Like most princesses in the Many Kingdoms, this poor girl lost her mother at a young age, and it was left to her father to find a proper stepmother to make a happy home for his daughter. It seems the lives of mothers in the Many Kingdoms are often cut short, and the stepmothers who replace them are almost always cruel and selfish creatures, but that is a story for another time. We could speculate that something supernatural was at work in the Many Kingdoms, or that the blame should almost certainly be placed on the widowers’ poor choices in stepmothers. One might even argue that the lives of these women were predestined by the prevailing misguided notion in fairy circles that all stepmothers are evil.

Cinderella’s father didn’t think much beyond the care of his daughter when he chose his new wife, aside from making sure she was a lady from a good family, well respected in her community, and that she had a large dowry. This lady seemed like the perfect choice, really. She was a stately-looking woman, still rather handsome, and most importantly she had a fortune of her own, which of course would become his upon their marriage. This was, and remains to this day, a rather unfortunate and antiquated custom in the Many Kingdoms: all of a woman’s possessions become property of her husband upon marriage. But this didn’t concern the lady. She thought the young girl’s father to be very handsome, with a title far greater than her own, what she assumed was a substantial fortune, and a beautiful home in which she could raise her own children alongside his daughter.

However, this lady’s hopes for the marriage went beyond practical concerns. She sincerely loved this man and looked forward to having a beautiful life with him, even if she didn’t say so when he was courting her. He seemed like the sort of man who desired a pragmatic woman, and the lady was indeed very sensible and far too proper to mention such things. She prided herself on her stoicism.

But we’ll get to that part of the story soon. For now we’ll concern ourselves with the lady’s unfortunate daughters, who have been withering away within the confines of their home, under the watchful eye of their domineering mother. The situation attracted the attention of their stepsister, Queen Cinderella, who found she couldn’t ignore her stepsisters’ sad circumstances.

My dearest Fairy Godmother,

I am so sorry to have learned the Fairylands have been in a state of turmoil, and though I do not wish to trouble you at such a time, I must write to you about a gravely important matter that has me in great distress.