Cinder X Bella ~ Thirty!

“Honestly?” Bella muttered to herself as she slammed her fists into the dough the next morning, pounding all of her frustrations away on the innocent concoction. “I'd be perfectly fine with her being the princess if they walked out of my life for the rest of it. What has the kingdom done for me? They can suffer her temper more readily than I.” 

She didn't slack on her chores or noticeably change her routine. Even so, Bella's thoughts were completely focused on the equinox ball—which was coming toward her at what felt like breakneck speed. This morning was particularly grump-inducing, as an official invitation had arrived from the palace. Specifically, a separate invitation had arrived for Malvagio, Cattiva, and Bella… as well as a single chaperone.

Bella had no desire to go, especially not after she’d seen the utter glee Malvagio had exhibited upon handing her the invitation. Her stepsister had been practically vibrating as she gushed, “You're going to look so amazing, Bella. I can't wait for you to try on what I’ve… what Mother decided you should wear. But, well, I'll be doing your makeup. You're going to have all eyes on you, I guarantee it.”

“Grrr…” the Beast Singer-turned-maid growled as she punched the dough harder. “Must they humiliate me on top of everything else?”

In the next moment, a bucket full of icy cold water with chunks of snow floating at the top washed over her, and Bella let out a shrill scream. Eyes blazing, she turned—and clenched her jaw to remain silent when she found her stepmother staring at her. 

“Oh me, oh my… now you want to follow the rules about only speaking when spoken to? Interesting. I hear a cold shower each morning would be healthy for your skin. Perhaps it would do you some good? Imagine how clean a bath each morning would make you feel.”

Bella's eyes flicked to the side; the servant's bathing area was outside. Were she to plunge into it in the current weather conditions, there was a good chance she would freeze to death. She held her tongue, knowing arguing would only turn the threat into a certainty. 

“Now, if you cannot be relied upon to be gracious when we take you to the ball, I’ll need to make alternative plans. Is that what you want?” Matringa’s voice was as cold as the water still dripping from Bella's servant gown. 

“No, Signora.” Bella mumbled the words around her chattering teeth, her body desperately shivering to try and bring back some heat. “I don't know what came over me just now.”

“Mmm.” The woman watched her with hard, beady eyes. “By royal decree, all eligible ladies are to attend the festivities at the equinox. You will be going, as many people already know about you. Even so, no one will be surprised when you leave early, due to your fragile health. Let me be clear… you will make an appearance so the royal decree is followed to the letter, then you will return home and go into the cellar. You will not come up those stairs until I return home. Now, Bella, I will have your oath on this, or I will need to take drastic measures to ensure your safety this upcoming evening.” 

Matringa seemed to be waiting for an answer, but Bella knew better. She hadn't been asked a question, and her stepmother was attempting to bait her into a punishment. As the seconds flowed by, and the expression on Matringa’s face became more unpleasant, Bella thought she had perhaps misread the situation. Just before she could panic, Matringa’s face smoothed out.

“Ah! I see… good girl.” There was a crooked smile on her face, but in her stepmother's eyes was only pure satisfaction. “So, will you give me your oath, or will we think of something else?”

“Do you want a pinky promise, or…?” Bella hesitantly inquired, already nervous about such an act. While it was not crossing one's heart, a pinky promise—when broken—literally caused a person's finger to wither and fall off. 

“No, there's plenty of trouble you could get into with only four fingers on one hand.” Matringa allowed her eyes to sink slightly lower, and she stared with unrepentant excitement at the racing pulse showing in Bella's neck. “You'll cross your heart. That way, I know you'll take me seriously.”

“But… if I cross my heart,” the young woman slowly spoke, not certain if she were speaking out of turn or still answering the question, “I could die.”

Matringa raised an eyebrow at her. “You could die? Are you actively planning on disobeying me? If not, there should be no issue at all. You'll go downstairs, and the next morning, you'll be able to come up without any fear of reprisal whatsoever. You'll even get a system mark of trustworthiness for a fulfilled oath, won't you? Those are all the rage these days. Helps people find the good girls.”

Now that it had been pointed out, it was quite obvious Matringa had no such mark. Bella decided against commenting on that fact, taking a few moments to think over her options. Ever so slowly, she spoke her thoughts aloud. “Signora, is it wise to invoke the system for such a minor thing? If I recall, oaths like that are powerful things, and can have… unexpected effects.”

“Nonsense!” Matringa waved off her concerns, even as her expression hardened, “You want unexpected effects? Try refusing the oath.”

