Sorceress of Sentien

Chapter 12 Part 2

Ella and Jon walked in silence through the streets. When they were in sight of the gates she stopped walking.

"Are you alright?" Jon asked.

"Will their majesties let me stay?"

"You will be my guest. Besides, nobles often come to stay, and you are a noble."

"But I wasn't raised a noble."

"It's what you are."

Ella stopped arguing and followed Jon into the palace. Any servants they came across stopped what they were doing and bowed. Jon led her through several hallways before they stopped before a large door.

"Wait here a moment," Jon said as he opened the door and stepped into the room.

She caught a glimpse of one of the largest rooms she had ever seen before the doors shut and she was left in the hallway. It was then she noticed the guards on either side of the door. "Hello," she said quietly, receiving no response.

Ella looked around. For such a large hallway, there were really no places to sit, so she leaned against one of the several windows overlooking the courtyard. She turned when she heard the door open, and Jon entered the hallway closely followed by his mother and father.

Ella went into one of the deepest curtsies she had ever done and tried not to wobble.

"Father, Mother, this is Lady Ella." Jon pulled her from her curtsy by the hand. "Ella, this is my father, King Gregory, and my mother, Queen Stephanie."

"It is a pleasure to meet you both," Ella said with another quick curtsy.

Her majesty moved to shake her hand. The pleasure is ours, dear." The king stood back as if sizing her up. "You will join us for supper, won't you?" the Queen asked.

"I can," Ella said followed by a pause. "I'm afraid I won't have anything appropriate to wear, though, and I wasn't raised to attend such dinners," she blushed.

The queen smiled, "I'm sure we can get that figured out. Let's see if we can get a room ready for you. Jonathon says that you need a place to stay."

Ella blushed a deeper shade than she already was. "Thank you. I greatly appreciate all fo this." She followed the queen while Jon stayed near his father.

-----

Several hours later, after a room had been found near the princesses' rooms, a dress borrowed from the eldest princess, and her hair done by a maid, Ella followed the girls to the sitting room where they would be moved to the dining room.

The youngest two children of the royal family stayed in their nurseries. The two older princesses, sixteen and fourteen years old, had been introduced as Charlotte and Carissa. There were a few other nobles in the room as they waited for supper to be served.

Jon entered the room dressed in one of the nicest outfits Ella had ever seen him wear. Before they could speak, the King and Queen entered the room and everyone was led to the dining room. Somehow Ella ended up next to the princesses and across from Jon.

As the meal was being served, Charlotte leaned over and whispered, "With the silverware, always work from the outside in to the plate."

"Thank you," Ella whispered. She mostly ate in silence and listened to the conversations around her.

When the courses were over, the women left to return to the sitting room. Some of the women left to return to their rooms, while those who remained picked different things to occupy them. The Queen and Charlotte pulled out their needlepoint while Carissa played her little harp-like instrument. Other women read, but Ella sat quietly, unsure what to do.

"Where are you from?" Queen Stephanie asked.

Ella fidgeted. "I grew up in Faedale, your majesty."

"What was it like?" Charlotte asked, putting her needlepoint in her lap.

"Very quiet. I played and learned. There were forest creatures everywhere. I believe it's like living in any bustling city, just more in harmony with nature."

"That's exciting," replied her majesty. "What brought you to Cortus?"

"I came to learn." Ella paused. "My guardian wanted me to experience a large city. She had some research that she wanted to do as well, and Cortus has the most extensive library."

"That we do," the queen said. "Where is your guardian?"

Ella frowned. "I don't know. She was captured by some men before we arrived."

"Oh dear!" the queen and princess both exclaimed.

Their conversation was interrupted by the men joining the ladies. Jon came and sat near Ella while the King bent down and kissed his wife's forehead.

A few more minutes of idle chatter and Ella was struggling to stifle her yawns. Jon noticed.

"Would you like to return to your room for the night, Lady Ella?"

"Yes, I probably should," She stood up and bowed to the King and Queen before quietly leaving the room. She tried to follow the steps she had taken earlier to go back to the room, but must have made a wrong turn because she was soon in an unfamiliar area.

She heard footsteps before a hand grabbed her arm. She turned and saw Jon smiling at her.

"This way," he said as he placed her hand in the crook of his arm. "The palace is rather large."

Ella just blushed and walked beside him. "Your family seems nice."

Jon blew out a quick breath as if he were sarcastically laughing. "My father scolded me after Mother helped you. He seems to believe you're just someone after my title and wealth."

"Then he doesn't know I would much rather be in Faedale again." They walked in silence until they came to her room. "Thank you, Jon."

"It was my pleasure, Ella." He placed a kiss on her knuckles. "Please let me know if there is anything I can do for you."

Ella nodded and entered her room. Bushfur was laying curled up on a pillow just out of sight where she had left him earlier.

You were gone a while, he said somewhat sleepily.

She held out some of the small snacks she had snuck away with. "Supper is a much different affair here."

Ella took her dress off to get into her nightdress before she got into bed.

-----

Mandi waited until all the servants had gone to bed. She gathered the few items she was going to take, along with her traveling cloak she had found in her closet. As quiet as she could, she closed the doors she passed through. She breathed in a deep breath as she made her way to the wall that served as a prison.

"I'm coming to help you, Eleanor!" she whispered before walking to her escape.

A/N: Sorry for the long wait for an update! I was struggling with inspiration to do anything creatively. I hope now I can slowly get back to it.

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