I sighed out of bliss as the sunset before me. Eadric and I were almost as one as we rode down the path upon my horse. We had thanked the Bandits for their delicious feast and they had sent us on our way. Eadric's horse was nowhere to be found so we were forced to ride double upon mine.
"Your highness," I whispered, as I tightened my hold around his waist. I felt him squeeze my hands that rested on his stomach and smiled as my heart fluttered.
"Please Chantel," he said kindly. "Call me Eadric." I smiled at this advancement between the prince and myself. I was beginning to feel more like it was Ella and Eadric again and not Chantel and Eadric.
"Eadric," I began again as he slowed the horse. "Did you love my cousin?" Eadric turned to look at me in surprise, almost leading us into a tree.
"Ella?" he asked, jerking the horse away from the tree. "I was but eleven when she took her life, it's not as if we could have loved each other." I eyed him sharply, while saying and doing nothing. My emotions quickly overcame me, however, and I found myself sliding off the horse, even though the horse was still at a relatively fast-paced walk.
"Milady!" Eadric called, sliding off the horse and tying the reins to a nearby tree as I walked briskly away. "Chantel! Please wait Chantel..." I spun on my heel to face him. That was not the answer I wished to hear and my disappointment shone through in my tears.
"Chantel," Eadric whispered as he grabbed my hands that hung at my side and brought them to his lips. I could not help but smile at the kind gesture. I even let out a little laugh but it was muffled by my little sobs.
"Oh Eadric, she loved you so much," I blurt out. "She loved you with all her heart and with all her soul." Eadric pulled me to him and gave my small frame a warm embrace.
"Why did she kill herself?" Eadric questioned me softly. "I'm not afraid to hide the feelings I have had to hide for so long from my parents, for they thought I have gotten over her death and have moved on to Jocelyn. I loved every part of Ella. If she loved me so than why did she take her life? Why did she leave me to marry Jocelyn?" I pulled away from him in surprise.
"You do not love Jocelyn?" I asked innocently. Eadric pulled me to him again and looked me in the eye.
"Jocelyn, herself, is beautiful," he admitted, his voice above a whisper. "But her mother is tainting the poor girl's heart with her poison. Gods truth, Milady, I am not attracted to her. To tell you the truth, I have not been attracted to anyone besides Ella... until now." My heart began to beat wildly and I found my breaths becoming more rapid.
"And who, Milord, has been lucky enough to snare such a kind prince?" I asked, my voice almost husky. Eadric smiled and ran a hand up and down my back. Slowly, but confidently, he leaned in to me and left a kiss upon my nose, before leaning in once again to steal a kiss from me.
"Does that answer your question, Milady?" he asked, causing me to blush in delight. I leaned into him to catch another one of my kisses back when a noise found it's way to my ears. It was the faint sound of church bells. I straightened up and counted them, my eyes widening in horror as the bells continued.
"It's nearly nine!" I cried in horror. "Oh dear, Edmonda's going to slaughter me!" I grabbed Eadric by his arm and pulled him to the horse, not bothering to answer his confused state.
"Just tell her you were with me!" he cried trying to get me to stay. I stopped in mid-stride and turned to face him, fright covering my face.
"No, you cannot tell her I was with you!" I cried in a panic. Eadric eyed me suspiciously and I breathed slowly to recover myself. "She would not be pleased that I have spent all day with you when it could have been Jocelyn in my place. Besides, she is not extraordinarily fond of me since I was so close to Ella. She keeps me out of the little kindness in her heart." All of what I said was the truth, it did not matter how the prince heard what I said. All that mattered was that he would understand not to mention our meeting to anyone.
"Do not worry my dear Chantel," he whispered hoarsely. "I shall not tell a soul, even my own mother, for fear word might reach your Step-Aunt. I would die one thousand deaths if you were forced to leave." I smiled and kissed his cheek.
"Not one million, Majesty?" I teased as he mounted our horse. He laughed and held out a hand to me.
"I would give up royalty for you Chantel," he told me, as his voice became more gentle and his face serious. I shook my head as he pulled me onto the horse.
"Do not say such things," I replied truthfully. "You can do so many great things in your life for your people and country as king." Eadric turned to face me and smiled.
"That's true Dear Chantel," he whispered. "But my life is worthless without you." I smiled and kissed him before he turned and nudged the horse into a trot and then a gallop. I leaned towards him and rested my head upon his back. I closed my eyes and let myself fall into a peaceful sleep.
I awoke to a song that Eadric was softly humming as the horse continued to gallop gracefully. I smiled slowly as he began to sing.
Alone in the forest
Where the sun seems to fade
A beautiful palace
In our hidden glade
Secluded, yet alluring
Filling with magic and grace
It was in our Tree Palace
I did first kiss thy face
I smiled as he went back to humming the tune and kissed his shoulder. He turned to me in surprise and smiled.
