The Little Glass Slipper


Once upon a time, in a faraway kingdom, there lived a gentle and modest widowed merchant named Kizashi Haruno and his daughter Sakura, who was an intelligent young girl with a kind heart and sweet disposition. This made her belove by her father and everybody else she knew. As time went by, the girl grew lovelier as her father grew lonelier. Since his first wife, Mebuki, passed away years ago, he had been looking for another woman to wed so that he could give his daughter a new mother figure.

One day, he met Lady Hinako Masuda, a woman with two daughters of her own, Reika and Fujiko Masuda. Kizashi married Lady Hinako and he introduced her to his daughter as her new stepmother. On the outside, Lady Hinako was a poised, well-known woman of keen feeling and refined taste. However, she spent most of her time doting on her two daughters, spoiling them until they were just as vile, selfish, vain, and rotten as she was. Despite her many attempts, Sakura was never able to grow closer to her new stepmother.

One stormy night, Kizashi grew ill. His faithful daughter stayed by his side at every waking moment, caring for him to the best of her abilities while his new wife kept her distance. He declared his undying love for Sakura before sadly passing away.

This made Lady Hinako grow jealous of her stepdaughter and a new hatred for the young woman had formed in her icy, black heart. She seized the family fortune and spent it all on her daughters, relieving the household servants of their responsibilities and forcing Sakura to become a slave in her own home. Despite her stepfamily being so cruel to her, Sakura kept her kind heart, generous nature, and loving spirit. She did the cooking and cleaning around the house without speaking one word of complaint or contempt.

Sometimes when it was too cold in the drafty attic where she slept, Sakura would sleep by the amber glow of the dying fire of the hearth to keep warm and the ashes would blow all over her body, covering her face and hair in a fresh blanket of dust and ashes and making her look gray and dirty whenever she woke up the next morning. Despite the insults, chores, and occasional beatings, Sakura always looked on the bright side of things and secretly wished that someday this nightmare would come to an end and she would finally be happy.

One morning, Sakura was scrubbing the floor of the foyer when she heard a knock at the door. She curiously opened it to see one of the King's royal messengers standing before her. The messenger loudly blasted a trumpet in her face before announcing:

"HEAR YE! HEAR YE! THEIR MAJESTIES, THE KING AND QUEEN-"

Before he could finish, Sakura interrupted the messenger by clearing her throat and saying, "You don't have to shout, I'm right here. I can hear every word you're saying just fine."

"Whoops." The messenger apologized before giving a scroll with the royal seal to Sakura and saying, "Their Majesties, King Hikaru, and Queen Ayaka have requested all eligible maidens to attend a Royal Gala tomorrow evening in honor of their only son, Prince Kazuya Watanabe, where he might select a bride."

"A Gala?! Tomorrow night?!" Sakura exclaimed as she held the invitation in her hands. Her eyes went wide with excitement. "This is fantastic! I have to tell my stepmother right away! Thank you very much!"

The messenger smiled, nodded, picked up his trumpet, and happily skipped off to the next house where Sakura could hear him blowing his trumpet loudly in someone else's ears. She rolled her eyes and shook her head with a smirk before closing the door behind her. Sakura was so excited about the Gala that she didn't even notice the dark glares her stepfamily was giving her when she barged in on their breakfast to tell them the news.

"Sakura, what in the name of God are you doing?! You know not to interrupt our meals like this!" Lady Hinako scolded.

"Oh! I-I'm sorry, Stepmother. I didn't mean to barge in, I was just-" Sakura stuttered.

"Hey, what's that?" Reika asked, seeing the scroll.

"Let me see it!" Fujiko said as she took the scroll from her stepsister.

"Hey! Let go of that!"

"No! Gimme that back! I wanna see it!"

"I saw it first!"

"No, I saw it first!"

"It's my turn!"

"No, it's my turn!!"

"Is not!"

"Is too!"

"Is not!"

"Is too!!"

As the two girls continued to argue over the scroll, Lady Hinako calmly took the invitation from her daughters, opened it, and read it silently to herself. As she read, she gasped to herself as her eyes seemed to brighten every few seconds. The moment she finished reading the scroll, she excitedly stood from her chair and smiled.

