The shoes were the deciding factor.

Blue, soft leather, softer than the expensive satin silk of her wedding dress and crafted with much love and care. It would not match with the pearl white of her gown, but it was her favourite colour, the blue of the sunny skies and free seas. The heels, at two inches, were of sturdy wood and yet would enable her to sprint with ease. And hidden below the row of buttons was the secret clasp locker, a series of tiny interlocking brass teeth that linked close when the attached slider was pulled up. It was his invention and few shoes had them for they were time consuming to make and mould into the shoe structure.

The shoes were a gift.

She knew how he loved his craft, for him each pair of shoes was a labour of love, it did not matter how expensive the leather he used was or if they were to be fashioned out of plain cheap cloth, each pair was lovingly and painstakingly made by him.

However, the shoes he made for her, they were masterpieces, he would never make another similar pair and she, who thought she knew him, realised how blind she had been. She looked at the wedding gown laid out for her, it was seven hours away to her wedding; it would be a dream come true and all she could do was wonder if marrying the Prince was the right thing to do.

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Ever since she had been a child and her mother had passed away, Elena had lived in a dream world of her own, first to get over the sorrow of losing her mother and then as a means to escape from the incessant oppression of her step mother. It was only the warmth of those dreams that kept the cold away from her, as she slept through the freezing winters with only a thin blanket to cover her and before the dying flames of the fireplace. It was the light from those dreams that gave her courage to smile through all the insults and abuses hurtled at her by her stepmother. Her stepsisters, Bianca and Beatrice, were not unkind, though they more often than not, preferred to ignore her existence. And at those times when the dreams of a happy life appeared impossible, Buttons was there to cheer her up.

Pedro, or Buttons as he was often called, for he had been as cute as a button as a babe, had been her friend as long as she could remember. He worked as the shoe maker's assistant and she had first met him when she had carted her step sisters's shoes to be repaired and polished. Elena had initially wondered why she had not been asked to polish them but was relieved for not having that task thrust on her. And as her friendship with Buttons grew, she looked forward to those days when she would carry the shoes to and fro, from her home to his shop and back.

They had taken little time to start talking and soon were fast friends. It did not take long for Buttons to see the sorrow that shadowed her eyes, her step mother was notorious among the public for her vanity and rudeness. It did not require much imagination for Buttons to realise that Elena, with her sweet temper and gentle kindness, would be treated with coldness and disdain. It tore his heart to find that despite all the ill treatment meted out to her, she would often have cuts and burns on her hands, Elena always had a sunny smile and a kind word for everyone she met. It angered him to find that she had no complaint towards her stepmother, though he understood her gratitude for her stepsisters, they might not shower her with affection but they, especially Bianca, did try to shield her from her stepmother.

Elena had a simple dream, she just wanted to live with a person whom she would love and who would love her in turn, openly and deeply. And as she grew older, she was sure that it would come true only if she met the man she loved, a man who would be her soulmate. Her childhood habit of sharing her dreams with Buttons continued into adulthood but she never noticed how dull his eyes turned when she spoke of meeting a man who would love her true. For though Buttons, he now insisted he be called Pedro, had grown into a tall strapping lad who seemed to cause quite a stir among the other girls of the town, Elena still saw him only as a friend, blind to the different affection that shone in his eyes when he beheld her.

He had watched silently when the announcement of the grand ball had been made; when she had fretted about not being able to attend the ball; when the sudden appearance of her godmother had enable her to attend, dressed in finery never seen before and wearing the beautiful shoes that he had made for her. He had stayed in the shadows when the prince had come searching for the beautiful and mysterious woman who had lost her shoe; had been there when he heard how Bianca, who recognised his handiwork, had insisted that Elena also be allowed to try. And he, who had vowed to let Elena know about his true feelings for her, swore to stay silent as he watched her rejoice that her dream of love had finally come true.

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Bianca walked into Elena's room and was taken aback to see her sister, still dressed in her old gown, holding the blue boots in her hands, the ones which were a wedding present from Pedro.

"Elena, it is only five hours to the wedding and instead of glowing with joy, why are you moping about?

"I do not know, Bianca, this is what I wanted, an escape from the cold and deary life that I have led since mother died. But why is my heart not happy? Why do I have this feeling that nothing is right and nothing will ever be right?"

"Maybe, you miss me?"

