"Are you two looking for this?" said a cold, sneering voice. The girls looked up. It was Lady Tremaine. She had Ella's slipper in her hand. "There must be quite a story to go with it. Won't one of you tell me?" Ella and Alyssa Rose didn't say a word. "No? Then I'll tell you two a story. Once upon a time, there was a beautiful girl who married for love and had two loving daughters. But, one day, her husband died. The next time, she married for the sake of her daughters. But that man, too, was taken from her. She was doomed to look upon every day upon his beloved children. She had hoped to marry off one of her beautiful, stupid daughters to the prince. But his head was turned by a girl with glass slippers. And so, I lived unhappily ever after." That's how you should live, you monster. Alyssa Rose thought. "Now tell me yours, did one of you steal it?" Lady Tremaine asked. "No," Ella and Alyssa Rose said together.
"It was given to me," Ella added. "Given to you?" Lady Tremaine asked. She laughed and then in another cold voice, she said, "Nothing is ever given. For everything we must pay and pay." "That's not true!" Alyssa Rose said angrily. "Kindness and love are free." "Love is not free, you little brat," Lady Tremaine snarled at her. "Don't you talk to my sister that way," Ella said bravely. Lady Tremaine grabbed Alyssa Rose by the hand. "Ow!" she cried. "Let me go!" Alyssa Rose bit Lady Tremaine's hand. Lady Tremaine cried out in pain and Alyssa Rose loosened her hand away from her grip. She ran to Ella, who held her tight. "Now, here is how you will pay me," Lady Tremaine snarled. "If you are to have what you desire. No one will believe you, a dirty servant girl and her silly sister, without a family, if you claim the prince's heart. When you marry, you will make me the head of the royal household and I will have Anastasia and Drizella paired off with wealthy lords. And I shall manage that boy."
"But he's not a boy," Ella protested. "And who are you?" Lady Tremaine demanded. "How would you rule a kingdom? Best to leave it to me. That way we all get what we want." Lady Tremaine began to walk toward the door. "No!" Ella said. Lady Tremaine stopped in her tracks. "No?" "I was not able to protect our father from you, but I will protect the prince, the kingdom, and my sister no matter what becomes of me." Ella said bravely. "Well, that is a mistake." Lady Tremaine smashed the glass slipper against the wall and it shattered into many pieces. "No! Why? Why are you so cruel to us?" Ella asked angrily. "I don't understand it. Lissie and I have tried to be kind to you." "You two? Kind to me?" Lady Tremaine asked. "Yes!" Ella answered. "No one deserves to be treated as you have treated me and my sister. Why do you do it? Why?!" "Why?" Lady Tremaine asked as she approached the girls. "Because you girls are young, innocent, and good. And I…" Lady Tremaine grabbed Alyssa Rose and out they went. "No! Lissie!" Ella cried. "Sissy! Help me!" Alyssa Rose cried as Lady Tremaine dragged her out and locked the door and puts the key and the remaining piece of the glass slipper in her pocket.
"Let me go! Let me go!" Alyssa Rose struggled as she and Lady Tremaine went down the stairs. Alyssa Rose tried to use her free hand to loosen Lady Tremaine's tight grip. "You're hurting me!" Lady Tremaine stopped at the middle of the stairway and strikes Alyssa Rose across the face again. "Now I want you to listen to me, girl," Lady Tremaine ordered. "You are going to come with me to the palace and you are going to tell the Prince and the Grand Duke that you stole the slipper and smashed it. Once they found out what you've done, they'll lock you up so you'll never see your sister again and then the Grand Duke will have the Prince marry the Princess Chelina." Alyssa Rose was very angry. "How do you know all of this?" she asked her stepmother. Suddenly, she realized the truth. "You and the Grand Duke are behind all of this? You want me to lie to the Prince for a crime I never committed!" "Oh, shut up you little brat and do as your told!" Lady Tremaine snarled. "No…I…won't!" Alyssa Rose shouted. She stomped on Lady Tremaine's foot. The little girl grabbed the remaining piece of Ella's glass slipper and the key to the attic from her stepmother's pocket and ran down the stairs as Lady Tremaine winced in pain again. She then screamed, "ANASTASIA! DRIZELLA! STOP THAT GIRL!" Anastasia and Drizella heard their mother's screams and tried to catch Alyssa Rose, but the little girl was too fast for them.
