After an eternity, Ella found her voice.

"What did you do?" She gasped, cradling her unconscious stepsister in her arms.

"I just got her one step closer to everything she wants." The fairy, Niamh, laughed.

"You- you used her!" Ella said. "You just wanted to cause some mayhem. How do I wake her up?"

Niamh giggled. "You don't. Her true love has to."

Ella stomped her foot. "Well I love her like a sister! Shouldn't that count for something?"

"Sorry, dearie, but she's specifically looking for romantic love. When the right person appears she'll awaken."

"Is there anything I can do to break the curse? Maybe speed up finding her true love? Like something I can do to get the curse broken in like, five minutes or less?" Ella wondered. Marabeth was not going to be pleased if she brought back Zera in this state.

"I can't do a thing for you." Niamh shrugged, as if it were out of her hands, which was clearly a lie. A thought struck her and she began laughing. "Although... I'm sure if you come to this spot tomorrow evening I'll have a friend or two willing to do something to aid you."

Ella's eyes narrowed. This was no laughing matter and yet the the fairy treated it as if it were a joke the prized jester told to the entire court.

"I can't wait until tomorrow!" Ella exclaimed.

Niamh narrowed her eyes, for once her joyful essence leaving her. "Well you're going to have to. Patience is something you'll need someday."

"This was never supposed to happen, so I apologize if I'm upset about it, but it seems rightfully so!" Ella hissed.

"You need to learn how to have a little fun!" The fairy snapped. Niamh took a deep breath composing herself, before plastering a plastic smile on her face. "You should hold your temper. There are worse things I can do to you, you know. I suggest running home, and to show how nice I really am, I'll make it easy on you."

She waved her hand. Zera's body began to levitate, just a few inches off the ground. Ella huffed, leaving one final glare with the fairy before turning her heal and running out of the forest, pushing her unconscious and floating best friend along as she did.

"Ella, what took you so long?" Marabeth hissed, waiting at the back door with a snarl on her face. She gaped as she noticed her daughter's unconscious body. "What happened to Zera."

"A fairy cursed her." Ella admitted.

"Oh hush. That's crazy talk. Why she must have been so exhausted by waiting for your slow rear to fetch her that she fell asleep. I'm sure she'll wake up tomorrow morning feeling good as new, perhaps a little hungry though." Marabeth scowled. She bent down and picked up her daughter, moving her to the sitting room's sofa. "I'm sure she'll be better off there."

"I wasn't lying, Marabeth! She won't wake up!" Ella stomped her foot.

"You are such a little liar, Ella. Go clean up the dinner mess, and when you finish that I want you to sweep the cinders out of the fireplace." Marabeth hissed.

Ella glared, nearly throwing herself into a stare down with the wicked stepmother, before standing down.

"Fine." She gritted her teeth.

Ella busied herself with chores. Sweeping the fireplace caused her clothes and hands to get stained with soot and it did little to ease her mind. How to get Zera out of this mess?

Her only idea was to return to the forest and find a more reasonable fairy to undo the spell. Well it looked like that was a start at least.

Ella didn't sleep that night. Her thoughts were too busy bouncing around in her head like fairy spells.

The next morning Zera didn't wake up, like Marabeth hoped she would.

"She must simply be exhausted!" Marybeth hummed, but the nervous twitch her eyebrows had gave away her false calm.

"Mother, I'm fairly certain Cinderella did something to her." Hera gasped.

Ella, who had been polishing silverware at the time, slammed a spoon into its drawer before hissing, "I told you what happened!"

"She must have drugged her!" Hera proposed.

The wrinkles Marabeth tried so hard to erase deepened at the thought. Her daughter drugged? The mere thought was enough to make her faint in horror. That was until...

She pressed a finger to her chin, tapping it without notice. "That would be quite unfortunate for Ella wouldn't it? Why it'd be enough to put her behind bars..."

Ella stomped her foot. "Marabeth, you can't be serious!"

Marabeth shook her head, suddenly grinning. "Of course I'm not serious! Why, it'd be ludicrous to blame you for this unfortunate situation! However, it does appear that we need to do something. I'm going to fetch the town doctor. The two of you stay right here."

The older woman strode out the door, only taking any time to fling on her scarf.

Hera glanced questioningly at Ella. The blonde bit her lip. "You don't really think Zera was... Cursed, do you?"

Ella nodded without hesitation. "I saw it with my own eyes. Zera was worried about her future and the ball- the ball! Ugh!"

She'd completely forgotten. There was no way for Zera to attend the festival now. And Marabeth still wanted Hera to attend. A natural disaster wouldn't stop her from trying to force one of her daughters into the royal family.

