I wake up hearing the bells ringing. Quickly getting up I help Ella with breakfast as Madame walks in. "I thought breakfast was ready." She is in her expensive robe that contrasts greatly to the garments of me and my sister.
"It is Madame."
"We are only mending the fire now."
Madame strides over to the table where Anastasia and Drizzella are already seated, "In the future, can we not be called until the work is done?"
Ella stands and walks over, "As you wish."
I stand as well, having finished and walk over to pour the drinks as Ella gets the food.
Madame then speaks up again, "Ella what is that on your face?"
Ella places the food down with a questioning look, "Madame?"
"It's ash from the fireplace." I didn't even realize. Does that mean I have ash on my face too?
"Do clean yourself up." Madame looks disgusted.
"You'll get cinders in our tea."
"Mother, Alexis is covered in them too!"
"Clean yourself child. Honestly, after all I do. After all I've done."
"I've got a new name for her!" I look up to see Drizzella pointing at Ella, as Ella scrubs her face with a cloth. "Cinderwench."
"I couldn't bear to look, so dirty," Anastasia says, gesturing in my direction behind her. "Oh! Dirty Ella!"
They all laugh at that and I start to get mad. "Cinder Ella! That's what we'll call you!" Ella looks baffled and hurt and I am glaring hard at those I used to call sisters and mother.
"Oh girls. You're too clever." That's it! They all giggle obnoxiously as Ella sets a place for me and her. "Who are these for? Is there people we've forgotten?"
Ella puts on a smile and looks at madame, "It's my and Alexis' places."
Madame sneers and glances at me before turning to Ella, "Oh. It seems too much to expect you to prepare breakfast, serve it, and still sit with us. Wouldn't you prefer to eat when all the work is done Ella?" with fake sweet before hardening her tone and voice, "or should I say, Cinderella?" It is silent as I bite my tongue from lashing out. Ella then hurriedly picks up our places, as Madame starts to laugh. When Ella exits, I turn harshly to Madame and stalk towards the table.
"How dare you! She has done nothing but been kind and you treat her as though she were nothing more than dirt on the bottom of your shoe! Ella --"
SMACK
I was cut off by a harsh pain in my cheek and the force knocking me to the ground. I place my hand where the pain is and slowly look up. Madame is wiping her hand, before putting a cloth in it, like she is about to grab something gross. I wince as she grabs my face harshly with the clothed hand and speaking in a low threat, "Don't you ever raise your voice at me. You should probably take a new name as well," glancing at the other two, "girls?"
"Trash Rat?"
"Yeah! She is dirty and looks like a kicked animal and she is small and weak!"
Harshly turning to me and tightening her grip as I wince again, "Well then, Trash Rat, get going." She harshly releases me, throwing me to the floor again.
Tears gather in my eyes as I rush down where Ella went, hurrying faster when I heard a crash. I come in to see Ella crying, picking up broken plate pieces, and looking at her reflection. She turns at hearing a sniffle, my sniffle, and gasps at me. We embrace in a hug before sharing a look.
Going to the stable, Ella gets on Major as I mount Dia. We then both ride through the field into the woods near the house. Me and Dia slightly behind Ella and Major. Then, both horses rear up with a frightened neigh as a big, antler animal in front of us makes a stance of defense.
I look up, my tears drying, in wonder at the size of it. Ella calms our horses down, as 'big guy' looks into our eyes. He snorts and seems scared. "Woah..." I urge Dia slowly, closer to him with my hand out.
Until we hear horns and shouts. I turn to look at Ella as she has realization in her eyes. She turns towards 'Big Anty' as I have decided to call him and in a hurried and rushed voice, she leans forward, "Run! Quickly my friend, or they'll catch you! Go!" Big Anty snorts with something resembling a nod, and runs.
However the sudden action frightens Dia and she sprints off, scaring me. She sprints faster than she's ever gone and I feel tears of fear running down my face as a scream rips out of my throat. I gripped Dia tightly, scared.
I can nearly hear the horns anymore over Dia's hooves, my screams, and Ella's ever distant cry. "ELLA! HELP!!!!! IM SCARED!"
"Major speed up! I'M COMING ALEXIS!!! DIA CAlM DOWN EASY! Major come on!"
"ELLA!!!!!!!!!!"
Suddenly Someone was beside me. They reached over and gently but firmly grabbed Dia's mane, and I heard a male voice, "Woah, easy easy, slow down." I feel Dia slow down with the stranger as I slowly easy my grip and try to calm my breathing.
I then look up to my savior. He is tall, on a chocolate brown horse with a saddle and reigns. He has kind blue eyes and looks to be around Ella's age, and he says in a calm voice, "are you alright?"
I then hear hooves behind us and turn to see Ella with another boy on a horse, looking similar to the first but he had green eyes and looked to be about my age, maybe a year older.
"Ella!"
"Alexis!"
"Kit!"
The two males got next to each other as I got next to Ella. The male who helped me looked at me again, though now we were diagonally across from each other, "Are you alright?"
Ella looked at me, "Y-yeah, I am. But you scared him!"
