In which Olive does some thinking (for a change) and Mandy does a small amount of big magic

Olive Enchanted

Olive watched as her sister Hattie berated Ella for missing a spot on the carpet in the entrance hall of their splendid home. Olive squinted her eyes but she still couldn't see the dirt that was Hattie claimed was smeared all over the rug. Pulling out a small bag of sweets, Olive sat on the grand staircase and began stuffing her mouth while watching Ella and her sister argue.

************************

"Do it again Ella." Hattie ordered with a malicious gleam in her eyes.

Obedient as always, Ella ran the brush over the red and gold rug once and smirked. Hers was a dangerous game but it was play or pay with her sanity.

"Again." commanded Hattie for the seventh time losing her patience. She tapped one silk slippered toe beneath Ella's nose as she again swiped sullenly at the invisible spot of dirt.

"Uugh! You putrid child." Hattie screeched as a bit of soapy water splashed on her silk shoe. Putrid had been in the book her mother had made her read, she always had to read at least one book a month. "For that you will just have to clean up this mess!" She punctuated her words my kicking over the bucket of dirty water, sending a dark spreading stain across the floor and further soaking her shoes.

As if the mess she had made of her shoes had been Ella's fault, she grabbed her stepsister by the hair and pulled her up. "Look what you caused! You will do as I say forever Ella and there is nothing you can do about it so stop playing these stupid games! Now get to work!" She stormed up the stairs, her long full skirts brushing the side of Olive's head as she passed.

Seeing that Hattie was finished, Olive walked over to Ella and gathered her skirts up so she could crouch down. "Talk to me!" she ordered quietly, her piggy eyes fixed on Ella's face.

*************************

Olive listened to Ella tell the story of the twelve dancing princesses, but only half of her attention was on her stepsisters words. The other half of her attention was being spent in thought. Not a usual pastime for Olive to be sure.

Olive was wondering, not for the first time, what made Ella obey them all so faithfully when it was obvious to even the densest people that she would have don't anything to run away. Was it that she was afraid to be alone? Olive was very afraid of being alone, she was afraid of a great deal of things.

Or was it because of that cook Mandy? Did she only stay because of her? Olive liked Mandy a lot; well at least she liked her cooking. She especially liked her sweets.

Remembering the bag of sweets in her hand, Olive pulled some out and stuffed them into her mouth. A thought struck her and she chewed frantically so she could swallow quicker. She would just ask Ella why she obeyed her!

************************

Mandy walked into the entrance hall and saw Olive crouching next to Ella. Bustling over to them she heard the younger girl order Ella to tell her why she was obedient. The fairy cook looked around as Ella's face went as white as paper and pulled out her wand. Aiming at Olive, Mandy performed a charm to make her forget her wonderings and another to make sure she would never ask again.

Ella looked gratefully at Mandy and went back to her work, leaving the fairy to worry about big magic...

Olive sat in her room staring out the window. Ever since that day four weeks ago, the day that Ella had been scrubbing the perfectly clean floors in the entrance hall, a strange tickling feeling in her brain had aggravated her to no end. It had started as a small bothersome sensation and now it was like a fire was burning through her. She couldn't stop asking questions.

She wanted to know everything; wanted to learn as much as she could. Never before had she felt this way, always her concerns had been money and food, balls, parties, and marriages. Now she wondered about why? And what for? And howcome?

No one seemed to notice this change, her sister Hattie was too absorbed in herself; Olive had also realized of late that her sister wasn't a very nice person and couldn't care less what happened to anyone but herself. Her mother, Dame Olga, was too busy flitting from party to party and pining after her husband Sir Peter. In addition, Ella was too bust in the kitchen with that cook Mandy.

Olive was spending most of her time in her rooms, or in the farthest corners of the manor's library. She was reading better now, her eyes didn't strain as much and she no longer stumbled over the words. Always now, she kept a small dictionary in her pocket for when she came across a new word and these new words excited her. She didn't realize it, but she was learning, and even more, she was enjoying the learning.

Today she was walking through the King's menagerie, looking at the exotic animals and brightly colored birds. Every few moments she had to stop and ask someone what kind of animal she was looking at and where it came from.

Simon, the man who kept the birds, was always eager to help. "That's a cockatiel, pretty isn't she?" He said as she stopped to admire the lovely bird.

"Yes, I read about them in a book!" She said, "Thank you for being so patient with me Simon, I never knew so much about birds until you helped me." Olive pulled a small book from her bag and handed it to the man. "Here is the book you loaned me yesterday, it was very interesting."

"Finished already?" He asked smiling.

"Uh-huh, I couldn't put it down." Olive looked up as she heard the clock tower ring the noon hour. "Excuse me Simon, I must get home. Mother will be furious if I'm late!"

Olive ran at top speed down the road, hurrying home for lunch. With all of her wandering's and hours spent studying instead of her usual pastime of eating everything in sight, Olive had started losing weight. Not much, but enough to give her more energy and the strength to run.

****

Mandy watched from the window in the kitchens as Olive raced inside and heard her footsteps as she ran up the stairs. At first, she had fretted over what she had done. She had sworn off big magic, but she couldn't bear for anyone to find out her goddaughter's secret. All big magic has consequences she reminded herself.

It seemed though that this particular big magic had done more good than she had intended. For weeks, she had wondered where young Olive was sneaking off to, and was surprised to find her in the library absorbed in a book.

The energy she has gained along with her newfound want of knowledge has done her complexion good, Mandy reflected as Olive walked past the door towards the dining room in one of her finer gowns. Her hair had lost its dull cast and was fuller, her face was flushed and her eyes sparkled. Hattie will hate it when she notices, Mandy thought with a shake of her head. She was lucky that the magic hadn't gone the other way; Olive could have gotten even more stupid.

Hattie looked up from her place at the long elegant table set before her and her family. Her eyes widened as she Olive walk into the dining room and sit down, smiling happily as she brushed a long strand of windblown hair from her forehead. Hattie forced a stiff smile that was more a baring of teeth than a gesture of affection. "You look ill sister. Your face is so flushed and you seem somewhat giddy. Are you feeling alright?" She reached up a hand and patted her well-dressed wig. She had meant the words as a not so veiled insult but as usual, it soared over her dim-witted sibling's head.

"Why would you think I am ill Hattie? I have been running." Absently, Olive spread her napkin over her lap. She looked past her sister at a tapestry hung on the wall behind her. She ate swiftly, but out of hunger, taking care not to make herself sick. She had done that before she remembered, but she had no idea now why anyone would want to do something like that. It seemed to her, as she sipped from her goblet and ignored her mother and sister who was talking about a succession of balls to be held at the palace, that her former existence was more of something she had read in a book than something she had experienced.

Hattie watched Olive, mistaking her vacant look for stupidity. Hattie was clever, in her own way. She had had no trouble learning her lessons at Madame Edith's but she was more adept at causing trouble herself than recognizing it anywhere else. She raised her voice slightly bragging about the lavender and blue dress she had selected for the ball tomorrow night. Olive didn't seem to care or notice as she politely but vaguely excused herself from the table. The older girl fumed as she glared at Olive's retreating back. How dare she ignore me? She is no better than Ella. That decided, Hattie thought condescendingly that she should move into the servant's wing with her stepsister. She said nothing of the sort to her mother though, and continued to describe how Ella would be adding seed pearls to the lace cuffs of her gown.

Olive walked back towards the library, deep in thought about something her sister had mentioned. Three balls were being held, beginning tomorrow, in honor of the prince. She was so deep in thought that she found herself passing the library and entering the servants' wing...

Ok please tell me what you think so far. Do you think I should continue, or is it to outrageous?