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Chapter II: Of mice and maids
or Rags to ruffles

By the time our friends arrived in Mûrane, it was raining cats and dogs. It even looked like the river Poise would overflow, so they ran to palace gates quickly.

"Where do you think you're going?" a though-looking guard demanded. "Who do you think you are?"

"I'm Jacob Myst, the royal magician; I'm a close friend of the prince."

"You hear that, fellows?" he bellowed to the other guards, making them laugh. "This drowned rat here claims to be a close friend of the prince. And I'm the queen of Asonnder, aren't I, my friends? Well, the prince's not here at the moment, so I'm sure his 'close friend' can conjure up some bridge to sleep under."

And with those words he banged the door in their face.

Rose grumbled. "Even our guards back in Kassel have more manners than this, this bunch of impudent idiots!"

"True, and you can complain all you want later, princess, but now we've got to find shelter first. Besides, it's already getting dark so we'd better hurry."

They left the palace behind and headed for one of the richer areas of the city. They tried many doors, yet nobody answered. They were soaked to the skin. Jacob was fiddling his glasses anxiously, and Rose was silently fuming.

Why wouldn't anybody let them in?! And that idiot's nervous gestures were really starting to irritate her. She was about to tell the wizard to calm down, when a strangely shaped shadow closed in on them.

"Wha… Who? Jacob?" she pulled his sleeve. "What's that, that thing over there?" she asked him, panic evident in her voice.

He'd noticed it already and had just decided to use a paralysis spell. He was just as lost as she was, afraid they wouldn't find shelter, and he honestly didn't know what to do about it. But demons? He could deal with those. It wasn't necessary though, because the shadow turned out to be a tall, young servant girl, carrying a huge, frilly umbrella.

"My goodness, what are you doing out here in this awful weather? Come under the umbrella." the girl said, her accent surprisingly refined.

"Thank you, miss. We were looking for shelter but…" Rose started.

"Ah" an understanding look appeared on her face. "And nobody let you in, I'm guessing." She shook her head. "That's Mûrane for you, sadly enough. It's a real shame. But you could always spend the night at my house; it's only a few blocks from here."

Rose was reluctant to accept the offer. She didn't really want to stay at a tiny servant's house, and domestics who lived near their masters were often even worse off than others. But her travelling companion had already answered in her place.

"We would be delighted, miss." he said with a tired grin. Our princess just shot him an indignant look.

So they followed the maid to her house. And what a house it was! It was more of mansion, really! It was, in fact, one of the houses they'd tried before.

"This is your house?!"

The girl nodded shyly. "I live here with my sisters" She took a key from a tattered apron pocket.
"Come on in!"

She was just taking their coats when she halted abruptly. "Oh dear, where are my manners! Do forgive me for not introducing myself earlier. My name is Élisabeth Perrault, but please, call me Élisa."

"I'm Rosa- Ouch! Rose… Grimm, and this is my friend Jacob Myst."

Élisa then proceeded to fuss about lack of hospitality and poor travellers; but her squabbling was interrupted by a lazy call.

"Cinderella, do we have visitors?" Two of the ugliest girls they'd ever seen descended the staircase. Even their flamboyant dresses and bombastic jewellery couldn't hide their toad-like features.

"Sisters- no, I'm sorry, ladies. I didn't know you were still awake." she curtsied for them.

"You're forgiven, Cinderella dear." drawled the short, podgy one "But didn't we tell you not to invite strangers without our permission?"

"Yes, Rubelies dear, you're right. What are they doing here, Cinderella?" The blonde sister frowned.

"My apologies lady Opalia, this is sir Myst, and his companion lady Grimm." Their faces brightened immediately at the titles. "They were caught in the storm. I couldn't possibly leave them outside, now could I?"

"Of course not Cinderella." she paused "Don't you have some chores to do? You're not slacking off, I hope?"

"And do not worry about our honourable guests, we beautiful ladies will entertain them."

Élisa looked like she was about to protest.

"Go make their rooms ready or something. And don't forget to clean the fireplace, Cinderella. If you don't want to sleep in the ashes, that is." sneered the oldest one.

Élisa just nodded meekly, bowed to her sisters and left the hallway.

The princess looked on, shell-shocked. Luckily Jacob had kept his wits about him. "It's alright, ladies. We are very tired and would like to retire to our rooms now"

"Alright, sir" The tall sister batted her eyelashes at him and ignored Rose. "Your chambers are upstairs, next to ours."

When Élisa's sisters left, they were wondering Élisa herself was. Eventually they found her in the kitchen downstairs, after they'd searched the entire top floor. She was humming, and, like Opalia had ordered her to, cleaning the small fireplace. Did she actually sleep there? No wonder she was covered in cinders and looked like a maidservant!

"Élisa?" she stopped humming and turned, dusting her torn skirt futilely while getting up. "Milady Grimm, sir Myst why are…, didn't you-?"

"Élisa, what's going on here? Why do your sisters treat you so badly?" Rose was never one to beat about the bush.

"Why don't you look anything like them?" the magician inquired.

