Chapter One Hundred and Thirty-Three: Becoming the Belle of the Ball
The night passed by all too quickly.
Ella didn't dream, she didn't have any unnecessary visions, her mind was a deep, dark blank that felt, heard, and saw nothing. Which wasn't really surprising since she'd been exhausted when her head had hit the pillow. Truthfully, the only reason she came to when she did was because someone shook her.
She groaned, trying to wave them off, but the jostling persisted.
"Wake up," Amelia whispered, making her eyes flutter open tiredly. "Ella, please, wake up."
"Mmf... is it time already?" she mumbled, groggily sitting up and rubbing her face. "Gods, I'm so tired... I feel as if I didn't get any sleep at all."
"No. It's not time to go yet, but you and I do need to start getting ready."
"Now?" she asked, letting loose an exhausted yawn. "Why?"
She tiredly looked around to see that everyone but Xaphile was still asleep. His legs were folded beneath him and he was breathing deeply and evenly, looking like the definition of pure focus.
"Getting ourselves dressed up to attend a grand ball takes a little more effort than simply throwing on some fine clothes," Amelia reminded her. "We need to start getting ready now, especially since I'm not sure how long Phil's going to take with his first physical illusion."
Ella's eyes popped open wide and she suddenly felt wide awake when she remembered that he was going to be applying cosmetics to her face. She shivered, thinking of the kiss he'd given her the previous evening, and rose to her feet before walking over to her bag.
Digging through her things, she found the dress she was going to wear and pulled it out.
Sheer white fabric slid against her fingers.
"I'm going to go change into the dress," she said softly. "I'll be back in a moment."
Amelia nodded, then walked over to her own bag and dove halfway inside it.
Ella took the opportunity to walk into the bathroom. Changing into the gown took less than ten minutes, but she didn't have an opportunity to look at herself because she heard a cry from the other room just as she finished.
Heart flying up her throat, she tore over to the door and flew out into the open, but she came to a halt when she saw Xaphile excitedly flailing around.
"I did it!" he whisper-squeaked, shaking Amelia back and forth and gleefully pointing at something that was lying on the floor. "LOOK! I ACTUALLY MADE A SOLID ILLUSION!"
"I can see that," Amelia giggled, staring at it in mild amazement. "What is it, though?"
Xaphile paused, then blinked as if remembering something surprising.
"Make-up," he said simply. "Or at least, the stuff I remember how to use."
"Well, Ella seems to be dressed," Amelia pointed out, gesturing at her. "If you're ready, I would implore you to help her look her best for the dance. She's doing this for your sake, after all."
Ella's heart hammered when he turned since his eyes widened slightly as he took her in, gaze flitting up and down.
"That dress looks even better than the one you wore yesterday. It's beautiful."
She glanced down at herself, feeling a flush creeping up her cheeks, but she hid her embarrassment with a scowl.
Tossing her hair, she folded her arms.
"Are you going to do this or not?" she mumbled, refusing to meet his eyes. "I... I'm having many misgivings about this, so hurry up before I change my mind."
Xaphile shrugged and grabbed the physical illusion he'd created off the ground.
"Sit down on the floor," he ordered. "Get comfortable."
Ella swallowed and did as he told her, but she was surprised when he took a seat in front of her.
"What are you doing?" she asked, watching as he rummaged through the things he'd created with focused intensity. "What is that?"
"Earth Style Makeup," he explained, looking down at something. "Normally, these things have brand names, but they literally came right out of my head so I have no idea how you'll look."
"Eh?" Ella asked, mind going blank; after a moment of swallowing her fears, she clenched her jaw and nodded curtly. "Well, I trust you won't make me look terrible, so you have my full permission to do whatever you wish to my face, as long as it isn't permanent."
"Well, then, let's get started," Xaphile sighed, looking through the stuff. "Stay still."
Ella did as she was told and calmed her breathing when he looked at her, eyeing her face, before grabbing something she didn't recognize.
"I'm not a professional," he said softly, "but I've done this a few times in the past for special occasions, and since Ella Richardson was always given compliments, just trust me."
"I've never worn cosmetics before, and as I said, you already have my trust," Ella informed him, left eye twitching. "Please don't say anything that might make me doubt you."
His brow smoothed over and he nodded, looking somewhat relieved.
"All right," he murmured, then leaned down and dabbed a small make-up brush in some sort of powder. "Then, uh..."
