Just Ella

by Annette K. Larsen

“I assist in the main gardens from time to time.”

  “Is that lonely? Aren’t you by yourself most of the day?” If so, I could certainly sympathize.

  He shook his head and smiled. “It suits me. Besides,” he paused, his eyes scanning my face. “It’s less lonely now.”

  I looked down as heat filled my face. “And you enjoy it?” It wasn’t really a question. I could clearly see he enjoyed his work.

  He nodded. “I find a great deal of satisfaction in what I do, assisting the earth in its growing.”

  “Taming the wildlife?”

  He let out a small, breathy laugh. “Not taming, more…sculpting.” His pride was obvious, almost profound, especially as I watched him work.

  “I wish I were able to do some sort of useful work,” I mused aloud.

  He stopped what he was doing, his expression curious. “What do you do with your time?”

  I dropped my eyes, not wanting to admit to the pathetic endeavors of my day. “Nothing of consequence.”

  “You’re not going to tell me about anything about your life?”

  I supposed there were a few things I didn’t mind admitting. “I have tutors, I read, I draw, and I have lessons with my father several times a week.”

  “Lessons with your father?” he asked, surprised.

  “Yes,” I confirmed with some pride.

  “Teaching you what?”

  “Teaching me the reason that flattering musicians play at banquet.” He smiled as he went about his work. “Teaching me the history of the relationships we share with neighboring kingdoms. Really, he tells me anything he thinks I might need to know and answers any questions I have.”

  “Have your other sisters received the same instruction?”

  I shook my head. “Not to my knowledge. Then again, I don’t think he’s found any of my other sisters lurking in the library.”

  He grinned. “So you lurk, but you don’t sneak?”

  I stifled a laugh. “Apparently.”

  Taking off my shoes, I walked to the pool. My gown today had an inconvenient train that I had to drape over one arm before stepping into the water. There was a statue in the middle of the pool, which I had admired many times. In fact, it was the only statue I had found that I actually liked. Statues were in abundance everywhere in the garden and I ignored them for the most part. All the others depicted proper courtship–a gentleman and a lady sitting on a bench, turned toward each other but not touching; a gentlemen down on one knee holding the hand of a lady who looked shyly away. They were all so civil.

  But this statue—this was different. I walked through the water and circled it, studying it from every angle. It appeared fluid and soft, and the scene depicted was not one of civility, but of laughter and gaiety. The gentleman and lady were dancing together, but not a stately dance like I was used to. They were standing with their right shoulders pressed together, facing in opposite directions and smiling at each other. Each of their right arms went in front of the other’s torso, resting on their partner’s hip. Both balanced on one foot as if in mid-step, with their left arms thrown outward as they laughed.

  “Princess?”

  “What?” I was startled out of my reverie by Gavin’s voice. He walked to the wall closest to me and stepped onto it.

  “You looked distracted.” He appeared amused by my antics.

  I had often thought to ask Gavin about this statue, but had never found the nerve. I admired it so much that I didn’t want anything to ruin it for me, but my curiosity finally won out. “This is different from every other statue I’ve seen in the gardens.” I ran my hand over the smooth stone, appreciating the energy it portrayed.

  “There are others like it.”

  “Where?”

  “There are four statues like this one throughout the maze. Each is in a room much like this one—closed off and easily passed over.” He admired the statue from his perch on the wall.

  “That’s curious. Why would the most lovely and moving statues be set aside?”

  He shrugged but his eyes swept over me. “You’d better come out of the water before you drop your skirts, Ella.”

  “Very well.” I turned from him under the pretense of looking at the statue once more, but in truth, I wanted to hide my smile from him. He had requested something of me without any titles, without any formality at all. I composed my face and headed toward Gavin, who offered his hand to assist me. I took it, noticing its rough quality and the firmness with which he grasped my hand. Men of my class never grasped a lady’s hand. I greatly preferred the security I felt in Gavin’s grasp.