The young woman just sighed. "I suppose I do owe you a decent explanation. But be prepared: it's a long story! It all began about five years ago. Before that, it was always just my father Charles and I, because my mother, Crystalline Saphir, died giving birth to me. Still we were happy, my dearest papa and me, his little darling Ella." She smiled, reminiscing.

"When I was three, my father's business started flourishing and soon he became the richest glass merchant in all of Verra. Many women wanted to marry him because of his wealth, even though he ignored them all, saying I was the only woman in his life." The girl let out a little laugh. "Silly papa."

"But that fateful year, he remarried, out of the blue. Her name was lady Esméraude, and she had two daughters. She was a real beauty, yet something about her made my skin crawl. No, I certainly didn't like her at first. She used to be somewhat commanding, always rattling about what proper ladies should and should not do. Opalia and Rubelies may've enjoyed those 'lady lessons' but I much rather spent my time outside. I loved climbing trees, taking care of our horses and other fun things. Basically, everything a proper lady shouldn't do."

"Later on though, she became very friendly and nice. I didn't really mind her anymore, besides I'd always dreamed of having older siblings. I never saw their true colours until it was too late, until… papa died. My new 'maman' had poisoned him, not that I could prove a thing I saw. I was- no, I am such a foolish girl."

Rose wanted to comment, shocked, but Jacob wisely silenced her.

"My stepmother renamed me 'Cinderella', to mock the nickname my father gave me, and because I'm always covered in cinders. Not that I'm not ugly anyway, but still. She fired the staff and decided I should do all the housework." She shrugged her delicate shoulders. "This is my life, this kitchen's my home, and they-" she pointed to a mice hole next to her makeshift bed "are my friends."

That was it. Our dearest princess couldn't take it anymore and all hell broke loose.

"You don't have any other friends, why? And you're so pretty! I would love to have caramel-coloured hair like you! And your eyes, they're such a pretty shade of blue, like the summer sky! But no," the riled-up redhead went on "I'm stuck with red, of all colours, and weird green eyes."

"Stop blabbering, Briar Rose, let her finish" Jacob interrupted good-naturedly. "Please, Élisa, do continue."

"Last year, in March, I came from the market, and told Esméraude about what I'd heard that day. You know the deal: sensational gossip, news, fragments of rumours, and the like. For example: the price of pumpkins that'd lowered, and the story about a girl living in the woods. She seemed to be in shock, muttering something that sounded like 'sounds right' over and over again. It was truly bizarre. The next day… Well you know the saying, don't you? Ding, dong, the witch was gone! But as you saw before, she left her daughters behind." The taller girl turned to Rose and bowed clumsily. "Thank you for your kind words, lady Grimm, even if-"

"I don't want your thanks, Élisa" she answered, shocking the poor girl. "I'd much rather have your friendship." Rose beamed at her utterly confused, hopefully soon-to-be friend.

"But you-"

"No buts, dear, and certainly no 'ladies'. It's Rose to you!"

"Briar Rose, in fact." Jacob felt the need to add. "Be sure to watch out for her thorns- ouch! See what I mean?" Her royal highness had just stomped daintily on his foot, with those lethal heels of hers.

"Was that really necessary, Jacob?!" she said accusingly.

He snickered "Of course."

"Oh! You're just incorrigible!"

The forgotten maid ended their quarrelling. "Rose?"

"Yes, Élisa dear?" she responded, all anger dissolving immediately.

"Do you really want to be my friends? I mean, I know I'm ugly and a klutz and-"

"Hush. Yes, we really want to. You sheltered us, remember? When nobody would let us in."

"She's right! Who knows what could've happened to us if you hadn't found us!"

Rose nodded. "And don't mind your stepsisters, I'd bet they're just jealous."

"Jealous?"

"Indeed! There's nothing for you to worry about. Your stepmother's gone now, isn't she?"

"Well yes, but sometimes, sometimes I still feel like she's watching over my every move."

This time the bespectacled mage spoke "What do you mean exactly?"

"It's rather difficult to explain, so I'll just show you" She drew the velvet curtain that was hanging next to the window back. It did not cover another window, like the green-eyed girl had expected, but a painting instead.

"My father ordered this portrait of him and Esméraude after the wedding ceremony. I covered it, because I hate the way her eyes seem so real and malicious."

But her new friends weren't listening anymore. The princess couldn't believe her eyes. "Jacob…" she whispered "that can't be…"

"It is. Hexatha" But of course! How could he have missed it! Her mirror spoke Verran, didn't it?

"Who's Hexatha?" Élisa couldn't follow anymore. One minute they were talking about her stepmother, and the next about this Hexatha-person.

"My stepmother. And apparently yours too. A foul and vain woman, and also the most dangerous sorceress I've ever met. Yet I underestimated her, or so it seems. She didn't flee; she just started over, with a false name."

She needed a moment to take it all in, but recovered quickly. "Then what about Rubelies and Opalia, you didn't seem to recognise them." Élisa asked.

"True. I wouldn't know actually…"

"I'll investigate it, princess."

"Thank you, Sir Myst, sorry, Jacob" Realisation dawned upon her. "Princess?! Are you our long lost princess Avannia? Have you spent your time looking for this, what's her name, Hexatha? Are you coming back now? And what do you mean your stepmother?!"