"Twas a beautiful song, Milord," I told him truthfully. "Did you write it?" I looked upon him innocently, as if I had heard of no Tree Palace and he, naively, believed the lie.
"I wrote it when I was maybe 13," he told me, slowing down the horse. "I wrote it for Ella." I smiled and looked beyond him and realized we were at the gate of our manor.
"Oh!" I said in surprise. "Just leave me here, Eadric. I do not want to wake up my Aunt." He smiled and kissed me tenderly. I smiled, hoping my love for him shone out through my eyes, as I slid off the horse.
"When can I see you again, Chantel?" he asked, grabbing my hand before I could leave. I looked up at him and grinned at his desperate look.
"Oh Eadric," I said with a laugh. "Come for me tomorrow and take me wherever you wish. I must go!" He nodded and let go of my hand and I ran towards my manor, thanking the Lord that my stepmother and stepsisters would be out at the market on Friday. As I approached the door I saw something that made my stomach wretch. In a window on the upper floor there was a candle. Edmonda was awake and waiting for me.
I made my way up the stairs, breathing slowly as if hoping that I had not seen the dreaded candle in the window. No, it was true. Down the hall I heard the frantic pacing of Edmonda. I hurried past her room and up to my tower where I changed out of Jocelyn's dress and into mine, stuffing hers under some hay. I hurried back down to Edmonda's room. Taking one last deep breath, I marched up to her room and knocked on the wall to get her attention.
"You!" she shrieked, spinning to look at me. "Where in God's name have you been?" She reached towards me and yanked me by my wrist towards her. My hands, instinctively, went up to cover my face and she did nothing but laughed at me.
"Did you think I'd strike you, my dear?" she asked, as if it was to most ridiculous thing I could think. "No, I have a punishment far worse than a beating." I looked up at her, pretending to not understand.
"Dear Step-mother," I said quickly. "I was picking apples for a desert treat when I fell out of the tree. Many travelers were galloping by and startled me. I fell out of the tree and rolled down the hill and over a small cliff into a river. A man living out in the woods cared after me and would not let me leave until I was well." Edmonda eyed me in disbelief, so reluctantly I lifted my skirt to reveal a large cut on my calf the robbers from the wood had wrapped to keep it from becoming infected. Edmonda was more satisfied with this new bit but still eyed me suspiciously.
"To pay for our loss in workers for today," Edmonda said anyway. "I want you to be up extra early tomorrow and to work extra hard or you will be punished." She motioned for me to go away, and I complied, a smirk upon my face at my small accomplishment. I made my way down the hall towards my tower, when a loud rapping sounded at the door. I ran to the window and my heart seemed to stop. A royal messenger's horse was tied outside the door.
"Oh God," I muttered, unsure at what was going on.
"Get the door Ella!" I heard Edmonda cry. I breathed a sigh of relief that she was feeling lazy. Almost breaking into a full-out run, I bolted towards the door incase Jocelyn or Yedda felt the urge to answer it. I thanked the Lord silently when they had decided not to as I flung open the door.
There stood a messenger. He was young, yet growing into manhood and I saw him blush when I curtsied to him.
"I-I have a mes-message for the Beldon Household," he stuttered with a small smile. I returned his smile with a warm one and nodded.
"I shall tell the ladies of the house the message," I replied. He nodded and unrolled a small scroll. Clearing his throat, he began.
"Their royal Majesties, King Henry and Queen Katherine invite all the ladies of the household to a grand masked ball in honor of their son's 16th birthday in hopes he shall find a bride. He has one day from the night of the ball to announce his engagement to the woman he chooses or his parents shall choose for him." I smiled and nodded.
"And when is this grand ball Master Messenger?" I asked, causing the boy to blush furiously yet again.
"It shall take place two days hence," he said with a bow. I smiled and curtsied. When I turned to leave the boy stopped me though.
"I have a message from the prince for this household," he said suddenly, causing me to freeze. "But to get it someone must answer a very funny question. 'Where did I first kiss her face?' Does that make sense to you?" Spinning around, I smiled wide.
"The Palace of the Trees!" I almost cried, but kept my voice to barely more than a whisper. The boy nodded and handed me a sealed letter before bowing and mounting his horse. I stuffed the letter into a pocket sewn on the inside of my over-skirt. Running into the house, I made my way to Edmonda's room. Edmonda watched me enter, a curious look upon her face.
"It took a long while for you to finish talking to our visitor," she commented. I nodded and noticed Jocelyn and Yedda sitting in the corner of Edmonda's room sewing quietly.
"It was a royal messenger," I told them, causing Jocelyn and Yedda to look up in interest. I relayed the message to them, leaving out my letter riddle of course. By the time I had finished, Jocelyn and Yedda were squealing in excitement together. Edmonda smiled in silence, probably imagining Jocelyn as queen.
