Cinderella (Part 6 - End!)
Summary: AU. After the tragic passing of reader’s father, reader is left with a cruel stepmother and two miserable step-sisters, who not only don’t care about her, but they use her for their own gain. Will a handsome stranger offer her the freedom she longs for?
Pairing: Bucky Barnes x fem!reader
Word Count: 3,139
Warnings: mentions of death, angst, sadness, fluff, mentions of crime, mentions of murder, DISNEY STYLE CHEESE WITH YOUR WINE
A/N: This is a RE-POST of my entry for the @stories-from-stark-tower ‘s AU movie challenge. It’s based off of the 2015 Disney adaptation of Cinderella, only with a bit of my own spin on it.
The Grand Duke made good on his promise to search every household for every eligible maiden in the Kingdom. He visited the hills and the woods, the town and the farmlands, all to see if any one of them would be a perfect match for the glass slipper that had been carelessly left behind in the palace gardens that fateful night of the ball.
At least, that is what he told everyone.
Loki’s true plan was to prove to the King that his mystery maiden was not to be found, now that her stepmother had taken care of her.
“What’s wrong, Captain?” he asked smoothly, feigning concern.
Steve shook his head once, glancing around as they made their way through the streets of the latest neighborhood. “We haven’t found the girl,” he muttered quietly. “I’m disappointed for our King.”
The Grand Duke smirked. “Don’t lose heart, Captain. One house remains here in the outskirts of town. There is still a chance left. We must leave no stone unturned, after all.”
“Yes,” Steve replied coolly, looking over at Loki. He didn’t trust him at all, but he was outranked, and had no proof of disloyalty just yet. “No stone, indeed.”
They arrived at a modest cottage on the edge of town, one that never looked this decrepit before its original owner’s passed away tragically. There were rumors circling this family, because of the new owner’s connection to a crime boss and his own tragic end, but Steve knew no one had been able to pin anything on the mistress of the home.
A cobblestone walk led the way to the door, partially overrun by grass. Dried flowers that were probably once quite lovely ran up the trellis on the side of the cottage, and the only window that wasn’t covered was up high in what appeared to be the attic.
He sighed softly, moving forward after the Grand Duke, praying that this would lead to a positive outcome.
“Mother, they’ve arrived!” Anastasia shouted. She raced over to the window with Drisella and they watched, transfixed, as the Captain and Grand Duke approach the front door. Behind them, about a dozen royal guards stood in formation.
The two girls were well aware that they wouldn’t fit the glass slipper, but their mother had told them they had to try anyways. It was all a part of the grand scheme to keep you away from the King, though they did not know that the slipper belonged to you.
Loki bit back a cruel smirk when your Stepmother opened the door in an exaggerated flourish. She bowed deeply, her eyes wide and innocent. “Gentlemen,” she cooed. “What a wonderful surprise! To what do we owe this pleasure?”
“A moment of your time, my lady?” Loki gave her a pointed look.
She nodded, bowing to them. “Of course, Your Grace, please do come in. My two very eligible daughters are just this way.”
Steve glanced around the home as they entered the foyer, unable to shake the feeling that something wasn’t right here. He looked over his shoulder at a familiar face.
Bucky stayed in character, standing guard outside with the others, but he did not mistake the look the Captain gave him upon entering the home. He, too, felt as though something bigger was happening. Bucky knew that if he were to show himself now, his plan of catching the Grand Duke red-handed would be for naught, but he couldn’t shake the uneasiness that settled in his gut.
Something was awry here.
You opened one eye, then the other, feeling groggier than you ever had before. Your body lay crumpled on the floor, your cheek flush against the cold boards, with a chilly draft drifting over your skin and leaving goosebumps in its wake. Once you were able to focus clearly, your eyes settled on the door of the attic, and your heart sank as you realized what your stepmother had done.
She’d somehow managed to carry (or drag) you up two flights of stairs to the one place no one would ever think to look for you.
It was brutal, but ingenious.
The world threatened to turn on its side the second you lifted your head, but you pushed through the pain and nausea to sit up carefully. Everything seemed to be in one piece, at the very least, as you felt no major injuries. You stood slowly, and made your way over to what turned out to be a very locked attic door.
Stepmother had reinforced the door ages ago with steel and new technology, back when she had first started storing her weaponry up in there. It was meant to keep out both enemies and the curious alike.
“No,” you whimpered, weariness settling in your bones as you pounded your closed fists on the door once. You felt so defeated, so tired.
The thought of your stepmother having any power over Bucky and the kingdom is what gave you the courage to stand upright and try to find a way out of this mess.
Your eyes drifted around the room, trying to determine what inventory you had access to. You didn’t want to start a fire, as there would be no guarantee that you would be able to make it out alive.
There were all sorts of weapons; guns, knives, smoke bombs, even a crossbow, but nothing stood out to you. Even if you were to break the glass of the window with one of these weapons, your voice was still too hoarse from the sedative for you to shout loud enough.
The window opened with ease, and you cracked it just wide enough to assess its position in relation to the front door. It had been so long since you’d bothered to look up, you couldn’t believe you’d forgotten about this near-fortress above your head.
