A Perfect Fit:

by Elizabeth Rose

  “Perhaps I was out of line with my actions, but I cannot stand to see anyone suffer. That is why I need to see Ella. I had a memory of her – of us together. I told her I didn’t remember her from the past. At the time, it was the truth. I couldn’t tell her my memory was affected by Hecuba’s curse. She seemed so sad. But now I do remember her from the past. I have to tell her.”

  “Nay. You can’t,” Troy warned him. “If you say that, she’ll start asking questions. Don’t risk the fact you might say something that will end up keeping her cursed forever.”

  “Then I will just visit her and not tell her of our past together. But I need to see her, Troy.”

  “Then I’ll come with you. As a lookout.”

  “I don’t think so. It is better if I go alone. Now, tie my horse up in the woods and go back to Castle Fremont.”

  “Aye, my lord,” said Troy with another yawn. “Please think before you say or do anything you shouldn’t.”

  William made his way to the manor house, quickly managing to enter the courtyard without being noticed. He remembered Ella had a tower room. He looked up to the tower and started across the courtyard when the sound of two guards made him slip into the barn to keep from being noticed. Once they passed, he was about to continue. But a small noise from inside the barn kept him from going.

  It sounded like whimpering, or a woman softly crying. He headed toward the stables, following the sound. When he looked over the top of one of the stalls, he saw Ella curled up on her side, wrapped in a blanket, shivering.

  “Ella,” he said, pushing open the door to the stall, taking a moment to drink in her beauty. There was a lantern burning, hanging from a nail in the wall. Shadows danced upon the smooth skin of her face. He took a step forward and heard another squeak. Looking down, he noticed several mice. “Get out of here,” he said, kicking at the mice, causing them to run.

  He made his way across the stall, kneeling down and reaching out to touch her gently on the head. “Ella,” he whispered.

  Her eyelids flickered open. A tear dripped down her cheek.

  “Sir William? What are you doing here?”

  “Why are you sleeping in the hay in the barn?” He didn’t understand any of this.

  “I am being punished by my stepmother.”

  “This is not right, and I will not let it continue.” He scooped her up into his arms. She reached out and held on around his neck. “I will put an end to this nonsense at once.”

  “Nay, William, don’t,” she said, causing him to stop only because she called him by a familiar name instead of using his title. It touched his heart. “You will only make things worse.”

  “Ella, I will not let you sleep in the barn amongst horses and mice. You are a noblewoman and need to be treated as such.”

  “The mice are here because Medea told me I am nothing but a mouse if I don’t stand up to my stepmother and stepsisters.”

  “I agree,” he told her. “You need to tell them you won’t be treated this way.”

  “I have no one, William. Even the baron succumbs to his wife’s wishes because he believes he is going insane and can’t remember anything about my past.”

  “Ella, there is so much I want to tell you, but I can’t.”

  “I know about my curse if that’s what you mean. Medea told me.”

  “I don’t know this Medea, do I?” He thought about it hard. Why did the name seem so familiar? “Who is she?”

  “She is the daughter of an evil witch named Hecuba.”

  “Has she hurt you in any way?” He held her tighter in his arms, wanting nothing more than to keep her from harm.

  “Nay. She has helped me, even though I am not convinced she doesn’t have any darkness in her heart. She’s been a friend to me and even told me I am her sister. She said a man named Lucio de Bar is our father.”

  “She told you that?” William wondered if since a witch divulged the information, it might not affect Ella’s curse.

  “Is it true?” she asked him. He felt as if he couldn’t take the risk to tell her. If he did, her curse might never be broken.

  “Ella, trust me when I say I can’t tell you things. There is a reason, and you will find out some day. However, I will tell you that I do remember you from the past.”

  “You do?” She looked up into his eyes, and he wanted nothing more than to kiss her.

  “I remember us in the past and in a barn, much like this.”

  “What were we doing?” she asked.

  “I only had a glimpse of the forgotten memory, but I believe we were doing something . . . like this.”