Ella closed her eyes and tried to relax when the brush started sweeping along her cheeks. Her face felt dry and grainy after a while, but she put up with it because the boy sitting in front of her had never let her down before. She had faith that he could make her look somewhat decent.
After he put the brush away, he applied something else, something thicker and wetter.
"Ugh, what is this stuff?" Ella asked, closing one eye when he began to run it over her left cheek and across her neck. "Yuck! It feels revolting, like slime!"
"Good guess," Xaphile murmured, so focused on what he was doing that the response was almost instinctive. "It's certainly similar to it."
"Ew!" Ella squeaked, shivering when his fingers slid across her cheeks. "What's it for?"
"Sealing your foundation base," he said, spreading more of the stuff onto the other half of her face. "On earth, this is how we do it. People all over the world wear makeup to hide the things they consider imperfect. It gives them confidence."
"Truly?" Ella asked, surprised.
"Yep, even the people I used to know, like Connie," Xaphile admitted, pulling back and examining her features before nodding in approval. "Some people even dye their hair different colors since they aren't satisfied with their natural looks. Now, please close your eyes."
"Eh, okay," Ella muttered, swallowing hard before she did as she was told. "This isn't going to hurt, is it?"
"Not at all," Xaphile murmured, and only a split second later, she felt an odd pressure bloom near her left eye. "Don't move, though."
Ella shivered when the pressure slid across her eyelid and made gentle strokes, but then again, it was sort of rhythmic and almost soothing. She waited with her eyes closed as he dabbed at her face.
I'll need to be careful not to fall asleep, she suddenly realized, feeling a bit startled. If I do, and he touches me, I might retaliate out of instinct.
Her train of thought was cut off when a strange rattling noise filled the air and she would have opened her eyes to see what it was had it not been for his earlier instructions.
"All right, keep your eyes closed, close your mouth tightly, and hold your breath," Xaphile said, gently tapping her nose. "This stuff isn't good for your body, so try to avoid breathing it in."
"Er, all right," Ella muttered, taking a breath and holding it; a hissing noise filled the air and she felt something strangely wet and cold coating her face, but when he was finished, he tapped her nose again. "Perfect. Now, open your eyes and blink, then try to make your normal expressions."
Doing as she was told, Ella opened her eyes and blinked; then she scowled, made a sarcastic face, frowned, and tried her hardest to smile.
It came out looking like a frightening grimace.
"So, what now?" she asked, looking at him with eager eyes. "Any other magic tricks up your sleeve?"
"Quite a bunch," he murmured, gripping her chin and turning her head from side to side before he gave a slow nod. "Perfect... now the real fun begins."
With that, they moved onto the next thing.
He was very gentle with her, and as he worked on her face, the other began to wake up. The spectacle was so interesting to them, however, that even while they ate breakfast they couldn't help but watch. Amelia took her magical mirror into the bathroom while Xaphile worked on Ella.
She asked a few questions about the marvels of his world as he did, and they conversed about it.
He told her more about Earth's advanced technology, about the things people did with their lives, the methods they'd used to further their hobbies and comfortable lifestyles. It sounded like a dream. Peace had been a prevalent thing on Earth, and while there had been chaos from time to time, most people lived in safety and comfort.
After about six hours of being worked on had gone by, different topics began to pop up and she asked about things he did for fun, which led to the discussion of movies. Ella was boggled by his explanation about the sort of effort people took to make what he called motion pictures.
"So you're saying," she said slowly, trying not to move, "that people can literally use advanced technology to act out a story like an actor on a stage would, but they make it so it looks like it's really happening? And this a common thing that people get excited over?"
"Plays are actually rarer than films back on earth," Xaphile informed her. "Although, a lot of movies during my time were live action versions of popular books that other people wrote."
Ella goggled at this.
"That's incredible!" Vrael exclaimed, drawing her eyes; she hadn't noticed, but the entire time Xaphile had been talking, he and Sinmir had been leaning forward with eager expressions, and even Vordt was watching them with a subtly intrigued look in his eyes. "Is there any way you could possibly show us one of these movies?! What was your favorite one?"
"My favorite?" Xaphile snorted, thinking about it. "If I had to choose a favorite movie, it would probably have to be either Lilo and Stitch, King Kong, or Beastly, the remake of Beauty and the Beast. I used to like a film called Titanic, but... after everything that's happened to me, it's a little too harsh."
"What sort of movie is this Lilo and Stitch?" Vrael asked, raising a brow.
