When Ella had a meal full of watermelon, strawberries, and kiwis placed in front of her, Blake saw her eyes bug out, and he couldn’t help but chuckle.
She stared at the food for a moment, clearly hesitating, and cast a look at Blake, her eyes asking him something.
“Princess,” he said softly, “it’s okay. You can eat.”
“There’s no rituals or anything?” Ella wondered quietly. “Don’t we have to wait until everyone is seated?”
He shook his head softly. “My parents are out of town currently, so it’s just us.”
Blake saw her eyes cloud over with a sudden fear. “Do they know... that I’m here...?”
“Yes, they do,” he assured her.
Ella continued staring down at her food.
“You're looking at it as if you’re afraid it’s poisoned,” Blake noticed.
“I...” she hesitated, “I’m not used to eating without everyone being done first....”
“You’re not used to eating at all,” he corrected, making her lips twist in annoyance. “But that changes today.” He waved his hand to the platter of fruit. “Come on, Princess. Eat.”
Ella shook her head.
Blake could see the waves of fear in her eyes. Ivy probably got it stuck in her head that she couldn’t eat until the “higher-ups” did. It was a form of brainwash.
He then stood, and Ella looked up at him, her mouth opening to say something but he put his hand out, indicating her to be silent.
“Mia,” Blake said, walking over to the maid that stood at the doors. He whispered something in her ear.
And she looked up at him when he finished, nodding. “Certainly, Prince.” Then she walked out of the room.
“What did you tell her?” Ella questioned in concern when Blake stepped back over to the table.
“I told her to get you more food,” Blake said, grinning. And he just dragged a chair toward her and sat down, gazing into her eyes.
“You are going to eat,” Blake demanded gently.
She looked taken off guard at his words, and she stared down at her plate, breathing shallowly as her blood froze.
A couple of minutes passed by, and Blake waited patiently for her to take a bite, but she remained still. So he let out a long sigh, standing up and sitting on the arm of her chair.
Ella didn’t turn to see him walk to her, she kept her eyes on her plate.
He gently tucked a stray hair away, grabbing a cube of watermelon, and softly tilted her head so she looked into his eyes.
Ella’s gaze was cloudy, foggy, and by this look, Blake could tell she was afraid.
“You’re allowed to eat, Princess,” he said softly. “I’m not going to eat a full meal while you make yourself starve, so open.” He lightly tapped her lip.
Ella tried to turn her head away but he only smiled, cupping her cheek so she couldn’t.
“You know you want it,” Blake taunted, moving the watermelon in her vision so she would be more likely to eat it.
“I’m not falling for your tricks…” Ella muttered.
He tilted his head to the side, smirking. “No?”
“No.”
“Fine then.” He lowered the cube. “I’m not eating then.”
“Wait, no!” Ella exclaimed, worry in her tone. “You can eat… I’m okay….”
“Take a bite,” he said, purposely getting in her head, “and maybe I’ll eat.”
“Umm….” Blake heard guilt clouding her mind. “Okay… I’ll eat it….”
He smiled then, raising the cube as she hesitantly took a bite, chewing it and looking away to hide her expression.
He then grabbed another one and ate it himself.
“See?” He smiled. “When you take a bite, I take a bite. How does that sound?”
Ella nodded once.
Blake felt a wave of happiness knowing that he found a loophole through her stepmother’s influence on her mind.
“I haven’t had watermelon since I was twelve,” Ella stated after Blake fed her another piece, though she still didn’t look at him.
“Does it taste as good as you remember?” he wondered.
“No...” she whispered, something emotional catching in her tone, “it tastes so much better....”
*****
A couple hours had passed since breakfast, and Blake was alone the entire time due to Ella getting fitted for her wardrobe change. He was alone in his room when a knock cascaded on the door.
“Come in,” Blake said.
The door cracked open. And one of the guards stood at the entrance. “Prince, there’s a girl at the door. She wants to speak with you.”
“Who?” he wondered, turning to the guard.
“She claims to be Jack Magaroth’s daughter, Olivia.”
A slight hint of anger burned Blake’s veins at the girl’s lie, and the fact that she was one of the people who was hurting Ella, but he managed to keep his tone calm. “Did she say why she was here?”
“No. She just said it’s urgent.”
“I’ll be down in a minute,” Blake said. This better be worth his while, or she was going to regret it.
Minutes later, Blake walked down the grand staircase, wearing a blue blazer and a black collared shirt. He stepped to the brown haired girl who immediately saw him and her golden eyes glistened, but they still had the hardness of cruelty to them. Blake could see through her act, though.
“Prince Blake,” Olivia bowed to his feet, but he just eyed her suspiciously, “I came here to ask of your assistance.”
