Forever Ella
(The Everly Girls Book Two)
V.B. Marlowe
The Everly Girls Series
#1 Forever Snow
#2 Forever Ella
#3 Forever Scarlett
Other Books by V.B. Marlowe
The Shadow Pines Trilogy
#1 Shadow, Shadow
#2 Moonlight, Moonlight
#3 Ember, Ember
The Dust Trilogy
#1 A Girl Called Dust
#2 Dust and Roses
#3 Blood and Dust
The Final Breath Chronicles
#1 Naomi Grim
#2 Keira Grim
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author's imagination or, if real, are used fictitiously.
Copyright © 2017 V.B. Marlowe All rights reserved. No parts of this book may be copied or reproduced in any matter whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. Printed in the United States of America.
Cover Design by Everpage Designs
Marlowe Blue Publications
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Email: [email protected]
Contents
Part 1
Her Name was Snow
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
Part 2
Ella After
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
Part 1
Her Name was Snow
200 Years Ago
1
You’ve heard the real story of Snow White (or whatever she’s calling herself these days)—the one where she made me a simple foot note. Now it’s time for you to hear my side. My life is not a tenth as glamorous as the one you’ve seen in movies or read in children’s story books. I would kill to be that Cinderella. The daughter of a rich man. The lucky woman who captured the heart of a prince so that he scoured the land high and low searching for her. Even living with a wicked step-family would have been an improvement over my real life. That Cinderella got her happy ending. As for me . . . well, I’ll start at the beginning.
It was the darkest night I had ever seen. So dark that my six-year-old mind wondered if a thief had stolen the moon and the stars. I depended on that moonlight seeping through my window to keep me from sleeping in total darkness. Father had a lantern burning in the other room, but he would soon put that out before retreating to bed.
He’d already told me two stories and planted a good-night kiss on my forehead. I lay curled up in my tiny bed waiting for sleep to find me, hoping that maybe my dreams would contain some light. Just as my eyelids had become too heavy, there was a loud pounding on the front door. Who would be visiting our tiny cottage at such an hour?
I sat up and listened, waiting for Father to open the door and announce who was there. Maybe it was a neighbor, though there weren’t any nearby, or a lost traveler. After a few moments, all was silent. Suddenly, Father came rushing into the back room of the cottage which he and I shared, slamming the door behind him. He set the lantern on the ground and leaned against the door, breathing heavily. The faint orange glow dancing on Father’s face revealed a look of terror. I’d never seen him that way before. Something was terribly wrong.
“Father, what’s the matter?”
Just then there was a final pound on the door. It was much louder than the others. That was followed by a cracking—the unmistakable sound of our door breaking. What was strong enough to break down a door like that?
Footsteps clicked across our wooden floor. A woman spoke. Her voice was sweet and calming, like a mother. “Just bring me the girl and I’ll be on my way. Don’t worry. I’m not going to take her. I have a gift for the little angel.”
My ears perked up at that. Someone had come in the middle of the night with a present for me? Had Christmas come again?
I shook my head. Father would have mentioned Christmas and we would have put up a tree. I didn’t understand why he looked so afraid if the woman was only there to give me a gift. Standing, I moved toward the door. It wasn’t every day I received a gift.
“Fa—” I started to say before I was cut off by the sounds of things crashing and being thrown around on the other side of the door. What was the woman doing? Maybe Father was right to be afraid of her.
His eyes widened as a high-pitched screeching sound pierced my ears. It sounded like the woman was dragging long animal-like claws against the wood.
Father sprang into action. He grabbed me and tossed me over his shoulder like a rag doll. I was too confused and afraid to scream out. Everything was happening so quickly. Seconds later, we were barreling through the back door and into the darkness. The only problem was, it was impossible to see. Something had made the moon and the stars go away and Father kept tripping and running into trees. He grunted and swore at every set back.
I lifted my head to see what we were running from. Behind us was a sight I had never seen before. The woman. She had a red fiery glow around her, illuminating her figure in the darkness. If her face wasn’t twisted so angrily, she might have been very beautiful. Long white hair trailed behind her. My eyes ran down her body which was covered in a black form-fitting dress. I gasped when I got to the bottom. Her bare feet weren’t touching the ground. She was floating. It was then that I knew. The glow, the levitating—she was no normal woman. She was a witch.
I’d heard horrible stories about them and how they were running rampant throughout all the lands, but I had never seen one in person. As fast as Father was going, I wanted him to move faster. I needed him with his strong arms and muscular legs to carry us away from this heinous beast whose intentions were only to cause harm.
The witch hissed and hurled herself even closer to us. Father stumbled again but at the worst possible time. The two of us tumbled forward and he landed on top of me, crushing me beneath his weight. I didn’t have time to feel pain because Father was being pulled away from me. I reached out for him, my tiny arms flailing, but the witch was much too strong and much too fast.
