The girls spent the next few days in the attic without any food or water being given to them. Ella was fine, she had been eating plenty but Alice was the one in real danger. She had been giving her meals to Ella for so long that the poor girl was practically skin and bones. Without the little bit of food that she had been eating, Alice was getting weaker each day. However the two girls still managed to talk and laugh with each other. Then finally, on a sunny day with a lovely breeze, Ella was entertaining Alice by doing some dances around the room.
Ella did a couple spins that had Alice giggling and the woman began singing softly. Ella joined in moments later while she continued dancing, the two voices harmonizing easily and creating a beautiful melody. While she sang, Alice looked out the window and noticed there was movement in front of the house at the same time she heard the door open. Neither of the girls cared who was at the door, because they knew that nobody would be here to see them. They had accepted their fates and they knew that once this whole business had blown over, they would remember their beautiful night spent with their handsome men. It would be, without a doubt, the highlight of Alice's life no matter what else happened.
"I love him Ella." The young woman stopped her spinning and turned to stare at Alice with surprise. Alice simply shrugged before looking back out the window at the clouds that passed by. "I know I've been denying it to everyone but at least someone should know. Girls like me shouldn't fall in love, it's ridiculous really. I know I'll never be anywhere near good enough for a man like him. However, I love my Captain with every part of my being. I'll never be able to love anyone else, ever."
Ella smiled and walked over to Alice, hugging her friend tightly without saying a word. Ella knew that Alice hated herself and that meant that she couldn't see what a wonderful person she was. Alice would do anything to help make things easier for other people. Even if someone had done something terrible to her, Alice would forgive them in an instant if only they asked. Alice was one of the best people that Ella knew, ranking right alongside her mother and father. Ella could tell her all this, but Alice would simply deny it so Ella just hugged her.
Sighing, Alice wrapped her arms around Ella and the two began swaying back and forth. Without even thinking about it, Alice began singing the song Ella's mother sang all the time. Ella joined in and they harmonized again but what neither of them noticed was the window being pushed open by Ella's mice.
"When I am king, dilly, dilly. You shall be queen.
Lavender's green, dilly, dilly. Lavender's blue.
If you love me, dilly, dilly. I will love you.
Let the birds sing, dilly, dilly. And the lambs play.
We shall be safe, dilly, dilly. Out of harm's way."
Downstairs, the Captain heard what was obviously two women singing and one of the voices sounded painfully familiar. He questioned Lady Tremaine, becoming angry when she lied about there being no other maidens in the house. Suddenly the Prince revealed himself and requested that the Captain go find the source of the singing. The Captain was more than happy to go look and rushed Lady Tremaine along.
Alice and Ella had finished singing and were standing together at the window, staring outside blankly. Hearing the door unlock Alice stepped in front of Ella protectively, not willing to allow Lady Tremaine anywhere near Ella again. Lady Tremaine entered and motioned to the girls lazily, looking extremely unhappy. Alice's breath caught in her throat when she saw who entered immediately after.
"There! You see? I told you it was no one of any importance." The Captain raised an eyebrow at Lady Tremaine then looked over at Alice and Ella.
"We'll see about that. Ladies, you are requested and required to present yourself to your king." Alice immediately dropped into a curtsey in an attempt to keep the Captain from seeing the bruises still covering her face. Ella nodded and took a step forward but was stopped by Lady Tremaine saying she forbid her to do this. Having reached the end of his patience and longing to hold Alice in his arms and look at her beautiful face again, the Captain's next words were sharp and unkind.
"And I forbid you to forbid her! Who are you to stop an officer of the king? Are you an empress? A saint? A deity?" Lady Tremaine looked surprised at the man's tone then looked at Ella with wide eyes before lying and saying she was Ella's mother. Ella stood tall and put her chin out stubbornly before vehemently denying it and walking past her stepmother, grabbing Alice's hand as she went.
"Just remember who you are, you wretch." Lady Tremaine grabbed Ella's arm as she passed but let out a loud gasp when Alice grabbed her wrist in return. With all the power she possessed, Alice flung the woman's arm away which made Lady Tremaine spin slightly to keep upright. The look on Alice's face was pure, unadulterated anger.
"You will not touch her again! How dare you!" Before anything else could be said, Ella pulled Alice out of the room and shut the door soundly. Ella nodded gratefully to the Captain then quickly pushed Alice toward him, knowing he would catch her. Then she turned and made her way down the stairs, eager to see Kit again.
