No Happy Endings
By: They Duchess of Arendelle
Cinderella: A Dream Is Just a Dream
AN: So this is a 'What If…' thing I'm doing. Each chapter is a one shot about a different Disney princess and if they'd given up or if their prince never came. Major, major triggers in here. Abuse. Neglect. Suicide. Etc. Read with caution! Sorry for any mistakes!
The back of her head was pounding. What did she get hit with this time? A shoe? A fist? Father's cane? Slowly she looked up only to be met with another hit, this time right in the face. Oh, it was a broom. She instantly grabbed her bleeding nose. Her step mother stood above her, snickering as her two step sister tittered in the background.
"If I've told you once Cinderella I've told you a million times, keep this house properly cleaned." Her stepmother snarled at her, throwing the broom to the ground and sauntering away followed closely by her daughters. Cinderella sighed as she rose from the ground on shaky legs. She slowly walked over to the water basin, grabbing a rag and wetting it in the cool fresh well water. How long would it take the bleeding to stop this time? Wiping her sweaty, soot stained face and then bringing the rag to her nose, she sighed again, this time in relief as the chilled water soothed away some of the throbbing. After she finally got the bleeding to stop (It took her only five minutes this time, a new record) she walked back over to where the broom sat, lying innocently on the floor. She bent down, picked it up, and began to sweep the kitchen.
****CINDERELLA****
By the time Cinderella finished sweeping the house, scrubbing the floors, polishing the silver, cleaning her stepmother and stepsisters bedrooms, ironing the clothes, washing the sheets, feeding the chickens, and a plethora of other chores, she was beyond exhausted. She slowly trudged up the stairs, into her bedroom which was nothing more than an attack furnished with a single cot. As soon as she entered the room, she made a direct B- line for her bed. Flopping down face first, she groaned into her make shift pillow (made from some spare clothe she'd snuck past her stepmother and straw from the barn). After a few minutes of reveling in the relative comfort of her bed, she rolled over onto her back. She stared up at the cracked, leaking ceiling as tears wield in her eyes. Why her? Why was this her life? She had done nothing but good things. Been nothing least then respectful and obedient. So why was she the one receiving beatings several times a day, sometimes to the point where she wasn't able to move for hours? Why was she the one being starved, ribs showing and face boney? Why was she the one who had to scrub floors until her hands were raw and bloody? Cinderella let out a heart breaking sob as she brought her thin callused hands to her face. That night she cried until her eyes hurt and she couldn't keep them open anymore.
****CINDERELLA****
Wack.
She felt something hit her across the back, hard.
Wack. Wack.
Two more of those had Cinderella hopping out of her bed, looking around for the source of her pain. Her eyes landed on one of her stepsister's, Drusilla. Drusilla was an awful woman. She took particular joy in making Cinderella's life a living hell. She would often go to her mother and tell viscous lies on Cinderella just so she could see the girl get beaten within an inch of her life. Cinderella still remember the beating she received when Drusilla had lied and told her mother Cinderella had stolen a slice of bread. The evil woman watched on with a satisfied smirk as Cinderella was almost bludgeoned to death with her father's walking stick, she giggled with joy when her mother had taken away Cinderella's meals for an entire week.
"Well look what we have here. Good morning princess, did you sleep well? Oh you must have because it's almost a quarter till six and you haven't ran our baths or cooked our breakfast. Wait till mother hears about this." Drusilla said as she smiled wickedly. Cinderella gulped hard and stepped forward so she could plead with Drusilla.
"I- I- I'm so sorry. Please forgive me, I don't know why I sleep in so late. I'll get started on that right now." Cinderella nervously stuttered out. She tried to move past Drusilla and out the door but the hateful redhead was having none of that.
"Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. Oh honey, you didn't think you were going to get off that easy did you?" Drusilla said darkly as her fist tightened around the object she had previously struck Cinderella with. Cinderella looked at the object and her heart fell to her feet when she saw what it was. It was her father's wooden cane, the same one she was beaten with when Drusilla had lied on her about the stolen bread. Drusilla noticed the color drain from Cinderella's face and she smiled even wider. Neither of her stepsister's had ever beaten her before. Sure a slap here, or a kick there, but never had they crossed that line into full on beatings. Drusilla was directly responsible for a great number of her more memorable punishments but she'd never actually dealt out the punishments herself. It seemed today that was going to change. Drusilla continued to smile as she circled Cinderella.
"You know better than that." she said, continuing her intimidation. She was loving every bit of the terrified look on Cinderella's tired face. Suddenly Cinderella found herself doubled over on the floor, clutching her stomach and gasping for air. Drusilla had slammed the cane into her stomach without warning. Cinderella groaned as she looked up at her stepsister. Another blow landed across the right side of her jaw. Cinderella gasped in pain as she spat out a mouth full of blood. Drusilla then brought the cane down hard across her back. She continued to do that over and over until Cinderella found herself about to pass out from the pain. After ten more minutes it seemed the girl had finally had her fill of torturing Cinderella. She grabbed the girl's face and pulled her in close.
"Don't you even think about telling mother about this, because if you do, I'll deny it and tell her you stole one of her pearl necklaces. Do you understand me?" Drusilla spat, pulling said necklace out of nowhere and dangling it in front of Cinderella's face. Cinderella slowly nodded her head in understanding, barely able to breathe let alone think.
"Good. Now get yourself cleaned, you stink and I'm ready for my breakfast." With that she pushed the blonde away and spun on her heels, swiftly leaving the room. Cinderella laid there on the floor in a bloody mess. She couldn't move, she could breathe, she couldn't think. How much more of this was she expected to take before she finally snapped?
****CINDERELLA****
"A ball at the royal castle? Oh that sounds wonderful!" Cinderella said excitedly as she heard her stepmother finish reading the invitation. Her stepsisters exchanged amused looks with each other as they saw their mother smirk evilly.
