Barefoot Cinderella

“And they lived happily ever after, that’s all she wants to hear!”, the princess’ voice began to echo as she stormed through the door into the palace kitchen, startling the cook who was planning the following days menu.

“Now, now, now”, Beckoning from the corner she used as an office, her voice soothing the vexed vibrations.

Confidante of the princess ever since she was little, the royal cook loved this wilful creature, she had fought for the chance to go onto further education no royal princess had done so, it had been decreed not necessary. She had anticipated that no good would come out of giving her a taste of freedom, taking it away would be re caging a bird

The princess paced back and forth, her arms whirring like a humming bird as she continued,

“I’m to be marriage fodder, married off to some dimwit for royal agreements and deals since goodness knows when.”

“Using a Fairy Godmother would avoid all that as it always had done”

“I thought you were on my side”

“Of course I am in that I love you and only want the best for you”

“You don’t understand! All my friends are starting careers, making choices, having flings even marrying, but what am I to do, sit around and wait for my handsome prince to come and rescue me after he has done his trial of errors?”

Before the cook had a chance to reply the princess transformed in front of her, stopping on the spot while straightening her arm and snapping her fingers,

“That’s’ it”
“Ok” said the cook
“Spill it out” delighted by split second metamorphosis in the princess.
“That’s it” she repeated “I shall remain true to my modernity I will be proactive and do my own search!”

“How do you intend to do that?” inquired the cook.

“When I was a student to avoid publicity I used to go out in disguise. I’ll prepare a new one with a little help from the beauty therapy centre then voila I’ll go online dating.”


And with that she bent down and kissed kiss the cook on the cheek and bounced out of the kitchen while pinching a couple of her favourite cheese crunches as she went on her way. The cook relaxed the argument between mother and daughter, queen and princess had been hanging over the palace ever since the princess had completed her studies.

The princess sat on her balcony overlooking the palace kitchen herb garden as she drafted her online profile. Trying to get the profile to reflect her true self without revealing her identity was proving to be rather tricky. Dwelling on the beauty of the flowers, musing about the security created by their endless life cycle yet no two plants were identical. She asked herself had she been too hasty in renouncing the fairy godmother. Princesses had it much easier in times gone by. They had had to wait passively until the king thought up some silly trial, then handsome princes would appear from all over to try and win their hands. All this new role stuff was confusing because she was still expected to conform, to maintain appearances.

On her arrival at supper the king and queen caught each other’s eye as they saw the upturn in their daughter; by tacit telepathy agreed by a glance they did not push their daughter at the table capturing the mood the princess casually dropped her planned trip to the beauty therapy centre into the conversation. King and queen agreed that their daughter in the right match would rise to any challenge however both were very well aware as headstrong as she was bright unhappiness could lead to disaster at the highest levels. They had been stunned by her rejection of the fairy godmother. The king blamed the queen, the queen felt powerless.

Toi be continued