Disclaimer: I do not own the concept of Fairytales. Nor do I own any ideas in the story that seem similar to "Ella Enchanted".
Accomplished vs. Accomplishments
"Boy, if you do not do what you are told I will marry you off to that girl over there." The General pointed towards a group of girls quietly sewing outside the Garden's Institute for Young Ladies. Well, three of them were sitting quietly. The fourth was doing handstands, blatantly ignoring the shocked stares and whispers that her peers were throwing at her.
Will smiled. He wondered what such a girl would say if she was told she would have to marry him.
A woman came out, saw the General and his son and smiled. She then turned to look with pride at her obedient charges…and fainted. The three girls on the rug watched in shock as their mistress crumpled to the ground, then glared with distaste as the other girl, who had gone onto doing cartwheels, began to giggle. She returned their glare with an innocent smile, then shrugged, hoisted up her skirts and ran over to assist the woman.
"Sage, what on Earth were you doing!"
"Handstands," she replied with a cheeky grin. The woman stood up, brushing sand and mud off her lurid green dress.
"General Mander, Captain Mander. Welcome."
"Please to meet you Mrs Garden. And who might…"
"Oh, I'm not Mrs Garden, Captain. I'm Ms Lionel," the woman stuttered. She always blushed when talking about the General, and always stuttered when talking to him. And the General never remembered her name. Sage smiled, she found it amusing.
"I beg your pardon Ms Lionel. And now that you've mentioned it I believe I've made that mistake before."
"That's quite alright."
"Still, I am extremely sorry."
Sage rolled her eyes. He always was.
"I...I presume you brought your son here to meet the girls...?" Ms Lionel's voice trailed off as she realised that the General was no longer listening. He was closely watching his son, who in turn was watching Sage. She was laughing. Silently, but you could see it in her face. But once she noticed Will, the laughter disappeared and her face closed.
"What?" she asked aggressively.
"Sage," the mistress nudged her. "Why don't you go bring the girls over here?" Sage rolled her eyes, before turning on her heel to do the mistress's bidding.
"Does the Captain like looking at the pretty girls?" she inquired scornfully over her shoulder.
"Sage!" exclaimed Ms Lionel in horror. But Sage was already marching towards the girls giggling upon the rug.
Ms Lionel turned back to the two gentleman, a smile on her mouth, but with a nervous, almost desperate look in her eyes. "She's our wild one. A complete failure to the academy I'm afraid. Oh well." She sighed. "Perhaps one day she'll change."
Will wondered what the academy didn't classify as a failure, if the only girl with a perceptible brain was thought to be one.
Sage returned with the gaggle, and proceeded to slink away quietly.
"Ah, girls, General Mander, Captain Mander, please meet Buttercup," a girl in a bright yellow dress, stiff with starch, bobbed. "Tulip," a girl dressed in violent purple tilted her head and began twirling her hair. "And Camilla." The three girls looked at their mistress in shock, mouths hanging wide. Sage rolled her eyes. "I mean, Camellia," Ms Lionel corrected herself. The last girl, clad in a flamingo pink gown, with waterfalls of lace on the cuffs and hem, giggled, blushed, and began to bat her eyelids with such an intensity that Will began to wonder if a fly had just become entangled in her eyelashes.
"And who is the last young lady, the mischief maker?" inquired the General good naturedly. "I know I've seen you before, but I don't believe I have ever learnt your name."
"Oh, this…" Ms Lionel proceeded to grope behind her for several seconds, until she caught hold of Sage's sleeve. "…is Sage."
Will looked the girl up and down. She was dressed in a moss green dress, devoid of ornaments or jewellery. She even had no petticoats. Her plain brown hair for the main part flowed down her back, with the odd tangled curl sticking out at an angel here or there. He smiled. She wore no makeup, yet her face shone with a defiance he could relate to. Her green eyes sparkled with an intense energy that made her entire figure look like it was moving, even when still.
"Curtsey to the gentlemen, dear," instructed Ms Lionel.
Sage's eyes flicked towards the grinning Will, and then returned to her teacher. "Why?" she asked, tilting her head to one side as though interested in the answer.
"Because it is the nice thing to do."
"And they are nice people, therefore deserve niceties?"
"Precisely," replied Ms Lionel, nodding her head in agreement as a wary look entered her dull grey eyes.
"Actually, niceties means details or particulars," interrupted Will. His father stepped on his foot, while disguising a wide smile behind his grey moustache.
"Fine then," Sage turned to look Will directly in the eye. "They deserve our civility?"
"Yes, dear. The General and his son are well known and respected in these parts."
Sage's gaze returned to Ms Lionel's face. "For what? Killing people?"
The three girls covered their faces in horror, as though she had just uttered the worst swearword ever invented. Ms Lionel swayed, and the General started forwards to catch her. However, she managed to retain her balance.
"Sage, apologise," she ordered.
Sage stuck out her chin mulishly. Will watched in fascination. He had never seen a girl as headstrong as her. Seeing her posed next to the "flower garden" they seemed to wilt into the hillside.
"Very well. If you will not apologise you shall go to your room." Sage remained exactly where she was. "Now," instructed Ms Lionel in a stern voice, but her face twitched as though expecting a hard blow. Sage remained a few seconds more, then turned on her heel and marched up the hill towards the brown brick building.
s s s
Several hours later Ms Lionel came to visit Sage in her room. Ms Lionel had informed Mrs Garden of Sage's inappropriate behaviour that day. Naturally, Mrs Garden had been shocked at Sage's behaviour, and the fact that it was displayed in front of the General and his son, who was a Captain, made the matter even worse. Mrs Garden had high hopes of marrying one of her pupils to the Captain. Such an arrangement would greatly increase the propriety of her institute. Sage's attitude could well ruin any hopes of such an occurrence.
It was because of this meeting that Ms Lionel was on her way to Sage's room, although it was well after the retiring bell. Mrs Garden had concocted the perfect punishment, and it was Ms Lionel's duty to deliver it.
A/N: This story may or may not be continued. I have the vaguest of vague ideas on what is going to happen. If you review, please be honest about what you think of it. I'd like to thank all the people who reviewed my first attempts. In a way, this story is going out because of you.