"It's an interesting and funny animation about an alien creature who was artificially created for nothing but destroying things," he absently explained. "He escaped from a bunch of aliens that wanted to destroy him and crash-landed on Earth, where he befriended a funny little girl."
"I'm afraid I don't understand his origins," Sinmir said, furrowing his brows. "How does he live if he is not real? If he was artificially made, then... isn't he supposedly not even alive?"
"It's difficult to explain," Xaphile sighed, not looking away from Ella's face. "Maybe someday, if I figure out a way to do it, I'll be able to show you guys a few Earth movies through magical means."
"I'm more curious about that Titanic movie you mentioned," Vordt said slowly. "What was the premise for that story about?"
Xaphile paused, hands falling still before he continued doing her makeup.
"It's a true story from Earth's history about a ship called the Titanic," he said softly. "It hit an iceberg while out at sea and started sinking. The movie revolves around two lovers who tried to survive the ensuing chaos. A lot of people died."
"A ship?" Sinmir asked, brows raising. "A sinking ship? That sounds far more interesting."
"You aren't the only one who feels that way," Xaphile chuckled quietly. "It's one of the most popular films of all time back on my world. There isn't a single person who hasn't heard of it."
"I look forward to the day you can show me a movie," Ella said simply. "First, however, let's focus on getting your little brother back. Speaking of which, are you almost finished?"
"Indeed," Amelia called from the bathroom. "It's getting rather close to when we must depart."
"Yeah," he sighed, rummaging around through the strange things he'd procured. "I'm almost done. There are just a few finishing touches I need to add."
Ella swallowed when he dipped another brush in something pink and applied it to her cheeks, but the gentle strokes were soothing, albeit a little rough. Once he was finished, he moved onto her eyes. Ella fought the urge to blink when he somehow managed to get some false lashes on her eyelids but once they were set, he rubbed some sort of wet-tipped brush through them.
Her eye watered from the itching sensation that followed his movements, but she bit her tongue and ignored the feeling even when he grabbed an odd cylindrical tube, uncapped it, and revealed something that was very dark red. Leaning forward, he slid it across her mouth, and she cringed since it was sticky and she disliked the feeling of it.
"Alright," he muttered, gently massaging her her lips. "We're done. Everything looks good."
"Really?" she asked. "Can I go take a look at myself now?"
"If you want," Xaphile shrugged. "Sure."
She turned to face the others, awkwardly tossing her hair.
"How do I look?" she asked, blinking. "My face feels heavy. Hopefully it's not too much."
She was expecting them to laugh, or at the very least look amused with the amount of time Xaphile had spent working on her face. He had applied layer after layer of makeup, and it had taken a very long time to finish which had her fearing the worst, but instead of looking mortified or amused, they gawked at her.
"Gods above," Vrael breathed, looking at her in a bug-eyed way. "Her face..."
Ella's heart sank.
"Is it that bad?" she whispered, touching her cheek. "Please tell me my trust wasn't misplaced."
"Go look at yourself, right now," Sinmir said flatly, blinking away his shock. "You're completely unrecognizable. You'll probably steal the show tonight as the belle of the ball looking like that."
"Surely you jest," Ella grumbled, frowning. "Wait there. I have to see what you're talking about."
Rising to her feet, she smoothed out her dress and made her way into the bathroom; Amelia was nearly finished with her own preparations, seeing how she'd dressed herself up in a beautiful high-collar ballgown with white lace around the collar and its embroidered sleeves.
It suited her perfectly.
She was currently in the process of doing her hair into a crown braid, which was one of the most difficult styles to pull off but by far the most flattering and trendy for the times. Ella was discouraged when Amelia's blue eyes widened with shock.
"Ella?" she whispered, mouth falling open. "Is that you?!"
She scowled, but before she could open her mouth, the brunette rolled her eyes.
"Never mind," she sighed. "The frown gave it away."
Ella's scowl deepened after hearing that; she let out a huff and stepped forward, waiting until Amelia carefully shuffled off to the side to allow her a glimpse of herself.
When she looked into the mirror, for nearly thirty seconds... it felt as though her heart had stopped.
As though time were slowing down, Ella's eyes grew so impossibly wide that she couldn't even blink.
Her shoulders locked up... her mouth fell open... and her body began to shake involuntarily due to the raw emotion overloading her heartstrings.
"Who is that?" she whispered, staring at the gorgeous young woman in the mirror with stunned eyes. "That's... she's... no way. That's not me. This isn't a real mirror, it can't be!"
