:-O I've updated! Finally! I promise the next chapter will be up sooner,
since I'm on Christmas break now. Probably at least not until Saturday, but
still, much sooner than this one! Anyway, enjoy and review!
Chapter 10: The Ball
The next few days were rough for Katie. Callista and Fayre constantly argued about their gowns.
"I'll wear the red velvet gown," Callista said.
Then Fayre would retort with, "I'll wear my usual petticoat, but with my grand gold gown over it, which much more splendid than your's."
To this Callista would become angry and cry, "Well, I'll wear my fancy lace and carry my lace fan!"
"Well, I'll wear my diamond stomacher!" was Fayre's comeback.
This went on the entire time. Loreen was Katie's only relief. She didn't care what she wore, as long as it was pretty. In the end, Callista wore the red velvet, Fayre wore green velvet, Loreen wore pink silk, and Starina wore black satin. Starina and the girls left the house in a rush, locking the door behind them.
There was the rest of today and most of the next day until the ball. Surely by then Katie could find a way out of the house . . . And find a ball gown . . . And walk to the palace, or at least to town to rent a coach . . . but with what money?
Oh, it was hopeless.
All her love for Kenny was going down the drain.
Or not.
Not an hour after Starina had left had past before the door flew open and none other than Alisa came flying through the door. In after her scampered Rolly, Tubby, Rattail, and Frank. After them came Lizzia and, finally, a large pumpkin from Katie's garden.
"Alisa!" Katie cried, jumping up from the hall fireplace. "What are you doing here?"
"Hi Katie!"
"Hello there, Rolly!"
"Katie," Alisa began, "you're going to the ball."
Katie sadly looked down at her toes. "I wish I could, Alisa, but I've no coach, driver, horses, not even a gown to wear!"
Alisa just smiled knowingly and zapped the pumpkin. It bounced out of the house. Alisa followed it, gesturing for Katie to come also. Katie went outside and found no pumpkin, but rather a large, orange coach.
Katie stumbled in astonishment. "A-Alisa? Was that the pumpkin?"
Alisa smiled. "Of course! Rolly, Tubby, Rattail, Frank! Come out here now!" Alisa lurked by the door. The mice came out one by one and one by one Alisa zapped them into magnificent brown horses. The horse Rolly was slightly fatter than the others, Frank was slightly thinner, Tubby had a brown spot on his back, and Rattail still had a rat's tail instead of the long, hair- like tail a horse would normally have.
"No driver," Katie pointed out.
At that moment, Lizzia came out. Katie grinned upon understanding and Alisa zapped Lizzia. He jumped up into a fine driver, wearing a green and silver uniform.
"Lizzia," Katie said to the once-lizard, "you make a fine human!"
"Thank you, Missss Katie!" slithered the lizard-turned-driver. He got up on his perch and Katie looked at it.
"It's wonderful!" she exclaimed, turning to Alisa. "Thank you so, so much! But what am I to do when I get there? If Starina sees me, she'll kill me. And I have no gown!"
Alisa smiled, but twice. For just a fraction of a second, her smile was wicked and evil, then it changed to the happy smile Katie was used to seeing on her. "When you get to the palace, Janie will be waiting for you outside. She'll give you a gown and take care of everything. You're going to be fine, Katie."
Climbing into the pumpkin coach, Katie thanked Alisa once more. Alisa vanished with a pop and, leaning out the window, Katie saw a rainbow appear in the sky. The pumpkin coach took off into the sky, faster than Katie could have ever imagined, with the rainbow as its multicolored path.
~*~
Katie's coach landed on the ground. Though the trip was fast, it took a whole day to arrive, and somehow Starina had managed to get there before her. Fortunately, Starina had been there much earlier and had no way of seeing Katie's arrival. The pumpkin coach, mice horses, and lizard driver vanished as soon as Katie had exited it. Janie was at the door and without a word, she draped a navy, velvet cloak over Katie's shoulders and pulled the hood up over her head.
"Follow me," she whispered. Katie nodded, but had doubt Janie saw her through all the velvet folds.
They arrived in Janie's room and the cloak was removed.
"The ball is in just an hour until the ball," Janie said, explaining her stunning yellow ball gown without realizing it. "We have to get you ready!"
Janie through open the wardrobe and immediately pulled out the glittering, aqua blue gown Katie had worn to dinner. The diamond accessories Katie had also worn were brought forward. It was time for the ball and Janie wasn't permitted to be late, while Katie was -- so Janie rushed off to let Katie finish.
Katie fastened the necklace on and swept her hair up -- it was messy, but it looked pretty that way, especially with the tiara carefully set on it. She passed on the earrings and stepped into the diamond slippers. Katie made her way to the ball.
It was dazzling, with people sweeping about the room in graceful dances. Katie made her way in undetected. But she was only halfway to Kenny when the music and dancing stopped and the King's voice boomed over the crowd.
"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming to this ball! My son, Prince Kenneth, would like to tell you why this ball was announced."
There was silence. Katie made her way forward. She presumed Kenny was standing and the King was sitting right now.
"Ladies and gentlemen, as my father said, thank you for coming."
Katie pressed onward. She wasn't going to let Kenny go through with this!
"And as he also said, I would like to tell you why this ball has been announced."
Almost there!
"The ball is to announce my--"
Kenny stopped. There before him, having made her way to the front, was Katie. She was stunning, in the aqua gown and diamond things she had worn to dinner. He held is hand out to her and she took it. He brought her up onto the small stage.
"The ball is to announce my calling off of my engagement to Princess Berengaria." Kenny turned to the King and Queen. "Mother, Father, I want to marry this girl, Katie."
Katie could hardly contain her joy.
END CHAPTER TEN
That was fun! Balls always are fun to write. More ball in the next chapter. Well, sort of. You'll see! From here on out, Starina sort of takes over. But I'm giving too much away! Til next time -- review!
