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(alternate ending, starting from the end of chapter 2... Ella's POV)
"Oh Mandy! I'm so nervous. What if I can't get close enough to him? What if I don't even get to see him?" I said to the old fairy, carefully pulling on the ragged black dress, but making sure I was clean. I didn't want him to see me look well off, it might convince him that the letter was true.
"Then you don't see him. You don't have to, do you? The prince isn't expecting you nor will you be welcome there." Mandy replied through pursed lips. She had been trying her best to talk me out of my plan since I read Hattie's letter, over a week ago. I chose to ignore her words and put my hair up in rather ugly bun. I had taken a nice shower in our hut, similar to the one before those fateful balls. I checked the clock on the wooden wall opposite me and realized that the funeral would start in a half an hour. It wasn't far from where we lived, a ten minute walk but i wanted to get there early so we could get good seats.
"Mandy, lets go now." I said anxiously, picking up a shawl and covering myself. I didn't want to look too pitiful so holding the mirror up to my face, i let m,y hair down and ran a comb through it.
"Go, I'll join later." She said shortly. It was strange how much impact those four words had on me. Immediately, I got up off the couch and walked out of the house as fast as my legs would carry me.
Withing ten minutes, I arrived at the palace grounds. I entered the grounds and saw there were about twenty minutes left until the start of the ceremony. Two men wearing black suits bowed me in at the gates. I walked about twenty feet and in front of me lay a mass of white chairs, at least ten thousand. I wondered if the whole of Kyrria was coming. Fortunately, about one tenth of the seats were occupied so I sat as far up front as I could. Tons of people were arriving now and I was glad I had started early. I looked forward and saw a table with the High Chancelor Thomas, Char, King Gerald and Queen Daria, Cecilia, her husband, and other ministers and members of the royal family. In front of the table was a solid gold coffin, Char was staring at it. Chancellor Thomas stood up and addressed the guests, many of whom were asleep. His speech was exactly the same as during mother's funeral, except he substituted 'Princess Miranda' for 'Lady Eleanor'.
I just realized that everybody was going to walk by the coffin and put flowers on it like they did at mother's. Oh no, where am I going to find a flower? I looked desperately around me and made eye contact with Mandy. She was sitting about ten rows behind me and i traced a flower in the air with my index finger. She picked one up off her lap and looked at me questioningly. I mouthed 'Yes, I don't have one, can you make one?'. At first I didn't think she understood me but then she gave me an all too familiar scowl. I pouted my lips and watched her gesture that it wasn't small magic. In return, I said, 'its not big magic either'. Five years living with Mandy taught me the difference between big magic and small magic by her standards. She scowled even harder but then mouth something i didn't understand. I looked at her, puzzled and she pointed underneath her chair. I looked down and saw three beatiful white carnations, picked them up, thanked her and turned around again.
Just in time, too. Char was standing by the coffin, one hand on top and looking down at his late wife. Then he shut it down, i noticed his face hardening. He stood in between the table and the coffin and stared at the audience with a far off look. People started getting up and walking towards it, heads bowed and placing flowers on top. This was probably my only chance.
It didn't look like I would have a chance to talk to him so I pulled Plan B out of my pocket and joined the line. Many people walked towards the coffin, placed the flowers on top, either said something to Char or blessed it. A tall man approached the golden casket, placed flowers and said something to Char who smiled politely. He turned his head towards the line before walking away and I realized with a jolt that it was father! He didn't recognize me of course but that was only the thrid time I'd seen him since that night...
With a jolt I realized that I was next in line. As the fat man in front of me began talking to Char, I pinched my cheeks, licked my lips, and tried my hardest to look tired. My heart was pounding so hard I thought it would jump right out and smack Char in the face. The image of this happening flashed through my mind and I couldn't keep my face straight. Oh, god, the man just left. I bowed my head and walked straight up and faced him.
I suddenly felt lost for words. What do I do now? Should I say something? I still had my head bowed but through my hair, I could see the puzzled expression on Char's face. I had been waiting for the day I'd see Char again for years, now that it happens, I'm lost for words. Oh, Ella, he's staring at you, do something! I placed the three carnations on the golden casket, slowly and carefully, as though they were explosives. Then I looked up into the eyes of my beloved.
"I'm so sorry" I whispered after a few seconds of looking at him and I couldn't hold back the tears, making me look like a pitiful slave. I looked at him for a reaction but all I saw was a stunned and confused man. I straightened up a bit, looked him in the eye and handed him a small scroll.
"Please forgive me." I whispered again and turned to walk away. I felt his eyes on me as I walked back up the aisle towards the gates where Mandy was standing. She had somehow made it to the casket before me and had waited for me.
"How did it go, love?" she asked gently.
"I gave him the letter." I replied through tears. She put her arms around me and we walked back up to our house.
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That night I sat by the fire with my supper while Mandy told me of her day. I wasn't really listening, and I'm sure she knew it but it was comforting having her talk. It was six o' clock and I woondered where Char was right now. Did he read my letter yet? I had an image of him picking me up in his arms and asking me to marry to him. I shook myself out of that, I couldn't marry him, no matter what. Then why was I even trying to explain anything to him?
"Mandy, do you think Lucinda would take the curse off me as a kind of apology for what she's done to me..?" I asked her hopelessly. She gave me one of her stern looks.
"You know she won't. And I don't want you bullying her into doing it. Let her learn a lesson."
"She's already learned a lesson! Remember the squirrel? Why can't she just take the spell of of me? It wouldn't do any harm!"
"We've talked about this before, love. You'll just have to wait until you manage to break the spell." she stood up and folded the gown she had just sewn for one of her customers and walked to her room.
I stopped picking at the leftovers of my dinner and finally threw it away. I picked up the magic book to see if it would tell me anything about Char. The first page showed father getting into his carriage and kissing Dame Olga and Hattie good bye. Olive had married two years ago to an idiot who saw something in her. I didn't attend the wedding, I'd had enough of my stepfamily to last me a lifetime. Hattie never married, though she had gotten a few suitors, she was probably waiting for Char. I flipped to the next page which showed people dropping even more flowers on Princess Miranda's elaborate tombstone. I changed the page again and saw Char sitting by the fire, opening my scroll. It was a green scroll with silver words on it. The picture of Char zoomed up to the letter, my own untidy handwriting, even messier in the hastily scrawled letter. It said:
Char, I still love you. I have some confessions to make. Please meet me at the Magical Menagerie tomorrow at noon.
Love, Ella
The book zoomed out and focused on to Char. He was staring into the fire and I saw his hands crumpling up the scroll. He got up suddenly and walked out of the room. I wanted to see more of him but when I looked through the book, it fell on a story about an elvish king and his rebellious daughter. I read the story and two others until the fire went out and I fell asleep.
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there ya have it, thats all for today. ff.net has been giving me a lot of trouble lately, the site won't work but i'll have chapter 5 up in a few days or a week or something like that, hope your happy, all you flamers
review!!!