-Cinderella-
There is an age-old inner monologue that every woman experiences when they are stood up. Ella was unraveling quickly as her mind went through the stages.
She was sitting in the shade of their tree, her knees had been tucked to her chest, and her head had been turned down the street, watching for nobody. She had waited through the late hours of the morning and when three hours passed she realized that he was never going to come in the first place. She was unbelievably gullible.
What was worse, was that even when she realized he wasn't coming, hope still won out and she waited. She could hear a carriage coming before she saw it, and for a fleeting moment she thought her family was returning, and for that short moment, she froze with fear. When the Clark's carriage came into view, Ella sighed in relief, but she still stood and hid herself behind a tree. All it would take was one society lady to see her, and word would inevitably get back to Lady Tremaine.
Once the Clark's carriage came and went down the road, Ella finally realized that she was sacrificing the one day she had freedom. The one day a week without her stepmother and stepsisters had almost wasted away, and now Ella was angry. The tower of Bellview loomed over her head as a stark reminder where she belonged.
She would have done anything in that moment to avoid returning home, so she did the only other thing available to her. She was going to go visit the orphanage. The orphanage lay nearly a mile up the road towards the castle. The land used to be a part of the Bellview estate before her father donated it, and now it was the only place she could go that still offered her any comfort.
The walk wasn't long and she made it frequently enough that the children recognized her and were overjoyed when she brought them sweets. Maybe she would have had time to make some today if she hadn't spent half the day waiting for someone who was never going to come.
She kicked rocks as she walked. Her boots were abused and scratched, but the repetitive act cleared her mind from more painful thoughts. The thundering sound of footsteps rang out, signaling Ella to move off the road. She walked into the tall weeds on the side of the road to make room for the approaching rider. Her shoes grew a film of mud around the bottom and her best dress caught up in burrs on the side of the road.
The lone rider came into sight pulling behind him a wild cloud of dust. The horse was a brilliant chestnut running at full force. As the rider drew closer, she recognized him. It was him. Everything began to slow down around her. Her hands reached up to pick at her hair and then they moved down to straighten her dress.
Her words all scrambled from her mind, and she could actually hear her heartbeat. A small part of her was excited to see him, but a much larger part had already closed off while she waited for hours. She wouldn't allow herself to get roped into her own fantasies again and just be more vulnerable to disappointment.
He ran past her, his eyes focused dead straight ahead, but just when he passed her, his eyes met hers and she got to see shock register on his face. He pulled his horse into a clattering stop just behind her, and he reigned his horse around. Ella waited on the side of the road, not believing her eyes. The cloud of dust he had kicked up dispersed around them as soon as he dismounted. Once he was on the same ground as her, and they stood only feet away from each other. Charles was breathing hard from his ride and Ella was pulling at her dress distractedly.
"I'm sorry." She said automatically. Her constant apologies were a defense mechanism that usually chased away all the confrontation she faced, but the anxiety that welled up in her stomach could not be cured through an apology this time.
"What could you possibly have to be sorry about?" He asked.
Ella blinked. She realized all at once that she did not have a lot to be sorry about.
"I am sorry," He continued, "I was unavoidably detained. Did you wait long?"
lie. That was the only word coursing through her body. The truth was too shameful and pathetic. She had counted down the days to this afternoon, put on her best hand-me-downs, and then waited for hours to meet some high-born Lord. He showed up late. Her actions alone told her that she needed to kill this crush before it killed her.
"No, not at all. I had actually completely forgotten it was Friday till this moment, so your apology is unnecessary."
"My apology is completely warranted, but I am, at least, grateful to hear that you have not been inconvenienced because of me."
"Of course not, and hopefully our informal plans have not inconvenienced your afternoon. You really did not have to come down here in such a state."
"There have been a lot of inconveniences today. You would not be among them." He said bitterly.
"Good. -Well not good, I mean, because of the other inconveniences. I did not mean to call them good." Ella took a short break from speaking and breathed in and out deeply. Even acting nonchalant, she was still putting her words in the wrong place. "What I mean is that I am glad our failed plans have not caused either of us any grief."
She could get through this. If only her cheeks were not flaming red.
"I wonder if our "failed plans" could be salvaged?" He asked.
