Hi, everybody...

Suddenly I got the mood to watch the episodes of Cinderella. I love that series; how the prince and she become friends and develop feelings for each other long before the ball. Then I got to thinking how the story would be if it was more T-rated and had no fairy godmother giving magical help. I envisioned many flashes of scenes and decided to try to write them out.

The plot will be similar to the episodes, only without the magical god-fairy and talking animal friends. I thought of the dog and decided to include him in between the story. Also, I escalated the feelings that people have towards her. Other than that, there will be some new scenes and modified action scenes. Though it will be enjoyable to watch the series as well, there is no need for that to read this story. I will introduce the characters anew.

If you like it, please review or PM and tell me. I would feel very happy.

Disclaimer: I own none of the characters of the story and have copied majority of the plot from the episodes of Cinderella.

Once upon a time in a prosperous kingdom, King Edward and Queen Salina ruled. They were very kind rulers and were loved by their people. They had one son, Prince Charles. They were proud of how their prince was turning out; handsome, smart, skilled and kind. He was always eager to learn and excelled in all those subjects he learned. As usual, in those times, the royalty usually did not come down to the town unless for a grand occasion, so the subjects did not get many chances to see the prince closely. But they loved him for his qualities that were passed down through gossip. All in all, the King and Queen were happy with the atmosphere. They only had one wish remaining. They wished that their 18 year old prince would marry soon and take up his duties as the King. They had their son late in their marriage and were old enough now to wish to give up their duties. All they wanted now was peace and some grandchildren.

Price Charles was very dedicated to his duties. He loved his kingdom and was determined to care for it like his parents. So he studied hard and learned well. He was taught many arts that a prince should be aware of, like painting, fencing, literature, politics, archery, horse-riding, and many more. Though he was sufficiently skilled in all of them, his favorite was fencing. He was very much loved by the people who worked in the castle, be it maids or soldiers. His closest friend and confident was his Page, Alex. He grew up along with him, and they liked and trusted each other very much. Prince Charles had one habit which was only known to Alex. He would go into the town in disguise every now and then. He insisted that he would know of the troubles of his people and any other news only when he would be among them. Alex was always wheedled into assisting him in his outings; be it as providing a cover, lending him clothes or pretending to be prince himself. Though Alex always acted as if he was against his outings, it was only in humor. He was actually very proud of his Prince. Of course, Prince Charles knew this.

Prince Charles knew of his parents' wishes too. But he was unwilling to marry someone just for the sake of it. Impressed by his kind mother, he wanted to marry someone who would be kind to her subjects, clever in her talks, and most of all, see him as a person she loved. He wanted a wife with whom he could share his thoughts, happiness and grief. He wanted a wife who would not hesitate to say her opinion to him, and who would not fawn over him unnecessarily. He knew that he would be pursued and flattered by many just for his title; he did not want his wife to be amongst them. He wanted someone whom he trusted and loved.

In the same Kingdom, lived Lord Richard. He was from a wealthy family who were flourished in their business. His marriage to Kristen was arranged by the parents. Though he was not that close to her, he was a faithful and dedicated husband. Soon, they had a girl, Cinderella. As Richard was away on business many times a year, sometimes for longer intervals, Cinderella grew up with her mother. Kristen loved Cinderella. She dedicated her life to her daughter. So, Cinderella grew up to be a kind, joyful, optimistic and a person easy to love. She was a cute kid who grew up to be a beautiful girl. She was also very inquisitive person. Since she could learn, she wanted to know many things, like how you cook, how you heal, how you read, how you dance, and so on. Their maid, an elder lady named Marietta, and Kristen, both were delighted to teach her so. Kristen knew about plants, herbs and natural healing, and she was favorable to Cinderella knowing them. Marietta was happy to have Cinderella in the kitchen or outside when she worked, for she provided a joyful company. Soon as she grew older, she let Cinderella help her in her tasks when the child wanted to, and was always playful with her.

Tragedy struck when Cinderella was 14. Kristen became very ill and was bed ridden. When the doctors inspected her, they said that she had a fatal disease and would not live for long. In those final days, Cinderella took great care of her mother. The last words of her mother would always be etched in her heart.

"Cinderella, my sweet daughter! Kindness and positive outlook are choices. Though they are not always easy, they are the best ones. They would never let you down. But that does not mean you turn into an innocent naive girl. You need to be smart to walk safely out of the challenges that life would definitely throw at you. Be happy, my darling, and always try to make the ones you like happy too."

Thus Cinderella lost her mother. Lord Richard remained distant with Cinderella after that, so the only one who would keep her company was Marietta. She loved going to town with her maid, and her sweet nature won the hearts of many who came across her. Soon she was a favorite in the market, and they felt their day brighten if Cinderella came to town.

