A/N: The poeple in my neighbourhood, or at least the ones my age, think I'm a book worm. I was reading Harry Potter, minding my own buisness when they walked by and whispered "book worm"... Is that not mean? Ah well, but when they passed the second time the guy I liked came up and said "Hi" and then these other two girls passed and while stiffling their laughter they said "Nice book, it really is good."Like they had been dared to or something. I feel like a loser now. So maybe my pen name should be: Loser. That might suit me more than my name .... I shall shut up now and move onto the FUN stuff! Yaaaaaaaay!!!...Thankyou very much: Soulist21 (I'm sorry but it takes me about a week or so to write a chappy, lol i'm very slow when it comes to writing, by tht i don't mean i'm a slow typer cos i'm not but it's just little things like how do i replace "said"in this sentnce?... my harry potter fic is going to be an LJ starting from first year and it's going to go on to seventh year at the least), Anywien (you need not be sad cos i'm probly going to post the chapter just around the time you'll be back.), Mage Light, Leslie (well, it was just a fun lil thing that was... but you have to admit it was well writen. I think ElvenYoukai is a briliant writer.) and EllaFreak (Yaaaay! You're back, I missed you! You had me all worried young lady! I was imagining all these horrible things... shudder ... well, welcome back! I hope you had a fun time at camp!)... I just remembered! I should have said this earlier but I wish you all a very happy summer, I hope y'all are having a blast. Have fun swimming, playing, eating, reading, watching TV, listening to music, running, acting, singing, riding, sleeping, camping, travelling or whatever you're doing this fine summer! And I hope you all catch the wonderful summer flicks! I want to watch: A Cinderella Story (starring: Hilary Duff and Chad Michael Murray Chad! drool), The Princess Diaries 2 (Julie Andrews, Anne Hatheway), and last but certainly NOT least SPIDER MAN 2 (Toby Maguire, Kirsten Dunst). My brother wants to watch Yu Gi Oh the Movie which in my opinion is groooooosss! Since I hate Yu Gi Oh. No offence if you like it. Just placing my opinion. Ahem Anyway now onto Sammy for a the beta's note.
B/N: HIHIHIHIHIHI!!!! Grrr ... Atiya! I'm not gonna start 'em all of like that, you idget! (no offense) She typed the fist sentence before emailing this thing to me to be beta-d. No more 'HIHI!'s. Mou! Anyway ... thanks to everyone who reviewed; EllaFreak, Leslie, Mage Light, Anywien, and Soulist21. Atiya likes reviews. Which means her chappies come faster, and I like that as much as you guys do. Yupses. Also, keep in mind that the first bit of chapter 18 was comlpete and utter messed up ridiculous nonsense. (Atiya named the alien. Faiz ish her brother's name. Heh. .) So ... pay no attention to that, and please don't judge my writing by that stupid piece of ... something.
Chapter 19 (already?!):
Isabella blinked her eyes open to a lot of light, and was surprised to see that the space next to her on the bed was empty. She glanced up at her small clock, gasping in surprise at what she was seeing. It was 11:30. 11:30! She jerked up and noticed that her curtains weren't drawn. So that was where all the light had come from. Her bedroom door was slightly open and she could hear a lot of commotion outside.
Isabella rubbed her eyes and walked over to the door, and cautiously eased it open, curious to what all the noise was for.
What she saw when she opened the door made her gasp. The halls were swarming with decorators, wedding bells were being hung, banners were being put up and many rolls of cloth were being towered in the room across. She could see her mother, aunt and grandmother talking to a stern looking woman who had her silky black hair tied back in a very tight bun. She also gave the appearance of being much taller than she really was. (B/N: Mcgonagall? (sp?) Hehe.)
Daria saw Isabella and waved. She was the first person to have noticed her in the hall full of people.
"Isabella!" she waved. "You're awake!"
Ella turned her head and smiled. "Good morning honey!"
Isabella stared at them with confusion in her eyes.
They walked over to her along with the woman who they were talking to.
"What is going on?" Isabella asked.
"We're preparing for the wedding, dear!" Daria told her with a smile.
"Must we decorate the whole house?" Isabella inquired combing her hair with her fingers, perfectly aware that she was a mess.