“Ella, run,” Father shouted, his voice strained. “Run as fast and far as you can and don’t look back. I’ll catch up to you, I promise.”
Although I didn’t want to leave him, I did as he said and scurried away like a frightened mouse. Behind me, my father cried out and there was a sickening snap, then silence. I told myself that Father had stopped shouting because he’d gotten away. I disobeyed my father and looked back. I could no longer see the glow of the witch but I knew she was still there.
The branches above me rattled and shook like bony, gnarled arms reaching for me. A wicked cackle sounded from somewhere over my head. “It’s not him I wanted, little girl, it’s you. You must take this curse your father has earned for you for his part in killing my sisters.”
I had no idea what she was talking about but I wasn’t about to stick around to find out. I pushed myself to move even faster, wishing I had taken the time to grab my shoes before leaving the cottage. Even though they were too small and holes had worn into the soles, if I had been wearing them, my feet wouldn’t have so many cuts from sharp rocks an
d branches.
Something brushed the top of my head. It didn’t feel like a low-hanging branch. I touched my head to see what it might be. It was the witch. She tackled me, pinning me down to the ground. Although I thrashed and tried to free myself, I was no match for her. She sank her long claws into my neck. There was a sharp pain I had never experienced before but I couldn’t bring myself to scream. I closed my eyes and waited for her to do whatever she was going to do to me.
The witch froze as a low growl came from somewhere in the darkness beside us. I’d heard that sound several times during my forest walks with Father. It was a wolf. I looked toward the direction of the growl and spotted a pair of cobalt glowing eyes. Whatever type of wolf it was, it wasn’t a normal one.
For the first time the witch looked frightened. She let go of me as the glowing eyes soared toward her. The wolf collided with the witch, knocking her sideways. I used that opportunity to escape. Behind me were the sounds of a shrieking witch, snapping jaws, and something being ripped to shreds.
Still, I didn’t stop. I raced aimlessly through the darkness as far as my feet could carry me before I collapsed.
When my eyes opened again it was light out. A stout woman with short scarlet curls and a round freckled face cradled me in her arms as she walked. She looked at a yellow-haired woman walking beside her.
The yellow-haired woman clucked her tongue. “Merna, what do you think you’re going to do with the thing?”
The thing? Was she talking about me?
“She’s a child, Cassia.”
The other woman rolled her eyes. “Well. What are you going to do with the child?”
What kind of question was that? I wasn’t hers to do anything with. Where was I? Where was my father?
“She’s coming to the palace with us. That place is so huge no one will even notice her if I keep her hidden. I just couldn’t leave her out here all alone. How old do you think she is? Four maybe?”
I was six. I’d always been small for my age.
Cassia shrugged. “I don’t know. I do know she’s filthy. Anyway, it’s your funeral.” Her eyes fell on me. “She’s awake.”
Merna looked at me with a smile that made me feel warm inside. “Don’t worry, little one. I don’t know where you came from or what happened to you, but I’m going to take very good care of you. Everything is going to be okay.”
I touched the side of my neck, still throbbing from the damage caused by the witch’s claws.
Merna looked sad. “I’ll take care of that too. As I said, everything is going to be okay.”
I wanted to believe her but I only cared about one thing. “Father?”
She looked down on me pitifully. “I’ll take care of you until your father shows up. No worries, love.”
I never saw my father again, but Merna kept her word. That was how I came to live in the palace. Not because a prince made me his wife, but because a kind woman had found me in the woods. Merna made a home for me in the furnace room. It was rarely visited because it was too hot and unpleasant. Only a few servant boys came down there from time to time, but they paid me no attention. There was a mattress with a blanket and pillow in the corner and a small wooden crate where I kept my belongings.
Merna came down to the furnace room to bring me food, clothes, and an occasional toy or book. At night, after she bathed me, she would tell me the most fantastic stories and stroke my hair until I fell asleep. If I remembered my mother, Merna would probably remind me of her. I loved her and she loved me. Merna was the only person I had in the world.
I lived that way—hidden away in the furnace room for a whole year until I was discovered.
2
I was only two when the princess of Eirwen was born so I didn’t know much about her. When I got to the palace all of that changed. All I heard about was Snow.
“Snow is so beautiful.”
“Snow is a blessing.”
“Snow is the prettiest thing I have ever seen.”
“Snow is perfection.”
I heard these things when I snuck out of the furnace room to eavesdrop on the ladies who worked in the kitchen. They had the most interesting conversations most of the time. At first, I thought they were talking about the snow that fell from the sky and covered the ground in winter time. It took me a while to figure out that Snow was a girl, but not just any girl—the princess. Although I’d never laid eyes on her, I was astonished by her name alone. I’d known Ruths and Miriams and Sarahs, but never any Snows.