There were visitors downstairs. You could hear a distinctly male voice carry on the wind, one you didn’t recognize.
Perhaps that was the Grand Duke, come to offer your stepmother her rewards. But maybe, just maybe, it was someone who could help you.
A renewed sense of urgency filled you as you turned to look at the back of the room.
There was one shadowed corner where your stepmother had tossed all your parents’ belongings. Old bed sheets covered everything, so you weren’t even sure what remained and what had been burned, but perhaps you could find something in there of use. It was worth a shot.
You moved toward it quickly, your mother’s mantra in your head once more as you lifted the dusty sheets off of the boxes of trinkets and memories that had been hidden from you.
That’s when you saw something familiar.
It was a little music box that your father had given your mother during their courtship. It played the very lullaby she loved to sing to you every night before bed, when she and your father would tuck you in and tell you how much they loved you.
You reached for it slowly, brushing off the little dust bunnies from the painted lid before you lifted it.
Inside, a little man and a woman were permanently facing each other. You wound the pin on the side, and felt your heart beat faster as it came to life. The miniature couple bowed, then began to dance together to the tune you knew by heart.
Tears welled in your eyes at the sound of the song that had so many sweet memories attached.
This would work, you knew it. It was just loud enough to be heard from a short distance. Your parents were once again your saving grace, and even if it wasn’t actual magic, it did feel a bit magical. Your eyes lifted to the open window.
There was still hope.
“Very well,” the Grand Duke said, tucking his hat under his arm. “Our task is done, Captain. The slipper did not fit either of these young maidens, and they are the very last in the Kingdom.”
“May fate yet be kind to us, girls,” your stepmother said, shooting Loki a look.
“Indeed, Madam.” Loki nodded his head in acknowledgment, before motioning for Steve to follow him. “Come now, Captain. We must go deliver the news to our King.”
Steve exhaled slowly, still feeling like something wasn’t quite right, but he turned to follow the Grand Duke outside.
That’s when he heard it...the sound stopped him in his tracks.
Yes, it was definitely music.
“Do you hear that, Your Grace?” he asked Loki.
“Let’s be off, Captain,” Loki replied, waving a hand at him dismissively. “The Princess Natasha will need to be notified immediately, and nuptials planned for our King at once.”
“Just a moment.” Steve turned back toward the ladies in the doorway. “Madam, there is no other maiden in your house?”
“No,” your stepmother supplied quickly, knowing that you must have woken up by now. “No other.”
“Then has your cat learned to play piano?” The Captain raised an eyebrow at her.
Stepmother laughed a little too much, overcompensating enough to make Steve sure of himself now.
“She’s lying, Your Grace,” he growled to Loki. “There must be at least one maiden remaining. What has been done with her?”
“There’s been enough playacting today, Captain. I trust the Lady. We’re leaving!”
Steve’s eyes turned frantically to Bucky, who gave a nod at his friend before he removed his guard cap and stepped forward.
“Grand Duke,” the King began. “What sweet sounding music, wouldn’t you agree? It makes me want to tarry just a little.”
Loki’s eyes widened in disbelief at the sight of the King. “Your Majesty, I-“
“Captain,” Bucky interrupted, silencing the Grand Duke instantly. “Would you be so kind as to investigate?”
“It would be my pleasure, Your Majesty,” he replied, glaring at Loki. The older man returned his stare, shifting uncomfortably in place.
Steve turned and went back inside. “Lead me to the attic, if you would, Madam. That is the only open window I could see on your property, and I would very much like to investigate.”
You looked up from the window as the door swung open and your stepmother appeared next to the Captain of the royal guards. You’d seen him before, along the edge of the hunting grounds with Buc- with the King. A thrill of hope ran through you as you turned to them, eyes wide.
Your parents’ music box had worked.
“There, you see, it’s just a servant girl, no one to concern yourself with,” Stepmother said hurriedly, her hand waving at you dismissively.
“We shall see about that,” Steve said, turning toward you. “Miss, you are requested and required to present yourself to your King.”
“I forbid you to do this!” Your stepmother took a few quick steps until she was in front of you. Her eyes dropped to her hand, which she was shielding from the Captain’s sight. In it, she gripped one of her daggers tightly. Her eyes flashed back to yours, her threat made clear.
“And I forbid you to forbid her,” the Captain shot back, his shoulders straightening. “Who are you to stop an Officer of the King?”
“Why, I’m her Mother,” she gasped. Her hand went to her heart (as if it could feel emotions).
“You have never been, and never will be my mother,” you rasped out, taking a step carefully around her. Your narrowed eyes locked onto her form, knowing that you’d have to move quickly if you wished to leave the attic without being stabbed. You couldn’t leave your back unprotected.
Steve watched you with curiosity, wondering why you were stepping toward him like that, until the last second when the older woman let out a manic scream and lunged, dagger at the ready.
It all happened so fast.
You reached out and grabbed her arms, holding them above her head with all the strength you could muster. The Captain approached quickly, grabbing her at the waist and distracting her long enough for you to wrestle the weapon from her grasp.
You ended up with your back against the wall, unharmed and with her weapon secured in your hand. You watched as Steve held her arms behind her back, his strength overpowering her heated struggle.