As she spun away from Ella, Alice kept her head down and didn't look up when she felt the Captain's hands on her arms. He immediately hugged her and the two sighed as though a giant weight had been lifted from their shoulders. Alice felt a knot in chest loosen when he held her close and she took a deep breath to catch his scent. He smelled like freshly washed cotton, leather, horses, and he had an underlying scent of something delicious that made Alice's mouth water. The Captain groaned as he felt how thin she had gotten in just the few weeks they had been apart. She still smelled almost exactly as he remembered though. Flowers mostly, but with the scent of a freshly cooked meal and something that reminded him of a spicy candy he had once had as a child. Though as he pressed his nose harder against her hair, he also caught the sharp scent of blood which immediately caused him to worry.
"My name is Alice." The young woman took a shuddering breath as she wrapped her arms around him tightly. "My name is Alice and I'm so sorry I left you." The Captain chuckled softly before starting to pull away to look at her face. However, Alice didn't let go so he still couldn't see her face.
"My name is John and I've been looking everywhere for you my darling." Putting his fingers under her chin, he slowly tipped her head up so he could see her face. What he saw, surprised and scared him almost beyond words. Alice's face was terribly bruised, some deep purple while others were fading to yellow, her lip had been split and constantly reopening whenever she smiled, and her right eye was nearly swollen shut. The shallow cuts on her face looked to be infected, as if she hadn't been able to clean them properly. Her eyes began to water as she saw the blatant horror on the Captain's face and she tried to turn her head away but he wouldn't allow it.
He asked her who did this to her, his voice barely above a whisper but Alice only shook her head. Tears ran down her face and she lowered her eyes as much as she could so she wouldn't have to see his reaction. Pulling a handkerchief from his coat, the Captain gently wiped away her tears before kissing her forehead gently.
"Did the Lady of the house do this to you?" Alice looked up at him quickly and stared into his eyes for a moment before she nodded slowly. The Captain sighed frowned before wrapping his arm around Alice's shoulder and leading her down the stairs. He mumbled something about talking to the King while they walked. They reached the main floor in time to see Anastasia and Drisella burst into the room that had Ella and Kit in it. The girls began apologizing profusely but they didn't receive an answer. Suddenly the Grand Duke spoke up when he saw Alice.
"Your Majesty, it seems unfair to not allow this woman to try on the shoe as well. You said it had to be tried on every maiden in the kingdom." Kit looked up at his words and his mouth dropped open when he spotted Alice's face. Ella looked exceptionally worried and Alice merely looked tired. She put her hand on top of the Captain's, where it still rested on her shoulders, before staring at the King. Wanting to be true to his word, Kit gently took the shoe from Ella and began walking to Alice.
The Captain helped her sit down in a chair before the King kneeled down in front of her. Anastasia and Drisella stood off to the side, staring anxiously like everyone else. They were all wondering what would happen if the shoe did fit Alice as well. Kit stared at Alice for a moment before inquiring about her injuries.
"Job hazard I suppose. I was protecting the future queen to the best of my ability." Ella frowned at her friend's words while Kit merely shook his head and chuckled. Alice removed her shoe and held her foot out in front of her gently while she bit her lip, which reopened the wound. The King slid the slipper on Alice's foot carefully and his breath caught in his throat when it seemed to fit perfectly. The Captain closed his eyes in sorrow, Ella looked like she would faint, Kit continued to stare at Alice's foot and the Grand Duke has a vicious smile on his face. Shrugging, Alice stared directly at the Grand Duke when she finally spoke.
"It's a lovely shoe and all, but it's too big. It's also definitely not to my personal taste. I would prefer something green." Shock covered everyone else's face as Alice put her own shoes back on then stood and handed the slipper to Ella. She then turned back to Kit who had stood up. Her gaze flickered to the Captain for a moment, but it was enough to be noticed by the King.
"Sorry Mr. Kit. It appears that I am not your mystery princess. Now take your queen to her castle, shower her with affection, and get out of this house. I'll be cleaning the mud out of the rugs for a year!" Laughter suddenly burst through the room and Alice suddenly found herself in the middle of a group hug.
A.N. Sorry this took so long! I had a bit of trouble getting it out of my brain! I couldn't find any information ANYWHERE about the Captain's real name so I just picked one that was popular in that time period! What do you think? Please review!