"Oh boy" the discovered princess sighed. Why couldn't that pesky wizard be more careful? "No, I'm not her…" And so the tired young royal told her new confidante everything.

"She must've left your kingdom when she heard your sister was still alive, your highness! She must be looking for her too!"

"Rose, remember?"

"Alright, Lady Rose, but why would she leave Mûrane? Assuming she gave up and then married my father for his riches; why would she leave that comfortable life? It's a genuine mystery!"

"Élisa, I want you to try and remember exactly what you said that day before she left. Even the tiniest detail can be of the utmost importance!" He was dead serious about this.

"Hmmm, I think it was something like this: "Did you know the King and the Queen are still looking for the princess? Even the prince is helping, mother! I hope they find her soon, she's been missing for more than a week already!"

Rose was shocked. That's why Élisa had reacted so strangely! It was weird, she had only met her youngest cousin twice, but she still missed her. She'd always liked Avannia more than that brother of hers. Was she dead now? She'd really missed an awful lot in those six years, hadn't she? She couldn't even remember what the girl looked like; she only remembered the girl's beautiful hair…

Meanwhile, the other girl continued her story. "And she replied: "No, I did not, Cinderella. Must you always waste our time?" I ignored her spiteful comment and said "And I heard another really interesting rumour. People say there's a young girl, Noa, living in Asonnder forest, with the seven dwarves; The fishmonger claims he's seen her and apparently, she's a real beauty, with her short black curls, pale skin and-"

"…lips as red as blood"

"Why yes, Lady Rose, how did you know?"

"This 'Noa' has to be her: the Princess Snow White, and, more importantly, my twin sister"

"That must be why that witch left! She's still looking for her!"

"She wasn't saying 'sound right' but 'found white'! I have to find Blanche before she does, but how? She might've even found her already!"

"I don't think so, princess. She left hastily, without a single clue, and the forest is huge."

"And I've heard those dwarves keep their house safely hidden. Some accidentally might stumble upon it once, but nobody's managed to get there a second time, so far. Have hope, Lady Rose. All we need is someone who's familiar with the woods."

"I know! We just ask Will!"

"Will, as in William? The Crown Prince?!"

"Don't look so surprised, Élisa dear, he's my cousin remember? And also a good friend of Jacob's. But what would he know about Asonnder Forest?"

"He goes there often to search for Avannia, even though his parents have given up. You're not the only one looking for their sister, princess; But I hope your quest will be more successful"

"Oh, that's how. When do you think he comes back?"

The dark-haired man just looked at her guiltily. "I wouldn't know actually, he's not easy to predict…"

"But I do! The King and the Queen are hosting a ball tomorrow night! My sisters couldn't stop talking about it! I'm sure he'll come."

"Yeah, they'll force him to, most likely."

"Why?"

"He hates these balls. According to Will, they have only one purpose: 'Make sure our boy finds himself a nice, pretty, obedient fiancée so he'll forget his grief and start focusing on his duties as the heir to the throne, namely, make some heirs.'"

The girls flushed.

"What? His words, not mine! It's true though; Queen Raïné really, really wants to have plenty of grandchildren before she turns fifty."

"Anyway, you should go, Lady Rose."

"But I can't possibly tell him who I am! I know him, he won't believe me."

"I'm positive he won't recognise you, princess. After all, six years have passed since he last saw you."

Élisa looked at the mage with a peculiar glint in her eyes. "You could always pretend you're Sir Jacob's girl, or something."

"I will do no such thing! You be his girl, I'll play your sister."

"Oh no. I'm not going, goodness gracious, of course I'm not. I simply can't."

"Why not?"

"Milady, you're a princess, you'll fit right in. I, on the other hand, I'm no more than an ugly maidservant."

Élisa! No, Lady Élisabeth Perrault, you will fit in! For heaven's sake, you're not ugly, and you're not even a maid, you're a nobleman's daughter! It's your duty to attend that ball and meet the prince!"

"No I can't! I won't! I don't want to see the prince, I loath him!" she shouted "Goodnight!" She slammed the door.

"Élisa? Wha…wait!"

"Don't you ever learn, princess? If she doesn't want to go that badly, she must have some reason."

"What is this reason then?"

"Maybe… that she hates Will! You heard her, didn't you?"

"Frankly, I don't believe a word of it. If she just disliked him, it wouldn't affect her this much. If you ask me, I think she might even like my dearest cousin."

"What makes you say that?"

"Intuition, Jacob, intuition. You off all people should know."

"I will never understand girls, will I?"

"Of course you won't. I'll go talk to her, but first you have to promise me something. It's obvious that girl's just lacking some self-confidence, so here's what you'll do…"While explaining her plans, Rose's smile turned into a full-fledged Cheshire cat grin. "Work your magic."

The next day seemed to go on forever; with Jacob brooding in his room and Rose trying to help Élisa as she prepared her stepsisters' clothes for the ball. But finally, evening came, and Rubelies and Opalia left to be 'fashionably early'. Time for part two of their cunning little scheme.

