A/N: Hey guys, here's the 3rd chapter! It's a bit longer than you expected for about 6000 words. If you notice the narrator of the story is Ella's fairy Godmother, instead i just change it to Sakura as the Narrator of the Cinderella's story for she will read it towards her daughter and her two female companions.
Sakura's POV (As the narrator of the fairy tale story)
The three girls listened to Sakura's reading of the book as the scene fades into where the two lovely couple sat in the green grass as they were having a picnic in the meadow and in that cradle basket there is a beautiful baby girl with a naturally pink hair and green emerald eyes.
Once upon a time, there was a girl called Ella.
And she saw the world not always as it was, but as perhaps it could be with just a little bit of magic.
The baby girl touched the floating cotton like a cloud as she was carried by her mother affectionately, who was a beautiful maiden with a color of pure pink hair and blue eyes like an ocean sea was wearing a printed flower summer dress. Her father on the hand, was a kind man with brown hair and green eyes like his daughter's and was wearing a gray coat and a white shirt with dark pants, as he hugged his beautiful wife and daughter.
"My darling…"
To her mother and father, she was a princess.
True, she had no title, nor crown, nor castle, but she was the ruler of her own little kingdom. Whose borders were the house and meadow on the forest's edge, where her people had lived for generations.
Few years went by as the grown up nine year old Ella went outside of her backdoor home then went skipping her feet towards her animal friends then feeding each of them.
With Mr. Goose and all their animal family.
The chicken plucked on the grass with a peck and the gooses made a quacking sound waiting for their food as Ella approached them with a greeting.
"Hello, there. What do you think you're doing? Let the little ones have their share. We don't want you getting an upset stomach."
The mother watched her with a graceful smile then laughed a bit as her daughter went towards her little mice friends.
"Gus-Gus, you're a house mouse, not a garden mouse. Isn't he, Jacqueline?"
"And you mustn't eat Mr. Goose's food."
The little girl puts her palms to the little mice as they jumped up to her together hands then were lifted by her.
"Isn't that right, mummy?"
"Do you still believe that they understand you?" her mother asked in a kind tone.
"Don't they, mother?"
"Oh yes…I believe that animals listen and speak to us if we only have the ear for It." she explained as the mice in Ella's palm looked up at her. "That's how we learn to look after them."
"Who looks after us?" Ella asked curiously.
"Fairy godmothers, of course." Her mother answered.
"And do you believe in them?"
"I believe in everything."
"Then I believe in everything, too." She smiled brightly with her mother smiling back at her as the mice snuggled at her palm while Gus-Gus was eating small crisp of food.
The father along with his companions rode in a cart filled with souvenirs and things that bought from business as greeted loudly to his beautiful ladies who are waiting for him at his home.
Her father was a merchant, who went abroad and brought tributes back from all of Ella's subject lands.
"Ella! Where are my girls, my beautiful girls?!" he shouted cheeringly as he rode his cart straight to his house. "Where are my darlings?!"
Ella missed him terribly when he was away. But she knew he would always return.
"There she is!" Her father saw her running towards him.
"Papa, welcome home!"
The young Ella ran towards her father giving him a bear hug then was lifted and kissed her cheek and twisted each other then finally puts her down.
"You've grown, haven't you?" Her father looked at her affectionately as he felt an object that was given to him.
"There you go, sir." The man from behind him passed as he gave him the object behind.
"What was that?" Ella excitedly asked.
"Oh this?!" He revealed a pretty looking green box in front of her. "I found it hanging on a tree." He gave it to her and knelt his left knee as she took it acceptably. "I think there may be something inside."
Ella observe the features of the hand crafted box then pulls the string from middle and it was opened and revealed to be an art crafted pink butterfly in paper flower attached to it. She admired the beautiful origami of the butterfly as she pulled it to look at it.
"It's so pretty."
"In French, that is un papillon."
"Un papillon." She correctly said.
"Tres bien!" (Very Good)Her father asks her to dance a bit playfully. "Puis je avoir cette danse, mademoiselle?" (May I have this dance, milady?)
"Mais bien sur, vous le pouz." (Why of course, you may).
"Merci voqu." (Alright then).
