All Hail the Ugly Step-sister

the ugly step-sister triumphs over Cinderella

The prince kneeled before me, an unmistakable look of abhorrence etched across his face as he removed a sweat-stained stocking from my blistered left foot. I didn’t care. I didn’t mind that my feet probably reeked from hours of dancing the night before, nor that he himself had failed to properly acknowledge my choreographic prowess by only taking one romp with me in distracted haste. ‘Twas rather rude of him, I had noted. But none of that mattered, because here he was. Despite the bags that shone like fish scales under his handsome blue eyes, he was positively magnificent. Whose shoe this was that he had brought along with him, I could not say. It was unimportant that it was not mine, would ultimately fail to fit me, and that the prince would inevitably find the owner and marry the lucky hussy. While I hated her, whoever she was, at the moment, the prince was touching me.

As the slipper’s cold glass met the sole of my foot, I envisioned a world in which it did fit. I could see the prince gasp with surprise, and then meet my eyes with a fleeting glance of suspicion, then shocked adoration. My family would all be staring in disbelief, and I, overjoyed, fussing to appear modest while giggling knowingly into my gloved hand. Yes, it was me all along, I would tell them, but no part of me could honestly pretend that it was true.

“It fits!” a bellowing voice shouted, disrupting my fanciful daydreams. It took me a moment to realize what he had said.  I looked around at my mother and sister, both staring, mouths gaping. I looked to the prince, also staring, lips twitching with shock and disgust. Then, I looked at my foot, glittering like a diamond through the glass of the unusual slipper. It…It fit.

“All hail the princess! Bride-to-be of Prince Charming! Future queen of the Land of Quell!”

There was silence. I, unable to speak, merely gaped as my new betrothed shrunk away from me in horror. I suppressed the urge to slap him, remembering that he was, indeed a royal. I wasn’t that bad, was I?

A door burst open on the far side of the room. “Stop!” my step-sister screamed.

Oh, goodness.

She looked at me with a confused, wild expression, then pointed a bony finger at the slipper on my foot and screeched. “That’s mine!”

The lie was infuriating, but otherwise harmless. Poor Eleanor. Her mind had long been fleeting and fanciful, but as of recently, it was starting to go altogether. The girl spoke to mice! Every chance she could, she would start spouting off crazy stories about her magical fairy godmother, dancing and humming from room to room like a stark-raving lunatic. She was a horrid embarrassment, which was why mother often kept her well-confined to the house. Usually, however, insanity was Eleanor’s only real fault. God knew, her looks were certainly a valuable asset, which made the whole thing such a shame. She probably could have had a prince and made us all rich, if not for the crazy-factor.

The prince looked from me, still speechless, to Eleanor, looking lovely in little more than a dress she had crudely made out of a bed-sheet. I could tell that the wheels were turning furiously in his mind. Oh, God. Please don’t choose her. Chuck me, if you must, but don’t choose Ella. She’d make a horrid queen. She’d have the kingdom on its head by year’s end and only put more crazies in the cradle to inherit a ruined throne.

“I don’t see why,” the prince stammered, embarrassed, “why we can’t, uh, let her try it on, too. Can’t hurt, right?” He reached for the glass slipper, which shone like an ethereal being from my calloused ankle.

I hastily retracted my slippered foot, deeply wounded by this snide assumption. And what would happen if it fit her, too? It had fit me, after all, and I certainly wasn’t Miss Dreamgirl. He’d choose her, hands-down!  I mean, look at her! Who wouldn’t?

“I’m afraid,” his footman interjected somberly, “that cannot be allowed. You see, the decree,” he continued grandly, “states, ‘she who is found to fit the aforementioned slipper shall be named as the prince’s uncontested betrothed.’”

The prince swore and ran a shaking hand through his hair. He turned to his footman and argued hotly, “Well, can’t we-“

“I’m sorry, sire,” the footman cut him off. “The law is binding in this matter. The terms of the decree must be adhered to unless…” he trailed off ominously.

The prince lept upon this final thought as a starving man might leap upon a buffet, “Unless? Yes, unless what?”

“Unless,” the footman continued, “the young miss chooses to decline.”

All eyes shifted to me. I glanced around at my mother and sister, both still gaping in dumbfounded wonder, to Ella, who was fuming and panting, a threatening look in her eyes. The prince stared at me pleadingly; I stared back in cold silence, my loathing for him and his vanity mounting by the second. This kingdom deserved better. Quell deserved a ruler with wisdom and dignity, not one who thought with his c**k and fled tuck-tailed from any undesirable situation. Fate, in all its mystery, had slipped me a lucky hand, it seemed, and the whole kingdom of Quell would be its beneficiaries. The only ones who would suffer would be the prince and the foolhardy tramp who had won his heart, but failed to seal the deal.

“I accept your proposal,” I said coldly, folding my arms gracefully in front of me.

“No, no, no, NO!” Ella screeched. “It’s mine! That shoe is mine, I tell you! Mine!”

The prince held his head in his hands, woefully dismayed at this obviously unexpected turn of events. The footman approached me and placed a silver tiara lightly upon my mane of grizzled red hair. I smiled. All hail me, future queen of Quell.

Reviews

[fionnaiscool]

This is well written, and fun to read... You don't often hear this story from the stepsister's point of view. At the end I almost thought she would let her conscience get the best of her and decline, but I'm hapy she didn't :) I love the princes disgust at her, and his reaction to Ella :)

[Samuel Dickens]

I think I would have throttled that know-it-all, faux lawyer footman. If you read this one to little Johnny at bedtime, he's liable to have a rough night. Excellent writing, Amanda.

[Daydreamer54]

Wow, well good thing the story didn't actually end taht way. but you definitly brought out what would have happned if one of the step sisters fit the shoe and u definitly brought out their wickedness as well. LOl, i love the pic by the way! ^^

[Short.Nerd]

Love it. I feel bad for Ella, but its a good twist of Cinderella. Very well written. Nice job (:

[Javon Monet]

This was an enjoyable piece to read. I loved the way, you portrayed Ella. It was so well written! :)

[Cafe Reader]

This is a well written story. Enjoyable read. Thank you!

[Coyote Poetry]

I like this story. Sometime the beautiful one may lose. I like the characters and the confusion. Thank you for the fun story to read.
Coyote

[nono]

Wait I can't tell lol who got to be queen? lol I like this story wonderfully amazing descriptions lol this is funny, entertaining. So how do you like the prompts? lol Nice job this is funny!

[PrincessZeldaWannabe]

Love it! It's a great point of view - you should write another story about it.