Once Upon a Twist

by Michelle Smart

  “We have time,” he said soothingly, reaching for the same small hand she had just moved away from his skin, and enfolding it into the protection of his own, much larger hands. “Our intelligence tells us they will not reach our land for another twelve days.”

  “Right now I couldn’t care less what your intelligence is telling you – tell me about these undead people.” The softness of her eyes hardened as she glared at him. “Well? Are you going to tell me or am I supposed to wait inside my stupid enchanted barrier, completely defenseless while they come for me?”

  James had imagined telling Ella the barest of facts, had imagined that, like his mother and all the other women in the land, her delicate constitution would not be able to handle the truth. Yet now, looking into those glaring eyes, he had the feeling she would kneecap him if she thought he was holding back.

  Even so, he tried to soften it for her. When all was said and done, Ella was but a maiden, a member of the fairer sex. It was a well-known fact that women were ill-equipped to deal with matters of importance, had nervous dispositions and were liable to swoon at the sight of blood. It was a man’s duty to protect his womenfolk from the horror that life could throw.

  “We do not know how these creatures came about but we have known for a number of years that they are growing in numbers.” He spoke slowly, choosing his words carefully. “We know that if they bite a human whilst the human is alive, then that human becomes one of them. Even if the bitten human dies, he or she will rise to become one of them. They become the living dead with no purpose other than to feed and kill.”

  His heart raced as he waited for Ella’s reaction, bracing himself to catch her when she collapsed in a dead faint.

  “What do they feed on?”

  “Uncooked meat.” He didn’t add that human brains were a particular favourite.

  “Human meat?”

  He nodded, carefully searching her face for signs of blood loss. “But they will eat any form of animal, not necessarily humans.”

  “And do the other creatures they feed on become undead too?”

  “No. Only humans.”

  For long moments Ella was silent. “So these undead creatures are coming to our land? How do we fight them?”

  “With everything we have at our disposal. After the Ball, all women and children will be evacuated to a place of safety. We will travel in daylight which is when the creatures sleep. I had planned on you being part of the evacuation party.”

  “That sounds clever,” she said, a faint whiff of sarcasm lacing her voice. “Are you going to give us anything to defend ourselves with while all our menfolk are being slaughtered? And what if the undead find us?”

  James patted her knee. “We will ensure your safety.”

  “You can’t actually ensure my safety though, can you? Christell’s barrier is only designed to trap me in its confines. It doesn’t prevent you or anyone else including, presumably, the undead from breaching it.”

  His stomach cramped at the implications. Ella had been in his life for such a short time, yet imagining being without her…

  Capturing her chin, he forced her to look at him. “I will do everything in my power to get the enchantment broken.”

  She snorted. “Unless my fairy godmother makes an appearance, the only way to break the enchantment is to get Christell to rewind the spell. Believe me, that is not going to happen.”

  “I can be very persuasive,” he said, speaking through gritted teeth to mask the fury burning through his blood. How anyone could treat another human in such a manner, especially one as sweet as Ella, was beyond him. He’d thought such treatment towards stepchildren belonged in the realms of books.

  Still, the last thing he wanted was to scare Ella with his rage. Thinking of ways in which he would ‘persuade’ the woman who called herself a stepmother to break the enchantment quelled his anger a touch.

  “And she can be very cunning. Christell’s is a very powerful magic.”

  Rubbing his nose against hers, inhaling the sweetness of her breath, he said, “Ella, I swear on everything I hold dear, I will keep you safe.” And he would. There were enough Knights and ordinary soldiers left to protect the palace. Merlin had been summoned and was en route to the Kingdom, already working on enchantments to prevent the undead from breaching the palace walls. Merlin was the most powerful sorcerer in the Kingdom. He stood the best chance of breaking the spell. “Please, try not to be frightened, I am certain that...”

  She broke away from his hold and folded her arms across her small chest. “Do I look frightened?”

  Actually, now she mentioned it… she looked, if anything, angry.

