A Twisted Tale

Chapter 16

"What?" Ella said, her eyes widened. "How and why?" She asked. Her mother moved slowly towards her and touched her cheek gently.

"That cannot tell you." Her mother said, weakly. "You must find the answers yourself."

"But I don't understand, why can't you tell me?" Ella exclaimed.

"Because I just can't." Ella's mother said, her voice growing strong. "You have to be the one to discover the truth."

"But why me? I'm just a lowly servant girl, I'm nobody." Ella said, meekly. Her mother's face tightened.

"Never call yourself that!" Her mother bellowed, making Ella jump a little. "You are no servant girl and you never were to begin with."

"What do you mean by that?" Ella asked, raising her eyebrow.

"You may not know much about your past dear, but I'll tell you this." Her mother spoke. "You are of noble blood." She stated. Ella's knees went weak and she slowly dropped to the floor.

"What....that can't be possible." Ella said. "We were poor, people looked down on us. I thought that's why you and father killed yourselves, because you were living in poverty."

"Is that what Liza told you?" Her mother asked.

"Of course, who else?" Ella responded. "Was she lying this whole time?"

"No, she was protecting you." Her mother replied. "From our enemies."

"What enemies?" Ella asked.

"One of them is the woman who has made your life a living hell for years." Her mother spoke. Ella's eyes widened and she shook her head slowly.

"Mistress Selma." She finally spoke. "Is she the one who murdered you and father?"

Her mother stayed silent and floated closer towards her daughter. She rested a soft hand on her shoulder. 

"There are secrets that must be uncovered my dear one, and you have to be the one to do it." Her mother finally responded.

"But where do I even begin?" Ella asked meekly. She was desperately uneasy about everything.

"The ball is where all will be revealed." The golden fairy said.

"But I have no dress, no carriage, nothing." Ella admitted. "What am I to do?"

"No worries dear, with a flick of my wand I will make all those desires come true." Her mother spoke. "Follow me outside, we'll need some more room." Instantly, her mother vanished in plain sight. Ella looked in amazement. She quickly rushed outside and immediately saw the golden hue of her mother again.

"Now, stand back a little." Her mother commanded. "This is very powerful magic."

Ella did as she was told and took a couple of steps back. The golden fairy waved her wand gently through the air. The wind picked up swiftly and a great light flashed brightly into the sky. Ella covered her eyes, the light soon faded. She pulled her hand away and gasped. A beautiful shimmering silver carriage stood before her. Four majestic white horses were fastened to it, along with a coachman and two foot men at the back. The three of them were dressed in elegant suits trimmed with silver and white.

"Oh my!" Ella exclaimed. "How marvelous!"

"We await you madam." One of the footmen said, opening the door to the carriage.

"Oh why thank you." Ella replied. She immediately however froze in her spot. She quickly looked down at her dress that had been torn to shreds by Mistress Selma and her ladies. "My dress!" Ella bellowed. "Oh mother, how will I ever go to a ball with no dress!"

"No need to fret child, let me handle that." The fairy said and moved closer towards Ella. "I have just the dress that will suit you very well darling." At once she twirled her golden wand around Ella. The same gust of wind returned and engulfed the surrounding area. The foot men and coachman watched in amazement. With the force of the wind, Ella began spinning in place. A majestic light appeared in front of her. Soon after, all was normal again. Ella laid her hands to her sides and felt the soft fabric. She looked down at her new dress and gasped in excitement .

Words cannot describe the dress that Ella was wearing. It was beyond glamorous and glittered brightly into the night sky. It was as if a giant halo was set around her presence. The frilly dress was a combination of white and silver, the front of the gown was puffy yet slender, while a long train lingered from behind. A great silver swan was stitched to the front of the garment. A matching swan mask covered Ella's eyes, giving her facial features a more cat-like appearance. Elegant white gloves trimmed with silver lined her hands and arms. Her long thick braids were twisted with silver chords and charms. A dainty tiara sat upon her head, twinkling like a star. Ella spun around twice, taking in her whole new facade.

"Oh mother, it's beautiful!" She exclaimed. "Thank you!"

"Don't thank me yet." Her mother responded. "I have another special surprise in store." She said, instantly waving her wand towards Ella's feet. She felt a small tingle and immediately looked down. She was surprised to see that she was no longer wearing the blue slippers that Constance had given her. Instead, a pair of glass slippers encrusted with silver.

"Oh my goodness!" Ella cried. "Glass slippers, I never heard of such a thing!"

"These are special slippers that hold many magical properties." The golden fairy explained. "Now you must be off to the ball, it's getting late."

Ella smiled hard and quickly made haste to the open carriage door. One of the foot men helped her inside and closed the door. He joined the other footman on the back of the carriage. The coach man mounted the driver seat and took hold of the horse's reins. The golden fairy floated over to the carriage window and placed a warm hand on Ella's cheek.

"There's something else I must tell you darling." Her mother started. "As you may know, this magic cannot last forever. You will have only until midnight to figure out the truth, before it is too late."

"I'll try my best, I guess." Ella said, doubting herself. "Oh mother, what if I fail and midnight comes too soon." She cried.

"I believe in you Ella, but you need to believe in yourself first." The fairy replied in a stern tone. Ella nodded slowly and gave a weak smile.

"Now off you go and remember to be careful, there are many enemies around." Her mother said. "Onward coach man!" She yelled. At once the coach man whipped the reins and the horses gave way.

"Goodbye mother, I'll miss you!" Ella bellowed.

"I will always be with you darling, never forget!" Her mother answered back. "Goodbye now!"

The glowing silver carriage soon went out of sight and the night was silent again. A puff of blue smoke appeared behind the golden fairy. She quickly turned around and sighed in relief. A man stood before her, his long white beard swaying from the low wind. He was wearing a long blue robe decorated with brightly colored stars, a pointed blue hat sat upon his head.

"Very well done, my dear." He said in a gentle voice.

"I wish I only had more time with her." The golden fairy responded.

"You know that is not at all possible." The man spoke.

"I know, but I really miss her." The fairy replied. "I miss my life."

"Which is now gone." The man said. "This is Ella's story now, not yours."

"Yes, I suppose it is Merlin." She said quietly. "Have you seen Gerald lately?"

"No, I'm afraid I have not." Merlin responded. "He is still not done with his task."

"I want to believe in a better purpose, I want to believe that this is all worth it." She said, her voice shaking a little. Merlin moved closer towards her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Trust me dear, it will." He said. "All in due time. But for now we must leave and attend to other matters."

"Right, of course." She answered. Merlin immediately disappeared into another cloud of blue smoke. The golden fairy closed her eyes and prayed for the safety of her daughter, for it will be another few years before she can see her again. She gently raised her wand and in a flash vanished, leaving a dust of glitter behind.