What about the first part, you ask? Let me tell you, it was already put in action! While seemingly just chattering away, the clever princess subtly tried to convince the girl to go to the ball. And by the end of the day, she didn't really hate the idea anymore. She even confessed that she met the prince before. He'd saved her when she almost got involved in a brawl on the marketplace for giving some silver coins to a poor little boy. Yes, she didn't mind going anymore, not that she thought she could. For instance, her only fancy gown was torn and downright filthy. The main suspects were a certain pair of ugly stepsisters, but that's another story.

Anyway, that evening, a slightly happier Élisa went to her room. What she didn't know was that someone else got there first.

Jacob cursed inwardly. How exactly did he end up in this tiny, stuffy closet? He closed his eyes and sighed, remembering his princess's puppy eyes. Right, that's how. He heard the door when the victim, I mean, the lucky girl entered the room. Show time!

"Good evening, Élisabeth."

"Who's there?"

"Why your fairy godmother of course, dearie. I'm here to help you get ready for the ball tonight" He cringed at the corniness, but if Rose said it would work…

Élisa felt a bit relieved, but still suspicious. "Reveal yourself then!"

Damn. Rose couldn't have thought of that, now could she? "I'm sorry, my child, but as your fairy godmother I'm not allowed to appear in front of you. But I can prove my presence, and my good intentions" He was already patting himself on the back for his quick thinking. As proof, he let the damaged dress dance through the room.

She rubbed her eyes. She must be dreaming. Oh well, no harm in going long with it then, right? "What are you going to do, fairy godmother?"

"Things like this" 'Poof', her rags turned into a beautiful, strapless, cornflower blue dress. "And that's only the beginning, lovey" He was beginning to enjoy his little act. With a 'bibbiti-bobbiti-boo' she got a pearl necklace, matching earrings and a pair of elegant long gloves. The small fragile shoes were the proverbial cherry on the cake. Rose would be delighted, Élisa was delighted. All she needed to do now, was get to the ball on time. But something was missing, and he wanted to fix it first. Though he could imagine his princess at the bottom of the stairs, waiting impatiently.

Ah yes, thát was missing. "You don't happen to have a pumpkin patch in that huge garden out there, do you, dearie?"

"Yes, how did you know? And why would I need a pumpkin at a ball, godmother?"

"You'll see, just look outside your window" And with a flick of his wrist, the biggest and finest pumpkin turned into a gorgeous, pristine white carriage. "The only missing ingredient for a coach and four is… mice!"

"Mice?"

"Yes, mice. Those furry little friends of yours'd make fine horses. Oh there they are!" Gone were the mice: suddenly the carriage was pulled by four beautiful black horses.

"It's perfect. How can I ever repay you?"

"No need for that, lovey, but do remember, it'll only last 'till midnight" Any longer, and the magic could drain him completely. "Goodbye now, Élisabeth my dear."

Then Rose stumbled in, just as impatient as he'd predicted. She was already dressed for the ball in a soft purple gown with long, wide sleeves. Her poppy-red locks were tied up in a braid with a matching silk ribbon. "Élisa dear, you look wonderful. I'll bet even my picky cousin will stare at you! Where did you find that dress? Is it your mother's perhaps? I see she had better taste than your stepsisters. Look at you: You're gorgeous! Just let me fix your hair and we're ready to go." The startled girl couldn't get a word in. She let her over-excited friend pull her hair into a sophisticated bun, decorated with pearls and blue tea roses.

"We're all set. Come on Élisa, the prince is waiting."

"And what about little ol' me?" Jacob, who seemed to have appeared from thin air –or maybe he really did- , pouted in mock anger. "You girls sure took your time"

He looked so absolutely ridiculous, she just had to make fun of him. "Oh never mind him, Élisa dear, he's just cranky because he doesn't have a date."

"But I do, princess." He wrapped his arms around an unsuspecting Rose. "And, if you ask me, she looks absolutely lovely tonight."

"Not me, you dolt." she muttered, but her heart wasn't in it. Was she blushing?

"Wasn't there someone waiting for us, lovebirds?" Their friend teased.

The embarrassed girl pushed him away quickly, and entered the carriage. Élisa followed her, while Jacob went to sit on the perch. "Have a nice trip, ladies!"

-------------------------
The fairytale's pretty obvious now, no? Yes, I did base the fairy godmother scene on the Disney movie XD As for how the story's progressing, I'm writing -not typing - chapter four now, but I'm a bit stuck. In total there are -though the amount changes while writing- seven chapters, a prologue and an epilogue. Not to mention the other LfT stories like the short story 'The Storyteller Queen'. So, this time there are two questions, each first winner, gets a sneak peek of chapter three. 1) Why would Blanche take on the alias 'Noa'? And 2) Who could Avannia be? -In other words, which fairy tale character is she? Hint: There's no real clue hidden in her name. She just happens to like birds -my choice, that's not mentioned in the fairy tale-, and I thought 'Avannia' sounded pretty- They're rather hard I know, but you can always try to take a guess, maybe be you'll get it right^^ And don't forget: Liked it? Found a mistake?: Review, please^^

~ Phara

Sweating a little... — Description
Chapter II: Of mice and maids
or Rags to ruffles

By the time our friends arrived in Mûrane, it was raining cats and dogs. It even looked like the river Poise would overflow, so they ran to palace gates quickly.

