"She's lying, Your Grace," the Captain said when Lady Tremaine continued to insist there was no one else inside.
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In front of the house, the Captain stared at Lady Tremaine. The woman shifted uncomfortably as the singing continued.
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"Nonsense," the Grand Duke snapped. He was tired of this pointless search and tired of the Captain. He grabbed the slipper and shoved it into the hands of a waiting guard. They had done what the king commanded -- for the most part. How would Kit ever know they hadn't seen every maiden?
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The Grand Duke turned to go. But then the guard pulled back his cloak. The Duke gasped. Standing there, a witness to the whole scene, was Kit. "Your Highness," the Grand Duke cried. The other servants immediately bowed, as did the Captain and the other guards. Lady Tremaine's mouth dropped open as she sank into a curtsy.
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(I always did like that Kit. Such a clever boy!)
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Ignoring them all, Kit looked up at the house. "What sweet singing," he said. "It makes me want to tarry just a little. Captain, will you be so good as to investigate?"
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"Thank you," the guard said, accepting the slipper, his face hidden in the shadows of the cloak he wore.
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"There," Lady Tremaine snarled. "No one of importance."
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"He doesn't care about her station, does he?" the Captain said as they disappeared into the house. "He cares about her foot."
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The Grand Duke looked back and forth between the king and the Captain. He had been played! Kit had been there all along, watching him and making sure his orders were carried out. And the Captain had helped him! "Your Highness. I did not know," he said, trying to collect himself.
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The Captain knew exactly what Kit wanted. Taking Lady Tremaine by the arm, he pulled her toward the house. "Come along, then, madam," he said.
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Kit looked at his friend. "Captain?"
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Ella was still singing when she heard the sound of the key turning in the lock. Her voice trailed off as the door swung open to reveal her stepmother and a man dressed in uniform.
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"It is a dirty servant, Your Highness," the woman called over her shoulder "A cinder girl!"
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Ella recognized the man and his kind gaze. He had been in the forest and at the ball. If she remembered correctly, he was the Captain of the Guard -- and a friend of Kit's! Her heart beat faster.
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"And I forbid you to forbid her," the Captain countered. "Who are you to stop an officer of the king? Are you an empress? A saint? A deity?"
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"We'll see about that," the Captain said to Lady Tremaine. Then he smiled at Ella. "Miss, you are requested and required to present yourself to the king."
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"I am her mother," Lady Tremaine declared.
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Ella saw her stepmother's face turn red with rage. "I forbid you to do this!" Lady Tremaine screamed.
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Nodding, the Captain held out his hand to Ella. "Come now, miss," he said.
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Ella squared her shoulders and walked across the room, not even looking at her stepmother as she passed. But she couldn't avoid the woman's foul words, whispered in her ear: "Remember who you are, you wretch!"
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Until that moment, Ella had been quiet, not daring to speak, not sure what was happening. But at the word mother, she stepped forward. She would not take Lady Tremaine's ruining her mother's name. "You have never been, and you never will be, my mother," Ella said, her voice steely.
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Ella didn't respond. She kept walking right out of the attic and down the stairs, Lady Tremaine's last words echoing in her head. She was about to see Kit, which was both exciting and terrifying. For what if, when he saw her for who she really was, he didn't want her? What if her stepmother was right and she truly was no one? She stopped in the front hallway, her whole body shaking nervously, the Captain in front of her, her stepmother behind her.
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She stared at the door for a moment. On the other side was her future. Good or bad, happily ever after or not. And in that moment, Ella knew that she would not let Lady Tremaine's words weaken her. She wasn't a nobody. She was someone who was kind, even to people as horrible as Lady Tremaine. She was someone who made sure the mice were fed, even if she herself was not. She was someone who was brave, someone who wasn't afraid to stand up for what was right. She was someone her mother and father would be proud of.
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Taking a deep breath, Ella walked the last few steps and opened the front door. Standing on the other side was Kit. Her eyes met his.
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"Who are you?" he asked, looking at her closely, an expression of recognition slowly spreading over his face.
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"I am Cinderella," Ella said proudly. For Cinderella was a part of her now, and always would be. And she would no longer let it be a source of embarrassment. Instead, she would embrace it completely. Both as Ella and Cinderella, she'd become the person she wanted to be. "Your Highness, I am no princess. I have no carriage; I have no gowns. No parents and no dowry. I do not even know if that beautiful slipper will fit. But if it does, will you take me as I am -- an honest country girl who loves you?"
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Slowly and gently, Kit slid the shoe onto Ella's foot. The action felt familiar to both Kit and Ella as they thought back to the swing on that fateful night. There was a gasp from the onlookers as it slipped right on, a perfect fit. Raising his eyes to meet Ella's, Kit smiled. And in Kit's eyes, she saw what he saw. Not the glamorous girl from the ball, but the woman whom Kit, the king, loved. In his eyes, she was beautiful and radiant. She was strong and kind. She would be queen.
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There was a silence. For a moment, Ella worried she had said too much. But then she saw delight in Kit's eyes. "I will," he said. Then, kneeling, he held out the glass slipper.
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"Cinderella," Drisella began.
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Rising to his feet, Kit took Ella's hand in his and squeezed. All around them, the servants and guards bowed. After a tense moment, even Lady Tremaine and her daughters curtsied, though they seemed pained to do so.
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"Ella," Anastasia corrected, trying to get in her stepsister's good graces. "We are so very sorry!"
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"Forgive us," Drisella cried.
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Ella looked at the two girls and smiled. It was a smile that didn't make promises and left her stepsisters nervous. But Ella had already forgiven them. She could never treat them the way they had treated her. Still, for now, she would let them worry, just a little. After all, she wasn't perfect…
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