Ugly: A Faerie Tale Retold

Chapter Eight: The Prince

Within an hour, we pulled into a line of other carriages, all steering along the same path. By the light of the drivers' lanterns, I saw other young women leaning out the windows to point at our carriage. We didn't have a lantern, because the carriage itself glowed.

"There! There it is!" Ella forcefully tapped me on the shoulder, pointing ahead. "Look, Thisbe! The castle!"

At first, I didn't want to lean out the window while everyone was looking at us. Then I remembered I was veiled. A rush of energy shot through my veins, and I put my head out. There, against the star-spangled sky, stood a tall castle with glowing windows. I patted Ella's knee. "You'll be lady of that castle soon."

With trembling hands, she smoothed her skirt, her smile glowing almost as bright as the carriage.

Slowly, the line of carriages snaked closer to the castle. I curled my toes inside my perfect black shoes. I'd seen the castle from afar before. I'd never expected to visit it.

The carriage rolled through a set of tall black gates, through a garden, around a marble fountain, and finally up to a porte-cochere. Our driver stopped the carriage and opened the door for us.

Ella's gaze traced his figure, and she recoiled a little, no doubt thinking about spiders. I saw no resemblance between his handsome face and a spider, and had in fact been wondering what it would be like to marry someone who had once been a spider. I accepted the hand he offered and stepped out of the carriage. "Thank you, good sir."

He smiled and bowed.

"Come along, Ella."

"Give me your hand, Thisbe."

I shook my head. "Don't be ridiculous."

Biting her lip, she took his hand and stepped out.

"Now thank him, Ella." I nudged her.

"Thank you."

He bowed again and climbed into the driver's seat. With a flick of his whip, the horses were off.

"Oh! Driver! Pick us up here at a quarter after eleven, if you please," I called. "I hope he heard me."

"Come on, Thisbe! Let's go inside!" She started up the stairs to the open front doors. My mind spinning with the sheer size of the place, I followed her.

The halls were densely packed with women of all shapes, sizes, and colors. In an effort to keep up with Ella, I was almost crushed against a wall by a fat woman, trampled underfoot by a group of sisters in wigs, and knocked over by a running child.

Before I understood where I was, we broke out of the crowd as though surfacing in a lake, and I found myself, without warning, on the floor of a ballroom. Gasping, I stepped back, running into someone.

"Get off me, girl!"

I recognized Mother's voice before I turned. For a moment, my knees felt weak, and I shielded my head. Then she pushed me aside, and I realized she hadn't recognized me. After all, how could she? I almost laughed, I was so relieved.

By the time I gathered my wits and looked around, Ella was already dancing with a man clad in castle livery, most likely a footman. An orchestra played on a stage, and I searched the room for a place to stay out of the way and watch Ella. I spotted a marble staircase curving around to an upper floor. A few other ladies stood on the staircase, so I assumed it was not off limits, and pressed my way through the crowd.

The air felt cleaner when I reached the top. I wandered onto the balcony, where I leaned against the railing and looked out over the festivities. On one side of the room, a group of women drank wine and ate cakes, while in the middle, the dancers spun in endless, graceful circles.