Luz marveled at the transparent shoes she held in her hands. They're so clean with not one speck of dust on the surface or dirt on the bottom. In fact, no matter how much Luz pressed her fingers against the glass there was never any prints left behind.
A part of her felt like wearing them to see how they look on her until the realization dawned on her that these are GLASS slippers. Isn't it a risk to be wearing these given how fragile glass can be? Luz knows that she's in healthy weight for her age and isn't that heavy in the slightest, so who could've worn these without the fear of glass shards cutting into their feet?
"You done slobbering over those?" Eda scowled.
Luz's focused shifted from the slippers to her mentor. "Oh, I was just wondering who would wear these. Looks like a visit to the emergency room just waiting to happen."
"Yeah, well the princess who wore these things was more focused on a prince rather than how much blood she can lose in a few seconds." Eda replied.
"Alright then, what's the story behind these? Something involving a Genie again? Or a Fairy?" An excited Luz continued on.
"Close on the last part. Try a Fairy Godmother." Eda corrected.
Luz shifted forward in her seat with a small smile and eager eyes.
"By the look of your face, I see you're ready for the next story of my collection."
Luz nodded.
"Alrighty. I bought those shoes long ago on your world in a place called France. The sights were nice and the food was exquisite! There, I met this sweet old lady who ran a small shop in town. She had a lot of interesting stock in her inventory, but the shoes where what caught my eye. Mostly because it was the most expensive thing in the store."
"You didn't try to steal it? Shocking." Luz teased.
"Hey! That old lady was nothing but nice to me, kid! I only steal from those who deserve it! Mainly jerks." Eda countered.
"Alright. Alright. You're right." said Luz, not wanting to risk annoying Eda.
"Anyways... after I bought the shoes, the lady decided to shed some lore about them to me. She said that in a time period of your world known as the the '1800s', there was small kingdom where a sweet-hearted young lady lived Her name was Cinderella, I think."
"Cinderella?" Luz pondered out loud. "As in the fairy tale?"
"You've heard of this already?" Eda asked, intrigued.
"It's a well known story in my world. I remember hearing it when I was very young." Luz replied.
"Well Luz. Looks like the story you've heard was actually history." The Owl Lady concluded.
Luz's eyes widened as she thought deeply of this. "So this could mean that the other fairytales also happened in real life as well. That's so awesome!" the teen beamed.
"Alright, Luz. Let's continue this story before you have a mental breakdown or something."
Eda cleared her throat and continued the tale.
"Cinderella once lived in a beautiful château with her loving father who married a woman who had two daughters of her own, so his little girl can have a motherly role model. One day, her father grew sick and died which left Cinderella an orphan and under the care of her stepmother who turned out to of been acting nice and was really a cold-hearted lady who was jealous of Cinderella's charm and beauty. So Cinderella was forced to clean, cook, sleep in the attic, and take numerous hurtful insults as her family wasted the fortune that Cinderella's father left behind. But despite the abuse she has endured, Cinderella still remained kind and hopeful thanks to how she was raised by her father."
"Toxic family members. Always a good sign." Luz remarked sarcastically.
"I know right? One day, the King of the kingdom who wanted to find an eligible bride for his son, the Prince, hosted a Royal Ball to find a worthy maiden to take his hand in marriage. The Stepmother caught wind of it and wanted her daughters to woo the Prince so they can become royalty. Cinderella was also interested in going, so she found an old dress that once belonged to her late-mother, and with the help of her mouse friends, the dress was fixed with a few new touch-ups,"
"I'm sorry, but what is this about mouse friends?" Luz pointed out.
"You don't know? I thought you've heard this story before?"
"I did when I was a little kid. I don't remember every little detail, Eda!" Luz explained, sounding a little embarrassed.
