Magic Kingdoms
Chapter 1: Usual Morning Lineup
The sounds of birds tweeting from outside her window woke the young woman from her slumber. Blinking her sky blue eyes clear, she sat up in bed and ran a hand through her blonde hair. She quickly glanced around her small room before throwing off her blankets and rolling out of her simple, straw bed before padding across the cold, stone floor in her bare feet to her wardrobe. Opening it, she looked over the simple dresses that hung within before selecting a blue one and putting it on and slipping on a pair of simple, black shoes. She then took a moment to stand in front of the tarnished mirror that hung from one of the walls and put up her hair up in a haphazard pile on top of her head, held in place by a long blue ribbon.
Tiptoeing up to the door, the young woman slowly pushed it open and peeked through. The room beyond was another bedroom, though it was far more extravagant that the young woman's own. The room was at least ten times larger than the previous room, with a lavender carpet covering the floor and white plaster decorating the walls. One corner of the room was occupied by a massive wardrobe along with a makeup table holding up a large vanity mirror. Near the center of the room, a large window was covered by thick, lavender curtains. At the end of the room opposite the vanity and wardrobe was a four poster bed, a bookshelf and bed table flanking it. As the young women looked at the bed, she noted the blankets shift as the person laying beneath them moved in their sleep.
Smiling to herself, the young woman tiptoed across the room and exited through the set of double doors opposite the large window, stepping out into a long hall made of hewn stone blocks and lit by torches set in sconces on the walls. The hall was largely empty as the young woman began making her way down it, and then down a narrow servants staircase, passing only a handful of other people going about their tasks, each of them giving her a wave or a friendly smile as she passed. Eventually, the young woman reached the bottom of the stairs, where she was greeted by the smell of freshly made food that was wafting to down another hall, the scent bringing a smile to her face as she followed it.
Walking up to a door, the young woman cracked it open and peeked her head inside, taking in the sight of the large kitchen that lay beyond. One of the room's brick walls was lined with large ovens, the fires burning within lighting and warming the rest of the kitchen. The center of the room was occupied by a large, stone table that ran the length of the kitchen, upon which were scattered the various ingredients and tools needed for cooking and baking. Scattered all over the kitchen were cooks and servants that were busy making the breakfast that would feed the rest of castle. The noise of their talking and actions reverberated off the arched, brick ceiling and the combined smells of the cooking dishes permeated the air.
Stepping fully into the room, the young woman held the door open for a pair of passing servants before she began scanning the kitchen for a particular person. After a moment of searching, the young woman's face brightened as she spotted a dark-skinned woman roughly the same age as her pulling a tray of sweet rolls out of one of the ovens.
Deftly maneuvering her way through the crowd of servants, the young woman walked up next to the dark-skinned cook just as she was placing the tray onto an open space on the long counter.
"Good morrow, Tiana," the young woman said in a sing-song voice as she reached for one of the cooling sweet rolls.
"Good morrow, Ella," the cook, Tiana, replied with a smirk as she grabbed a wooden spoon off of the counter and struck the young woman on the knuckles with it.
"Ow!" the young woman, Ella, exclaimed as she pulled her hand back to her chest and glared at Tiana, "What was that for!?"
"You know the rules," Tiana replied calmly, giving Ella a look and pointing the spoon at her face as she picked up one of the sweet rolls and began walking to a corner of the kitchen.
"Oh, right," Ella stated with a giggle as she followed Tiana.
As she reached the corner of the room, Tiana bent down and placed the sweet roll on the floor. A few seconds later, a few squeaks emerged from a large crack in the brick wall before two brown mice, one fat, one skinny, and a grey rat emerged. After pulling themselves out of the wall, the trio of rodents quickly surrounded the sweet roll and began digging into it heartedly, squeaking happily through their stuffed mouths.
"Well, Little Chef?" Tiana prompted as she grinned at the rat, "What do you think? Fit for a princess?"