  “I can’t believe the King is still planning to go ahead with this stupid Ball,” she fumed. “And the Prince? James, you’ve been fighting with him and in his name – why the hell is he wasting time trying to find a wife? He should be doing everything in his power to ensure his subjects are as well prepared as possible for when the undead arrive.”

  Internally, he winced. “The few of us who survived the war knew further fighting would be suicide. We returned to regroup and increase our numbers. We never dreamt the undead would follow us.”

  “But why a Ball? And why now? What kind of ego-trip is that Prince on?”

  “The Queen is very ill,” he said, interjecting quickly before she could draw breath. This was not the way he had planned to tell her. “She wants to see her son marry before she dies. This Ball is the only thing that is keeping her alive.”

  Tell her.

  “Are you going to be attending the ball?” She made it sound like an accusation.

  “I have to.” Tell her. “Ella, there is something I…”

  Before he could get the words out, three owls hooted simultaneously. Ella jumped to her feet. “It is time for me to return to my prison.”

  “Before you go, I need to tell you something. It is very important.”

  But again, he was unable to say the words as dozens and dozens of forest animals of all shapes and sizes converged on their small clearing, each carrying twigs and branches with them.

  He watched in fascination as a racoon expertly opened Ella’s sack. In less than a minute the animals had filled it.

  “Thank you, my darlings,” Ella said, crouching down to their level. “I need you all to do something for me – I need you to tell your families, your friends and your enemies that dangerous people are coming to our beautiful land. They are human only in the loosest of terms and they kill indiscriminately. Be prepared to flee.”

  Immediately the creatures began talking amongst themselves and firing questions at Ella, all in a strange animal language James did not understand.

  She held up a hand. “I have to go home now, but James here will tell you everything he has just told me.” Glaring at him pointedly, she added, “Won’t you, James?”

  Nonplussed at being given a direct order by anyone, let alone a member of the fairer sex, he nodded. “Of course.”

  “Good.” She visibly relaxed. Leaning into him, she stood on tiptoe so her mouth was against his ear. “It’s a real shame.”

  Inhaling her scent, which for a woman who was rarely able to bathe was surprisingly light, he resisted the urge to bury his hands in her hair and press his lips to her. “What is?”

  “That you’re going to the Ball. I will be all alone in my big house. It seems a shame to waste it – after all, if the undead are going to kill me, I’d hate to die a spinster and a virgin.”

  Before he could react to her provocative statement, she swung the sack over her shoulder and sashayed off back down the pathway. As he observed the sway of her hips and the pertness of her bottom, the tightness in his groin that had only just abated sprang back to life. Resisting Ella’s attempts to make love was turning his willpower into something extraordinary. But he would not make love to her without a ring on her finger. She was too special for anything else.

  Closing his eyes, he willed the ache away. Already he was in over his
head with her. It was imperative he remained in control of all his faculties, including his lust levels, if he was going to get the enchantment broken and take her away to safety.

  He was on the verge of losing sight of her when he remembered something else he needed to tell her, something that couldn’t wait for another day.

  “Ella,” he called, his voice somehow carrying through the thick trees. “I’m going to be tied up for the next couple of days so I won’t be able to meet you until the day after the Ball.” There was no way he could tell her the truth now. It would have to wait.

  “Your loss,” her sweet voice carried back.

  And then she was gone, leaving James utterly confounded. Spending time with Ella had already proved she was not of the same mould as other women. Her reaction to his news about the undead only served to add to her mystique and add to his determination that, whatever the cost, he would keep her safe. It was his duty.

  He would get this damn Ball over and done with and then focus his energies on breaching that barrier. Lady Christell would be forced to break the spell or suffer the consequences.

  Or he wasn’t Prince James Charming.

  ***

  Ella pulled the last of the rollers from Izzy’s thick auburn hair and scrutinized her work. She had not succumbed to the temptation of turning Izzy’s hair into a frizz-ball. That particular temptation had been tempered by Christell’s pet cat Domino, the ugliest, nastiest feline to have ever walked the land, guarding Izzy like a sentry. If Ella had made the slightest error, Domino would have gone tearing off to his mistress.