"My goodness! This is wonderful news! Our big chance!" she exclaimed before turning her attention to her daughters. "Girls. Girls. GIRLS!! Stop fighting at once! It's a message from the palace!"

"THE PALACE?!" Reika and Fujiko cried. Their arguing abruptly stopped.

"Yes, it's true! The King and Queen are inviting us to a Gala tomorrow evening! It's for the Prince to find a wife!" Lady Hinako answered, holding up the invitation in the air.

"A WIFE?!" Reika and Fujiko excitedly squealed.

The two sisters cheered and jumped for joy at the prospect of meeting and possibly being wed to the Prince himself. Sakura cleared her throat to get their attention.

"Uh, Stepmother? Did you read the part about every eligible maiden being invited?" she asked.

All too soon, the room went quiet. Lady Hinako broke the silence by glaring at her stepdaughter as she grumbled, "Yes, I did. Why?"

"No reason. But, I was just thinking...can I go to the Gala too? Please?" Sakura asked with a bashful look on her face.

"You?! Go to the Gala?!" Reika and Fujiko scoffed. Lady Hinako put her hand over her face and closed her eyes as she shook her head.

"Have you lost your mind, Sakura?!" Reika said.

"What would a Prince want with an ugly servant girl like you?!" Fujiko added.

"But, I just thought..." The pinkette started before hearing her stepmother's voice.

"Girls, enough," Lady Hinako ordered before looking back at her stepdaughter. "Well, let's see, Sakura. How do I put this delicately? No."

She gave Sakura a cruel glare and smiled wickedly with her daughters following suit. The room was quiet again. Sakura's hopeful smile suddenly twisted into a disappointed frown and her eyes softened.

"What? But-but...but why, Stepmother?!" Sakura asked.

"Is it not obvious, dear? You're all raggedy and filthy. You can't go to the Gala dressed like that. Everybody would just laugh at you if you came in those old things. And we wouldn't want that now, would we? You stay put, Gala out. No. Bye-bye. End of discussion," Lady Hinako said bluntly.

Reika and Fujiko laughed harshly at their disappointed stepsister. Sakura looked at herself with a shameful expression and sighed. Her stepmother was right. Lady Hinako and her daughters soon went back to their rooms to pick out their outfits for the Gala.

"Sakura! Come here! NOW!!" Lady Hinako demanded. The dusty pinkette nervously followed closely behind the group of three.

The next day, Sakura helped her stepmother and stepsisters get ready for the Gala that night. There was a lot of primping, grooming, and dressing involved and it was very difficult. And when her chores were done and everyone was ready to go, Sakura couldn't help but feel sadder as she watched her stepfamily prep themselves. She knew that she could never be as lovely as them. Then it was time to head to the palace.

"We'll be out very late, I'm sure," Lady Hinako said to Sakura as she and her daughters stood in the open doorway.

"So try not to do anything stupid while we're gone," Fujiko commented.

"And clean up while you're at it," Reika added.

"Well, I hope you have a good time," Sakura said.

"You know we will. Come on, girls. The Prince awaits. Oh! And one more thing, Sakura? Don't follow us. Have fun."

And with that being said, the three wicked women left the house for the Ball, locking the door behind them so that Sakura couldn't follow them. The moment the three women were out of sight, the pinkette couldn't help but feel very somber when she was left all alone. Sadly, Sakura gazed out the window at the shimmering castle in the distance. She sighed as she leaned on her hands on the window sill. She felt like crying at this point. As she looked at the castle, she saw a falling shooting star soar across the sky and made a wish.

"I wish. I wish that I could go to the Gala," Sakura said before throwing herself onto the floor and began to cry.

Sakura was just about to give up all hope when all of a sudden, a bright light showed into the room, only she was too sad to notice. When the light disappeared, a hand from somewhere unknown reached out and tenderly patted the crying pinkette's back.

"Please don't cry. It's alright. Not all hope is lost," An unfamiliar voice said.

Sakura abruptly lifted her head from the floor and looked around for the source. Then she noticed the hand on her shoulder. She gasped, stood up, and looked behind her, and there standing before her was a mysterious and beautiful woman she had never seen before. Sakura gasped and stepped back in surprise.