Perhaps that is the reason why Marabeth had not asked Ella to fetch the doctor. It was midday and Marabeth would want Hera ready as soon as possible. It had struck Ella as a tad odd that she had been told to stay behind. Marabeth hated running around town.

Well getting Hera ready might help take their mind off of things.

It didn't.

The dress Marabeth had ordered made for Hera was certainly not what Ella would consider attractive. Too bright, the color of a sunflower. Too much frills and lace. Too poofy. With that neckline she certainly would get attention, but probably not just the prince's. It was certainly Marabeth's instruction, rather than Alessia's own design.

She chose not to comment, instead silently laced Hera up. Hera surprised her by not saying anything, for the longest time. Eventually she just couldn't keep quiet anymore.

"Do you actually want to go to the festival?" Hera wondered, no malice in her voice.

Ella shook her head and shrugged as she brushed the tangles out of her stepsister's hair. "I'm not interested in the festival at all. Or the prince. He's all yours, Hera." She sighed.

Hera straightened up at those words. "Perhaps it wouldn't be the worst thing if you came..." She muttered.

Ella knew this was simply Hera's way of coping. Neither truly knowing how to cope or communicate with the other, but both instantly needing to fill the void of their sister. No... Zera would be fine. They had no need for this nonsense.

Ella twisted Hera's hair into an elegant bun, refusing to continue the conversation. Just as she was finishing up the door slammed downstairs.

Hera jumped from her seat. Ella clung to the railing as she raced down, making out a few words from above.

"Yes my stepdaughter... I believe so... Lock her up if you have to... Just want her to be safe... Anyway to wake her..."

Oh no... Ella flung herself into the living room, where Zera lay undisturbed. Huddled around her was the town healer, Dr. Salt who was currently taking her temperature, and Sheriff Cinder.

The doctor was a pudgy man, in his late forties with round glasses and a bright face. His son had been smitten with Zera for years but she always rebuffed his advances. Dr. Salt was known for his mousy brown hair and comb mustache, not exactly a handsome bloke, but his husband seemed to love him anyway.

Sheriff Cinder was quite the opposite. He was a looming, slender figure with a narrow face, pointed nose, and black stubble. A thin scar rested under his eye. He looked the serious type, but not unkind.

However the gaze he gave Ella made her wither. Justice and truth were his philosophies. A crime had supposedly been committed and she was getting blamed.

"There she is!" Cried Marabeth, pointing a shaking finger Ella's way. "There's the wench that drugged my Zera!"

Her lip quivered. Her acting was truly horrid, but Dr. Salt seemed convinced by the look of pity and shock on his face.

Sheriff Cinder only sighed. "I'm sorry, Miss Ella, but I think we're going to have to take you in for a few questions?"

Ella glared at him. "You actually believe her. Zera is the only person who actually gives an ash about me and you think I'd put her to sleep? I told the truth! No one believes me."

"Fairies are quite the stretch." Hera muttered.

Sheriff Cinder stepped forward. "Miss Ella, we need to make sure you and Zera are both healthy. No one is attacking you. We just need to ask you a few questions and calm you down." He reached for her wrist. She jerked away.

"Yes, health!" Dr. Salt chimed in. "We must make sure that you are in a stable condition after all, with everything you are proposing. Seek help for you."

"You want to put me in an asylum!" Ella exclaimed. Dr. Salt shared a glance between Sheriff Cinder and Marabeth, who looked far less sorry now. Her stepmother almost went as far as to grin victoriously.

"No..." The sheriff began slowly. "We just want the truth- As best to help your stepsister."

"It was the fairy in the forest!" Ella balled her fist. "I know you don't believe me, but it's what happened! I saw with my own two eyes."

Sheriff Cinder sighed before taking out a pair of old handcuffs. He out stretched his arm, ready to smack them on her, albeit reluctantly. She was making it harder for herself.

Ella's brown hair was already flying through the air. She bolted for the door.

There was no way she was going to jail or getting thrown in the asylum. She had one job until Zera awoke.

Find a way to break the curse. It was the only way to save her sister and prove herself innocent.

It didn't matter how long it would take.

There was only one place for her to go: the forest.

She climbed over roots and broken tree branches, delving deeper into the woods until arriving at her mother's willow and the spring. She collapsed at the base.

She was a mess. Her chest rose sharply, and her attempts to steady it only made her hands shake. Her hair was a frizzy mess and dirt and ash rested on her face like it often did. She leaned against the willow and sighed deeply. She just needed a moment to process.

That moment was interrupted by a pop in the air.

A pink skinned young woman appeared in front of the servant girl. She wore a dress made from an assortment of different flowers, with them tangled into her hair was well. The fairy smiled brightly at Ella.

"It looks like you could use some assistance."