"Certainly!" Cecilia replied enthusiastically. "Now Isabella, I want you to meet Jennifer-" she motioned to the stern looking woman, who bowed when she was introduced. "She is a wedding planner and she will be in charge of planning your wedding."
Isabella gave her a forced smile; she didn't have the energy to curtsy first thing in the morning.
"Why-" Isabella had barely said the word when four women who started stretching measuring tapes around and across her. "Why are they measuring me?"
"Don't mind them, they're just measuring you for your wedding dress." Daria said with a small laugh.
Isabella crossed her arms. "Why is there such a fuss over the wedding?!" She half yelled. "I thought I already mentioned that I am not having a wedding in two week's notice! I am not going to start showing in two weeks!"
Most of the decorators were staring at the princess, some were having a little laugh behind their hands. The wedding planner, Jennifer was irritated by this, she excused herself and started giving out instructions to some of the decorators.
"Isabella, honey." Ella walked to her and smoothed her hair. "I know this is overwhelming, you should have seen John-" Ella smiled at the memory, "but don't worry. I would not do all this to hurt you. If it were something bad I wouldn't have let it happen but this is how it has to be if we're going to have a wedding here."
Isabella sighed, her mother's words had made her feel a little better but why was there such a big fuss? Why did the whole palace have to be decorated?
The women who were measuring her had now stopped and rushed her hastily back into her room. Ella, Cecilia and Daria followed shutting the door behind them.
They undressed her and a woman with short red curls had started to instruct the ladies.
"No, no, no! The corset must be more fitted!"
Isabella gasped for breath as the women tightened her corset.
"Alright dear, here is the plan for your wedding. There is going to be wedding ceremony, then there will be a baby shower, and a ball will complete the event." Daria explained very quickly.
"A baby shower," Isabella choked out. "Is that really necessary? Please, could this corset be a little less tight; I am expecting after all."
"Oh yes, I forgot! Losen the corset please!" The red haired woman smiled. "How do you want the wedding dress to be-"
"I will tell you that this princess has no sense of fashion," came a voice.
"JOHN! I am changing! Get out!" Isabella glared at her fiancee, no longer choking.
"I am your future husband, meaning I have special privileges."
Ella, Cecilia and Daria laughed.
"Let him stay, I agree, you have no fashion sense." Cecilia said putting a chair in front of Isabella and motioning John to sit on it.
John sat down and thanked Cecilia."Alright. What was the question? Ah yes, how should the gown be. Well, I want there to be no sleeves, instead the neck should eventually decrease in to two straps which are tied behind her neck."
The red haired tailor was still quite shocked by John's sudden arrival but she agreed, "Yes, that is quite fashionable today."
Isabella glowered at John, colour fast rising to stain her cheeks.
Ignoring her he continued, "And, wedding dresses are usually good long, but please no train. They disgust me."
It took a while but soon the outline of the dress was pinned on to Isabella.
"Now, I think that the skirt should be sewed together in the middle." John walked over to Isabella, and kneeled in front of her skirt using his fingers to hold the two sides of the skirt together.
"Yes, yes. That will look nice." The tailor said. Everybody (except for Isabella) was quite taken aback by John's interest (and good taste) in fashion. So far the only one who had disagreed with anything John had said was in fact the one that the dress was actually for. She gave John yet another glare. "I'm tired." She complained. "May I at least have breakfast?"
"Of course dear!" Ella said, remembering that her eldest daughter still needed to eat breakfast. "John, would you like something as well?" She inquired as she went over to the door.
"No, thank you."
Ella instructed a maid to bring some cinnamon bread from the kitchen.
"I'm thirsty." Isabella was not at all worried about being too bossy, at least not anymore.
John picked up the glass of water that was on her bedside table. "Here we go." He said putting it to her lips, she took a few sips.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome." John sat back down.
"Do you think we should add more layers to the skirt?" The tailor asked John holding her chin and staring at the wedding dress that was so far.
"Well, maybe just one more." John replied.
"John, how did you come in exactly when I was changing? How did you know?" Isabella demanded.
"I didn't mean to, dear. I had just come in to tell you that your father has knighted me, but when I saw you were in the process of making your wedding dress I tho-"
"WHAT?!" Isabella's loud exclamation made everybody jump, including the women who were pinning her skirt. Luckily the princess did not get stabbed by the pin. "YOU GOT KNIGHTED? WHY DID YOU NOT TELL ME EARLIER?"
