"what if cinderella went to the ball to kill the prince?"

—

"Cinderella!" Her stepmother obnoxiously yelled, using the cruel nickname given to her by her stepsisters. "Get down here, now!"

Groaning, she pulled herself off of the floor where she had previously been scrubbing away at the grime. Kirstie made her way down to the foyer to see what the old woman wanted her to do.

"The prince has announced that he is looking for a wife to become his queen when he takes the throne." The woman explained.

Kirstie's eyes lit up, "You really think he will like me?"

Her hopeful smile soon turned into a frown as her stepmother doubled over in laughter along with her stepsisters. "Oh, heavens no! You could never be with the prince. I am sending you there to be their new maid. You are our ticket into the royal family's life. Soon, the prince will be falling hard for my girls." She smirked, arrogantly.

Kirstie simply stared at the floor, nodding. That is what she learned to do instead of going against the woman. "Go pack your things. You leave in one hour." Her stepmother ordered.

"Yes, ma'am." Kirstie mumbled, making her way to the attic. With a sigh, she began to collect all of her belongings and put them into a small bag. It didn't take her very long seeing as she didn't have many things.

Although she was happy to be leaving, her heart still ached to say goodbye to her family home. It felt as if she was leaving behind her mother and father's legacy.

She was brought out of her thoughts by an oh-so-familiar voice telling her that the royal guard had arrived. Grabbing her bag, she left her room, taking in all of the details of her home, so she would never forget how it looked.

Once she had finally made it down the stairs, her stepmother smiled, mockingly, pulling the girl into a tight hug. Kirstie patted her on the back awkwardly, desperately wanting it to end. When her stepmother finally let go, she grabbed Kirstie's face, "Oh! I will miss you so much, darling." She kissed her forehead, making Kirstie want to gag.

At last, her stepmother moved over, letting her walk past. Kirstie's stepsisters didn't even as much as look at her. Without saying her goodbyes, Kirstie slammed the mansion door with a grin and entered the carriage. She was now on her way to a new, and hopefully better, life.

—

"Kirstin, the prince would like to speak with you." The butler informed. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach as she nodded, making her way to his room.

She had been the palace maid for over 5 months. Ever since her first day on the job, the prince has been more than kind to her whether it be helping her clean, letting her go to bed early, or giving her days off. He even bought her flowers one time! Kirstie didn't know why he was acting like this, but she sure didn't mind.

Grinning, she knocked on his door, waiting for permission to enter.

"Come in!" The prince yelled. Turning the handle, Kirstie opened the door and walked into his room.

"You asked to see me?" She questioned, folding her hands together.

"Yes. I am having a ball in two days. I was wondering if you could clean the ball room and decorate." He told her.

Kirstie was taken aback, "Decorate as well?" She could do it, but it would take her a long time if she did it on her own.

"Would that be a problem?" His eyes narrowed. It felt as if he was staring bullets into her.

"No! No.. It wouldn't be any problem at all. It's just that I may need some extra hands to get it done by Thursday." She explained.

"Well, start looking. I will need it to be decorated no later than noon on Thursday." He sat down, "Thank you. That is all." He said, dismissing her.

Kirstie smiled and curtsied, exiting the room. The palace didn't have much staff, so she had no idea who she would get to help her on the decorations.

Taking a deep breath, she walked to the kitchen, greeting her friend and the palace chef, Kevin.

"Hi, Kirstie. How are you?" He asked, closing the freezer.

"Good. Do you mind helping me with something?" She asked.

"It depends on what it is." He raised his eyebrow at her.

"The prince is hosting a ball Thursday and asked me to clean and decorate the ball room before noon that day. I don't think I can do both by myself." She told him.

Kevin took a minute to think, before nodding. "Yeah, I can help, but it will have to be after work hours. I don't have any other free time." He explained.

"That would be perfect. Thank you!" She smiled, pulling him into a hug. He laughed, wrapping his arms around her torso, before letting her go. Now, all she had to do was find one other person.

After leaving the kitchen, she went out to the garden where the groundskeeper worked. She spotted Matt immediately, trimming the hedges.

"Matt! I have a job for you." She smirked, walking over to him. He lowered his shears, giving her a questioning look.

"What is it this time? It better not get me fired." He said, referring to the last time she asked for his help.

Kirstie laughed, "It's nothing bad, I just need your help decorating for the ball."

