“Ella!”
What could she possibly want now?
Ella had barely laid herself down when the shrieking cry of her stepmother reached her ears like an unpleasant alarm clock. Ella had already been up since dawn tending to her stepmother and stepsisters every possible need. Cooking them breakfast, making their beds, laying out their freshly laundered clothes, the list just went on and on. Ella had finally washed and put away the last few dishes from the breakfast table when she thought she would sneak up to her attic bedroom and see if she couldn’t get just a few minutes of rest.
“Ella! Get down here. Don’t doddle when I call for you.”
Her stepmother sounded impatient. And angry. Emotions that her stepmother always seemed to be feeling whenever she addressed Ella. No matter how hard Ella worked no matter how much she wished to please her, Ella’s stepmother had grown harsher and harsher towards her since that awful day Ella’s father died.
Seeing no point in aggravating her stepmother any more than she already seemed to be Ella crawled out of the nest of ragged pillows and blankets she had arranged near the furnace. The attic was freezing throughout the year and the space just beneath the furnace was the only space in the whole room that was even slightly warm. She grabbed a pair of well worn carpet slippers and headed down the stairs.
She found her stepmother in the drawing room on the first floor. She was sitting in a straight backed red cushioned chair. Next to the chair was a side table and on the side table was an open letter with the royal crest as the seal. Ella’s stepmothers disposition was startling. Although she had sounded angry she looked positively ecstatic. But it was more than just being excited. She had an almost mad gleam in her eyes. Her very air was pulsating with intense nervous energy.
“Finally girl,” she spat at Ella as she approached. “ What on Earth took you so long?”
“I came as soon as you called Stepmother. I’m sorry that I-”
“Oh never mind your sputtering apologies. There is much work to be done.”
“But I finished the breakfast dishes Stepmother. The kitchen is spotless.”
“I’m not talking about dishes you daft girl. I’m talking about this, “ she said while snatching up the letter from the side table.
“What is it?” Ella asked.
“This my girl is this family’s ticket to eternal luxury. This here is an official royal invitation. An invitation for the Clairemont family to attend his royal highness’ birthday celebration!”
“Oh how exciting!” Ella said.
“It is going to be a grand ball. Perhaps the finest the kingdom has seen in many years. It is only two weeks away. Which is why we don’t have a moment to lose.”
“What do you mean?”
“What I mean girl is the prince is turning 25. No royal has ever gone so long without being wed. The king must be getting anxious. This is no mere intimate birthday celebration. By the sounds of it every respectable family in the kingdom has been invited. The king will be looking for a bride for his son.”
“A bride!”
“Yes. Which means we must not waste any time. I want Edith and Abigail to be absolutely breath-taking the night of the ball. Their hair, their gowns, their skin absolutely everything must be perfect. We have very little time and I want to leave nothing to chance.”
“You wish me to prepare Edith and Abigail for the ball?”
“Of course I want to ready them for the ball girl. Do I really need to spell it out for you? Are you completely dense?”
“You said the invitation invited the Clairemont family didn’t you?”
“I believe I did.”
“Well, I’m a part of the Clairemont family.”
“You?!”
“Yes. My name is Ella Clairemont. I’m a member of this family. Which means I’m invited to the ball as well.”
“Cinderella go to a royal ball. What kind of joke is that?”
Ella whirled around. Her step sister Edith was approaching closely followed by her other step sister Abigail. Edith had a wicked mirth in her eyes and Abigail was giggling at Edith’s last statement.
“It’s no joke,” Ella responded to Edith. “Why shouldn’t I be allowed to go?”
“Come on Cinderella. Look at you. You have dirt sealed underneath your fingernails. Your skin looks as though it has never seen the light of day. Your hair looks as though someone burnt it. You go to the ball?”
“Besides you’ve never been taught how to dance, “ chimed in Abigail. “You’d look such a fool on the dance floor.”
“I have as much right as either of you to go to the ball, “ said Ella.
“You have no right!” shouted Edith.
“None whatsoever,” added Abigail.
“Now ladies, “ said Ella’s stepmother. “ Ella is right.”
All three young girls turned to her in shock.
“I am?” asked Ella.
“She is?” exclaimed both sisters in unison.
“Yes. She is. Ella is a part of this family. She is a Clairemont after all. If Ella wishes to go to the ball then I see no reason why she should not attend.”
“But mother!” shouted Edith.
“Of course Ella you know you must be ready in two weeks as well. You must be presentable. And I don’t want there to be any slacking on your chores. This house must be spotless before you may leave for the ball. Is that understood?”
“Yes stepmother. Oh thank you stepmother!”
“Yes, well. That is all Ella. You may go prepare our lunch.”
