Because I Love You✔️

Chapter 84: The Fires of that Day

Chapter Eighty-Four: The Fires of that Day

Just like that, everything went fuzzy.

She had trouble remembering things, as if her mind was somehow wiping away her most recent experiences. As she lay there, staring up at the big blue sky through the pink flowers of a familiar cherry tree, she felt her anxiety dissolving.

It was almost as if she'd woken up from a bad dream.

Her shimmering amethyst eyes remained locked on the clouds drifting past. A warm breeze sifted across her body.

She blinked like an owl that had been woken up much too early and yawned. She felt groggy and rather confused, since she really couldn't understand why she'd fallen asleep outside... or even really where she was.

She was oddly disoriented for some reason.

Ella blinked again before her eyelids slowly drooped and slid closed for a few moments.

Then it all came back to her.

She was lying on the soft grass in the western courtyard of the Rochard Family Manor, under the large cherry tree where her father always sang his ballads to her.

Songs about knights and their princesses, who were always being rescued from evil monsters and bad men.

Her long, cloud white hair weaved through the lush green grass like strands of spun moonlight.

The last thing she could recall was coming here to count the clouds like she always did, so she must have fallen asleep without realizing it.

"What an awful nightmare," Ella mumbled, rubbing her eyes with another yawn. "Papa will want to hear about it... it was so vivid."

Finally sitting up, Ella stretched her little arms and curiously looked around.

Her silver hair slid over her shoulders and pooled across her belly when she leaned forward and rubbed her eyes with little hands. Then she looked at the flowers all around her and smiled, since she absolutely loved the garden that had been planted in the courtyard.

This was her father's garden, off limits to everyone but her family and the court Wizard's daughter, Amelia. Crawling across the grass on her hands and knees, she leaned close to one of the vibrant blue flowers and inhaled the scent of things green and growing.

Then she glanced at the sun and realized that it was most likely time for her to meet her secret friend. Eyes widening, Ella hastily climbed to her feet, completely mindless of her little grass-stained gown.

Feet bare, she ran down the path to one of the four exists, pulling on one of the giant double doors with all of her strength.

Little by little, it budged open, and she eventually squeezed into the hall. She almost ran into one of the maids in her eagerness.

"My word!" the old woman squawked, nearly dropping the basket of apples she was holding; she instantly turned and cast a reproachful glance at Ella, who smiled at her. "Lady Ella, be mindful of how you carry yourself! You're going to give me a heart attack with all that running about!"

"I'm very sorry, Miss Macey!" Ella chirped, giving a little curtsy. "I'll be more careful in the future, but I can't contain my eagerness, I'm afraid!"

The old woman's gaze softened in the face of her delighted smile.

"Off to play with that little lass Amelia again?" the woman asked, giving a faint smirk of her own when Ella bounced in place. "My, you two sure are getting along well aren't you?"