Ella

Chapter 2.

Chapter 2

The only thing Rosalind said when I walked in the door is: "We shall speak of your punishment of disobeying the same law for a second time when your father returns. Do not count on me forgetting about it either." She said. Then, she slapped me. Right across the face. I was speechless. I saw a servant girl hurry away after that, probably afraid of Rosalind. I cradled my cheek in my hand. "How dare you be so pretty." Rosalind said then.

I gasped, but said nothing. She was mean, but that doesn't mean I should be mean back.

I went to my room and then I let out my tears. I cried for hours about my father leaving me for his two month trip, and then I cried that Rosalind was so evil, finally, I cried over my mother's death. I cried and wished she would return to me how Father had promised me earlier today. How I missed them both.

Two months past. Then another week. Then another. Then another. Then finally a message arrived. One message I'd been dreading.

"Ladies, I bring dreadful news of King Edward. His ship was lost at sea. We tried to track it down for weeks, but the king and his men are nowhere to be found. I am here to inform you that he most likely..." The messenger paused. "Most likely dead." He whispered.

I took a step backward then another, then I stumbled into Rosalind who pushed me away towards the messenger then prettily cried into the arms of some knight behind her.

It was all fake. Everything. My father's death. Rosalind's cry. There wasn't any sound in this world. The color seemed gone too. I heard someone let out a loud sob, then I realized it was me. Tears were falling down my face, but I didn't feel them. I didn't feel anything. Suddenly, I was running. I didn't know where, but I was running. I was going somewhere, my legs were leading me without telling my brain. Everything passed in a blur. Villagers tried to stop me and ask what was wrong, but I pushed by them. I tripped on my skirt then, because I hadn't been holding it for the cause of whipping my tears. When I landed on the ground the sound returned. The hurt of my fall was suddenly there, as though someone was tearing my bones apart and my heart was being ripped out of my chest. Then I huddled up where I'd landed and cried.

When I finally regained my sanity, I looked up to find a crowd of townspeople staring at me.

"Excuse me!" Erica pushed past a bunch of people.

Then, my worst nightmare. Rosalind pushed through the people behind me. Well, actually she didn't. She ordered like six knights to be sure she didn't touch any one of the villagers.

"Ella..." Erica knelt beside me.

I shook my head and rubbed my tear stained face. "My father..." I whispered.

The people who'd heard my whisper gasped and the word spread quickly through the crowd.

"I'm so sorry." Erica bent in to hug me.

"DON'T!" Rosalind shouted holding up her hand. "Don't touch the girl. That's a warning." Erica backed away, surprised. "I'm the girl's mother. I don't want her pretty dress to get dirty."

"Leave me alone." I said, standing.

"Ella, honey." Rosalind said. She was acting like she should always act. Like a mother, even though she was a step-mother.

"You're not my mother." I ground out.

"Nonsense, Ella, dear..." She reached for me to give me a hug, but I backed away.

"No."

I was a little embarrassed by my breakdown, now that my mind had completely returned to me. Though, my heart... it was broken in half.

I'd been doing a lot of running in the past hour, especially with this dress, but, right now, I had to get away from Rosalind. "Let's go home, Ella." She reached out her hand again, but that's when I turned and ran through the thick crowd.

"Ella!" Rosalind screeched. "ELLA!"

I returned home later that night. All the servants avoided looking me in the eyes. I found Sariya and Sapphire sitting in the dressroom with the dressmaker laughing. I went in hoping for the sisterly love they probably couldn't give.

"Sorry about the king." Sapphire sneered.

"Yeah. Hope you don't mind being a servant for a while!" Sariya laughed.

I sat down because I didn't know what else to do. I needed the dressmaker to make me a black dress anyway.

"Maybe we should get pink dresses instead of black. What do you think, Sapphire?" Sariya asked. "After all, we are celebrating!"

"What are we celebrating?" I asked.

"The death of the king! Long live our mother! For we are now true princesses."

"What?" I drew in a breath.

"Yeah. Now I can be queen." Sapphire said grinning proudly and holding her hands above her head in the shape of a crown.

"How could you?" I whispered harshly.

"How could I what?" Sapphire asked. "I would roll around in all the money in the castle treasury. Then I would make him," She pointed to the dressmaker, "Make me the most magnificent dresses. Even more magnificent than yours! And since the king didn't return with my parasol and Sariya's pretty dress, the dressmaker would make me a parasol.

I stood, trying not to allow my tears to overflow.

"Look at how dirty her dress is!" Sariya giggled.

"Oh my gosh! It looks like she was rolling around in the dirt! Like a pig!" Sapphire laughed hysterically.

"It's like she is showing us what she really wants." Sariya said mysteriously.

"What's that?" Sapphire asked, curiously.

"To be our maid!" Sariya and Sapphire broke into hysterical giggling and laughing. I turned on my heel and ran out of the room. Only to be stopped at the door by Sapphire calling to me.

"We got a new nickname for you! I like Cinderella. How about you, Sariya?"

"Cinderella. It's perfect!" Sariya and Sapphire's laughing got louder and more annoying, even as I escaped down the hall.

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How did you like (or dislike) this chapter! Criticism and praises please! I only want to get better at writing and make your reading my stories more exciting for you! Please comment!