In one of his outings, Lord Richard fell in love with Lady Diana. She was a widow with two daughters near the age as Cinderella. He married her and brought the three ladies along with him to his home. Cinderella had just turned 17 then. Lady Diana was an attractive and educated lady. But she was indifferent to those she considered to be of lower standard than her. She did love her second husband, but not his first daughter. Her own daughters, Catherine and Jeanne, were two lovely yet spoiled pair of sisters. While Jeanne was the same age as Cinderella, Catherin was an year older. She loved them dearly, and was determined that she would select the best matches for her daughters for marriage. When she arrived at Richard's town, she resolved to herself that she would marry one of her daughters to the Prince Charles.

Sadly, Cinderella was pushed aside. When Richard was present, she would at least get the chance to sit with them at their meals or in the living room. But in his absence, she was told to stay away. She was not even talked to unless Diana or the girls wanted something from her. When they discovered that she was good at stuff like sewing and cooking, she was assigned those tasks whenever possible. Marietta used to help and care for Cinderella, but unfortunately, she fell sick and was fired from the job. Diana cajoled her husband into believing that she was capable of doing the household jobs herself and that they do not need any servants in the house. But whenever the stepmother thought the father wasn't noticing, the household jobs like cooking, sewing and laundry were assigned to Cinderella. We would never know whether Richard noticed his first daughter's slavery or not, but he never once questioned if he did.

Cinderella soon set up a routine for herself. She would wake up early in the morning as per the order of her stepmother prepare the breakfast. After her father had left for the day, she would do the laundry and lunch, and then go into the town in any shopping was required. Preparation of supper on time was her responsibility too, and so was the cleaning of the dishes after every meal. Richard left early after breakfast for his business and arrived home for supper, so the stepmother had a free reign of the house for most of the day. She pampered her daughters and ordered her stepdaughter around.

Our story starts here when Lord Richard was leaving on his first long trip after his second marriage.

"This will be a long trip dear Diana. I will try to finish my work as fast as I can, but it would definitely take months before they will be completed. I hope you will be able to take care of yourself and our daughters till then."

"Oh Richard, of course I will take care of my daughters. You be safe and come back home profitably. Take care of your health and write whenever you can."

"Of course darling." He kissed his wife sweetly. Then he turned to his three daughters.

"Be safe and take care of yourselves, my daughters. I would like to return to three dignified daughters of my house. You know that you three are now of age right for marriage, and I want to find the best matches for you. That is, if your mother hasn't already found them for you before I return." He joked at the end, making Catherine and Jeanne giggle. Cinderella smiled sadly, for all the while he was speaking, only once did he look at her. His attention was on his step-daughters. She consoled herself that he at least included her in his farewell; that he did not forget her. He bid farewell soon and his carriage left for the docks.

Her life changed the very same day. She was openly ordered to prepare supper and then made to wait for the step family to finish their meal before she could have hers. After all the cleaning up, she returned to her room only to find all her things lying outside the door. Catherin and Jeanne were standing by her things, giggling.

"You know, we had a big wardrobe in our previous house to store all our gowns and accessories." Catherin said in a sing-song haughty voice, which Jeanne copied next.

"Yes, about the size of your room. We were very disappointed to not find one here."

"So we are converting your room into one, Cinderella."

Cinderella was confused, "But where will I sleep then?"

The answer came from behind her, from her stepmother, "The kitchen would always have place there, but I am being kind and giving you the whole attic to yourself. Move your things upstairs tonight and you will sleep there from now on. Hurry up now, you have a lot to work in the morning."

"But…" Cinderella tried to protest, for which she received a hard glared from Diana.

"DO NOT speak back to me, Cinderella. Understand that until your father returns, I am the mistress of this house. I could very well remove you from this house without a penny. Where would that leave you?"

"You cannot do that…."

"Oh believe me I can. It would be very easy to convince your father and the people that you stole a family heirloom from me, or even trick you into mistake against the throne. Then throwing you out will be easy. Now, don't waste my time. Get moving. The girls and I are going to the town for buying new dresses, so make sure that the breakfast is served right on time. The rest of your works, you will spread out through the day. Understood?"

Cinderella bowed her head to hide her tears, "yes madam."

When she first entered the attic, it was dusty and full of cobwebs, but she fell in love with the room. It was a private and isolated, had a gentle breeze flowing throughout the day, and the view from the window showed a vast expanse of woods with the castle standing far away. It was beautiful view indeed. It took a couple of days, but the attic was dust free soon and Cinderella felt her room as a refuge as well as a sanctuary.

Going to the town became her favorite activity. She was always eager to go there, for she could meet people who smiled at her and were kind to her. Whenever she would have some spare time, she would spend it either in her room reading the books her mother left her (the step family wanted nothing to do with them, so they gave it to her) or in the woods next to the house. She worked diligently and enjoyed her time alone. When possible, she would assist the people in the market with odd jobs. The townsfolk were always happy to have her with them, and would spare her coins or treats whenever she helped them.

Cinderella's outfit soon changed to work clothes at home and a simple cotton gown when visiting the town. This was because the stepmother refused to give her any money for repairs of torn clothes or for buying new ones. Even after all these, Cinderella never let a frown on her face or sadness in her heart. She stuck to her mother's last words and held hope that this was just a challenge life has thrown at her; that if she stayed positive and strong, she will have a happy life.