  This was only the second time he had moved to touch me and I felt a little thrill at the thought. When I was firmly on the ground, I allowed my hand to stay in his, wondering how long he would retain it if I didn’t pull away. He gazed at our entwined hands as if wondering how they had ended up that way. Without looking up at me, he drew his hand away from mine, allowing his fingers to slowly graze my palm. A tingle crept up my arm and into my neck. I shuddered ever so slightly, but it was enough to rouse Gavin. He stepped back and went stiff.

  “Till tomorrow, Princess.” He inclined his head slightly, then turned away.

  “Ella,” I quietly corrected him.

  “Till tomorrow, Ella,” he said over his shoulder and walked away.

  “Good bye, Gavin.” I replied, though I’m not entirely sure he heard me. I said it much more quietly than I had intended.

  It took me a moment to gather my thoughts. What had just happened? He had simply withdrawn his hand, and yet my pulse was quicker than it had been a moment before. I did my best to shake it off as I resolutely gathered my slippers and headed out through the maze.

  ***

  Gavin broke up our usual routine a few days later. When I found him he was striding toward me with a conspiratorial grin and the look of someone bursting to share a secret.

  “What?” I asked.

  “Have you ever explored the forest before?” he asked, referring to the forest just beyond the rear palace wall.

  I blinked in surprise. “No, of course not.”

  His grin broadened. “Oh, Ella, how much you have missed.” And with that he sat me down on the nearest bench and proceeded to remove my slippers. I bit my tongue, determined not to ask what he was doing for fear he would think I disapproved. My patience paid off as he pulled some sturdy shoes from a satchel slung across his body and put them on my feet. “It’s a good thing your dress isn’t too fancy today. We’re going to walk a little ways.”

  “Where?”

  He just grinned.

  “We’re not actually going into the forest are we?”

  “Yes.”

  “How?”

  He seemed positively exhilarated. “You’ll just have to trust me. Do you?”

  My answer was immediate. “Of course.”

  “Then, come along, Miss Ella.” He grabbed my hand and I trotted along behind him as he strode through the maze, into a room that came right up to the back wall.

  “Do you plan on hoisting us over?” I felt honestly confused. Short of actually climbing the wall, I didn’t see how we would get into the forest beyond. “There isn’t even a tree we could climb,” I pointed out as he pulled me through the room.

  He stopped at the back wall, covered in years and years of ivy growth, and turned to me. “I’m about to share a very great secret with you. Are you ready?”

  I was thoroughly delighted and absolutely intrigued. I’d never seen Gavin so enthusiastic. “More than ready, sir.”

  He turned to the wall, took hold of the ivy, and with some effort, pulled it aside to reveal the wall beneath. Only there was more than a wall there. There stood a narrow wooden door set into the rocks. I froze, astonished.

  “I—” I had no words. How was it possible that there was a door—an unguarded, unprotected door—in the middle of the wall?

  “Few people know about it,” he explained as I continued to stare, wide-eyed. “Your parents, the c
aptain of the guard—”

  “How do you know about it?”

  “I’m the one that uses it regularly.”

  “But how—”

  “My family was given charge of the grounds, and the maze specifically, several generations ago. We often need to collect good soil, plants, or even rocks from the forest and this was the simplest way to get there. We were entrusted with the knowledge because we had proven our loyalty.”

  “Isn’t that dangerous?” Agitation tinged my voice.

  “Isn’t what dangerous?”

  “Having a door blatantly set into the middle of what is supposed to be an impenetrable wall?”

  He held his hand toward me. “Let me show you.”

  Forcing myself to grab hold of my composure, I took his hand. He heaved the door open enough for us to slip through, then reached beyond the opening to push away more vines. Gavin pushed me through and then followed. He closed the door with some effort, and I saw that the same rock that made up the wall had been attached to the back of the door. When it closed, it blended into the wall seamlessly. Gavin dropped the vines into place and watched me as I scrutinized the place we had just come through.

