Twisted Cinderella

Preparations for the Ball

"Ella, in two days, there is to be a royal ball at the castle where the Prince will select a wife from among all the young, unmarried ladies in the kingdom. I want you to sew together two beautiful dresses for Marie and Gene so that they will be the most beautiful girls there and the Prince will be sure to choose one of them," she stated before handing me some material, five rolls of colored thread, a box of needles and a measuring tape. I walked up to the sewing room on the third floor and took in what I had to work with.

'A ball at the castle in two days? Did they even have enough time to prepare for such an event? The Prince must be very impatient if he is going to pick a bride in that short amount of time; a few hours, my goodness!'

The material for Marie's dress was forest green and she wanted it to be covered in bows and emeralds. Gene's was burnt orange and she wanted lace and orange precious stones on hers. I would have to get started now or I would never finish in time for the ball. Marie's was first. Hers wasn't that difficult, although I stabbed my fingers with the needle so many times, they swelled like a swarm of angry bees had stung them. I had her dress finished by midnight. When I got started on Gene's though, that was a disaster. I had to restart many of the seams to keep the pearls and precious stones in place. It was finished by noon the next day.

Right after I was done, the Widow hollered for their lunch to be brought out. I told her to start boiling the water. That little retort earned me another twenty lashes. When my skin was all freshly cut and gleaming with blood, I scurried down to the river and hopped on the big rock in the middle of the stream. After I had finished cleaning most of my cuts I felt the familiar, callused hand on my shoulder and the rag making slow, soothing circles again. I groaned with relief as my eyes began to drift shut again. This time, I fell asleep for five hours and awoke in the same position as last time, Maxton's arm across my hip and my back freshly bandaged.

Maxton had a little gift for me this time. He had brought with him a bottle of cream that would help heal my skin before the ball, and would only leave the faintest scars. Giddy, I took it from him and asked if he would slather it on. I pulled down my dress, exposing my back. Maxton grabbed a handful of the goop and gently smoothed it over my skin. The sensation was like a cool drink of water on a hot summer day. I moaned with pleasure, and Maxton's hand jumped, swiping some of the goop into my hair. Laughing nervously, he gently took it out and continued to rub the cream into my skin. When he finished, I turned around and gave him a big bear hug. He was surprised for a second, but then he gave in and hugged me back; swinging me around in a circle, laughing. When we were dizzy and breathless, he set me back down on the ground; where I fell in a heap. Chuckling, Maxton offered me his hand and helped me stand up.

"Oh, before I forget, I was wondering if you were going to the ball tomorrow night?" he asked, scratching the back of his neck nervously with one hand, while staring at his shoes.

"I don't know, honestly. My plan was to wait until the Widow and my step-sisters were gone and then I would spend the night relaxing, maybe reading a book. Maybe I would go to bed early as I will have many chores the day after; cleaning dresses and whatnot,"I stated while Maxton looked at me in shock.

"They won't allow you to go even though the invitation states that all eligible young ladies are to attend?!" Maxton exclaimed.

"No, I think it is because they fear I will take away the attention that Marie and Gene would gain from potential suitors and the Prince himself," I said sadly.

"Absolute rubbish, if I could manage to rent you a carriage that would pick you up at a certain hour after your step-family is gone, would you go then?"

"Maybe, I have my father's old horse, Prance, that I can take. I also do have a dress that should be used for such a grand occasion instead of collecting dust," I stated with a smile.

"You have no idea how happy that makes me feel right now Ella! What color is your gown?" Maxton asked with renowned enthusiasm.

"It's a beautiful indigo dress with blots of silver stitching that are supposed to resemble stars in the night sky," I said with pride.

"Excellent, that way we can spend more time having fun, rather than searching for each other the entire night."

"Sounds like a plan! Oh I have to go, before the Widow goes nuts. I'll see you tomorrow night, Maxton," I mock-curtsied.

Just as I was straightening, I was shocked to find Maxton standing right in front of me. There was a faint line of sweat on his brow, probably from nervousness. He licked his lips lightly and leaned forward, planting kiss on my lips. I stood there with my eyes wide open for a couple of seconds before I melted against him. His arms encircled my waist and I drew my arms around his neck; my fingers tangling in his hair.

When he finally broke away, we were both breathless. He grinned at me, pecked my lips once more and turned around; walking back to his horse. With my lips tingling, my soul singing, and my heart pounding like a herd of wild horses; I skipped, sang and danced all the way back to the manor. All through the day, I hummed to myself and danced as I did my chores. The Widow, Marie and Gene didn't know what to think. Once Marie came up to me and asked me if I was sick. I told her yes, I was sick with the most deadly disease ever. The disease of love, I thought to myself although I didn't say this out loud. For once, the Widow was happy with the way I was acting, and she lightened up on my chores the slightest bit so that I would have to spend more quality time helping Marie and Gene get ready for the ball. I think that she was just hoping that my good mood would rub off on her daughters and that they would make a good impression on the Prince.

I spent the entire day primping and curling hair, pressing, mending and putting on dresses, polishing shoes and applying heavy amounts of makeup. Finally, at nine o'clock, they were all ready. Surprisingly, the Widow turned around and asked if I was coming with them.

"Me?" I asked, looking around. 'She must be talking about somebody else.' I thought to myself.

"Yes, you, since you worked exceptionally hard today and didn't mouth off to me or the girls, I am offering you this as your reward," she stated.

"Oh, no I couldn't I don't want to trample on your parade, with all the long hours I put in making you look your best. I wouldn't want that work to go to waste if I went with you," I tried to look sad, just so they would leave and I could go to the ball without them knowing.

"Good girl, you answered correctly. There was no way I was going to let you go anyway!" the Widow cackled and Marie and Gene joined in as they walked out the door and got into their carriage. I knew that was going to happen, she didn't just offer something that a person really wanted without a catch to it.

"Oh, Ella, we're going to be back by midnight so this house had better be spotless when we get back!" the Widow warned as they drove away.

As soon as the carriage was out of sight, I ran inside, locked the door and bolted to my room. Faster than a cricket, I pulled on my dress, shoes and mask. When I was finished, I pulled on a dark cloak and ran out to the stables. Prance was already saddled and stomping his feet, anxious to run. I swung myself into the saddle and spurred Prance with my heels. Giving a loud whinny, Prance took off at a fast gallop. Speeding across the prairie, I hoped that I would make it to the castle in time to be able to dance with Maxton.

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A bit of a filler chapter, as I had encountered a writer's block. More interesting action is on the way though! Hang in there guys!