“Just remember who you are, you wretch!” she cried out angrily. “You are no one! I’ve gotten rid of bigger threats than you. I have evidence against you! You’re in this as deep as I am!”
“Go,” the Captain ordered you, nodding toward the open door. “Go downstairs. I will deal with this criminal.”
You dropped the dagger unceremoniously to the attic floor, still clutching the music box tightly in your hand as you fled down the stairs to the first floor.
No one stood in the foyer, though quite a few guards remained outside. You made a move to go out the front door, but the sound of someone clearing his throat stopped you in your tracks.
When you looked to your right, you saw the King standing before you, a small smile on his face.
Your heart sank.
Everything was going to be out in the open now; all of your past mistakes, your indiscretions, and all of your secrets would come to light. Your stepmother’s parting words hit you like a ton of bricks.
You knew you weren’t innocent in this. You’d play a part, too. Would you ever be forgiven? Would you ever be good enough for the sweet, wonderful King James?
What would he think of you once he knew the truth?
There was no magic left in this house to save you this time, only the off-chance that your courage would pull you through whatever fate had in store for you.
Your eyes looked down and you curtsied politely. “Your Majesty,” you said in a hushed voice. It still had not properly recovered.
“Who are you?” the King asked, his brow furrowing slightly.
“I am Cinderella,” you replied, lifting your gaze to his finally. “My true name is Y/N. I am a servant girl in my own late father’s home, an involuntary accomplice to a major crime lord, and I am certainly no Princess.”
His eyebrows raised a little at that, but he did not look away from you.
You took a few steps closer to him. “I have no parents, no money, no proper trade, and I do not even know if that beautiful slipper will still fit. But, if it does fit, per your order, will you take me as I am? A courageous and remorseful woman who loves you?”
The King paused only a moment, shaking his head as if what you were asking was the most absurd thing he had ever heard.
“Of course I will.” The adoration that shone in his bright blue eyes nearly knocked the breath out of you. “But only if you’ll take me as I am: a man still learning his trade, bound to need someone courageous and loving by his side.”
You smiled for the first time since the ball. How could someone be so good, so forgiving? It was a gift you had not been expecting, but would cherish nonetheless.
“Please,” he said, gesturing to the chair beside you for you to have a seat.
You moved gingerly to the chair, your previous grogginess still apparent, and sat gently on the cushions.
Bucky knelt down in front of you and reached for your boot, removing it and setting it to the side. He lifted the one remaining glass slipper and eased it onto your bare foot.
It still fit perfectly.
His eyes flickered up to yours, and the bright, happy smile he gave you made you think that perhaps there really was some magic left in this world, and it was all centered in him.
The King stood slowly, reaching out a hand toward you, and you took it and stood beside him. Your eyes left his only when your stepsisters caused a commotion in the doorway, begging everyone in range for mercy.
Steve motioned to two guards in the doorway, and in no time your stepsisters were shackled and under arrest.
Your stepmother stood by silently, her hands already tied firmly behind her back, as you walked past.
“I forgive you,” you told her quietly. There was so much you wanted to ask, wanted to tell her, but now was not the time. You had no more room in your heart for anger or resentment. You’d been forgiven, and now you needed to pass that along. Right now, you needed closure.
That made her angrier than you could have ever imagined, but it was not for you to decide how she reacted, only how you reacted to her, and you’d had just about enough of having to react to her for a whole lifetime.
It was time to go.
The King – your Bucky – held out his arm to you, and you took it gladly as you slipped your foot back into your boot. You gathered the music box, and he held tightly to your glass slipper, before the two of you turned and walked out of the front door together. You knew you needn’t worry about the house or your other memories, because your step-family wouldn’t be living here any longer, either.
Once you were outside, you turned to him. “What of my crimes, Your Majesty?”
“You’ve helped us apprehend a most wanted criminal and her two main accomplices, all while putting your life at risk for the sake of myself and the Kingdom,” he replied, a small smirk appearing on his face. “I know not of a more honorable way to be absolved of any prior infractions than that.”
“Truly?” You couldn’t believe it.
“If you think I’m letting you go now, Y/N, you’re sorely mistaken,” he laughed. “I’m in charge here, remember? I say that you are brave and true. The Captain can attest to that. And frankly, more people in this Kingdom could stand to be more like you.”
“They need only have courage and be kind,” you informed him, a small smile gracing your lips.
He looked at you with love and warmth in his eyes. “Come, my darling,” Bucky murmured, nuzzling your temple. “If it’s all right with you, I’d like to start the rest of our lives now.” His arm slipped around your waist, holding you to him tightly.
“Are you ready?” you asked, wanting him to be sure.
“For anything, as long as it’s with you, my Queen.”
“My Bucky,” you whispered, reaching for him again.
When you were kissed thoroughly for the second time that afternoon, you became sure of one more thing: magic did exist, but it went by a much more common term than you’d expected…
{Love.}
And they lived happily ever after.
The end.
Part 5
no tags because it’s a re-post from January 1, 2017. I am moving it from another blog. It was probably the second thing I ever wrote for this fandom so please forgive me in advance.