Eventually, as time went by, it became obvious to Edmonda that my father was not the rich man Edmonda believed he was. This made her furious with my father and she could not even bear to look at me. Jocelyn and Yedda for a while would comfort me but one day everything changed. Jocelyn would send me glares that would stab at my already wounded heart. Yedda was not as harsh, probably because she could not bear to look at me. I did not realize it at the time but Edmonda was trying to figure out a way I could repay my father's debt.
Jocelyn and Yedda's cold attitudes never faltered. So I was forced to spend my days alone or out with Eadric. There was one particular day that I was supposed to meet him that is now burned in my memory.
I was running through the corridors, little strands of my hair escaping from my snood. I was just about to turn to go down the stairs, when I heard voices arguing from inside Edmonda's chambers.
"Mother we are being cruel," Yedda's voice cried. "I was angry with Ella at first when you told me why you did what you did, but now I'm angry with you! I enjoy being with Ella!"
"I do not care if you enjoy Ella's company," Edmonda's voice cried from within. "It's because of her your father's dead!" My eyes widened in disbelief of what I had heard.
"No mother," Yedda's voice protested. "You poisoned father! Ella's father did not kill him and neither did Ella! You poisoned him so you could marry Ella's father because you believe he was richer then Papa!" I was horrified now. It all made sense though. Edmonda and my father met and she wanted his money like my father wanted her's. When she realized he wished to marry her, she poisoned her husband so she could marry my father.
Blinded by my tears, I ran clumsily up the circling stairs to my chambers and flung myself onto my bed. I cried continually into my feather-filled pillow. When I finally could not cry any longer, I sat up and let out a cry when I saw a figure standing in my doorway. The figure stepped forward into the light and I cringed as I saw Edmonda standing there, he eyes looking upon me with total hatred
"Have you finally realized you have left us as poor as the servants who wait on us?" she cried rushing into my room and yanking me from my bed by my hair.
"Do not hurt me because you're feeling guilt about murdering your own husband," I cried out of anger. Without so much as blinking an eye, she raised her hand and slapped me across the face. My hand flew up to my face in shock, while her face registered the same emotion. She recovered quicker than I though.
"Ella Beldon," Edmonda said to me with a small smirk. "To repay this family for your father's lies and debts, you shall work her as a servant with out pay." My face stung sharply as if to remind me that she was stronger than I was. She slowly glided to my fireplace and rubbed her fingertips along the cinder that lined the bottom and returned to me. Silently she rubbed the cinders into my face. I cringed as she ran a hand over my head of beautiful hair. Slowly she took a little pair of scissors from her sleeve and brought them to the hair that had caught the eyes of the king and queen. Within seconds, my beautiful flaxen hair was lying in a pile beside my feet.
"Ella, sweet," Edmonda whispered touching my severed hair. "I know it might seem like I'm being harsh but truly, I am actually being quite kind. I could send you out into the streets in a heartbeat but I won't. The kingdom is not kind to servants and I'm sorry to say it, but you would look like one. Let me make it clear that if anyone asks... you are not Lord Beldon's daughter." I looked away from her realizing I could not win. She had so much power over me. At that moment all I could think about was the prince. As if reading my thoughts, she continued. "Do you think the prince would take you now that you're a servant? He was raised to not care about servants' thoughts. Now I promise never to harm a hair on your head as a servant, no matter how poorly you clean or cook... unless you try to go to the prince. Then, not only will I harm your hair, I shall hurt you so bad that you will visit your dear mother." I wanted so badly to leave right then and there, but I knew what life was like for the poor folk out on the streets and it scared me horribly.
"As of today," Edmonda purred with fake compassion, streaking my cheek with the cinders upon her fingers. "Ella Beldon is dead. Welcome to 'Beldon Manor'... Cinderella." That was the day my perfect, spoiled life ended. I woke up that morning the daughter of a late duke and fell asleep a servant to my own stepfamily.
I adapted quickly to life as a servant. Within a month I had trained my body to wake up at the crack of dawn. I had learned how to cook many meals, trade in the market, and keep our large home clean.
Edmonda informed the prince and his family that, out of grief over my father's death, I had taken my own life. I saw the prince often riding down the path near where I picked apples, a forlorn look across his face. I knew he could not recognize me though. My hair, though it had grown, did not seem quite the same. It was dirtier of course, but it seemed to have lost its healthy, happy glow. Even if he could have recognized my hair, he would not have the chance for I kept it hid within a scarf. The scarf was a new addition to the set of rules. My skin, much to my dismay, was not fashionably white anymore. It was browner because of being in the sun so much. My eyes, though they were still blue, also were dull, most likely a result of my un-happiness. Even if the prince did see me, he has grown up a prince and has been taught all his life not to even see servants.
