Over the next week, Elle cleaned out her father's old study, the tool shed, and the attic, managing to sell most of the trinkets and furniture to the vendors in town, which earned her enough money to buy a ride to the ball and her ticket, as well as some fabric to make her own dress. She spent her days cleaning and sewing her step family's dresses and her nights sewing her own. Her step-sisters' dresses were matching hoop skirts with long, tight sleeves and bows that tie in the back. Anastasia's was the same color as the pink carnations in the garden and Drizella's was a mossy green. The girls had large matching white slippers and white, wrist-length, frilly gloves. The dress she had sewn for her stepmother was a slim, flowing dress made from expensive red fabric with black shoes and gloves. With the extra fabric she bought, she made a loose-fitting gray dress.
The night of the ball finally came around and as the other women of the house were getting ready in their rooms, Elle watches eagerly out the window for her carriage-for-hire. When she finally sees the tall, noble horse trotting down the driveway with a large carriage behind him.
"My ride is here!" she calls up the back staircase and runs to the door.
"Your ride? Cinderella, you didn't think I was actually going to let you go to the ball." Lady Tremaine lounges by the front door in her seat.
"Yes, you told me that you would. I did all the work."
Lady Tremaine stands. "You are such a beautiful young woman, which is why you can't go. You are the only woman I've met in the whole country who could rival my daughters' beauty." She turns to the stairs, "Ladies, it's time to go!"
The two younger women trip down the stairs as they push each other out of the way.
"I'm here, mom," Drizella stands tall.
Anastasia scrunches her face at her older sister, "I am, too!"
"Both of you, listen to me--"
"Wait," Elle interrupts her step-mother, "You can't go without me! That's my carriage! I paid for it."
Lady Tremaine glared at the blue-eyed woman, "And I paid a dowry for a man who wouldn't go and get himself killed the third month of our marriage and leave me with his scrawny little brat of a child."
Elle squared her jaw, "I have the dress and the ticket, I'm going."
"Oh, Cinderella, of course you're going! Well," Lady Tremaine places her hand on Elle's shoulder, "If your dress weren't torn," She tears the loose gray sleeve, "I simply don't think you're presentable, just look at your disgusting burnt arm."
"You just ripped my dress!" Elle took a step away from the gray-haired woman.
Drizella skips forward, "It's okay, it doesn't look that bad! We just need to make it symmetrical!" She tears the other sleeve off, "Oops, I tore it a little too much."
"What the hell?" Elle snatches her sleeve back, "You can't just do that to someone!" She whips around when she hears another rip behind her knees to see Anastasia holding another piece of fabric.
"Look at her boots!" Anastasia shrieks.
"See, dear," Lady Tremaine opens the door, "We can't let you go looking like that."
Elle stands tall and bites back tears as she watches her step-family leave the house. As soon as the door closes behind them, she runs back to the well in a flurry of tears, again watching her tears fall. She takes a shaky breath and looks to the sky just as a blackbird swoops down next to her.
"Hello, again," she smiles and wipes her nose, recognizing the toeless bird. "How's it going?"
The bird hops a few times, stirring up the dust around him. He flaps his wings and hovers a few feet off the ground. He spreads his wings and his feathers begin to elongate, wrapping around him and floating as if they were in water. Some of them change colors, into blues and golds, as the bird grows. Elle scoots back, shocked at the strange sight in front of her. When everything settles, a beautiful woman is standing in front of her. She has long, golden hair and is wearing a floor-length feathery dress. Her neck and ears are adorned with bright blue pendants.
"It's going quite well, thank you." The woman shakes feathers out of her hair. "I can guess that the same isn't true for you."
"Who are you?" Elle stands.
She looks at Elle solemnly. "I made a wish before I died to be able to help you when you were in need. I just happened to be able to take form as a fairy. Just think of me as your fairy... mother."
"Are you my mom?"
"Yes, dear, but that's not what's important. What's important is getting you to that party before they serve dinner."
"No, I have questions--"
"No, you don't, I only have a finite amount of magic and I'll use up most of it just getting you to the ball until midnight. Let's get you a dress. I'm thinking of something royal and expensive, like purple?"
"Yeah, sure. Why do you think--"
"I think what I think because that's what I know." Her mother holds Elle's arms up. "Now hold still so I don't mess this up."
The woman holds her hands up and her daughter's dress begins changing. The dull gray darkens and the loose top begins hugging her form and the hanging skirt puffs out. When it finishes, she's left with an orchid purple Queen Ann ball-gown.
"Beautiful, now take these," She takes off her round blue earrings and clips them to her daughter's ears, "and this," she takes the matching pin out of her hair and puts Elle's hair up, "and this," she unhooks the black choker with the blue pendant and hands it to her, "and, finally, these." the blue-eyed woman pulls her slippers off of her feet. "They're made of real glass and they match the rest of my jewelry perfectly."
"Wait, if you're still alive why didn't you stay with us? You could've saved father's li--"
"I'm not still alive. I was granted enough magic to appear to you three times. I don't want to waste any extra magic explaining myself to you."
"Did the last time I see you count? When you were a bird?"
"No, dear, I didn't use any magic. Now, let's see about getting you to the ball. What horses do you have?"
Elle looks across the garden at the stables. "We only have one, his name is Major and he's quite old, a journey to the castle with him wouldn't be wise."
Elle's mother, ignoring the last statement, whistles shrilly. Elle rolls her eyes, "He's locked in his stall, we have to get him out." Just as she took a step towards the old building, the doors facing them burst open and old Major gallops out, looking just like he did in his prime.
"There we go, he's not that old," Elle's mother smiles at the horse coming towards them at top speed. He just needs a new outfit!" She snaps her fingers and the horse began glowing and old creaky tack flies out of the shed's broken window, changing in the air. By the time the horse reaches the two women, he's dressed in a regal saddle and reins with a braided mane and glistening, freshly polished hooves. His flea-bitten coat now looks more white than anything and he holds his head high, knowing that something about him changed. "See? He'll be fine."
"How did you do that? He's beautiful!" Elle smiles and runs her fingers through his forelocks, but the horse bobs his head and whinnies indignantly. "Not that you didn't look beautiful before, of course."
"I only have enough magic to keep this outfit up for another three hours. That means you need to be back home before midnight, or else I'm afraid Major won't have the strength to make it back."
"Does that mean that I can't keep this outfit?"
"You won't be able to keep the dress, but everything I gave you without using magic you may keep." The woman smiled warmly at Elle, "now you better get going and make the best of my gifts.
YOU ARE READING
Elle
FantasyJust a non-traditional Cinderella story. Story belongs to MEE, but some parts are taken from the public domain, Characters belong to either MEE or the public domain, cover taken from DIsney's website.