"Oh, okay then. While growing up; Cinderella has befriended a group of mice who all loved her dearly as she always protected them from traps and the Stepmother's cat. Since the mice knew how bad her Stepmother and sisters are, they wanted Cindy to have her chance of happiness. That was until her stepsisters were manipulated by their mother to ruin the dress since they're so obsessed with making Cinderella's life a nightmare. The Stepmother and her daughters went to the ball while leaving Cinderalla home to cry over her ruined dress and her lost chance of being happy. That is until she appeared..."
"Oh, the Fairy Godfather!" Luz interrupted confidently.
"GodMOTHER." Eda corrected. "You should listen before speaking out."
"Sorry." Luz apologized as she gently rubbed her arm.
"Back to the story: the Fairy Godmother, a being made of Cinderella's hopes, came to her aid just as when all seemed lost. The fairy granted Cinderella the whole royal ball package! She used her magic wand to transform a normal pumpkin into a giant carriage, a few of the mice into beautiful horses to pull the carriage, and a horse & a dog into coachmen,"
"Wait, can I interrupt real quick?" Luz asked, raising her hand.
Despite being tired of having to pause the story once more, Era allowed it with a sway of her hand.
"So why didn't the Fairy Godmother just have the horse pull the carriage and turn the mice into the coachmen instead?" Luz inquired, confused by the fairy's choices.
Eda was about to answer only to stop immediately to think about it herself. "Why did she do that?" The witch wondered.
"That's a good question, actually. I guess I didn't think of it at the time. Ah, well." Eda shrugged. "In that case, I guess I have no more questions at the moment." said Luz patiently.
"Oh, knowing you, you'll have have more soon," Eda said sarcastically before continuing. "And as her final gift, Cinderella was given a beautiful white dress, shining jewelry, and the very glass slippers you're holding onto now-"
Luz gently caresses the slippers with her thumbs and smiled.
"Before leaving, the Fairy Godmother explained to Cinderella that she has until midnight before the magic wears off. So Cinderella entered the carriage and was brought to the royal ball and was welcomed inside without so much as a second glance by the guardsmen. Once inside, she was astonished by the luxurious ballroom and the guests all dressed up in dancing. While she was looking around, the Prince who had no luck deciding on a potential bride managed to set his sights on her. He approached and asked for a dance which Cinderella agreed to. Everyone gathered around as the two waltzed on the dance floor. Both the Prince and 'ella stared into each other's eyes as if they were in a trance. And for the first time in a long time; Cinderella was happy! So much so that she completely forgot that her evil step family were also at the same ball. Fortunately for Cinderella, none of them recognized her. After the dance, the Prince and Cinderella walked out onto the balcony for some alone time. I mean, not that type of 'Alone Time'." Eda cleared up.
"I wasn't thinking of that in any sorta way." Luz replied with a straight face, knowing what Eda was implying.
"Good-" Eda replied, now feeling kinda humiliated. "So the Prince has decided to have Cinderella as his wife as he fell in love with her with 'ella feeling the same way. But before the two could share their first kiss, the clock struck midnight. Knowing what was about to happen, Cinderella ran off with the Prince following behind. On the way down the main stairs; Cinderella's left glass slipper accidentally came loose and fell off of her foot and landed on a step. She tried to retrieve it until the Prince came into view, so she left it behind and bolted for her carriage where her coachmen were waiting. The King ordered his knights to chase Cinderella's carriage because he really wanted his son to be married, but Cinderella managed to dodge them completely just as the magic wore off. But even as the pumpkin, mice, dog, horse, and Cinderella returned to normal; the glass slippers remained. Cinderella kept the right slipper as the left remained with the Prince, and the former returned to her old life as a slave to her bad family."
"That's not the end, right? Because that's not a good end to a story! Not even bittersweet." Luz interjected.
