The Substitute Cinderella

Chapter 19 "Bound By The Ring"

Seeing Adrien approaching her ripping the most apart brought Ella to her senses. His arms were full of dry wooden ready to burn, which was unusual under such storm, and even some fruits.

Her eyes lit up.

"I must admit you are skilled. Let me help you." Ella said playfully as a peace offering.

It was time to communicate if she wanted to survive in there with him when she had nowhere else to go other than running away with him, which she did not intend to at all.

Adrien on the other hand ignored Ella and literally throw everything on the ground when he reached the middle of the cave. He was not happy for some reason.

Ella flinched when everything Adrien brought hit the ground with a thud. He was not talking which was odd. Ella knew she had to find a way to calm him down because he was unpredictable.

"I guess you can teach me how to survive in the wild. Something I have never tried before. Seems like it's quite needed around here." She amateurishly tried to light up the fire by creating friction between two thin sticks. Her efforts were in vain.

It felt ridiculous. She was from the area but knew nothing about things that were necessary skills of daily living in a place most parts of which was covered with forests.

Ella noticed how little she remembered about her past.

It was just blank, now.

Adrien watched the vulnerable girl kneeling on the ground trying to light up a spark hopelessly. Then he remembered what she thought, and said, while he was away.

Her heart and mind was dangerously falling for things she should have never even discovered.

Places she shouldn't have set foot.

Lives she should have never touched.

Decisions she should have never influenced.

It was almost too late. Almost.

"Move aside." A deep voice behind Ella ordered. Adrien was close which made her blush. She quickly did what he said and fanned her face by using her hands so that he wouldn't see her that way.

Adrien stretched out his palm, this was an easy spell he could still afford to do.

"Lux." He simply said a word and the cracking sounds of the fire echoed around the stone walls. It was getting warmer and warmer.

"Wait, wait. What the heck did you just do?!" Ella watched Adrien with terrified eyes.

"Don't make a big deal out of it. I'm saving you from freezing to death and... starving to death. Here, have some apples." He nonchalantly threw an apple to her, she almost couldn't catch.

"Have some apples? How do you expect me to do that? I'm sorry but I am not ok with this, any of this. You realize that this takes us back to square one right? You just proved yourself to be a hypocrite." Ella said holding the apple in her right hand, holding thousands of questions in her head.

Adrien got up from where he was sitting and came towards her slowly to tease her, he thought she deserved it in every way. He was breaking every rule for her, risking his life even and she was thinking about places and people that had no meaning in the world she belonged to, she didn't need Henry, she needed someone to remind her the 'actual' world. Her past.

Ella gazed in his amber eyes, she was slightly afraid and slightly bothered. Adrien grabbed the apple in her hand and took a bite while watching her with defying looks.

"No, my princess. Since you have a hard time believing anything I say I am showing you instead."

"I am not a princess. And I'm certainly not yours." She looked away her arms crossed.