"Where do you think you're going?" a though-looking guard demanded. "Who do you think you are?"

"I'm Jacob Myst, the royal magician; I'm a close friend of the prince."

"You hear that, fellows?" he bellowed to the other guards, making them laugh. "This drowned rat here claims to be a close friend of the prince. And I'm the queen of Asonnder, aren't I, my friends? Well, the prince's not here at the moment, so I'm sure his 'close friend' can conjure up some bridge to sleep under."

And with those words he banged the door in their face.

Rose grumbled. "Even our guards back in Kassel have more manners than this, this bunch of impudent idiots!"

"True, and you can complain all you want later, princess, but now we've got to find shelter first. Besides, it's already getting dark so we'd better hurry."

They left the palace behind and headed for one of the richer areas of the city. They tried many doors, yet nobody answered. They were soaked to the skin. Jacob was fiddling his glasses anxiously, and Rose was silently fuming.

Why wouldn't anybody let them in?! And that idiot's nervous gestures were really starting to irritate her. She was about to tell the wizard to calm down, when a strangely shaped shadow closed in on them.

"Wha… Who? Jacob?" she pulled his sleeve. "What's that, that thing over there?" she asked him, panic evident in her voice.

He'd noticed it already and had just decided to use a paralysis spell. He was just as lost as she was, afraid they wouldn't find shelter, and he honestly didn't know what to do about it. But demons? He could deal with those. It wasn't necessary though, because the shadow turned out to be a tall, young servant girl, carrying a huge, frilly umbrella.

"My goodness, what are you doing out here in this awful weather? Come under the umbrella." the girl said, her accent surprisingly refined.

"Thank you, miss. We were looking for shelter but…" Rose started.

"Ah" an understanding look appeared on her face. "And nobody let you in, I'm guessing." She shook her head. "That's Mûrane for you, sadly enough. It's a real shame. But you could always spend the night at my house; it's only a few blocks from here."

Rose was reluctant to accept the offer. She didn't really want to stay at a tiny servant's house, and domestics who lived near their masters were often even worse off than others. But her travelling companion had already answered in her place.

"We would be delighted, miss." he said with a tired grin. Our princess just shot him an indignant look.

So they followed the maid to her house. And what a house it was! It was more of mansion, really! It was, in fact, one of the houses they'd tried before.

"This is your house?!"

The girl nodded shyly. "I live here with my sisters" She took a key from a tattered apron pocket.
"Come on in!"

She was just taking their coats when she halted abruptly. "Oh dear, where are my manners! Do forgive me for not introducing myself earlier. My name is Élisabeth Perrault, but please, call me Élisa."

"I'm Rosa- Ouch! Rose… Grimm, and this is my friend Jacob Myst."

Élisa then proceeded to fuss about lack of hospitality and poor travellers; but her squabbling was interrupted by a lazy call.

"Cinderella, do we have visitors?" Two of the ugliest girls they'd ever seen descended the staircase. Even their flamboyant dresses and bombastic jewellery couldn't hide their toad-like features.

"Sisters- no, I'm sorry, ladies. I didn't know you were still awake." she curtsied for them.

"You're forgiven, Cinderella dear." drawled the short, podgy one "But didn't we tell you not to invite strangers without our permission?"

"Yes, Rubelies dear, you're right. What are they doing here, Cinderella?" The blonde sister frowned.

"My apologies lady Opalia, this is sir Myst, and his companion lady Grimm." Their faces brightened immediately at the titles. "They were caught in the storm. I couldn't possibly leave them outside, now could I?"

"Of course not Cinderella." she paused "Don't you have some chores to do? You're not slacking off, I hope?"

"And do not worry about our honourable guests, we beautiful ladies will entertain them."

Élisa looked like she was about to protest.

"Go make their rooms ready or something. And don't forget to clean the fireplace, Cinderella. If you don't want to sleep in the ashes, that is." sneered the oldest one.

Élisa just nodded meekly, bowed to her sisters and left the hallway.

The princess looked on, shell-shocked. Luckily Jacob had kept his wits about him. "It's alright, ladies. We are very tired and would like to retire to our rooms now"

"Alright, sir" The tall sister batted her eyelashes at him and ignored Rose. "Your chambers are upstairs, next to ours."

When Élisa's sisters left, they were wondering Élisa herself was. Eventually they found her in the kitchen downstairs, after they'd searched the entire top floor. She was humming, and, like Opalia had ordered her to, cleaning the small fireplace. Did she actually sleep there? No wonder she was covered in cinders and looked like a maidservant!

"Élisa?" she stopped humming and turned, dusting her torn skirt futilely while getting up. "Milady Grimm, sir Myst why are…, didn't you-?"

"Élisa, what's going on here? Why do your sisters treat you so badly?" Rose was never one to beat about the bush.

"Why don't you look anything like them?" the magician inquired.

