Soot & Ashes

Six: Bravery Is Doing What Is Right

Arabella watched from the top of the stairs as her sister sobbed quietly to herself as she scrubbed at the floor below. A tear slipped down Arabella's cheek seeing the back of Soot's dress streaked with little lines of red here and there from the lashing she had gotten for her insolence.

"You shouldn't be scrubbing at that floor!" Arabella shrilled wiping the tear away from her eye. "If you'd only say sorry to mama, I'm sure she'd forgive you!" Her voice was stretched, almost pleading.

Soot would not look up at her sister, she just kept scrubbing, only pausing for a moment to say, "if I were forgiven, what good would it do?"

"Well, you would have your nice clothes back, your warm bed! You wouldn't have to toil any longer!" Arabella cried as she tiptoed down a few steps towards the bottom.

"What of Ethel, should I leave her to do double the work? I cannot be so unkind." Soot shivered, trying to ignore the way her back ached and seethed with the recent beating. She had found her mother quite unforgiving now that she had no authority but her own to comply to.

"Of course! She would expect no less of us." Arabella hugged her arms around herself, feeling the chill of the lower house. The fires were dying down, there was no wood to feed them and they had not been lit well that afternoon either.

"Perhaps, but how will she ever learn if all she sees is like for like. Revenge and cruelty just breed more of the same thing. I see no good in carrying it on in my own actions." It had never been said that Soot was a stubborn creature, until this day she had not known it of herself either. But it felt very much like she had a sharp thorn in her side this whole time and she would not keep silent about it, nor would she sit idly by and watch.

"Oh, Susan!" Arabella wailed, "how can you be so good! You almost make me feel guilty for being so very little feeling towards our stepsister."

"It's Soot now, I only had my name back for a day and I'm not quite used to it by half." She said, barely acknowledging her sisters words, she had work to finish.

Brushing it off Arabella continued, "I do have feelings for Ethel, I do. But I refuse to get back onto my hands and knees like a dog for her. I refuse to be a servant in my own house any longer... You can reduce yourself to such an undignified post, but I shall not! I lost my love because of her, I shall not go on in the dust, even for you!" After this fell on very deaf ears Arabella burst into violent tears and ran all the way back up the stairs and to her room, where she threw herself at the soft bed and sobbed.

Soot had heard her all too well. A tear slipping down her cheek. Many would have thought how callous Arabella was being, how unkind, how cruel and prideful! Only that was not what Soot was thinking at all. She understood all too well the craving to be of value again. She had not been born to serve, neither of them had, they had been born never to lift a finger, always to be waited on hand and foot. They were never to do a day's work their whole lives.  

Life, as it were, had always been a cruel master though and they had worked. They'd worked so hard and seen so little for it. How often they wanted vindication, for someone to speak up for them when all they received was silence. Now that Arabella had freedom, now that she was out of the ashes, she did not intend to go back to them. She would not snub her privilege so lightly. But Soot couldn't keep silent. Even if that meant the worst of punishments, she would not keep silent. Her own mother had, Mary Cinders had kept silent, had helped in her daughters persecution. Soot couldn't give in so easily or for so little. Perhaps meek little Soot was not so feeble as she seemed at first glance. Perhaps she did not think so little of herself or her voice as she acted. She was confident enough to do the right thing, which is a very hard thing to do, indeed.

That night Soot had set up two little beds on the floor near the dying fireplace and waited for Cinders to come back after preparing the dinner.

When Cinders had finally ferried all the wood she had been helped to chop into the kitchen, both girls set about making sure all the fires were burning brightly in silence. Soot presented the dinner to Arabella and Lady Mary as she'd had much more practice at playing the maid.

When she was done they both ate the leftover broth from the cooking pot in their little kitchen. Of course Cinders was quite indignant about having to eat out of such a horrible bowl!

"How did you find chopping wood today?" Soot kept her eyes low as she asked, she didn't want to alert Ethel to how her interest had been peeked.

Cinders sat up a little straighter. She didn't need to look at her stepsister to know exactly what must have been running through her mind. "It was quite easy for me, I am a lady and ladies are generally good at everything. But I can see that you might have needed some strong help Soot." She answered with the most condescending tone that she could muster up.

Soot looked up at her stepsister in surprise. "D-did you meet anyone in the woods?"

Cinders smirked a little. "Why yes I did. A charming young man who helped me chop the wood. He seemed quite taken with me." She had not lied, but she knew her words would cause Soot pain.

They did as was intended, Soot's face turned sad and sallow. She felt a little sting in her heart and looked aside at the fire. "I see..." Her voice had sunk.

For a moment victory, joy! Cinders little arrow had done its work, it should serve Soot right for acting as if she cared when it was all for a boy. But then a little twang hit Cinders heart, too at seeing her stepsister sink so. She glanced at the bloody marks up Soot's back and winced. Those marks were enough to remind her that it was an awfully high price to pay for an afternoon chopping wood. She sighed.

"Of course, that was after another young man had left. He seemed to be looking for you." Ethel was sure she was going to live to regret her momentary lapse into taking pity on her poor stepsister. Still it was worth it to see her face light up like fireworks at a royal celebration.

"You saw Theodore?" Soot beamed.

"Yes, I did. I suppose you had to have another reason to defy your evil mother!" Cinders retorted coldly.

"Oh, no," Soot shook her head. "I could have snuck out to see him, I suppose. Only I truly wanted to help you."

This made Cinders frown all the more, for she couldn't figure her stepsister out in the least. She was such a strange, kind creature, she didn't seem natural. If she were more commanding she could be compared to Ivan, who was kind even when he didn't have to be. Even when Ethel had been horribly rude to him. Neither of them made very much sense at all.