Chapter 10: The Ball
The next few days were rough for Katie. Callista and Fayre constantly argued about their gowns.
"I'll wear the red velvet gown," Callista said.
Then Fayre would retort with, "I'll wear my usual petticoat, but with my grand gold gown over it, which much more splendid than your's."
To this Callista would become angry and cry, "Well, I'll wear my fancy lace and carry my lace fan!"
"Well, I'll wear my diamond stomacher!" was Fayre's comeback.
This went on the entire time. Loreen was Katie's only relief. She didn't care what she wore, as long as it was pretty. In the end, Callista wore the red velvet, Fayre wore green velvet, Loreen wore pink silk, and Starina wore black satin. Starina and the girls left the house in a rush, locking the door behind them.
There was the rest of today and most of the next day until the ball. Surely by then Katie could find a way out of the house . . . And find a ball gown . . . And walk to the palace, or at least to town to rent a coach . . . but with what money?
Oh, it was hopeless.
All her love for Kenny was going down the drain.
Or not.
Not an hour after Starina had left had past before the door flew open and none other than Alisa came flying through the door. In after her scampered Rolly, Tubby, Rattail, and Frank. After them came Lizzia and, finally, a large pumpkin from Katie's garden.
"Alisa!" Katie cried, jumping up from the hall fireplace. "What are you doing here?"
"Hi Katie!"
"Hello there, Rolly!"
"Katie," Alisa began, "you're going to the ball."
Katie sadly looked down at her toes. "I wish I could, Alisa, but I've no coach, driver, horses, not even a gown to wear!"
Alisa just smiled knowingly and zapped the pumpkin. It bounced out of the house. Alisa followed it, gesturing for Katie to come also. Katie went outside and found no pumpkin, but rather a large, orange coach.
Katie stumbled in astonishment. "A-Alisa? Was that the pumpkin?"
Alisa smiled. "Of course! Rolly, Tubby, Rattail, Frank! Come out here now!" Alisa lurked by the door. The mice came out one by one and one by one Alisa zapped them into magnificent brown horses. The horse Rolly was slightly fatter than the others, Frank was slightly thinner, Tubby had a brown spot on his back, and Rattail still had a rat's tail instead of the long, hair- like tail a horse would normally have.
"No driver," Katie pointed out.
At that moment, Lizzia came out. Katie grinned upon understanding and Alisa zapped Lizzia. He jumped up into a fine driver, wearing a green and silver uniform.
"Lizzia," Katie said to the once-lizard, "you make a fine human!"
"Thank you, Missss Katie!" slithered the lizard-turned-driver. He got up on his perch and Katie looked at it.
"It's wonderful!" she exclaimed, turning to Alisa. "Thank you so, so much! But what am I to do when I get there? If Starina sees me, she'll kill me. And I have no gown!"
Alisa smiled, but twice. For just a fraction of a second, her smile was wicked and evil, then it changed to the happy smile Katie was used to seeing on her. "When you get to the palace, Janie will be waiting for you outside. She'll give you a gown and take care of everything. You're going to be fine, Katie."
Climbing into the pumpkin coach, Katie thanked Alisa once more. Alisa vanished with a pop and, leaning out the window, Katie saw a rainbow appear in the sky. The pumpkin coach took off into the sky, faster than Katie could have ever imagined, with the rainbow as its multicolored path.
~*~
Katie's coach landed on the ground. Though the trip was fast, it took a whole day to arrive, and somehow Starina had managed to get there before her. Fortunately, Starina had been there much earlier and had no way of seeing Katie's arrival. The pumpkin coach, mice horses, and lizard driver vanished as soon as Katie had exited it. Janie was at the door and without a word, she draped a navy, velvet cloak over Katie's shoulders and pulled the hood up over her head.
"Follow me," she whispered. Katie nodded, but had doubt Janie saw her through all the velvet folds.
They arrived in Janie's room and the cloak was removed.
"The ball is in just an hour until the ball," Janie said, explaining her stunning yellow ball gown without realizing it. "We have to get you ready!"
Janie through open the wardrobe and immediately pulled out the glittering, aqua blue gown Katie had worn to dinner. The diamond accessories Katie had also worn were brought forward. It was time for the ball and Janie wasn't permitted to be late, while Katie was -- so Janie rushed off to let Katie finish.
Katie fastened the necklace on and swept her hair up -- it was messy, but it looked pretty that way, especially with the tiara carefully set on it. She passed on the earrings and stepped into the diamond slippers. Katie made her way to the ball.
It was dazzling, with people sweeping about the room in graceful dances. Katie made her way in undetected. But she was only halfway to Kenny when the music and dancing stopped and the King's voice boomed over the crowd.
"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming to this ball! My son, Prince Kenneth, would like to tell you why this ball was announced."
There was silence. Katie made her way forward. She presumed Kenny was standing and the King was sitting right now.
"Ladies and gentlemen, as my father said, thank you for coming."
Katie pressed onward. She wasn't going to let Kenny go through with this!
"And as he also said, I would like to tell you why this ball has been announced."
Almost there!
"The ball is to announce my--"
Kenny stopped. There before him, having made her way to the front, was Katie. She was stunning, in the aqua gown and diamond things she had worn to dinner. He held is hand out to her and she took it. He brought her up onto the small stage.
"The ball is to announce my calling off of my engagement to Princess Berengaria." Kenny turned to the King and Queen. "Mother, Father, I want to marry this girl, Katie."
Katie could hardly contain her joy.
END CHAPTER TEN
That was fun! Balls always are fun to write. More ball in the next chapter. Well, sort of. You'll see! From here on out, Starina sort of takes over. But I'm giving too much away! Til next time -- review!
