Drizella was running like crazy. She needed to get to the house and tell her mother the news. She stepped into puddles, ran up and down a hill, past the entrance to the forest, and went straight ahead. There, where her house was, to her right. Drizella swerved right with such momentum that she almost couldn't dodge from the fountain.

"Mother!" She screamed as she passed through the door. 

"Drizella, you are covered in mud. Go wash," said Lady Tremaine from her seat in the living room. She was watching Ella and Anastasia play card games. 

"There's no time, mother. The King is throwing a ball in a week at the palace," said Drizella in between heavy breaths. 

Lady Tremaine was still as she could be. A ball, at the palace, no less. She thought. Ella and Anastasia were gapping at the Drizella. And the poor girl was out of breath and sweaty. 

"Girls, this is our chance. Gather everyone. We will have a meeting in an hour in the attic." said Lady Tremaine while getting up and heading to her room, leaving the three wide-eyed girls behind. She walked up the stairs and turned right to her room. She went to her wardrobe, opened the doors, and moved her clothes out of the way; a box was in the back. Inside there was another one with a lock. 

Anastasia was walking up the stairs to the attic. An hour had passed. She was carrying paper, some glue, pens and a big piece of cardboard. Whatever her mom was thinking about the ball would require them to write it down. She was certain of it. She went into the attic; it was spacious with a few couches and a table in the middle. An easel was to her left; there, she would put the cardboard. Anastasia was setting everything up when she heard Drizella come up the stairs, she had showered, and her wet hair was dripping all over the floor. 

"You better be careful with that hair of yours getting mother's paper wet." Said Anastasia. Drizella just made a face. Ella, her fairy godmother, Jaq, and Gus Gus all came in together. Would their mother accept help from the rats? The birds flew in through the window and stayed there. Right, they also had birds around. Anastasia thought while shaking her head and taking a seat. Everyone was seated by the time Lady Tremaine came in and closed the door. 

"Since we are all here. Let's begin," ordered the Lady through a smile while putting a locked box on the table. Lady Tremaine pulled a necklace with a key from under her dress and unclasped it. She opened the box and took a piece of folded paper from it. She opened it up and spread the paper on the table. 

"This is the floor plan to the palace," explained Ella's stepmother. 

"Why do we need it, though?" asked Ella. 

"We are going to steal the queen's Ruby crown." said the Lady with a huge smile. 

The attic was quiet, and then chaos erupted. 

"Mother, how do you plan to do that?" 

"The palace is heavily guarded." 

"Please tell me you are kidding."

Lady Tremaine hit the table with such force that it reverberated through the room. Fairy Godmother shook from the scare. 

"Hush! Let me explain. I have a plan." The Lady barked while putting the floor plan against the cardboard on the easel. 

"Me, Anastasia, Drizella, Jaq and Gus Gus will go in first. The rats are going to be hidden. Ella will come later wearing a magical dress her fairy godmother will make." Lady Tremaine said while looking at them. 

"Ella will act as the bait, enticing the prince and getting everyone's attention at the ball. While everybody's distracted, we will slip to the back." said the Lady while pointing to the palace floor plans. 

"There is a staircase; we will go to the third floor, and the third door to the left down the hall. There will be where the ruby crown will be. Inside the crown jewel room. Here is where Jaq and Gus Gus come into play. They will get inside the room and open it for us." Anastasia's mother said while looking at the rats. They were nodding their heads in understanding. 

"We will find the crown and dismantle it. There are 15 rubies in total, and each bird will take 2 rubies with them. There are 6 birds, and they will take 12 rubies. Me, Anastasia, and Drizella will take one each. We will have a timeframe from the expiration of the magical dress to finish everything," finished Ella's stepmother. To various eyes blinking in her direction. 

"Any questions?" smiled Lady Tremaine. 

***

A week passed, and the ball arrived. They were already in the carriage, ready to go. 

"You guys have until midnight to get in and out of the palace. Ella, you might have to leave first to create a commotion." remembered the godmother. And with that, she set them on their way to the palace. 

Anastasia, her sister, their mother, and the rats arrived first at the palace. They were already mingling with the other guests in the grand ballroom when the doors opened, and Ella walked in. Anastasia felt everyone hold their breaths in disbelief. Ella looked like a lost princess. Fairy Godmother did her work right, a beautiful blue puffy dress that seemed to sparkle. At the same time, everyone was gapping in awe; she saw the prince walk toward Ella and ask her for a dance. The people started clearing the way, and with that, they took their cue and left to the back. 

Up and up, they went directly to the third floor and then the third door to the left. Jaq and Gus Gus found a hole in the wall and managed to get in the room and open the door. Lady Tremaine went in, and they all started looking for the crown. There was a big armoire to the left of the room filled with jewels inside and various crowns. 

"Shouldn't it be here with these other crowns?" asked Drizella. 

"Maybe they moved it." pondered Anastasia. 

"Keep looking." snipped Lady Tremaine. 

They looked through the armoire, and nothing. 

"Here it is." chimed Drizella while taking the crown out from a hidden box in the back. It was stunning, and they started working. 

Soon they heard the clock chimes and the prince yelling, "Stop that woman." Ella was probably leaving, and it was midnight already, and they were out of time. 

"Time to leave. Let's go," said Lady Tremaine. The birds showed up right at that moment and took the jewels with them. Jaq and Gus Gus locked the door and jumped in Anastasia's pockets. 

They rushed down the stairs all the way to the first floor, turned left, and into the grand ballroom. They walked calmly through the crowd and up the main set of stairs, and out the door. They turned left and then right, and the main double doors in front of them. They descended the stairs and waited next to palace guards while the coach fetched them their carriage. 

***

Ella was sipping her tea while reading a book when her fairy godmother arrived asking:

"Oh, you are back already. Where are the others?" 

Ella looked up from her book and said:

"Right about now, Jaq and Gus Gus are probably on their way here, and my stepmother and her daughters are most likely getting arrested." 

While her fairy godmother looked at her in disbelief as she sat down and asked:

"Ella, explain everything." 

And so, Ella did. During the week before the ball, she and her animal friends had decided to steal jewels from the palace. The birds went with Jaq and Gus Gus to the palace a few days before and got in one of the crown jewels rooms. A different one from the ruby crown. They dismantled a few and brought them back to Ella to sell. And she sold them in different places, on different days, always using a bit of fairy dust to keep her hidden in case someone came snooping. They also used a little fairy dust to get the bank teller to open one of her dad's safes and keep the money there without making a report on it. So, one the day of the ball, they did everything as planned, but instead of taking the rubies to the house, the birds left them in her stepmothers' carriage. Jaq and Gus Gus would jump out of Anastasia's pocket and come back home. 

"Oh lord," said the godmother while leaning back on the couch. She then jolted and added:

"Wait, how did you get them arrested?" 

"Oh, A duke my stepmother toyed with wanted revenge and to get back into the king's good graces. He got a letter saying something along the lines of there being a heist at the palace. I let him do the talking." responded Ella while relaxing back on her couch and sipping a bit of tea. 

"All while you were visibly dancing with the prince," mentioned the fairy godmother mentioned incredulously. 

"Brilliant, my dear. What are you going to do now?" 

"Relax a little. And then get back to planning," said Ella with a smile. 

"What's the next plan?" asked the fairy godmother wiggling her eyebrows. 

"So curious, I was thinking of becoming a rich widow," said Ella in a very peaceful way. 

"Whose widow?" 

"The kings"