Ella wanted to say yes. She wanted to sit in a sunny patch of grass and pretend they were someone else, but now the threat of rejection was real.
"I'm visiting the orphanage." She said loudly, after an internal struggle of different replies. That was the uncomplicated way to turn him down. There was no "yes's" or "no's", just an "I'm busy".
"I'll accompany you." He said immediately and Ella deflated. How could she not see that coming. "If that is agreeable?" He added with a touch of desperation.
Ella could not turn him down. She returned out of the weeds and the mud onto the road and with as much dignity as she could muster, she nodded. She turned and began walking without warning and he caught up to her in a few strides, pulling his horse behind him.
"Thank you." He said.
Thankfully, they were close to the orphanage. He asked her dangerous questions that she would avoid, and she asked him questions in return that he would dodge. They walked side by side for nearly twenty minutes and no new information was learned. Charles was failing in answering any of his questions and Ella was failing in hardening her heart. She was beginning to regret accepting his request.
The gate to the orphanage creaked open. The noise acted as a catalyst, sending all the children to the front yard to see what guests they had. Children swamped from the play area in the back as Ella waited for Charles to tie up his horse to the entrance post. It didn't take long before she was swarmed by children trying to pull her here and there to show her their recent adventures.
"Did you bring us anything?" One child asked, pulling at her dress smiling up at her with a handful of teeth missing from his smile.
"Not today, Evan. Next time, I promise."
Some of the children let aloud groans and the crowd thinned, but they were both escorted to the front door by a dozen chattering kids.
When they went through the door Mindy was there to greet them.
"Hello Cinderella! Haven't seen you in a while!" she said brightly She crossed the foyer and pulled Ella into a hug. Ella and Mindy did not see each other often, but they were good friends. They were both foreigners to polished society besides the afternoons they would share tea and pretend they were proper ladies.
Mindy pulled out of the hug to see Charles enter the door behind Ella and Mindy's eyes grew two sizes. Her face split into a wild grin and she gestured to him and she raised her eyebrows suggestively.
Ella moved so that Mindy could fully face him. "Charles this is Mindy Mortenson. She and her husband are part time caretakers here.
Charles held out his hand and she took it hesitantly.
"Mindy, this is Charles. He is my-" she cut off and turned to Charles.
"Friend." He offered, dropping Mindy's hand with a wide grin on his face.
"Friend." Ella agreed.
Mindy stepped back, bringing both her hands together. She was giving Ella crazy eyebrows, practically exploding with excitement.
"I didn't know you had- friends."
Ella smiled tightly "yes, well, sometimes unlikely things do occur."
"Of course! No, yes, that is not what I meant. I'm just-" Mindy looked between them again and her smile went from shock to conspiratorial. "You know, I have just realized that Jim has asked me to help him this afternoon with lessons. It's so great that you both just happened to come by, would you mind monitoring outside play-time for a short bit?"
"I don't think-" Ella was sending daggers with her eyes and shaking her head.
"Please? It would help me out so much!" Mindy only smiled bigger, ignoring her friend's silent pleas.
Ella looked to Charles. Maybe he would find babysitting beneath him.
"I am completely at your disposal" He said, dispersing any of her doubts.
Ella thought she heard Mindy let out a high pitched squeak. She turned back to her to find that Mindy had her mouth covered with her hands.
"We can help you out."
"Great!" She clapped her hand and ushered them both outside where the children were all gathered in their own groups playing games across the yard.
"I'll be back soon!" She called before shutting them both outside.
"Cinderella!" A little girl's voice yelled out. Ella turned and saw as her little friend Lilly ran across the yard, her red curls bouncing wildly.
"You're here!"
Cinderella caught her and then let her down to the ground.
Lilly turned and saw Charles.
"Who is he?"
"Lilly, this is Charles. Charles, Lilly.
Charles kneeled to her level and held out his hand. She took his hand and curtsied low.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, my Lady."
Lilly laughed. "I'm not a Lady. I can curtsy like a Lady though; do you want to see?"
"I would love to see."
Ella laughed. She had never seen a small girl so in love.
Lilly held out her dress dramatically and curtsied so low to the ground Ella thought she would fall forward, but she miraculously stayed on her feet.
"That was a very fine curtsy. Are you sure you are not a Lady?" Charles asked.
