RULED Part 2: A Fairy Tale Reform School Short Story

The Great Escape

Elie won't stop crying! Then again, I'm sure me crying isn't helping her all that much.

All the staff quickly left after I told them I needed one on one time with my daughter. So far, I'm just rocking her in the rocking chair and reliving my major fight with Jax. "Elie," I choke up, "please stop crying," I say between tears. This is ridiculous. I wipe my eyes dry of the tears and lift Elie up to my chest, gently rocking her back and forth, shhing quietly close to her tiny ear.

After a few minutes, the tears begin to settle down. I've had plenty of practice getting babies to stop crying. Everything rocks it's way to being quiet and peaceful once again. "There we go," I whisper gently. "It's all gonna be okay." That last part I added more for myself than for her.

Everything seems so nice for this moment, until it's ruined by the door abruptly opening. "Miss," one of our maids says to me through the crack in the door. "King Jaxon is leaving now for his conference in Captiva with the seven kings. We figured you would want to say goodbye."

Sigh. I stand up and delicately place Elie back in her crib. The second I let go, she starts gruesomely screaming again and I want to pick her back up, the four maids come swooping into the room to do that for me.

The walk through the hallway feels like the longest walk ever, and yet the shortest. But I'm sure it couldn't have been as long as the time it took me to finally open the door to my bedroom. When I step inside, I see Jax zipping up his shoulder bag that I'm sure is just the smallest of many bags he has packed for this trip. He looks up at me once, but we quickly look away.

"Goodluck," I say, my voice stiff.

"Thanks," Jax responds, his voice just as stiff. "I'll be back in three days." He throws the bag over his shoulder and begins towards the door of the room.

I cross my arms across my chest. "I'll see you then."

He opens his mouth to say something but stops on his breath. "Yeah," he says sharply. "See you then."

My eyes stay locked on the handle of the closet door as I hear his footsteps take him out of the room and the door slam shut. Could that have gone any worse? I think I'm getting a headache. The last time I can recall Jax and I actually in a fight was when Jack showed up to Fairy Tale Reform School, which was a full decade ago. I don't know how to act or what to do. This is all so strange.

That night, my mind won't stop replaying those moments in my brain. It's like a cruel form of torture I'm doing to myself. What is wrong with not wanting my daughter to become a spoiled princess? Sure, I want to give her everything she needs, but it is important to teach her how to do things for herself. Of course I don't want her to be a thief! Of course I want what's best for her. But I'm not sure this treatment is what's best for her.

If only Elie could experience a Cobbler family welcome to the world. I'll never forget when Mother and Father first brought Trixie home. Anna was five, I was six, and the two of us waited by the window to watch them walk up to the door. When they made it inside, Anna and I crowded our new baby sister. We grabbed everything around the house that we loved and introduced it to her, though we knew she couldn't understand it. From the moment that baby entered our family, she was nothing short of loved. The same thing happened with Felix, and Han and Hamish after him. Our boot was so small, we were all always forced to be around each other for worse or for better. I think that might be a reason as to why we're all so close.

That's what Elie needs, I think to myself. A Cobbler family welcome to the world. Not this staff nonsense. They need to stop taking her from me! The thought of it makes tears form in my eyes once again. Elie doesn't need her father taking off for royal duties a week after she is born. She doesn't need all of her family spread out across this huge castle, never able to find each other. She needs to be able to call for me and me to hear. She needs everyone to be on good terms, and to not be fighting over how many gifts she should receive.

Yes. That's it. That's what's best for her. The Cobbler family. With that being the only thing on my mind, I jump up out of bed and look through my tears to find a bag that I can throw a few necessary items in for Elie and I. In the top drawer of the dresser, I find a piece of paper, which I rip and half and scribble on with a quill.

"I have Elie, we're safe. Be back in a few. Sorry."

Down in her room, she is softly sleeping along with the maids here to attend to her needs. With multiple bags thrown over my shoulder, I reach down and lift her into my arms, her blanket still keeping her cozily wrapped.

At the front of the castle, I am able to ride away in one of the carriages to the Enchantasia Village and bribe the driver to not tell anyone where I'm going. With that, we disappear into the night.