  “That’s…incredible.” It was perfectly hidden. If you looked closely enough to see through the ivy, you only saw rock. “How do you open it from this side?”

  He stepped forward and showed me a certain rock that he reached under to release the latch.

  As the shock of such an odd discovery wore off, I let my gaze sweep around and felt a thrill run through me. I was outside the palace walls, unescorted, with Gavin. The possibilities had me grinning in sheer joy while I breathed in the scent of freedom.

  Nearly all of the trees were very old, and therefore very large. Vines crawled across the forest floor and up many of the trees, giving them the look of having trunks made entirely of leaves.

  I finally turned back at Gavin, my body tense with excitement. “You mentioned exploring.”

  A satisfied grin split his face. “I did.” He took my hand. “You don’t mind walking a bit?”

  “Walking sounds infinitely better than sneaking out in a wagon,” I assured him. “Lead on. I’ll be right behind you with my proper clomping shoes.”

  Gavin led me away from the wall, weaving his way expertly through the trees.

  “Are we going to be able to find our way back?” I asked, looking over my shoulder as the wall disappeared from view.

  Gavin laughed lightly. “You may not be able to, but I will.”

  I walked on, enjoying the sound of his laughter and the feel of his hand pulling on mine. “Whose shoes am I wearing?”

  “My sister’s. I stole them away without her knowing.”

  “So, you’re a thief, are you?”

  He stopped, his face comically aghast. “Of course not, Ella. I am merely a borrower of things that I need.”

  Without the sound of our footfalls, I heard something. “Is that water?”

  He dropped my hand and started walking backwards. “Yes, Princess, it is.”

  “Princess?”

  He didn’t respond, only raised his eyebrows in anticipation of whatever it was we were going to find before he turned and walked on.

  We started up a slight incline, and I was about to pose another question when I saw a waterfall through the trees. I gathered my skirts and dashed ahead, too eager to walk. It wasn’t all that large or magnificent. It only dropped about ten feet in a solid wall of water that was perhaps six feet wide. But it was lovely, and I found myself oddly soothed by the sight and sound of it.

  “What do you think?” Gavin’s voice roused me from my pondering. My feet had stopped of their own accord at the end of the trees.

  “I love it,” I breathed out.

  “I thought you might, what with your obsessive tramping through puddles in the garden.”

  “How long have you been keeping this a secret?”

  He shrugged. “It’s a good spot to pull plants from.” I let my gaze wander away from the wall of water and focused on the wildflowers and grasses growing along the stream’s bank. It was quite spectacular. I drew closer to get a better look at the waterfall and the pool it created before rushing on down the stream. The waterfall appeared to have nothing but air behind it.

  “What’s behind it?” I asked.

  “Behind what?”

  “The water. It isn’t hitting any rocks or anything; it’s a solid sheet of water. Is there space behind it?”

  When Gavin didn’t respond, I tore my eyes away from the water and looked at him. He simply shrugged, a bemused expression on his face.

  “You don’t know?” I was shocked that he might have never bothered to find out.

  “Unlike you, I am not so inclined to go jumping into water for recreational purposes.”

  “Well,” I started, as a wicked little idea began to percolate. “We’ll have to remedy that, won’t we?” And with that, I grabbed his hand and proceeded to pull him toward the water.

  “Ella?” He used a wary, warning tone.

  “You said we were going to explore and so we shall.” I was only a couple of feet from the edge of the water when Gavin broke my grip and wound his arm around my waist to halt my progress. He stood behind me with one arm locked around my waist and the other holding onto my arm.

  “Now, wait just a minute. You can’t just plunge into a pool of water.”

  “Why not?” I should have said something cleverer, but I felt a bit scatterbrained, all thoughts having fled when Gavin’s arm went around me.