Her words had been spoken with heat, but Bella wasn't about to be pushed or bullied into making a binding promise, not for any reason. 

She continued to hold her silence until finally Matringa grit her teeth and allowed a concession, “If you're really that worried, child, I'll even change the wording a little. Repeat after me. I, Bella, swear to return home from the equinox ball at the Spring Palace when told to do so by Signora Vigatori. Upon returning home, I will go to my current room, not ascending the stairs unless given permission by Signora Vigatori, or until ten in the morning the following day, whichever comes first.”

“I… okay.” After thinking over the offer a few times, Bella gave a hesitant nod and repeated after her stepmother.

“Now, make an ‘X’ over your heart and say that you cross your heart and hope to die.” Matringa practically whispered the final command, her eyes boring into her stepdaughter as she waited to ensure the young woman couldn't slip in any other statements.

“Cross my heart and hope to die.” As Bella made the motion and spoke the words, there was a bright flare of golden light in the air over her chest. A moment later, it sank into her skin, and she let out a gasp as she felt a sensation like a warm hug directly on her heart. As the feeling passed, she looked over at Matringa, expecting to see smug smiles or hear haughty words.

Instead, her stepmother was facing away from her, one arm up as if to shield her eyes, and was breathing heavily. Without turning back to look at her, Matringa spoke in a soft voice. “That will suffice. I'll have your gown ready for you shortly. I'm glad we are getting back into a mindset of mutual trust.”

The older woman hurried out of the room, leaving Bella wondering what, exactly, had just happened. Before she could decide what to do next, whether that would be changing into something dry or finishing her work with the bread, Matringa’s voice floated back to her. “There is one stipulation… you will not be allowed to lollygag about. Before we set off for the ball, all of your chores must be done, as well as anything else I deem necessary. Don't worry, if I think back on how easily you were able to handle the tasks I’ve given you in the past, why, you should have no problems whatsoever!”

Bella winced at that; there was no way she’d be able to use her animal friends to help clean the house or sort things while her stepfamily was in attendance and attentive to her. She fully understood her stepmother's true intent: by the time she went to the ball, Bella would be utterly exhausted. 

It was unlikely she would be able to make trouble, even if she wanted to. Abyss, it would be hard enough for her to stay on her feet. Most likely, this would be the excuse given to their hosts to send her home early.

She tried to get back to pounding the dough, but simply couldn't function through the body-aching cold of her wet clothing. Deciding she needed to put off her current task for the moment, Bella bit her lip and rushed out of the kitchen, around to the back, and hurried into the cellar. She entered her room, closed the door behind her, and rushed over to her makeshift wardrobe to switch out her dress.

“Kind of surprised how warm it is in here, if I'm being honest with myself.” Bella grumbled as she stripped and changed into a dirty gown. She’d been putting off doing the laundry, hoping for a warm, sunny day to do the painfully lengthy task. “Between the straw accouterments and being underground, it at least stays a nice, consistent temperature…”

Her fumbling fingers slowed, and Bella thought over the agreement she had just made with her stepmother. “Something I just said… what… being underground, it stays a consistent temperature?” 

Bella looked up, her eyes going wide as a plan suddenly began forming in her mind. “The Spring Palace is only an hour down the road via carriage. It's too far to walk, but everyone and their daughter will be going to the ball. Could I get there on my own?”

She fought with herself for a moment, trying to determine why her mind was prodding her into action, but she finally remembered a conversation from long ago. “The Royals can advance people's classes directly; it's one of their abilities as leaders of the nation! Usually, they do this to show favor, but on a night like the prince's birthday, perhaps they may be more willing to throw around a bit of power as a show of solidarity with the people. But… how can I work around the oath I just made?”

As she thought, Bella was snapping her fingers, caught between the need to figure this out and get back to what she was doing before she was missed. Her intent rippled out, and a rustling in the straw behind her caused Bella to spin around in fear of finding Matringa sneaking up on her with another bucket of ice water. Instead, she found the coterie of eclectic animals staring at her. 

Just like that, she had her answer. Bella froze in place as everything came together. “Matringa will be out of the house the entire night. She believes I will be here, because I’d otherwise die, thanks to my oath. But if I could get to the palace and get my class advanced, I could vanish. If I'm not here, and I have skills, I'll be welcomed elsewhere. That means I'll need to figure out a way to get past the hedges. Not only that, but since I swore I wouldn't go up the stairs after coming down here…”

She stepped forward and held out a hand, petting the enthusiastic mole that lurched forward to meet her. “Well… maybe we could think of a way to work around all of that, together? After all, we have nothing but time.”