History of Fictitious: Volume Two

Chapter 8

This week Prince Edward is coming to our house. My mind still doesn't know what to call him. My brain is also in the middle of a silly rivalry. At first, I was planning to run off on an adventure before Prince Edward came. Then I decided not to. After that, I packed my things and said I was going. Now I am unpacking my things.

My mind is stuck, just like I was when Prince Edward took hold of my hand when I was the princess. I feel as if I can only move forward to him and not backward to adventure. I've told myself plenty of times that I'm not the princess anymore, so why did I still feel this weight? This heavenly weight of what Nariel keeps saying is love. I should have never told her what happened, but it gives me an excuse to pick on her and Jeb.

There's a knock at the door. Surprisingly no one answers it. I brush myself off and walk to the front door as slowly as possible to see if Tessa will get there first. I know whose face I'm going to see once I open it, and I really don't want to open it, yet I do. I hate myself for the constant indecision.

I make it to the door and open it with my head lowered in a bow. Prince Edward comes in and stares at me blankly. I still don't look directly at him. Then I close the door and head towards the stairs without saying anything to him.

"Excuse my unruly manners, but what in the Effa is going on with you?" he says as I take my first two steps up the stairs.

Effa is a kingdom that is considered the lowest of the low, and its name is used as a curse word in Amishi. Amishi despises Effa because they have welcomed witches and wizards with open arms, at least that's the reason the king and his father before him hate them. We are currently at war with Effa, but it's primarily psychological. It goes off and on, and there have been a few physical battles at the border. But the king is trying to bring Avani to his cause, instead of letting his men die for no reason. Effa has stronger forces than we do. That tends to happen when you are dealing with magic.

"I'm thinking, but my mind is fighting itself. It goes off and on like the war with Effa," I say with a little emptiness. I march up the rest of the stairs and tell Tessa and Clara that Prince Edward has arrived. Lady Harriet isn't home as she is out with her friends.

The girls quickly come down the stairs and I slowly follow behind them. Excitedly, Tessa grabs Prince Edward's hand and drags him to the sitting room telling him about the new piano number she's been working on. Clara gracefully follows but makes sure I come as well.

Tessa sits on the piano bench while Prince Edward and Clara sit on the sofa together. I stand in the doorway, watching.

Tessa begins playing the piano. Even from where I'm standing, I can see her fingers are stiff and aren't moving to the right rhythm. As soon as she starts to sing, her piano skills drop another degree. She stops, smiles, and looks up at me.

"You should play, Ella. I can't focus on the words and the notes," she says getting up and dragging me to the piano bench before I can protest.

Hovering my fingers over the keys, I see Prince Edward staring intently at me. This almost makes me want to mess up on purpose. Like all the other choices I've made today, I fight against it. I play the intro to the song, my hands gliding gracefully across the piano keys. Tessa then takes the spotlight. Her voice has definitely improved. It just might be better than Mother's. I end the song with its long outro, which brings the spotlight back to me.

Tessa tries hugging me when I stand. I hold my hand out and say, "Don't, you wouldn't want to ruin your dress."

I leave the room and go outside to chop wood. There aren't any more smaller pieces and winter is on its way, so why not?

As I wipe my forehead with my sleeve, I hear someone open and shut the back door. I stick the axe into the large trunk, which I prop the smaller pieces on. This is the end of people trying to comfort me. I don't even know what the problem is. It, of course, is dawning on me that Father is dead, that he isn't coming back, and that he'll never see anything I accomplish. Then there's the whole thing with Prince Edward, but even when I'm not thinking about these topics, I cry for reasons beyond me.