Disclaimer: Ella Enchanted and affiliated characters are property of the mastermind, Ms Gail Carson Levine. This piece of fanfiction is intended for entertainment purposes only.

A/N: A great big thank-you to all of my reviewers! I truly appreciate it! I'm terribly sorry for my slow updates. I was very busy actually (no joke), seeing as I had Grad and year end final exams and my job and… Well, anyways, you get the idea. So, enjoy! And, as always, please review.

Maids and their sweethearts were grinning at us—at our forward behaviour. Char and I broke off our kiss; each a mirror image of a cherry tomato. I glanced at my tattered shoes, then looked up and caught Char's mischievous look. And burst out laughing.

"My fellow people," Char began, "May I present to you, my bride to be, Lady Eleanor of Frell."

Meagre applause echoed across the palace grounds. I could see a couple of simpletons choking back their snickers. But despite the unwelcoming crowd, and my unappealing garb, and my flaming cheeks, I managed to find my voice.

"Thank-you, Prince Charmont," I declared, placing heavy emphasis on 'Charmont' so as to annoy Char. Swallowing back my anxiety, I glanced about the crowd and began my improvised speech. "My fellow friends, you and I are equals. Although I might have been born to a wealthy family, I—as you can very well see— was raised as a servant. After my mother passed away, my father remarried, and I found myself living with a new mother and two stepsisters. How many times I laboured to meet the incessant demands of my stepfamily, I cannot even begin to elucidate. Let me tell you that I lived with cruelty—"

Here, Char reached for my hand, but I gently brushed him off. The crowed goggled at me, rapt attention clearly visible on every face.

"—yes, cruelty in the form of my atrocious step family. But today is not the day to weep of stories from the past. Today, I have come to tell you that my first act is to never allow a single person here to be treated unjustly. No one in Kyrria shall ever again be subjected to cruelty."

The crowd was mesmerized by my speech. Then someone began clapping, and soon each civilian at the palace square was whooping and cheering. The thunderous applause could challenge the sound of a stampede of a hundred bulls. I reached for Char's hand, and squeezed it tightly.

Meanwhile, Char was gazing deeply at me, an expression of awe and worship highlighting his features. "Ella, my heart, that… that was an extraordinary speech. You will make a wonderful princess and a brilliant Queen someday. I feel so… so…"

"Yes?" I sniggered, smirking at his awkwardness.

"Well you know how I feel, Ella," Char said, smiling abashedly. "I—

"—love," I interjected.

"—you." He finished.

And we grinned at each other and at our silliness.

"You know, Char." I smirked, "I really dislike being called Eleanor. Eleanor is what my father always calls me. And we both know how I feel about him."

"Yes, my love," he returned the smirk, "but it also seems that you've had a profound influence on my ability to tease—namely, you."

I scowled at him, and we proceeded to walk hand-in-hand to the palace so that I could get bathed and cleaned by my lady-in-waiting in order to be presentable to the king and queen. I was still slightly irked by the fact that I needed a lady-in-waiting. Hadn't I learned how to dress myself when I was a toddler?

We reached the entrance to the ladies' rooms, when Char suddenly stopped, unceremoniously jerking me to a halt with him, and enveloping me in a warm embrace.

"I must leave now, my lady," he said chivalrously, then paused again, as though he expected eavesdroppers to taunt him for his silliness in the future.

"But why, Char?"

"Princes are not allowed to accompany ladies to their quarters, my love. I may only see your room once when we are married."

"Oh, of course," I bobbed my head, feigning understanding. What ridiculous palace proprieties!

"I shall see you in a while, Ella!" And he turned and proceeded down a flight of stairs, near the renowned banisters that he had once told me about. What fun it would be to slide down those! But, shaking myself out of my reverie, I saw that now was not the time. The guard stationed at the front of my door was pretending not to gawk at me.

Still enthused by the success of my speech, and of Char's silliness, I proceeded to walk toward my rooms. The guard dashed over to me.

"Allow me, my lady," he said, motioning towards the door.

"Oh, no thank-you, kind sir. I am fully able to open this door myself," I said irritably.

"As you wish, my lady." He bowed. And I suspect that he was sniggering.

I briskly turned the handle of the door, but it wouldn't budge. I twisted the knob again, but to no avail. Furiously turning the handle back and forth, I heard a lock click. As I flung the door open, I found myself staring nose-to-nose at none other than the abhorrent, condescending crony-of-Hattie: Blossom.

Important Author's Note: There's a little button right below that says "Review this chapter". Go click on it. Thanks. =)

A/N: All ideas, feedback, and suggestions are welcome.