I woke up groggy with crust in the corner of my eyes after a harsh night's sleep, I splashed water from the well on my face and made my way to the henhouse to get eggs for breakfast. Usually, I sleep quite well; I am typically tired after a day's work with my chores, so I fall fast asleep. Ever since getting the invitation to the ball, though, my mind has been elsewhere.
What will it be like? What kind of music will be playing? Will I have to dance? I haven't danced in years since my father passed. How many people will be there? The invitation invited everyone, especially the females of the court since the purpose of the ball was to find a wife for the prince. Gosh, what is he like?
I tried to put all these questions to the back of my mind while making my way to the main house. 'No, Ella, you still have chores to do before getting ready for the ball, don't get too distracted and in your head about this or you won't be able to focus and end up making a fool of yourself.'
Still, while in the kitchen waiting for the water to boil, I couldn't help myself but wonder. I had no idea what to expect, and that thought alone gave me butterflies. I put my hand on my stomach to calm myself, took a deep breath, and went about my day.
I had prepared breakfast before my stepmother and stepsisters were downstairs, I knew they didn't like to wait and the last thing I wanted to do today was to anger any of them. They had been quite generous lately. They were allowing me to go to the ball tonight, after all.
When the invitation was delivered, I was in the foyer dusting and the mailman saw me there. When he mentioned that all women were invited, he bowed his head to each of us before leaving. My stepmother acknowledged that I had been seen, so I must attend. There were conditions, of course.
The first condition was that I had to find something to wear myself and I couldn't use anything of my stepsisters. Done. The second condition was that I had to find my own way there because my stepmother didn't want the girls or herself to be seen with me, I was still brainstorming how to accomplish that task. The third condition was to keep away from them all night and talk to no one about who I am, especially the prince. I didn't think that would be a problem, he wouldn't approach me anyway and I didn't have the audacity to dare make the first move.
The dining table in the main house was large and rectangular; unbelievably long, in my opinion, seeing how we rarely had guests over. I placed the eggs and bread in the middle of the table, closest to the fire. Stepmother liked to sit near the heat. Perhaps it was to warm herself from having such a cold heart? I smirked at myself for the thought. Maybe someday her dress will catch fire from being too close to it? Oh, now there was a nice thought. I set their plates and cutlery and went on my way to clean up the kitchen and head back to my shed where I was working on my dress for the evening.
My own mother had passed long ago and I hardly remember her. Father always wanted to keep her spirit alive, though, so he shared things with me about her. He told me that I was a spitting image of her; tall, strawberry blonde hair with waves towards the tips, but I had his blue eyes. Father would tell me stories about my mother and how she would always whisper to me as a baby "You will do great things when you are older, little one. Just remember; be brave, be courageous, be strong, and always be grateful"
I try to recall this every night before bed and ask myself if I was brave, courageous, or strong that day? And I always counted what I was grateful for. Usually, I would say that I was grateful for a roof over my head, food to eat, and friends to keep me company. Oh, that reminds me, I brought back with me some scraps of bread for the mice.
There was a hole in the corner of the shed, and I was startled when I first moved into the shed to find them there, but then I felt guilty. This shed was their home and I was intruding, but they didn't seem to mind too much. If anything, I think they quite like me. Sometimes I'll even wake up and find them on my cot. Others would be repulsed by rodents on their feet in the morning, but I found that they kept me warm and accompanied, which is always a comfort.
I placed the bread by the hole in the shed and they appeared instantly, they must have smelled the bread as I was approaching. They sniffed at it for a moment before taking a bite and looking up at me. "You're welcome" I giggled.
Now, it was finally time to work on my dress. One of the things that Father left behind of Mother's was her favorite dress. It was a baby pink color with ruffle trim around the neckline and hem, the sleeves flowed just past my elbow and there were golden accents around the boning of the corset and a lace ribbon around the waist. It reached the ground despite my height, I really must have looked much like my mother, I thought.
There wasn't much work to be done on the dress, only some rough patches here and there that needed to be fixed. I had caught the mice nibbling it at times. We had words, and eventually, they understood that I was upset with them and stopped.
I could have a temper at times, I admit, but who doesn't? Especially after I was thrown out of my house after my father's passing and was treated as a servant other than a sister or daughter, some days it was hard to be brave, courageous, and strong. Some days I found myself being grateful for simply being alive.