Lilly laughed again and shook her head. "Nope, but I fooled you didn't I? Cinderella taught me how to curtsy. She is a real Lady. Are you a Lord?"
Charles looked back to Ella and she shrugged. He would think her words were solely a result of an overreactive child's imagination.
"Do I look like a Lord?"
"Maybe. I don't know what a Lord looks like. I know what knights look like though, and you're not a knight."
Ella looked out at the kids playing and smiled to herself while Charles and Lilly continued their back and forth.
"And what do knights look like?"
"Knights have big bushy beards and mustaches, but most importantly, knights have horses."
"Aha, I do have a horse! Does that make me a knight?"
Lilly nearly leapt out of her shoes when he said that. "A real horse? That is amazing! What kind of horse do you have? Is it big? Does it have a name?"
"Would you like to see for yourself?" Charles asked.
Lilly sobered up and grabbed Charles by the shoulders. "You have a horse here?" She asked seriously.
Charles turned to Ella who was watching their exchange with great interest, "yep, his name is Jump, and I bet he could use some company."
When Charles led Lilly around to the front of the building, nearly a dozen children followed them. Ella watched from afar as Charles took turns with each child, letting them pet his horse, and putting them up on the saddle. She watched as he explained to the group of awestruck children the basics of horse care. He move cautiously with each child, giving each of them the best experience. All the hard work she had done to harden her heart was destroyed as she saw him in this light.
His horse, Jump, neighed loudly in greeting and Ella looked to see two riders passing by the orphanage. Charles looked over his shoulder and the moment he saw the two riders, he ducked behind his horse.
"I think Jump is finally tired." Charles whispered, crouched towards all the children. Ella stepped forward to usher the children to the back yard. She caught the eye of the two riders as they passed. One of the riders wore a guard's uniform that bore the country's insignia and the other wore formal expensive looking clothes.
Both looked between her and the horse with great interest. They slowed their horses once they neared the gate and for a moment they looked as if they would enter, but the more formal looking rider ushered his horse forward and the other followed with one last look back to Ella.
Charles watched them closely from around his horse and he only straightened up once they were out of sight. Ella had so many questions on her lips
"Friends of yours?" She asked.
He winced and looked back to where the riders had disappeared down the road.
"Something like that."
Friends he had to hide from? Maybe he was just embarrassed to be seen here. She wanted to probe him for more answers, but she held herself back.
"Let's join the children around the back." He said with one last look over his shoulder.
Lilly ran over as soon as they rounded the building and decided to tell them both about her week. Ella was happy, the more Lilly spoke to them, the less they had to speak to each other. She began regaling them with tales during the week. She had gotten into a fight, and she acted out both sides.
"Your problem is that you don't know how to throw a proper punch." Charles informed her. After watching her spin while swinging.
"How do you throw a proper punch?" Lilly asked.
Charles crouched down to her level to demonstrate.
"You can't show her to fight. It's not... lady-like." Cinderella interrupted.
"Yes you can! I'm not a Lady." Lilly said, grinning from ear to ear.
"Exactly!" Charles said. "Plus, you heard her. Madelyn deserves it!"
Lilly smiled evilly and Ella stood in front of the pair of them while Charles knelt in front of her, showed her the way to hold her fist, and move through the punch.
"Ok, now try punching me as hard as you can."
"As hard as I can?" Lilly asked, a little too excited.
"As hard as you can. Right here." He said while pointing at his chest.
She didn't need any encouragement before she punched him in the chest as hard as she could. Charles reacted dramatically, falling backwards to the ground and lying still.
Lilly laughed in glee and tried to pull him up, but Charles remained slumped I to the ground in his fine clothes.
"Cinderella, help me!" She yelled, pulling on his arm as hard as she could.
"He doesn't deserve help." Ella said, but she moved over to his side anyways.
He had closed his eyes and laid unmoving, but she saw him peek subtly and her.
He remained unmoving and Lilly cried for her to help louder and louder until she relented and grabbed his hand. Warm tingles crawled up her arm the minute they made contact.
The very second she tried to pull him up, his grip tightened and pulled her down to the ground and softening her landing. She shrieked in surprise and fell right next to him. Lilly soon followed by throwing herself on top of both of them and they all fell into fits of laughter.
"You'll regret that." Ella said between haggard breaths.
