They say every great story begins with ‘Once upon a time...’ but “they” couldn’t be more wrong, for this is a great story too, and you’re already in the thick of it. If the title reminds you of anything else, it’s not a coincidence, more of a... variation, for the world of fairy tales is so vast that a singular version is hardly enough to contain all its possibilities and this is one you don’t want to miss, so listen well and read even better for our tale waits for no one, especially if it’s already past midnight.

This is the story of a beautiful blonde girl named Ellen who was born into a loving family on a full moon night. Her mother was a humble seamstress, and her father a wealthy banker, a union scorned by high society yet blessed by all the Goddesses of Love in existence, those that people still remembered but, most especially, the multitude of others no one did and were therefore doomed to fade away in perpetual obscurity. While Ellen’s mother got pregnant before the wedding, a sin The Church would never forgive had it been aware of it, the vows had already been exchanged when she was delivered to the world, and they spoke of honor, trust, and the willingness to be there for one another no matter what. 

All promises are made to be kept, even more such as these and, for about a year, nothing stopped Ellen’s parents' dreams of happiness from becoming true, yet the world turned upside down when the banker decided to hire a new maid.

Her name was Tatiana, a recent widower with two young daughters in her care. Prudence and Drusilla - Pru and Dru, for short - desperately needed a new home and their mother was willing to go the extra mile to make sure they were taken care of. Ellen’s father's kindness over the years had not gone unnoticed, and that made him a strong contender - and also an easy mark! - for Tatiana’s schemes.

And so it came to be that less than six months after the family of three welcomed another three into their house that their numbers declined and Death took Ellen’s mother away with her to The Great Unknown. It happened suddenly and for no apparent reason, a morning dizziness like any other that ended in a precipitous fall down the stairs. There was no one around to hear her neck cracking, but it was as gruesome as you can imagine.

Ellen’s father was devastated, the light of his life taken from him without mercy. With no reasons to suspect foul play, no motive was sought, and for both the local news and the local gossipers, the tragedy that befell his family was attributed to a cruel twist of fate and nothing more. At the funeral, he sobbed and wailed by her casket, like a mythical Banshee who knew not when to stop. When it was over, so was he, rapidly devolving into a shadow of a man, a husk devoid of any reason to keep on existing in the light.

Despite being unwanted presences, many suitors stalked his house in the following months, vultures in fancy dresses whose sparkling jewels and exaggerated make-up did little to conceal their ravenous intent. A good catch is always a good catch regardless of mental status, yet his frailties of mind were already being explored from within.

If there was something Tatiana truly excelled at was tea. She had brews for everything from mild headaches to lacerating pain, from painful memories to subtle brainwashing cues. Making a man forget his traumatic past and fall madly in love with her at the same time wasn’t easy, yet she was patient and determined to see it through. Not once did he consider he was being played, attributing the plethora of emergent feelings taking over his heart and mind to a natural healing process and the need for actual human connection. That she was young and pretty, with curly black hair, cherry lips, and perfect breasts helped as well, and when the first kiss turned into the first night together and the first cum was spilled between her aching legs, the seeds of transformation had already been planted, and could only grow from there.

On the first anniversary of his wife’s death, he was already a changed man, a helplessly drooling sycophant at his new owner’s beck and call. He wedded Tatiana in a private ceremony, gave his name to her daughters, and was programmed to believe that his own flesh and blood had been a mistake from the start, one that was to be rectified as the girl grew up. He listened and accepted all that she said, for there was more wisdom in her words than anywhere else in the known universe. 

Ellen’s father died precisely one year after his second wedding. The official cause of death was a heart attack, and if you’re wondering if there’s a tea for that, the answer is definitely ‘yes’. 

When he was laid to rest, no one saw the widow cry, and no one ever would. The former maid was now where she always believed she belonged, living the good life in the upper echelons of the kingdom. Her daughters would grow to be respected young ladies with a bright future ahead of them, and perhaps even find a way to the royal palace. The weakest link was her blonde not-daughter who she should have just given away to someone who actually cared, yet didn’t. It wasn’t out of pity or any other feeling worth exploring, but one more power play. Maids came and went, people withered and disappeared... However, a pliable mind taught all the right things when she was still at an early age and would never stray. Yes, she would be the perfect little servant.

It’s been seventeen years since the last funeral in the household. Tatiana is in her mid-forties now but still looks and sounds like her younger self. Pru and Dru are so much like her mother they could pass as their younger sisters, but while they share her good looks and penchant for everything luxurious, covert manipulation isn’t their strong suit. As they were too young to remember the events that led them to where they were, for all intents, they had always been the two daughters of a lonely banker who one day suffered a heart attack and collapsed in bed, and Ellen... well, Ellen was always their servant, born for no other reason than to tend to their needs whenever they shouted her name or simply...

The bell rang over the young girl’s head, its annoying sound bringing her back to reality. It was a contraption good enough for cats and dogs and so, “good enough for her, too”, as Mistress Tatiana often said. Ellen opened her eyes, stared at the damp ceiling, and was immediately reminded of who and what she was.

“Finally!” Prudence tapped her right foot so close to her cheek she could have easily bruised her. “How dare you still be asleep at this time of day, you little bitch?”

“I... I don’t know, Lady Prudence! Forgive me!” Ellen stood up and blushed when she realized she was completely exposed before one of her owners. Instinctively, she grabbed a blanket to cover her breasts and pussy and was admonished right away.

“What are you trying to hide? Have you forgotten I’ve seen that far too many times already?”