Though Edmonda told both of her daughters to treat me as the servant I had become, only Jocelyn followed these rules. Yedda, on the other hand, would secretly come up to the servant tower I slept in. She would talk to me and tell me all the latest gossip. One topic seemed to come up often whenever Yedda would tell me more. It seemed that the queen, not fazed by my 'death', had lay her eyes upon my stepsister, Jocelyn. Edmonda was quite pleased with this information and did all she could to make the royal family fall in love with my stepsister. I knew that the queen loved Jocelyn like a daughter but the emotion in the prince's eyes, as he rode his horse down the road, was anything but love.
Each time the prince came for a visit, I was banished to my tower and not allowed to leave until he was gone. There was one particular day that remains in my mind, where we were not informed that the prince was visiting. It was two years after my father had died and I was now fifteen... a woman.
I was out in front of the manor, past the fields, picking apples for some apple-pie Cook was going to make. I was perched in the tree trying to reach up to pick the most beautiful apple when a loud cry of anger startled me, causing me to fall out of the tree. I hit the ground at an un-pleasant angle causing me to roll down the hill and over a small ledge that sent me into the water.
As I swam my way up to the surface, I thanked my father endlessly for teaching me how to swim when we were young. Just as I was about the reach the surface, another animal or object of sort, plunged into the water next to me. I emerged to the surface just in time to recognize Eadric's mop of curly blonde hair sink into the water. Without so much as taking time to think, I dove down into the water and wrapped my arms around his waist and began to pull him to the surface. After getting his face above water, I pulled him to the shore. I fell, out of tire, to the ground next to the sputtering prince. Slowly, he sat up, and looked down upon me. In an instant I had covered my face and jumped up.
"Wait," the prince ordered. "Do I know you?" I tightened the scarf secured around my hair nervously and shook my head.
"I do not believe so, Ead— Your Highness," I said quietly, keeping my face shielded from him. I fingered my hair nervously to make sure it was hidden. I longed to show him it was I, but if he did not help me Edmonda would find out and cast me away from the manor.
"Are you alright?" Eadric asked me, causing me to turn in surprise. My hand that held my scarf fell to my side, exposing my, now clean, radiant hair. Eadric's eyes widened at the sight of my hair and I realized at once that I was exposed. The prince on the other hand, saw similarities in the woman he saw before him and the girl he grew up with but I had changed so much that he was unsure of himself. "Ella?" he ventured, touching my hair. I panicked for a second but regained my stance.
"You have mistaken me for my cousin, Majesty," I blurted out, putting on a French accent. "I am Chantel de Fortier." I lowered my eyes, ashamed of what I had done. Chantel was the name of my mother, a French noblewoman who was married to my father. The prince was deceived by my lie, to my relief, but I did not know for how long.
"Well, Chantel de Fortier, are you staying with her step-mother and step-sisters?" Eadric asked, stepping a little closer to me. I blushed slightly and looked away. "And why are you not dressed in a proper gown?" My eyes widened but I quickly regained myself.
"I hate the feeling of such a heavy dress upon me when I have no one to dress for," I lied brushing nonchalantly at my sleeves. The prince eyed me carefully, a smile playing upon his lips.
"You do not wish to dress for the future king?" he asked, his tone a more sweeter one. I looked up at him in surprise and brushed at my dress.
"I must go, Your Highness," I said quickly, turning to leave. I stopped myself, when I realized that he might go to the manor, looking for me. "Majesty, please do not call upon me at my cousins' manor for they do not like me to have visitors." With out letting him stop me, I turned and began to walk away.
I ran home after picking up most of the apples that had fallen from her apron when I had fallen. I threw the apples upon the table in the kitchen for the cook before racing to my tower. I stopped when I spotted my friend, Maida, cleaning in Jocelyn's room.
"Maida!" I called to her, running into the room. "Are my step-sisters and step-mother here?" Maida looked up at me, throwing down the towel that she was using to clean Jocelyn's chamber pot in disgust.
"No milady," she said, her voice doused with relief. "If they were I would be getting a whoopin' right now by that wonderful step-mother you have. I'm very behind in my chores." I smiled and hugged my friend, before running a hand over Maida's strawberry colored hair.
"If you were a noblewoman, Maida, you would be the most sought after woman in the land," Maida blushed at my complement, but then shook her head.
"If I were a noblewoman, milady," Maida said softly, returning to the chamber pot. "I wouldn't be here cleaning up this little brat's waste, now would I?" I threw back my head and laughed for the first time in a few weeks before hugging her again.
"I must go Maida," I called to her as I raced out. Flying down the corridors, I raced towards my tower. I began up the stairs but stopped when I heard someone calling from outside the castle. I hurried to the nearest window and looked down. To my surprise I saw the prince looking up at me.
"Chantel!" the prince called to me, causing me to shush him. "I know you said not to call upon you but I could not wait any longer." I shook my head, a small smile playing upon my lips.
