Ella
When I woke up the next morning Mary was no where to be found and Anastasia and Drizella were still fast asleep in their rooms. Both of them, miraculously, alone. I yawned as I started my usual morning chores. Feed the chicken, feed the dog, start of breakfast, start in laundry, blah blah blah.
When I was wiping off the kitchen counters I noticed a note from Mary:
Ella,
I will be gone all day today. The girls will be in their rooms and won't be needing any of your services today. Finish your chores and tend to the gardens.
-Mary
My eyes widened at the note. Was this... Did I actually have a day to myself for once? Well, I had already finished most of my usual chores, and checking the yard wasn't going to take too long. Maybe I'd actually be able to go to the market today and work at that car shop again for some more money!
I got dressed quickly in a pair of jeans and a light blue t-shirt before grabbing my bike and helmet. The car still wasn't working and Mary had taken the other one. And not that I really minded, it was a beautiful day outside and I had just downloaded some new music.
Before I thought though, Jack-Jack squeaked at me and started running around frantically.
"What it is? What? Well, whatever it is it's going to have to wait until I get back. I don't want to spend another moment in this place if I don't have to. Be good!"
And I stepped onto the pedals and coasted off.
The Mice
I groaned and watched as Ella pedaled further and further away from us. She needed to know what was going on before she got back and Mary surprised her!
I ran around in another circle and Marcie walked up to me slowly.
"You need to calm down, she's a strong girl. If the Queen's plans work we'll just go to the palace with Ella and watch her there. We haven't broken our seal yet, stop fretting." She scolded.
I frowned and sat down. "But if I can prevent it or soften the blow I want to! Ella doesn't deserve this..."
Marcie laid her paw on my shoulder and gave me a shrug. "No one deserves bad things to happen to them, but sometimes they just happen. That's life darling."
I frowned and stood up. "That doesn't mean I have to accept it." And I ran inside.
The Prince
The guards were sent out at exactly sunrise and began searching the town for E. I woke up earlier than normal and paced around my room, anxious for news. When Sam walked in with breakfast I almost jumped on him, hoping he had some news.
"No sir, I don't I'm afraid. However I don't think it would be an awful idea if you went into town yourself. It'll get you out of your room as well," he suggested, pouring me a cup of coffee.
I nodded slowly, picking up the cup and taking a long drink. I had wanted to go into the market and see if I could find Ella. She owed me an explanation of why she wasn't at the ball last night. "Alright Sam, I'll go. Will you come with?"
"Of course sir, I'll go get the car." He turned and left my room, and I got dressed quickly in a polo and slacks, slipping on some loafers. I combed back my hair and made my way hurriedly to the the front of the palace where Sam was waiting with the car.
The drive seemed to take hours as we drove to the market and stopped at the curb. People were looking curiously at the car, wondering why the Prince was back at the market. No one stopped though to hammer me with questions, and I was again reminded of how much I loved this country and how the people respected the the Royal family just like normal people. I smiled and nodded to a few woman with their kids and bought some fruit from an elderly woman sitting on a stool with a bunch of crates around her filled with apples and peaches and oranges. It was starting to become hot outside and I noticed the woman didn't have any shelter around her to block her from the sun so I bought a large umbrella and set it up for her, despite her many protests.
"Please your highness, it's really not necessary. I enjoy the suns warmth on these old bones." She patted her legs and gave me a pleading look.
I smiled at the woman, ignoring her protests, and pointed to a small little nob on the umbrella stand. "This controls the angle of the umbrella and opening and closing it. If you twist it like this you can get all the sun you want. But if you start getting hot, just twist it that way and you have shade."
Her eyes watered as she looked up at me. "Thank you so much your highness. No one has done anything that kind for me in years."
I bent and kissed her hand. "It was my pleasure Miss..."
"Georgina sir."
"Miss Georgina the pleasure was all mine. Have a wonderful day." I smiled as I walked away to proceeded further into the market. I started pointing some of the stalls and goods out to Sam, not even bothering to notice my surroundings until Sam gestured inside one of the stalls that connected to the road.
"I didn't know they had a car service in the market."
I nodded. "Oh yeah, the guy there is incredible. Gets the work done in half the time for half the money." Then it dawned on me that this is where I had found Ella working when she sprayed herself with a hose and had gotten grease all over her face. I took a step closer and noticed back in the corner, a blonde girl leaning over a stack of books. "Sam, I'll be right back."
I walked into the stall and nodded to the large man working on a car, and looked closer at what Ella was doing. She was furiously scribbling numbers down on a sheet of paper and punching them into calculators just to write more down again. She bit on the end of the pencil when I cleared my throat.