They both stood up in position to dance when Ella puts both her feet to his making her father amusingly pretending to hurt causing her to giggle including her mother who watched them near.
"Ow, you're standing on my feet."
"Shall we?"
She nodded as they both danced and laughed happily.
"Mama, look I'm dancing!"
As they let go of their happy dance, her father approached his wife and embraced her in his loving arms then kissed her while Ella playfully looked at her precious butterfly origami.
"Little papillon."
All was just as it should be…
Ella's mother sang her lullaby while her daughter lay down starting to sleep and hearing her mother's beautiful voice.
They knew themselves to be the most happy of the families to live as they did and to love each other so.
Lavender's green, dilly dilly, Lavender's blue
When I am king dilly dilly, you shall be queen
Lavender's green dilly dilly, Lavender's blue
You must love me dilly dilly, for I love you
Ella's mother went out of her daughter's room then suddenly felt a pain in her throat and coughed, but she kept on telling her husband that she is fine.
But sorrow can come to any kingdom, no matter how happy.
She started to slow down and felt dizzy then started to faint and continued to cough terribly while her husband catches her from behind with a worried expression.
And so it came to Ella's home.
In the next day, Ella sat patiently to wait for the doctor to check up on her mother who is sickly ill as she heard the door open from her side and heard the doctor told her father.
"I'm so sorry."
"Thank you, Doctor."
"This must have been very difficult for you." The doctor sincerely said as he and Ella's father both faced the mother's daughter sadly then Ella's father reached her hand to let her see her mother.
"Come…Ella."
They both went inside to see her mother who look terribly ill laying on her couch in a blanket covering the half of her body. Ella went towards her mother in front of her.
"Ella, my darling."
"I want to tell you a secret. A great secret that will see you through all the trials that life can offer…you must always remember this… Have courage and be kind. You have more kindness in your little finger than most people possess in their whole body and it has power, more than you know…and magic."
"Magic?" Ella asked.
Her mother nodded then continued. "Truly… have courage and be kind, my darling. Will you promise me?"
"I promise." She replied with a sad expression in her face but tries to be brave.
"Good...and… "Her mother faced her husband who was trembling with tears knowing that she will leave them soon then looked at Ella. "I must go very soon, my love…please forgive me." She trailed off as she looked at her daughter with a sad smile.
"Of course, I forgive you…" Ella said with sincerity as she embraced her mother then felt her father's arms around her and her mother crying then said to his wife 'I love you' to her as she said to them 'I love you' back to him. They all embraced with each other for the last time crying together.
Time passed, and pain turned to memory.
Ella and her father walk through the grass together lovingly as years went by when Ella was growing beautifully from her childhood to adulthood. Her features were now mature and womanly and she wore a simple light green dress with her pink curly hair was now longer from her waist.
In her heart, Ella stayed the same. For she remembered her promise to her mother. Have courage, and be kind…"
Her father, however, was much changed. But he hoped for better times.
Ella's father listened to her storytelling of a man and a woman who struggled for their love to live happily ever after as he drank his cup of tea.
"And thence home, and my wife and I singing, to our great content, and if ever there were a man happier in his fortunes, I know him not." She finished reading the story and closed the book all together. "Thus ends Mr. Pepys for today." She straighten herself by stretching her arms and smiled. "Oh I do love a happy ending, don't you?"
"They're quite my favorite sort." He replied with a smile.
"As well they should be." She said as she sat back down putting a book on her lap.
"Ella, I have come to the conclusion that it's time, perhaps," he put down his tea on the table then leaned forward nervously. "To begin a new chapter."
"Indeed, father?" she said with a bit of confusion yet puts a calm tone in her voice.
"You'll recall that some time ago, in my travels, I made the acquaintance of Sir Francis Tremaine."
"Yes… the Mater of the Mercer's Guild, is he not?"
"Was…" he trailed off but continued. "The poor man has died, alas."
Ella's green eyes stayed still and nodded as she continues to listen to her father's words.
"His widow… an honorable woman, finds herself alone," he looked at his daughter who sighed deeply. "Though still in the prime of her life…" he trailed off again, struggling to say something very important to him towards his daughter. Ella can see in his green eyes that he was nervous of telling her, for she understands him for his reasons.