"Patience, Luz. The next day, the king ordered the grand duke to go to every house in the kingdom and if any women could fit the slipper then they would marry the Prince, even if it wasn't the same woman. Funny enough, no other female in the entire kingdom could put their foot into the slipper which eventually led them to the château where Cinderella lives. All denizens of house heard the news including Cinderella, but unfortunately for her, the Stepmother found out that she was the lady at the ball and locked her in her room while the Stepsisters attempted to wear the glass slipper which was too small for their big feet. Cinderella was soon freed from her captivity by her mouse friends who've managed to retrieve the key from the Stepmother while also outsmarting the cat that has tormented them for years. After the Stepsisters failed to put on the slipper, Cinderella came down to try it on. Knowing that she could get in serious trouble by attempting to stop her stepdaughter, the stepmother 'accidentally' tripped the royal herald who was carrying the glass slipper which shattered once landing on the hard floor. The Stepmother believed that she had won for a few seconds before Cinderella revealed that she had the right slipper with her which not only revealed that she is indeed the same lady who stole the Prince's heart, but was also a perfect fit! It wasn't long after before the Prince and Cinderella got married, thus finally freeing the latter from her abusers.
"Wow... that's just... wow..." Luz said while misty-eyed.
"Are you crying?" Eda scowled to which her apprentice quickly denied. "No! No- Anyways, wat happened Cinderella's step family? Did they get arrested or anything?" she asked to change the subject.
Eda decided to not press forwards anymore by answering Luz's question. "Oddly, no. They just remained out-of-power. I guess Cinderella decided to show them mercy. If it were me, I'd have them locked in the dungeon and forced to clean every inch of the castle's floors for the rest of their lives!"
"I would just make them wear chicken suits and dance in front of everyone in town." Luz replied, already imagining the scenario.
"Anyways, Cinderella did tangle with her stepfamily one or two more times after. But one of her stepsisters fell in love with a peasant baker which her mother and sister disagreed with. So the sister ran to Cinderella for help who kindly assisted her despite all she has been through. Eventually, Cinderella and her stepsister made amends and shoved their troubled past behind them while the Stepmother and other Stepsister become maids as punishment for their crimes and served under Cinderella herself."
"Ah, Poetic Justice. Sweeter than candy!" Luz rejoiced.
"And Cinderella lived happily ever after. I wasn't told much about what happened to them except that they had children and continued to rule until death similar to the street rat from Agrabah. As for the Fairy Godmother; she continued to look after Cinderella and whatever offspring she had while also repairing the left slipper. The old lady didn't tell me much of what happened to her after that. Like the Genie, she just disappeared after a certain number of years. And that's the story of the glass slippers. " Eda concluded.
"I really liked that story! Whenever I go home, I'll be sure to look into more fairy tales." said Luz.
"Nothing wrong with learning more about potential history." Eda added. Luz looked down at the slippers one last time. "I really wished you showed me this room earlier. I would've loved to of worn these at Grom!"
Eda raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Oh? So you could impress a certain someone?" she said suggestively.
"A certain someone?" Luz asked curiously which made Eda's smirk drop.
"Y-You know. That 'Special Someone'?" Eda asked, surprised that Luz hasn't caught on yet.
"Who?" Luz inquired, confused.
"Someone you've interacted with at Grom." Eda said, annoyed.
Luz stared at Eda for a few seconds before the metaphorical cogs in her head turned.
"Oh, you mean King! That little guy was so cute getting all stage fright." she teen said, squishing her cheeks.
Eda facepalmed hard. "Kid, your obliviousness is killing me."
"Yeah, you're right." Luz agreed. "I don't think King is interested in see-through footwear."
Eda grunted in frustration. "Just... put those away and pick something else. Anything!"
Luz carefully placed the glass slippers on a shelf and started her search for something else to hear the story behind. She kept looking and looking until-
"Hey, this looks cool!" Luz exclaimed.
Recovering from her headache, Eda looked up. "What do you have?" she asked.
Luz turned around to reveal that she's holding a...
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter!
If you're wondering as to why I haven't revealed what Luz has found, that's because I'm allowing you all to vote for it on my profile! (Plus, I've never had a chance to use the polls, so this is a good time as any). There are four choices so choose wisely.
Lastly, tell me if you all like how I type Eda telling these stories. Should I do something different or is it okay the way I do it?