"No, no. I won't hurt you. It's okay, Sakura," The woman said reassuringly.

Scared and dumbfounded, Sakura asked, "H-how do you know my name? Who are you?"

"Who am I? I thought that would've been pretty obvious. I'm Kaede, your Fairy Godmother."

"Fairy...? But-but-but...I didn't know I had a Fairy Godmother!"

"Of course you do! Everybody does. Well, at least people who truly deserve our help."

"Help?"

"Of course. That's why I'm here. I'm here to grant your wish...to help you go to the Gala."

"The Gala? You mean it?"

"Yes. Now before I do anything, I'll need some supplies. Can you get me a peach real quick?"

"A peach? Uh...sure. Yes, of course."

Sakura was confused by this strange request, but she didn't want to argue. So she retrieved a peach from a fruit bowl sitting on a table and held it up to Kaede.

"Perfect. Now just set that on the floor in front of me and, you might want to take a few steps back for this," The Fairy Godmother said.

Sakura nodded and slowly backed away from the peach while Kaede stood above it. The Fairy Godmother closed her eyes and activated her magic wand before the peach on the floor was engulfed in a bright white light and it began to shake, mutate and morph in kind. It grew larger and larger, hollowing itself out and growing all sorts of new different features. By the time she was done, the peach had been transformed into a beautiful carriage. Sakura gasped in awe. Her eyes went wide with astonishment.

"There we go. One gorgeous carriage," The Fairy Godmother said proudly. "Now, do you have any little animals running around here?"

"Yes, we do. We have a few mice and chipmunks around here somewhere, but I never had the heart to hurt them," Sakura replied.

"Great. Do you think you can find some for me?"

"Sure, I think so. But what do you need small animals for?"

"Trust me, nothing bad will happen to them. I promise."

Without missing a beat, four little white mice, a big brown chipmunk, and two sleek green lizards ran out of a hole in the wall right in front of Sakura and stopped at the Fairy Godmother's feet. Sakura took another few steps back as Kaede curiously inspected the seven little creatures before her.

"Uh. This is a little more than I bargained for, actually," she said, blinking a few times and standing straight again. "Oh well. These should do just fine."

"What are you going to do to them?" Sakura asked.

"Watch."

The Fairy Godmother's wand glowed again and this time, her magic transformed the white mice into four stunning ponies, the chipmunk was turned into an elderly man with whiskers to drive the carriage and the two lizards were turned into two dashing ushers. The group made their way to the carriage, positioning themselves for the girl's departure. Sakura's eyes widened again as she gasped at the now fully equipped carriage.

"This is perfect. Now you're ready to go," The Fairy Godmother said as she gestured her hand toward the open carriage door.

"What?" Sakura said, looking down at herself, then back at Kaede. "No, I can't go to the Gala dressed like this."

"What? Oh yeah! Yeah! The dress! Sorry, I completely forgot about that part. Okay, just close your eyes and hold still. I promise this won't hurt a bit."

Sakura did as she was told. Once again, The Fairy Godmother activated her magic wand and a bright white light surrounded the pinkette as she was lifted into the air. In a big explosion of light, Sakura reappeared wearing a beautiful gown in shades of red with her long pink hair done into a sleek, elegant bun and sparkling glass slippers on her feet.

"Okay, Sakura, you can look now," Kaede said, turning off her magic wand.

Sakura slowly opened her eyes, excited and afraid to see what had just happened to her. She looked at herself and gasped in awe as she beheld the dress she was wearing.

"My goodness. I...I...I look incredible! Thank you, Aunt Kaede! Thank you so much!" She cried, embracing her Fairy Godmother tightly before climbing into the peach carriage. "I'm so excited. This is a dream come true!!"

"You're very welcome. I don't go around doing this sort of thing for just anybody, you know," Kaede said.

Suddenly, Sakura remembered something. Lady Hinako. "Aunt Kaede, what about my stepmother and stepsisters?"

"Oh, them? Don't worry. I'll make sure they don't recognize you."

The Fairy Godmother's wand glowed with magic again and added a special ruby headband studded with green gems into Sakura's hair to make it so that her stepfamily wouldn't be able to know who she was.