Forgetting such a thing was impossible, for neither Prudence nor Drusilla would ever allow it. The former was the oldest of the two sisters, a thin brunette with a petite frame one might expect to be cool-headed given her birth name but had instead been endowed with a vicious temper capable of making grown men cower in their boots and be afraid to talk without permission ever again. She was still nicer than her ten months younger counterpart, though. Drusilla’s taste for random insults and belittling anyone she didn’t see eye to eye with was only comparable to her love of desserts, the more colorful frosting on top the better. Shopping for new dresses this season was proving a nightmare because the fabric insisted on shrinking instead of suiting her - her exact words! - much to the dismay of anyone trying to make an honest coin out of her.

“Is there anything you need, Lady Prudence?”

“I need you to do your job and help me try on some new dresses so get a move on.”

“What’s the occasion?” Ellen scurried to pick up the least ragged attire she possessed, a simple linen tunic covered in grease and oil stains.

“Not that it’s any of your business, but there will be a Royal Ball in honor of Prince Phillip’s twenty-fifth anniversary next Sunday and I will be there, of course.”

“The Prince...” Ellen’s mind wandered off for a second. “I’ve never actually seen him... is he as handsome as everyone claims?”

“No, he isn’t, and people only say that to be in his good graces, but he will be King when Harold croaks and every King needs a Queen. I’ll be it, for that has always been my destiny.”

“Only you and the voices in your head dare to claim such a thing, sister.” Drusilla descended the basement stairs, cackling.

Ellen’s house had five bedrooms, two bathrooms, a large kitchen, a dining hall, plus a salon for entertaining guests and a garden four times larger surrounding it, yet she slept underground with the mice and moisture, tucked in a corner as if she were nothing more than a forgotten piece of furniture. Her mattress was made of splintered wood covered in hay with only two coverings at her disposal and no pillows to rest her head. The living conditions were deplorable, and yet she was grateful to have them. A roof over her head was more than most could hope for, especially those destined to be of service to higher creatures.

“At least, the voices in my head don’t tell me how many pounds I gained since the last banquet, Dru!” Prudence retorted, her tongue as sharp as not just one knife, but an entire set of them.

“Take that back!” I’m not fat!”

“Yes, keep telling yourself that, and one day, you might just believe it. What do you want? I’m busy, here!”

“I need Ellen to help me tend my new outfits. The Royal Ball needs its brightest star, after all.”

“I got here first, so she’s coming with me. Hurry and get dressed, girl! What are you waiting for?”

“I don’t care if you got here first or not. I have more clothes to try on, so she’s mine.”

“Ah! Let me save you the trouble and tell you none of those clothes will fit. The prince wants a woman by his side, Dru, not a whale!”

“Oh, you filthy skank!”

“ENOUGH!” Mistress Tatiana’s voice reverberated on the ligneous beams above them like an earthquake or a gigantic thunderstorm waiting to happen. She stood at the threshold of the basement door, her solemn pose emphasized by her black and white attire that was strikingly similar to the Royal Guard’s uniforms. It was rare for her to wear it but, when she did, it served as a reminder there was only one ultimate authority in the house and everything else be damned! “Your constant bickering is undesirable, and you better behave accordingly once you’re in the court, or I’ll make sure you don’t leave this house until next Spring, are we clear?”

“Mother, we...” Prudence stopped herself before she said anything foolish.

“Please, forgive us.” Drusilla bit her lips until they drew blood.

“I will... for now. Ellen’s service to me is far more important than whatever needs you think you have, so it’s settled. Girl, the kitchen needs cleaning, and all the garden weeds are to be cleared before lunchtime. Only after you’re finished, may you be of assistance to Dru and Pru. I expect you will not disappoint me on such easy tasks. “

“As you wish, Mistress Tatiana.” She took a bow, already fully dressed despite her hair being in disarray.

“Good. Have you had your tea and mantras yet?”

“No, Mistress.”

“Then get to it, then. Show me you know your place.”

Ellen’s morning rituals had been established ever since she was old enough to pick up a broom and went like this: after waking up, she was to pour a cup of her Mistress’ special herbal concoction, drink it in one gulp and then drop to her knees, head down, palms   touching the floor, and repeat ten times in a row:

Mistress Tatiana owns all of me

Forever obedient I shall be

before carrying out whatever instructions she was given, no choice in the matter. She was not a real person and would never be one. Only in dreams and occasional daylight delusions did fleeting contradictory thoughts surface, all of them prefaced by her own voice whispering: “Surely, there’s more to life than this...” before instantly reverting to her servile ways, dulled by monotony and drugged leaves.

“Why are you here, Ellen?” The older woman smirked. The programmed question always ended with the same programmed answer, one she never got tired of hearing.

“Only to serve and nothing less.”

“Serve me now and follow me to the kitchen.”

“Yes, Mistress Tatiana.”

All things considered, her life wasn’t so bad. Yes, she worked like a mule, though such was the plight of slaves. The kingdom was filled to the brim with them, with most of them not really being useful to anyone. Left to wander the fields, they were a waste of both air and flesh without proper discipline. At least with her owner and her slightly dysfunctional family, Ellen had a purpose, one she loved to fulfill to the max of her humble abilities. 

Nonetheless, the random ideas of defiance and the accompanying need to see beyond the shades of gray surrounding her didn’t relent, and one could argue they had only become stronger since the day she had turned eighteen.

Had she been totally receptive that morning, she would have seen there was another woman in the basement with them, dressed in a shiny blue material she had never seen before, floating in the air, and waving at her.

“Ready when you are, sweetheart.” She cooed.