The rat made a few happy squeaks and nodded his head at Tiana. As he did, the larger of the mice attempted to take food from the smaller one, resulting in them hissing at one another as they fought over the scrap of food.
"Gus Gus," Ella admonished as she picked up the larger mouse by the scruff of his neck and moved him away from the others, "What have I told you about trying to take Jaq's food?"
The larger mouse let out a mortified squeak and hung his head in shame while the smaller one sent him a small glare while he continued eating his food.
"Well, it seems they pass the test," Tiana commented with a chuckle as she walked back over to the tray and slid the remaining sweet rolls into a basket before handing it to Ella, "The royal breakfast is ready."
"Thanks, Tiana," Ella replied with a giggle as she accepted the basket, "Sometimes, I think these are the only things that will get the princess out of bed in the morning."
"Well, you shouldn't keep her waiting then," Tiana commented with a chuckle, giving Ella a small wave as she made her way back to the oven, "See you later!"
"See you!" Ella called back before she made her way out of the kitchen, looping the basket over her arm as she went.
Ella hummed to herself as she left the kitchen, practically skipping as she made her way back up the stairs and down the hall to the princess' chambers.
"Well, well, well," a nasally voice said, stopping Ella cold in her tracks, "If it isn't little Cinderella?"
Turning to look down a hall that branched off from the one she was in, Ella found two young women roughly her own age approaching her. They were both dressed in much finer clothes than Ella was, one in a flowing pink dress, the other in a matching one colored light green which they wore over their slim frames. One of the women had raven hair while the others was crimson, though they both possessed fair skin and the same, dark brown, almost black, eyes.
"Anastasia," Ella greeted as she looked at the redhead before her eyes drifted towards the brunette, "Drizella. Good morrow to the both of you."
"That's what I've always liked about you, stepsister," Drizella stated with a slimy smile, "Your constant sense of decorum. It's always refreshing to see someone who knows their place. Isn't that right, Ana?"
"Yeah, sure," Anastasia replied distractedly as she walked over to Ella's side, her eyes focused on the basket on the young woman was carrying, "What do you have there?"
"The princess' breakfast," Ella answered wearily.
"Smells delicious," Anastasia said as she began reaching for the basket only for Ella to pull it away defensively, causing the young woman to glare at her.
"Hey!" Anastasia snapped.
"Those aren't for you," Ella stated, trying to sound as stern as possible, "N-Now, I must be going. The princess will be waking soon."
Ella then turned to walk away, but Drizella stepped in front of her, blocking her path.
"Come now, stepsister," Drizella purred, though Ella could hear the venom in her voice, "I'm sure the princess won't mind if a few of these go missing. Or, if she does, I'm sure we won't blame us."
"Yeah, so gimme one," Anastasia added as she reached for the basket again.
Just as Anastasia was about to grab one of the sweet rolls, a gloved hand shot out and clamped down on her wrist holding her hand in place.
"Ow!" Anastasia exclaimed as she looked up at the person who had grabbed her wrist, "Who do you-"
Anastasia cut herself off as she realized who she was talking to, the blood draining from her face in the process.
The person who stood before her was a woman who stood a head taller than Ella and her stepsisters. Her blonde hair was cut boyishly short and her cold, blue eyes were locked with Anastasia's. She was dressed in grey trousers and a black tunic, over which she wore a steel breastplate accompanied by matching bracers, pauldrons and grieves over her leather riding boots. A sword hung from the belt wrapped around her waist while a round, steel shield was strapped to her back.
"Like she said," the woman stated, her voice hard as iron, "Those aren't for you."
"L-Let go of me!" Anastasia said, trying to sound angry but doing little more than whimpering.
"Gladly," the woman replied, giving Anastasia a little shove as she let go of her arm, causing the redhead to stumble into her sister, almost knocking them both down, "In fact, why don't you both get out of my sight?"
"Our mother will hear of this!" Drizella snarled, glaring daggers at the woman as she helped her sister regain her balance.
"I'm sure she will," the woman said, utterly unphased by Drizella's threat, "I look forward to knowing what one of the queen's hanger ons thinks."
