Princess Charming

Chapter Eleven: Elliot

Elliot was unsurprised by the curious looks he garnered as he rushed back through the ballroom to the midnight toll of the bell. Why would the only person in the room who had managed to capture the attention of their head-strong princess be rushing from the room for the second night in the row? What did surprise him was the absence of audible destruction behind him. He couldn't believe Charmaine was accepting his sudden departure so calmly. He'd expected to hear crashing doors, cowering courtiers, a smashed glass or two.

Third toll.

The silence that met him was far more concerning: if Charmaine wasn't mad, she was scheming. And there was nothing more dangerous than that.

He was on high alert as he pushed through the double doors which led back through to the entrance hallway. He found himself starting to sweat as he approached the guards by the ornate front doors. Had Charmaine left orders to have him detained if he tried to leave? Would he still be stuck inside the palace at midnight, Elliot once more and dressed in rags and cinders.

Fifth toll.

The guards offered a terse nod of their heads as he passed, but made no move to stop him. He sighed with relief but quickened his pace as he descended the stone staircase which led out of the castle. A footman stood ready at the bottom of the stairs, just as Elliot had requested, the magnificent stallion the fairy had conjured for him at his side.

Eighth toll.

He was running out of time. He swung up onto his horse and flew through the gates with as much speed as he could muster. "Come on, little mouse," he whispered in the creature's ears. "Get me as far away from here as you can by the twelfth toll and I'll give you your weight in cheese when we get home." Overhead, the harvest moon beamed down on his sprint, illuminating the road ahead of him in silver light.

Tenth toll.

Still no sign of a trap. The forest whizzed by on either side, dark and imposing; the twisted trunks and branches too thick for even the moon's beams to penetrate. What was Charmaine planning? She'd never let him get away so easily.

Eleventh toll.

Over the hammered thumping of his heart, Elliot finally heard it - the sound of hoof-beats pounding behind him. He leapt from his horse at once and led the stallion over to the side of the road. They reached the tree line just as the twelfth toll echoed through the night.

The magic evaporated instantly: his horse became a mouse, his suit became his work clothes and the glamour that concealed his identity vanished with them.

His fairy godfather must still have been watching out for him; Elliot melted into the shadows of the forest as a horse thundered into a view.

"Whoa, Jacques," the rider called, bringing her horse to a sudden halt metres from where Elliot was hiding.

Charmaine's cheeks were flushed crimson, her hair hung in tangled disarray and the frown on her face would have brought grown men to their knees to beg for mercy.

"Where did he go?" she asked her horse, spinning around in her saddle.

Elliot froze as Charmaine's eyes scanned across the forest, glancing straight over the spot where he was hiding in the darkness.

"He was right here ahead of me..." She shook her head, moonbeams dancing across her tightly curled locks. "He can't be far. Come on, Jacques, we'll catch him." With that she was off again, vanishing into the distance along the road.

Elliot let out the deep breath he had been holding, his heart still pounding against his chest. When he was sure Charmaine was out of sight, he continued down the road on foot, the little mouse tucked safely in his pocket. Overall, the night had been another success: he had spent time with Charmaine, had evaded detection and had hopefully convinced her not to be too cruel to his step-siblings. Selene and Helios were no saints, but no one deserved the punishments Charmaine could dish out. He pitied whoever was unfortunate enough to meet her first when she arrived back at the palace.

It was a short walk home from where the magic had ended and Elliot was sure he had made good time. Sure, that was, until he stepped through the back door and found his stepfather sat at the kitchen table. He was still in his shirt and trousers from the ball, although his formal jacket had at some point been abandoned. The fire was dwindling in the hearth, bathing Lord Lebroski's face in menacing shadows.

Elliot froze for the second time that night, confusion flooding through his thoughts. He had never seen his stepfather in the kitchen before.

"Been out for a midnight stroll?" his stepfather enquired.

"Um... Yeah..." Elliot replied, running his hand through his hair. At least he was back in his normal clothes. "I couldn't sleep, so I went for a walk. I wasn't expecting you back for a few hours yet." Elliot hurried over to stoke the fire, concealing his face from view why trying to dispel some of the room's darkness.

"The ball came to an abrupt end when the princess vanished from the ballroom in search of a halfwit disguised as a prince," his stepfather drawled in response.

"Oh. I guess these balls haven't been quite as spectacular as everyone expected them to be then. There's always tomorrow night though, I suppose." Elliot was babbling. He was verging on making small talk with his stepfather, another thing which had never happened before. He needed to control himself before he started looking suspicious.

His stepfather sat staring at him for a moment longer before climbing to his feet.

"Selene needs you to draw her a bath. The fire in Helios' room needs stoking - it appears to have gone out while you were out enjoying your stroll. And I require a bottle of whiskey and peace for the rest of the night."

Elliot nodded mutely and went to the cupboard to procure the whiskey and a glass tumbler. He handed both to his stepfather, who swept from the room at once, vanishing into the solitude of his study.

Elliot sighed. He was exhausted and his mind was whirling. He wasn't sure if he'd just had a lucky escape, or if his stepfather had gone to mull over his punishment. He let the little mouse out of his pocket and procured him the promised chunk of cheese, which the mouse hurriedly pushed into the safety of its hole. Elliot watched him enviously for a moment, wondering how much simpler life might be if he was a mouse instead of human.

All Elliot wanted to do was sit down in front of the fire and process the night's events. Instead, he started up the stairs to see to his step-siblings latest demands. 

{Please don't forget that voting for the People's Choice category in the FairytaleCommunity's retelling awards is still open. You can vote for Princess Charming or Mirrored Snow at the following link (which I've added to the chapter as well) https://www.wattpad.com/313558752-the-fairytale-community%27s-2016-retelling-awards. All you need to do is comment on the chapter with the story title, my username and why you're voting for it. Thank you to everyone who has voted so far, it really means a lot to me!

Before you go, why not leave me a comment to let me know what you think Charmaine will try next? There's only one more ball to go...}