  He made a noise of exasperation. “Why not, she asks. Because, Princess, what’s going to happen when you show up for your lessons completely drenched? Or, what happens when we both show up on the palace grounds completely drenched? I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to have to explain that to anybody.”

  Unfortunately, he had a point. “Don’t call me Princess.” He had been so relaxed today, so willing to be himself and let me be myself. I hated that he felt the need to remind me of my rank. I was tempted to be angry and walk away, but I also wanted to see how long he would keep his arms around me. Simply out of curiosity, of course.

  “I was just trying to make a point.” Some of the force seemed to have left his voice, and I realized that when he spoke I could feel his breath on my neck.

  I swallowed. “Point taken.”

  He seemed to take that as a sign that I was no longer going to do something rash, so he let me go and stepped away in one quick movement. I could tell he still watched me though, and decided not to turn around just yet. My confused emotions were likely written clearly across my face. His stepping away was too abrupt, but I wouldn’t let myself think that he wanted to stay there. I couldn’t think that because even if he felt something for me, or if I felt something for him...

  We could be friends, but my station would not allow for anything more, no matter my feelings.

  “Do you have many friends in the village?” I asked to distract myself.

  “I suppose,” he answered as he stepped up beside me.

  “What do they think about the time you spend with me?”

  “I haven’t told anyone. I didn’t think it prudent, for either of us.”

  “You think it would cause trouble.”

  “Yes.”

  “Then why do you do it?” It was a question I had wondered over many times.

  I felt his gaze on me and reluctantly turned to face him. His dark eyes searched my face before answering. “Probably for many of the same reasons you spend your time with the likes of me. Because I want to. And I trust that you know the importance of keeping our friendship to ourselves.”

  I turned back to watch the waterfall, pleased with his answer, but trying not to show it. “Am I keeping you from your work?” It was a genuine worry of mine.

  Gavin just smiled. “I always get my work done. You don’t need to worry about that.”

  I relaxed, breathing in the misty air and watching the water f
alling for several minutes…until I heard raindrops hitting the foliage around us.

  It was only a sprinkle, but it broke my concentration, and after letting several drops fall on my upturned face, I turned to Gavin, who tried to hide his smile.

  “Now I have an excuse to be drenched,” I teased.

  “Oh, no you don’t.” He grabbed my hand and headed resolutely away from the water. “We have to get back now, or else people will wonder why in the world you were lingering in the rain. Come on.” He started to jog along, trying to pull me with him, but my skirts wouldn’t allow it. I let go of his hand so that I could use both to hitch up my skirts and go faster, focusing on not tripping as I ran in unfamiliar shoes over unfamiliar ground.

  We reached the wall and I couldn’t see how he would manage to find the door, but he didn’t hesitate, just pulled the ivy aside and there it stood. The clouds continued to drizzle as I stepped through the curtain of ivy, back into my world. I paused to catch my breath as Gavin pulled the door shut.

  “Are you all right, Princess?”

  I rolled my eyes. “Don’t call me that,” I insisted, then turned to leave.

  “Wait.” Gavin stopped me and backed me up to sit on the nearest bench. “Your shoes,” he explained as he pulled out my slippers and made quick work of switching his sister’s sturdy shoes for my silken ones. “All right.” He pulled me to my feet. “You’d better hurry. It’s getting worse.”

  And indeed it was. I was getting soaked. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” I waved hastily and wound my way out of the maze and up to the castle.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Discovery

  I ASKED GAVIN to take me back to the waterfall a couple of days later. He agreed readily, and we snuck off into the forest. This time I was armed with a satchel that held my art supplies. After making sure I was comfortably settled in the grass, he went about his work searching for large smooth rocks to line a garden path, and I went about sketching. We both worked silently for several minutes until he spoke abruptly.

  “I’ve been wondering something.”

  I looked up to see him kneeling at the edge of the stream, peering over his shoulder at me. “What’s that?” I asked. He was very selective about the things he asked me.