Chapter two:
*Picture attached is of Ella's mother's wedding dress.*
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"Cinderella!"
I winced at Drusella's shrill yell as I entered the house. She was sitting with her sister in the living room, looking rather annoyed at me. My stepmother was there also, fondly petting Lucifer who sat on her lap.
"Pray tell, child, where have you been?" My stepmother demanded to know. I swallowed nervously, but the excitement still radiated off of my face.
"Excuse me Madame, but I've just been to market." I told her, my fingers nervously playing with the sides of my dress. "The men from the palace were there, they said the King had arranged a ball to take place three weeks from now."
"And?" My stepmother asked, still angry with me. "He does this every year, what's different about it this time?"
"Well Madame, the Prince has invited every maiden to come, even the commoners!"
My stepmother quickly sat up from her lounged position, sending Lucifer off her lap with an angry yowl. My stepsisters gave excited shrieks and bounced up in down in their chairs.
"I will trick the Prince into loving me, see if I don't!" Drusella screamed happily, clutching her sister. I smiled at the three's reactions, waiting for the right time to tell my stepmother about Kit. My stepmother quickly knelt in front of my stepsisters, grabbing their hands and taking a deep breath.
"Calm yourselves, girls." She breathed. "Now listen carefully. One of you must win the heart of the Prince! That way, we will be free from the debt in which we ensnared the moment we came to this backwater!"
I frowned slightly at my stepmother's unkind words towards the house, but ignored them like all the rest.
"I, a princess?" Drusella asked, placing her hands on her heart.
"Or I, a princess?" Anastasia stood on her chair and unfolded her pink fan, gently wafting air into herself.
I couldn't help but giggle at them, but when my stepmother turned around to me, my smile faded.
"Having delivered your news, why are you still here?" She asked sharply.
"You must return to town right away, and tell that seamstress to run up three fine ball gowns!"
The pale lady moved to the mirror hanging over the fireplace and began to fix her hair.
"Three?" I questioned in surprise. I hadn't even asked her yet, and she still thought of me. "That's very thoughtful of you!"
My stepmother turned from the mirror to scrunch her eyes at me.
"What do you mean?"
"To think of me!"
"Think of you?"
From the couch, Drusella gave a mocking laugh.
"Mommy, she thinks the third gown is for her, oh poor, slow Cinders, how embarrassing!"
I frowned slightly, not understand what they were talking about. Was the third gown not for me?
"Let me be very clear." My stepmother said coldly, walking towards me. "One gown for Anastasia, one for Drusella, and one for me!" She gave a cold laugh as she saw my disappointed countenance.
"But the Prince ordered that all the maidens must attend. And I only want to see- my friend." I finished quietly. My stepmother gave a chirping laugh and hurried me out of the room.
"You're too ambitious for your own good. Now go! Before the seamstress is drowning in work!"
I nodded as I ran back out of the house to fetch Elspeth again. As I swung into her and rode her back to town, I couldn't help but think that maybe I could go to the ball.
If my stepmother wouldn't have a fourth dress made, then I could just run it up myself. My mother had worn a beautiful gown on her wedding day that I would surely be able to find. It would need some mending but it was nothing I couldn't do myself.
My ride to town was quick and, like my stepmother had predicted, the seamstress's shop already had a line of maidens outside of it with fabrics and orders waiting.
Elspeth waited patiently by the stables as I stood in the line and gave the seamstress my stepsisters and my stepmother's requests.
On my way out of the store, Dulcy ran up to me and gave me a quick hug. I smiled and embraced my friend for the second time today.
"Ella!" She gasped happily. "Are you here for the ball gowns?"
I nodded, glad that she was so happy about the upcoming ball.
"Yes, but I'm afraid I might not be going."
"Oh Ella, of course you will be! The Prince said all maidens are to attend."
"I know that, but...my stepmother said I couldn't go."
Dulcy's face fell and she stopped walking to face me. She put her hands on my arms and gave me a small smile.
"You'll find a way to go." She promised me. "You have to. Even if it's not to see the Prince, you deserve to have a little fun."
I smiled at her, ducking my head down.
"I don't want to see the Prince." I admitted. "I hoped to see Mister Kit there, but I guess not."
Dulcy sighed and continued walking slowly.
"You must convince your stepmother to let you go. Or just make a dress yourself, Ella you must! I even have some spare fabric that I'm sure the house wouldn't miss-"
"Dulcy!" I laughed at my friend's excitement. "I already have a dress that I was going to repair. It's my mother's wedding gown, I should be able to mend it."
"Then that's what you must do! It won't cost your stepmother anything, so she will have no reason to keep you behind."
I smiled at her and gave her another hug before reaching Elspeth.
"Thank you, Dulcy. Will I see you soon?"
"I do hope so. You need to tell me how your dress is coming along, and if I can help in any way. Send me a letter if you must."
