"Ella! Ella! Wake up, my dear!"
Ella was pulled from an uneasy sleep by a voice- Sir Bowen's voice. Uggh. How she hated that voice. She opened her eyes to see Bowen's narrow, mirthless face leering at her.
"Ah, you are so wonderful at following orders. I love that in a woman. Now, get up. We have some preparations to take care of."
Ella wanted nothing more than to punch him right then. However, she was supposedly still under the curse, so she had to play nice for the time being. She got up.
"Follow me."
Grimacing at his back, Ella followed. They walked down endless flights of stairs into a cavernous ballroom. It was decorated purely in white, with large picture windows positioned between huge pillars. In various corners, people were busily handling various items, from food to clothing to musical instruments.
Sir Bowen smiled his slithery smile. "Come. It's time to begin wedding preparations."
"Kummeck ims powd." Char greeted.
"Kummeck ims powd." Slannen returned.
Char had entered the second phase of his journey, and he had yet to find his "clues." He had to find Ella, but no one seemed to be able to help him. All he could do was follow zhatapH's instructions and pray they would not lead him astray.
The elves had already received word of Ella's kidnapping. They remembered her and were eager to help however they could. The chief trader, Slannen, since only he could speak Kyrrian, spoke for them all.
"Ella is truly a wonderful person. She brought us much joy during her short stay. She brought us much pleasure, sharing her fairy book with us. She was also very obviously determined to find someone at that wedding. That determination was inspirational to many of us. I hope you find her. You will find her, I'm certain. Ella, above all others could survive."
Char sighed. "I have no doubt about that. But do you have any clue as to where she might be? Any inkling at all?"
Slannen turned to the elves that had gathered around him as he talked with Char. He spoke swiftly in Elfian. Then he turned back to Char. "I apologize, your highness, but we do not. But please, when you find her, and we are certain that you will, come back for a visit. Perhaps we may be able to have a lighter conversation."
Char nodded. "Thank you, anyway. It's nice to know others, too, have faith in Ella." He mounted his horse and rode off. Two places down, and not a single clue to Ella. Where would he go next? Perhaps the giants' farms? Yes, that was the closest area to his current position. Char gently nudged his horse and they were off.
Then Char was hit in the head from behind. Char had only time to look up, see an ogre, and marvel at the irony that this was exactly what happened to his wife before he lost consciousness.
Ella was pulled from an uneasy sleep by a voice- Sir Bowen's voice. Uggh. How she hated that voice. She opened her eyes to see Bowen's narrow, mirthless face leering at her.
"Ah, you are so wonderful at following orders. I love that in a woman. Now, get up. We have some preparations to take care of."
Ella wanted nothing more than to punch him right then. However, she was supposedly still under the curse, so she had to play nice for the time being. She got up.
"Follow me."
Grimacing at his back, Ella followed. They walked down endless flights of stairs into a cavernous ballroom. It was decorated purely in white, with large picture windows positioned between huge pillars. In various corners, people were busily handling various items, from food to clothing to musical instruments.
Sir Bowen smiled his slithery smile. "Come. It's time to begin wedding preparations."
"Kummeck ims powd." Char greeted.
"Kummeck ims powd." Slannen returned.
Char had entered the second phase of his journey, and he had yet to find his "clues." He had to find Ella, but no one seemed to be able to help him. All he could do was follow zhatapH's instructions and pray they would not lead him astray.
The elves had already received word of Ella's kidnapping. They remembered her and were eager to help however they could. The chief trader, Slannen, since only he could speak Kyrrian, spoke for them all.
"Ella is truly a wonderful person. She brought us much joy during her short stay. She brought us much pleasure, sharing her fairy book with us. She was also very obviously determined to find someone at that wedding. That determination was inspirational to many of us. I hope you find her. You will find her, I'm certain. Ella, above all others could survive."
Char sighed. "I have no doubt about that. But do you have any clue as to where she might be? Any inkling at all?"
Slannen turned to the elves that had gathered around him as he talked with Char. He spoke swiftly in Elfian. Then he turned back to Char. "I apologize, your highness, but we do not. But please, when you find her, and we are certain that you will, come back for a visit. Perhaps we may be able to have a lighter conversation."
Char nodded. "Thank you, anyway. It's nice to know others, too, have faith in Ella." He mounted his horse and rode off. Two places down, and not a single clue to Ella. Where would he go next? Perhaps the giants' farms? Yes, that was the closest area to his current position. Char gently nudged his horse and they were off.
Then Char was hit in the head from behind. Char had only time to look up, see an ogre, and marvel at the irony that this was exactly what happened to his wife before he lost consciousness.