"Now, off you go, for you shall go to the Gala."

"I can't thank you enough for this!"

"Please, don't mention it. I'm always happy to help. Oh, wait! I almost forgot! Like all dreams, this one doesn't last forever. So remember, you must leave the Gala by midnight."

"Midnight? Why? What happens if I'm not?"

"Because at the last echo of the last bell of the last stroke of twelve, all of the spells that I've cast will be broken and everything will return to what it was before. Do you promise?"

"Don't worry, Aunt Kaede. I'll be home by midnight, I promise."

"Good. Now go enjoy yourself. And remember...nobody deserves this more than you."

And with that, The Fairy Godmother used her magic to unlock and open the front doors of the house and the peach carriage quickly pulled its way out of the foyer and it began its journey to the castle for the Gala. Sakura smiled excitedly and waved goodbye to Kaede as she waved back.

"Oh, I do hope she remembers the curfew. It'll be so embarrassing if she doesn't," Kaede muttered to herself before vanishing in a bright white flash.

At the castle, the Gala was in full swing, and everybody that was there was having a wonderful time, all except for Prince Kazuya himself that is. He wasn't having as much fun as the other guests and he was growing more and more bored with the Gala every minute. Things got so bad for the Prince that his parents thought he would never find his true love.

"Ugh, this is so boring," Kazuya yawned as he stood beside the King and Queen.

"Come on, son. Lighten up," King Hikaru said jokingly.

"Yes, dear. There has to be something you find enjoyable...or maybe somebody who probably caught your fancy by now," Queen Ayaka added.

"No. I don't even know why you planned this whole thing for me in the first place," The Prince groaned, putting a hand over his face.

"You know the answer to that. It's for you to find and choose a wife," King Hikaru answered.

"Ugh! Not this again! Mom, Dad, I already told you! I don't want..."

But before Prince Kazuya could finish his sentence, everything went silent. The Prince looked and he could see the reason why. When Sakura entered the Gala at the top of the staircase and gazed at the ballroom, she couldn't believe her eyes.

'Wow. This is even more beautiful than I imagined,' she thought, with a smile creeping onto her lips.

Everybody stopped what they were doing and they all stared at Sakura in awe as she walked down the stairs and into the ballroom. They thought she was the most beautiful and regal girl they have ever seen and thought of her as a princess, but nobody knew who she was. Not too far away, Prince Kazuya took a good look at Sakura and his mouth fell open.

'Who is that? She's beautiful,' he thought as his eyes widened with astonishment.

"You were saying?" The Queen asked.

"Son? Are you alright? Son," The King said, nudging Prince Kazuya's shoulder.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine," The Prince muttered, not turning his gaze away. "Excuse me."

Prince Kazuya made his way to Sakura with a single-minded determination. He had never seen a girl so lovely in all his life. Once he had made his way in front of her, he bowed his head to her before politely saying:

"Hello."

Sakura turned her head around and she saw probably the most handsome young man she had ever seen. Her eyes widened when she realized he was the Prince.

"How do you do, Your Highness?" she politely said before bowing her head.

"Hey, I was just wondering, would you...like to dance?"

"Oh, uh...yes. I'd love to. Thank you."

Sakura smiled and took Prince Kazuya's hand before they made their way to the middle of the dance floor as the lights slowly dimmed for a more romantic setting. Soon, the two began to dance a waltz as the orchestra began to play. Sakura had never learned how to dance before, but that didn't seem to stop her from gliding across the marble floor with Prince Kazuya at her side. As the couple danced, the other girls only stared at them with disappointment and envy with Lady Hinako and her two daughters more than anyone else.

"Who does that little hussy think she is anyway? Other girls want a turn to dance with the Prince too, you know!" Fujiko protested.

"For once, I agree with you! What a brat!" Reika shrieked, angrily stomping her foot on the floor. "Mother, who is she?!"

"I have no idea, girls. But I do know one thing. This definitely does not look good. Wait...have I seen that girl somewhere before?" Lady Hinako muttered, eying the young woman curiously.

"Um, Your Highness? Everybody is staring at us," Sakura whispered.