  Holding her securely in his arms, he leaned over and touched his lips gently to hers. It was a risk since she could scream or turn him away. But it was a risk he had to take. William only hoped the kiss might jar a memory for her about her past.

  Ella’s eyes closed and her head fell back slightly as William slowly pulled his lips from hers. She felt all warm and tingly when he kissed her. She felt wanted and loved.

  “Did you remember anything, Ella? Did the kiss trigger off a memory of our past together?”

  She saw the hope in William’s eyes and didn’t want to disappoint him. Then again, neither did she want to lie to him. “Nay, I am sorry,” she said. “I enjoyed the kiss, but it did not make me remember our past together.”

  “Damn,” he swore under his breath. “Ella, I’m taking you back to Castle Fremont with me.”

  “Nay, you can’t.”

  “Why not?”

  “It would be considered an act of war if you stole me from my home.”

  “This isn’t your home,” he said, causing her eyes to snap upward.

  “Where is my home, William? If you know, please tell me.”

  “I am sorry, but I can’t tell you.”

  “Then I will remember it on my own. Now, please put me down.”

  “I am taking you to the tower. I will not let you spend the night in the barn.”

  “Nay. You need to leave now. Please do not get involved. This is something I have to do on my own.”

  “Do? What do you mean?”

  “I can’t depend on someone to save me from my miserable life.”

  “You can depend on me, Ella.”

  “I know.” She reached up and caressed the side of his face. “That’s not what I mean. What I mean is that I have been thinking about what Medea told me. She said I was a mouse and she was right.”

  “Oh.” He looked down to the ground at all the mice.

  “I need to stand up for myself and what I believe. The only trouble is, without my memories, I don’t know what to believe.”

  “Then forget about memories,” he told her. “Let’s make new ones instead.”

  “Mayhap we will. But for now, I am spending the night in the barn. I don’t want any more trouble.”

  A mouse ran across the top of the stall, making her lurch and hold him tighter.

  “Then I will stay the night in the barn, too.” He put her down in the hay and removed his cloak.

  “William, what are you doing?”

  “Shhh,” he said, blowing out the flame of the lantern and laying next to her. He used his cloak to cover them. His arms wrapped around her, pulling her securely to his body. She curled up to his chest, feeling safe and calm. The warmth of their bodies melded together. It felt good and right. “Go to sleep,” he whispered. “You have nothing to worry about as long as I am here with you.”

  When she looked up at him, he kissed her again, making her come to life. Something about being with William felt familiar. It was natural and as if they had kissed and cuddled before. She wracked her brain trying to remember the past. Just one little snippet or memory is all she wanted. Something to prove to her that they had a relationship in the past. But nothing came to mind. She heaved a heavy sigh.

  “What if my stepmother finds you here?” she asked, still worried for his safety.

  “She won’t. I will be gone come first light. Our secret is s
ecure.”

  “Then I shall sleep well tonight in your arms, Sir William. I feel safe and without worry when you are near.”

  “Sweet dreams,” he told her, rubbing one hand over her back and kissing her on the top of her head. “May you find solace and comfort in every dream you have.”

  She smiled and snuggled up to William closer, knowing her dreams tonight would, indeed, be very sweet.

  Chapter 12

  “William, wake up,” said a low, male voice. William’s eyes sprang open. He took a minute to remember just where he was. Lucio de Bar stood in the stall looking down at him. The sound of barking hounds and shouts of men from the courtyard snapped him out of his dream state. “We need to go,” warned Lucio, looking down at Ella who was curled up to William’s chest.

  “We didn’t do anything, I swear,” he whispered back.

  “I miss my daughter,” said Lucio with emotion showing on his face. “I would give anything for her to remember me.”

  William was careful not to wake Ella. He slipped away from her and got to his feet. Reaching down, he tucked his cloak around her to keep her warm. “Why are you here?” he asked Lucio in a whisper.

