Cinderella (The Price of Gold)


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 * This article focuses on the character, Cinderella. For Cinderella's Storybrooke counterpart, see Ashley Boyd. For the fairytale, see Cinderella (Fairytale).
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"Every year when I was growing up, I used to watch these fireworks from afar... and I knew what they meant. Something special was happening at the palace."

- Cinderella to Thomas

Princess Cinderella, nicknamed Ella, is a character on Once Upon a Time. She debuts in the fourth episode of the first season. She is played by guest star Jessy Schram, and is the fairytale counterpart of Ashley Boyd.

Cinderella is based on the titular character in the fairytale of the same name.

Before the Curse
Cinderella is first seen while she is sweeping the courtyard of her stepmother's manor as a royal ball is occurring. Once her step-family is gone, her Fairy Godmother appears to her. She tells her that she will be able to go to the Prince's ball, but suddenly explodes into orange dust.

It was Rumplestiltskin who destroyed her fairy godmother in, saying he was doing her a favor. In reality he was only after her wand  He then manipulates her into making a deal with him. He promises to save her from her wretched life in return for an unspecified precious object later on. Desperate, Cinderella agrees.

Later, we see her on her wedding night, relishing in her new life and true love, surrounded by her friends, including Snow White and Prince Charming. Rumplestiltskin is also in attendance, and he reveals that the precious item he wanted in return for her new life was not money or jewels, but her first-born child.

After some time, Cinderella is packing her bags when Prince Thomas unexpectedly walks in. She tells him that she is pregnant, and that she has promised Rumplestiltskin their child. She is devastated, but Thomas assures her that he will fix this, and they simply need to make a new deal to undo the old deal.

Thomas, with the help of Prince Charming and Grumpy, plans to tempt Rumplestiltskin with a new deal, tricking him into believing Cinderella is carrying twins. When he signs the contract to get the second child using a quill charmed by the Blue Fairy, he will be frozen, and they will be able to transport him to a secure prison in the dwarves' mines.

Cinderella is hesitant to use magic to undo magic, but they go through with the plan. Thomas promises to pay whatever price is required for the Blue Fairy's magic. Although Rumplestiltskin doesn't buy it, he still signs the contract and is captured. However, the price of trying to break the original deal is that Prince Thomas disappears, and Cinderella will not be able to see him again until she fulfills her deal with Rumplestiltskin. ("The Price of Gold")

For events occurring after the breaking of the Dark Curse, see Ashley Boyd.

Trivia

 * Cinderella is a reference to the cinders of a fireplace where she sat & slept when her work was done each day.
 * Cinderella is very similar to Snow White, regarding their childhood and teenaged years. Their mothers both died when they were young, and both of their fathers remarried a woman who treated them unfairly and cruelly after his death. However, unlike Snow White, Cinderella married into her kingdom's royal family.
 * Cinderella and Snow White were pregnant at the same time. However, Snow White gave birth before the Dark Curse arrived and Cinderella did not, resulting in her being pregnant until she went into labor 28 years later as Ashley. Coincidentally both babies were blond girls.
 * In some cultures, the story is called The Little Glass Slippers, in reference to the glass slippers Cinderella wears when she goes to the ball.
 * She is the second Disney PrincessTM to appear on the show.
 * The fact that the Fairy Godmother is patron to King George's family, and then appears to Cinderella, implies that the two are somehow related.
 * Cinderella's dress is nearly identical to the dress worn by the same character in the Disney film.
 * Cinderella's interactions with Rumplestiltskin allude to the original Rumpelstiltskin fairytale.

Appearances
Cendrillon Cenicienta Cinderella Kopciuszek Cinderela