At work, Henry and I had come to a sort of unspoken understanding between the two of us. We didn't talk about the conversation we'd had the day he'd made me cry, but ever since then we had grown more comfortable around each other. We weren't really friends, but he no longer scowled or muttered irritably when I was around and I no longer got the impression that he secretly wanted me to leave and never come back. He was still bossy and arrogant, but when he ordered me around or got exasperated when I made a mistake, there was a lightness in his tone that hadn't been there before and something in his eyes that told me he wasn't really upset. My entire experience working at his shop had become much more pleasant, which was certainly a nice change.

One afternoon, on a Monday in late December, I was helping a customer locate a book when the bell above the door tinkled and a blast of cold air filled the shop. I looked up. Three elderly ladies walked in, pulling off their gloves and brushing the snow off of their coats, looking relieved to be out of the cold and in the presence of the warm, crackling fire in the fireplace. Henry, who was standing at the counter, smiled at them.

"Hello, ladies," he said. "Is there anything I can help you with this morning?"

"Henry, dear," one of the ladies said, approaching the counter and smiling up at him, "how lovely it is to see you again."

"It's lovely to see you again too, Mrs. Nelson," Henry said. "How's your grandson? Has he finished school?"

The woman nodded. "Oh, yes, Jack finished school this past year. He's doing wonderfully. He's going to be a lawyer, you know. Smart, smart boy. Just like his father."

Her two friends nodded their heads in agreement behind her, smiling enthusiastically, as if there was nothing in the world they enjoyed talking about more than the intelligence of Mrs. Nelson's grandson.

Henry nodded. "I'm glad to hear he's doing so well."

I finally found the book I'd been looking for and handed it over to the man who had been looking for it. He smiled at me gratefully and wandered away to continue browsing. I made my way over to the counter where Henry and the three ladies were still chatting to see if he had anything he needed me to do before I left for the day.

"You know, Henry," Mrs. Nelson was saying, "I haven't seen you in church recently. That lovely sister of yours is there every week. And so is your fiancée. But you always seem to be missing on Sunday mornings. Why is that? I know your shop isn't open on the Sabbath."

Henry's eyes darted from side to side. He looked a bit like a child who had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. "Err…" he stammered. "Well, you see…" Suddenly, as if only now noticing my presence at the counter, he grabbed my arm and pulled me in close, his arm snaking around my waist as he hugged me to his side. "Have you ladies met Ella?" he asked, in an obviously desperate attempt to change the subject.

One of the women squinted at me, fumbling around in her purse for a pair of eyeglasses which she promptly put on before continuing to appraise me. "Aren't you the princess?" she finally asked.

I nodded, trying to ignore the twinge of disappointment I felt when Henry dropped his arm and took a step away from me.

"That's right," Mrs. Nelson said. "I remember hearing about that. You hired the princess to work in your shop." She tilted her head, looking me up and down. "How strange," she murmured. "How very strange indeed."

"I suppose," I mumbled.

"So why'd you do it?" the third women piped up. "Princesses don't usually have jobs."

They were a nosy bunch, these women. Not that it came as any surprise. In my experience, there were no bigger gossips than elderly, church-going women.

"Well," I said, "I guess I just wanted a reason to get out of the castle every now and then. It can get boring sometimes. It's magnificent, but sometimes a person needs a change of scenery."

"But why here?" Mrs. Nelson asked.

I shrugged. "I suppose it's because I already knew Henry. We were friends when we were growing up. He lived next door to me until we were nine years old."

"I knew Henry when he was a boy too," Mrs. Nelson said. "Of course," she added, "that was when he used to bother to show up to Mass."

Beside me, Henry smiled tightly.

"He was so adorable," she continued, "and always better dressed than most of the grown men there. Of course," she said, eyeing at the elbow patches on his jacket, "that was back when his family had money."

I glanced over at Henry. His tight-lipped smile had become a full-on grimace. If there was one thing that seemed to upset Henry Toulson more than anything else, I think that one thing would have to be the reminder of just how far his family had fallen down the rungs of the social ladder. Son of a nobleman turned common shop owner. It was quite scandalous.