“What is it?” He was surprised of how he could keep his tone neutral when one of the very people he wanted to throttle stood in front of him.
“We had a maid,” Olivia said. “A very useful one. And she has vanished. We need her, you see. She’s very important to us. My mother, father and I would appreciate it if you had your men hunt her down.”
Blake almost laughed. She said “father” as if Jack were still alive, and did she just say “hunt her down”? Like Ella was an animal?
He could tell Olivia was lying through her teeth. When he read her thoughts, he knew she was trying to get Blake to capture Ella and give her back to them like they owned her.
That and this was one of Ivy and Olivia’s schemes to get this girl who stood in front of him to become Princess.
Blake would not allow it.
“And who is this maid?” he wondered even though he knew the answer.
Olivia opened her mouth slightly, clearly trying not to say Ella’s name because she was the real daughter to Jack Magaroth.
“I don’t recall her name,” she lied.
“Mm-hmm,” Blake said sarcastically.
“Would you like a cup of tea?” the brown haired girl asked. “I’d love to provide it to you. I can make this worth your while.”
Great... another scheme... He tried to resist rolling his eyes.
“You see,” the girl continued, going back to the original excuse to meet with him, “we really need to find our—”
Her voice broke off when a girl with long red hair entered the room. She had a beautiful blue dress that was tailored specifically to her. Her glittering blue eyes focused on Blake. And some of her red locks were pulled into a French braid. Flower clips that lined the braids glistened in the soft lighting of the room.
Blake just stared at her in astonishment before realizing the incident that was about to break.
“Prince Blake,” Ella said, “what are you—” Her sentence broke when she locked gazes with her stepsister, and her eyes widened, glowing blue turning to a foggy grey.
Blake held out his hand, attempting to comfort her.
“It’s alright,” he whispered silently so only Ella could hear. “Come here. It’s okay.”
Even though Ella didn’t move a muscle, he was able to grasp her hand, gently pulling her to his side.
Olivia’s eyes narrowed, the gold blazing.
“You little brat,” she snapped.
Blake felt Ella tremble slightly, so he brushed his hands down her arms, attempting to get her to look at him instead of her stepsister.
“You turned him against me, didn’t you?” Olivia yelled. “You stealing, lying, traitorous BITCH!”
“Escort her out,” Blake ordered at that point. Ella didn’t need to hear this. He tried pulling her out of the room, but she was frozen in place, staring at Olivia like she was her awaiting death.
The cold-hearted girl chuckled when the guards surrounded her. “Oh,” she said, smiling, “Ivy’s going to have your head on a platter. Right after she teaches you a LESSON! You are going to pay for this, Isabella!”
Blake then stepped in front of Ella, blocking Olivia from her view. Gently, he pulled her head to the crook of his neck, caressing her arms that had goosebumps scattered across the surface. He really hoped he could calm her down, she was shaking like a live wire.
“Don’t listen to her, Princess,” Blake whispered. “You’re safe. You’re okay.”
But Ella remained silent, frozen in place like someone stopped time.
Blake let out a soft sigh. “Princess, no one is going to hurt you. I won’t allow it. You don’t have to be so scared, Sweetheart.”
Ella was shaking, and she didn’t respond.
“I know what you’re thinking,” Blake stated. “No, you do not deserve it.”
“YOU LYING, TRAITOROUS BITCH!” Olivia screamed as the doors slammed behind her.
Ella closed her eyes as if Olivia’s words caused her pain, a single tear slipping from her eye.
Blake wiped it away so gently, she could barely feel his touch.
“Hey,” he whispered, “look at me.”
She kept her gaze on the gates.
Blake tilted her chin so she looked in in the eyes. “You’re safe,” he said, “I promise.”
“I...” she whispered, the shaking getting worse, “I’m... terrified....”
“Do I ever lie to you?” he asked in a soothing tone.
Ella shook her head.
“Do I have a reason to lie about that?”
“To try to get me to trust you,” she stated.
Blake tilted his head to the side. “Well... yeah. I could see how you think that.” He wiped another tear away. “But, Princess, do you seriously think I’d let anyone hurt the girl I’m supposed to protect?”
She looked away, trying not to give in.
“Why would I do all this if I didn’t care about you? You’re sweet, beautiful, and kind. You’re perfect. I would change nothing about you.”
She closed her eyes, brows drawing together as she resisted the comfort of his words. “Stop….”
He touched his lips to her forehead for the first time, making warmth burst from his touch. “Trust me… I’ll prove myself to you….”
Ella was silent for a moment, then Blake could hear her mind cloud with fear again. “I wanted to tell you... something…..”