  In any case, she didn’t want to sabotage Izzy’s night. Izzy might treat her as if she was a bad smell but she didn’t have the innate viciousness of her mother or sister. Somehow, her beatings were gentler too, rarely marking Ella’s skin. There were times, when it was just the two of them, that relations between them were almost friendly.

  “What do you think?” Izzy asked.

  Ella smiled. “I think you look beautiful. Prince Charming won’t be able to resist you.”

  Izzy sniffed. “Rumour has it the prince has already found a bride.”

  “Really? Then why go ahead with the Ball?”

  “Who knows? It might be only a rumour. Still,” she added, suddenly cheering up, “I’ve heard that his Knights are very pleasing to the eye and there will be plenty of them in attendance. There is nothing more attractive than a man with an air of danger about him.”

  So long as you keep your mitts of James, you can do what you like. Or do who you like.

  An unexpected wave of compassion for her stepsister suddenly swept through her. She clenched her hands into fists to stop herself from squeezing Izzy’s shoulders and telling her she didn’t need to be the bike of the land; that true love was waiting for her.

  The moment was lost when Ana came bursting into Izzy’s bedroom. “Are you ready? Mother says the carriage will be with us in five minutes.”

  Unlike her sister, Ana had not trusted Ella with her hair or makeup, having not forgiven or forgotten the time when Ella had deliberately made her look like a clown.

  Compared to Izzy’s willowy beauty, Ana looked like a man in drag. Of course, in Ana’s eyes she looked like the Belle of the Ball.

  “Come, Cinderella,” said Ana, smiling malevolently, “We can’t have you missing any of the fun. I insist you wave us off.”

  In a whirl of sickly perfume, Ella followed them downstairs to where Christell was waiting.

  “Girls, girls, you look beautiful.” Her cruel pale-blue eyes then fixed on Ella. “Just think, by the time we return, one of your stepsisters may be betrothed to the Prince. I suggest you spend the evening practising your curtseys. Now get in your cellar.”

  The cellar door was soon locked shut, leaving Ella trapped alone in the bottom of the huge house.

  When her father had been alive, a fleet of staff had catered to their every need. Christell had fired each and every one, unwilling to risk Ella blabbing to any of them.

  Sinking onto the cold, stone floor, Ella hugged her knees.

  Despite all her fears about the imminent arrival of the undead, she was feminine enough to feel a large dose of envy that the people of the land were gathering together for the party of the century.

  More than anything, she longed to see James. She hated the idea of all those beautiful women at the Ball who were bound to spend the evening flirting and making eyes at him.

  It had been only three days since she had seen him but she missed him dreadfully. She closed her eyes. She had known him barely a fortnight and already it felt as if he were a part of her. If she had been free she would be at the Ball with him, dancing with him, his hard body pressed tight against hers…

  A wave of fury suffused her at all she was being forced to miss out on. Getting back to her feet she kicked the solid wood door.

  “Damn you, Christell,” she howled. “Damn you to hell for killing my father. And damn you too, fairy godmother, for leaving me to cope with all this on my own. Where the hell are you?”

  As if by magic – which of course it was – a puff of light appeared in the room. Seconds later, a plump, fluffy white haired elderly lady materialized before her.

  Chapter Three

  It took Ella a few moments to comprehend what had just happened. She blinked to make sure her febrile mind hadn’t just conjured up her fairy godmother.

  “Hello, dear,” Linda beamed. “You called for me?”

  “I’ve been calling you for a year and a half,” Ella said, her initial joy quickly turning into petulance.

  “Have you, dear? Did you shout? My hearing-aid’s been on the blink.”

  “It’s what?” She shook her head in disbelief. “You said you’d be calling in to see me.”