"Must have slipped my mind."
"Congratulations, honey!" Isabella leaned in, motioning for him to come up and kiss her. It took him a few seconds to realize but he stood up and gave her a peck on the lips.
"Congratulations John!" Ella hugged him
"Good work!" Cecilia shook his his hand vigorously.
Daria nodded. "Congratulations, I knew that you would make it."
John blushed.
"Congratulations." The tailor gave him a brief smile before telling one of the women that she was putting the pin in the wrong way.
Isabella looked at him eagerly as he sat down again.
"What? Do I have something on my face?"
"John! Tell me what happened!"
They were inturrupted by a knock. "Come in!" Ella called.
A maid brought a plate with two slices of cinnamon bread. John took it from her and thanked her.
"Alright, now I'll tell you while I feed you." He said breaking a piece of the bread.
"John don't feed me-" John stuffed a bite in her mouth.
She chewed it and swallowed.
"That is not an option."
"Isabella, honey, if you don't mind, we'd better go. Lots of planning lies ahead of us." Came Daria's voice.
"Right, well goodbye."
"Goodbye." They chorused in reply.
As soon as they left John started to explain. although he continued to feed Isabella while he spoke.
"Well, I ate breakfast with your father today and he kept eyeing me during the whole meal. I wanted to leave as soon as possible, so I ate swiftly, and as soon as I finished he got up with me. Mind, he wasn't even finished his breakfast. He said to come with him to the study. When we got there he asked if I wanted to be a knight. I said that I wasn't about to take any favourism and that I knew that all the positions of kinghts were already taken. He laughed and told me that there was one position remaining, the one that N-N- well, you know ... he ... left. I asked him why he was picking me out of all the men in Frell. Well, he said that I was loyal, turstworthy and strong. He said he wanted to make me a knight from the first time he saw me if only there were still some positions were open. It was my childhood dream to be a knight so I let him knight me. Now I think I might have done wrong."
"Of course you haven't!" Isabella said surprised that thought would ever cross his mind.
"Well, I think he might be favouring me." John said stuffing another bite of cinnamon bread into Isabella's mouth.
Isabella swallowed.
"Of course he isn't!"
"How do you know?"
"My father does not favour anybody, he is the fairest person I know. Uncle Thomas applied to be a knight, but he got rejected because he was not quite mentally ready to be a knight, and he was older than you at the time."
That had made John feel a little better. Well, maybe a lot better.
While John and Isabella were talking Elizabeth and Leonardo were downstairs...
"Hurry up!" Leonardo seethed, clenching his teeth as he opened the door to Ella's study so that his twin could hear him.
"Close the door!" Elizabeth snapped back, Leonardo quickly closed it. "Do you think I don't want to get out of here? I was supposed to get measured for my bridesmaid dress, alongside Anna for her flower girl."
Leonardo didn't reply.
He closed his eyes, but when he reopened them he saw Ella was coming their way. "Elizabeth, she's coming. Mother's coming!" He cried urgently through the door.
Inside Elizabeth panicked. Quickly she returned a book labeled diary back on to the bookshelf. Curiously, it had been empty. Elizabeth looked around the small room for a place to hide. Desperate, she scurried to underneath the small table that was covered by a tablecloth. It would have to do.
She noticed a thick book of fairytales under the table, the table was so small that Elizabeth's foot was on the book. 'It must have fallen here." She thought.
She could hear her mother's voice outside the door.
"Leo, what are you doing?"
"Nothing ... I was just ... umm ... standing." Leonardo stammered.
"Ah. Well, you are supposed to be in your room getting measured for the clothes you are going to wear at the wedding."
Leonardo hadn't replied, but Elizabeth guessed he had nodded.
The door opened, and Ella came in. Elizabeth sensed her sitting down, she held her breath, but to her surprise, he mother's hand lifted the tablecloth and reached under the table. She felt Elizabeth and the hand froze. Slowly Ella lowered her head and saw Elizabeth. She let out a deep sigh.
"Liz, you gave me a shock!"She exclaimed as Elizabeth got out. "What were you doing?!"
"Mother ... it was just that ..." She gave a small sigh and told Ella all about their curiosity. "Sorry, mother." She said at the end.