"Really? I forgot that there was anyone else here," Prince Kazuya smiled.

During the course of the evening, Sakura was having the time of her life while gaining the respect and affection of everyone with her natural charm and beauty. And she soon began to grow feelings of affection towards Prince Kazuya. He shares the same emotions towards her. And eventually, these feelings blossomed into something more. But Sakura was having so much fun that she had completely forgotten her Fairy Godmother's warning. Sakura and the Prince soon made their way out of the bustling ballroom and out onto the balcony.

"I've had an amazing time tonight," Prince Kazuya said sheepishly.

"Me too. I'll never forget this," Sakura added.

"Me neither. Beautiful night, isn't it?"

"Yes, I love the night. And this view? I don't think things could get any more breathtaking than this."

"Yeah, it's gorgeous. Hey. I just noticed something. You never mentioned your name or who you are throughout the night, not even once. Can you tell me what it is?"

"My name? Oh. Uh...I shouldn't say."

"Why not?"

"Because, well...because I don't even belong here."

"What? Surely, you must be joking. The Gala's in my honor, isn't it? And as far as I'm concerned...you're the only one that does belong here."

Sakura blushed and smiled. The two young lovers stared into each other's eyes lovingly while getting closer and closer to each other, their hands almost touching.

"Now, your name?" Prince Kazuya asked.

"Right. My name is..."

But before Sakura could tell Prince Kazuya her name, the clock started chiming. She looked at the clock tower and saw that it was midnight.

"Oh no! Midnight! I'm sorry, but I have to go!" Sakura exclaimed, standing up.

"What? When?" Prince Kazuya asked, also standing up.

"Now! It's just really hard to explain. Mice and peaches and...and things."

"Say that again?"

"Again, I'm so sorry!"

Sakura quickly kissed Prince Kazuya's cheek and ran back into the castle. She raced through the crowded ballroom and the enormous groups of people as fast as she could, desperately trying to reach the exit. As she continued to run, the Prince ran after her as he pleaded with her to stop.

"Wait! Stop! Don't go!"

But Sakura kept on running, with her heart beating faster and louder with every haunting toll of the clock tower's enormous bell. Soon enough, she finally made her way out of the ballroom, through the hallways, and down the castle staircase. But while she was running down the stairs, she tripped on the stone and lost one of her glass slippers. As the clock finally struck twelve, the magic had completely worn off and Sakura was back in her old rags.

'Oh no. I'm too late,' she thought, looking at herself shamefully.

"Come back! Where are you going?! Stop, please!" Prince Kazuya shouted.

Sakura couldn't risk letting the Prince see her in such a state. Thinking fast, she took off her other glass slipper, slipped it into her pocket, and run off barefoot as fast as she could and back home with sweat running down her face and tears in her eyes.

Moments later, Prince Kazuya finally made his way outside, but to his disappointment, the mysterious maiden was already gone. However, he soon discovered Sakura's glass slipper sitting on the stairs. He picked it up and looked at it, thinking of the beautiful stranger who had stolen his heart. Suddenly, he smiled. The slipper had given him an idea.

A proclamation was soon declared that Prince Kazuya will only marry the maiden whose feet fit the slipper made of glass. The next morning, he tried the slipper on the feet of all the ladies in the land. Unfortunately, he had no luck. For the glass slipper would fit no one else, except for its true owner. Then the Prince came to the last house on his search: the house of Sakura Haruno. His guard knocked on the door and Lady Hinako and her daughters answered it. They excitedly smiled when they met the young man's gaze.

"Prince Kazuya! What a surprise!" Reika happily gasped.

"Please come in. I suppose you've come to make the wedding arrangements for me or my sister to be your new wife?" Fujiko asked before flipping her hair.

"What?! No!" Prince Kazuya nervously exclaimed, shaking his head. "When I find the one whose feet fit this slipper, then she'll be my wife. But I've tried just about everybody else in the kingdom and I'm exhausted. So...it must be one of you!"

"Of course, Prince Kazuya! Come with us, please!" Reika cried as she pulled the Prince inside.

"Yeah, yeah! Let's just have a quick look at that shoe," Fujiko added.