After sitting down on my cot to work on the dress, I looked up to see out of my little window to find both of my step sisters looking my way. Hesitantly, I stood up and started to pace. 'If I go out there and talk to them it could turn out awful and they will give me too many chores to finish before the ball' I worried, but then anxiety kicked in and I thought 'if they saw me glance at them and they think I'm ignoring them, then they will just get madder and I could be making things even worse now.I pressed myself against the dusty wall and peeked back out through the window with one eye in hopes that they were gone and I could avoid any altercation. They were still standing there, still as statues. Their hair flowing in the wind, both brunette, practically identical despite being a year apart. They stood in their cloaks to shield them from the wind. I knew I couldn't avoid them anymore if I wanted to keep t
Anastasia and I finished getting ready for the ball and descended the staircase to the foyer where mother was already waiting.Mother looked beautiful; she was wearing a red mermaid gown, made with silk that hugged her whole body, accentuating her curves. While slimming and gaze drawing, it was modest for a mother presenting her daughters to a prince. Her neckline wasn't too low, her shoulders were covered, and she had a matching hairpiece with a piece of lace covering part of her face.Mother turned on her heel to turn to us and let out a breath of relief as she closed her fan. "My, my daughters. You both look so lovely. I cannot wait for the royal family to see you.""Thank you, Mother," Ana responded. Ana had chosen an off-the-shoulder green gown to bring out her green eyes. It bill
* * *DrizellaThe carriage ride to the castle was a bumpy one, the closer we got the more nervous I became. I tried to recall the sound of my dress before we left home, twirling around with my sister made me giddy and excited.I closed my eyes and tried to bring that giddy feeling back. I kicked my legs a little to hear the rustling of the fabric but the carriage was too small. I put my hand on my stomach and inhaled deeply. It smelled of fresh rain and newly cut grass, we were no doubt nearing the castle.I opened my eyes to see and we were coming just around the corner to the castle. I was right; it had rained and the lawn outside the castle was freshly trimmed and gardened with roses of all colors.I got thinking
"Lady Tremaine and her daughters, a Miss Drizella and a Miss Anastasia"My heart skipped a beat and my whole body went cold when I heard my name. Ana and I looked at each other and I placed my hands together just as she had. We smiled at each other and walked forward into the grand ballroom.If I thought the hallway was mesmerizing leading to the ballroom then the actual ballroom was exquisite.The white marble continued to the dance floor where it finally broke into a pattern of rings, drawing an eye to the center of the dance floor where the prince would dance with his future wife.The ceiling was covered in white Alexander tiles and held up by marble pillars so wide in size that my arms couldn't reach around even half of
I kept a tight hold on the back of the carriage as we made our way to the castle. The roads were bumpy after the rain and my hands were starting to lose their grip, but I waited until I could see the castle to jump off the back of the carriage and walk the rest of the way.My hair was blowing in the wind and my face was losing feeling from the chill. I buried my face down into my chest trying to keep warm when I saw the lights from the castle in the corner of my eye.I looked up and saw a long line of carriages moving slowly in a trail towards the front steps. The air has an amazing feeling after it rains where the air seems fresher, cleaner, and overall I felt healthier inhaling it.Hopping down from the carriage, I took a deep breath and felt all my worries wash away with the fresh a
I continued repeating to myself 'I am brave, I am courageous, I am strong' and as soon as I got to the steps of the castle I looked up, took a big breath, smiled, and said "I am grateful."When I reached the top of the steps, I noticed people stopped outside the entrance to the ballroom as their names were being announced as they walked in. 'Oh no, I can't have my presence announced if I want to stay hidden from my stepmother and stepsisters. I have to find another way in.'I looked around frantically for another entrance to the ballroom and found a staircase that led down. Without hesitation I started down them watching my feet to be sure not to trip, my shoes were still wet from the walk, and I didn't want to fall.I reached the lower level safely and turned a corner that led t
The music faded and everyone applauded the dancers. Even with the roar of applause, our eyes never left each other.The next song began, it was 'The Blue Danube', my personal favorite, a classic.The handsome guard put his hand out and asked me "May I have this dance?"I hesitated, looking at his hand extended to me I thought of the feeling I had when the footman had given me his hand to exit the carriage. I didn't want him to stop for some reason. 'Have I been longing for a man's touch so much that the slightest thing sends electricity through my body?' I thought to myself and felt pathetic. Yet here is a man who doesn't just want to hold my hand, but put his hand on my back and dance. The thought alone gave me goosebumps and I grabbed his hand with a smile and nod. Apparently, my voi
"Hmm. You look rather familiar to me, are you sure there was no instance where we may have crossed paths?""Yes your highness, I am quite sure. I would certainly remember if I had met the crown prince," I said with an innocent smile to him.The prince returned the smile and proceeded "Indeed. Well, hopefully, you will remember this encounter and save me a dance later tonight?"I couldn't help but meet his eyes in this instant. They were as green as the fresh-cut grass in the front of the castle, and suddenly I felt the clean air wash away my nerves. "Of course, your highness, it would be my pleasure." I bowed my head to him and continued my search for a new entrance.I hurried back up the steps and hid behind a large pillar while