"No, no, I should be sorry." Ella shook her head. "Leonardo, you can come in now." She callled.
Leonardo entered sheepishly.
"You know ... when I ... long ago ... when I was born ..." Ella got up, she was sweating slightly. "Follow me." Ella got up, pulling the book out from under the table and leading the two out of the study. Up the staircase, down the hall, through a small chamber, to the left and into their older sister's room. She knocked. "Come in!" came Isabella's voice.
Isabella was wearing a normal gown, sitting on a chair and reading a book.
"Isabella, we all need to have a little talk."
Isabella jerked up and her book went flying to the other side of the bed.
"I ... I ... I thought we already had that talk mother ... long ago .... it might have been a little late to give it to me anyhow ... I suppose this is for Leo and Liz ... should I get Father?"
"Not that talk!" Ella rolled her eyes in a most un-queenly manner.
Isabella sank back into her chair. "Good."
"You see, Leo and Liz were curious about what happened to me when I was young. What was in my past, because I seemed to have hidden it from you three."
"I used to be curious too, but I just gave up." Isabella confessed.
"When I was born," Ella started, "A fairy put a curse on me. She called it a gift, but it was a curse, it was the curse of obedience."
The three, raised their eyebrows, clearly expecting something much different.
Ella continued. "The curse did not let me have my own will. If somebody were to order me to make my bed I would have to do it, I wouldn't have been able to stop. If the order was to cut of my head, let myself be eaten by an ogre, or even to kill my own mother I would have had to do it. The only people other from me who knew about the curse were Mandy and my mother, who were present when it had been laid on me..."
Ella continued to tell them about her fifth birthday, he so-called friend when she had been eight, mother's death, Char's entrance into her life, Mandy being her fairy god mother, her father, finishing school, the elves, the ogres, the giant's wedding, her father's marriage, her step family, the letters, the magic book, Lucinda's promise to not do big magic, the three balls, and the breaking of the curse
"... and then we got married after a month. Lucinda was there. She gave us a gift, oh don't worry it wasn't a curse, but I think it's somewhere in my study, I'll show you sometime."
"Mother can I see the book?" Elizabeth chirped excitedly.
"Be careful!" Ella warned, handing it to her. Elizbaeth flipped the pages excitedly, Leonardo peering over her shoulder.
"Wow! Mother! This has pictures of... this is interesting! May I borrow it?"
"Alright."
"Thank you!"
"Share it with your brother!" Ella called as Elizabeth ran out of the room, Leonardo toppling off behind her.
Isabella was staring at Ella silently with her hand on her stomach.
"What's wrong dear?" Ella asked concerningly.
"Mother, what if Lucinda is at the wedding?"
"Well, honey, rest assured, she no longer does big magic, curses and the sort."
"But she will be there."
"Of course. Fairies are always there at weddings and births."
"Births? So she is going to be at my child's birth as well?"
"Well... I suppose so."
"Mother she is going to get to chances to curse my family."
"Lucinda does not do big magic anymore."
Isabella got up. "Yes she does, because Nabare told me he had the gift to see the future and only fairies can give gifts!"
"It could just be genetics you know."
The door was opened and John came in.
Isabella approached him "Mother cancel all the arrangements. There is not going to be a wedding."
B/N: HIHIHIHIHIHI!!!! Grrr ... Atiya! I'm not gonna start 'em all of like that, you idget! (no offense) She typed the fist sentence before emailing this thing to me to be beta-d. No more 'HIHI!'s. Mou! Anyway ... thanks to everyone who reviewed; EllaFreak, Leslie, Mage Light, Anywien, and Soulist21. Atiya likes reviews. Which means her chappies come faster, and I like that as much as you guys do. Yupses. Also, keep in mind that the first bit of chapter 18 was comlpete and utter messed up ridiculous nonsense. (Atiya named the alien. Faiz ish her brother's name. Heh. .) So ... pay no attention to that, and please don't judge my writing by that stupid piece of ... something.
Chapter 19 (already?!):
Isabella blinked her eyes open to a lot of light, and was surprised to see that the space next to her on the bed was empty. She glanced up at her small clock, gasping in surprise at what she was seeing. It was 11:30. 11:30! She jerked up and noticed that her curtains weren't drawn. So that was where all the light had come from. Her bedroom door was slightly open and she could hear a lot of commotion outside.
