Fairy Tales Turned Grim: Cinderella Edition

Chapter Three: Chasing A Rainbow

Blowing a loose strand of hair out of her face, Ella set down the watering can and admired her handiwork of the garden. It was a decent size, with rows of several types of vegetables and a small selection of herbs at the end. The herbs were entirely her doing; though all of them could be used in cooking, they were also useful ingredients in any potion.

The garden sat in front of the servants' quarters, a moderately-sized wooden building tucked into the corner of the estate's walls. It was old, and had been there longer than Ella had been alive, but it was kept in good repair. Two curtained windows on either side of the door faced out to the vegetable garden and the entrance to the flower garden. Underneath these windows were small flowerbeds filled with cornflowers that Ella knew had been planted by Reina. A gravel path from the door led to the flower garden, or along the chicken coop and the stable back up to the manor.

Although she was sure that Lady Tremaine had intended watering the garden to be a punishment, Ella honestly didn't mind it. The dirt didn't bother her the way it would Lady Tremaine or her daughters, and she enjoyed caring for the plants and watching them grow. Working with nature brought her a peace that she had only found in meditation otherwise.

Satisfied with the state of the garden, Ella bent to pick up the watering can and turned to walk to the small well. As she dumped out the remaining water, a flash of red in the corner of her eye caught her attention. She smiled as she saw ripe apples hanging from the trees that lined the wall to the flower garden. Ella walked to the trunk of the closest tree and reached for the apple that hung lowest, but her fingertips remained inches away. Going on tiptoes and straining did nothing to add to her modest height. She wasn't exactly short, but her slim 5'5" stature was not going to do the job.

An idea came to her, and Ella turned to glance around the yard. No one seemed to be around, so she turned back to the tree and set the watering can on the ground. Then, she placed one hand on the rough bark, and with the other she reached for the previously-unattainable apple. She allowed the tree to absorb a little of her magic, and in return, the branch bowed until the apple was securely in her hand. With a little twist, it detached from the branch and her prize was received.

Ella smiled and giggled a little, then turned and placed a soft kiss on the tree's trunk. "Thank you!"

With that, she walked toward the stable (watering can in tow), taking a small bite of her apple. It was sweet, and well worth the small amount of magic expended to get it. Most witches weren't able to perform magic without a wand, not even the simplest of spells. It wasn't unheard of, exactly, it was just rare. The point of a witch's wand is to focus the magic contained within their bodies, and therefore allows them to cast spells. Some witches are blessed with a larger-than-normal magic pool, which makes it easier for them to channel their magic into their desired result; they can even do this without a wand if they have sufficient magic and control. The only other way a witch can cast spells without a wand is when the emotion they feel is so strong that it amplifies their spellpower.

However, while magic is a gift to be treasured, it also comes with a cost. Those who do not learn control can become taken over by their magic. Ella had heard tales of witches who tried to cast spells that were beyond them, only to die by their own hand. Besides being able to control your magic, there is also the risk of magic depletion. Magic is directly intertwined with the soul, and depleting your magic pool can have dangerous physical effects. At its lowest level of severity, the witch will be incredibly fatigued, and will need rest to recover. At its worst, they will begin bleeding from their eyes, nose, and ears, and will usually die. This is because, once all of a witch's magic pool has been depleted, physical energy from the body is used to power spells.

Ella was one of those witches blessed with a larger magic pool, and she had been training to use her magic since she discovered that she had the talent two years ago. She found it all incredibly fascinating, not to mention that she had always loved to read. She had studied everything her mother had, cover to cover, and even created her own grimoire to document her findings. Practicing magic on any sort of substantial scale was impossible within the walls of the house, but Ella had learned to manage her control slowly, in secret. There were ways to get the experience she needed, if one were clever enough.

Entering the stable, Ella placed the watering can on a small bench with some other gardening tools, then continued down the aisle. She felt a small tug in her heart at seeing the empty stalls. There used to be eight horses in the stable, but three of them had been given away to debt collectors. Four horses were necessary to pull the carriages, but Reina had fought hard to keep the fifth. Ella still couldn't forget the way her eyes blazed with anger as she demanded that Shadow stay, and it was one of many reasons that Ella was grateful to her.

As she neared the end of the aisle, Ella saw a white head peer out from the stall door, and laughed a little. "Hello to you too, boy."

All of a sudden, Reina's curly head popped into view. "Oh, Ella! Hello, dear."

Ella gave a little cry of surprise, then placed a hand over her rapidly-beating heart and let out a laugh. "Reina! I wasn't expecting to see you in here." She walked closer to the stall and saw that Reina had a brush in one hand, her smooth brown skin standing out beautifully against Shadow's white mane.

"I saw your list for today on the table, and I decided to give you a hand. I heard that someone is attending the ball tonight?" Reina gave her a little wink.

Ella smiled at her, "Provided my chores are done, hopefully."

Reina turned to her with a gleam in her eye, "Well, I've already taken care of the horses and the chickens for you, so all you have left is the shopping, correct?"

Ella felt a wave of gratitude surge through her. "Oh, thank you Reina!" She lunged over the stall door to hug her around the waist as Reina laughed.

"Don't thank me dear, all the thanks I need will be seeing you come home happy," Reina said, her hands stroking Ella's hair.

Ella released her and planted a kiss on her cheek before standing back upright. "Okay, I'm off then! I'll be home in an hour," she smiled.

Reina blushed and replied, "I'll get Shadow saddled up for you. Do be safe, dear!"

"Of course!" Ella replied as she pushed open the stall door. She stepped inside, running a hand through Shadow's mane, then offered him the remainder of her apple. He nickered and munched on it happily.

After saddling up Shadow, Ella mounted him, ready to finish the shopping. The sooner it was done, the sooner she could attend the ball!

"Ella, dear, wait just a moment," Reina called. She disappeared around the corner, only to reappear moments later, a basket in her hands. "To help you with the shopping," she smiled. Reina handed her the basket, then reached into the pocket of her apron to retrieve five silvers, which she also gave to Ella. "And this is to pay for it," she laughed.

Ella blushed, a little embarrassed. "Thank you, Reina."

"Of course, dear."