5 Chapter 5: Old Memories

Ella set plates of hot food on the table. The plates had bacon, eggs, blueberry muffins, and strawberries on them. She called Ligia, Tiala, and Ms.Hilda down, and the three of them sat down at the table. Ligia shouted "Ella you stupid girl where is our green tea." Ella replied "I'll go get it right away." She went to the kitchen, and grabbed a silver tray with a tea pot on it that was filled with hot green tea. The tray also had tea cups on it, and a sugar tin full of sugar cubes. She brought the tray to them placing a tea cup in front of all of them, and  filling it up with tea. Ella said "I wanted to make sure is was silky, and sweet for you guys, and I also had to get the perfect amount of mint in them for you guys." They drank their tea as Ella said "if its not up to your liking I'll make a new one, or even get you something else." Ligia spit the tea out all over Ella outfit, and shouted "this is disgusting make it again!" Ella replied "I would, but I need to go back to the village, and get some more supplies. I want to make sure I get it right this time." Ms.Hilda threw the tea cup at Ella's face, and Ella blocked it with her arm. Hot tea spilled all over her arm giving her a red mark that started to blister. Ms.Hilda shouted "go to the village, and get more supplies, and this time do it right, or there will be a huge punishment to pay! Now go, and change your outfit, and leave!" Ella curtsied, and said "yes ma'am." Ligia shouted "and I don't care if it takes you all day to find it you'll make me a new batch, and if its not right we'll send you to get more supplies!" Ella said "yes I will go, and get more supplies, and I will make sure that no one recognizes me." Ms.Hilda shouted "get out of our sight now!" Ella ran to her room changed her clothes into a grey dress that cut off at her knee, and had an black apron in front of it, and left the house heading for the village.

She walked to the castle saying to herself "I'll finally be able to go back to my old home, oh how I missed that place." When Ella finally made it to the castle she saw in front of her a front lawn that was well kept, and rose bushes that stood at the ends of the front lawn. The castle was 70 stories high, and 80 stories wide. The color of the castle was a cream color, and it had 40 windows all over it. In front of the castle was long cement stairs that led up to the white front door. She walked up the stairs, and knocked on the front door. A woman wearing a grey dress with a red apron answered the front door. The woman said "you must be the new maid we've been looking for!" The woman pulled Ella into the house saying "come in, come in welcome to the castle its a fabulous place to work. The king, and Queen are quiet nice, and their son is always polite. They are very great bosses to work for they never push us beyond our limits, and they give us days off, and breaks! You'll love working for them!" Ella said "oh no... I'm just looking for Dann..... I mean Daniel." The woman looked at her as her mouth dropped, and shouted "what did you say?! You can not address the Prince in that manner!" Prince Daniel walked into the room, and the woman shouted "you'll be thrown in prison for this crime! Addressing the prince in such an improper manner!" Daniel walked over to them, and asked "what's going on?" The woman answered "this peasant just addressed you by your first name!" Ella said "maybe I should go Daniel I didn't mean to cause any trouble." Daniel said "no don't go! This girl here she is no maid her name is Cinderella, and it is okay for her to call me by my first name! She can call me what ever she wants because I love her!" Ella blushed, and said "Danny you....." He said "yes I said it I do love you Cinderella." He grabbed Ella's hand, and said "come, lunch is ready, and there are some people I want you to meet." 

Daniel led Ella to a room that had a redwood tabled that was 7 feet long.  On top of the table it had white gold candle holders, and lace place mats that had porcelain plates that sat on top of the it. The table also had lace coasters, and wine glasses that sat on top of them. Next to the plates were shiny silverware that were wrapped up in cream colored cloth napkins. The room had lights that dimmed on the ceiling, and the floor was dark brown hard wood that had been freshly polished.  There were painted portraits of Daniel, and his parents hanging on the walls, and there were painted picture of Crosses on the walls too. The color of the walls beige, and they had a dark brown trim around them. At the table sat the king, and Queen. The Queen looked at Ella with watery eyes, and the king had a soft smile on his face. The Queen asked "who is... this young woman?" Daniel answered "mom, dad I want you to meet Cinderella. Cinderella these are my parents." Ella curtsied, and said "its an honor to me you."  