She actually lifted her hand and tried to touch the person she was seeing, but her pale fingertips were met with the sensation of cold glass. It was in that moment that she really could have fainted: she saw spots, but for some reason, she was so transfixed that her vision refused to be blotted out.
For the first time in her life, Ella didn't recognize her own reflection.
The right half of her face was glittering with gorgeous silver sparkles, and the amazing part was that Xaphile had somehow made the glitter shift to a dark blue as it progressed to her left cheek. Her eyes had been coated in a very light touching of periwinkle mascara, she had glittering black eyeliner that tapered off to the sides in a sharp, Sphinx-like manner, and her long lashes were black, and much thicker.
But the most incredible part out of everything was this: she felt beautiful.
She felt, for all the world, as if she were truly gorgeous for the first time in her life.
This was her face... and yet, at the same time, it wasn't.
It was like he'd brought the potential beauty of her appearance to the surface.
Slowly lifting her hand, Ella touched her left cheek as startled tears filled her eyes.
"This is me," she whispered, voice coming out incredibly high-pitched. "This is me... how did he do this?!"
She didn't realize he was standing in the door until he let out a sigh, and she turned to see his eyes softer in that moment than they'd ever been before.
His whole face was calm, relaxed even, and those aquamarine irises twinkled pleasantly.
"The makeup is waterproof," he told her. "I went all out instead of keeping it casual since this is a ball and you're basically a princess. I figured you might want to look like one."
Ella felt as though that were the most extreme understatement in the history of existence. She didn't look like a princess at all, she looked like some sort of beautiful ethereal being!
She felt even prettier right then than his own aunt, the most enchanting woman ever, and even the outfit she was wearing perfectly matched the work done to her face.
The dress was completely white, and the sleeves were loose and bell-shaped, falling across her hands and extending into billowing trails of cloth. Like the blue gown, the neckline swooped down in a v-shaped manner to her collar, and while the selection fit her small-boned figure very snugly around the torso, the flared skirt billowed freely around her legs with every puff of air.
It was a simple gown, lacking frills, and design, and pattern... and yet, perhaps that was why she felt as pretty as she did: in a dress that wouldn't draw the eye, people would focus more on her face.
Which wasn't bad at all.
She looked, for all the world, like elegance in its purest form.
"I've never," she said thickly, feeling like she would truly cry; she had to take a moment. "I've never, in my entire life, felt... as beautiful as I do right now. I... I don't even know what to say, Xaphile... this is incredible! It's truly unthinkable what you've done!"
His eyes glimmered a little more and his face seemed happier.
"If you'd like, someday," he said slowly, tentatively, "maybe... I could do this for you again."
Ella couldn't immediately respond.
Slowly twirling around, she closed her eyes and spread her arms, picking up pace.
Her shoulder-length hair picked up altitude, fanning out like the skirt of her dress; then she stopped, and it cascaded back down across her shoulders in rippling waves. The long strips of sheer fabric extending from her billowing sleeves brushed against her legs when she lowered her hands.
She couldn't stop looking at herself.
This beauty made her feel strong inwardly, and outwardly, like she could take on the entire world.
She smiled, heart feeling as if it were going to burst, but then Amelia cleared her throat.
"Not to interrupt," she awkwardly giggled, drawing their attention, "but I'd like to finish doing my hair, considering it's almost time for us to leave."
"I see," Ella said, regaining her wits and moving out of the way. "Forgive me."
"Don't apologize, I'm almost finished," she said, stepping back in front of the mirror and hastily continuing the neat braid that had been wrapped around her head. "I have three more plaits to go... that's all. Then I'll apply the illusions to the boys' clothes and we'll be off to rescue Adariel."
"Good," Ella breathed, feeling relieved; she touched her skirt, thinking. "You know? I might not mind going to balls as much in the future if I look as beautiful for them as I do now. Part of the reason I stopped going was because I'm bad at dancing and people constantly called me homely."
Amelia's fingers paused, then continued.
"You shouldn't let idle chatter from the mouth of a spoiled woman into your heart," she chided, poking her tongue out to the side as she peered through her glasses. "Nobles are fond of putting others down when they feel insecure. It happens all the time."
"But they said with their own mouths what I myself have thought about my looks," Ella said simply, feeling a little dismayed. "I'm aware of what I look like. It just doesn't feel good to have what you constantly worry about repeatedly shoved in your face so unpleasantly."