Alyssa Rose ran for the stables and stopped to catch her breath. She took the piece of Ella's slipper out of her pocket and looked at it. She then closed her eyes and thought about everything that has happened as well as her mother's words. "Have courage and be kind." "Cinderlissie! That's what we'll call you!" "Just because it's what's done, doesn't mean it's what should be done!" "Have courage and be kind." "Cinderella and Cinderlissie at the ball!" "You shall not go to the ball!" "At the last stroke of midnight, the spell will be broken…" "Have courage and be kind." The little girl opened her eyes and looked from the piece of the glass slipper to Major. Alyssa Rose knew what she has to do. I must help Sissy. I must! I have to go see Kit and Thomas tell them. The little girl thought to herself. She put the piece of the slipper back into her pocket and hitched up the horse. With a loud "Hyah!" she rushed to the palace.
When Alyssa Rose arrived at the palace, she hopped off Major and went inside to look for Kit and Thomas. She looked really nervous, but she said to herself, "Have courage and be kind, have courage and be kind, have courage and be kind." As Alyssa Rose walked around, she accidentally bumps into the Captain. The Captain looked down at the little girl, who gave a startled gasp. "E-e-ex-excuse me," she said nervously. "May I help you, young lady?" asked the Captain. "I-I-I-I'm l-l-looking for the prince. Is he here?" Alyssa Rose asked. "I need to speak with him." The Captain bent down to get a better look at Alyssa Rose. He recognized her and smiled. "No need to be frightened, young lady. I know who you are." "Y-you do, Sir?" Alyssa Rose asked him. "Yes, you must be the mystery princess' little sister." "Yes, Sir. I am," Alyssa Rose answered. "What is your name, young lady?" The Captain asked her again. "My name is Alyssa Rose. Will you please take me to the prince?" The Captain nodded and said, "Come with me." The Captain led the little girl to the throne room and told her to wait. He knocked on the door. "Come in," said a voice. Alyssa Rose knew who it was. It's Kit! "Begging your pardon, Your Majesties," he said. "There is a visitor here to see you."
"Who is it?" Kit asked. "A little girl with brown curls and a light pink dress," the Captain answered. Kit stood up and said, "Send her in." "Yes, Your Majesty." The Captain motioned for Alyssa Rose to come in. She nodded and slowly walked in. Both the princes recognized her. "Alyssa Rose!" With tears in her eyes, Alyssa Rose ran up and hugged Kit and Thomas. She began to sob. "Lissie, what's the matter?" Kit asked. "Is something wrong?" "It's my sister," Alyssa Rose sobbed as she began to explain. "Her name is Ella and she is the mystery princess you fell in love with at the ball. She is in danger. Our stepmother locked her in the attic and smashed the slipper into pieces. This is what's left of the slipper." Alyssa Rose took the piece of the smashed glass slipper out of her pocket and gave it to Kit. "Stepmother was going to bring me here and force me tell you and the Grand Duke I stole the slipper." Kit looked at the broken piece and asked Thomas to go to his bedchamber to find the other slipper and then bring it to him. "She also said that if I told, then you and the Grand Duke would have me locked up and then you would never see my sister and then marry Princess Chelina." The prince looked up at the little girl in shock. "What?!" Alyssa Rose nodded. "It's true. The Grand Duke and my stepmother were in on this together. She overheard him complaining that he promised to have you to marry the Princess."
Thomas came back and he gave his brother the slipper. It was a match. Kit smiled and then he said to her, "I will get to the bottom of this." Kit summoned the Captain and told him that they have to leave immediately. Alyssa Rose smiled.