Elena gave a wan smile, they were never close, though she regretted it, as much as she knew Bianca did and shook her head. Sitting beside her and taking her sister's hand, Bianca said, "I was just joking. It could only be those wedding jitters, I have heard all brides go through them. Beatrice was disappointed that she could not win the prince but now she is quite happy with his friend. And though my mother was quite displeased at first that you are the one marrying a prince, there seems to be a turnaround in her attitude once she perceived that you would not extract revenge on her. So it really is a fairy tale ending and there should be no reason for you to fret."

Elena nodded, Bianca made sense, or should have made sense but then her heart refused to heed to those words of reason. She ran her finger down the side of the shoes, caressing the soft leather, her thoughts revolving round the moments she had spent with Buttons, those had been the best moments of her life and he was her best friend. One whom she would now have to give up, for how could a queen be friends with a lowly shoemaker? It was impossible to even imagine that, for Buttons was the only one who understood her, knew what passed in her mind and heart, without her having to say a word.

A silent tear made its way down her cheek and she wiped it away, it would not do to cry, not when she was a bride. Bianca tightened her grip on Elena's hand, "You seem distraught. I have heard that it helps to think of a dear one and to take courage from that memory. Close your eyes and think of your mother, it should give you strength."

Elena agreed, she had often closed her eyes and thought of her mother, it had helped in the past, even the faint memory of her mother's face had not been able to dim the love that shone from her eyes. However, today when she closed her eyes, she could not see her mother, instead there was the image of a strong and good looking man, one whose eyes lit up with genuine pleasure at the mere sight of her, whose face reflected concern when she was sad, and one who had always been there for her. The one who understood her like no one else. The one who loved her, quietly, ardently, deeply, loved her enough to let her go when he thought that her happiness lay with another man.

Elena's eyes flew open, "Buttons," she breathed, 'Oh God, how blind had she been, how could she not see his love for her, how could she not know that her heart wanted him and only him?'

"Buttons?" queried Bianca.

"Buttons?" echoed her stepmother who had just come in to see if Elena was dressed and whose voice held a note of horror and disbelief.

Elena nodded, "Buttons. Oh, you know him as Pedro, remember that shoe maker?"

Bianca remembered, "Yes, Pedro. He makes magnificent shoes, any woman would give an arm and a leg for a pair of shoes made by him."

Catching sight of the pair in Elena's hands, she sighed, "You are one lucky girl, Elena, to receive a pair made by him as a gift."

Elena pulled on those blue high button shoes. Springing up and pulling Bianca along with her, Elena spun in a circle, giggling with joy, "I am not lucky, I am the luckiest woman, I have found the man I love. Do me a favour, convey my apologies to the prince, I am afraid I shall have to run away, yet again."

With a hug for Bianca and a wave to her step mother, Elena took off, running away from the prince, running towards the man she finally realised that she loved and who had always loved her.

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Elena found her 'happily ever after' in Pedro's heart and home. His business prospered and soon he was one of the most sought after shoe artisans, his wealth and reputation earning him a place of honour in the royal court.

And do not worry about the prince; with a lot of eager persuasion from her mother, Bianca took Elena's place as the bride and made him a loving wife, so much so that even after he discovered the switch, he was not too unhappy.

Word count 1783

This is my entry for prompt(s) by WattpadFairyTales, dealing with obstacles for two lovers in a fairy tale.

"Usually, it's the good guys falling in love in a fairy tale and fighting the villain for their happy end, but what if one of the lovers is the bad guy? What will the other person do when they realise their loved one is straying onto the wrong path? Will they join them on the dark side or will they try to bring them back to the side of the light?"

"Curses. They're mean, and honestly quite annoying, not to mention a sure way to ruin someone's day (or more likely, life). But how does one live with a curse? What are the daily struggles for the cursed one and their significant other? And how does one get rid of it?"

"This is it, the moment you've been waiting for, the final kiss, the happily ever after. But... it's with the wrong person! What if you're unable to feel the sparks for this strange princess you just saved? Or this prince you've never seen in your life before? What if there's someone else out there, who your heart belonged to all along?"

The story had to be written in less than 2000 words and had to be a retelling of a fairy tale or feature some prominent fairy tale elements.

My entry is against prompt 3 and is a retelling of, as most must have guessed, Cinderella.