A Gilded Cage | Tales From The Court of Ravaeryn #2 (COMPLETED)

00 | prologue

        "Answer me when I'm speaking to you, you stupid girl!" Dinah screeched as she tugged one of Eleanora's gold-red braids with rage. "You are the same as your father-- dumb and useless!"

Rage swelled in Eleanora's chest, though she did not let it show on her face. "My father is not dumb," she said softly.

         "Hah! You're talking back to me!" Dinah spat. "You have learnt to disrespect me, your own mother! I did not teach you to become so rude, you worthless little-"

Eleanora winced in pain as Dinah grabbed her by her braids and smashed her face against the wall until her forehead bled, and all the words that flowed out from her mother's lips became incoherent.

         "Did you know that your father is crazy ? He tells everyone that the queen is his sister! As if the queen would ever have a crazy bastard for a brother!" Dinah taunted. "If you had never been born, then I could just leave your father! Why were you born, Eleanora ? There is no use, no benefit in you existing."

       The blood from her forehead had trickled into her left eye, rendering Eleanora half blind. Dinah promptly let go of Eleanora's braids, and the young girl let out a sigh of relief. Perhaps it is over now, and when her father returns they can all have dinner together like a happy family.

     However, as she struggled to wipe the blood away, she could see Dinah retrieving a long, thick cane that she kept underneath the floorboards. "If you die, then I will be free," she said, her cold and chilling to match the horrific grin on her lips.

         "When you die, I will be reborn," Dinah's voice rang, sending shivers down Eleanora's spine. Almost simultaneously, tears became to flow down her cheeks.

Eventhough Dinah was definitely far from a good mother, let alone a good person, she still wanted to love her. To hear those heartless words from her own mother completely shattered her. As Dinah drew closer with the cane in hand, ready to beat her to death, Eleanora made the decision to flee.

      The door was right beside her, and she quickly pushed it open and ran off, not even bothering to slip on her shoes. It was raining outside, albeit not too heavily, but enough to turn the streets all brown and muddy.

The raindrops soaked through Eleanora's thin cotton dress in mere seconds, reducing her into a wet, bloody mess. The butcher who was clearing up his stall stared at her questioningly, though he did not say a thing.

        Not wanting to be caught by Dinah and dragged back into that hell, she ran further away, though she did notice that the tea house was open, but there were no people there, not even the owner. Madam Lovett, the owner was a sweet young woman who often gave Eleanora some tea and snacks whenever she saw the young girl, and she was always at the tea house, even when it rained stones. She was always there.

       The young girl decided to go to her father's workplace, the Andrade workshop at the town square. She would tell him how awful Dinah had been, and then he would go and ask his sister, the queen, for help. Maybe after that, she could live prosperously without worrying whether she could eat or not in the coming days.
 
         The very first thing that Eleanora noticed when she arrived at the town square was a massive cloud of smoke, and the pale rainy sky had turned into an ugly grey.

She pitied the person whose shop just burned down, but when she saw her reflection on the glass windows of the nearby boutique, wearing bloodstained clothes and knee deep in mud, she knew that she was in no position to pity anyone.

        A warm, scrumptious smell wafted in the air, and she turned around to see the cart selling roast beef, though the Finleys had never been able to afford it. Meat and spices were the two most expensive ingredients in Ravaeryn, and even the rich only ate them occasionally.

     The vendor lifted the skewers of roast beef from the fire and put them on a plate before rushing off, leaving the cart unattended. Eleanora slowly inched closer, the cart now a mere handstretch away.

        Her stomach grumbled embarrassingly, though there was no one around her. No one. The beef was an inviting brownish-red colour, presumably due to the spice mix that had been rubbed on, and the smell was heavenly.

     She could just take all the skewers and run back home, knowing that no one would notice. Just before her fingers touched the wooden skewer though, she recalled her father's advice.
 
   Nora, eventhough we are poor, we are not thieves. We earn the money to feed and clothe ourselves with our own hardwork, not by taking things away from other people.

How would you feel if someone broke in and stole your toys ? You wouldn't like it, right ?

Eleanora quickly stepped away from the cart, as if she were stunned. No, no. No matter how poor and desperate she was, she would never resort to thievery.

     She glanced at the sky. The smoke had dissipated and the rain grew heavier. She should get to the workshop as she soon as she could.

As she made a turn into the street where the workshop was at, she immediately noticed a large crowd of people all over the street. More specifically, right in front of the workshop.

      There were many familiar people in that crowd. The roast beef vendor and Madam Lovett, to name a few. She pushed through the bustling crowd, her heartbeat quickening with every second that passed.

         "Little Nora!" she heard Madam Lovett cry out. The young woman rushed towards her, enveloping her in a bone-crushing hug. "Oh Nora, you poor little thing."

    It rained harder. Eleanora gently pushed the hysteric Madam Lovett away and trudged over to the front of the workshop, both confused and anxious.

          When she finally got there though, her heart sank. The once lively and colourful Andrade workshop was reduced to a mere pile of ash and burnt wooden beams.

      At that moment, there was only one thing on Eleanora's mind-- where was her father ?

She could see the young Master Andrade, his face pale and full of dread. On the ground around him were all sorts of pastries-- tarts, cream puffs and bread, all soaked by the rained and stained with mud, and not too far away was an upside down basket.

       She followed his line of gaze, which led her to the long sheet of white cloth in front of the workshop. There was a bit of ash on it, and hands and legs, burnt to a crisp, jutted out from the sides of the cloth.

          Christopher had been a remarkably tall man with long arms and legs.

       "Don't go there, Nora!" Madam Lovett shouted, reaching out to grasp Eleanora's arm, preventing her from going any further. "Do not look, Nora. Please, do not look."

     The young girl shook her head, fruitlessly trying to break free. Her tears had been washed away by the rain but her pain remained. "No," she grunted, trying to contain her sobs. "I must help him. I must help my father, Madam Lovett. He is hurting, can't you see ?"

        "Nora-"

        "But Madam Lovett, what can I do ?" Eleanora questioned, her voice small like a rat's. "I... I can't..."

      On Christopher's left wrist was a chain of wooden beads that once belonged to Eleanora, though she later gave it to him. Why ? Because she believed that it brought her luck, so by giving it to him, he too would be lucky.
   
     "I can't help him..."

A/N: Hi! Thank for clicking on A Gilded Cage! Now that we've covered Eleanora's backstory, we'll jump into how she is rediscovered by the Queen and brought to the palace! A Gilded Cage is set in the same world as my other story, Catarina and The Prince, and check it out too if you haven't already!

I'll see you in the next chapter! ❤