"You're worried about telling me," she said then continued to say the right words and smiled kindly. "But you mustn't be, not if it will lead to your happiness."
"Yes… happiness." He said a bit of relief then grinned at her. "Do you think I may be allowed one last chance, even though I thought such things were done with for good?"
Ella sighed yet happily smiled for accepting her father's happiness. "Of course I do, father." She approached him then hugged him as he hugged her back.
"She'll merely be your stepmother, and you'll have two lovely sisters to keep you company."
Today was the day that Ella's new family will be arriving at her home as the carriage rode towards the entrance. Ella walked past the living room and told herself saying 'Have courage, and be kind' remembering her mother's words of a promise. She went outside of her main door beside her father waiting for the new family to come as the carriage stopped at side of them. Ella's father walked towards the carriage to politely help them.
"Welcome ladies, welcome!" he greeted them with a happy smile.
"She's skinny as a broomstick!"
"And that weird pink stringy hair!"
The girl with a yellow dress reached Ella's father's hand politely and went down on the ground. "You're very nice."
"I'm so happy to meet you." Ella said with a kind tone towards the two sisters.
The second girl with a pink dress went out ignoring Ella's father's hand then went towards Ella touching her soft pink curled hair. Her name is Anastasia. "You have such pretty hair." She commented.
"Oh thank you." Ella replied.
"You should have it styled." The girl in a yellow dress is Drizella. Commented a bit rudely.
"Oh, I'm sure you're right. Would you like a tour of the house." She said to the two sisters.
"What did she say?" Drizella asked and leaned beside her sister.
"She wants us to show around her farmhouse. She's proud of it, I think." Anastasia replied to her sister a bit mockingly.
"Do they keep animals inside?"
Ella nodded a no as she heard a footstep on the ground where a gray cat was drawn down with a leash. A woman in a beautiful elegant black and green dress with flower patterns from top to bottom as she walked past her daughters and Ella then went inside the entrance of the house.
"How charming. How perfectly charming." The woman commented as she pulled her cat on a leash. "Lucifer."
Her stepmother-to-be was a woman of keen feeling and refined taste. And she, too, had known grief. But she wore it wonderfully well.
The woman is named Lady Tremaine. She was attractively beautiful in Ella's eyes but she was no one compared to her own mother, who is more beautiful in a natural way. Her father, may have the right choice to find love again, maybe, just maybe in her opinion. He went towards to Ella who is a bit happy compared to him for he is happier for adding another family in his picture. Ella inhaled and exhaled to be kind towards the new family as she saw her father went inside the house.
Lady Tremaine observe each of the artifacts, paintings and any other furniture inside the room as she heard her new husband-to-be steps towards her as she turned around smiling.
"You did not say your daughter was so beautiful."
"Oh, she takes after…" his smile faded upon mentioning his late wife, but Lady Tremaine added for him to continue in a polite way as she looked up to him.
"Her mother… Just so."
Ella's father smiled again as they heard Lady Tremaine's daughters babbling about their mother's fake politeness towards her new family.
"What does Mummy mean? What's so charming about it?" Anastasia asked her sister.
"She's lying. That's just good manners." Drizella replied.
"Shut up." She rudely said.
The sisters including Ella from behind followed their stepfather and mother while walking towards the other room.
"How long does your family lived here." Drizella asked curiously.
"Over two hundred years." He replied.
"And in all that time, they never thought to decorate?" Anastasia asked a bit rudely.
"Anastasia, hush." She exclaimed calmly. "They'll think you are in earnest."
At that evening, Ella's house was noised with laughter, chitter and chatter around the room as if you think that it was filled joy and laughter inside her home.
Ella's stepmother, high-spirited lady that she was, set to restore life and laughter to the house.
Lady Tremaine and her friends including her daughters were gambling on the oval round table with cards, coins and money, drinking brandy and wine from each person. She laughed in a weird manner towards her friends.
"Oh you are awful, Baron, hahaha!"
"Ah fortune favors me again." The man from her side said as Lady Tremaine drink a champagne with a one gulp of drink and sigh then continued to gamble amongst her friends around her.
Ella past by her stepsisters who are also gambling then went towards her small mice friends who are at the side of the staircase. The three other mice went beside the large brown mouse who is eating a small amount of cheese.
