Over the next several days, Rella discovered that every night, neat as clockwork, just before she awoke, she would overhear conversations between Emerald and Ruby. The two would talk to each other about her, but always, she would wake and no one would be there.
At first she thought she might be going insane. After all, isn't hearing voices a sign of insanity? But then, she thought better of the idea. They talk about me, not to me. And they haven't told me to burn things or kill somone or anything so far, so...I guess I'm not going insane.
Over time, she managed to accept it without needing much of an explanation. It could just be a dream, after all.
"Do you think she can hear us?" Emerald asked Ruby one night.
"I doubt it. I don't think her magic power is that strong, at least not while she remains untrained."
"That's another thing. How long do you think we can let her go untrained? She could be dangerous like that."
"Unless something traumatic happens to her to awaken her power, I don't think we have to worry. After all, she survived for sixteen years completely untrained, and in some pretty bad conditions too. If she was going to lose control and hurt someone, I think it would already have happened."
She had woken up then, leaving her wondering if they really were talking about her. After all, if they were, that would mean she had magic...
Nonsense. I'm no sorceress, not like Rhianna. And it's probably all a dream, anyway.
With that thought, she went back to sleep.
"Do you think we should help her out yet?" Emerald's voice asked.
"No...no, not yet. The poor dear is quite abused, but I don't think it's time we helped out...not quite yet, at least. Soon, though."
Emerald chuckled. "Do you know, I think I've begun to see what you see in her after all. I've come to respect her, at the very least. Her life is harder than I thought; not everyone could take it so well."
"What? Emerald is actually agreeing with me? Is it a sign of the apocalypse?"
They had both laughed, and that was when Rella had awoke, to find nobody there.
Over time, Rella began to anticipate and look forward to the voices every night. Emerald and Ruby revealed more to her about themselves in those conversations than they knew, and judging by what she had heard, they didn't even know she could hear them. She even began to think of the unknown two as her friends; in her mind, Ruby became the mother and Emerald the sister she had never had.
Preparations for the Prince's ball were in full swing. Lianne and Anastasia tittered and chattered about it constantly, annoying Rella to no end. She didn't even bother asking Rhianna if she could go; despite the wording of the invitation, she knew the sorceress would refuse her petition. She wasn't even sure she really wanted to go, either, so that was another reason not to ask.
For the next several days, Rella's life sank to an all-time low. All three worked her harder than they ever had before, as if to make absolutely certain she would be so exhausted she wouldn't even ask if she could go to the ball. The only highlights of her day were the time she spent in the stables, in the kitchens with Cook, or when she overheard Emerald and Ruby's conversations.
At one moment, thoroughly exhausted, she fell asleep in the middle of grooming Nightingale. She was rather rudely awakened by Lianne's screech of anger at finding her leaning against the horse's side, snoring, horse placidly chewing at hay. Lianne had snatched the currycomb from her hand, slapped her across the face, and set about grooming the horse herself, entirely too rough to be at all good for the horse. Rella, still half-asleep and not thinking clearly, had opened her mouth to try to correct Lianne.
She tried to soak out her aches and pains later in a bath, but since all she had was cold water, it didn't do much, and she was entirely stiff for the next several days.
"Here," Rhianna commanded, pressing a large piece of parchment into her hand. "Take this to Johnsen Tailor; you know where his shop is in town. Pay him out of this." The sorceress thrust a heavy purse into her other hand. "If I find you've stolen a single cent from that purse, I promise you that you will pay for it--and I don't mean in money, either."
As if I needed it, Rella thought, trudging along the dusty city streets, weaving her way through the crowd expertly. Little does she know, I have still have a good deal of money left in room, and I haven't spent a single cent of it yet.
Johnsen Tailor was well known as the best tailor in the entire country. She made her way to his shop with ease, but then was forced to stand in line for close to three hours while other, more important women placed their own orders with the tailor, each and every one of them for the Prince's ball.
And I have to wait, because Rhianna sent her maid instead of going herself and they take one look at me and assume I'm no one important. If they know who sent me, I'd probably be at the front of the line.
At last her turn came, and she handed the tailor the parchment without a word. He skimmed over it, frowning lightly, and at last looked at her. "I shall have to be paid extra if I'm to have the two dresses ready today, especially with as much other work as I have to do for the ball," he warned her.
"It's all right," she told him, rubbing the side of her head; she was beginning to get a headache from the dust and the noise of the city. "If she says she wants it today, she wants it done today, and she doesn't care what it costs."
The tailor nodded, and named a price so high Rella barely kept her mouth from dropping open. She handed the purse to the tailor, letting him count out his own coins, and sank into a chair in the center of the room, still feeling quite stunned.
I can't believe it! Ten thousand in gold for--for two dresses! I mean, I know it costs extra to have it done today, especially with all these other women buying dresses for the ball--but still! That's just--ridiculous, that's what it is!
The most amazing part was, the purse was still heavy.
It took five more hours for the dress to be done, and the sun had set a long time ago. At last the tailor emerged, holding two dresses in Anastasia's and Lianne's styles. Lianne's was in dark green, Anastasia's in a light pink, and they both had a tight bodice and a gigantic skirt. Rella could just imagine what they would look like when they put them on, and momentarily entertained visions of the two going to the ball, only to be laughed at by the Prince.
The idea was so funny and satisfying that she held on to it as she made her way back through the crowd, clutching the dresses, on her way back to Rhianna's.
She was greeted rather rudely when she got back home. "Where have you been?" Rhianna demanded as soon as she walked into the entrance hall.
"I...at Johnsen Tailor's, getting the dresses," she responded, then realized she was being, by Rhianna's standards, rude. "Milady," she added hastily, dropping into a curtsy.
Rhianna buffeted her roughly in the side of the head, making her lose her already delicate balance and topple over ungracefully, dropping the dresses. "For eight hours?" she asked acidly, scowling.
"There was a crowd!" she protested, trying to climb to her feet. "Everyone else was getting dresses for the ball--I'm sorry, milady, really I am!"
Rhianna hit her again, knocking her back down before she could climb to her feet, and kicked her with her high heels afterwards. The next few moments were a buffet of blows, and Rella's world narrowed to staying curled into a ball, doing her best to protect her head with her arms and trying to ignore the pain.
When the high heel of Rhianna's shoe connected with Rella's ribs for the fifth time and something snapped with a loud, audible crack, she cried out; she couldn't help it. Rhianna, at last realizing her anger had gotten perhaps a little out of control, backed off, and then left, leaving Rella lying on the floor with uncontrollable tears streaming down her cheeks.
At last she tried to get up, but when she moved, a wave of such unbearable pain washed over her that she lost consciousness, head banging roughly against the floor.
When she woke again, she was in her bed; evidently, someone had found her and carried her up here. Her side still hurt unbearably, but as long as she didn't try to move, she thought she would be all right.
Wonder if Rhianna will actually hire a healer to come take care of me, or if she'll try to make me work with a broken rib?
A sob escaped her as her side gave a particuarly sharp throb, and she banged her fist against her mattress in silent fury towards the sorceress. I never even do anything, yet I get treated like everything is my fault! That bitch broke my rib, and why? Because there was a crowd at the tailor's, and she has to have her daughter's dresses now, instead of waiting a few days.
Everything is always my fault around here. If Rhianna's cat walks in front of Lianne and she's too stupid to see it and trips and falls, I'm the one that gets in trouble! And, of course, now that I'm conveniently up here, they'll lock me in and "forget" to feed me for the next few days.
Unable to move for the pain of her broken rib, she at last fumed herself to sleep, hands clenched into fists.