“Right away stepmother,” Ella says as she hurries towards the kitchen.
“Mother you can’t be serious,” said Edith. “Little Cinderella going to a royal ball. I’ve never heard such a ridiculous thing. Why she’s-”
“Calm yourself Edith. Did you not hear me? Not only must Ella help prepare both of you for the ball but she must keep this house spotless. And when during all that will she find time to prepare a gown for herself? Or for that matter wash her face of all the soot that gathers on it?”
“So, you don’t intend to let Ella go to the ball mother?” asked Abigail.
“Ella may certainly go to the ball. If she does what I ask of her.” she said.
“And what makes you think little Cinderella won’t get it all done? What if she does?” asked Edith.
“Well then I guess we'll just have to make sure she fails,” she said.
******
Ella could not believe how fast two weeks could go.
Ella had barely slept a wink. Not only had she been completing all of her normal chores but she had been sewing around the clock on not only Edith and Abigail’s dresses but once everyone had gone to bed she would spend two or three hours a night working on her own gown. Edith and Abigail were calling for her back and forth all day long needing this mended or that taken care of . Ella was just about at her wit’s end.
But she had done it. Not only were Edith and Abigail already dressed and ready to go but the house gleamed with perfection. And now Ella was up in her tiny attic room standing in her very own gown. Admittedly she had made it out of old curtains that used to hang in her childhood bedroom. But she thought she had done a good job with them. They were a simple soft baby blue color. She had washed her face and pinned back her hair. She was ready for the ball.
As she made her way downstairs Ella heard a lot of commotion coming from the small room just off to the side of the kitchen. Growing up it had been her bedroom as a young child. But now it served as the sewing room. Ella had spent much of the last two weeks inside it preparing everyone’s gowns. Today alone she had spent an entire three hours after the dresses were complete just cleaning the room up.
When Ella opened the bedroom door what she saw made her heart stop. Pieces of fabric were scattered everywhere. Spools of thread had been unraveled and thrown every which way. Boxes of buttons that Ella had so carefully organized were opened and spilled all over the floor. The room which just half an hour ago had been impeccable was now an utter and complete disaster.
Edith and Abigail stood in the middle of the room unapologetically smirking as Ella took the messy room in. Both of them seemed to be fighting the impulse to break out in laughter.
“Oh dear dear,” said Ella’s stepmother who had come into the room behind her. “Now this certainly won’t do.”
“Oh but stepmother. The room was clean not half an hour ago. They did this on purpose! “ exclaimed Ella.
“Now Ella why on earth would they do that?” asked her stepmother.
“Because they don’t want me to go to the ball,” she said.
“How ridiculous you are Cinderella,” said Edith. “Why should we care if you go to the ball or not.”
“Yes it’s not as if you would be any real threat to the prince's’ attention,” said Abigail.
“Yes you see Cinderella royalty doesn’t much care for girls who think draperies are fashionable,” said Edith as she and Abigail burst into laughter.
“Stepmother, I promise I’ll clean this room first thing in the morning. Just please let me go to the ball,” implored Ella.
“Cinderella you must see how ridiculous it is for you to go. I mean look here. You have a thread coming loose, “ said Edith.
Edith crossed to Ella and grabbed hold of the right sleeve of her gown. Edith gave a great tug and Ella’s sleeve ripped. Much of the fabric now hung in Edith’s hand.
“Oh no Edith, “ said Abigail. “Now look what you’ve done. Here, let me try and help fix it.”
Abigail crossed over to Ella. Ella began to back away but Edith stepped on the hem of Ella’s gown. The skirt ripped. Many of the small beads Ella had sewn on herself came spilling onto the floor. Ella stumbled and slipped beneath the beads. A pair of scissors that had been left on the floor sliced Ella’s hand. She began bleeding profusely and the blood stained her gown and white gloves.
Ella sat in the middle of the floor desperately fighting back tears. But it was no use. The corners of her eyes burned until she could fight them no longer.
“Well I suppose that settles that then,” her stepmother said. “Ella you can not possibly accompany us to the ball now. It’s just as well. While we are gone you can catch up on some cleaning.”
“Now come along girls,” she said to her two daughters. “We mustn’t leave his royal highness waiting.”
And with that Edith and Abigail followed their mother still giggling as they left the room. And Ella was left alone in her childhood bedroom, bleeding freely on her the gown she had worked so hard to make and letting the tears she had fought so hard against fall.
*****
Ella’s hand stung. After she was satisfied that there were simply no more tears to shed Ella clumsily got herself up. She made her way to the wash room and ran some water over the cut in her hand. After the bleeding seemed to have slowed down Ella wrapped a clean bandage around it. The cloth stained red almost at once. She didn’t care.
