Ella Tremaine's Arc

Chapter 7 of 9

The carriage stopped at the palace steps. Ella climbed down and looked up at the spires. Light poured from the tall doors. Inside, she knew, her stepmother and stepsisters already stood among the crowd. One look from Drizella could name her. Then the guards would throw her out, and the whole night would end in shame. She could not walk in as herself. So she made a plan. She would keep to the edges of the room. She would keep her back to her family and her face turned away. Ella stepped through the doors. The great hall opened before her, wide and bright. Hundreds of dancers turned across the floor. Her wide skirt shimmered blue and white in the candlelight. Heads turned toward her. She lowered her eyes and moved along the wall. Then she saw them. Drizella stood near the center, her green gown loud in the crowd. Lady Tremaine watched the room with a cold, hunting look. Ella's chest went tight. She slipped behind a marble column and pressed her back to the stone. Drizella's head began to turn her way. Ella held her breath and could not move. "You are hiding," a man said. Ella spun. A young man stood close, dark hair swept back, his white coat crossed by a blue sash. She had seen his face on the coins her father once kept. It was the Prince. Prince William. "Forgive me," she said. "I only wanted a moment out of the crowd." "Then dance with me," he said. "No one hides while dancing." He held out his gloved hand and smiled, easy and warm. Ella looked past him. Drizella was still turning, searching. If Ella stayed by the column, her stepsister would find her. If she took the Prince's hand, she would stand in the open, the most watched woman in the room. She chose. She placed her hand in his. Prince William led her onto the floor. The music swelled. He set one hand at her waist and turned her into the dance. Ella moved with him, her glass slippers gliding on the polished stone. The crowd parted around them. Every face followed the Prince and the girl in blue. At the edge of the floor, Drizella stopped searching. She stared at Ella, spinning in the Prince's arms. Her mouth opened. But she did not shout. Confusion crossed her face. She did not know this glowing stranger. The altered gown, the enchanted hair, the slippers had hidden Ella completely. Lady Tremaine turned to see what her daughter watched. Her cold eyes fixed on Ella too. She did not know her either. But something in her gaze sharpened, like a hunter marking prey. The song ended. Prince William would not let her go. "Stay," he said. "Tell me your name." Ella's heart raced. She had escaped Drizella's glance. But now the Prince held her in the open, and Lady Tremaine was watching them both, curious and hungry to know who this girl was.