A/N – I am brilliant! Brilliant I tell you! Sorry…I just figured out my grand master plan for this story, and I like it a lot! *Does a dance*
Anyways, besides my conceited babble, this is by far the most different chapter. It's actually two former chapters, because I cut some major stuff. *Puts super scissors away* I hope you like it, I certainly do!
Also, I'm trying to make this mucho different than Ella Enchanted or Ever After, but I think I'm failing. So put up with me, because EE is one of my fave books, and EA is one of my fave movies, so I'm probably doing it unconsciously.
Anyway, read on! And review!
Chapter 8
Dear Ivy,
If you get the chance, could you be a dear and come to my chambers sometime tonight? It is nothing urgent, I just would like to see you.
Evelyn
The following day, Ivy found a note from Evelyn on her bed. She had just finished eating supper, and so decided now was as good a time as any to visit Evelyn. She likely wanted to know how Ivy was doing in the garden. So Ivy put on a simple dress and left the servant's quarters.
As a matter of fact, Ivy was moving along quite well with the garden. The prince had never showed up today, but Ivy didn't think too much of it as she had heard a rumor that a duke or something was visiting.
She walked the great snake of the hallways, and was just passing the dining hall when the she heard a great slamming. She whirled around and saw none other than the prince, standing in front of the doors to the dining hall, fuming.
She stood there, not really sure of what to do. Had he noticed her? Should she say something? He seemed to be glaring incessantly at the wall in front of him.
"Miss Scarlett, am I a horrible person?" he said suddenly, still staring at the wall, causing her to jump.
"Pardon?" she said, walking toward him slowly.
He turned to face her. "Am I a horrible person? Am I really that terrible?"
Ivy bit her lip, not sure of what to say. "Ummm…"
"I know I'm mean. I know I'm spoiled. I know I'm haughty, and snobby, and egotistical." He took a breath. "But how is it that everyone is so sure that I'm actually like that?" He looked at her.
She didn't say anything.
"I want you to be honest, completely honest," he said.
"Well…" she stalled.
"Just say it."
"Well," she said, careful not to look at him, "maybe it's because you act like that."
He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, staring at his shoes. "I'm sorry I didn't come today," he said, still looking at his shoes.
"That's alright."
"I meant to, but then this…," he jerked his head at the door. "The duke decided to come."
"And I sense you aren't happy about that."
"Your senses are right. He married the woman that I was supposed to marry."
"What?" Ivy was shocked.
"The woman my parents wanted me to marry."
"Oh."
"The problem is, I'm fine being friends with him."
"Then why are you out here?" she asked.
He sighed again. "Because my parents will not let go of the fact that she married him instead of me," he said bitterly. "Good riddance, I say, but they can't seem to get past it."
Ivy nodded. She had reached him by now. She wasn't sure what to say, so she just stood next to him.
"I was seventeen when they wanted me to marry her. Seventeen, Miss Scarlett!" he said dramatically.
"That's young," she said mock-seriously.
"It is! Why are you mocking me?"
"I sympathize!" Ivy said jokingly, beginning to laugh.
"Stop laughing!" he said, although a smile was beginning to form on his face.
"I'm sorry…" was all she could say while looking at the look on his face.
The prince began to laugh as well, the first time she had ever seen him do so. He seemed less… uptight when he laughed. She liked it.
They began to laugh hysterically, leaning on each other, laughing even harder when people walked past them, giving them strange looks.
"Well, Evelyn is expecting me, so maybe I should leave," Ivy said, her laughing dying down.
"Oh right, of course. Good night, Lady Scarlett."
"Be brave," she said. "Good night, your highness." She walked away.
"It's Adrian!" she heard him call after her.
She laughed and walked on. Could it be? Could the prince really be beginning to be nice?
*****
Adrian could still feel the smile on his face. He had never laughed like that before. What was it about Scarlett that made him do that?
His elation deflated when he realized he had to go back into the dining hall. His parents were being despicable toward the duke and duchess. With their fake smiles and jabbing comments, he felt ashamed to even sit at the table.