Ella was heart broken. For the past fourteen years, ever since her father had passed, she had known nothing but loneliness and misery. Her stepmother treated her like a servant. Her step sisters treated her like something less than human. All of her time was spent cleaning after three people who not once had ever shown Ella even a glimmer of kindness or respect. All Ella had wanted was one night where she could enjoy herself. One night where she could feel liked and be herself without feeling belittled or insulted.
But even that was too much to ask for. They had taken away even the hope of happiness. Ella could barely remember the last time she felt truly happy. She remembered her father and what a loving and kind man he was. She supposed when he had been here she had been happy. But so much time had passed and she had endured so many miserable years since then that it was very hard to recall those genuinely happy times.
How much more of this could Ella take? How many more years would she have to contend with this life? Ella was a twenty one year old woman. She was an adult free to come and go as she pleased. But this had been her father’s house. Her father had married her stepmother. They were family. How could she just abandon the family her father had put together? How could she leave the house of her good childhood memories behind?
A clock struck. Ella stepped outside. The great clock tower of the royal palace was visible from just about any spot in the kingdom. Ella stared at it as the clock struck twelve. She could hear the boisterous laughter of hundreds of happy people coming from the palace even from here. The ball seemed to be in full swing. She doubted it would end until the early hours of the morning.
No one would be home for hours…
It was as though something ignited in her mind. As though the chiming of the clock was a trigger that had awakened Ella from being in a trance. She felt excited and dizzy. She felt exhilarated and petrified. But one thought was clear in her mind.
She had to leave. Now!
It took Ella next to no time to pack a bag of her most precious belongings. Aside from a few essentials Ella had packed a small antique silver mirror that had once belonged to her mother and she put on a handsome traveler’s cloak that had once been her father’s. Though the cloak was somewhat large on Ella she welcomed the nostalgic feeling of warmth and safety the smell of the cloak brought to her.
With her small bag in hand and her father’s cloak wrapped around her Ella walked out the front door of her father’s house. At the end of the drive she turned to look at it one last time. She hoped her father would understand why she had to leave. She hoped to never set foot in that house again.
The road out of town was quiet. Not only was it quite late but Ella supposed everyone must still be at the ball. She hoped to reach the neighboring kingdom by morning and see if could find a place to rest for a few hours. She had no idea what she was looking for or what she was going to do once she found it. But whatever came next had to be better than the life of servitude she was leaving behind.
After Ella had been on the road for a couple of hours she came across what looked like a good resting place. It was what looked like an abandoned camp ground. There was even a small well. Ella stopped to get herself a drink. Then just as she was filling a small canteen she had brought with her she heard a rustle from the bushes.
“Hello?” Ella said. “Is someone there?”
All was quiet. Ella supposed it had been a small animal or just a small breeze. She continued to fill her canteen until she heard the rustling again.
“Who’s there?” Ella asked. “Show yourself. I’m warning you. I have a knife!”
“No please!” said a voice from the bushes just beyond Ella’s sight. “I don’t mean any harm. Please don’t hurt me.”
“Then stop hiding and show yourself,” said Ella.
And out from the bushes came a young man who Ella was guessing was barely older than herself. He wore a traveler’s cloak over what appeared to be a very lavish suit. The juxtaposition of the black of his traveler’s cloak and the bright white shine of his suit underneath seemed to give his skin a very ghostly quality. He was shaking and his breath came out in hot puffs against the cold night air. He was clearly terrified.
“Who are you?” asked Ella.
“Me? My name is Christopher,” replied the stranger.
“And what are you doing way out here by yourself?” Ella asked.
“Please, “ he responded. “Please don’t tell anyone you saw me out here. I’ll be in such trouble if they catch me.”
“If who catches you?”
“My father’s men. They are bound to notice my absence now. My father will kill me if he catches me.”
“Your father? Wait,” Ella said as she took in the young man’s elegant suit. “Are you...are you the prince? Are you running from your father the king?”
“Oh please, please don’t report me! I can’t go back, I just can’t!”
“Calm down. What do you mean you can’t go back?”
“I ran away tonight. From the ball. From my ridiculous birthday celebration. And they are bound to have noticed by now. I barely was able to sneak off on my own for longer than minute at a time. But while my father was giving one of his lengthy ‘look what a wonderful king I am’ speeches I was able to slip away without anyone noticing.”
“I don’t understand. Why would you want to run away? You’re a prince!”
“Believe me it is not all it’s cracked up to be.”
“Oh sure. Servants and fancy parties and all the money you could ever want. It was must be such a burden.”