Amelia nodded in definite understanding, and Xaphile took it upon himself to disappear since he'd probably figured out that it had turned into a talk between women.
"Well, you didn't ever apply cosmetics like the rest of them," the brunette allowed, fastening her braid in place and turning her head from side to side with a smile. "And yet, you were still a great deal prettier than a vast majority of the women who showed up. They were likely jealous."
"I'm not half as pretty as the women around me," Ella snorted, looking up at her; she touched her chest, then glared at Amelia's. "I'm not buxom, I'm too thin, and I'm also quite small. Even Gus once said that I'm nothing but elbows and knees."
"That's not true," Amelia soothed, brushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "Ella, you're a beautiful girl. It kind of surprises me to hear that you think you aren't."
"Why?" Ella asked, staring at her strangely. "Even you, Amelia... you're prettier than me. Your face is small and cute, you have womanly curves, and your eyes are a very nice shade of blue. Not to mention you're completely ladylike."
"E-ehhhh?! Surely you jest!" Amelia spluttered, eyes widening; she waved a hand in front of her face. "I'm not nearly as pretty as you!"
"Are you blind?" Ella deadpanned, eyes growing half-lidded. "You can't mean to tell me you didn't know that half the boys in Chisago were head over heels for you. Even Angelo's son is infatuated with you, and he normally doesn't have interest in anyone but himself!"
Amelia scratched her nose and fiddled with her hands as her pale cheeks turned rosy with embarrassment behind her glasses. When her perfect cupid's bow lips pursed into an adorable pout, Ella glared at her, finding it strange how she couldn't see just how amazing she was.
In charm and beauty, Amelia was unmatched.
A perfect lady.
"Bah," Ella sighed, throwing her hands up. "Enough of this. We must be going."
"I agree," Amelia mumbled, hurrying out into the suite. "Let's get the boys ready."
Ella sighed, then looked into the mirror for another long moment, marveling at how beautiful she looked one last time.
Feeling beautiful for the first time.
Then she wondered, as a cold chill ran down her spine, if Spackley could see her.
The thought had her grabbing the magic mirror and turning it around completely, shivering violently with a mixture of anger, worry, and irritable paranoia. Shaking herself off, she made her way out just in time to see the Vrael's, Vordt's, and Xaphile's clothing ripple.
Within the span of a second, their travel-worn clothes looked like the definition of masculine elegance.
Vrael was wearing an outfit that very closely mirrored Sinmir's, but Vordt and Xaphile both were wearing garb that seemed fairly roguish in comparison.
Ella blinked when she realized that Vordt borrowed leather pants had shifted into crimson pantaloons, and his shirt had transformed into a rather gorgeous ebony shirt with gold embroidery and a ruffled collar.
Xaphile's pants had already been flared like his uncle's, but now they had similar gold embroidery running up the sides in a manner that resembled growing vines. His hooded shirt had also been turned into a rather revealing sleeveless black crop top and a baggy crimson vest.
The crop top stopped just short of his midriff, exposing his naval and hard abdomen muscles.
Ella couldn't help but raise an eyebrow as she took in his foreign-looking garb.
"You all look dashing and handsome," she said, and when they turned to her she tipped them all a wink. "Try not to make any hapless noblewomen fall for you at this party."
"No promises," Sinmir chortled, grinning a Cheshire's smile. "But I'll try to behave, regardless."
"Did this really have to be a crop top?" Xaphile asked, giving Amelia a look. "This is kind of beyond my comfort zone."
"Oh, be quiet," Ella said, eyeing him. "You look wonderful."
"I guess," he said, tugging at the vest; he instantly blinked, since the cloth he was trying to touch didn't match up with what he was actually wearing. "Man, I'm glad I don't have to dance. You guys should be careful, too, since these clothes are just visibly different."
"True," said Vordt. "Be careful."
He looked dapper. He, unlike the others, didn't seem suited for the clothing at all somehow, but the colors and cut made him look less feral and more human than anything she'd seen him in so far.
Ella sighed and went over to Amelia's pack, pulling a small dagger out of it. Everyone watched as she raised the edge of the dress and slid the sheathe into her boot, but once she righted herself and smoothed her gown, she looked at each of them.
"Are you all ready?" she asked. "This is it."
She was met with a unanimous cheer and her eyes lit up when she saw the yearning hope in Xaphile's exotic eyes.
"Good," she said, locking her eyes on the door with all the fire of a demon. "Let's go get Adariel."