Drizella could only glare harder at the woman before she turned and led Anastasia away. The woman watched them leave for a moment before turning her gaze towards Ella.
"Thank you for your help, Lady Tamora," Ella said quietly but warmly.
"Don't thank me," the woman, Lady Tamora, replied cooly, not looking pleased, "I'm just doing my duty."
"I thought your duty was to protect the princess," Ella stated timidly.
"You're the princess' handmaid, are you not?" Tamora questioned, earning a small nod which prompted her to continue, "Then, you represent an extension of her, one that must be protected."
Turning fully to face Ella, Tamora leaned down and gave the younger woman a cold look.
"But I won't always be here to pull your ass out of the fire," Tamora stated, "So, I'd prefer it if you could handle yourself every once in awhile."
Ella's eyes fell from Tamora's gaze, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment.
"Now, get moving," Tamora ordered as she straightened up again, "We don't want the princess' breakfast to get cold."
Ella wordlessly nodded before turning from Tamora, and quickly scurrying away, not looking back at the other woman as she went. Tamora, meanwhile, merely shook her head before heading on her way.
The walk back to the princess' chambers was a quiet one, which allowed Ella to recollect herself. Pausing outside the door, Ella took a deep, calming breath.
"Have courage and be kind," Ella whispered to herself, "That's what Mother always said, isn't it? Have courage and be kind."
Nodding to herself, a smile returned to Ella's feature and she entered the princess' chamber with a skip in her step.
"Good morrow, Princess!" she said with a sing-song voice, "I've brought you break-"
Ella cut herself off as she stopped in front of the bed, finding the princess still enveloped by her blankets, a light snore marking her presence.
"Princess?" Ella questioned, her voice becoming strained before her smile fell away and her eyes narrowed, "Snow!"
A grunt came from within the blankets and the form began to stir. A moment later, the princess sat up in bed, the blankets falling away and revealing her head. She was roughly the same age as Ella, with raven black hair that hung to just past her shoulders, light brown eyes and almost snow white skin. Her striking beauty was somewhat undercut though by the tousled state of her hair and the sour look she was leveling at Ella.
"I could have you imprisoned for such a break in decorum," Snow pointed out.
"You could," Ella agreed with a shrug before she held up the basket for Snow to see, "But then you wouldn't get any of these."
Snow's eyes widened as she spotted the sweet rolls and she took a quick sniff of the air.
"Give," Snow commanded as she held her arms out and made grasping motions with her hands.
"Uh uh," Ella replied with a shake of her head, "A princess does not eat in bed, remember? You can have these once you're up and dressed."
"Your offer is tempting….but I must decline," Snow replied as she laid back down, "Besides don't you have chores to do?"
Sighing, Ella placed the basket on a nearby table while she glanced over at a intricately designed mantel clock that sat above the fireplace. Walking back to the smaller bedroom, she stepped inside before stepping back out again a moment later with a broom.
"Seven a.m., the usual morning lineup," Ella sang to herself as she began sweeping up the room, "Start on the chores and sweep 'til the floor's all clean."
"Polish and wax, do laundry, mop and shine up," Ella continued as she quickly polished the furniture around the room and swept more of the floor before she glanced at the mantel clock a second time, "Sweep again, and by then it's like seven-fifteen."
Setting the broom aside, Ella walked over to the bookshelf and pulled a few out before turning her attention back to the bed.
"And so we'll read a book," Ella sang as she tossed the books one by one onto the bed, the hard covers impacting against Snow's form with dull thuds, eliciting a shriek of surprise from the princess, "Or maybe two or three."
"Ella!" Snow shouted in indignation as she sat up in her bed.
"We'll add a few new pictures to our gallery," Ella continued as she grabbed the end of Snow's blanket and started pulling it off, prompting the princess to grab hold of the other end, "We'll play guitar and knit and cook and basically, just wonder when our lives will begin."
