Cinderella

A Lady of Great Misfortune

-Cinderella-

Ella was not scared of the dark. Nothing was living in the damp corners of the cellar that could give her the same kind of fear she felt around Lady Tremaine.

Her ankle was throbbing. She could hardly even stand on it. Her lungs were filled with dust, but despite that, her mind was preoccupied with her stepmother's plans. Not knowing was torture.

It was Friday. She wondered what Charles would think when she was not there to open the door. Would he really go to Lawrence Seaver's house? He promised he would find her, but he would not find her, and she could not hold that against him. She was lost.

Tears came and went several times. Tears of anger. Tears of frustration. Tears of heartbreak. Nothing was fair, but she had fought for her fairness too late and now she only had herself to blame.

After an eternity of stewing in her self-pity, there were finally scraping noises from above. The door cellar door opened, and for a moment, Ella was blinded by the light that poured down from the door. When her eyes adjusted, the ladder came down from overhead. 

"Come up Ellanore. I have finally discovered what to do with you."

Ella could ignore the ladder, but she could only ignore it for so long before her stepmother forced her out another way or left her to starve.

She used the wall as a crutch and when she got to the ladder, the climb was slow and painful. She struggled through her throbbing ankle by pulling herself up with her arms. When she reached the top of the ladder, she collected herself in a pile on the floor of the kitchen. 

Lady Tremaine stood at the door to the kitchen. She was wearing the dress she had tailored for meeting the Queen, her hair was falling out of its once-perfect shape, and her eyes were glowing in bright triumph.

Ella drew herself up slowly to face her stepmother.

"Are you happy Ella?" Lady Tremaine finally broke the silence.

"Happy?" Ella could not help but let out a short sardonic laugh. What could her stepmother possibly think she had to be happy about?

"Yes. Happy. You have everything you ever wanted. Your engagement to Mr. Seaver has been annulled. The slipper fits you perfectly. I witnessed the Prince declare his intentions toward you. You have everything."

Nothing she said made sense. An engagement, a slipper, and a Prince. She felt as if a bucket of cold water was poured over her head when she realized the common thread. Charles. Charles was the one who knew of her engagement. Charles was there with her when she lost her slipper. Charles was the only man who could have intentions toward her. Ella would have laughed again if her stepmother's smile had not become so misshapen.

"I have noth-"

Lady Tremaine stopped Ella from saying another syllable.

"If you keep insisting you are innocent I might believe you."

"I am innocent! I have done nothing." 

Ella could not make her mind work. Charles was the Prince. It was so obvious now. How could she be so stupid? She paled even further when she remembered the words he said to her on the stairs of Bellview. The Prince had proposed to her. "Just come with me." Those are the words he had said. He was inviting her to the castle. All of it was truly laughable. None of it could be true.

Lady Tremaine sucked all the humor out of the room with her laugh.

"There it is again! You insist you are completely naïve and I hope you are telling the truth because I would love to see the look in your eyes when you realize the truth."

A tall man entered the room. Lady Tremaine did not turn her attention away from Ella, but Ella was swallowed up by the man's presence. His face was gaunt and vicious-looking. He was dressed in black and his eyes were sunken. Everything about him was devoid of all emotion.

"I told you to wait." Lady Tremaine snapped.

The man looked over Ella with a bored expression.

"I leave now with or without the girl."

Ella dragged herself back until she was against the wall. There was no escape. Even if the door was wide open, her ankle would not allow her to take a run for it. She was trapped. Whatever her stepmother had planned for her was inevitable.

Lady Tremaine crossed the room and placed her hands on her shoulders, pinning her against the wall. She placed a prolonged kiss on Ella's forehead and then pulled back with a smile.

"I want you to look back on this moment for the rest of your life and remember how powerless you are. It was easy to take everything from you. Your father, your wealth, your title. It was me."

Lady Tremaine reveled in the way Ella's face twisted into a look of horror. 

"You served me. You brought me breakfast every day. You are pathetic. I am doing the Prince a favor. I do not know what magic you stole to make him think you could be a Queen, but we both know you will always just be a servant. I am sending you where you belong."

She drew away and Ella slumped down. The first breath she drew was full of turmoil. Struggling was pointless. She could not overpower anyone. Tears sprung instantly to her eyes. She barely even noticed being tied up. The man jerked her forward, but her ankle refused to participate. She fell to her knees violently. The man pulled a few more times, but she was unresponsive.

He relented to throwing her over his shoulder and he walked towards the door.

She was being carried through Bellview for the last time and screams came to her throat. Insults and empty threats were all lobbed at her stepmother who just stood back with the purest look of pleasure.

The helplessness Ella felt fueled her screams. The man carrying her handled her roughly and yelled for her silence, but nothing he could say would silence her.

She screamed as he dragged her out into the cold starless night. She did not stop until she found herself thrown to the ground. The man drew his sword and her screams stopped, but she did not flinch. Let him. She was not afraid to die. The man in black turned his back on her and Ella watched in horrific slow motion as he thrust his sword through Joe's stomach.

She had not even seen Joe standing there. She had not seen him approach and she had not seen whatever he had done to deserve the fatal wound he received.

The man in black sheathed his sword and walked back toward her. Ella was frozen by the look of confusion on Joe's face as he slumped to his knees. They exchanged horrified looks. Both of them were helplessly aware of the events that would transpire to each other.

She had caused this. Ella was no longer screaming. The man in black threw her over the back of his horse and then tied her to the saddle.

Thick rope sliced itself into her skin, but it barely caught her notice. Tears were streaming down her cheeks as Bellview disappeared from the distance.

"You will keep quiet now if you know what is good for you." He threatened once they entered the town. He took them to the harbor.

She was an empty shell when the man in black yanked her from the horse. He dragged her up the docks under the shadows of the night and threw her back over his shoulder before boarding a ship.

The ship was crawling with men who were all working on pulling sails and organizing supplies. They barely cast her a side glance as the man in black passed them. It was the first time she had ever been on a ship before. She did not like it.

The swaying made her stomach churn.

"Is that the girl that weasel paid us for?" One of the crewmen asked. 

"This is her." The man in black said.

"Remind me to offer him a finder's fee." The crewman said, his eyes looking her up and down.

The man in black passed her to another man with rough hands and roaming eyes.

"Get her branded and chained to the others. We leave port now."