Cinderella With A Twist!

Source: www.shoebuyblog.com

Her step sisters were excited. They ran across the house, admiring themselves in every mirror they came across.

“Cinderella! A lock of hair has escaped! Do something, quick” yelled one sister.

“Cinderella! I think I need more powder! Help me!” screamed the other.

“Oh girls, get ready fast. I hear the Prince is in the house next door, trying out the shoe on those silly Smith girls who live there. Oh I am sure it won’t fit them. I just hope it fits one of you” 

Her step mother had just stepped in after spending almost half an hour craning out of the window for a sign of the Prince.

Cinderella knew the slipper could fit only her. After all, she was the one who had worn it to the ball. Had the clock not struck midnight, she would have stayed on, with her prince. But alas, she had to return, for it had only been a spell, that had transformed her back into the country girl at twelve.

With a smile on her face, her thoughts went back to the ball and the time she had spent with the prince till all of a sudden she felt someone’s eyes on her, watching with intent, her every move. She turned back and caught the look on her step mother’s face just as she turned and started fanning over her daughters.

“Why did Step Mother give me that look? Does she know? No! How could she? Other than me only Fairy God Mother knows about that night. The secret was safe with her!”

Cinderella went about her chores, but no longer feeling as confident as she had been just minutes before; her Step Mother’s stare still fresh in her mind. She knew the Prince would come in any time now; quickly she looked at herself in the mirror and tried to wipe away the cinders that had settled on her face and the dress from cleaning the fireplace. That was the best she could do with her tattered dress and wooden shoes, the only attire she had ever owned.

“Knock Knock” There was a loud rattle on the door.

“Oh the Prince is here, he is finally here!” the step sisters and their mother wailed as they settled themselves in their arm chairs and waited for the doorman to let the guests in.

The most handsome man in the kingdom walked into the sitting room and looked around. Cinderella watched from the corner, partly hiding herself behind a curtain. He caught her eye and for a moment seemed distracted when her Step Mother called out

“I suppose you want my daughters to try out the slipper my lord”

She bowed down to the prince and paid her respects. Her daughters followed suit and then one by one set down on the stool waiting for the Prince’s guard to bring forward the slipper.

Not expecting a difference in this house, the Prince kept looking towards the corner, to catch a glimpse of the girl he had seen hiding behind the curtain. She had looked familiar but he couldn't remember where he had seen her.

“My Lord! My Lord! It’s a perfect fit!” cried his guard, breaking through his thoughts.

The Prince turned around, shocked at the change in events. When he had first stepped into the room, he hadn't taken much of a liking to either of the two sisters but now… one of them was the woman he had fallen in love with?

The sight in front of him did hint at it being true. The second sister sat on the stool, looking as stunned as he was. She was staring at her foot, the glass slipper sitting pretty on it. It was a snug fit.

Behind the curtain, Cinderella was shocked. How could the slipper fit her step sister? It was her’s! She had just started towards the store room to get the pair that she knew would prove the slipper belonged to her; when she heard her Step Mother speak

“My Lord, let me get the other pair, I have kept it safe in my room”

Cinderella was shattered. How one earth had her Step Mother known? She caught her eye and saw the same malicious glint that she had seen before.The slipper was brought out and her step sister put it on. It was a perfect fit!

The Prince was unhappy. He could sense something was wrong but could not place a finger on what it was. Halfheartedly he joined the group and watched the sisters jiggle around making a mockery of themselves. Was this really the girl he had fallen in love with? His gaze once again shifted to the curtain and fell on the silhouette against the drapes. A sorrowful sight she was and watching her made his heart cry. He wondered why.

***

“Oh Fairy God Mother! Where are you? How did this happen? I need an explanation! Cried Cinderella as she lay by the fireplace covered with cinders in the dark of the night.For a long time she sobbed, sleep evading her. The tears had just started to dry and the eyelids begun to get heavy when she felt a tap on her shoulder.

