Chapter 3: The Royal Family

Disclaimer: I do not own Ella Enchanted

I walked out of my room in my dress and necklace, hoping that the King and Queen would like me as much as Char claimed. When I got out of the door, I gasped. Char was standing right next to the door, and he had startled me. But then I grinned, as he looked dashing in a nice doublet. I looked at it closely and recognized it: it was the same one that he had worn when we had slid down the stair rails, except that it had it's buttons replaced.

Char offered me his arm, I accepted it, and we walked to the dining hall. I was quite nervous, and my face must have showed it, for Char said, "Do not worry Ella. You will charm them. Trust me."

I wanted to trust him, but after all the deception, I wasn't sure if they would trust me. I smiled at him, though, but I still felt really nervous.

When we reached the dining hall, the guards opened the doors to reveal a room that was large and beautiful. Paintings of the royal family, the previous rulers, and maps of Kyrria filled the walls. I then looked to the table, where candles were lit, crystal goblets had juices and wines in them, and where the silverware and plates sparkled. I looked up just a bit and saw the royal family waiting for me and Char. My heart stopped. But, as Char bowed, I curtsied. The rest of the family returned the bow or curtsy, and I smiled at them. Queen Daria came over to me and looked into my eyes. "Lady Ella, it is a pleasure to officially meet you. You remind me so much of your mother, who I was very fond of." I smiled at this compliment.

"Thank you, Your Highness. But, you do not need to call me Lady Ella. Ella is just fine." I felt my stomach flip as I said that. Had I just defied the Queen? I asked myself. That was a severe crime, and I had hoped that it wouldn't cost me my life.

She simply laughed. "You are just like your mother, Ella. In that case, you need only call me Mum or Mum Daria," she said.

I released my breath. "Thank you, Mum," I said. She would never replace my own mother, but she was much better than Dame Olga had ever been.

The King came over to me and looked in my face. His features were stern, but as he looked into my eyes, his features relaxed into a smile. "Ella, it is a pleasure to meet you. It is excellent to finally meet the woman my son loves." With that, Char blushed while the King laughed. He then pointed to the next oldest boy there, with the exception of Char. "This is Prince Christopher," he said. The Prince walked over to me. I curtsied, and he bowed.

"It is a pleasure to meet you," I said while I curtsied.

"You may call me Christopher or Chris. Either is fine with me," he said with a smile. He kissed my hand politely.

"This is Prince William," the King said as he pointed to the next youngest boy. The Prince bowed, and I curtsied.

"It is an honor to meet with you, Your Highness," I said, smiling a nervous smile at him.

"You may call me William or Will. Either is fine with me as well." He grinned at me.

Next, the king pointed to a girl. I assumed that this was Cecilia, Char's younger sister. "This is my daughter, Princess Cecilia."

We both curtsied at the same time, and when we rose, we laughed. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness" I said to her.

"As with you," she replied, smiling. "Please, just call me Cecilia."

After the introductions were finished, we sat at the long table. King Jerrold was situated at the front of the table. To his left was Queen Daria. To his right was Char, and next to Char was me. Next to me was Christopher, and next to Queen Daria was William, and next to William was Cecilia. Servants brought out an astounding meal that was prepared with love by Mandy. My nervousness began to cease to exist, as it became easy to talk to the royal family. We talked about many things, including the incidence we had with the ogres and how I was the one who "tamed" the beasts. Char told about his adventures in Ayortha with the court. Char held the hand that I was not using to eat under the table the whole time.

Talking to the royal family became quite easy. Christopher and William were very similar to Char in both physical build and personality. Christopher was very lively and outgoing, while William tended to be a bit more quiet. Christopher was thirteen years of age, and William was eleven. Cecilia was very close to Char in terms of personality. I could tell that I was definitely going to get along with her.

When we were done with our meal, the King and Queen looked at me and Char. "We need to discuss wedding plans, for we want the wedding to be within a month," King Jerrold said. I nodded. "We will start them tomorrow, as it is getting quite late," he said. We all agreed, and said our goodnights to everyone as we went our own separate ways. Mum Daria gave me an extra long hug. Char walked me to my room. I kissed goodnight, and then he walked to the next room where his room was situated. I walked into my room, changed into a comfortable nightgown, and went to sleep easily, for I had nothing to be nervous about anymore.

Author's Note:

I am sorry for that chapter. I just needed to introduce the royal family and their relationships with Ella. I added two extra princes, and I needed to show the growing relationship between Ella and Queen Daria. Next chapter will have their wedding plans, etc! I also needed to finish the chapter rather quickly, as I promised I'd update after I reached a total of 30 reviews! I started typing when I reached 27, so I had to hurry up. I hope it's at least acceptable. I would also like to dedicate this chapter to EllaFreak, who has a birthday on June 15th,! Happy Birthday! This is my present to you!

EllaFreak: HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I'm glad that you like this story so far!

TempestDragon: I hope that this was faster than my last update! I'm glad that you like the story so far!

Tamaran Girl: I'm glad that you like this too! You rock!

Gayle: Thanks! I thought that by putting that he didn't allow anyone in the room, it would show some of his intelligence. I'm glad that you are enjoying this story!

Melissa Black13: I know just how you feel! I love Ella Enchanted, and I find myself reading it over and over again as well.

Thank you to everyone else who reviewed! You all are REALLY awesome!Oh, can I please get 15 more reviews before I update again? That's so the counter is up to 45? Thanks so much!