"Well, look who's having a party of their own. Jaqueline, Teddy, Matilda, greedy Gus-Gus." She said with a bit of a giggle then suddenly said "Oh-oh." When Lucifer was about to strike towards Ella's little friends, when Gus-Gus was a bit scared with a fright.
"Just what…" She lifted Lucifer with a playful scolding. "Yes, what do you think you're up to, Lucifer? Jacqueline is my guest, and the eating of guests is not allowed." She put down Lucifer on the staircase, letting him go. "Go on, now. You have plenty of cat food to keep you happy." She looked at her mice friends who are relieved that they are saved. "We ladies must help one another." She said towards Jacqueline with a wink and left while leaving Jacqueline a cheerful nibble.
Ella opened the door slowly to see her father writing the papers, a bit scattered on the table, then stands still to watch him and approached in front of him.
"You're missing the party."
"I imagined it's much like all the other ones." He said while still writing not looking up at her. "And I'm leaving first thing, El."
"No. but you're… you're hardly back from the last trip." She widened her green eyes in shock but still kept her calm state and sigh. "Do you have to go?"
"It's just a few months, my darling." He looked up to her, assuring that she must understand why he has to go.
Ella sat on the chair in front of him at the desk and smiled sadly.
"What would you like me to bring home from abroad? You know, your stepsisters, have asked for parasols and lace." He said while waiting for his daughter's asking for what he will bring for her. "What will you have?"
She leaned forwards to him then puts her hands on his affectionately then said. "Bring me the first branch on your shoulder brushes on your journey."
"Well…that's a curious request." He said a bit confusingly.
"Well, you'll have to take it with you on your way and think of me when you look at It. and when you bring it back, it means that you'll be with it." she smiled sadly in a genuine love towards her father. "And that's what I really want." She started to feel her tears fell from her cheek as she continued. "For you to come back." She saw her father stood up then went towards her to comfort her as she also stood up while a bit crying as they both hugged with a father-daughter loving moment. "No matter what."
"I will…" her father said with an affection towards her not noticing Lady Tremaine looking for her new husband and heard his voice.
"Ella, while I'm away, I want you to be good to your stepmother and stepsisters, even though they may be…trying at times." He said while putting his hands on Ella's.
"I promise." She smiled.
"Thank you."
Her stepmother peaked at the side of the door window and saw Ella and her father talking to one another, that something inside of her was growing a bit jealous towards his daughter as she continued to hear their conversation.
"I'll always leave a part of me behind, Ella." He puts his hand on her cheek to comfort her. "Remember that. And your mother's here, too, though you see her not… she's the very heart of this place." Lady Tremaine felt her heart hammered with a bit of pain knowing that her new husband still loved his late wife even though they are married as she continued to hear then for a moment she left them to proceed her gambling on the other side. "And that's why we must cherish this house, always for her."
Ella looked into her father's eyes with a bit of sadness. "I miss her… do you?"
Her father smiled back and said. "Very much…" they both embraced each other lovingly as they did not notice Lady Tremaine listening to their conversation as she left them on the other side.
On the next day, her father was prepared to leave while holding his daughter's hand for the last time with her running. The stepsisters shouted to him with requests to remember on what he will bring home.
"Remember the lace! I simply must have it!" Anastasia shouted.
"And my parasol! For my complexion! That means skin, if you don't know!" Drizella also shouted.
Lady Tremaine only waved goodbye with her handkerchief as Ella let go of her father's hand then waved goodbye as he left her then looked at her from behind one last time.
"Bye!"
"Bye, Ella!"
"I love you!"
"I love you, too!"
Her father turned around to watch the road while riding the wagon. Lady Tremaine and her daughters went straight inside the house leaving Ella standing on the road to watch her father leave from the distance. Ella looked at them then the road to where her father went as she sighed to a bit of sadness for she missed her father terribly. She went inside the house while passing by two living rooms on each side until she heard a voice from the other side of the living room.
"Ella, dear." Lady Tremaine motioned for her come near her and sit beside her to comfort her. "Now, now. Mustn't blub."
"Yes, stepmother." Ella said as she felt a wipe in her cheek.
"Oh you needn't call me that."