The young woman just sighed. "I suppose I do owe you a decent explanation. But be prepared: it's a long story! It all began about five years ago. Before that, it was always just my father Charles and I, because my mother, Crystalline Saphir, died giving birth to me. Still we were happy, my dearest papa and me, his little darling Ella." She smiled, reminiscing.

"When I was three, my father's business started flourishing and soon he became the richest glass merchant in all of Verra. Many women wanted to marry him because of his wealth, even though he ignored them all, saying I was the only woman in his life." The girl let out a little laugh. "Silly papa."

"But that fateful year, he remarried, out of the blue. Her name was lady Esméraude, and she had two daughters. She was a real beauty, yet something about her made my skin crawl. No, I certainly didn't like her at first. She used to be somewhat commanding, always rattling about what proper ladies should and should not do. Opalia and Rubelies may've enjoyed those 'lady lessons' but I much rather spent my time outside. I loved climbing trees, taking care of our horses and other fun things. Basically, everything a proper lady shouldn't do."

"Later on though, she became very friendly and nice. I didn't really mind her anymore, besides I'd always dreamed of having older siblings. I never saw their true colours until it was too late, until… papa died. My new 'maman' had poisoned him, not that I could prove a thing I saw. I was- no, I am such a foolish girl."

Rose wanted to comment, shocked, but Jacob wisely silenced her.

"My stepmother renamed me 'Cinderella', to mock the nickname my father gave me, and because I'm always covered in cinders. Not that I'm not ugly anyway, but still. She fired the staff and decided I should do all the housework." She shrugged her delicate shoulders. "This is my life, this kitchen's my home, and they-" she pointed to a mice hole next to her makeshift bed "are my friends."

That was it. Our dearest princess couldn't take it anymore and all hell broke loose.

"You don't have any other friends, why? And you're so pretty! I would love to have caramel-coloured hair like you! And your eyes, they're such a pretty shade of blue, like the summer sky! But no," the riled-up redhead went on "I'm stuck with red, of all colours, and weird green eyes."

"Stop blabbering, Briar Rose, let her finish" Jacob interrupted good-naturedly. "Please, Élisa, do continue."

"Last year, in March, I came from the market, and told Esméraude about what I'd heard that day. You know the deal: sensational gossip, news, fragments of rumours, and the like. For example: the price of pumpkins that'd lowered, and the story about a girl living in the woods. She seemed to be in shock, muttering something that sounded like 'sounds right' over and over again. It was truly bizarre. The next day… Well you know the saying, don't you? Ding, dong, the witch was gone! But as you saw before, she left her daughters behind." The taller girl turned to Rose and bowed clumsily. "Thank you for your kind words, lady Grimm, even if-"

"I don't want your thanks, Élisa" she answered, shocking the poor girl. "I'd much rather have your friendship." Rose beamed at her utterly confused, hopefully soon-to-be friend.

"But you-"

"No buts, dear, and certainly no 'ladies'. It's Rose to you!"

"Briar Rose, in fact." Jacob felt the need to add. "Be sure to watch out for her thorns- ouch! See what I mean?" Her royal highness had just stomped daintily on his foot, with those lethal heels of hers.

"Was that really necessary, Jacob?!" she said accusingly.

He snickered "Of course."

"Oh! You're just incorrigible!"

The forgotten maid ended their quarrelling. "Rose?"

"Yes, Élisa dear?" she responded, all anger dissolving immediately.

"Do you really want to be my friends? I mean, I know I'm ugly and a klutz and-"

"Hush. Yes, we really want to. You sheltered us, remember? When nobody would let us in."

"She's right! Who knows what could've happened to us if you hadn't found us!"

Rose nodded. "And don't mind your stepsisters, I'd bet they're just jealous."

"Jealous?"

"Indeed! There's nothing for you to worry about. Your stepmother's gone now, isn't she?"

"Well yes, but sometimes, sometimes I still feel like she's watching over my every move."

This time the bespectacled mage spoke "What do you mean exactly?"

"It's rather difficult to explain, so I'll just show you" She drew the velvet curtain that was hanging next to the window back. It did not cover another window, like the green-eyed girl had expected, but a painting instead.

"My father ordered this portrait of him and Esméraude after the wedding ceremony. I covered it, because I hate the way her eyes seem so real and malicious."

But her new friends weren't listening anymore. The princess couldn't believe her eyes. "Jacob…" she whispered "that can't be…"

"It is. Hexatha" But of course! How could he have missed it! Her mirror spoke Verran, didn't it?

"Who's Hexatha?" Élisa couldn't follow anymore. One minute they were talking about her stepmother, and the next about this Hexatha-person.

"My stepmother. And apparently yours too. A foul and vain woman, and also the most dangerous sorceress I've ever met. Yet I underestimated her, or so it seems. She didn't flee; she just started over, with a false name."

She needed a moment to take it all in, but recovered quickly. "Then what about Rubelies and Opalia, you didn't seem to recognise them." Élisa asked.

"True. I wouldn't know actually…"

"I'll investigate it, princess."

"Thank you, Sir Myst, sorry, Jacob" Realisation dawned upon her. "Princess?! Are you our long lost princess Avannia? Have you spent your time looking for this, what's her name, Hexatha? Are you coming back now? And what do you mean your stepmother?!"