"Once," she went on, "he stood up in the middle of the priest's sermon and loudly corrected him in front of the entire congregation. He must have only been five or six then."

"Oh god," Henry muttered, shaking his head.

"Don't take the Lord's name in vain, dear," Mrs. Nelson said sharply. "He's always watching. He sees and hears all, you know."

"You know, Mrs. Nelson," he said, "with all due respect, I don't think I believe that."

All three ladies gasped in horror.

"Whatever do you mean, Henry?" Mrs. Nelson asked, her eyes wide.

"I don't believe in God," he replied flatly. "Or in any higher power actually."

One woman let out a gasp, clutching her heart. The other looked up toward the ceiling, muttering what sounded like the Hail Mary under her breath as she did the sign of the cross. Mrs. Nelson just froze, as if the idea that someone might not believe in the divine power of Jesus Christ was too much to even comprehend.

"Well," she said, finally pulling herself together. "I only hope that you are able to seek salvation before it's too late." She squared her shoulders and turned to look at me. "I hope you don't share this man's beliefs, Your Highness. It'll be very sad day for this kingdom when our royal family turns away from the Lord."

"O-oh," I stammered. "No…no…The prince and I always attend Mass. Every Sunday there's a service in the castle's chapel."

"I'm glad to hear it," she said. "Have a good afternoon, you two."

And with that, the three women turned and left, the door slamming shut behind them.

"Well," I said after a moment. "I think you probably just lost three customers. Just hope they don't convince everyone else in their church's congregation to never come in here again."

"Do you think I'm a heathen who's going to burn in hell for all of eternity, Ella?" he asked, turning to look at me, his green eyes twinkling.

"Of course," I responded. "But I've always thought that."

He chuckled. "Those women looked ready to skin me alive."

"I'd sleep with one eye open tonight," I said, only half kidding.

"Yeah," he murmured, his eyes locking with mine. For a moment we just stood there, looking at each other. He was really so beautiful, I realized. The way his sandy blonde hair around his ears. The way his gaze was so intent, so thoughtful, as if he could see straight into my soul. The way his jaw clenched in concentration, as if he was studying me just as keenly as I was studying him.

Someone cleared his throat. The two of us quickly looked away from each other, as if we had just been caught doing something we shouldn't have been. I felt my face heating up as I looked up to see the man I had been helping earlier was standing in front of the counter, clutching a pile of books.

"If you two lovebirds could spare of minute," he said, "I'd like to purchase these books. You can go back to staring lovingly into each other's eyes as soon as I'm gone."

I snorted loudly. "We are not lovebirds! I'm afraid you're mistaken, sir."

"Quite mistaken," Henry agreed.

"We don't even like each other that much," I added. "He's a bit of a jerk really. You know he once called me useless. Tell me, what kind of a man says something like that to a girl? Not a very respectable one, I should say."

"I have a fiancée," Henry said. "Ella and I are just…" He paused, clearly unsure about what exactly the two of us were to each other. "She's just Ella," he finished.

"And I have a husband," I said. "Who's clearly better looking and a nicer person than Henry here."

This time it was Henry who snorted. "Oh, yeah, your husband's a really nice man. Really knows how to treat a woman, he does."

I glared at him.

He glared back.

The man just stared at us. "Okay," he said after a moment. "There's clearly some tension between the two of you that needs to be worked out. Good luck with that." He threw some money down on the counter. "Keep the change."

After he had left, I turned to Henry. Our eyes met and we burst out laughing.

"What the hell was that?" he gasped, as he tried to catch his breath.

"I don't know!" I replied. "But I think that's another customer that'll probably never come back!"

"Four less than an hour," he said. "Probably a record!"

I leaned up against the counter, clutching my side. "This is nice," I said, after I had managed to collect myself .

"What is?" he asked. "Scaring away customers?"

"No," I replied. "Us getting along."

"Oh," he said. "Yeah. It is."

For a moment I was tempted to ask him why he had been so mean to me, why he had treated me that way he had for months and months. But then I decided against it. There was no need to ruin the moment. We were finally getting along. Maybe we could even become friends again. I doubted things could ever return to the way they had been. We were two different people now. Adults who had lived separate lives for quite some time. Only a fool would believe you could repeat the past and I liked to believe that I was no fool. But even if we could never be as close as we had once been, I was glad to have Henry Toulson in my life again.