After a brief struggle, Ella managed to pull the blanket out of Snow's grasp, the sudden lack of resistance causing the blonde to spin as she stumbled back, leading the blanket to wrap around her. Ella blinked in surprise for a moment before throwing her head back and striking a pose as if the blanket was an elegant dress, eliciting a snort of amusement from Snow. Grinning at Snow, Ella prompted her with a wave of her hand, causing Snow to sigh and smile at the blonde.
"Then after lunch, it's puzzles and darts and baking," Snow sang as she hopped out of bed and helped Ella detangle herself from the blanket, spinning gracefully on the balls of her feet as she threw it back onto the bed, "Paper mache, a bit of ballet and chess."
"Pottery and ventriloquy, candle making," Ella added as she made her way over to the wardrobe.
"Then I'll stretch," Snow sang as she reached out to lay the blanket flat on the bed.
"Maybe sketch," Ella replied as she opened the doors to the wardrobe and began rummaging through it.
"Take a climb!" Snow called as she stood at the edge of the bed and swung around one of the bedposts.
"Sew a dress!" Ella sang as she threw a blue and yellow dress at Snow, hitting the princess in the face and knocking her onto the bed in a fit of giggles.
"And we'll reread the books," Snow sang as she quickly picked the books up off her bed and tossed them to Ella.
"If we've got time to spare," Ella replied as she nimble caught the books one at a time, making a stack in her hands before placing them on a nearby table as Snow slipped out of her nightgown.
"Maybe we'll paint some more," Snow suggested as she rolled out of bed and slipped the dress on, turning her back to Ella as she did.
"I'm sure there's room somewhere," Ella added as she laced up Snow's dress and picked a hairbrush up off a nearby table.
"And then we'll brush and brush my hair," Snow sang as Ella began combing her hair, "Stuck in the same place we've always been."
"And we'll keep wonderin'" Ella sang as she set the hair brush aside.
"And wonderin'" Snow replied as she walked over to a seat near the room's window.
"And wonderin'" Ella added as she picked up the pile of books and carried them over to Snow before sitting down in a chair across from her.
"And wonderin'" the two sung in harmony, "When will our lives begin?"
As the two finished their song, they smiled at each other as they settled into their seats.
"You always know how to get me out of bed in the morning," Snow observed as she picked one of the sweet rolls out of the basket.
"It's a good thing too, otherwise I think you'd spend your whole life in there," Ella replied dryly as she picked up a roll as well.
"Well, my dreams are far more interesting that my dull existence here," Snow stated as she bit into the sweet roll.
"How can you say that?" Ella admonished, "You're a princess! Girls all over the world dream of being someone like you!"
"Well, I'm sure those dreams don't involve endless lessons in etiquette and history, or having to take part in boring meetings with foreign diplomats," Snow replied with a snort, "It's not exactly all it's cracked up to be."
"Those are pretty minor problems compared to the things other girls have to deal with," Ella pointed out, "I know I for one would love the chance to dress in fancy clothes, be waited on hand and foot and ultimately marry some handsome prince."
"They usually have warts," Snow replied as she finished her sweet roll and took a swig of tea before meeting Ella's gaze again, only to find her friend looking at her with narrowed eyes.
"Alright, fine," Snow relented, "Maybe I have it better than most people."
"I think that's putting it lightly," Ella replied with a small smile as she took a bite out of sweet roll she was holding, "So, what shall we do today?"
"How about we go into the city?" Snow questioned, her face breaking out in a smile as she spoke the words. Ella almost choked on the piece of sweet roll she had been eating as she heard the words.
"Th-the city?" Ella sputtered after managing to clear her windpipe, "Snow, you know that the queen has forbidden you from-"
"Since when have I ever cared about what my stepmother says?" Snow questioned with a sigh as she rolled her eyes.
"Going into the city is dangerous," Ella pressed, "Lady Tamora would not be pleased."
"Tammy is never pleased unless I stay locked up in the castle all day," Snow replied.
"What I mean is that I hardly think she'll let us go," Ella elaborated.