"Oh boy" the discovered princess sighed. Why couldn't that pesky wizard be more careful? "No, I'm not her…" And so the tired young royal told her new confidante everything.

"She must've left your kingdom when she heard your sister was still alive, your highness! She must be looking for her too!"

"Rose, remember?"

"Alright, Lady Rose, but why would she leave Mûrane? Assuming she gave up and then married my father for his riches; why would she leave that comfortable life? It's a genuine mystery!"

"Élisa, I want you to try and remember exactly what you said that day before she left. Even the tiniest detail can be of the utmost importance!" He was dead serious about this.

"Hmmm, I think it was something like this: "Did you know the King and the Queen are still looking for the princess? Even the prince is helping, mother! I hope they find her soon, she's been missing for more than a week already!"

Rose was shocked. That's why Élisa had reacted so strangely! It was weird, she had only met her youngest cousin twice, but she still missed her. She'd always liked Avannia more than that brother of hers. Was she dead now? She'd really missed an awful lot in those six years, hadn't she? She couldn't even remember what the girl looked like; she only remembered the girl's beautiful hair…

Meanwhile, the other girl continued her story. "And she replied: "No, I did not, Cinderella. Must you always waste our time?" I ignored her spiteful comment and said "And I heard another really interesting rumour. People say there's a young girl, Noa, living in Asonnder forest, with the seven dwarves; The fishmonger claims he's seen her and apparently, she's a real beauty, with her short black curls, pale skin and-"

"…lips as red as blood"

"Why yes, Lady Rose, how did you know?"

"This 'Noa' has to be her: the Princess Snow White, and, more importantly, my twin sister"

"That must be why that witch left! She's still looking for her!"

"She wasn't saying 'sound right' but 'found white'! I have to find Blanche before she does, but how? She might've even found her already!"

"I don't think so, princess. She left hastily, without a single clue, and the forest is huge."

"And I've heard those dwarves keep their house safely hidden. Some accidentally might stumble upon it once, but nobody's managed to get there a second time, so far. Have hope, Lady Rose. All we need is someone who's familiar with the woods."

"I know! We just ask Will!"

"Will, as in William? The Crown Prince?!"

"Don't look so surprised, Élisa dear, he's my cousin remember? And also a good friend of Jacob's. But what would he know about Asonnder Forest?"

"He goes there often to search for Avannia, even though his parents have given up. You're not the only one looking for their sister, princess; But I hope your quest will be more successful"

"Oh, that's how. When do you think he comes back?"

The dark-haired man just looked at her guiltily. "I wouldn't know actually, he's not easy to predict…"

"But I do! The King and the Queen are hosting a ball tomorrow night! My sisters couldn't stop talking about it! I'm sure he'll come."

"Yeah, they'll force him to, most likely."

"Why?"

"He hates these balls. According to Will, they have only one purpose: 'Make sure our boy finds himself a nice, pretty, obedient fiancée so he'll forget his grief and start focusing on his duties as the heir to the throne, namely, make some heirs.'"

The girls flushed.

"What? His words, not mine! It's true though; Queen Raïné really, really wants to have plenty of grandchildren before she turns fifty."

"Anyway, you should go, Lady Rose."

"But I can't possibly tell him who I am! I know him, he won't believe me."

"I'm positive he won't recognise you, princess. After all, six years have passed since he last saw you."

Élisa looked at the mage with a peculiar glint in her eyes. "You could always pretend you're Sir Jacob's girl, or something."

"I will do no such thing! You be his girl, I'll play your sister."

"Oh no. I'm not going, goodness gracious, of course I'm not. I simply can't."

"Why not?"

"Milady, you're a princess, you'll fit right in. I, on the other hand, I'm no more than an ugly maidservant."

Élisa! No, Lady Élisabeth Perrault, you will fit in! For heaven's sake, you're not ugly, and you're not even a maid, you're a nobleman's daughter! It's your duty to attend that ball and meet the prince!"

"No I can't! I won't! I don't want to see the prince, I loath him!" she shouted "Goodnight!" She slammed the door.

"Élisa? Wha…wait!"

"Don't you ever learn, princess? If she doesn't want to go that badly, she must have some reason."

"What is this reason then?"

"Maybe… that she hates Will! You heard her, didn't you?"

"Frankly, I don't believe a word of it. If she just disliked him, it wouldn't affect her this much. If you ask me, I think she might even like my dearest cousin."

"What makes you say that?"

"Intuition, Jacob, intuition. You off all people should know."

"I will never understand girls, will I?"

"Of course you won't. I'll go talk to her, but first you have to promise me something. It's obvious that girl's just lacking some self-confidence, so here's what you'll do…"While explaining her plans, Rose's smile turned into a full-fledged Cheshire cat grin. "Work your magic."

The next day seemed to go on forever; with Jacob brooding in his room and Rose trying to help Élisa as she prepared her stepsisters' clothes for the ball. But finally, evening came, and Rubelies and Opalia left to be 'fashionably early'. Time for part two of their cunning little scheme.