Ella looked up to her expecting her to say 'call me mother', but unfortunately it didn't.
"Madam, will do." The Lady smiled as they heard an argue of two sisters, blabbering of their sharing rooms.
"There isn't room for me and all of you clothes!" Drizella shouted towards her sisters.
"WELL, THEN MAKE YOURSELF SMALLER!" Anastasia shouted her back by stomping madly towards her.
"Anastasia and Drizella have always shared a room. Such dear, affectionate girls." She said a bit smiling while watching them argue.
OR…OR BETTER YET, DISAPPEAR ENTIRELY! Anastasia shouted back again.
"You would like that, wouldn't you? Sometimes I could scratch your eyes out!" she shouted back as she walked towards her still arguing.
"I think they're finding the sleeping quarters rather confining." Lady Tremaine said while closing her eyes in disappointment.
"Well, my bedroom's the biggest besides yours and father's. Perhaps they'd like to share it." she looked at her who seem to be a bit surprised.
"What a wonderful idea. What a good girl you are." The stepmother said smiled politely. Ella smiled back as she continued.
"Well, I can stay in-"she was cut off when her stepmother exclaimed.
"The attic! Quite so!" she stood up leaving Ella a complete shock on her words when her stepmother said 'the attic'.
"The attic?"
"Yes. Only temporarily, while I have all the other rooms redecorated." She explained. "The attic's so nicely and airy. And you'll be away from all of our fuss and bother." She waved her hand a dramatically around the living to observe the things that are around her. "You'd be even cozier, if you kept all this bric-a-brac up there with you. To keep you amused." She carries the sewing equipment then gives it to Ella as she left her.
Ella opened the door to the attic from the stairs then went up then the next to open the door where she saw the inside was dusty and can hear a creak sound when she step on the wooden ground, she looked around the attic room.
"Well, no one shall disturbed me here." She said while fixing the wooden bed then puts a red blanket on it. While she was turning the down faced chair to its normal position, she saw her little mice friends inside eating the leftover foods in a surprise. Ella sat down and giggled on the bed and watched them climbed on the chair. She saw Gus-Gus struggling to climb up while bring a cheese in his mouth. "Go on, Gus-Gus, you can do it." she cheered him to climb up as the big brown mouse finally went up the chair towards his mice companions.
"So this is where you take refuge." She said smiling at them. "Me too, it would seem." The mice looked up at her, nibbling while Gus-Gus continues eating the cheese. "Right. Who's going to help me?"
Not noticing her stepsisters hearing her conversation with her little mice.
"Simpleton" Anastasia commented.
"This is the last straw." Drizella said.
"Our little sister, up there, talking to the woodworm." She said while laughing.
Ella stood up from her bed and looked around the attic with her hands on her back then walked towards the door to close.
"How very pleasant. No cats, and no stepsisters."
"We have a halfwit for a sister." Drizella commented her rudely as she almost left the room.
"I've got two." Anastasia adding Drizella as a halfwit along with Ella.
"I heard that!" Her sister whispered madly. "Who is she talking to?"
"She's mad." Anastasia commented as they left the room laughing.
In the next hour, Ella returned to her chores as she went out of the backdoor holding a basket for picking the eggs while singing.
"Hmmm…sing sweet nightingale, sing sweet nightingale…" she walked gracefully as greeted good morning to the farmers. "Good morning!"
"Good morning, Ella!"
"Good morning, Tom!"
Ella while still singing went through the small house for hens to lay eggs as she opened the small door to find the eggs that were laid.
"Sing sweet… hello. Don't mind if I…" She saw a perfectly shaped egg on the left as she took the egg.
"Oh what a lovely Chantecler. Well done. Thanks" She went out of the small house to go to the kitchen where her servants were preparing food for breakfast.
"Morning." she greeted some of her servants to help.
"Morning." One of the servants greeted.
She went to the stove then puts the three eggs on the pan and heard a servant on her side.
"Thank you, Miss Ella."
"You're welcome."
Once she is done putting the eggs on a pan, she puts her finger on a cream to dip for a taste in a sneaky way until she was noticed by her servant who is amusingly surprised for Ella to take finger dip on the cream as Ella walked away giggling.
"Ella!"
While Ella was still doing her chores, the stepsisters slept very soundly with a unladylike snore until their mother called from below.