He pulled away just enough to see her face. Her blue eyes that looked as dark as midnight. “What is it?”
She hesitated, parted her lips as she tried to find the courage to say it.
“What is it, Princess?” Blake said in a calm tone. “What’s weighing at your mind?”
“I’ve never told anyone this...” Ella whispered. “About… my... father’s death….”
“Yes?” he urged. “What about it?”
Ella closed her eyes, breathing out a shaky breath. “Never mind.”
When she turned away from him, he grasped her wrist, pulling her so she faced him again. “No. No, don’t walk away like that. I’m here to listen.”
“You probably already know…” she whispered.
“You can still tell me,” he suggested. “To get it off your chest.”
She closed her eyes again, dropping her head so he couldn’t see her clench her teeth in resistance.
“My…” she couldn’t stop herself from saying it… What use would holding back do? How could Blake hurt her with just a bit of information? “My father’s death wasn’t natural…” Ella breathed out.
That’s when Blake’s brows drew together. “You’re saying he committed suicide?”
Her voice broke. “No!” Then she looked down, but Blake caught the glimpse of tears in her eyes, and he waited patiently as she tried to calm herself. “He was poisoned... Murdered....” He heard her take a shivering breath. “I... didn’t know who killed him until years later....”
Blake let his hand slide down the lengths of her hair, pulling her into an embrace, she only resisted a little… but she was so broken that she couldn’t push him away this time… She was too tired… Too exhausted…
“Ivy...” he realized softly as he read her mind.
Ella nodded, shivering as if she were in a freezer.
He let out a long sigh as he pieced things together. “She killed him because he wanted you to be Princess, didn’t she? And she thought if she treated you like a maid, then I wouldn’t have known you.”
Ella didn’t respond, just let him hold her for the first time.
“Sweetheart,” Blake whispered sympathetically, “you were living in the same house with your father’s murderer, taking orders from her, being abused by her....” He held her tighter as he read her mind. “Oh, Honey, you’ve known for years... And she taunted you with it....”
Ella shook in his grip, digging her head in his neck. “She took everything from me...” Ella whispered, unable to hold the weight anymore. “All the books, poems, and stuffed animals he gave me... She burned most of them but kept the things that meant the most to me... She took the blanket that my mother made for me before I was born... She uses it for her dog... She took the stuffed animals my mom made as well and treats them like dog toys....”
Blake felt her sadness as his own, swelling up, consuming her.
“She... she took the books my father made... and burned them... but I managed to get some bits out of the fire... and I hid them in my room, where she would never find them... Along with the books I wrote... letters I wrote to them and my dad... and my mom....”
“It’s okay...” he whispered. “It’s okay....” Lightly, he stroked her hair in gentle caresses.
And he led her to her room so she could sit on her bed, wrapped up in the soft blanket as he asked the maids to bring her some strawberries dipped in chocolate. When Ella protested, he said it was his treat to her. That she deserved it. And that he wasn’t taking no for an answer.
*****
Ella laid curled up in Blake’s lap, breathing softly as he lightly stroked her hair. It was nine o’clock in the evening, and she had been asleep for almost an hour.
The room glowed with the lamps at the bed sides, making Ella’s hair look like fire. Like a flaming star. And as Blake ran his fingers through it, he never knew it could be so soft.
After checking her mind to make sure she was asleep, he raised his head to the bedroom door.
“Guards,” he said in his normal tone, though, Ella didn’t stir.
One walked in, bowing when he saw Blake. “Yes, Prince?”
“I want you to bring a troop to her house. Gather all of her stuff. Specifically try to find books, old stuffed animals, and there should be a golden blanket that’s being used as a dog bed in Ivy’s room. Grab that too. All dog toys as well.”
The guard looked confused as he said “dog toys” and “dog bed.”
“Also,” Blake added, “they’re going to resist. If they do, use force.”
“When would you like this to happen?” he said unfazed by what Blake just commanded.
“Tonight.”
A bow without hesitancy. “Yes, Prince.” And he vanished through the door.
Blake then looked down at the girl that slept on his stomach. “That should make you feel more welcome, hmm?” he whispered. “I’m going to fix this problem of yours. Little by little. Until your free of all pain.”
An hour had passed, and a guard walked into the room.
Blake looked up. “Well?”
“We have all of the stuff,” he said. “We searched through every corner of the house.”
“Good,” Blake said, stroking Ella’s cheek softly.
“Would you like us to do anything else?”
“Yes, actually,” Blake stated. “Do you mind bringing some paper, ink and a quill in here?”
“Yes, of course. Would you like us to bring anything else?”
“No, that’ll do.”
“We’ll be right on it.” And he walked out.
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