A/N: Not the shortest time I've written a chapter but not as long as usual either :)

Thank you for all of the reviews, they really make the writing go smoother. And for FlutePower to answer your question I've reasoned the speaking to animals skill so that it's a skill that every elethian possesses, but most of the population does not know how to use it. I got the idea from the scene in the third movie where the mice tell the prince what's going on. The prince has obviously never spoken to animals but can still understand them and later when he tells his father, his father is concerned for him apparently for his mental health. So, as Falad is not elethian and the dherr'eshaanians don't have that skill (except maybe with a few exception here and there) he doesn't understand Rella's animal friends. He only hears the normal noises what mice keep.

Okay, on with the chapter. I hope that it's good.

…

5.

Rella stood frozen in her spot and stared at lady Tremaine. She hadn't changed at all. Only her clothes and jewelry, which seemed to have changed into more expensive ones. She was looking back at her indifferently.

She inclined her head gracefully. "My pleasure, lady Ir'd'aran."

Rella found her head completely empty. She knew she was supposed to say something, but nothing, absolutely nothing came into mind. And on top of that, she felt the nausea getting worse. She needed to get out!

Rella drew a deep breath and tried to focus as hard as it proved to be.

"Likewise, your grace", Rella said and swallowed with difficulty, the room was rocking slightly. "E-excuse me. I- I'm not feeling well."

With that she pressed her hand in front of her mouth and rushed towards the balcony she remembered hazily being there. She heard as if through a wall or a veil as Falad cried her name worried. She stumbled slightly as she hurried to the balcony, luckily finding it empty. Rella rounded around the door and walked to the railing leaning heavily against it. She moved her hand from her mouth to her stomach.

She breathed heavily and tried to calm down. The cool air was helping and she didn't feel the urge to throw up again although the nausea hadn't disappeared anywhere. As she was starting to feel better, she heard footsteps coming towards her. She glanced at the door and smiled faintly when she saw Falad stopping to look around him and upon finding her, hurrying to her. He lay his hand on her shoulder and stared at her worried.

"Are you alright?" he asked in their own language.

"I'll be fine. I'm sorry", Rella said. "I was really feeling ill and then she appeared out of nowhere and- and-"

Falad stopped her rushed speech by pressing two fingers gently on top of her lips and moved them then to stroke her cheek with his thumb. "It's alright, my love. Calm down. I should have realized she was the owner of that manor we went to visit. You did say who owned it. I'm the one who should apologize."

Rella shook her head and leaned against him. Falad kissed her forehead and hugged her tihghtly.

"Are you feeling alright now?" Falad asked.

Rella nodded. "Yes, the nausea went away."

"Good. Now, would you like to dance?" Falad asked grinning slightly mischievously. Neither of them were very good at the dances of Dherr'eshaan, but Elethian dances were an entirely different matter, especially to Rella.

Rella smiled. She loved dancing with Falad, it always reminded her of the day they had met.

"I would love to."

…

Rella bit her lip nervously as she peeked carefully from the door at the ball. She was unsure and exited at the same time. These were her first party in Dherr'eshaan and since the unfortunate ball in Elethia two years ago. At the same time this was her first participation in an event that included members of the merchants guild and nobility as an adoptive daughter of Yari Behren. She found Mr. Behren in the ballroom and walked towards him slowly studying her surroundings at the same time. On the right side of the room was a buffet from where the guests retrieved snacks and drinks. There was an orchestra playing dance music in the corner on a dais near the left side of the room. The area in front of the players was reserved to dancing leaving the rest of the large room filled with people who were talking and eating.

She noticed some looking in her way a bit longer than normal, no doubt noticing her much paler complexion. She was actually quite glad that she was wearing a scarf over her hair, otherwise they would have probably stared even more. Rella stopped next to her adoptive father and smiled a little. Mr. Behren smiled widely back and introduced her to ashrát Nashmat. They conversed for awhile and Rella noticed that she could keep up with the conversation effortlessly and that the ashrát seemed to find her quite pleasant company.

Rella smiled victoriously, she had been afraid that she wouldn't have been able to be pleasant company. In truth, she had seen even a few nightmares of this night. She had been afraid that stepmother was right, that she would never be anything else than an inferior, foolish little girl that wasn't capable in anything else than serve. When she had been in the ball and met the prince two years ago, she had for a moment thought that she could prove her stepmother wrong. But then everything had gone wrong. The stepmother had won again and she had nearly given up on ever getting herself a life she loved.

Fortunately she had then met Mr. Behren. She had so much to thank him for already and now this. Rella sighed and squared her shoulders and continued to converse with the ashrát until they moved on to mingle with other people. For the next couple of hours she ate a little and talked and got to know many people, some of whom she had heard already and some who were new to her. She had even gotten to dance a few times although she had warned her dance partners that she wasn't completely familiar with the steps yet. They had all told her that she had been a lovely person to dance with.

Rella was standing next to the buffet drinking wonderfully cool lemonade after a bit more brisk dance than the others, when she felt someone stop next to her. She turned to look and found a tall, lean man, maybe a year or two older than her standing next to her gazing at the dance floor. He was wearing a green coat with golden embroidery on the sleeves, high collar and on the hem. He had trousers that matched the coat and fine leather boots. As all dherr'eshaanians, he had a dark, coffee colored skin with dark eyes and black hair that had been braided in the back of his neck. He had a narrow face with a quite serious look in them and his nose was slightly crooked. Rella suspected that he might have broken it somewhere. In his left ear, that Rella could see was a small golden earring. In the small ring hanged an amethyst.

