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Chapter 4

Ellie felt like a living pincushion, she could not move without wincing as a pin or two stuck into her. She was being pinned into her new ball gown. It was a rich burgundy colour and had a crinkled skirt that flowed out around her. The room was a hive of activity as maids rushed round it muttering to themselves as they did so. The Queen surveyed the room as they worked, her beautiful face adopting its usual lofty expression. Ellie despised her presence; it made her feel tense and irritable. Ellie sighed heavily trying in vain to stop misery overwhelm her.

“Cordelia stand straight, you are unlikely to appeal to anything slouched like that, let alone Roderick. It is vital that you impress him at the Deep Winter Ball,” her mother’s voice cut through the room. Silence ensued.

“I couldn’t care less whether I impress Roderick or not. If I am princess surely I need to impress no one? If anything he should be trying to impress me,” Ellie responded in her own lofty tones. She did not mean what she said; she just aimed to annoy her mother.

“Don’t be ridiculous you stupid girl. He is a prince and your father needs him as an ally. We expect Roderick to bow down to us and see us as the higher authority that we are as the better country. That task is going to be difficult enough with your average features and bland hair, all my good breeding is wasted as you have acquired none of it. Therefore it is vital we impress him with the little you do have to offer,”

Ellie felt tears sting her eyes as the Queen’s bitter words pricked her heart like great thorns drawing blood from her skin. Ellie knew what her mother said was true; she had neither the desire or power to be a princess. She wished she could be her mother’s daughter with golden curls and stunning looks. That was the girl she was meant to be. Ellie’s tears faded as it dawned on her that she could never be that girl. The stress of everything in her life seemed to mount on her. Anger, fear and hatred boiled and overflowed within her heart as her mother’s harsh voice echoed through her mind.

“DON’T TOUCH ME!” Ellie’s eyes blazed and she radiated defiance as she roared at the maids who scattered before her. They saw her father’s anger through those eyes as she strode out the room. The Queen’s expression did not change.

Ellie soon found herself sitting on her bed; she was staring but not seeing the opposite wall. She gave a heavy sorrow adorned sigh and changed out of her gown trying to avoid the pins sticking into her. She pulled another much simpler gown on with difficulty; she nearly always had a maid to help her. Anger continued to prickle inside Ellie as she lay back down on her bed. Her eyes soon felt empty of tears as if there were simply none left. Ellie thought back to her childhood, she had never been unhappy then. One reason for that was that she hadn’t seen her mother often; she wasn’t exactly the maternal type. However her father had always found time for her. When she was young she had few lessons and they were with the kindly nursery maid. Ellie used to be surrounded by cousins and the children of dukes and duchesses, they had played together. Ellie always had friends to spend her time with. Even then she wasn’t fond of being treated as a princess but she had been happy. What had gone wrong? Why was it that her life that should be so perfect was instead full of misery? Those children she had grown up with had all been married off to some ally country or sent to boarding school. Ellie had been gradually left alone.

Ellie was left with the prospect of ruling Aissurn. Ellie wasn’t quite sure why this filled her with such terror; it was her birthright after all. She hated her life now but once she was queen she could do what she liked. She tugged on her hair in dismay, she knew that wasn’t true. She would never be free of this way of life.

It was the day of the Deep Winter Ball. It was aptly named, the snow lay thick and heavy across the woods and mountains surrounding the castle, only those who absolutely had to dared to venture outside. The trees seemed to resemble a crowd of great white mounds, their branches wearing sheaves of snow.

Ellie lay warm in bed and smiled to herself, she had a whole day without lessons. She couldn’t remember the last time she had a day to herself. And even better she wouldn’t have to see her mother for hours, no one ate proper meals on the day of the Deep Winter Ball, the whole of the castle would be saving themselves for the feast held at the ball later on. Ellie was content to do nothing so she snuggled into the bedcovers.

After a while she heard a strange flutter of wings. She sat up in astonishment to find a butterfly hovering over her bed. Ellie was certain it wasn’t a real butterfly; it was about the size of her hand. It seemed to be slightly transparent with a distinct violet glow to it but the most surprising thing was the miniature scroll of parchment it seemed to be holding in its mouth. She was pretty sure real butterflies couldn’t do that. She reached out and took the scroll, the mystic insect then vanished. It read;

Dear Ellie,

Would you like to join me for lunch later today? Of course it will only be tea and sandwiches, I wouldn’t wish for you to fill yourself up before the ball! Don’t worry it isn’t a lesson, I just want to share a friend’s company on Deep Winter day. Come to my office at any time around noon. I’m looking forward to seeing you.

