Chapter 4
As morning rose and the dusk made its way through my room, a knock woke me from the sweetest dream. I had met one of the nicest young men, his name was...well, I don't remember - but he was a gentleman. He led me through a forest and to a small cabin, that was where I realized I was badly injured. He nursed me to help and took me back to my father. I couldn't remember why I was in the woods when I tried to explain it all, but my father simply smiled - saying he was only glad that I was safe. The stranger walked with my father to another room and asked for his blessing...and then I woke up.
I huffed a breath of frustration as I looked at the window. Margarett must have some in some time that morning and opened them - I would have to speak with her about that later.
Whistling right outside my door sent me leaping from my bed and behind the changing stand. I managed to just get the strings tied before my mother walked in.
"Hello, darling! It's time to stop wasting the day in this room and start getting ready for the ball. We must make you look fabulous and that filthy little rag you wear around town just will not do..." She stopped, staring at my clothes with contempt. "And that green one did nothing to get that Prince for you. That is exactly why I brought the royal dressmaker himself to make a new one."
As if on cue, Tristan walked into my room and took my hand. "An honor to meet you, I'm sure. I have only heard good things about you from the Queen and am proud to make your next gown. Her majesty has told me about the one you wore the night Princess Ella met our charming Prince Edmund. Now where is it..." he said, moving over to my closet and looking through the contents.
"Found it!" he yelled triumphantly and pulled my prized dress from the wardrobe and laid it on the bed. He whistled in appreciation and looked over at me with appraising eyes. "I will get your measurements and then use a similar design as this gown for your new one. Though it will be similar, the new one will be much better for you. It will hold your personality...now I just need to find who you are."
I looked from him to my mother, only a little concerned for my well-being. She gave me a sharp, pointed look and I nodded in submission. From there, the day flew by in a flurry of motion. One moment he was taking my measurements, and the next I was trying on various pieces of the dress - but never the entire thing itself. He never let me see the fabric people would see, just the underskirts and the thin, white material that's sewn into the underside of the bodice piece.
He sat me down and waved to a woman I hadn't noticed before. She came over and started working on my face. She pulled and stretched, dusted and caked several things I couldn't even pronounce all over my features - guess they didn't expect the guy would like me without all the make-up. Prince Edmond sure didn't - well, he said I was beautiful and then fell for the girl who had a fairy godmother. Technically, no one really knew for sure that was how she looked the way she did...but it was the rumor of the kingdom. And, seriously, how else could she go from grungy housemaid to a princess in a matter of hours?
I'm pretty positive I fell asleep once or twice during the whole ordeal - mostly because every time I felt my eyes shut, the lady would hit my shoulder and start tsking at me. When I was finally able to keep my eyes open for an extended period of time, I noticed it was about an hour from sunset. I wondered where the time had gone...maybe I'd slept longer than I thought while they were prepping me?
I looked up to see Tristan with a blindfold headed my way. Next thing I knew, I was being ushered behind the changing screen and something rather large was being pulled over my head. The fabric was surprisingly light and soft. I let my hands fall to my skirt and felt the silky material with my fingers. I had to admit, I liked it. As one of them tugged on the strings to close the back, the other held my torso in place to make sure I wouldn't move too much. It was a very painful process.
"Oh, beautiful!" Tristan declared as he pulled me back to the center of my room and took off the blindfold.
I had to blink a few times to the light change before I noticed my audience. My mother, my father, Margarett, Tristan, and the lady who did...whatever she did to my face. They were all smiling and admiring what they'd transformed me into. My father even had a few tears in his eyes and my mother had a hand over her chest, clearly happy with my appearance.
"Now, time for my masterpiece to see what she has become!" Tristan said, hurrying over and turning me toward the mirror.
At first I didn't recognize myself. My eyes were too vivid behind the eyeliner and mascara, and my cheekbones were just slightly more defined than they had been previously. The make-up was not the only thing that made my eyes so bright in color. The dress was also a spectacular blue color. Its tight palatinate blue bodice, and midnight blue Belle-style skirt and the thick midnight blue ribbon that tied around my waist - that trailed to about mid-calf. Well, it was breathtaking. It showed off the almost cobalt tint of my eyes almost too well. I examined my bright red hair closely for a moment. They had managed to curl my stick-straight, long hair. From there, it had been pulled up into an intricate french twist with several long tendrils of hair flowing down my back, and a few tendrils to frame my face. The color seemed even more vibrant than usual, just like with my eyes.
"You look beautiful, darling." Mother said, squeezing my shoulders tightly.
My father walked over with his head hung low and stopped just in from of me. When he finally lifted his head, I was astounded by his tears of joy. A huge grin slowly dominated his features and he nodded - more to himself than to me.
And that's how I ended up here, facing some of the most life-changing moments of my life.