Three years ago, Princess Alana had come to visit. Her country and Vievalla had long been friends, but Adrian's parents and hers had decided it would a grand idea to unite the kingdoms together. The only way to do that was a marriage. Adrian had found Alana to be prissy and pretentious while she probably felt the same about him. The duke, Adrian's longtime friend, had come to visit at the same time, and had instantly fallen in love with the princess. Nobody on any side was happy about this, except for Adrian, Alana and the duke.
Adrian took a deep breath. He watched Scarlett walk away… he wished he could have heard her say his name. An odd feeling lingered with him, even as he watched her turn the corner and out of sight. He stared at the dining hall doors. Wishing he was doing anything but what he was doing, he sighed and reentered the room.
*****
Ivy pondered the prince's strange behavior on the way to Evelyn. He had actually laughed. She smiled to herself… he had actually been fun to be around. She began to chuckle. A warm feeling had flooded her body when they had stood there, laughing together.
Ivy shook her head free of all thoughts relating to the prince. What nonsense! She knocked on Evelyn's door.
"Ivy! I'm so glad you could come!" Evelyn opened the door. She was dressed in fabulous blue dress that matched her eyes.
"Are you going somewhere?" Ivy asked, eyeing the gown.
"Yes, and that's why I had to ask you to come. I know no one in this palace that I would actually go to for advice…I hope you don't mind?" she said worriedly, wringing her fingers together.
"It's fine," Ivy said. "What do you need advice about?"
"Many things." Evelyn led Ivy to her bureau, on top of which lay more jewels than Ivy had seen in her life.
"I promised Julius I would meet him in the courtyard by the footbridge." Evelyn explained. "First things first. Is this dress too fancy?" she asked, swishing it around.
"Well, it is rather elegant, but if you're fixing to impress him, I think it's perfect," Ivy said.
This seemed to be the answer Evelyn was looking for.
"Next," she said, "which necklace?" She pointed to the three elaborate necklaces that lay on the bureau. One was all diamonds, with a large diamond drop at the end, one was sapphires, and the other was diamonds with a large sapphire.
Ivy contemplated them for a second, then picked up the diamond one.
"This one, I think," she said, holding it up to Evelyn's neck and looking in the mirror.
"Wonderful," Evelyn said. "Earrings?"
Looking at the large display of earrings, Ivy quickly picked out a similar diamond pair.
"Alright…hair. Up? Down? Half up half down?" Evelyn said.
"Down, definitely down. Maybe some soft curls," Ivy said, not realizing she was playing with her own hair.
"Sounds perfect," Evelyn said. "Could you do it for me?"
Ivy nodded. She worked while Evelyn mused about Julius.
"I have a pretty good idea he is going to ask to marry me again. But how can I? I cannot let the same thing happen to me twice." She sighed. "But he is rather wonderful. He's so sweet, and funny, and charming, and handsome. He can make me feel like we're the only two people in the world and yet…I just don't think I can."
Ivy nodded.
"I just wish I knew for sure what he was all about," Evelyn continued. "Does he just want to be friends, like before? Or something more?"
She fell silent, pondering herself in the mirror.
"Ivy?" she asked suddenly.
"Yes?"
"Have you ever been in love?"
Taken aback, Ivy said, "No!…I don't think so." And then, for some reason, her thoughts flickered to the prince. Nonsense!
But Evelyn had noticed. She smiled and said, "Yes you have!"
"No I haven't!" Why won't that warm feeling go away?
Evelyn grinned wider. "Yes, you have…unless… you are in love!"
"What?"
"You're in love right now, aren't you?"
"No, I am not!"
But Evelyn was not to be defeated. "Yes, you are! Tell me? Please? Please?"
"There's nothing to tell, because I am not in love."
Evelyn continued to persist, but finally Ivy said, "Ha! Your hair is done, and it is five minutes to eight! You have to leave."
Evelyn sighed, but said, "Don't worry, you'll tell me soon enough."
Ivy rolled her eyes as Evelyn put on her jewelry.
"Um, Ivy?"
"Yes?"
"Will you walk with me to the courtyard?"
Ivy sighed, but said, "I suppose so."
They walked outside until they were feet within the bridge. Ivy could see the outline of a man standing there.
"Well, here goes nothing, I suppose," Evelyn said. Ivy smiled at her encouragingly, and Evelyn left her.