What about the first part, you ask? Let me tell you, it was already put in action! While seemingly just chattering away, the clever princess subtly tried to convince the girl to go to the ball. And by the end of the day, she didn't really hate the idea anymore. She even confessed that she met the prince before. He'd saved her when she almost got involved in a brawl on the marketplace for giving some silver coins to a poor little boy. Yes, she didn't mind going anymore, not that she thought she could. For instance, her only fancy gown was torn and downright filthy. The main suspects were a certain pair of ugly stepsisters, but that's another story.

Anyway, that evening, a slightly happier Élisa went to her room. What she didn't know was that someone else got there first.

Jacob cursed inwardly. How exactly did he end up in this tiny, stuffy closet? He closed his eyes and sighed, remembering his princess's puppy eyes. Right, that's how. He heard the door when the victim, I mean, the lucky girl entered the room. Show time!

"Good evening, Élisabeth."

"Who's there?"

"Why your fairy godmother of course, dearie. I'm here to help you get ready for the ball tonight" He cringed at the corniness, but if Rose said it would work…

Élisa felt a bit relieved, but still suspicious. "Reveal yourself then!"

Damn. Rose couldn't have thought of that, now could she? "I'm sorry, my child, but as your fairy godmother I'm not allowed to appear in front of you. But I can prove my presence, and my good intentions" He was already patting himself on the back for his quick thinking. As proof, he let the damaged dress dance through the room.

She rubbed her eyes. She must be dreaming. Oh well, no harm in going long with it then, right? "What are you going to do, fairy godmother?"

"Things like this" 'Poof', her rags turned into a beautiful, strapless, cornflower blue dress. "And that's only the beginning, lovey" He was beginning to enjoy his little act. With a 'bibbiti-bobbiti-boo' she got a pearl necklace, matching earrings and a pair of elegant long gloves. The small fragile shoes were the proverbial cherry on the cake. Rose would be delighted, Élisa was delighted. All she needed to do now, was get to the ball on time. But something was missing, and he wanted to fix it first. Though he could imagine his princess at the bottom of the stairs, waiting impatiently.

Ah yes, thát was missing. "You don't happen to have a pumpkin patch in that huge garden out there, do you, dearie?"

"Yes, how did you know? And why would I need a pumpkin at a ball, godmother?"

"You'll see, just look outside your window" And with a flick of his wrist, the biggest and finest pumpkin turned into a gorgeous, pristine white carriage. "The only missing ingredient for a coach and four is… mice!"

"Mice?"

"Yes, mice. Those furry little friends of yours'd make fine horses. Oh there they are!" Gone were the mice: suddenly the carriage was pulled by four beautiful black horses.

"It's perfect. How can I ever repay you?"

"No need for that, lovey, but do remember, it'll only last 'till midnight" Any longer, and the magic could drain him completely. "Goodbye now, Élisabeth my dear."

Then Rose stumbled in, just as impatient as he'd predicted. She was already dressed for the ball in a soft purple gown with long, wide sleeves. Her poppy-red locks were tied up in a braid with a matching silk ribbon. "Élisa dear, you look wonderful. I'll bet even my picky cousin will stare at you! Where did you find that dress? Is it your mother's perhaps? I see she had better taste than your stepsisters. Look at you: You're gorgeous! Just let me fix your hair and we're ready to go." The startled girl couldn't get a word in. She let her over-excited friend pull her hair into a sophisticated bun, decorated with pearls and blue tea roses.

"We're all set. Come on Élisa, the prince is waiting."

"And what about little ol' me?" Jacob, who seemed to have appeared from thin air –or maybe he really did- , pouted in mock anger. "You girls sure took your time"

He looked so absolutely ridiculous, she just had to make fun of him. "Oh never mind him, Élisa dear, he's just cranky because he doesn't have a date."

"But I do, princess." He wrapped his arms around an unsuspecting Rose. "And, if you ask me, she looks absolutely lovely tonight."

"Not me, you dolt." she muttered, but her heart wasn't in it. Was she blushing?

"Wasn't there someone waiting for us, lovebirds?" Their friend teased.

The embarrassed girl pushed him away quickly, and entered the carriage. Élisa followed her, while Jacob went to sit on the perch. "Have a nice trip, ladies!"

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The fairytale's pretty obvious now, no? Yes, I did base the fairy godmother scene on the Disney movie XD As for how the story's progressing, I'm writing -not typing - chapter four now, but I'm a bit stuck. In total there are -though the amount changes while writing- seven chapters, a prologue and an epilogue. Not to mention the other LfT stories like the short story 'The Storyteller Queen'. So, this time there are two questions, each first winner, gets a sneak peek of chapter three. 1) Why would Blanche take on the alias 'Noa'? And 2) Who could Avannia be? -In other words, which fairy tale character is she? Hint: There's no real clue hidden in her name. She just happens to like birds -my choice, that's not mentioned in the fairy tale-, and I thought 'Avannia' sounded pretty- They're rather hard I know, but you can always try to take a guess, maybe be you'll get it right^^ And don't forget: Liked it? Found a mistake?: Review, please^^

~ Phara