The two males looked confused and the one my age looks at me, "who?"
"The stag!"
"Mr Big Anty!" They look amused but I carry on, "What has he ever done to you?"
The younger one laughs slightly with the older one before looking back to us, "I must confess, we have never met him before."
The older one looks toward Ella, "He is a friend of yours?"
"An acquaintance. We met just now. I looked into his eyes and he looked into mine and I just felt he had a great deal left to do in his life, that's all."
"Besides, he is quite sweet and gentle when not scared."
The older one speaks up again, "Miss what do they call the two of you?"
Both our faces and demeanors dimmed. Neither of us felt like ourselves anymore... Ella was still Ella but she felt like Cinderella. And I was Trash Rat.
"Never mind what they call me, though she--"
"Never mind what I am called." I hung my head as I see Ella glance at me in confusion.
The younger of the two males speaks up, after having been quiet for a while,, "You shouldn't be this deep in the forest alone."
"We aren't alone. We have each other and now we are with the two of you. Mister..."
"What do they call you?"
The two chuckle, "You don't know who we are?" The younger slightly elbows the older. "That is... they call me Kit. Well my brother does," he gestures to the younger, "and my father does when he is in a good mood."
He then glances at the younger, who looks up, "And they call me Caspian. That is, unless you're Kit."
"And where do you live, Mr Kit and Mr Caspian?"
"At the palace."
"Our father is teaching us his trade."
"You're apprentices!" I wonder what kind they are. What trade they are learning.
Caspian bunches his eyebrows and it is kinda cute, "of a sort."
"That's very fine." Ella's voice is softer as the wind is not as loud and the horses slow their trot.
"Do they treat you well?"
Kit sounds a little down as he responds, "Better than I deserve most likely." And Caspian nods in agreement.
The horses horses come to a stop. I'm next to Caspian and behind Ella. Ella is infant of me and next to Kit. Caspian then glances at Ella before looking at me, "And you?"
I look down before glancing at Ella with a sad shake. Ella takes the signal that I don't wanna say it and looks at the two with a sad email, "They treat us as well as they're able..."
Kit looks at her, deep in her eyes, "I'm sorry."
I remember Ella's words and look at him, "It's not your doing..." however, I still feel guilty...
Ella looks at me, "It's not yours either." She has a loving motherly look in her eyes. I look down feeling something on my hand and see a hand. I look up to see it is Caspian's and he looks at me with a sorrowful look.
Kit looks back at Ella, "Nor yours I'll bet."
Ella shakes her head with a small but happy smile, "It's not so very bad."
She looks at me as I turn my head to the two, nodding, "I mean we have a bed and a roof. Other have it worse, I'm sure. We must simply"
"Have courage and be kind." Ella finishes with me. We share a smile at saying our motto and promise together.
Kit and Caspian seem astonished and all of our smiles brighten. "Yes. You two are quite right."
We all share a small and genuine laugh. Ella's sounding like riding bells, and the two men sounding refined yet free.
Caspian looks at me again, "That's exactly how I feel." We are cut off by the sound of those loud horns again.
I lean forward towards Caspian, "Please don't let them hurt him." Ella shares my look of worry but the two brothers look perplexed.
"We're hunting you see. It's what's done."
"Just because it's what's done doesn't mean it's what should be done!" Ella's right.
Thought Kit responds calmly and not with the urgency Ella and I share, "right again."
I look at the two with a softer tone, "then, you'll leave him alone?"
It is silent as they look at us and Kit opens his mouth to respond but it is Caspian who speaks, cutting him off, "We will." Kit looks at him, then nods.
"Thank you very much, Mr Caspian," Ella looks at the brother next to her, "Mr Kit."
Suddenly there is a voice from behind the boys, "Ah!" We turn to see two tall men. One of darker skin and one that is pale and a bit evil looking. It is the darker one that speaks, "There you are, your--"
Kit hurriedly cuts him off, "IT'S KIT KIT! I'M KIT! I'm on my way! CASPIAN'S COMING TOO" I wonder why Kit cut them off so emphatically.
The first man looks at the second before responding, "Well we'd better get a move on Mr Kit and Mr Caspian."
Caspian shouts back while looking at me, "As he said, on our way."
Ella and I let out a small breathy laugh as the two back up on their horses before heading towards the two other men. Caspian stops and looks back though, and Kit does the same shortly after.
Quietly, Caspian looks at me and says, "I hope to see you again." Kit saying something similar to Ella. I look at Caspian, "It is nice to have a new friend. So, I hope the same."
Me and Ella smile for a moment at our new friends. Before Kit breaks his look with Ella to head on. He turns his head, "Come on Cas!" Caspian seems to break out of a trance and heads after his older brother. Both of them look back at us a few times before they get out of the forest edge.
Ella and I glance at each other, true happiness, for the first time in a while, with wide smiles. Ella's eyes have a bright spark and mine probably have something similar. We slowly turn our horses around and with wide smiles and one, "come on," from Ella, we head back to the stables at the house.
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2005 words! Before the Author's Note. Love Y'all! Comment please!
Signing off, SnipsT