  “Your squire told me he left you at Inglewood Manor and that you didn’t return last night. I immediately knew you were in trouble.”

  “I’m not in trouble,” he said, taking one last look at Ella, never wanting to leave her.

  “You will be if you stay here any longer. Don’t you hear the shouting and the dogs? A servant boy told the baron a strange man was sleeping in the barn.”

  “Where is he, boy?” The baron’s voice was heard out in the courtyard.

  “He’s right here in the barn,” came a young boy’s voice.

  “God’s eyes, they are going to find us,” said William, realizing there was no way out.

  “Take hold of my arm, Fremont.”

  “Sir?” asked William in bewilderment.

  “I am going to transport, and you are coming with me.”

  “All right,” said William, not at all sure what he meant until he touched the man’s arm and they both dissipated into thin air.

  “William?” Feeling a sudden chill and hearing dogs barking and people shouting, Ella opened her eyes. Her mouth fell open when she saw William and Lucio’s translucent forms as they disappeared right in front of her eyes. “William!” she said, sitting up and reaching out her hand to him. His mahogany eyes interlocked with hers as their forms vanished. And when they did, it seemed as if she could see into his very soul. An image flashed through her mind. A vision of the past.

  “You shall be the most beautiful bride ever to walk the earth.” William handed her a small box and reached out and kissed her on the nose.

  “What is this, William?” asked Ella, running her hand over the carved wooden box. There was an image of a butterfly with outstretched wings engraved upon it.

  “I carved the box myself,” said William proudly. “Inside is a token of our love – a love that will last forever.”

  She gingerly opened the box and peered inside to see a plain, silver ring.

  “It isn’t much for now,” he told her. “But after we’re married, I will commission the grandest, most ornate ring to be constructed that will outshine even that of the queen’s.”

  “Nay,” she said, running her finger along the surface, loving the simplicity of it. “This ring is perfect and all I ever wanted.”

  “There is the intruder, right in that stall,” said a boy, dragging her from her memory. Her heart raced. William was gone, but his cloak was still here. How was she going to explain that?

  Quickly bunching up his cloak, she wrapped the blanket around it, hugging it to her chest. The gate of the stall swung open and there stood the servant boy, two guards, the baron, and her stepmother. A few hounds pushed past them and started sniffing and rooting around in the hay.

  “It’s only Cinderella,” snorted Agnes. “She’s not an intruder, and hardly dangerous.”

  “There was a man here, honest there was,” said the servant. “I saw him lying there, holding Lady Cinderella.” The boy pointed to her.

  “Guards, check the surroundings,” commanded the baron. “Mayhap, it is the thief who stole my coins who has returned.”

  “Perhaps, Cinderella should tell us who was here with her.” Lady Trevane crossed her arms over her chest.

  “There is no one here,” said Ella, standing up, clutching the blanket. It was still warm from William’s body. She felt so well-rested and happy this morning. Or at least she did until this happened.

  “Who and what are you trying to hide?” asked her stepmother.

  “Nothing,” she said, feeling a mouse run over her foot. Don’t be a mouse she told herself. All she had to do was stand up to her stepmother. Why was it so hard? Mayhap if she could remember the way she was in the past, it would be easier. Having her memories stripped away made her feel vulnerable and uncertain about herself every minute of the day.

  The hounds started sniffing the blanket in her arms, probably smelling William’s scent. One of the dogs jumped up, and both the animals started howling.

  “What have you got wrapped in that blanket?” asked Agnes.

  Ella’s hands gripped the blanket tighter, not wanting them to find the cloak.

  “It’s just a blanket, that’s all.”

  “Shall we see about that?” Agnes stepped forward and snatched the blanket from Ella. Ella shrieked and jumped back, expecting to see William’s cloak fall to the ground. But when the blanket opened up there was nothing in it! She stood there staring at it with her mouth wide open.

  “Baron Trevane, we didn’t find anyone hiding in the courtyard,” said a guard. “Shall we continue to search the grounds?”