"I shall be right down but if you see my family, please... do not let them see you!" I smiled again before racing into Jocelyn's room and taking one of her many dresses, one from the back to make sure she would not realize it was gone. I called Maida and she quickly put my hair up upon the top of my head in the braid I had done for Jocelyn so many years before.
"Good luck," Maida said with a smile. "You're so lucky... you have a prince! If only Lady Beldon knew!" I grinned wickedly at thought and brought a finger to my lips.
"Yes, well... we cannot let her know, now can we?" Maida laughed and shook her head. I grinned yet again before speeding down the hall, letting my dress flow out behind me. I missed the feeling horribly and it felt so wonderful to feel it again. I felt so clean and wonderful, almost like my father's princess again.
"Your Majesty," I said when I reached the door. "For what do I have this pleasure?" Eadric smiled happily and reached up, cupping her cheek in her face. He stood there for a moment, staring into her eyes.
"I," Eadric began slowly. "I wanted to see you again. I mean, I was going to take a ride through the forest and was wondering if would like to join me." I smiled and blushed slightly, as I nodded.
"I would love to join you, Majesty," I said, letting my voice give off a regal air. "If His Majesty thinks he can keep up." With that I grabbed onto the saddle that adorned a beautiful white Arabian that he had brought for me. Kicking my heels into the side of the horse, I sent the horse into a graceful gallop. I glanced behind me just in time to see the prince scamper, rather clumsily, up onto the horse. Looking forward, I leaned down and urged the horse to go faster.
"Chantel!" I heard the prince cry to me. "Stop please. Milady you can get hurt!" I let, my head lift as I laughed. My father had first put me on horse when I was four. I swerved in and out of the trees, letting the green forest fly past me. Seeing a clearing up ahead, I began to slow so the prince would catch up to me. I stopped the horse in the middle of the rather small clearing and waited for the prince to ride up.
"Your Highness?" I called. "Are you there?" Looking around the clearing, I slid down the side of my horse. I opened my mouth to call for him again but was cut off by a hand being clamped over my mouth.
"Milady, a pretty woman like you should not be in the woods without an escort," a gravely voice whispered behind me. I squirmed as the hot, foul breath filled my ear.
When he tightened his grip on me I stopped squirming and bit his hand so I was able to talk.
"I advise you to unhand me sir," I said firmly. "I have an escort and he is the future king!" I felt him spin me around and found myself looking at a ragged looking man. Behind him stood a score or so of men with about four guarding the prince.
"You will let the prince and I go sir," I told him, my own confidence surprising me. The men laughed cruelly and the leader shook his head. He came up and cupped my chin in his hand and turned my face from side to side. I scrunched my nose at him and willed myself not to spit in his eye.
"Milady," the man said. "We have ourselves a beautiful noblewoman and a prince for ransom. We are not going to let this chance pass us by." I looked at the prince in hopes he would magically fight off all the bandits but no miracle came. I glanced down at the prince's sword and suddenly an inspiration hit.
"I will fight you for the freedom of the prince and I," I challenged. "Not to the death but you must get your opponent to give in." The bandit laughed loudly and the others soon followed. He looked at me, his eyes wide with disbelief. I marched over to the prince and drew the sword and pointed it at the bandit. The man stopped and looked at me sternly.
"You foolish girl," he said simply, drawing his own sword. With that, the fight began. He lunged towards me and I quickly dodged to the side. We blocked each other's hits for a minute or two and then it turned fierce. He stabbed at me and I quickly leaped to the side, but slow enough that he made a slit for Jocelyn's dress. I stopped abruptly to look at the damage.
"You will pay for the slit sir," I told him as I looked up. Lunging at him, I made a move for him and saw he was having trouble blocking all my fierce attacks. His face contorted as he realized he was weakening. Finally, I gave the last blow, sending him to the ground. Slowly, I walked up to him and put the edge of the sword at his neck.
"I surrender milady," he spat. "Well fought. You may take your prince and leave... but not yet." I eyed him suspiciously and kept the blade at his throat. He looked at the blade and then at me before smiling. "You cannot leave milady until we serve you your victory feast. You're the first person that's won against me in a sword fight, and you're a woman." I laughed at that declaration, drawing the sword away from the bandit and throwing it to Eadric.
"I would thank you, kind sir," I told him with a small grin. "But you have yet to tell us your name." The bandit smiled as his men left Eadric and went off into the forest. I heard the prince come up beside me and I turned to smile at him before looking back at the bandit.
"My name does not matter," the man said softly, his voice almost blending with the wind. "A name does nothing but label you. It does not make you who you are." I smiled at the man's wisdom and nodded, showing I understood. I held out my hand and the bandit took it, leaving a kiss upon the back of my fingers. The bandit smiled and threw up his hands as he yelled, "Now let us eat!"