One day Merna was sent on a trip to the marketplace. She ordered me to stay put and promised she would be back by nightfall. I did as she said. Although I did sneak into the kitchen sometimes, it was only because I needed a break from the unbearable heat of the furnace room. I never wanted to get Merna into trouble and I never wanted her to be angry with me.
While she was gone, two men I had never seen before discovered me in the furnace room. I was frightened, afraid they would toss me out of the palace and leave me on my own, so I refused to answer their questions when they asked me who I was or what I was doing there. They took me to the head of staff—Anna who kept me in her quarters until Merna came back. When Merna returned, she told an angry Anna everything.
Anna eyed me for a long time. “She’s a scrawny little thing, but if she is to stay here, she must earn her keep. I’ll put her to work tomorrow. She’s old enough to wash dishes.”
Merna looked at me and nodded. I nodded back. Washing dishes meant working in the kitchen where I would be able to hear wonderful stories and palace gossip. Also, it would give me a much-needed break from the furnace room.
Anna stood me on her bed and pulled a roll of measuring tape from the pocket of her smock. Hurriedly, she wrapped the tape around my body in various places, getting the proper measurements for my uniform. “What is your name?”
“Ella,” I replied in an almost-whisper because Anna was quite intimidating.
She shook her head. “We already have a girl named Ella on the serving staff who polishes the silver. No matter—we’ll just call you Cinderella since you have been living among the ash and the cinders.”
I thought it was the stupidest name I’d ever heard. It didn’t sing like the name Snow White, but I said nothing and accepted my new name and the position I had been assigned. No matter what Anna said, my name was Ella.
From time to time, Merna would bring me a magnificent toy the princess had carelessly discarded. They were wonderful things I never knew existed: beautiful dolls made from the finest porcelain, miniature figurines painted with intricate designs, unicorns made from pure silver, and slingshots that could launch objects so far you would never see them again. If those were the toys the princess threw away, I could only imagine the things she kept and cherished. Adella, a woman who worked in the kitchen whose main job was to peel potatoes, once told me the princess received a huge shipment of gifts every week from the people in the kingdom as well as royalty from other kingdoms. My heart burned with envy even though Merna had once told me it was an ugly trait. I couldn’t help it. The princess had everything, including an entire world who loved her simply because she had been born to a king and queen and because she’d been blessed with great beauty.
When I was eight I received the best toy the princess had ever thrown away. A beautiful doll with black hair, deep amber eyes, and the whitest skin I’d ever seen. A crystal tiara had been sewn into the doll’s raven curls and she wore a red, puffy dress made of the finest silk. I imagined it was supposed to be a replica of the princess herself who I had yet to see.
I gave the doll my mother’s name—Eve, and cherished her because she was the most precious thing I had ever owned. I combed her hair every day and read her stories as Merna taught me to read. I rocked her to sleep at night and she would always lay right beside me. Anna would not allow me to bring Eve into the kitchen when I had to work and I missed her terribly during those times.
One night Merna entered our room in the servant’s quarters.
She looked sad, like someone had died.
“Merna, what’s the matter?” I asked, swaddling Eve in her tiny pink blanket.
Merna stared at Eve and cleared her throat. “I’m so sorry, my love, but it seems the princess would like her doll back. She regrets giving it away.”
I gripped Eve tightly in my hands. Merna had to be joking. “Well, it’s too late. She gave her away. You can’t just throw a dolly away and then expect to have her back just like that. It’s not fair.”
Merna crossed her arms over her chest. I hated when she did that. It meant she was about to say something I didn’t like. “Ella, I’m very sorry, but the doll belongs to the princess. I’ve told you several times that you are merely borrowing these things. These items were given to Snow White. If she wants them back, she gets them back. That goes for all the toys and clothes I’ve given you.”
My gaze fell on the small pile of toys on the floor and the beautiful dresses hanging in the corner. Once the princess had no more use for her beautiful garments, Merna would bring a few to me. Most fit me perfectly, but a few were too big. I would put them on and play dress up, sometimes pretending I was a princess—Princess Ella of Eirwen. Why not? I did live in a palace.
I clutched the doll to my chest. “She can have all her other things, but I’m never giving Eve back to her!”
Losing all patience, Merna stomped toward me and attempted to wrestle the doll away from me. “If this is the way you’re going to behave, I will not give you anything else from the princess.”
I struggled to hold on to Eve. “I don’t want anything else. I only want Eve.”
Merna yanked the doll away and Eve dangled helplessly at Merna’s side. “Ella, you stop this right now. Queen Helena had this made specially for Snow before she was even born.”
Forever Ella: The Everly Girls Book 2 Page 1