I promised her I would and said goodbye for the second time today. I watched her walk back into the middle of the marketplace, moving around the bustling, chattering people. I gave a small sigh and swung onto Elspeth.
"Come on girl." I whispered gently. "Let's go home."
We rode home with an air of urgency, racing against time. The sun would soon set and my chores were still unfinished. My stepsisters would most likely have careless things for me to do like they did everyday, and I wanted to start repairing my mother's dress as soon as possible. After all, there was only three weeks before the ball.
When I arrived back home, the air had already started to get colder due to the disappearing sun. I hurried inside and began to prepare supper before my stepmother could angrily question me on what took so long.
"I want my dress to be more beautiful than the Queen's!" Anastasia demanded excitedly, still dreaming about the ball and most likely the Prince as well.
"Anastasia, dear, the Queen is no longer alive." My stepmother reminded my stepsister with a touch of a smile on her mouth.
"Well then, I will become Queen, won't I?" Anastasia laughed and spun around the room once more.
"Not if the Prince sees me first, then I will become Queen!" Drusella snarled at her sister, pushing her out of the way.
I ignored my stepsister's bickering over who will look the most beautiful at the ball and started mixing the batter for the biscuits that would go with supper. My stepsisters began an argument over who's dress will look like what and which the Prince will like more. I gave a quiet sigh and pretended not to hear.
"Cinderella!" Drusella suddenly yelled loudly. I winced and ran into the room the two girls were in with my stepmother.
"Yes?"
"Tell me honestly," Drusella began, slowly walking around me with her fan spread out elegantly, "which one of us will look the most beautiful at the Prince's ball?"
I blinked and turned halfway around to look at Drusella.
"I-I'm sorry?"
"Which one of us will the Prince want to marry?" Anastasia asked, giggling from in front of the mirror.
"Well, surely there is a chance that he will want to marry one of you. But think of how many other maidens will be attending his ball." I said gently. "And perhaps the King wishes him to marry only a Princess."
My stepsisters stopped when they heard what I thought. Anastasia gasped loudly and turned to her mother.
"That's not true, is it mother? The Prince will surely want to marry me instead of some foreign pig they have the nerve to call royalty!"
"Anastasia!" My stepmother didn't even raise her voice at her daughter. "Don't be a fool. There must be a reason the Prince decided to throw the palace doors open to all the people of his land." My stepmother then turned to me and frowned.
"And why are you still here? Our supper will get cold!"
I nodded and hurried out of the room and back into the kitchen.
As I baked the biscuits and made the rest of the meal, I was deep in thought. My stepmother was right, there must be some reason the Prince extended invitations to the commoners as well. Truthfully, he could have just been in a kind mood that day, but I couldn't help but feel that it was for a different reason.
I also couldn't help but feel a little bit of dread for the upcoming event. If my stepsisters really put on a show, there was a slim chance the Prince could be taken with one of them. Then what would happen?
Although, that might not be a disaster after all. They could move into the palace together, and I would surely be left here to care for the house. That wouldn't be awful, I would choose that over living with them for the rest of my life.
And then there was the kind Mister Kit. His bright blue eyes were stuck in my head and every time I closed my eyes, I could see his smile as if it was a picture printed on the inside of my eyelids.
He would be at this ball, and if I was able to go, I would most definitely meet him again. The thought made me smile and bite the inside of my lip.
"What are you so happy about?" Drusella pranced into the kitchen and sat herself at the table that I had already set. I looked up and pretended to busy myself with the food.
"I'm just in a good mood, that's all."
I started placing the dishes on the table as Anastasia and my stepmother sat down as well.
"You're happy about the ball, aren't you?" Drusella laughed a high pitched giggle and put her hand gracefully over her mouth.
"Didn't we already say? You are not invited!" She slammed her hand down on the table, rattling the plates.
I didn't let her harsh words put my spirits down, I was confident I would be able to finish my mother's dress in time to go with them.
"Well, everyone is invited."
"But you will not be going." My stepmother said sharply. "I will not have anyone associate you with my daughters, you are only a servant girl!"
I swallowed heavily and finished setting their supper out on the table. Then without another word, I hurriedly left to my room in the attic.
There, it took a while for me to find the thin box that held my mother's fragile dress. But I finally found it, high up on a shelf, practically forgotten. I doubted that my stepmother even knew it was still here. If she had known, she would have surely sold it by now.
I brought the box down and gently lifted the lid off once I had placed it on my bed. I gasped at the piece that fell onto the sheet. The dress was pure white, with small crystals sewn onto the neckline and around the bust area. It was knee-length dress with sheer sleeves, and the bottom part swung easily around in the air when I stood up and lifted it around me. The dress was simple, and did need mending in a few areas, but there was no doubt in my mind that it would fit in perfectly at a royal ball. The only problem was that I had no shoes that would be suitable to wear. But I didn't think about that, I would figure something out when the time came.
For now, I needed to figure out how to mend the dress and keep it out of the sight of my stepsisters, and more importantly, my stepmother.