Rella averted her eyes from him quickly. He was awfully handsome, why on earth was he standing next to her and not mingling and dancing with the other young women in the ball? She heard the man shift turning towards her and clearing his throat.

"I am not a very good dancer, milady, but if you believe you could put up with it, I would like to have one dance with you", the man said in a low and deep voice.

Rella managed to catch her tongue before she blurted out the 'why' that was trying to sneak through her lips and swallowed.

"I'm not a very good dancer either, milord", Rella said and cursed herself. Why on earth had she said that? She should've said yes!

The man smiled and Rella felt something flip in her stomach.

"Well, perhaps I can manage to get another dance from you then", he offered her his hand.

"Another?" Rella asked trying desperately not to sound breathless as she took the offered hand.

"Of course", he said and led them to the dance floor. "May I inquire your name?"

"Rella, Rella Behren", she answered. "And you?"

"I am Falad Ir'd'aran."

Rella smiled at him carefully and they began dancing. They ended up dancing with each other for the rest of the evening.

…..

She was still shaking slightly, both from the sudden nausea she had suffered and the unexpected meetind with her stepmother, Rella noticed as she leaned her forehead against Falad's shoulder and Falad lead their way in a slow and calm dance in the dance floor. She was slightly ashamed of her reaction. Despite the fact that she really had felt ill, the way she had turned and hurried away under the excuse of getting some fresh air the moment stepmother had looked at her longer than passing (she had actually looked at her quite long considering that they weren't supposed to have met before), was undoubtedly an escape. She had gotten one good look at lady Tremaine and ran away like mouse from a cat. She was awfully ashamed of herself, she had thought that she would have been able to be in the same space with stepmother better than this.

But apparently not.

She hadn't even done anything besides looking at her. She had been very polite and charming in that dignified sort of way that was so like her when she wasn't dealing with her daughters or Rella herself. Wonder what would had happened if she would've recognized her? Rella thought and decided at the next moment that that wasn't a good idea to think about. Not if she wanted to enjoy the party. Although it was starting to seem to be a difficult task. After she had ran away from her stepmother, Anastasia had been staring at her constantly. It was making her nervous. She had a feeling that she had seen what had happened, and despite what her mother and sister thought, Rella knew that Anastasia was not stupid.

Rella sighed and tried to forget everything else.

They danced through most of the night only pausing to drink and eat a little and to talk with dignitaries and with the prince every now and then. After the meeting with lady Tremaine the night was actually quite nice.

It was well over midnight when they finally managed to leave. Jaq and Gus were probably bored to death in their carriage where they had promised to wait for them. They were walking down the hall when a messenger came running to them and relayed a message that the prince had forgotten to give some papers to them and that if they could get them now before they left. Rella decided to stay waiting in the hall as Falad got the papers. She wasn't very eager to meet the prince anymore today, she'd had enough bad memories from her stepmother already, thank you very much.

As she was pacing back and forth along the corridor she heard someone call her.

"Cinderella."

Rella stopped dead. The voice of a woman had called her Cinderella. She turned around slowly and swallowed nervously as she saw Anastasia standing in all of her beautiful glory just a few steps away from her.

"I- I'm sorry. Who?" Rella stammered.

Anastasia lifted her hand in a soothing gesture. "Please, it's alright. I won't harm you. I just want to talk."

"As I said I don't know who you think I am, but you must have mistaken me for someone else", Rella said feeling a little desperate. She remembered all too well Anastasia's habit of running to her mother when she had done something they didn't like.

"Please don't, Cinderella. I recognize you, I've always been jealous of your eyes, I'd recognize them anywhere. Adding to that your reaction to my mother…" Anastasia trailed off before continuing. "I just want to talk."

Rella bit her lip before she burst. "Why? I have no inclination to talk to you! You made my life hell."

To Rella's amazement Anastasia looked ashamed as she nodded. "I know. That's why I need to talk to you."

Rella raised her brow.

Anastasia took a deep breath. "I wanted to apologize. What we did to you was cruel and awful and wrong. I'm sorry that I was part of it and that I made your life miserable in the manor, in your own house. I can't make any excuses but I know now that what we did to you was wrong and I've been trying to make amends. I hope that you can forgive me someday but I understand if you don't."

Rella stared at Anastasia dumbfounded. She was looking guiltily at the floor and trembling slightly. Rella's mind was in chaos. She didn't know what to think at all, in fact she found it difficult to think about Anastasia altogether. Rella looked at her hands as she struggled to find an answer.

"I-", she started and Anastasia's head shot up and she looked at her anxiously.

"I need to think about this", Rella said to her weakly.

Anastasia looked unsure as she nodded. "Of course. Just, please, tell me what you decide before you leave Elethia. Please?"

Rella nodded her agreement and Anastasia smiled at her hesitantly before turning and walking away slowly. Rella pressed her hands at her face and tried to breathe. She hoped that Falad would hurry up, she wanted back to the embassy so she could think in peace.

…