"Thank you for this news Ella," Edmonda told me simply. "You may go." I smiled and curtsied. After leaving the room, I hurried towards my tower to read the letter I had received.
Within the safety of my tower I ripped open the royal seal upon the letter and began to read. My eyes lit up at the signature at the bottom. It was from Eadric. Sitting down into a pile of hay, my eyes started to skim the letter. The letter simply said that he would pick me up from the gate to the manor at 11 in the morning and to wear clothes for riding in the woods. Puzzled, I folded the note back up in disappointment. I imangined it to be a romantic love letter instead of just an instructional letter. Stuffing it back in my pocket, I prepared to finish up my chores before I went to sleep.
While lighting a fire in Jocelyn's room the next day, I made sure to get rid of the letter so it could not be found and used against me. Jocelyn came in though, just as I prodded the remains of the letter one last time.
"What have you got there, Ella?" her icy voice asked, causing chills to run down my spine. I spun around, putting the prodder back and set a smile upon my face.
"Just making the fire stronger, Jocelyn," I told her, walking to her bed to straighten it up. She grabbed my wrist just as I went to fluff her pillows, a look of disgust playing on her face.
"Unlike you, Ella," she began, her voice crueler than ever. "I do not wish to sleep like pigs." She turned my hand over to reveal ashes all over my palms. "Go wash your hands of the soot, Cinderella, and then tidy up my room." I looked down at my hands in embarrassment, tears filling my eyes. I couldn't believe I let her words get to me like that, but the memories of our friendship before and the way she treated me now left a wound that throbbed uncontrollably.
"Dear step-sister," I managed to say, looking Jocelyn into the eye. "How can we go from good friends to where we are now? I have done nothing to deserve this treatment!" I watched as the cruel glint in Jocelyn's icy-blue eyes begin to fade, and a small warm smile began to appear.
"Yes, you deserve this," a voice interrupted, stabbing through the air like a knife. I turned to the door and saw Edmonda standing there and felt all hope for Jocelyn fade. "You deserve this Ella, because you still live." I said nothing, all words betraying my lips and abandoning them. I wiped my hands upon my over-skirt and made my way to the door to leave. I quivered under the smirk of Edmonda as she let me pass and ran to my tower. Lying in my bed of hay, I began to weep. I cried not for me, but for what my family and my household had become. As I cried a soft, melodious voice reached my ear.
"Ella?" I turned towards the door to my tower and saw Yedda standing there, wringing her fingers out of awkwardness. I smiled at the sight of her there, and sat up, wiping the tears from my face.
"Hello Yedda," I said, a single joyful tear falling freely down my cheek. A smile broke out across her face and she threw herself upon my bed of straw, embracing me like the sister I had been longing to have for many years.
"Oh Ella," she cried, her tears falling onto my golden hair. "I'm so sorry you have been treated like this. I wish I could change the ways of my mother and sister but I can't. I am so sorry." I hugged her back with all my heart and felt my tears falling faster.
"You cannot change them, Yedda," I agreed. "But I'm glad you did. I miss you, sister. Maybe you can win the heart of the Prince at the ball instead of Jocelyn." A smiled at my joke, but Yedda straightened up, fear dancing in her eyes.
"The dress!" she cried, grabbing me by the hand and pulling me from my bed. "Follow me Ella!" I ran down the winding stairs away from my confined escape towards my mother's old room, which has been long since deserted. She pulled me inside and closed the door quietly.
"What is the meaning of this?" I asked, still wiping at my tear-stained face. Yedda smiled and brought a finger to her lips. She ran to the chest at the foot of my mother's bed and unlatched the top, swinging it open. Slowly she began to pull out the most magnificent white dress I had ever seen.
"This was your mothers," Yedda whispered, with a smile. "And these are too." She bent down and pulled out a pair of shoes. I reached out and took them, gasping when I realized they were made of pure glass.
"How'd you know they were here?" I asked in awe, turning the shoes from side to side to watch the light reflect off them. Yedda smiled and laid the dress upon the bed.
"I was praying last night," she began. "And I opened my eyes and the room filled with the most pure white light. A woman dressed all in white came to me. She called herself, Chantel de Fortier. She told me of the dress and shoes and where she hid the key." Yedda held out her hand and dropped something into mine. Opening my fist I saw a small brass key. "She told me to give these to you, so I have. Go to the ball, Ella. Win your prince!" Tucking the key into my hidden pocket, a new tear slid down my face.
"Oh Yedda!" I cried, hugging her once again. "Thank you. Thank you too Mother." I looked up to heaven, and it almost seemed as if I heard a soft 'you are welcome' from above. Before leaving we locked up the dress and shoes and went our separate ways, Yedda to the life of a noble and me to the life of a servant. We both knew now, that there was a point in-between where all made sense, in both lives.