"I have to go," I said. "One of my ladies-in-waiting is moving away. I have to say goodbye to her."

"Duty calls," he said, nodding.

"It's not really a duty," I replied. "She's one of my best friends. I'm saying goodbye because I'm going to miss her terribly."

"Well," he said, "that I can understand. It's always difficult to say goodbye to a best friend."

"Yes, it is," I agreed. "But if a person is truly meant to be in your life, then eventually you'll find your way back to them." I paused. "At least that's what I think."

He cleared his throat, running his hand through his hair. "We won't be seeing each other until after Christmas, so I'll guess I should wish you a merry Christmas now." He smiled. "Merry Christmas, Ella."

"Merry Christmas, Henry," I said. "And Happy New Year."

"That's right," he said. "You won't be back until January. I forgot."

It might have been my imagination, but I thought I saw a flicker of sadness on his face when he said that. But just as fast as it had appeared it was gone and I figured that I was probably just seeing things.

As I was about to open the door, I paused and turned back around. "You know," I said, "I really do believe that's there's something out there, some power that's bigger than all of us. In fact, I'm absolutely certain."

"How can you be certain?" he asked.

"Because," I replied, "I have a fairy godmother."

And with that, I pulled open the door and stepped into the cold December air, leaving behind a very stunned, very confused Henry Toulson.

"I have good news, Ella," Edmund told me at dinner that night.

"What?" I asked eagerly, my mouth full of food. "What's the news?" Little of bits of chewed chicken went flying out of my mouth as I leaned forward in anticipation. I was in desperate need of some good news right about then. When Anna and I had said our goodbyes to Sarah only a few hours earlier and watched as she got into that carriage and rode away to greet her future, I had felt an overwhelming heaviness in my heart. I would miss her. I would miss her wide-eyed innocence and her unbridled enthusiasm. I would miss the way she would pour through romance novel after romance novel and excitedly describe their dull plots as if every one of them was the next Romeo and Juliet. I would miss sitting on my stool, daydreaming or gossiping, as she brushed my hair. I hoped that wherever life took her, she never lost the optimism and faith that made me love her. I hoped that Theodore treated her well. I hoped that he didn't kill her spirit, but loved her in a way that her spirit was able to grow, to flourish into an even more beautiful human being than she already was. I wished her every happiness in the world.

Edmund's face twisted up in disgust, bringing me back to the present. "Ella," he said, "how many times do I have to remind you? You are a lady. And most importantly, you are a princess. So do try and behave like one, my dear. What if we had guests right now and you behaved like that? What then?"

"We don't have guests," I said, gesturing at the nearly empty table. "The only other people in here are servants. And I don't think they're going to say anything."

"Yes, I am well aware that we don't have guests," he said, sounding exasperated. "But we could, Ella. And if you continue to let these bad habits slip through when it's just the two of us, it's bound to happen when we have guests eventually."

"I know. I know. I'm sorry," I said. "Now can we get back to the good news?"

"Oh, yes," he said. "I almost forgot." He paused, a sly smile spreading across his face. "You know how you despise the cold?"

"Yes," I said slowly, wondering where he was going with this.

"Well," he said, "I have decided that we're going to be spending Christmas somewhere much warmer."

My eyes widened. "Where?" I asked excitedly.

"Our family owns a castle on a small island in the Mediterranean," he said. "The weather won't be hot, but it should feel like spring at the very least."

"Edmund!" I exclaimed, grinning widely. "That's so wonderful!"

"The court will be accompanying us," he said. "So you can bring all your ladies-in-waiting."

I stood up and practically skipped to his side, throwing my arms around his neck and kissing him on the forehead. "You're the best," I whispered in his ear.

"I know I am," he murmured.

I giggled, playfully smacking his arm. "Humble too, might I add."

"I'm a prince," he said, lounging back lazily in his chair and pulling me into his lap. "I'm not supposed to be humble."

I just smiled, shaking my head.

"I love you," he said, pressing his forehead against mine and kissing my nose.

