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: I apologize a hundred times and over for my extremely slow updates. I just realized that I took about a month and a half to get this chapter posted. Once again, I'm so sorry! In case you were wondering about the cause of my delay, please check out my other (newer) story: Hermy Hullabaloos under the HP fandom. Enjoy! And remember to read and review!! =)
For a good minute or so, Blossom ogled at me. Then she realized that perhaps she was not in the right position to do so, and that her mistress was trying to search for a way to vanish, and was already hastening towards the door.
"Good evening Miss, how may I be of service to you?" Blossom simpered.
Oh no, I thought. Blossom was runner-up in the list of people that I never wanted to see again. The victors of that list, of course, were Hattie and Olive.
Slowly, I turned myself around to face her. Her distaste was quite blandly displayed across her face, in the form of her wrinkled, upturned nose. And I found my throat unreasonably dry.
"Well, uh, Blossom," I blushed and fumbled with the corner of my apron, trying to find something to say that wouldn't sound too ridiculous. "To start of with, you could tell me why you are here, and not at that preposterous finishing-school."
"I'm sorry, Miss, but are we acquainted?" She questioned with surprise.
I gaped at her. How could she not know me? Although, we were not friends—nor even on civil terms with each other— at least we were aware that the other existed.
Then I realized that I was still in my filthy servants' state—a disguise that defied all identification.
Blossom was now eying me with shocked curiosity, albeit with reprimand. Evidently, she did not recognize me. I then realized that perhaps I could use this knowledge to my gain. Perhaps I should just let her believe that we are strangers, and that I had mistaken her for someone else.
"I was informed that my lady-in-waiting would be a girl called Blossom and—" I stopped mid-sentence. It dawned on me that I had been informed! Char, himself, had told me that my lady-in-waiting would be a girl called Blossom. And I, being utterly enamoured by him, had been too foolish to comprehend this fact.
Meanwhile, Blossom was still waiting for me to continue.
Struggling to fabricate my story, I mumbled, "And I assumed that she would perform a task that most lasses do: the contemptible task of attending finishing school."
"Oh," she said. Then she shook her head with bewilderment. "Did you say that you have a lady-in-waiting?"
And without waiting for me to continue, she proceeded to state stridently that, "Well you must be at the wrong lady's quarter. This room is reserved for Lady Ella of Frell, the future Princess of Kyrria. And you…well…you are not exactly of the princess sort."
Oh dear. This was going to take a lot of explaining to her. But perhaps I could just leave the room and request for another—a different—lady-in-waiting.
Blossom then proudly declared, "I am the only assigned lady-in-waiting to Prince Charmont's fiancé."
There goes my plan of requesting for a change.
And she added in a conspiratorial tone, "In fact, I was the perfect candidate for this position, being Lady Ella's best friend at her former finishing school."
My jaw dropped. What a despicable lie! If lies were a cooking fuel, then that lie would be enough to fry an entire nine course meal for the whole royal court.
I glared at her. "Pardon me, but did you just say that you are the Ella's best-friend. You are extremely mistaken miss. You are not even remotely close to being friends with her. Ella had only one true friend at her school, and that was Areida."
Blossom was staring at me suspiciously, but I was pleased to see that twin-discs of color were creeping up her cheeks, marring her otherwise fair complexion.
"Pray tell," she said, a note of fear in her voice, "how it is that you know of Lady Ella's past to such a remarkable extent."
I was inwardly chastising myself for my imprudent tongue. I had revealed too much! Now how could I leave this place without saying who I was, without confronting Blossom?
Glancing at her apprehensive face, then at my feet, then at the door, I muttered, "No matter. It is of no importance to you."
And I dashed towards the door, and quickly turned the massive, gold-plated door-knob.
"Wait!" she cried.
I spun around. Frozen. Rooted.
"You… you … you!" Blossom stuttered, comprehension flickering across her features. And she was staring at me with such hatred and such loathing, that I feared that if looks were daggers, I would already be in my grave.
"I… yes?" I returned the murderous-glower.
"You're… her." Blossom's mouth was framed in a perfect "O", and her complexion had a faint green tinge.
"Yes," I frowned, irked by her reaction, but nonetheless satisfied. "I'm Ella."
Important Author's Note: There's a little button right below that says "Review this chapter". Go click on it. Thanks. =)
A/N: I realize that it is taking a lot more chapters for me to get to the actual plot—the juicy bits that is. But, I'm getting there. And, no, I don't believe that I will be abandoning this story anytime soon. =) Meanwhile, if you get bored or annoyed by my slow updates (if you're somebody like me); please check-out my other story: Hermy Hullabaloos.
