"May I have this dance?"
Eva's eyes slid from the glittering crown, to the emerald green eyes, to the polished boots as she curtseyed before the Prince.
"It would be a pleasure."
The etiquette lessons had stopped after her father's death, but the knowledge remained. She found herself swirling around the ballroom enveloped in Prince Niccolo's arms.
"How is it that I have never seen you before? I am sure an angel such as yourself would have never eluded my eyes."
To put it delicately?
"I have never been able to attend a ball before."
The Prince let her spin away from him, allowing his gaze drift over the glittering blue of her dress. He pulled her back in closer than before.
"I find that hard to believe, stellina. This is your stage. I was entranced from the minute you arrived."
"You flatter a humble girl, Your Highness."
That was the first compliment a human had given her in years.
"It is more than flattery, cara. You shine brighter than a thousand diamonds this evening."
No one had called her dear since the funeral.
"It is an honour to shine for you, Your Highness."
They twirled from one song to the next, hardly speaking, until the Prince asked if she would fancy a turn around the gardens.
"I would love to, Your Highness."
"Please, call me Niccolo."
...
Eva awoke with a start, then a gasp of pain.
"Here, drink this," a voice commanded, and a tin cup was thrust into her hands. She drank the water greedily, and found her strength returning with every sip. When she had drained the cup, she glanced at her surroundings. She was slumped on the floor, propped against some wicker baskets. A young boy stood awkwardly to the side.
"Erm, thanks?" Eva ventured, looking at the boy.
"No problem, signorina. I mean, it was Ricci and Flavio who carried you here, but they had to get back to work, and this was the easiest place to get to." The boy handed her a spiced bread roll, and a small hunk of fresh cheese.
"Sorry it's not much. Everyone's working on tonight's feast and this was the best I could find."
Eva felt a rush of affection roll over her.
The boy turned back to his work while she ate: he was peeling garlic. But as soon as Eva was done eating, he jumped up again.
"Hey, do you want some more water? You inhaled that pretty fast."
"Oh, no I couldn't. I have to go." Eva jumped up, and immediately felt her legs begin to crumble again. The boy rushed over to steady her, despite being two heads shorter than she. "You can't be racing about just yet! Flavio was going to come back with a healer. Your padrona can't expect you to work like this!"
Eva pulled away. "You don't know my stepmother," she mumbled. Then, registering the look of shock on the boy's face, she tried to cover up. "Mistress! I meant mistress!" It was too late.
"That's your family? What are you, the new princess' sister?"
Eva hung her head in shame. I'm a slave in my own home.
"Stepsister," she spat. "And she will kill me if I don't get there soon. Could you tell me how to find the Contessa Viviana?"
The boy gestured to the door. "These back stairs will take you up to the fourteenth floor. You should be able to find your family's suite from there." Eva started out the door, but as she walked past the boy, he grabbed her arm. "But you're still hurt. When you get a chance, come back down to the kitchen and ask for Alfio, okay?"
Eva nodded and limped away.
The staircase was wide, with servants in the neat livery of the royal family rushing up and down. A few gave Eva curious looks, but most were concerned with their own tasks.
Each step on her ankle hurt. She found herself slowing by the sixth floor, clutching at her ribs. By the time she made it to the fourteenth floor, she was exhausted, despite having taken many breaks.
Like Alfio had said, it was easy to find her stepmother's suite: the Contessa's voice travelled through the oaken door.
"Gianna, take this to your sister. Then find something nicer for yourself to wear. Can't have you girls showing up wearing the same colour to dinner with the Royal Family -our new family."
Gianna slipped out of the room clutching Contessa Viviana's jewelry box, taking no notice of Eva as she rushed to the room across the hall.
Eva slipped in through the door before it shut.
"Where have you been?" Contessa Viviana screeched the instant Eva entered the suite.
"I collapsed. You pushed me down the stairs and starved me, remember?"
Eva's impertinence earned her a slap across the face. The force of the blow caused her legs to buckle, and she hit the floor.
"And still you have trouble remembering your place. We're having dinner with the Royal Family, and I have not been provided with a maid to help me dress. Find my green damask."
Aching and weary, Eva began riffling through the Contessa's trunks to help her stepmother find the right dress to impress royalty.
...
The day before the ball, Allegra was in a panic. The feathered headpiece she had intended on wearing had been left in the windowsill and faded in the sun. Now the blue no longer quite matched that of her eyes. This was decreed Eva's fault, and therefore Eva was the one sent into town to acquire a replacement.
The millinery was in a tizzy, full of similar last minute requests and worries from the village girls. The shop assistant barely glanced at Eva, merely waving at one of the shelves in the back. "See what you can find."
The stock was limited compared to when they had gone in two weeks before, but Eva found one circlet of beads and feathers, much less extravagant than the one Allegra had picked out, but the exact right shade.
As she paid for the piece, the milliner offered a tight lipped smile.
"I told my girl we'd close early tomorrow so she can get ready, but I think she'll be too tired to stay the whole time. She'll enjoy dinner, at least."
That thought stayed with Eva as she headed out of town back to the villa. It seemed every girl in the village was readying herself for an evening of enjoyment, even –especially—the single working girls.
Every eligible maiden was to attend but herself.
She was in front of The Conquistador's Chalice Tavern without realizing that was her true destination.
The woman -Sibyl, her card had said- was at a table near the back, eating from a platter of bread and dates. She did not seem surprised to see Eva, pulling out a chair to welcome her.
"I wondered when I would be seeing you. Are you still looking for that dress for the ball?"
"Yes. I do want to go. But I don't want my stepmother to find out. I just want to have one night for myself."
"That can be arranged." Sibyl pushed her food away, making space on the table in front of her. Eva thought back to the writing on the card.
"'To change things'. What do you mean by that?"
"The Drovestugn mountains hide many secrets. The most powerful Stregone in Cyrica was my teacher."
"Sorcery?" Eva whispered.
"Call it what you will. At home, they call me sorcière. Vedma. Here, I am Strega."
"A witch?" Eva repeated. Maybe this had not been a good idea.
The woman reached into her blue bag. "Please do not be frightened. My tutor can change his own form. I can do much smaller changes." Sibyl pulled out a roll of yarn, and a small jar full of berry preserves. She opened the jar and tipped some of the jam onto the yarn. Then she started to knit.
The dress appeared almost before Eva could realize what was happening. Sibyl clicked her knitting needles together with such ferocity that the sound overwhelmed her before the sight did. From the bundle of grey yarn soaked in red jam, Sibyl was creating a satin ball gown. The skirt rustled with layers of lace trimmed petticoats, with matching lace peeking out from tapered sleeves. The dress was a pale blue satin, shimmering like a clear summer's day.
"There, you see?" Sibyl tied off the last thread, and gestured for Eva to stand. The girl did so, moving to the other side of the table. Sibyl held the dress up against her to check the size.
Perfect.
The woman took back the dress, folding it so it would fit in Eva's basket.
"Take this too." Sibyl handed Eva the jar of jam. "Put some on your shoes, and they'll change as well. As for your stepmother, well," Sibyl glanced down at the bundle of satin. "I don't suppose she'll be able to recognize you."
Eva could barely get her words in order, but once she started saying thank you, she could not stop.
The witch just laughed.