"What ball?" He asked, picking up his pitcher of water.

"The prince is throwing it. He wants me to decorate the ball room and I need help with it." She told him.

"Well, in that case, sure. I'll help." He told her.

"Yay! Thank you, Matt. You're a lifesaver." She kissed his cheek, running off into the palace.

—

After countless hours without any sleep, the trio finally finished decorating. Matt looked around at the room with his hands on his hips. "I gotta say, this looks pretty good."

"Of course it does. Thanks to Kevin's color matching skills." Kirstie wrapped her arm around Kevin's shoulders, smiling tiredly.

"Good work, guys. To celebrate, I think we should all go to sleep." Kevin yawned.

"Amen to that." Matt nodded with a chuckle.

"See you guys in.." Kirstie checked her watch, "four hours." Matt and Kevin groaned simultaneously.

"Better get going now before the sun rises." Kevin ran his hands over his face, saying his goodbyes to his friends. Matt followed afterwards, walking up to his room, leaving Kirstie alone.

Before she could make it to her room, the prince stopped her by grabbing her hand. "The ball room looks very nice. Thank you." He smiled down at her.

Her face flushed as she tried to find words to say. "Uh... thank you." was all she could mutter in the moment. Chuckling, the prince rubbed the back of her hand gently, before letting it go and going back to his room.

Kirstie stood alone in the hallways with a dazed grin on her face. She stood there for at least 5 minutes until she realized she probably looked dumb. She finally made it to her room, where she fell asleep with the prince's beautiful face in her mind.

—

"He is going to choose his wife tonight." Matt mentioned, shoveling food into his mouth.

"Really?!" Kirstie asked, excitedly.

"Yeah. I overheard the King talking about it earlier. The ceremony begins at 6pm." He explained.

Nodding, Kirstie finished her plate of food. Her thoughts raced. What if she became his queen? Would he really take someone like her to become royalty? He has been flirting with her lately. Maybe he would take the whole kingdom by surprise..

Kirstie quickly washed her dishes, leaving her two friends behind in the work room. As she started to sweep the floors, she heard footsteps emerge from the stairs. Looking up, she locked eyes with the prince.

He smiled, making a beeline for her. "Kirstin, Hi." Her heart most likely skipped a beat. He had never called her by her real name before.

"Hello, sir." She beamed, continuing to sweep.

"Please, call me Ben." He told her.

"But, sir.. I don't think the King will approve." She started, but he held his hand up.

"Don't worry about my father. I am the one who hired you. You will do as I say." He explained.

Kirstie swallowed, her throat going dry. "I understand, si- Ben." She corrected, earning a smile from him.

"I would like for you attend the ceremony tonight. If you would like, I purchased a gown for you to wear. I think it would look beautiful on you."

She stared at him, trying to hold back her excitement. "I would love that. May I go try it on?" She asked.

"Of course. It's already in your room." He told her.

She nodded quickly, putting her broom aside and making her way up the stairs. Opening her door, she gasped at the sight of the dress.

"This is beautiful. I don't know if I can wear this. I don't want to ruin it." She told the prince with a frown.

"No worries. I can send it to the cleaner. At least try it on." He motioned to the dress.

Kirstie nodded, taking the dress off of the mannequin. She went behind her privacy screen and put on the gown. In the mirror, she marveled at her reflection.

"It fits perfectly." She told him, coming out from behind the screen.

Ben stared at her, his mouth hanging open. "I knew it would.. You look beautiful." He complimented her.

She blushed, pushing her hair behind her ear. "Well, I wouldn't say that.."

"It's the truth." He told, walking over to her. She looked up at him, nervously.

"I would love to see you wear it tonight." He smiled, grabbing her hand, making her blush even more.

"I will." She finally said, nodding.

"Good." He smirked, leaning down to kiss her cheek. "See you tonight, Kirstin." With that, he left her room, leaving her standing in the same spot, holding her cheek.

—

"I am glad everyone could attend this event. It is a very important time for my son. We are grateful for the support from the surrounding Kingdoms." The King spoke into the microphone."Tonight he will choose his partner for life, someone whom will stand by his side as he takes over the throne." He continued. "Please welcome, my son." He motioned over to Ben, as everyone gave a round of applause.

Kirstie watched him with a smile. Matt tapped her shoulder, taking her attention off the man. "Where did you get that dress? You look stunning."