Isabella rubbed her eyes and walked over to the door, and cautiously eased it open, curious to what all the noise was for.
What she saw when she opened the door made her gasp. The halls were swarming with decorators, wedding bells were being hung, banners were being put up and many rolls of cloth were being towered in the room across. She could see her mother, aunt and grandmother talking to a stern looking woman who had her silky black hair tied back in a very tight bun. She also gave the appearance of being much taller than she really was. (B/N: Mcgonagall? (sp?) Hehe.)
Daria saw Isabella and waved. She was the first person to have noticed her in the hall full of people.
"Isabella!" she waved. "You're awake!"
Ella turned her head and smiled. "Good morning honey!"
Isabella stared at them with confusion in her eyes.
They walked over to her along with the woman who they were talking to.
"What is going on?" Isabella asked.
"We're preparing for the wedding, dear!" Daria told her with a smile.
"Must we decorate the whole house?" Isabella inquired combing her hair with her fingers, perfectly aware that she was a mess.
"Certainly!" Cecilia replied enthusiastically. "Now Isabella, I want you to meet Jennifer-" she motioned to the stern looking woman, who bowed when she was introduced. "She is a wedding planner and she will be in charge of planning your wedding."
Isabella gave her a forced smile; she didn't have the energy to curtsy first thing in the morning.
"Why-" Isabella had barely said the word when four women who started stretching measuring tapes around and across her. "Why are they measuring me?"
"Don't mind them, they're just measuring you for your wedding dress." Daria said with a small laugh.
Isabella crossed her arms. "Why is there such a fuss over the wedding?!" She half yelled. "I thought I already mentioned that I am not having a wedding in two week's notice! I am not going to start showing in two weeks!"
Most of the decorators were staring at the princess, some were having a little laugh behind their hands. The wedding planner, Jennifer was irritated by this, she excused herself and started giving out instructions to some of the decorators.
"Isabella, honey." Ella walked to her and smoothed her hair. "I know this is overwhelming, you should have seen John-" Ella smiled at the memory, "but don't worry. I would not do all this to hurt you. If it were something bad I wouldn't have let it happen but this is how it has to be if we're going to have a wedding here."
Isabella sighed, her mother's words had made her feel a little better but why was there such a big fuss? Why did the whole palace have to be decorated?
The women who were measuring her had now stopped and rushed her hastily back into her room. Ella, Cecilia and Daria followed shutting the door behind them.
They undressed her and a woman with short red curls had started to instruct the ladies.
"No, no, no! The corset must be more fitted!"
Isabella gasped for breath as the women tightened her corset.
"Alright dear, here is the plan for your wedding. There is going to be wedding ceremony, then there will be a baby shower, and a ball will complete the event." Daria explained very quickly.
"A baby shower," Isabella choked out. "Is that really necessary? Please, could this corset be a little less tight; I am expecting after all."
"Oh yes, I forgot! Losen the corset please!" The red haired woman smiled. "How do you want the wedding dress to be-"
"I will tell you that this princess has no sense of fashion," came a voice.
"JOHN! I am changing! Get out!" Isabella glared at her fiancee, no longer choking.
"I am your future husband, meaning I have special privileges."
Ella, Cecilia and Daria laughed.
"Let him stay, I agree, you have no fashion sense." Cecilia said putting a chair in front of Isabella and motioning John to sit on it.
John sat down and thanked Cecilia."Alright. What was the question? Ah yes, how should the gown be. Well, I want there to be no sleeves, instead the neck should eventually decrease in to two straps which are tied behind her neck."
The red haired tailor was still quite shocked by John's sudden arrival but she agreed, "Yes, that is quite fashionable today."
Isabella glowered at John, colour fast rising to stain her cheeks.
Ignoring her he continued, "And, wedding dresses are usually good long, but please no train. They disgust me."
It took a while but soon the outline of the dress was pinned on to Isabella.
"Now, I think that the skirt should be sewed together in the middle." John walked over to Isabella, and kneeled in front of her skirt using his fingers to hold the two sides of the skirt together.
"Yes, yes. That will look nice." The tailor said. Everybody (except for Isabella) was quite taken aback by John's interest (and good taste) in fashion. So far the only one who had disagreed with anything John had said was in fact the one that the dress was actually for. She gave John yet another glare. "I'm tired." She complained. "May I at least have breakfast?"