"Excuse me, do you know where I can get some good car service around here?"
She spun around and her eyes widened, clutching the pencil tightly in her hand.
"Georgie!" she squeaked, and stood. "What are you doing here?"
I saw Sam raise his eyebrow at the mention of her calling me Georgie, but he didn't say anything.
"I came by to say hello. Is it time for your break yet?"
She glanced at the man who had just emerged from under the hood of a car and he gave a curt nod, dismissing her.
"Uh, I wasn't planning a lunch break but sure. But not for too long. I get paid by the hour." She closed the books and tucked the pencil behind her ear. She gave Sam a curious look and stuck out her hand.
"Hello, I'm Ella. Nice to meet you." Both of Sam's eyebrows raised this time as he stuck out his hand and shook her's quickly.
"Hello. I'm Same." We exchanged a quick look before I cleared my throat.
"I'll be fine Sam, I'll meet you back here in an hour." He nodded slowly, giving me a cautious look and walked away. I turned to Ella and frowned.
"What? Do I have more grease on my face?" She asked, eyes widening in alarm.
I shook my head and we started walking in the direction of the park. "No, you look fine. I was just wondering why you didn't attend my ball yesterday?"
Ella
Shit. It was him. He had found me again. I was terrified when I saw him, convinced him and everyone around us was going to know who I was and that I was the girl who had run away from the Prince. News was circulating quickly around the market about the mysterious girl who had actually run away from the Prince, and that the he was very keen on finding her. There were rumors of marriage between the two when they actually found each other, but I deliberately ignored those remarks. If Georgie ever proposed to me... I couldn't do it, I couldn't live in that palace. Not after everything that happened.
Now here we were, walking around the market and he was chastising me about not coming to his ball? Oh if only he knew...
"Uh, I must have not gotten an invitation." I said, shrugging, staring at the ground.
I could hear people whispering around us and I was trying to block out their voices. I was a wallflower, and wallflowers don't get gossiped about.
"That's impossible, I had almost twenty men working on sending out those invitations to every house in the country where woman resided." Georgie said stubbornly.
I shrugged. "I'm busy a lot, I guess I just forgot to check the mail or something."
Georgie stopped walking and looked intently at me. "Did you not want to come?"
I blushed. "I, uh, I didn't have a dress. And I was working." I lied. Well, technically it wasn't a lie. I had a dress, but it got ripped up, and Mary had made me work that night.
"But surely you could have-"
"Your Highness I hate to be rude but it just wasn't possible for me to go. I would have loved to, it seemed like a wonderful event from my bedroom window, but I just couldn't go. I'm sorry if I disappointed or upset you." I snapped. I turned and began walking back to the car shop but Georgie grabbed my wrist and pulled me back to him.
Oh now people were really staring. They had literally stopped what they were doing to watch. Great.
"I never told you I was Royalty." Was the only thing he said.
My cheeks turned red from embarrassment at my slip up, as well as rage. Was that really the only thing he had to say?
"Well then the next time you go out and you want to "blend" I suggest not bringing a body guard with a the Royal Crest on his jacket and reeking of the palace." I ripped my hand out of his grasp and glared at him. "And is that really all you had to say?" I huffed and rolled my eyes. "Typical royals, only concerned with yourself." I started walking away and this time Georgie didn't stop me, but I did feel him walking behind me all the way back to the car shop.
The Prince
Oh my god. I had really upset her. I strolled behind her as she walked quickly back to the car shop, going over the conversation we just had in my head.
She had called me a royal, and said it with so much scorn.
She apologized for upsetting me and I had ignored it, making it seem to her that she really had upset me.
I guess I was a little pushy with the invitation thing. But I really hadn't meant to upset her as much as I did.
"Ella wait, please." I reached forward and touched her shoulder. She turned around slowly and crossed her arms. She raised her eyebrow and I cleared my throat. "I'm sorry for the way I acted back there. That was uncalled for and I made you upset, and I regret that. You... Well I was a little sad about you not being there but I understand why you couldn't and I'm sorry."
Her shoulders relaxed a little and she uncrossed her arms. "It's fine. I'm sorry I couldn't go."
I smiled at her, relieved that she seemed to have forgiven me. "It's quite alright. Maybe you can make it up to me."
She laughed. "How could I do that?"
"Spend the day with me?" She opened her mouth to refuse, and I knew it would be because of the money she would earn at the car shop. "I can pay you back what you don't earn from the car shop."
She closed her mouth and bit the corner of her lip, trying to keep from smiling. "Uh, I don't know Georgie... Why'd you want to spend time with me?"
I took her arm and slipped it through mine as we started walking. "Because you seem endlessly fascinating to me."