ANOTHER POINTLESS DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything. Everything except the plot and the idea to turn Duke Gareth into a crazy transvestite belongs to the one and only Tamora Pierce, and always will.

A/N: I'm sooooooooo sorry about the lateness of this chapter. I was planning on having Cinderalanna finished Friday night and starting the sequel (info at the end of the next chapter!) Sunday afternoon. Well, at the time I'm writing this, it's 3 PM on Sunday, so I'm a bit behind. So I'm planning on adding the two final chapters today (sorry if I can't do that! I'm rather busy, but I'll try!) and I'll have the sequel out ASAP. Please read my A/N at the end of the story, too. It answers some questions I've gotten from reviewers. Thanks and enjoy!

UPDATE: Because of document manager being down, this isn't getting up until Monday. Sorry!

Chapter 4: Doing Chores and Gifted Godmothers

It's now noon of the day after our last chapter ended...

Cinderalanna: [making lunch]

Ralonetta: [walks in] Hey, let me help you with that!

Cinderalanna: You're actually going to help me? Not knock it off the stove?

Ralonetta: Would I, your beloved sister, lie to you? [bats eyelashes] [thinking: MUAHAHAHA!]

Cinderalanna: Well, subtract the beloved part...and the sister part...and the answer is...YES! Now go away.

Ralonetta: Oh, FINE! Be that way! [storms off, accidentally-yes, REALLY accidentally-knocking the pot off the stove, spraying bits of cinnamon and asparagus all over the kitchen floor]

Cinderalanna: You'd better clean that up, Ralonetta! And while you're at it, you can make the asparagus soup, too, since you ruined it!

Ralonetta: NO WAY! You made that mess!

Cinderalanna: ME? YOU knocked it off the stove yourself!

Ralonetta: DID NOT! You knocked it off on accident and you're blaming ME to get out of your work!

Duchess Garetha: [walks in] Children, children! What are you two so worked up about? [thinking: MUAHAHAHA!]

Cinderalanna: Ralon spilled-

Ralonetta: RALONETTA!

Cinderalanna: Oh, just shut UP already!

Ralonetta: I don't have to shut up if I don't want to!

Cinderalanna: Oh yes, you do! I might not have Lightning but I can still beat you up! [starts to go after Ralonetta]

Ralonetta: MOOOOOOOMMMMMMYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!! [runs away sobbing]

Duchess Garetha: [calls after him...erm...her...erm...him...] I'm right here, my poor darling baby! [turns to Cinderalanna angrily] YOU!

Cinderalanna: Moi?

Duchess Garetha: First you try to get him, er, her, to do your chores! Then you try to beat her up! You're a mean old bully! MUAHAHAHA! MEAN OLD BULLIES ARE FORCED TO BE QUEEN! MUAHAHAHA!

Cinderalanna: EEK!

Duchess Garetha: One more slipup like that and you're going to the ball, missy!

Cinderalanna: Yessir. Er, Yes ma'am.

5 PM that afternoon...

Cinderalanna: [scrubbing floors]

Rogerina: Oh, hi, Cinderalanna. Let me help you. [Thinking: MUAHAHAHA!]

Random People: Awww! Kodak moment!

Cinderalanna: You know that joke is dead and rotting.

Random People: We're just not appreciated anymore...[they leave]

Rogerina: Anyway, sister dearest, I would love to assist you! [thinking: MUAHAHAHA!]

Cinderalanna: Yeah. My other "sister dearest" helped me earlier...RIGHT INTO JON'S ARMS!

Rogerina: FINE, then. [dumps flowerpot onto the floor-NOT accidentally- spraying bits of dirt all over the place]

Cinderalanna: See? That's exactly what she did!

Duchess Garetha: Did I hear the sound of someone not doing her chores?

Cinderalanna: I'M FED UP WITH YOU PEOPLE! [throws dirt in Garetha's face]

Duchess Garetha: YOU WILL PAY FOR THAT! MUAHAHAHA!

Ibn Nazzir: [rides in on a broomstick] YOU SHALL BE CORRUPTED! MUAHAHAHA!

Harry Potter: Give me back my Nimbus Two Thousand! [they both run outside, screaming at each other]

Cinderalanna: Well, that was random.

Duchess Garetha: You're telling me. MUAHAHAHA!

Rogerina: Where were we?

Cinderalanna: I just threw dirt in Garetha's face.

Rogerina: Oh yeah.

Duchess Garetha: HOW DARE YOU?

Cinderalanna: Oh, come on. Am I supposed to go through this whole story and not lose my temper? I'm the Lioness, for Mithros' sake!

Duchess Garetha: Point taken. BUT YOU'RE STILL GOING TO THE BALL!

Cinderalanna: NOOOOO! [runs away sobbing]

7 PM...

Duchess Garetha: Cinderalanna? Are you ready? The coachman is here!

Cinderalanna: [walks out of her room in her dress, sooty and ripped] I'm going like this or not at all!

Duchess Garetha: Too bad you forgot I'm Gifted. [Yellow fire drifts from his fingers to Cinderalanna's dress, turning it into a beautiful, clean bright yellow gown.]

Cinderalanna: NO! [starts sobbing and runs to the garden, stumbling blindly until she stops to sit at a bench]

Suddenly...

Myles: [appears wearing a pink tutu] Oh, Cinders, do not fear! Your Gifted Godmother is here!

Cinderalanna: Why are all the men in this story cross dressers?

Myles: Because since the Almighty Author is using only Song of the Lioness characters, and you hung out with only males for 8 years...well, let's just say there's a significant deficiency of females.

Cinderalanna: Point taken. So, are you here to get me out of the ball?

Myles: Of course not! I'm here to let you go, instead of your mean family imprisoning you in the cellar!

Cinderalanna: What cellar? And I-

Myles: The cellar they locked you in of course!

Cinderalanna: But they-

Myles: Don't stand up for them, dear. Horrible people. Now where was I? Oh, yes, you're going to the ball.

Cinderalanna: But I-

Myles: I know, dear. You can't go looking like that. Yellow's a horrible color for you! [changes Cinderalanna's dress to purple]

Cinderalanna: But you-

Myles: No need to thank me.

Cinderalanna: But I-

Myles: Have no way to get there? How silly of me. [looks around] There must be something I could turn into a carriage...

Cinderalanna: But I...

Myles: Oh, here we go! [turns a loaf of pumpernickel bread into a carriage]

Cinderalanna: But there's-

Myles: No horses? You need to work on grammar, dear. It's but there aren't any horses. [turns some mice into horses, and a dog into a coachman]

Cinderalanna: But I-

Myles: Need a footman? Demanding little thing, aren't you?

Cinderalanna: BUT I-

Myles: No need to shout, Alanna. [turns a cat into a footman] Happy now?

Cinderalanna-This is-

Myles: The best day of your life? Don't mention it. [shoves Cinderalanna into the carriage] And just to be sure your family doesn't spoil your fun, you can't leave until MIDNIGHT! Have a nice time, dear! [the coach starts to move]

Cinderalanna: Well, that was pointless...

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A/N: Thank you to all my reviewers! And in response to Zella, yes I am using only SotL characters in Cinderalanna. In my next fic, Cinderalanna's sequel (starring Daine) Immortals characters will be added. I'll tell you more about that fic in my next A/N. Thank you again to all my reviewers, see you soon!