“It’s not as wonderful as you may think. And believe me all those riches and luxuries comes with a price. A steep price.”
“And what price would that be?”
“Freedom. The freedom to ever truly be myself.”
The conversation came to an abrupt halt. They both turn their heads the way they had come. They both hear it. Horses. Many of them by the sounds of it. And the voices of men. It’s hard to make out what they are saying. But as the horses approach the glint from the armor all the men are wearing shines in their eyes.
“It’s my father’s men. They’ve come for me.”
Ella looks into the prince’s eyes. He looks as if he’s lost all hope. As though any happiness he had once possessed was now lost to him forever. Ella knew that look and that feeling of helplessness only too well. Whatever the prince was running from her instincts told her she needed to help him.
“Get back in the bushes,” Ella told him.
“What?” the prince said.
“It’s not too late they may not have seen you yet. Quick hide!” Ella whispered.
The prince headed straight for the bushes. The King’s men rode up and stopped abruptly as they spotted Ella.
“What are you doing out here all alone this time of night girl?” asked what appeared to be the lead guard.
“I’m heading towards the neighboring kingdom, “ answered Ella. “ My aunt lives out there and she is not well. Someone needs to tend to her.”
“I see,” said the guard. “Have you seen anyone else out on the road. Perhaps a young man?”
“No,” responded Ella. “As a matter of fact you gentlemen are the first people I’ve seen on the road all night. I suspect everyone is still attending the royal ball.”
“Yes, I suppose so,” said the guard. “What’s that then?”
“What’s what?” asked Ella.
“That bag there?” asked the guard.
“Just my traveling bag,” replied Ella.
“Let’s have a look then, “ said the guard.
“What for?” asked Ella.
“We are his majesty’s royal guard,” said the guard. “We have the right to search any and all citizens in his majesty’s kingdom.”
“Caleb,” said the Captain to one of his men. “Search the girl’s bag.”
One of the younger looking members of the guard dismounted his horse and reached for Ella’s bag.
“No you can’t. You have no right!” Ella exclaimed.
“We have every right girl,” said the guard captain. “This is his majesties King Henry’s royal kingdom. We may search anyone we believe is hiding something of his.”
“I’m not hiding anything,” said Ella as the guard called Caleb emptied the entire contents of her traveling bag out onto the ground.
Caleb swept the contents of Ella’s bag on the ground with his foot. He very nearly broke Ella’s mother's mirror as he did so.
“That’s enough!” cried Ella.
“Yes, that will do Caleb,” said the captain.
As Caleb mounted his horse again the captain spoke to Ella one last time.
“Be careful out here on your own girl. There are far less respectable men than us traveling this road. We wouldn’t want anything unfortunate to happen to you.”
The captain and the rest of the guard charged forward down the road. After a moment the prince emerged from his hiding place.
“I’m so sorry,” the prince said. “Did they damage anything?”
“No,” Ella said as she started to gather her things back into the bag. “So those men work for your father?”
“Yes. And I’m sorry. I’m so sorry for the way they treated you. And thank you. Thank you for your discretion.”
“You’re welcome, “ replied Ella. “ I still don’t understand why a prince would need to run away. But then again I am hardly one to judge another runaway.”
“So you’re not visiting a sick aunt?” asked the prince.
“No,” said Ella simply.
“Well, I’m still very grateful.”
“Not at all. Where will you go now?”
“I have an idea,” said a voice from the ground.
Both Ella and the prince jumped. The voice had spoken as though someone was standing right next to them. But there wasn’t another living soul in sight.
“Who said that?” said Ella.
“Who’s there?” asked the prince.
“Down here, “ said the voice.
Both Ella and the prince looked down. Between them lay the small antique silver mirror that had once been Ella’s mother. And in the glass was a reflection that belonged to neither Ella or the prince. It was a reflection of a beautiful young woman around their own age. She was very beautiful. She had dark hair, ruby lips and the fairest skin either of them had ever seen.
“Who-who are you? asked in Ella in a rather shaky voice.
“Would you believe me if I said I’m your fairy godmother?” asked the young women.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” said the prince. “There’s no such thing.”
“Very well,” said the woman. “To be more accurate Ella I would it is you who is my fairy godmother actually.”
“How do you know my name?” asked Ella.
“Oh I know all sorts of things about you,” she responded. “ It’s only natural that I would know all about you since I have been trapped in your mirror for fourteen years.”
“What?! How is that even possible?” asked Ella.
“Don’t worry. I’ll explain everything. It’s quite the story.” she replied.
“I don’t understand,” said Ella. “Who are you?”
“You’re right, “ she said. “ I suppose I should introduce myself first. My name is Snow White.”
*****
