.

The prison was vile. The debtor’s part of the prison was even worse. Rats could be heard scurrying and crawling inside the cold stone walls. They were both escorted to a hall. Behind a bar door sat Lady Tremaine in all her redheaded glory.

Her eyes were puffy from crying. She was wearing a dark blue dress in one of her silks. The dress was dirty on the fringes and edges.

Ella cleared her throat.

“Hello, stepmother.”

Chapter Text

Ella’s stepmother squinted her bloodshot eyes in the lanterned prison hallway. She saw a flash of purple and a twinkling of a crown. She was told that she had a visitor from one of the guards. She expected her daughter Minerva but not anyone important. But this wasn't just anyone.

“Cinderella?”

The younger woman stepped into the light of the lanterns and faced her stepmother for the first time in months.

She kindly told Christopher to wait outside in the hall for her. Her husband squeezed her hand, kissed her cheek, and left the hall.

Ella’s stepmother looked relieved to see her. It was the most positive reaction she had ever given her stepdaughter. “Oh, thank heavens. Minerva did one right thing in her life you came to free me.”

Ella stepped closer as she peered into the cell. She saw that there were only a simple cot and a bucket. A chair that Lady Tremaine was sitting in was against the wall.

“Not exactly. I came to talk.”

“Talk? About what?”

“Well first, let us discuss how my father left you everything to live comfortably, then you end up here.”

Lady Tremaine’s voice went up an octave as she explained, “Well, that… That was all a misunderstanding..."

“The truth, please.”

“Fine, “ The older woman straightens up in her chair. "You are correct your father did leave me enough money for you and the girls, but I had a certain lifestyle so…”

Ella thought back to all the days they went in town to go shopping. “You wasted it.”

Her stepmother averted eye contact. “If you want to call It that. I call it financial upkeep for my daughters and me. My plan was for Minerva or Calliope to marry the prince, but you had to go and run off and ruin everything.”

Ella knew that was the way her stepmother talked, deflecting the blame onto her and others like she always did. Ella did not take the bait. A response is what her stepmother wanted. She always craved the drama. Instead, Ella asked another question.

“Why did you treat me the way that you did?”

The woman fell silent at the question. She cleared her throat and looked down at her fingers as if they were more important than the conversation.

“Since you came into my life. You have done nothing but made me miserable. Why?”

Lady Tremaine looked up and had a familiar hard look in her eyes. The nasty look that Ella was used to seeing.

“You always thought you were better than us. Always this pristine perfect little girl. It made me sick.”

“I was a child. You know what I think? I think that you were jealous. Jealous of the love my father had for me?”

Lady Tremaine intensified the hateful stare.

“You carried that for fifteen years. You belittled every move I made. Made me your servant before I could even read. Made me feel so small and insignificant, thinking my whole life I deserved no love or something better. “

These were the thoughts that Ella had kept to herself for so long. When she first moved into the castle with Christopher, she thought she let go of her old life and worries. But this showed her that she held more from her old life than she realized.

“You scrutinized your daughters so much to the point of exhaustion. One of them did everything they could to get away from you.”

‘’What do you expect now an apology? A round of applause even?”

She didn’t see any shame in her stepmother’s eyes. Not even a reaction that she had heard the scolding for what she had done. Ella expected as much. This was a woman set in her ways.

“No,” Ella sighed and pulled out a piece of paper. At the bottom of the was a signature. “This is a signed copy of my only declaration as Queen. To forgive all your debts.”

The face of Ella’s stepmother turned to one of astonishment. “I see. What did you want in return?”

“Even after all these years, I still have kept my kindness. Even to those like you who don’t deserve it. I want nothing from you except for you to have the knowledge that you don’t have power over me anymore.”

Ella walked away from her stepmother for the last time a weight having been lifted off her shoulders. Not looking back at the woman, she considered family. In some small part of her heart, she will still be a part of her, but now she can move on to make sure that she was a distant part of her past.

****Epilogue*****
When Queen Constantina came back from her trip the next day. She was briefed on all the excitement and drama that she missed.

“I know that choice was not easy for you to make. However, I thought it was admirable.”

“Thank you, Constantina.” She tried out the name a couple of times, but it still felt awkward on her tongue.

After Christopher and Ella left the prison, she went to Minerva to tell the news. Her stepsister did nothing but mumble a thank you and left. Ella still did not know if she would want her stepsisters back into her life, but she was willing to have that option open if she chose to.

Ella and the Queen were back in the gardens for brunch. The binder that the Queen used in her hand, looking over the notes that Ella added.

“You know what I thought about when I first spoke with you?” Queen Constantina asked, handing the binder over to her assistant.

“What?”

“You reminded me of me when I was younger.” She looked up into Ella’s eyes with an honest face.

“Really?” Ella thought back to the shy girl she was when she first met the King and Queen.

“When I married Max, I didn’t come from all this.” The Queen motioned to the servants and the beautiful gardens. “I did have some status to my name, but I wasn’t a princess. I had to learn everything by myself.”

Ella could understand how difficult that must have been, at least she had people behind her every step of the way. To have no one must have been hard for Constantina.

“I want you to be comfortable and confident in your place here. This is your home now.”

Ella thought back to all the choices she made yesterday, big and small, and realized that the Queen did succeed in her plan. Although in an extreme way. Ella was more comfortable in knowing what she wanted. She made a note to discuss with her mother-in-law some of the changes she wanted to make. Not today, but soon.

“I knew your mother to be kind and a lovely person, and I would never have you consider me a mother, but at least a guide in some ways.”

Ella smiled at her mother-in-law and saw a blooming friendship between the two of them.

“I would really like that.”