"If this house is cleaned spotless and your chores are all done in time for the ball, you may accompany us." Her stepmother said, smiling sickingly sweet. Cinderella's eyes widened in excitement and joy as she gleamed at her stepmother. She started cleaning right away. She sang a tune her father had sung to her in the days where he actually acted like a father. She didn't recognize this new man that looked like her father but looked on as she was treated like a dog and drank himself into a constant state of oblivion.
"A dream is a wish your heart makes, when you're fast asleep…" she sang happily as she cleaned harder then she had ever cleaned before. 7:30 p.m. rolled around and Cinderella had finally finished. She had done a more than exceptional job and the house sparkled. The ball didn't start till 8 and she excitedly informed her stepmother she had finished everything.
"Surely you don't think you're coming with us Cinderella?" Her stepmother said in a bored tone as she nonchalantly inspected her nails. Cinderella's face fell a bit.
"But you said if I finished my chores I could go. Plus the invitation says that everyone is invited…" Cinderella trailed off.
"Everyone but you. Look at this place, it's a pigsty." Her stepmother said as she gestured to their surroundings. The house was immaculate. Not a speck of dirt anywhere.
"Besides, what could you possibly wear?" She finished nastily. Her stepsister giggled as they all walked away. She saw her father stumbling past her and they made eye contact. For the briefest second she thought she saw regret in his clouded eyes.
****CINDERELLA****
Cinderella laid sprawled out across her bed, crying into her pillow.
"It's not fair! It's just not fair! What have I done to deserve this? Why does no one love me?" she sobbed. Things were never going to change. She was going to be forced to serve her step mother and sisters forever. She had dreamed of one day being free, finding love and happiness. She dreamed that one day her father might learn to love her again. She wished upon every star, prayed to every deity, begged to the moon above, and still nothing. She finally stopped crying as she came to a startling conclusion. Dreams are just dreams and hers were never going to become a reality. She sniffed once and slowly sat up in her bed. Reaching inside her pillow case, she removed a small piece of paper and a sharpened piece of coal. She wrote three simple words on it as she took the sheets off of her bed and fashioned them into a noose.
****CINDERELLA****
Something had awoken inside of Cinderella's father that night. When he made eye contact with his daughter and looked into those bright blue iris's, shinning with tears, he began to feel again for the first time since his beloved wife had died. The first thing he felt was regret. As soon as the carriage pulled off he wanted to tell the driver to stop and go back for his little girl, but he didn't. He sat there and stayed quiet as his second wife and stepdaughters chatted excitedly about the prince.
All throughout the ball he could think of nothing but Cinderella. He couldn't shake the feeling something bad was about to happen. As twelve o clock midnight rolled around the ball was in full swing. Cinderella's father still couldn't shake the feeling of impending doom and implored his wife and stepdaughters to leave the party and return home with him. They looked at him as if he'd gone mad and told him no. For the first time in years he put his foot down and told them they were leaving now. They all looked shocked as they usually quiet, drunken man snapped at them. He spun on his feet and hobbled out of the castle, the three women following behind him in stunned silence. As they climbed in the carriage and began their journey home, his wife was the first to break the silence.
"Really, what has gotten into you? Making us leave the king's ball just as the prince was about to accept dance offers. I have the right mind to-" Cinderella's stepmother began to rant but was cut off by her husband.
"Silence your tongue you fowl wench! I have taken your abuse and I have turned a blind eye when you savagely beat my daughter and treat her like she was nothing more than a common bitch! But no more! I don't want to hear another word from you! Any of you! Things are going to change, starting right now. When we get home you will apologize to Cinderella and do everything in your power to make things right with her." He finished, angrily glaring at them all. He saw his wife gulp hard and nod her head once. He looked over to his stepdaughters who were staring on with wide eyes. The rest of the journey was completed in silence and before the carriage could even come to a complete stop Cinderella's father jumped out and ran as best he could into the house.
"Ella! Ella!" he called out as he hobbled around the house looking for her. Not seeing her in any of the rooms he figured she must have retired for the night. Climbing the stairs, he stopped outside Cinderella's door. He took a second to compose himself. Breathing eveningly now, he knocked on his daughter's door gently.
"Ella?" he called out after knocking five times and still getting no answer. Slowly, he opened the door and pepped in. There was a single candle burning, casting the room in an eerie glow. He stepped further into the room for a better look.
"Ella?" he called out again. Now fully in, he looked around. He noticed the sheets missing from her bed and furrowed his forehead in confusion. Hearing the faint squeaking of mice coming from the corner of the room he turned around and was met with the painful sight of his baby girl hanging from the rafters.
"Oh God! Oh God please no!" he yelled as her ran over to Cinderella's body. He touched her hand. Ice cold. Grabbing her body and untying the noose, he gently carried her over to the bed and laid her down. Tears blurred his vision as he caught sight of the note that laid on the floor beside the bed. He picked it up and read the three words before crying harder and holding the paper close to his chest. His wife and two stepdaughters walked in first in confusion then in horror. They saw the man crying over Cinderella's pale, limp body. His wife slowly walked over to him and tried to lay a hand on his back. He viscously shrugged it away.
"Get out." He said lowly in a dark voice.
"Darling, really I-" she began but her husband cut her off.
"GET OUT! All of you! Now! I want you all out of my house and out of my life!" he spat out in venom.
"It's your fault. It's my fault. It's all of our faults that she's gone." He continued quietly.
"She was an angel that God sent to us and we used and abused her. And even till her final breath she thought of us…" he trailed off as the three women left the room. The three simple words beautifully written on that small piece of paper still ran through his mind as he clutched on to his daughter's lifeless body.
'I forgive you.'