~~~AUTHORS NOTE PLEASE READ~~~

To begin, I'm a huge fan of the live action remake of Disney's Cinderella. I honestly would give anything for a few sequels. But I'm a hopeless romantic and I like to write, so I decided to write what I thought might happen after the movie ended and Kit and Ella got their happy ending. Now, just warning you, I don't expect anyone to take this series seriously. This is just for fun guys. As of right now there's no dramatic, thrilling, or suspenseful plot planned. Seriously mostly fluff. Just what I thought their life might look like following the end of the movie. So if you're looking for more substance I won't be offended if you don't wanna read. Like I said, I'm a romantic and am writing this for fun. So don't say you weren't warned. But, if you like fluff and romance you'll probably like it. Also, there will be smut in future chapters, including the wedding night. I will put in the beginning of the chapters telling you if there's smut or not.

Also if you're confused by some of the dialogue early in this chapter that's because it's describing a deleted scene from the movie that you can watch either on youtube or the dvd.

Thanks so much and I hope you enjoy!

~*~*~**~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*Chapter One~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Ella walked out the door hand in hand with her prince - no, she corrected - her king, and she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, allowing herself to enjoy the crisp, country air for the first time in a long time.

"Are you nervous, love?" the king asked, his brows knitted together slightly, while still giving her an encouraging smile.

"No," She smiled, but then frowned slightly. "Oh Kit, I thought I'd never see you again. I gave a letter to you to a palace guard the day after the ball, asking to see you again and I-"

"Letter?" Kit interrupted, suddenly serious and confused it would seem. "What letter darling?"

Now Ella was confused.

"I wrote to you, wanting to see you again. I told you I'd be in the glade where we first met in the woods," She explained. "Did you not receive it?"

Kit was still grave, as Ella had never seen in the short time she'd spent with him.

"Darling, had I received a letter from you, I would have hardly finished reading it before getting on my horse and coming to you as fast as my horse would take me, that I promise you."

Ella frowned. "You don't believe me..."

"Oh I believe you sweetheart. But," He looked back at the Grand Duke. "I am being deceived."

Kit looked back at Ella, smiling again as not to worry her.

"We're going home. I'll get the bottom of this. I don't want you to worry about a thing, alright?"

Ella smiled as well. "Yes, Kit."

He took her hands in his. "Excellent. Now, before we leave, is there anything you'd like to take with you?"

"My horse," Ella grinned. "If it pleases the king."

"If it pleases you, it pleases me," He turned and motioned to a solider to retrieve Ella's horse. "Shall we start on ahead?"

Ella nodded, letting Kit lead her to his horse. He lifted her so easily by the waist, and then came up to sit behind her on the saddle. Ella had to remember how to breathe at the feeling of Kit's solid chest and torso against her back, and one arm going around her waist to hold her firm to him. He moved with such grace, sureness, and command.

Ella rested comfortably against him on the way to the palace, feeling safe and free. Her breath caught as they came into the palace gates and courtyard. She beamed at Kit. She'd seen the palace before. But this time was different, like she was seeing it for the first time. For this time, the man she loved was bringing her home.

"How grand it is, Kit! And it's so large, I'm sure to lose my way often at first."

Kit laughed. "Perhaps we shall have to draw you a map."

"Well as long as I have you as my guide then I won't be lost for long," Ella said as Kit took her by the waist and brought her down from the horse.

"Precisely. As I have felt the sensation of losing you before and I find I do not like it. I don't plan to let you out of my grasp ever again," He affirmed, taking her hands in his.

"Good," Ella squeezed his hands. "As I do not wish to be separated from you."

Kit smiled, offering Ella his arm before leading her into the palace, evening stopping at the main foyer.

"Now, my love, the last thing I want to do is to overwhelm you. Later I shall need your assistance, but for now I'll have you shown to your temporary rooms. You can get acclimated, change into comfortable clothes, take a warm bath if you'd like. How does that sound?" He tucked a piece of her golden hair behind her ear.

Ella laughed, positively blushing. She was overwhelmed. She was going to marry the king – but it still felt odd to be showered with attention.

"That sounds wonderful, thank you."

Ella looked around in wonder, laughing and grinning. Kit smiled back at her.

"You're going to bring light and life to this palace, you know that?" Kit said to her, looking deep into her eyes.

Ella smiled, trying to hide her blush as she looked to the floor.

"I shall try," She mustered some confidence in her voice.

Kit smiled and raised her hand to place a kiss onto her palm. Ella tried also to hide the shiver that came with it.

"Your Majesty," a kindly voice interrupted them.

Kit turned to the woman walking toward them. She was an older woman - around 60 years of age. She was of a slightly rounder figure and had grey hair. She wore glasses and carried a notebook and pen - ready to write anything of importance down. It was clear to Ella this woman knew her way around the palace and likely helped to coordinate it as well.

The woman stopped a few feet short of them and curtsied.

"Ella, this is Mary. She is head of the royal household, and she'll be your….right hand woman if you will."

"Pleased to meet you," Ella smiled.

"Likewise, my lady," Mary inclined her head again. "I shall be here to assist you with whatever you may require." She said, smiling reassuringly to Ella.