  Linda bristled. “Well, dear,” she said, an edge creeping into her voice, “I did have the small matter of ensuring Princess Rosamund didn’t actually die when she pricked her finger on that spindle – I did warn her father it was pointless banishing all spindles from the land but would he listen to me…?”

  “You’ve got a suntan,” Ella accused, taking in the golden hue of Linda’s skin.

  “Well, yes dear. After making sure your stepmother couldn’t kill you and then sorting out Rosamund, I was knackered so I took a nice little cruise.” Before Ella could voice her outrage, Linda hurried on, “Still, I’m here now. No harm done. What can I do for you, dear?”

  Ella threw her hands in the air. “I’m sorry for sounding like a brat but Christell has put an enchantment around the cottage that keeps me trapped here. She’s sacked all the staff so I can’t blab about what she did to my father, she’s making me live down here in this horrid cellar and treating me like a slave, and tonight there’s a Ball in the palace and, and…” Her voice thickened. Before she could prevent it, a large tear fell down her cheek, landing with a loud plop on the concrete floor.

  “I’m sorry for being such a drip,” Ella muttered, furiously wiping the ensuing tears away, “But there’s an invading army of undead heading for this land and I don’t particularly fancy being trapped and defenseless when they arrive.”

  Linda patted her arm. “I wouldn’t worry about them, my dear – I have seen the creatures you’re talking about. They’re all rather thick so I doubt they would be able to break into this cellar.”

  Despite herself, Ella laughed and threw her arms around the elderly woman. “Oh, Linda, it’s so good to see you.”

  “And you, my dear.” Linda returned the embrace before pulling away. “I don’t mean to be rude Ella, but you stink.”

  “So would you if you lived in a cellar.”

  “Never fear, Linda’s here. I’ll get you out of this place in a jiffy. Now, where did I put my wand?”

  “Behind your ear.”

  “Thank you, Dear. Now, this enchantment that bitch put around the cottage…” Considering her age, she bustled around the cellar in a sprightly fashion, pointing her wand in all directions, her nose wrinkling as s
he muttered under her breath. “Right,” she said when she had finished whatever she was doing. “Christell’s enchantment is very strong – I’ll only be able to break it for five hours, which gives you until midnight to pack your bags and get out of here.”

  “I don’t have any possessions. Christell burned them.”

  Linda bristled again. “Even as a child that woman was spoilt. Always hated sharing her toys.” Her wizened eyes suddenly alighted with mischief. “Did you say there was a Ball at the palace tonight?”

  Ella nodded.

  “Are Christell and her horrid daughters there?”

  “Yes.”

  “And would you like to go?”

  “Yes please.”

  Linda smiled knowingly. “Is there a young man who’s taken your fancy?”

  Ella couldn’t help the flush that spread across her face like an inferno.

  “Your attendance would certainly put the cat amongst the pigeons.”

  “Yes, it would.”

  They shared a conspiratorial smile.

  “In that case…” Linda clapped her hands together with such glee sparks flew from the end of her wand, “We need to get you changed into something more appropriate. But, before I start, a princess attending a Ball needs a fine carriage in which to take her. Be a dear and run to the garden and grab me a pumpkin.”

  “The door’s locked.”

  “Right, right.” A flash of light and the cellar door flew open.

  Ella hurried up the narrow stairs.

  “While you’re there, see if you can find a couple of rats and a couple of frogs.”

  “If you look under my blankets you’ll find Itchy and Scratchy – they’re my pet rats.”

  In double quick time Ella returned, carrying the most enormous pumpkin she could wrestle from the ground.

  “Not in here, dear – it’s no use having a carriage in a cellar. Put it by the front door.”

  Excitement searing through her veins, Ella obeyed, then hurried back outside to the pond. When she returned, this time carrying two of the friendliest frogs she knew, both hopping on her hands in excitement, she found two footmen standing in the cellar. Dazed expressions adorned their endearing rat-like faces. Throwing her arms around them, she laughed, the joy careering through her spilling over.