"Of course dear!" Ella said, remembering that her eldest daughter still needed to eat breakfast. "John, would you like something as well?" She inquired as she went over to the door.
"No, thank you."
Ella instructed a maid to bring some cinnamon bread from the kitchen.
"I'm thirsty." Isabella was not at all worried about being too bossy, at least not anymore.
John picked up the glass of water that was on her bedside table. "Here we go." He said putting it to her lips, she took a few sips.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome." John sat back down.
"Do you think we should add more layers to the skirt?" The tailor asked John holding her chin and staring at the wedding dress that was so far.
"Well, maybe just one more." John replied.
"John, how did you come in exactly when I was changing? How did you know?" Isabella demanded.
"I didn't mean to, dear. I had just come in to tell you that your father has knighted me, but when I saw you were in the process of making your wedding dress I tho-"
"WHAT?!" Isabella's loud exclamation made everybody jump, including the women who were pinning her skirt. Luckily the princess did not get stabbed by the pin. "YOU GOT KNIGHTED? WHY DID YOU NOT TELL ME EARLIER?"
"Must have slipped my mind."
"Congratulations, honey!" Isabella leaned in, motioning for him to come up and kiss her. It took him a few seconds to realize but he stood up and gave her a peck on the lips.
"Congratulations John!" Ella hugged him
"Good work!" Cecilia shook his his hand vigorously.
Daria nodded. "Congratulations, I knew that you would make it."
John blushed.
"Congratulations." The tailor gave him a brief smile before telling one of the women that she was putting the pin in the wrong way.
Isabella looked at him eagerly as he sat down again.
"What? Do I have something on my face?"
"John! Tell me what happened!"
They were inturrupted by a knock. "Come in!" Ella called.
A maid brought a plate with two slices of cinnamon bread. John took it from her and thanked her.
"Alright, now I'll tell you while I feed you." He said breaking a piece of the bread.
"John don't feed me-" John stuffed a bite in her mouth.
She chewed it and swallowed.
"That is not an option."
"Isabella, honey, if you don't mind, we'd better go. Lots of planning lies ahead of us." Came Daria's voice.
"Right, well goodbye."
"Goodbye." They chorused in reply.
As soon as they left John started to explain. although he continued to feed Isabella while he spoke.
"Well, I ate breakfast with your father today and he kept eyeing me during the whole meal. I wanted to leave as soon as possible, so I ate swiftly, and as soon as I finished he got up with me. Mind, he wasn't even finished his breakfast. He said to come with him to the study. When we got there he asked if I wanted to be a knight. I said that I wasn't about to take any favourism and that I knew that all the positions of kinghts were already taken. He laughed and told me that there was one position remaining, the one that N-N- well, you know ... he ... left. I asked him why he was picking me out of all the men in Frell. Well, he said that I was loyal, turstworthy and strong. He said he wanted to make me a knight from the first time he saw me if only there were still some positions were open. It was my childhood dream to be a knight so I let him knight me. Now I think I might have done wrong."
"Of course you haven't!" Isabella said surprised that thought would ever cross his mind.
"Well, I think he might be favouring me." John said stuffing another bite of cinnamon bread into Isabella's mouth.
Isabella swallowed.
"Of course he isn't!"
"How do you know?"
"My father does not favour anybody, he is the fairest person I know. Uncle Thomas applied to be a knight, but he got rejected because he was not quite mentally ready to be a knight, and he was older than you at the time."
That had made John feel a little better. Well, maybe a lot better.
While John and Isabella were talking Elizabeth and Leonardo were downstairs...
"Hurry up!" Leonardo seethed, clenching his teeth as he opened the door to Ella's study so that his twin could hear him.
"Close the door!" Elizabeth snapped back, Leonardo quickly closed it. "Do you think I don't want to get out of here? I was supposed to get measured for my bridesmaid dress, alongside Anna for her flower girl."
Leonardo didn't reply.
He closed his eyes, but when he reopened them he saw Ella was coming their way. "Elizabeth, she's coming. Mother's coming!" He cried urgently through the door.
Inside Elizabeth panicked. Quickly she returned a book labeled diary back on to the bookshelf. Curiously, it had been empty. Elizabeth looked around the small room for a place to hide. Desperate, she scurried to underneath the small table that was covered by a tablecloth. It would have to do.