Your friend,

Ocotillo

Ellie smiled, she decided today would be a good day, as long as she didn’t think about the Ball that happened at the end of it. She spent the rest of the morning talking to Dama who was obsessed by the new guard. According to Dama he was young and very handsome, Ellie listened with good humour.

At lunch Ellie happily headed up to Ocotillo’s office near the top of the castle, most of the King’s advisors lived up there. She approached a large ornate oak door gingerly. In harsh lettering it said ‘Wizard Headquarters’. It sounded like the right place. Ellie had never come here before, she had never needed to. Ellie knocked on the door and a familiar voice rang out ‘Come in!’ She stepped inside.

Ocotillo gave his warm smile but Ellie, with surprise, noticed that it didn’t seem to reach his eyes. Ocotillo looked almost frail in the candlelight, the bags under his eyes heavier than ever. Ocotillo seemed to anticipate what Ellie was thinking so he launched into conversation before she could say anything.

“So looking forward to the ball later then? I hear you will be meeting the glamorous Roderick, he is a handsome man or so I hear! You are a lucky girl,” he gave a sly wink which made Ellie forget her uneasiness.

“Oh you know how I feel about him! I don’t wish to meet him, he’ll just add more problems to my life! I would love to think that he is perfectly nice but my mother rustled him up from somewhere so he can’t be! I swear my mother is determined to make me unhappy. Just because I’m not a talented, golden curled version of her she despises me. Honestly you wizards have it easy, you can do what you want and no one can touch you!”

“Haha Ellie if only it were that easy! But yes I suppose I have a certain freedom and there are many highlights to having free magic!” he chuckled, his eyes were lighting up now. He conjured his transparently purple butterfly out of the air and it hovered above their sandwiches.

“Did you like my butterfly by the way? I’m quite proud of it actually,”

Ellie looked at the intricate patterns that flowed across the wings, she hadn’t seen that before. It was like a piece of art, flickering beside the candle. She then looked at Ocotillo concentrating on it. She loved the way that Ocotillo took such joy in using his magic, he sometimes reminded her of a young schoolboy.

“Oh yes it’s very pretty. It gave me quite a start this morning! I’m glad you didn’t send the hawk with the message that’s all I can say,” replied Ellie. The hawk that Ocotillo had resurrected in her first lesson with the wizard had taken to following Ocotillo around the castle. But it did it very subtly, you never saw him follow Ocotillo it just seemed to appear near him when he entered a room.

“Yes I still can’t work out how he feeds himself, but he definitely does. He has no trouble covering my robes in his droppings at any rate,” they both laughed.

They munched on their sandwiches for a while. They were extraordinarily nice, Ellie couldn’t help wonder whether they had been made by magic. She decided they probably had.

“I know you are not looking forward to the ball but would it make you feel better to go with those blond curls you are always talking about?” Ocotillo asked gently.

“Yes please. Could you do that?”

“Close your eyes, this may feel a little strange,”

Ellie did so and she felt her scalp tingle she also got the sensation that a raw egg had been broken on her head and the yolk was running down her hair, after a few minutes it stopped. She carefully opened her eyes and wandered over to a mirror.

“Wow,” she whispered to her reflection. She barely recognised herself, she looked like her mother! Perfect golden curls cascaded down round her shoulders. Her hair was also longer and softer.

“Thank you. How long will it last?”

“For quite a while I think, although I haven’t done it before,” he admitted, chuckling at her expression.

They finished their lunch and continued to talk and laugh right through to mid afternoon. Ellie was in high spirits and relished the good mood that she was in. She soon realised that she had better go. She had to get prepared for the ball and she couldn’t wait to show Dama her new hair.

“Thanks for lunch Ocotillo. Sadly it’s about time I go, it takes a princess a long time to get ready! I’ll see you at the ball,” Ellie said.

“I’m not going to the ball,” suddenly the wizard’s face was drawn and serious.

“What? But you have to go. There is no choice, even my father has to go whether he wants to or not. No one misses the Deep Winter Ball,”

“Oh yes…of course…erm,” he hesitated, Ellie saw his troubled eyes and he looked old again.

“What’s wrong? You can tell me,” she asked, full of concern.

“Nothing is wrong,” he said but his face betrayed him.

“No, what do you mean? Tell me what is wrong…”

“Nothing Ellie. You are right you had better go. Farewell, my dear,”

She took an uncertain step toward the door, and then she faltered. His warm eyes bore into her and she realised she had no choice.