The Legal Aid

Chapter 1: Shoe Issues

"Hello? Magical, mystical, and royal advice—Danielle speaking. May I ask who's calling? Cinderella? Oh, the whole shoe issue. Looks like you need some legal advice. Call this number and make an appointment. You have a pen handy? Yes, I'll wait. Ready? Okay, the number is 1-800-847-9000. Yes, I know it's unusual for a legal aid company to have an 800 number. There's no helping it; they mostly take Disney characters. Yes, yes. It was nice talking to you to. I have another caller on hold, so I'll have to let you go. Yes, yes. Have a nice day. Bye-bye now. Hello? Magical, mystical, and royal advice—this is Danielle speaking. How may I help you today, Misses Queen of Hearts?"

A bell dinged as Cinderella and her Prince walked into the nicely lit office of their legal aid representatives. (They never did give his name, so I've dubbed him as "Prince Charming")

In the lobby, to the right of the front desk, was a young girl, sitting on a couch before a coffee table. In her lap was a small book. On the table were various legal books, as well as papers and a couple pens. She was the only other person in the lobby. Even the front desk was empty. She didn't bother to look up, even when she addressed them. "Legal Aid. Welcome."

Cinderella looked around nervously. "Um, hi."

"Hello. Your legal aid representative should be out to help you shortly. Do you know what you wish to ask him, regarding your case?" She turned a page in her book, still not bothering to look up at them.

"Actually, no. I'm not even sure we have a case. It seems so much like a 'he said, she said' issue." Cinderella trailed off, scuffing the floor with the toe of her shoe.

Finally, the girl looked up. Her face made her look very young, no older than 14. "Is that so? Any way I can be of service?"

"Well, you see, I had a very rough childhood. I was kept inside most of the time, to do the cooking and cleaning, so I led a very sheltered life. Then I met the man of my dreams—my Prince, you could say." She smiled at her Prince.

The girl nodded to the Prince. "Prince Charming."

Cinderella nods her head before continuing. "Yes. But do certain circumstances, I had to leave the ball early, leaving only a shoe behind. And this idiot here," she smiles sweetly at her Prince, "promised to marry whoever fit my shoe. We met by accident, shortly after this fiasco, but just after we met, they found somebody else who fit the shoe. Now we don't know what to do."

"Yes, I see the problem. However, legal aid won't be able to help you with this problem. For the most part, it's just as you said. A 'he said, she said' case. Most legal aid representatives try to avoid those types of cases more than others."

Cinderella's face fell and Prince Charming wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulder. "Isn't there anything anyone can do?" He asked hopelessly. The girl looked at Cinderella's crestfallen face and sighed. Scratching the back of her head, she answered slowly. "Fine. I feel sorry for the two of you, so I'll give you some free advice just this once."

She looked at Cinderella, giving her a measured look, before shaking her head. "First and foremost, I must ask. Are you absolutely certain that the shoe is your shoe?" When Cinderella nodded, she sighed. "That would be a right of ownership case. Also, about this other girl, are you sure she wants to marry your Prince? If she's against the marriage to him, or unsure, that might work in your favor."

"How could she be against marrying him? He's just so darling and sweet!"

"You never know. Not every girl dreams of marrying a prince. In addition," she turned to face the Prince. "You'll probably want to ask for a test first, to make sure this mystery girl is your dream girl; since she's not, she should fail the test. Ask her to run in the shoe. If it stays on, that will be your proof she's not the girl of your dreams. You've been going about this all wrong. The shoe may look like it fits Cinderella's foot, but in reality, it's a smidge too big. If it fit perfectly, no matter how much she ran, it wouldn't come off. Trust me, no matter if it's high heels, no matter who she's running from or how fast she's running, no girl would lose a shoe that fit perfectly, even if it was made of glass."

She turned back to Cinderella. "As for your rough childhood. Last I knew, forced child labor and servitude counts as child abuse. I suggest you claim child abuse to your legal aid rep., and then build a case against your stepmother. With luck, you'll get back your father's house and money, along with all the animals."

"Does that include the mice?"

"Mice? Sure, the mice could probably live there. I see no problem with that, except you would have to find a proper place for them to live. They can't just live in the walls. The house to be up to code and all. I really don't know or understand that stuff, so you should talk to your legal aid rep—there he is now!" She looked past them as a man in a nice, gray business suit came out from a door next to the front desk. "Roger, two coming your way!"

He waved the couple to be over and Prince Charming made his way over to him in an instant. Cinderella hesitated, turning to the girl. "Thank you so much for all you advice."

The girl had gone back to her book. She turned a page, carelessly waving her away with her hand. She didn't look up. "Yeah, yeah. Sure thing. No problem. Go get 'em."

Cinderella smiled slightly, and then made her way over to 'Roger', talking in a soft tone with him. He ushered them into his office, firmly shutting the door behind them. The girl looked up and smiled. "Good luck you two."

Several minute passed by and they emerged, smiling and talking softly with Roger. They left after a minute, the glass doors silently closing after them. She paid them no heed, flipping a page in her book. Her cell phone rang half an hour later and she flipped it open. "Hello? Oh, it's you. For the last time, no! I'm not going to marry some prince I've never met just because of some stupid shoe. It was a fluke, anyways. Who knew the shoe would fit me as well? I'm hanging up now. No, I still refuse to marry him. Why would I want to test if the shoe fits again? If someone else fits the shoe, let them marry him. Goodbye." She shook her head, flipping the phone shut.

"Who knew that trying on a shoe some weirdo was holding out after coming out of a shoe store would cause so much trouble? I thought it was some sort of joke, so I tried it on. Seriously, who dances in glass shoes?"

Hope you enjoyed this fun chapter! I just thought it would be interesting if the Disney Princess had gone for legal aid for their individual problems. Next time, Ariel comes with her father!

Be sure to catch the next chapter! It's sure to make you smile!