She noticed a thick book of fairytales under the table, the table was so small that Elizabeth's foot was on the book. 'It must have fallen here." She thought.
She could hear her mother's voice outside the door.
"Leo, what are you doing?"
"Nothing ... I was just ... umm ... standing." Leonardo stammered.
"Ah. Well, you are supposed to be in your room getting measured for the clothes you are going to wear at the wedding."
Leonardo hadn't replied, but Elizabeth guessed he had nodded.
The door opened, and Ella came in. Elizabeth sensed her sitting down, she held her breath, but to her surprise, he mother's hand lifted the tablecloth and reached under the table. She felt Elizabeth and the hand froze. Slowly Ella lowered her head and saw Elizabeth. She let out a deep sigh.
"Liz, you gave me a shock!"She exclaimed as Elizabeth got out. "What were you doing?!"
"Mother ... it was just that ..." She gave a small sigh and told Ella all about their curiosity. "Sorry, mother." She said at the end.
"No, no, I should be sorry." Ella shook her head. "Leonardo, you can come in now." She callled.
Leonardo entered sheepishly.
"You know ... when I ... long ago ... when I was born ..." Ella got up, she was sweating slightly. "Follow me." Ella got up, pulling the book out from under the table and leading the two out of the study. Up the staircase, down the hall, through a small chamber, to the left and into their older sister's room. She knocked. "Come in!" came Isabella's voice.
Isabella was wearing a normal gown, sitting on a chair and reading a book.
"Isabella, we all need to have a little talk."
Isabella jerked up and her book went flying to the other side of the bed.
"I ... I ... I thought we already had that talk mother ... long ago .... it might have been a little late to give it to me anyhow ... I suppose this is for Leo and Liz ... should I get Father?"
"Not that talk!" Ella rolled her eyes in a most un-queenly manner.
Isabella sank back into her chair. "Good."
"You see, Leo and Liz were curious about what happened to me when I was young. What was in my past, because I seemed to have hidden it from you three."
"I used to be curious too, but I just gave up." Isabella confessed.
"When I was born," Ella started, "A fairy put a curse on me. She called it a gift, but it was a curse, it was the curse of obedience."
The three, raised their eyebrows, clearly expecting something much different.
Ella continued. "The curse did not let me have my own will. If somebody were to order me to make my bed I would have to do it, I wouldn't have been able to stop. If the order was to cut of my head, let myself be eaten by an ogre, or even to kill my own mother I would have had to do it. The only people other from me who knew about the curse were Mandy and my mother, who were present when it had been laid on me..."
Ella continued to tell them about her fifth birthday, he so-called friend when she had been eight, mother's death, Char's entrance into her life, Mandy being her fairy god mother, her father, finishing school, the elves, the ogres, the giant's wedding, her father's marriage, her step family, the letters, the magic book, Lucinda's promise to not do big magic, the three balls, and the breaking of the curse
"... and then we got married after a month. Lucinda was there. She gave us a gift, oh don't worry it wasn't a curse, but I think it's somewhere in my study, I'll show you sometime."
"Mother can I see the book?" Elizabeth chirped excitedly.
"Be careful!" Ella warned, handing it to her. Elizbaeth flipped the pages excitedly, Leonardo peering over her shoulder.
"Wow! Mother! This has pictures of... this is interesting! May I borrow it?"
"Alright."
"Thank you!"
"Share it with your brother!" Ella called as Elizabeth ran out of the room, Leonardo toppling off behind her.
Isabella was staring at Ella silently with her hand on her stomach.
"What's wrong dear?" Ella asked concerningly.
"Mother, what if Lucinda is at the wedding?"
"Well, honey, rest assured, she no longer does big magic, curses and the sort."
"But she will be there."
"Of course. Fairies are always there at weddings and births."
"Births? So she is going to be at my child's birth as well?"
"Well... I suppose so."
"Mother she is going to get to chances to curse my family."
"Lucinda does not do big magic anymore."
Isabella got up. "Yes she does, because Nabare told me he had the gift to see the future and only fairies can give gifts!"
"It could just be genetics you know."
The door was opened and John came in.
Isabella approached him "Mother cancel all the arrangements. There is not going to be a wedding."