"Yes, Your Highness. I'm sure either of my two gorgeous daughters will be able to slip on it for you. I promise," Lady Hinako said.

The guard tried the slipper on Reika, but it was too small for her big foot. Then the guard tried the slipper on Fujiko, but it was too small for her big foot too. Prince Kazuya sighed and rubbed his head in exasperation, thinking all hope was lost.

"Are there any other girls in the house?" he asked, hoping for a 'yes.'

"No," Lady Hinako answered smugly while her two daughters shook their heads.

But just as the Prince was about to leave with a broken heart, he heard a voice he didn't recognize call out, "Don't listen to her, she's lying! There's Sakura Haruno!"

It was the voice of Sakura's Fairy Godmother, Kaede. Prince Kazuya abruptly stopped in his tracks and looked back at Lady Hinako and her daughters with a stern look in his eyes.

"I ask you again: is there someone else in this house?" he asked, raising a suspicious eyebrow.

"Um... Oh, no, no, no, Your Highness! I can assure you, there is no one else here," Lady Hinako lied, trying to keep her cool.

"With all due respect, madam, I wish to see for myself. Now, if you please..." Prince Kazuya calmly protested.

"But, Your Highness..."

"I said now!!"

"Uh, excuse me?" A familiar voice asked. "I don't mean to interrupt, but what's going on out here?"

Prince Kazuya, Lady Hinako, and her daughters turned their heads to see Sakura slowly peek her head out from behind the wall and meekly enter the room. She had been sleeping beside the chimney once more and was covered in ashes and soot, making her look nothing like the mysterious princess from the Gala the night before. But even under the dusty and dirty exterior, the young woman look radiant to Prince Kazuya. He smiled as he approached her.

"Are you Sakura Haruno?" he asked with a hopeful look in his eyes.

"Yes, I am," she answered, nodding her head.

"Oh please, Your Highness, be real here!" Lady Hinako said, trying to block Sakura with her leg. "This dirty, filthy, mucky little creature is the child my late husband left behind. It couldn't be her."

"Uh-huh! Plus, she wasn't even at the Gala!" Fujiko commented.

"Yeah! Don't even think about it! She's revolting!" Reika added.

"I said in my proclamation that every maiden in the land has to try on the slipper," Prince Kazuya shouted, with his tone stern and calm at the same time.

"Uh... Oh fine," Lady Hinako grumbled, letting her stepdaughter pass through. "But I have to warn you, there's no point. You're just wasting your time."

"Yeah. The shoe probably won't fit even if you tried," Reika commented.

"She's not even worth it," Fujiko added.

"I'll be the judge of that. May I?" Prince Kazuya asked Sakura as he held out his hand.

"Oh, yes. Of course," Sakura shyly said, taking the Prince's hand and stepping forward.

So Prince Kazuya took the glass shoe and offered it to the young woman and to his surprise, it slipped onto Sakura's foot with ease. It fit perfectly! Lady Hinako, Reika, and Fujiko gasped and their eyes widened in shock at the sight.

"No!!" Fujiko cried.

"It can't be!!" Lady Hinako wailed.

"That's impossible!!" Reika screeched.

"It is you...isn't it?" The Prince asked, looking up at Sakura.

"Just so," Sakura simply said, taking out her other glass slipper and putting it on.

Prince Kazuya held Sakura's hands in his own and smiled at her.

"I've searched the whole day for you. Will you be my wife?" He asked.

"Yes, I will...that is if you'll take me as I am."

"Of course I will. How could I not?"

Prince Kazuya wrapped his arms around Sakura before they both shared a sweet, romantic kiss, all while Lady Hinako, Reika, and Fujiko were glaring at them with malice and disbelief.

And so, Sakura's dream had finally come true. She and the Prince were married and she became a princess, never having to take orders and do chores ever again. As for Lady Hinako and her daughters, even though they apologized, begged, and pleaded to be allowed into the castle with Sakura, an order was quickly sent, saying that Lady Hinako Masuda, Reika Masuda, and Fujiko Masuda were to leave the kingdom at once and to never set foot in the land again. And so, Sakura Haruno and Prince Kazuya Watanabe lived happily ever after.