Once upon a time there lived a vane and spoiled young girl by the name of Ella. Her mother died when she was just a baby and she had no siblings speak of so her wealthy merchant father doted on her, giving her everything her little heart could design ever desire, fancy dresses, dozens of dolls with vast wardrobes of their own, a barnyard full of pets, she never had a care in the world.
When the girl was about eight her father decided it was high time that you get the one thing she lacked, a mother. On one of his trips he met a beautiful, kind widow who'd fallen on hard times since her husbanded died. When the merchant returned to her town on the way back from his trip he promptly asked for her hand and delighted at the chance out of her situation and head over heels in love with him she gladly accepted and moved to the manner along with her two young daughters. The only one not happy about this arrangement was Ella. She did not like the fact that she would now have to share of the attention of her father and the servants and did everything in her power to ruin the wedding.
Their life continued on happily for ten years when tragedy struck, her father's ship had been struck by a nasty storm and most of the ship's cargo had been lost. The merchant survived but was in poor health as he scrambled to get his life back on track and as a result the process took a while. The family had to let go of their servants but the stepmother and stepsisters still grateful for the remaining wealth they had eagerly chipped in. Ella on the other hand was aghast at the prospect and moaned and cried through every chore insisting that everyone call her Cinderella as it was clearly a name for the slave she'd become.
After a few months of this an announcement came, the Prince was to hold a ball and everyone of the upper class was invited. Excited at the prospect the stepsisters babbled happily about the ball in the eldest sister's upcoming wedding while doing their chores. Ella was excited too and begged her father to buy her a new gown. When informed that they still didn't have the money for new gown and that she had plenty of dresses to wear Ella threw a fit and locked herself in her room.
On the day of the ball Ella refused to go because she didn't want to be seen such an affair in an old dress and much to her shock and horror from family went anyway. Furious with this prospect Ella stole into the oldest stepsister's room and stole the gown intended for her wedding. She gathered all the finest accessories she could find including a custom pair of shoes she had gotten before her father's fleet had gone down which shined like gold in the sun. The girl bribed a carriage driver back for a quick break after the family he worked for gone to the ball and rode in style to the palace.
The instant the Prince saw her he couldn't keep his eyes off her instantly asked her to dance. They remained partners for the entire night and Ella shot smug looks at every girl she passed. The Prince however was too enamored with her beauty to notice. Upon realizing that the carriage driver had told her to be back promptly by 12 so he could return in time for his masters. Ella sprinted from the room making it out mere seconds before clocks struck 12., She ran towards the carriage in the process got the heel of her slipper caught into crack between two of the stones that made up the stairs deciding that the air of mystery date her and not one to ride back in the carriage, Ella left it behind the Prince ran out onto the marble steps and found the shoe. Placing it to his pounding heart he declared that the girl this foot fit the slipper would be his bride.
By the time her family returned Ella was fast asleep having already carelessly returned to stepsister's gown. The family didn't confront Ella about her behavior knowing is futile choosing instead to console the devastated stepsister was now in no condition for a wedding. Amidst the rush to fix it the stepsisters it almost completely forgotten about the Prince's pledge to is quite a shock when he and his guard came knocking on the door. He explained the situation and asked all the ladies of the house to come forward and try on the slipper not wanting to displease royalty the stepsisters tried on the shoe it fit neither. Was Ella's turn she gave the same smug smirk and slipped her foot into the shoe, it was a perfect fit the Prince promptly took her into his arms and when he put her down he asked for her hand in marriage she graciously gave.
The wedding was extravagant as Royal weddings were bought within weeks spoiled Ella drove the servants crazy the Prince didn't care she was beautiful and that's what mattered to him. Within a month Cinderella had already begun spinning a tale of horrible abuse claiming that she had been made all the chores will her stepsisters just sat around doing nothing how she had the animals help her with the abusive amounts of chores she'd received how she been left behind ball because she was too pretty and how so many people in town had stepped up to help her because they loved her so much. The Prince believed it wholeheartedly and ordered that Cinderella's family be punished. The captain of the guard was not so easily fooled and convinced the shallow rather unintelligent Prince that losing an "angel" like Ella is punishment enough so the Prince reduced the punishment to banning any contact between Ella and family. The Royal couple's marriage build on greed and vanity became cold and miserable within a couple of years the couple only staying together to save face. Cinderella's father and stepmother as well as the two stepsisters and their husbands marriages could not have turned out more differently all three homes is happy of happy could be and though they still thought of Ella they assumed she was living a happy life at the palace and deciding this is all for the best lived happily ever after.
The end