The Step-Sister

Exciting and New

     Ella felt a little bad for the huge attacker, he had no idea what he was getting into.

     Harold had taken many lessons from a retired soldier and quickly became much better than his teacher. The soldier knew true talent when he saw it and pulled a few strings to get a more talented teacher for Harold. The lessons ended when his teacher died, but by then Harold was more talented than most knights with a sword. The only reason Harold couldn't join the king's army was because Harold was an orphan with no political ties. Ella often saw him practicing late at night and shivered at the ferocity with which he attacked.

     The big man laughed at Harold's rather unintimidating figure. Harold thrust his sword forward, but was hastily blocked by the surprised attacker. Harold and the attacker fought back and forth for only a few moments, blocking and attacking, each relentless and merciless. With an expert twist and push, the attacker's sword went flying. Harold held the decorative sword at the attacker's throat for a moment before asking, "Do you surrender?"

     The big man didn't answer but he put his hands on his head and slowly sunk to his knees. The knights that had been ushering the last guests out of the ballroom finally arrived, tied the big man up and led him away. When he was sure the guards had everything under control Harold turned to the Prince.

     "I'm sorry about your wall decoration, your Highness." Harold said with a bow.

     "What?" the Prince asked as he looked at the cracked piece of wall where Harold had taken the sword from. "Oh, well it's better a wall decoration than me, right?"

     "I'm sure that man would've disagreed." Harold said nodding in the direction that the guards had taken their prisoner.

     "I must thank you, I don't know what would've happened if you hadn't intervened. I didn't have a sword on me, and panicked. I didn't even think of those decorations. I didn't even know they were real until tonight." The Prince said.

     "Actually, they are fake. It's just cleverly painted wood." Harold explained, snapping off a piece. 

     The prince blinked, shook his head in disbelief, and asked, "How in the world did you defeat that behemoth with a hunk of wood?"

     "It was a trick I learned from an old soldier who had to use what was available when he was stuck without resources during the battle of Winter Pass."

     The prince looked as if he wanted to say something, but a knight called for the prince. 

     The prince turned back to Harold, "I must go, but please, come back in a week, I'd like to discuss a few things with you."

     "As you wish, your Majesty." Harold said with a bow. Ella curtsied, and the couple turned to stroll down the steps of the palace with their arms around each other's waists, enjoying each other's unspoken love. The carriage ride was a moment of pure magic. The sweet couple sat in silence expressing their love in a way that did not require words, a way that only those that truly loved each other could express. 

    They almost couldn't bear to exit the carriage, but somehow they each convinced the other they had to go inside. They snuck inside the house through the back door, careful not to wake Cinderella, and shared one last kiss before heading to their separate quarters.