Now alone, Ivy decided to wander through the gardens. The queen loved lilac, and the perfume of it filled the air.
"Adrian, darling, you must get married someday," she suddenly heard a voice say.
"Yes mother. Someday. Not today." It was the prince and the queen! Ivy dove behind a large bush.
"Darling, the Galinion princess is a lovely girl, and she will adore you. Just give it a go, alright?"
"No! Mother, I am sick and tired of being thrown at unsuspecting princesses just to find out that they will never like me and that I could never, ever be happy with them."
From her place in the bush, Ivy could see the queen's eyes narrow. "Who are you? And what have you done with my son?"
"What do you mean?"
"The son I knew never a gave a whit about love and now you are complaining that we won't let you find it? What's changed?" She drew a sharp breath. "Who is she?"
"There is no 'she', Mother. I've just been doing some thinking, that's all."
"Well, good, it's about time. I was afraid an enchantress was going to come and change you into a beast or something for being so horrible."
"Mother!"
"Well, it's true. But if you truly have changed, then I thank the heavens for it."
The prince sighed.
"Good night, darling."
"Good night, Mother." The queen left.
Ivy tried very hard to breathe quietly.
"You can come out now," the prince said.
"How do you always know I'm there?" Ivy said, coming out from behind the bush.
"You breathe too loudly," Adrian said simply.
Ivy sighed, and joined him on the stone balcony. The gardens were situated on the second floor of the enormous palace grounds, and they stood staring at the town below.
"A new princess, then?" she said.
The prince rolled his eyes. "Unfortunately," was all he said.
Ivy leaned over the railing to look at the ornate fountain below.
"It's a beautiful night," she thought out loud.
"Yes."
She looked thoughtfully at a couple sitting on the fountain's edge.
"Are the Galinions coming, then?"
"Yes, next week. I'm guessing there will be a ball." He paused. "How long are you staying?"
"Me? Mostly likely until the fall," she lied. "I have no desire to go home any earlier," she said, thinking of her real home. She wondered what her stepmother was doing, and whether her stepsisters had found husbands yet. She laughed.
"What?" the prince asked.
"It is nothing. I was just thinking of home."
He smiled, and closed the space between them. She noticed he was looking at her locket.
"May I?" he asked. She nodded. He picked up the golden locket and opened it, revealing the deftly drawn sketches inside.
"Is this your mother and father?" he asked.
"Yes," she replied, trying not to think of how close he was.
"They must miss you."
She smiled. "It's more the other way around."
He glanced up into her sad eyes, and then realized what she meant.
"I am sorry, I-"
"It's alright," she said, waving his apology away. "My mother died right after I was born, and my father was killed when I was ten years old."
"I am sorry," he said and a trace of emotion flickered through his eyes. They were awfully close, and Ivy could feel his breath on her cheek. She noticed she was breathing rather heavily herself. His lips were so close… she bit her bottom lip and pulled her eyes away from him.
The clock rang half past eight, and the prince started.
"I should leave," he said.
"I should, too."
"Shall I escort you?"
"Well, I have to return Evelyn's earrings to her, so I must go there."
"I will escort you to Lady Evelyn's chamber then."
She nodded, and they left. They didn't talk until they reached Evelyn's door.
"Well, good night, Lady Scarlett," he said, bowing.
"Good night, your-" He looked up warningly at her. "-Adrian," she finished.
She opened the door, and he began to walk away. She closed the door just enough so that she could look out at him walking away. Suddenly, a servant, carrying a basket of wash, unable to see the prince, ran into him and spilled the whole contents of the basket on his head.
"Oh! Your highness, I am so sorry…" the servant began to apologize profusely.
"How dare you! Why didn't you watch where you were going?" the prince shouted.
"I am sorry…"
"Try to remember your eyes the next time you walk down a hall," he said scolding, then stalked off.
Ivy's heart dropped, and she sighed. It couldn't be, she thought sadly. It couldn't be.
***See, wasn't that nice and long? The next chapter shall have some diabolical duchess plotting. And also, to the one and only RaspberryGirl: Don't worry, the murder shall be explained. The truth shall be revealed! (sorry, I always wanted to say that.)