Cinder X Bella ~ Eighteen!

On her way to her new ‘room’ to get dressed for the evening, Bella was interrupted by Cece. The maid frantically motioned for the young lady to follow her, turning and presenting a midnight blue dress with a grand gesture. Looking between the gown and the beaming maid, Bella realized the clothes were for her. 

“How did you get this? Modern lacings, elegant stitch work… I haven't seen this before. Did you take it from one of my step-sisters' rooms?” A frantic shaking of the head met Bella's question, followed by the maid pantomiming frantic flapping of wings, pointing into the distance, then at her own smile. “Did you… get this from Bibbidy?”

Cece pointed at her own nose, nodded, then winked at Bella. Then, she swept her hand around, indicating she would help Bella get dressed.

“Oh, no, you don't have to do that,” she demurred while raising her hands, not wanting to ask so much of the maid. “There's so many things to be done, and I'm sure there is a better use of your time.”

Cece raised an eyebrow and clicked her tongue, folding her arms and jerking her head to the side as if to say, ‘get in here’. Letting out a laugh she couldn't contain, Bella stepped into the small room and allowed the maid, her friend, to help her with a task she had been doing on her own for years.

The dress went on, fitting beautifully, with the laces barely needing to be pulled to be set in the perfect position. After it was tied and settled, Bella was pushed down into a chair, and Cece’s fingers dove into her hair, pulling, twisting, and braiding. There was a certain wonder, familiarity, perhaps even trust, in letting someone else do her hair. With her eyes half-closed, Bella allowed her mind to drift back to when this was a common occurrence… before she knew it, Cece was tapping on her shoulder to rouse her. 

A hand mirror Bella recognized from Malvagio’s room was lifted, and all thoughts of Cece risking herself fled as Bella looked at herself. Her hair had been brushed until it shone, twisted into a high updo to grant her height she did not actually have. Combined with the dress, she appeared taller, slender, older than her years. Perhaps even regal. Cece *tsked* and dabbed at the corner of Bella's eyes with a handkerchief, wagging a finger at her.

“Sorry… I didn't even notice you applying makeup. I must have been more tired than I thought I was.” Instead of tears, Bella let out a laugh. “I didn't realize you'd be turning me into a princess for the night! Where have you been hiding these skills?”

Cece raised an eyebrow, dropping her chin and staring at the youngster. 

“Ah, right. Far, far away from my stepsisters. Makes sense.” Bella scoffed and  shook her head, only realizing afterward that they had done so at the same time. “I can't thank you enough, is there anything-”

*Di~ing* a bell rang from the floor above, indicating dinner was about to be served.  Bella looked at the maid with a sheepish smile, only for Cece to flap her hands to shoo her up and away. 

Going up the stairs and over to the closed door of the dining room, Bella took a deep breath before firmly pushing them open and striding in. Her eyes landed first on Bibbidy, who was wearing a wide smile, then over to her father, who went pale as if he had seen a ghost. 

Alaric stood from his seat at the table, slowly walking over to Bella, who stood stock still as if he were about to shout. Instead, he swallowed hard, studying her face intently. “Bella, when did you turn into a woman? I missed it, didn't I? You've grown up while I've been doing other things. You look… just like your mother.”

He took her hand, kissing the top of it before pulling her gently over to her seat, getting her settled, and moving back to his own place. The entire time, Bella was blushing, not only from the compliment, but because her mind was spinning from the first sign of affection she had gotten from her father in as long as she could remember. 

Letting out a long sigh as he sat down, Alaric softly chuckled, “My Bappy, reincarnated in her daughter's face.”

“It was Boppity, Boo.” Bibbidy reminded him gently. “You're an adult as well, but you never were able to get the inflection just right.”

“She never minded,” Alaric stated with a sigh, reaching for his cup.

“So, tell me.” Their exotic guest smiled at Bella. “You have your mother's face, do you have her talent as well?”

The question was an innocent one, but in an instant, the soft environment thickened, punctuated by her father releasing a disgusted scoff. Bella sank in her chair, and Bibbidy looked between the two of them, her sharp eyes taking it all in. “Oh? Now here's a story I must hear.”

“We do not speak about it. Move on.” Alaric sharply waved his right hand, even as his left lifted his cup as though he could hide behind it. For the first time, Bella noticed a tinge of shame in his words and didn't know how to react to it.

“Excuse you! I will not move on.” Bibbidy focused all of her attention on Bella, and let out a ringing, clear command. “Speak freely, child. This instant.”

Ever so haltingly, Bella began to speak, not sure where she was finding the courage to do so in front of her father. “Yes, I take after my mother. I have the class ‘Beast Singer’ and-”

“How wonderful!” Bibbidy brought her hands together in an excited clap. “A class  devoted to beautifying nature and the creatures in it. Did you know how rare that class is? Beast Tamers are one thing, but a Singer? Oh, the lovely things you'll… you’ll… wait. By now, you must have had your fifteenth birthday. Beast Singer is a Basic Class, is it not?”