"Wake up, girls! It's lunch time!"
Mornings did not agree with Ella's stepsisters.
Drizella flipped from the other side of her bed until she fell from cushion with a sound causing both sisters to wake up frantically.
And they lacked accomplishment in such domestic arts as keeping house… in fact, they lacked accomplishments in any art.
Drizella started playing the piano while singing in a worse yet untalented voice which the ears of the audience annoyed including Ella, who tried to stand upon hearing her stepsister's untalented tone.
Anastasia, on the other hand, was sketching a portrait of her mother. The look of her drawing was…well… not very impressive. She finished her portrait then show it to her mother with a critic of a fake approve of her daughter's artwork.
Ella's small friends were covering their ears from the hideous voice that they heard under the table cabinet. She looked at her stepsister with a frown of disgust until she was noticed by her stepmother then turns around to ignore.
Lady Tremaine tries to make a small revenge as she moves the plate of the cookie causing it to fall with a thud. Ella looked up and saw the mess that her stepmother faking the accident with a dramatic 'oh' as she approached to pick up the small plate and the cookie to clean it up.
Lucifer sits in the chair annoyed by the cringle voice until he heard the mice on the other side where they were hidden under the table cabinet. He jumped down from the chair and begins to chase the four mice as they stepped back the gray cat in fear, but fortunately, Lucifer was bumped in the head with dizziness, much to Ella's amusement and a relief from the four mice. She walked away with a tray leaving the stepmother and her daughters alone in the living room. Drizella's terrible singing voice was ended with a hummed then stopped playing the piano.
"Do shut up." Lady Tremaine said in an annoyance.
Ella's great comfort, were the letters that her father would send from his travels. The weeks away lengthened to months, but every day would bring his thoughts from some distant part.
Ella walked towards the farm with a basket as she heard someone calling out to her.
"Miss Ella, it's the mail coach!"
She smiled with excitement as she went inside her home then run towards the door's main entrance and opened to see her farmer friend with a look of sadness.
Until late one afternoon…
"Farmer John?" Ella stood with a bit of a heavy sigh with a look of expectance of her father coming home.
"Miss Ella…It's your father, miss." He trailed off but continued. "He took ill on the road… he's passed on, miss…He's gone. To the end, he spoke only of you, miss, and your mother." Lady Tremaine's eyes looked down in a bit of a heart break, feeling a bit of unloved by her second husband. "I was to give you this." Farmer John gave Ella, the fallen brown orange colored leave branch that her father found from her request.
Ella tries to hold her tears from crying and heavy breathing. Anastasia and Drizella slumped in disappointment not even saddening of Ella's father's death.
"But what about my lace?"
"My parasol?"
"Can't you see? None of that matters." Her stepmother said to them as Ella turned around at her stepmother's reaction. "We're ruined. How will we live?" She went upstairs along with her daughters with a loud thud and a door slammed. Ella turned around to face Farmer John as her tears fell down from her cheek.
"Thank you…it must have been very difficult for you." Ella said as she turned away and closed the door. She looked at the branch of leaves that her father found from his shoulder as her request with more tears crying from her eyes, mourning of the only family she had, died.
In the next day, the servants of Ella's household were leaving, each one that Ella embraced to say goodbye towards them.
How indeed to live. Economies had to be taken. Ella's stepmother dismissed the household.
Ella waved a goodbye sadly as she watched them leave from afar. Her stepmother, on the hand, watched her for a moment then went inside the house.
Her stepmother and stepsisters ever misused her. And by and by they considered Ella, less a sister than a servant
Inside the room, her stepmother puts her leg on the cushion chair with an untied lace of her shoe then looks down at Ella smirking as Ella goes down to tie her stepmother's shoe lace.
Then the next hour, Ella was outside to get the dried hanging clothes then puts them in a basket. As she went inside the back room to wash the clothes of her stepmother and stepsisters.
And so Ella was left to do all the work. This was a good thing, for it to distract her from her grief. At least that was what her stepmother had said.
She was about to start washing the clothes until she heard bells on the wall meaning that her stepfamily are calling her.
And she and her two daughters were more than happy to provide Ella with lots and lots of distractions.