"Yes," Kit explained. "Mary will help you plan events, upkeep the palace, redecorate the palace as you see fit and as she said, whatever else you need. She was a lady in waiting of my mother when she was a young queen and has helped run the palace ever since, so I know you're in the very best of hands."

Ella let out a breath she'd been holding.

"Well, it sounds like an enormous responsibility, I shall be most grateful for your help Mary."

"Don't worry Ella," Kit reassured. "Mary's job is help you in your new role – you're now the highest lady in the land and in this palace. Within reason you may make any changes you wish. Now, since I have been away from the palace all day I have some things to see to. I shall leave you with Mary now and she will show you to your rooms. Take all the time you'd like, alright? The whole afternoon if you wish." He smiled.

"Thank you," Ella smiled, bobbing a small curtsy to him. He planted a tender kiss on her forehead when she rose.

Kit nodded to Mary before leaving. The captain of the guard offered Ella a bow.

"Good day, my lady."

"Thank you for everything," Ella said sweetly. "I owe you my gratitude for aiding the king and I in finding each other once again."

"I am ever at my future Queens service, she needs only to ask." He smiled, taking her hand and bowing over it. Then he left to join the king.

"Future queen," Ella whispered to herself, testing the word on her tongue.

Kit was a good man, and good king who loved his kingdom and his people. And she somehow had his love as well. Because of that, she would do her best to be a good queen, who also would care for and love the kingdom to the best of her ability. She might falter and stumble as she learned her role, but every day she would do her best, with kindness and courage as her weapons - just as her beloved parents taught her.

"My lady." Ella jolted slightly from her revere and turned to see Mary gesture toward the hall. "If you'll follow me, I'm sure you'd like to get settled into your rooms and change into something more comfortable."

Ella sighed as she submerged herself completely into the hot, fragrant bath. It had been a long time since she had enjoyed a luxury like this for herself. She was positively hypnotized by the sweet floral scent of rose oil that that had been put into water.

Tipping her head back to wet her hair, she thought to this morning. It seemed like ages ago when she had accepted her fate that she wouldn't her prince again, but would always have the memories. Suddenly in the blink of an eye her dreams had come true and her prince had rescued her - quite literally. And she was so very grateful.

From now on there would be no looking back on the hurt that had been in her life. Her parents would want her to be happy. And that was what she intended to do - to be happy and to make Kit happy every day.

Taking a small breath and holding it she put herself completely under the water, letting the warmth envelope her entire body. She came back up smiling.

"You have beautiful hair Lady Ella."

"Thank you," Ella said to Amelia, her new lady-in-waiting.

She sat in a chair in front of the fire in her room while Amelia did a simple braid in her hair. Lucy, her other lady-in-waiting, held a casual, but lovely gown in her arms and presented it to Ella.

"How about pink for lunch with the king?" She smiled.

"Yes, it's lovely. You have good taste Lucy," Ella grinned, running her fingers over the casually elegant fabric. "I already know I shall be grateful for you both each day."

"You do us a great honor my lady," Amelia said.

"How was your meal?" Kit asked Ella has she patted her lips with her napkin.

"Wonderful," She assured him. "But the company was better. I haven't sat down to a meal with people I love since….well since before my father left for a trip for the last time."

Kit took her hand.

"I'll miss meals with my father as well," He said. "But you're my family now. We get to make our own traditions and memories."

Ella beamed and rearranged her fingers to intertwine with his.

"Kit, I'm so looking forward to that."

"Then let's go make some memories," Kit said, standing and offering Ella his hand.

She giggled. "Where are we going?"

He smiled mischievously. "I think you know the spot."

"Oh, how I have missed this place," Ella said as her and Kit entered his garden. She couldn't tell when it was more beautiful – at night under the starts, or now in the warm sunshine.

She closed her eyes and breathed in the strong smell of flowers that filled the entire garden.

"Kit, promise me we'll try to come here every day-" She turned back to look at him, but was confused when he wasn't there.

"Oh my," Ella said, her hand going to her chest.

Kit was on the ground on one knee, presenting to her a sparkling diamond ring. His smile was enough to make her weak in the knees.

"Ella, I told you this morning I would take you as you are, which I meant with all my heart. But I couldn't live with myself if I didn't do this properly," He took her hand. "Ella, that day I met you in the forest was...the first day of the rest of my life. And now being king sounds so empty without you by my side. So please, be my wife and my queen."

Ella's eyes filled with tears. Her thoughts entirely Kit.

"If you do, I promise to love you and be devoted to you every day for the rest of our lives."

She gave the best smile that she could as she struggled to contain her cries of joy.

"Yes. Yes, Kit, I will."

He grinned, slid the ring onto her left hand, then kissed it. He stood, and Ella gasped as Kit's lips crashed into hers. Her hand went up to his strong jaw as his arm snaked around her waist. A strange, tingling sensation arose inside her when he pulled her firm against him.

"Let's not have a long engagement," Kit said, breathless. "I won't allow it."

Ella laughed.

"A month – I want to be married to you in a month."

"But is that enough time?" Ella asked, still holding onto him.

"Darling, being king is an enormous and serious responsibility – but – it's not without its perks. Meaning that if we want a wedding to happen in a month then it will be done."

Ella laughed. "In that case I cannot wait."

Kit's hand touched her face and they kissed once more.