It wasn't until I heard the words come out of his mouth that I realized I couldn't even remember the last time I had heard him say them. I opened my mouth to tell him that I loved him back, but the words got stuck in my throat and the image of him kissing Rosa on my birthday flashed through my mind. So I leaned forward, capturing his lips in mine and kissing him with as much fervor as I could muster, hoping that he wouldn't notice my inability to proclaim my love for him.

He groaned slightly, his hand cupping my cheek as he kissed me back. I pressed myself closer to him, sucking on his bottom lip as his hand moved to the back of my neck, his fingers snaking through my hair. I wondered what he was thinking about, as we sat there in the dining room, kissing in front of the servants, our food growing cold on our plates. Was I the only one on his mind? Or was he thinking about the others?

I pulled away, breathing heavily. "We should go upstairs."

He nodded, his brown eyes filled with lust as he gazed at me. "Upstairs sounds good."

Two days later, the day before the entire court and most of the servants packed up and left for an island in the Mediterranean, Sarah's replacement arrived.

Her name was Jane and she was the granddaughter of some important member of the government, an advisor to the king. She had spent most of her years living in a small castle out in the country with her parents, but her father had decided that because she was now sixteen, it would be a good idea for her to become accustomed to life at court. She looked a bit like Sarah, which had been a little disconcerting at first. She had the same blonde hair and round face. But there was something about her, something in her eyes perhaps or in the way she carried herself, that made her different. She seemed older than Sarah somehow (though she was actually the same age), more experienced and perhaps less inclined to see the best in everyone.

I greeted her graciously upon her arrival and she was polite enough. But as the day went on, I found myself more and more inclined to think that there was something about her that I did not like. I wasn't even sure what it was. She hadn't done anything wrong. When I had taken her on a tour of the castle, she had listened intently and asked questions at the appropriate time. The whole place was in an uproar due to tomorrow's trip. Everywhere we went, servants were flitting about, muttering to themselves as they slipped in and out of rooms, carrying mops and feather dusters and pails of water, followed closely by higher-ranking servants who carried clipboards and barked orders loudly. However, despite the chaos, Jane handled everything with the grace of a lady, staying out of everyone's way and causing no trouble. And yet I just couldn't shake the feeling. There was just something about her.

Later that evening, I confided this thought to Anna. "Why do you think that is?" I asked.

She set aside the scarf she was knitting and folded her arms across her chest. "You really want to know what I think?" she asked.

I nodded. "Yes, of course."

"Okay," she said, leaning forward a bit in her seat, "I think that the problem is that you want her to be Sarah. But the thing is, she's not. Anyone could see it. She's different. More aware of herself, of her surroundings. She's not your best friend. And she's not here to be your best friend either. In fact, if I'm not mistaken, she has absolutely no interest in being your friend at all."

"Bu that's her job," I protested. "Above all else, a lady-in-waiting his supposed to be offer companionship to the woman she serves."

"Well, of course she's going to be your companion," Anna replied, rolling her eyes. "She'll talk to you and play games with you and brush your hair and do whatever you want. But I doubt she has any interest in developing an actual friendship with you, not like the one you had with Sarah or the one you have with me. No, if the rumor mill is to be believed, she's here for one reason and one reason only."

"And what reason is that?" I asked.

"To find herself a husband of course," Anna replied. "She's from the country. She grew up in the middle of nowhere. There was no one out there, no one except the farmers that leased the land from her father. So she came here, to be in the middle of everything, to live amongst the most respected gentleman in the kingdom,"

We both turned our heads, glancing across the room to where Jane sat by the fire, knitting with Elizabeth and Catherine.

"Yes," Anna said, nodding thoughtfully. "That's the only reason she's here."

This is random, but as I was writing this I was thinking about how Cinderella (the Disney version) was my favorite book/movie when I was a kid. My parents told me that I would make them read me the book like every night before I went to bed and I watched the movie all the time. They said that whenever the movie/book got to the part where the stepsisters tore up Cinderella's dress, I would get all excited and start giggling. Apparently that was my favorite part. I don't know what that says about me.

What was your favorite fairytale or Disney movie when you were growing up? Let me know in your review. Also, please continueto leave your predictions for upcoming chapters. I like reading what you guys think is going to happen.