"Oh.. the Prince actually got it for me." She explained.

"Why would he do that?" Matt asked, sipping his drink. Kirstie simply shrugged, turning back to Ben.

"I have spent months getting to know many woman. I have finally made my decision on who my bride will be." He paused for a moment.

The anticipation was killing Kirstie. "My bride will be... Anastasia Tremaine."

Kirstie's shoulders sunk as she heard the name. It couldn't possibly be.. He had chosen her stepsister over her. And she was wearing the same dress! Soon, her sadness turned into anger. She threw her champagne glass on the floor, shattering it.

Matt tried to stop her by grabbing her shoulders, but she pushed him out of the way. She didn't even want to be in the same building as the Prince.

Throwing open the palace doors, she ran down the steps, leaving the grounds. Angry tears fell down her cheeks as she continued to run far away.

She finally stopped once she came to a small grove. Sitting down on a stump, she held her face in her hands, sobbing. Suddenly, a flash of light came out of no where, startling her.

"Don't waste your time crying over that lousy man." A voice scoffed. Squinting, she caught a glimpse of a woman walking towards her. "Who are you?"

"Let's just say, I'm your fairy godmother." She chuckled, sarcastically.

"What do you want?" Kirstie asked, harshly.

"Ouch." She held her hand over her heart, "Anyways. I don't want anything, but I know you do."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Kirstie crossed her arms over chest.

"Oh, please! You can't really sit there and act like you don't want revenge for the prince hurting you." The fairy godmother rolled her eyes.

"So what if I do? It's not like I can do anything about it." Kirstie said.

"That's where I come in." She smirked. Kirstie eyed her, motioning for her to continue. With a wave of her hand, a mask and knife was placed into Kirstie's hands.

"What is all of this for?" Kirstie asked, touching the knife.

"You want to get back at the prince, right? Well, this is the only way to truly do that." She smiled evilly.

"By killing him?" Her eyes widened.

"Hey, your words not mine, but yes by killing him. Think about it. You will be working for him and your stepsister from now on. Do you really want to do that for the rest of your life?" The fairy godmother asked.

"No." Kirstie said quietly.

"Then this is the only way to stop that from happening." She told her. Kirstie thought for moment. "If I do this, what will happen to me?"

"Nothing... If you complete this by midnight tomorrow. If not, you will be bound to the prince for life. You will become his servant until death. And no matter how much you want to leave, your bond will prevent it." She explained.

Kirstie nodded, taking all of the information in. Her eyes narrowed as she thought to taking down the prince.

"I'll do it." She replied, gravely.

The fairy godmother smirked, "I thought you would say so. You will have one hour. Don't mess this up."

Nodding, Kirstie took a deep breath, making her way back to the palace.

—

She eyed the prince from the balcony, anger rushing through her as she remembered the previous events.
She ran her hand along the handle of the knife, planning how to do this.

Luckily for her, it was a masquerade ball, so she wasn't the only one wearing a mask. She watched as the prince talked to his friends and family with Anastasia by his side. That should have been her.

Looking at her watch, she cleared her throat. 11pm. She had to do it now so she could have enough time to leave the palace.

Walking over to the prince, she curtsied. "Good evening." She spoke in a higher voice, careful not to give any indication of her identity.

"Hello, miss." The prince smiled, kissing her hand.
"Anastasia, will you please excuse me?" He asked.

"Of course." She forced a smile, leaving him.

"What do you want Cinderella?" He spat, taking her aback. This wasn't how this was supposed to go, but she just went with it.

"May I speak to you outside?" She asked, fiddling with the knife in her pocket.

He huffed, "Sure." Kirstie followed behind him as he exited the palace doors.

"What do you want?" He asked. Before he could turn around, Kirstie pulled the knife out, plunging it into his back.

He fell onto the ground, landing on the steps. She continued stabbing him, obsessed with how the knife easily punctured his skin. All of her anxiety quickly washed away as she watched the crimson liquid flow out of his wounds and blade of the knife.

Once she was satisfied with her work, she knelt down in front of his face, his lifeless eyes staring at her. "Now you know how it feels to be stabbed in the back." She wiped the blood coated knife onto his suit jacket and put it back into her pocket.

With one last look at the palace, she blew it a kiss before sprinting away. Her job was done. From now on, she took orders from no one but herself.