“Shush Cinderella, its me” a musical voice filled the room.

“Fairy God Mother! Where have you been? What is all this? How did Mamma know about the slipper?”

“So many questions! Why don’t we sit for a while and catch up? It’s been a while, the questions can wait” and Fairy God Mother settled herself into the armchair closest to the fireplace.

“No! I need to know now, why did this happen? It should have been me instead of my sister. You know that!”  Cinderella was in no mood to listen.

Fairy God Mother let out a sigh and said “Fine. Listen then. Years ago, your step mother had done me a good deed. At the ball the other night, she had recognized you. She also knew that only I could have transformed you that night. So she found me and made me pay back for the favour she had done years ago. She made me change the shape of the slippers so that it fit one of her daughters, then she stole the slipper from your shelf. I am really sorry Cinderella, but I had no choice. In the fairy world, we cannot go back on a favour done to us. I did not know back then that your Step Mother was so evil and that she would use the favour to destroy you. I hope you understand. The kind soul that you are, I am sure you would”

Saying that, the Fairy God Mother disappeared leaving behind a few traces of fairy dust.

Heartbroken, Cinderella knew she had to resign to her fate. The Prince would no longer be hers.

                                              

***

The Kingdom was celebrating. The news of the Prince having found his bride had spread wide and far. The King and the Queen had invited the bride’s family for a banquet at the Castle. Step Mother and her daughters had been dressing up since dawn. Donning colored laces and trying different hats, they had been driving the whole house crazy. Finally it was time, and they had left the house, in a beautiful carriage sent by the King.  As usual, Cinderella had been left behind.

“Welcome to our Castle!” greeted the King, offering his arm to the Step Mother and escorting them in.

“Isn't it such a coincidence? Our prince being betrothed to your daughter?” smiled the King

“I am sorry My Lord, but I don’t understand” said the Step Mother with a quizzical look on her face.

“Oh didn't you know? The Prince is really not our son. He was found in the stables, he is but the son of a commoner. And now he is marrying a country person, just like him. He wants to go back to his roots now, live the country life that he was born in. And who would be a better partner than a lovely girl like your daughter?”

The King smiled, patting his future to be daughter’s hair as he spoke.

“Mamma what does he mean? Will I not get to live in this Castle? Will I not be the Queen?” cried her daughter.

“O King! How can that be? I got the slipper changed so that it fits my-uhhhh” she gasped, quickly covering her mouth but it was too late.

“What do you mean? Are you trying to say the slipper does not belong to your daughter?” the King asked, a hint of anger creeping into his tone.

“My Lord, I just wanted the best for my daughter. The slipper belonged to my step child Cinderella. She is a simpleton and not fit to be a Queen!” Step Mother was scared, not knowing how the King would now react.

The King was now silent. He walked up and down the room, glad the Queen and the Prince had still not joined them. He had made up the story about the Prince to gauge how they would react. The Mother was cunning he thought, so must her daughter be. The Prince is simple hearted, he believes every word he is told. He trusts everyone. When he becomes the King, he would need someone by his side who is cunning and wily enough not to fall prey to the enemies. Marrying Cinderella would mean doom for this Kingdom. No, both of the royal couple cannot be simple and good hearted, one of them has to be shrewd, only then will there be a balance he thought. He turned around, the fear in the eyes of the women in front of him not escaping his attention.

“Well, I need a shrewd daughter-in-law and not a simple one. Let this be our secret, one we shall never reveal” said the King extending his hand to the Step Mother.

With disbelief Step Mother shook the King’s hand, just as the Queen and the Prince entered the room.

“There they are! Let us proceed with Lunch and fix the date for the Wedding” said the King.

 “Will you be kind enough to take my arm, My Love?” said the Prince, leading his future wife into the dining room. For the briefest second, the thought of the girl he had seen hiding behind the curtain crossing his mind.

---

A prompt asking for a twist in the straightforward and romantic Cinderella tale triggered of this post.