While her stepsisters were laughing happily the across room from the staircase, below that room where Ella was brushing and shinning the shoes of each of her stepmother and stepsisters.
In their defense, they did share with her the very food they ate, or rather, the scraps from their table. She had a little in the way of friends… well, her friends were very little.
Ella sat down on the table to eat her dinner from scraps of food until she heard four of her mice friends as she approached them while bringing the leftover food to them.
"There you are!"
"Have dinner with me, won't you?"
But those friends she had, she treated with an open heart and an opened hand.
She took a tea cup and small covering for a small table for her little friends.
"Your table." She smiled and giggled towards them. Gus-Gus was about to get the second small cheese but was slapped by Jacqueline while looking at her friend, Ella. When the time of the three o'clock rang, it was time for her to go the sleep, she stood then wiped her hands in her apron then stood with a bit chilled from the cold from the stairs of the attic then went to the fireplace and lay down and patted the pillow for her to sleep.
Sometimes, by the end of the day, the drafty attic was too cold to spend the night in, so she lay by the embers of the hearth to keep warm.
In the next morning, Ella woke up and heard a bell as she stood up and went to prepare breakfast for them. Her stepmother woke up wearing a Leopard print robe and went towards Ella and puts her hands on her hips with a bit of rudeness.
"I thought breakfast was ready."
"It is, madam." She said while cleaning the fireplace. "I'm only mending the fire."
"In the future, can we not be called until the work is done?" she said while walking to the dining table and sat on the chair joined by her daughters.
"As you wish." Ella said while she finished mending the fireplace then prepare food for the table.
"Ella, what's that on your face?" Her stepmother asked while noticing a bit of ash on her cheek.
Ella, a bit confused as she brings the food on the table. "Madam?"
"It's ash from the fireplace." Anastasia said correctly.
"Do clean yourself up." She demanded towards Ella as she wipes herself in her apron.
"You'll get cinders in our tea." Anastasia complained.
"I've got a new name for her! Cinderwench." Drizella said with an idea of a name for Ella.
"I couldn't bear to look so dirty." Anastasia again complained, but joined the idea for a name. "Oh, Dirty Ella! Hahaha!"
"Cinder-ella." Drizella finally made up a name suited for her. "That's what we'll call you!" Her sister agreed including their mother in amusement much to Ella's discomfort towards them by calling her that nickname.
"Oh girls, you're too clever." Her stepmother said with amusement until she noticed another plate for that certain someone else when Ella puts some plates of bread in the table.
"Who's this for?" she points the plate beside her. "Is there someone we've forgotten?" Ella confused of her stepmother's question but smiled nervously. "But it's my place."
"Oh it seems too much to expect you to prepare breakfast, serve it and still sit with us." She mockingly said towards her. "Wouldn't you prefer to eat when all the work is done, Ella? Should I say Cinderella? Hm?"
Ella watched her with a bit of anger and sadness then picks up the plate as she went downstairs to the kitchen hearing the cruel laughter of her stepfamily. She accidentally put the plate unbalanced with tears falling from her cheeks as she picks up the broken pieces on the floor then puts them on the table. She looks at her reflection on the bronze pot while touching it with her fingertips.
Cinderella…Names have power, like magic spells. And of a sudden, it seemed that her stepmother and stepsisters had indeed transformed her into a mere creature of ash and toil.
Ella decides to run away from her stepfamily in her white horse then rode off when she saw a stag in front of her making her horse stopped frantically.
"Whoa-whoa whoa! Easy boy!" she patted her horse to calm down when she stared at the stag from eye to eye with gentleness for a moment until they heard a horn and a group of hunters coming here.
"Run! Quickly my friend or they'll catch you! Go!" she told the stag to run with pleaded eyes as the stag run off to escape from the hunters as Ella rode off with her horse but the horse was running way too fast and she was having a hard time to control to her stead.
Perhaps it was just as well that Ella's stepsisters were cruel. For had she not run to the forest, she might never have met the prince…
Ohhh! the next chapter will be Sasuke as Prince Kit meeting Sakura as Ella in the the next chapter will be a bit longer than this chapter, if you are confused with your imagination of the Cinderella sasusaku version. then comment me in the private message, please.
Thank you and goodbye!