The Queen smiled, and said "yes its an honor to meet you too." Ella asked "is something the matter? Did I do something to hurt you?" The Queen wiped her eyes, and the king said "no Cinderella it isn't you. We just thought that he would never be happy again." The Queen said "oh please do sit." Ella replied "I would, but I really have to use the bathroom." Daniel asked "do you want me to call a maid to escort you there?" Ella answered "no I think I can manage to find the bathroom." Daniel asked "are you sure?" Ella answered "don't underestimate me Danny I can find the bathroom." Daniel replied "okay my love if you insist." While Ella went to the bathroom Daniel, and his parents talked to each other. Daniel said "Ella hasn't changed a bit she's still the head strong girl I loved 10 years ago." The king smiled, and said "she looks just like her mother." Daniel replied "She so beautiful, and when I look into her eyes it just makes me fall in love with her all over again." The Queen asked "what will her parents think?" The king answered "we'll find out when they get here." The Queen said "they'll be so happy to have their daughter back, but what I can't understand is why doesn't she say anything to us, and why is she dressed as a peasant, do you think she's lost her memory?" Daniel replied "no she hasn't lost her memory she remembers me perfectly. She's even given me details about when we were younger that's how I knew for sure that it was her." The king asked "then why doesn't she say anything?" Daniel answered "I think someone kidnapped her when the fire happened. After all the window was open, and the person who tried to kill her parents always talked about an accomplice, but one was never found. We just took it for insanity." The Queen said "that would explain why she's now a servant girl, why her hair looks like that, and why she refers to herself as Cinderella, but what I can't understand is why she won't say anything." The king said "maybe she's afraid of something." Daniel said "you know she's always talking about these bosses maybe they're doing something to her, and that's why she won't say anything. Something must be keeping her there." Ella's parents walked in the room, and Daniel's parents got up to greet them. They all sat down at the table, and Daniel asked "how are things in the new village?" Ella's mom answered "its good,but nothing helps me forget about Ella." Daniels' mom said"well moving to rule another village was your best option." Ella's dad said "you guys have done a great job with these old villages." Ella's mom said "we had hoped that Daniel would've found someone different by now." Daniel replied "about that there's..." Ella walked in the room, and said"see Danny I told you that I could find the bathroom on my own." Ella walked up next to Daniel kissing him on the cheek. Ella's mom stared at with her hands over her mouth, and her eyes watering. Ella's dad started to smiled. Ella looked over at her parents, but didn't recognize them. Ella said "oh hello I didn't see you guys when I first came in. My name is Cinderella."  Ella's mom wiped her eyes, and said 'I'm sorry we just never thought that Daniel would find someone other then Ella." Daniel's mom said "come lets sit." They all sat down at the table waiting for the butlers, and maids to come with their food.

 Ella's mom said "so tell us about yourself Cinderella." Ella said "um... there's not really much to tell.... I'm a servant girl who was lucky enough to find someone as great as Dann..... I mean Daniel." Daniel mom asked "have you always been a servant girl?" Ella answered "well no I wasn't always this miserable." Daniel's dad asked "how is your job miserable?" Ella answered "well... I don't really like my bosses." Ella's mom asked "then why don't you just quit?" Ella answered "I may hate it, but its a warm place to stay." Ella's dad asked "stay? Aren't you living with your parents?"  Ella answered "well no. Can we please talk about something else?" Daniel, and Ella's parents said  "sure." Ella's dad said "what ever you want to talk about is fine with us." 

Daniel  said "Cinderella is so beautiful isn't she?" Ella started to blush, and replied "awe your such as sweet heart." Ella's mom said "speaking of your appearance had you hair always been silver?" Ella answered "it use to be brown, and longer." Ella's mom asked "why did you change the color?" Ella answered "well I didn't my bosses wanted it this way." Ella's dad asked "if you don't mind me asking why did they make you change the color?"  Ella answered "they just didn't like it before." Daniel's mom said "I bet it was beautiful before." Daniel said "it must have been because everything about Cinderella is just beautiful." Ella smiled, and said "stop it Daniel you spoiling me." Daniel's mom asked "Cinderella when can we met you lovely parents?" Cinderella's smile slowly decreased into a small frown, and she said "you can't meet them." Daniel asked "why not Cinderella after all I do want my parents to meet them." Ella asked "why is it so important that you meet them?" Ella's dad said "because its common curtsy." Ella said "well you can't meet them." Ella's mom asked "why can't they meet your parents?" Ella answered "because you just can that's why!" Tear ran down Ella's cheek, and Daniel asked "Cinderella is everything okay?" Ella's mom said "honey we didn't mean to upset you at all we just wanted to know." Ella cried "do you guys really want to know? Is that something you have to find out about me! Well here it is you can't meet my parents because they're dead! That's right I'm a orphan, and I have to live with people I don't want to live with!" Ella's dad said "you're an orphan?" Ella answered "yes! Both my parents died in a fire 10 years ago!" Tears ran down Ella's mom's cheeks, and she said to Ella "honey I didn't know that you were an orphan." Ella said "I have to go." Daniel said "but Cinderella you just got here. Please don't leave now." Ella replied "no I have to now there are a lot of things I need to do so I can't just sit around." Daniel said "okay then I'll come with you." Ella replied "no I want to go alone. Daniel thanks."

Ella left the castle, got everything she needed, and went back home.