"Well then, I suppose we just won't tell her then," Snow stated with a shrug.
"What!?" Ella responded with a harsh whisper, "We can't do that! If Lady Tamora finds out, she'll….she'lll…."
"What?" Snow interrupted with a chuckle, "Kill me?"
"No," Ella replied before glancing around as if she was worried Tamora might appear at any moment, "But she might kill me."
"Please, Ella, I would never let any harm come to you," Snow said as she reached out and placed her hand on the other girl's, "You're my dearest friend, after all."
"Now, you're trying to butter me up!" Ella accused, pointing at Snow with her free hand, "Well, I can see through your honeyed words, princess, and I still keenly remember what happened last time we did this."
"Please, Ella," Snow pleaded, leaning far enough across the table that she was resting her torso against it while grabbing the sleeves of Ella's dress with both hands, "I'm going mad in here and I can't do this without you."
Ella looked down at Snow with an expression that showed she had seen this particular act a thousand times before. However, after a moment, Ella let out a defeated sigh and rolled her eyes.
"Very well," Ella relented, causing Snow to let out a squeal of delight as she rose from her chair, circled the table and threw her arms around the other girl in an embrace, an act that caused a smile to break out on the blonde's face, "But you must promise that we'll be careful."
"Of course, Ella, of course," Snow said with a chuckle as she pulled away from the girl, "I knew your spirit was just as adventurous as mine, but I promise there won't be any trouble for either of us."
Meanwhile,
At the top of the castle's tallest tower there was a dark room, illuminated only by a dim fire dancing in the room's small fireplace, its red glow casting dancing shadows on the rounded, stone walls. The only other ornamentation in the room was a large, silvered mirror held in a round frame made of vines sculpted from gold and silver.
The mirror however, did not reflect the image of the room before it. Instead, it showed the image of Snow and Ella sitting at the table in the princess's room, their conversation emanating from the mirror at a faint, echoing volume.
Two figures stood in front of the mirror, their features largely hidden in shadow. Both were women dressed in long, flowing dresses. One was a middle-aged woman with bright, red hair that she wore pinned to the top of her head. The other woman appeared a decade or so younger, with golden blond hair that was elaborately braided and cascaded down to the small of her back. She stood slightly taller than the older woman and a bejeweled, golden crown sat upon her head. The younger woman held up a hand, causing the image on the mirror to freeze in place.
"If you ask me," the older woman said with a cultured voice, "That girl is nothing but trouble."
"I don't recall asking you," the younger woman replied with a cold voice, causing the older woman to glance over at her nervously.
"My apologies, Your Majesty," the older woman quickly said.
"No need, Lady Tremaine," the younger woman replied, "Besides, this is exactly the kind of trouble I want Snow getting into."
"What do you mean?" Lady Tremaine questioned, "I thought you had forbidden her from leaving the castle?"
"She would hardly do it if I let her," the younger woman answered, "Now, tell me, how did those men you hired for that errand I requested fare?"
"They were last seen five days ago," Lady Tremaine answered, nervously playing with the golden chain that hung around her neck, "Scouts have told me that their screams stopped just the other day."
"Then it would seem this is a task for more than simple mercenaries," the younger woman stated, "And I believe, with a little help, Snow might be able to find a better solution for us."
"How so?" Lady Tremaine inquired.
In response, the younger woman reached out and touched the mirror with one finger.
"Mirror, mirror, before my hand," she intoned, "Show me the greatest thieves in all the land."
As the younger woman spoke, the image in the mirror suddenly dissolved away into a cloud of purple smoke contained within the mirror. After a moment, the cloud dissipated and the image changed to that of a city alleyway, where three figures stood.
A/N: So, yeah, another story. I'm not going to deny that I probably have more ideas than I have time to write them, but if I let them sit in my head, that would be a waste, wouldn't it? So, I give you this. Hope you guys like this starting chapter and where it leads from here! As always, feedback and critiques are always welcome, so please review! Later!