Alexandra

11

The Beginning

Over the next few months, our relationship grew. From him supporting me in my charity work, to our first kiss. I wished we could take it further, but we couldn't just yet. I couldn't have a scandal attached to my name.

Then one day, the rain poured torrentially for days on end, from what we heard the lowlands had flooded badly, and a lot of people had drowned. We set out to go and help, any help was good help as my mother always said.

We set out two days ago for the endlessly long journey to the lowlands. As we travelled through the muddy roads, I got bored and boreder.

"You alright?" Wilhelm asked, smiling kindly.

I nodded, I really didn't want the citizens to be in jeopardy. Alice and her sister, Sofie, had come with us. Sofie headed the Hertsberg Society, a mutual aid and relief charity.

Finally, we stopped in the centre of West Estes, the capital of the lowland county. We were advised by the mayor to head to the church. The river on the outer skirts of the town had burst and the water levels were rising more and more. We got out of the carriage and got to work. I bustled my skirts and began to pass blankets and bread to the citizens taking refuge in the church hall. Many of the women's husbands had gone to find people trapped and recover any bodies.

Then I heard a scream, and turning around, a young girl was standing there crying. I stopped and knelt down in front of her.

"What's wrong, little one?" I asked, offering her some bread.

"My mama, she's gone, I can't find her." She sniffled, I wiped her tear-stained face with my handkerchief.

"What's your name? And how old are you? I'll help you find your mother." I said, we began to walk through the rows of people, she helped me hand out the blankets and bread.

"Ella. I'm three." She replied, smiling. Her big blue eyes sparkled with hope.

"I'm Alexandra, I'll help you find them."

Many hours went by, we asked countless people to find her parents. Then a very pale, shivering man came forward, exhausted from pulling people from the river.

"Uncle Otty!" Ella's little voice exclaimed, she ran down the hall to him and hugged his waist.

I walked down to her and her uncle, she was smiling widely.

"Thank you for helping her." Otto said.

He then turned white as a sheet and stumbled forward. I grabbed his arm and shouted for Wilhelm. Wilhelm ran over, carrying a blanket and a bowl of soup. We sat Otto down in a chair and rapidly tried to warm him up.

"Ella," he said, pointing to a jug on the nearby pew. "Please may you go and get me some water."

She nodded and went. Otto then turned to us.

"Her parents are gone. My sister, her mother, and her husband drowned." He said, wistfully. "I pulled them out of the flood about an hour ago. I'm all she has."

Suddenly he froze, and his breathing slowed drastically.

"Sir," I cried. "Sir?"

He then passed out, and Wilhelm checked his pulse. His pulse had dropped rapidly. A few minutes went by, and his heart stopped. Ella was stood behind me, hiding in the folds of my skirts. I knelt down and held her in my arms. Wilhelm picked her up and let her kiss her uncle's forehead.

Alice came over to join us and arranged for the body to be removed. We carried Lotti with us outside and sat on the Church steps. The rain had finally stopped and the fields below the church were flooded with light, bouncing off the puddles.

"Ella, do you have any other family?" I could tell from her expression that overheard her uncle telling us the news. She shook her head as tears streamed down her little face.

She sat down next to me and wrapped her little hand around my finger. Wilhelm squatted down in front of her and smiled.

"How would you like to join us, little one?" he smiled, wiping her tears. "We can't offer much like you're used to but hopefully it's better than nothing."

She nodded and got into the carriage with Alice. Wilhelm and I did a final round of the church, handing out the last of the blankets and food. The late afternoon sun had started to blush. We left shortly after, hoping to make it to the coaching house before it was completely dark.

Ella sat between Alice and me all the way there. She was now silently weeping but we wrapped her in blankets to warm her up.

The next two days were full on, journeying home across the country. Finally, on the evening of the third day, we got home. Ella jumped out of the carriage first, stiff from the long trip. She gasped as the outline of the palace towered over her.

"It's like a fairytale castle," she said, staring in awe. "Princesses must have lived here."

Alice stared at me, her eyes locked with mine.

"You didn't tell her." She said, smirking.

"One step at a time," I grinned, shrugging.

"Ella, go on in. it's freezing."

She dashed up the stairs and into the warm front hall. I could see Thomas and Heinrich there, as Alice walked past, Thomas eye-pointed at the girl.

"Don't even go there," she said, rolling her eyes.

We headed upstairs to change for dinner. Once I was dressed, I headed to the nursery. I dug around the chest of drawers and pulled out a little pink silk dress, covered in rosebuds, from when I was Ella's age. Rose helped Ella change before we had dinner.

She had perked up and was dancing down the corridor.

"Alex, look at me, I look like a princess." She spun around in front of us.

"Don't you look lovely?" said Wilhelm, he bowed to her, she couldn't stop giggling.

I curtseyed to her. She held my hand as we walked down to the small dining room. It was the three of us tonight, with Alice and Sofie. Laying across the table was a roasted chicken, with various different vegetables and side dishes.

"What's that?" Ella said, pointing to the dish full of Brussels sprouts and walnuts.

"It's Brussels sprouts and walnuts,' Sofie said, grinning at the inquisitive toddler. "I think they taste funny."

She stabbed the sprout on her plate and sat back in her chair. Many cushions had been piled up so that she could see. Ella chewed the sprout for a long time, wrinkling her nose in thought. She then grinned.

"I love it," she exclaimed. "Please can I have more?"

As the evening continued, she sat there chomping on her sprouts. Ella didn't eat anything else for dinner. Thomas came in as the clock was nearing midnight. He gave us the news that we dreaded.

Many of the people of West Este had drowned in the floods or died from hypothermia from their rescuing efforts. We would be returning in a week to open the memorial that was being built. The following morning, we held a memorial in the palace garden for Ella's family. We planted an oak tree with a plaque bearing her family name; 'In memorial of Eva, Joseph and Otto von Goudier.' Ella stood there, silently weeping. She laid a bunch of wildflowers in front of the tree.

Wilhelm and I went on a walk that afternoon, making the most of the sunny spring day. The orchards were covered starting to sprout blossoms of various hues.

"Are you sure we can look after her?" I asked. "I don't want to disappoint her."

"You wouldn't have brought her in if you didn't know deep down that you could," he replied, holding my hand. "Also, look how happy she makes you."

"She seems to have a soft spot for you, Wil."

"On to another subject, when do you want to get married?"

"I don't care when," I smiled, kissing his cheek. "I just know that I want to be with you for my whole life."