"No, I won't, you can't fight back. It's not Lady-like."
He stood up and reached his hand out to help her up. His grin was smug, and Ella suddenly hatched an evil plan.
She took his hand, but as he pulled her up, she swung herself straight into his arms. He grunted in surprise as he caught her before they collided, but when he realized how close they were he hesitated.
She looked deep into his eyes and pulled closer to him, curling one hand against his chest and wrapping the other around his neck. Her heart beat was erratic and his eyes were a as wide as dishes.
She pulled his head down towards her, she put her mouth to his ear and she heard his breathing stop. "I said punching wasn't lady-like. I didn't say anything about fighting."
She pushed him then with all her strength and sent him sprawling to the ground. He caught himself with his hands before he hit the ground too hard and grinned up at her.
"That was a dirty trick." He said, laughing fromthe ground.
"That's how a Lady fights Lilly."
Lilly looked between Cinderella and Charles. Cinderella stood over him, smiling triumphantly with her hands on her hips.
"A Lady shouldn't start a fight she doesn't want to finish." He said with a challenge in his eyes. He stood up slowly and as he drew himself up, Cinderella took more and more steps back, holding out her hands and laughing.
"Don't." She said in warning, but she barely got the word out through her laughter. He stalked towards her threateningly and she moved backwards until tension built up between them and then Cinderella ran as fast as her boots would take her and Charles was in hot pursuit behind her.
Lilly finally realized that this was a game where she could join in.
Charles was faster than Ella. He had a longer stride and more than once he had nearly caught her, but her boots had a much better grip than his slick riding boots, so every time he was close, she would pivot and he would be fall to the ground trying to follow her.
The kids joined them becoming obstacle in his pursuit and soon he was swamped. He had three children on his back, and one wrapped around each leg. He had kids pulling back on his coat and his he was now barely inching towards her.
Ella circled back to gloat, "Do you give up?"
"I never accept defeat." He told her. His eyes glinted with mirth and the children all screamed around them. He shambled towards her, but she stayed barely out of his reach, teasing him.
"Now!" He yelled and all at once, the children let go of him and all jumped towards her. She shrieked and tried to run, but the kids had already grabbed her. They pulled at her dress and then attached themselves to her legs, keeping her from moving.
Charles was right behind them. The children were trying to pull her to the ground, but Charles grabbed around her waist with an iron grip. Her arms were holding onto his, trying to keep from being dragged to the ground. Charles reached out with his other hand and placed it on the tender part of her neck just below her ear as his thumb ran across her cheekbone.
She sucked in a breath. They were standing in the yard embraced like lovers and he was looking down at her with a mixture of awe and reverence. She did not hear the children anymore. She barely even felt them pulling at her. The games were over with now and it was just them.
His head moved down towards hers and she moved up towards him. They were only inches apart, both of them were breathing heavily and trapped in each other's gaze.
"I thought I would enjoy fighting like a Lady" He said, his lips tantalizingly close to hers. "but, I think I've realized that this is much more dangerous than fighting with swords and spears."
He moved suddenly and placed a kiss on her forehead before leaving her to the children who brought her to the ground at last.
"You're it!" They shouted.
-Lawrence Seaver-
"My dear Lady, it is a pleasure to see you again."
Pleasure was a polite word after the way they had parted last, but they weren't standing on the street this time. This time they were on his door step and he could slam his doors and leave her adorned in her finery to look the fool abandoned on his doorstep. He pressed a kiss to her gloved hand and she smiled at him thinly through her pinched features.
"Lawrence. I hope that everything has found you well?"
It was customary to invite a guest inside. He did not care.
"Quite well Lady Tremaine. How fares the halls of Bellview?"
Lady Tremaine smiled her wry smile, "that's exactly what I wanted to talk to you about Lawrence. I have a preposition for you."
His eyebrows went up that was the last thing he expected.
"Your daughters?"
"Yes, well technically. As I said before, Anastasia and Drisella are practically spoken for, but I have another daughter."
"Who is she?" He asked, confused. He had been to all the social events. He prided himself in knowing the innermost gossip of the town, and he had heard noting of another Tremaine.
"Perhaps you best ask me inside." Lady Tremaine said with a smile on her face.
Lawrence moved to the side from the smile alone. He had never seen the woman to blink regularly, much less smile.