  “Nay,” said the baron with a shake of his head. “I believe the servant boy has mistaken that he’s seen a man here at all. Everyone back to the great hall to break the fast.”

  As everyone headed away, Ella looked up to see Lucio standing at the opposite end of the barn. He held William’s cloak in his hand. He smiled at her and nodded. Then, once again, he disappeared before her very eyes.

  Later that day after doing her chores, Ella made her way back to her tower room, feeling exhausted. After the excellent night’s sleep she’d had, she thought she would be filled with energy. But between Greta and Beatrice making her do a thousand things to help them prepare for the ball tomorrow, and then even more chores her stepmother commanded her to do, all she wanted was to sleep. She entered the room and gasped. She had forgotten it was still in a shambles from when Medea and Hecuba had their fight. She also noticed about a dozen more mice in the room. It was starting to be a problem, and she wished the mice weren’t there at all.

  “Well, hello, Sister.” Medea sat atop a trunk, keeping her feet off the floor. She was wearing a forest green taffeta gown today, and her hair was braided and coiled around each ear. “It is getting hard to find a place to sit or even walk with all these mice in the room.”

  “I know.” She sighed and closed the door. Ella made her way over to Medea. “What do you want, Medea? I am so tired I could drop.”

  That made Medea chuckle. “Don’t fall to the floor unless you want to sleep on mouse droppings. Have you decided if you want my help to go to the ball tomorrow night?”

  “I want to see William, but I am not sure if I should go to the dance.” She bent over and picked up the chair that had a broken back. The legs were uneven now, but she sat on it anyway.

  “Why do you want to see William? Is there a reason?”

  “I want to see him because I have had a flash of memory about us.”

  “You have?” asked Medea, leaning forward, sounding very interested. “Did you make love to Sir William and scream out the way our sister Rapunzel did with the Dragon Lord?”

  Ella’s head snapped up. “What did you say?”

  “Oops,” said Medea, clamping her hand over her mouth. Then she removed it and giggled. “My mother
doesn’t want me to say anything but, since I am a witch, I don’t think it matters. Still, Mother won’t like it.”

  “You mentioned a sister named Rapunzel again. Tell me about her.”

  “Nay, I’d better not. Part of the curse is that if anyone tells you about your past, the curse will never be broken.”

  “Oh. That’s why William didn’t want to tell me.”

  “Where did you see William?” she asked.

  “It doesn’t matter.” Ella kept thinking about her flash of a memory. It had to be real. “Medea, I had a memory.”

  “How exciting. Tell me, tell me.” Medea put her elbows on her lap and leaned over, resting her chin in her hands.

  “I am not quite certain, but I think, mayhap, William and I were going to be married in the past.”

  “Just like I told you. Now do you believe me?”

  “What’s going on here?” Hecuba appeared in a green puff of smoke.

  “Mother!” Medea got up and straightened her gown. “Did you know Cinderella has remembered that she and William were going to be married?”

  “Who told her?” asked Hecuba.

  Ella didn’t want Medea to get in trouble. “I remembered it on my own.”

  “That’s impossible. You are cursed.”

  “Well, I had a flash of a memory,” she told the witch.

  “Mother, could the curse be weakening?” asked Medea.

  “I don’t think so. Unless someone else is involved. I’ll bet Lucio has his hand in this. I am going to go find out.” She disappeared as quickly as she came.

  “I think I do want to go to the ball after all,” said Ella, feeling a new sense of confidence just by being around Medea. “I want to see William.”

  “And you’ll let me help you?” Medea’s dark eyes became a shade lighter.

  “Yes, you can help me, because I want to be more like you, Medea. Or should I say . . . Sister?”

  Chapter 13

  “By the rood, stop that infernal pacing, Brother,” complained Terris as they got ready for the ball in William’s solar. William wore his best tunic and had his squire polish his sword twice – as well as his boots. Lucio stood at the window looking out.