Even though her hands were still pressed together from her previous excited motion, Bibbidy’s head turned with creaking slowness ‘til she could stare at Alaric, who seemed to be doing his best to study the bottom of the inside of his cup. Unable to take the awkwardness, Bella cleared her throat softly. “You see… it isn't a ladylike class. Not proper for low nobles who are hoping to increase their lot in life. So advancing in it is out of the question-”

Bibbidy scampered from her position at the table, swooping in to wrap her arms around Bella. The comfort was a rare experience, as was being open, not to mention her father's silence at their actions. All of this combined to create a single tear she couldn't hold back, which was followed by another, and another… until she was weeping into her godmother's soft, fancy robes. 

“There, there. All is well. For you.” As their exotic guest gently pushed back the lock of hair which had fallen across Bella's face, she rounded on Alaric. “As for you…” 

The light in the room flickered, and the candles seeming to dim, a chill filling the room, though a fire was roaring in the mantle. The shadows around Bibbidy swirled and danced, her features fading as her eyes shone with starlight bright enough to let off its own glow. “How dare you? How dare you tarnish and diminish Elara's memory by trying to make her child ashamed of the part given to her by her mother?”

“Now, Bibbidy, the way I raise my daughter-” Alaric started in a weak voice, as though examining his failings and finding that all his excuses were feeble. 

“Silence.” The word was resonant, echoing in Bella's mind and causing her to go still, her tears forgotten as she looked on in stunned surprise. Bibbidy reached out her hand, placing her palm on the wood of the table, leaning in slightly and refusing to allow Alaric’s gaze to squirm away. “Did you think I wouldn't notice what has been going on here? What she was wearing when I arrived? You stripped her of her room, her status. You dare to reduce your daughter, Elara's daughter, to a mere servant in your household? You may speak, oh yes, you will speak. I demand answers.”

“She is willful and well on her way to being unmarriageable.” The words were thin, almost questioning as they fell from Alaric's lips.

“So?” That one word was filled with so much power, so much fury, that Bella was surprised her father was able to push through. 

“I'm keeping her safe.” This was said with more conviction, and for the first time, Bella realized her father truly believed his words. “Her mother's death was a direct result of her talent, and I've seen the bloody consequences. It will not be the same for her.”

“No, Alaric.” Bibbidy let out a long sigh. “It won't. Oh, how foolish I have been, holding off on my visit to give you time to heal. Instead, I arrive to find deep scars and misalignment. Would that I would have been here to help stitch things into place.”

Giving Bella a gentle pat on her shoulders, Bibbidy stood and slowly walked back to her seat, plunking down and staring at Alaric with kind eyes. “My darling Boo, who ever told you to fixate on Elara's death and ignore her life? She was vibrant and free. She lived loud and loved deeply. She was a force unto herself and made those around her better. Much better, in some cases.”

She stared down her nose as she said this, and the snub caused Alaric to wither in his seat. “She was proud of her class, what she could do for herself, for you, for her family, who she loved more than anything. Now, you are trying to ruin the only bit of Elara you have left, trying to cut her out of your life entirely or reduce her to something you can mark down on one of your forms.”

“She would have wanted our Bella to be safe,” Alaric whispered, unwilling, perhaps unable, to acknowledge his failed parenting. “I can't let her become… not even for you…”

His words were disjointed, and as they trailed off, Bibbidy let out a deep grunt of annoyance. “I had hoped this would be a great gift, and instead it will become something else. Well, if you won't listen to me, maybe you'll listen to her.”

With a careful motion, the visitor pulled a letter out of the air, setting it on the table and slowly unfolding it. Immediately, a voice floated up from the paper, filling the room with a voice no one had heard in more than five years.

“My dearest Bibbidy.”

Alaric was suddenly sitting rigidly in his chair, looking for all the world as though he had been struck by lightning. “Elara? Wait, this is a letter to you? When did she send it?”

“Shh!” Bibbidy cut him off.

Unable to hear him, the enchanted recording of Bella's mother continued to speak into the now-silent room. “My little family is the greatest achievement of my entire life. Forget the foxes, the birds, the griffins, the kraken… the one thing we’re never lackin’ is love and laughter. You must come and get to know Isabella better; I know you’ll love her as much as I do. She is an always-laughing, joyous girl who lights up a room when she enters it. I admit, she is always underfoot, always in my work, asking why, why, why… and I love it.”

“She-”

“I said ‘shh’!”

“I know you had your concerns in my choice of husband, but Isabella is proof that I made the right choice. Don't get me wrong, he's still the quiet, calculating, collected man I married… but Bella brings out in Alaric a jubilation I did not think was within him. With her, he lets his guard down in a way that no other person, including me, has ever been able to match. As she grows, they will bring out the very best in each other, I just know it. Do you know she's already showing the early signs of being a Beast Tamer?”

Laughter filled the air, a wild sound which had no place in a ‘proper’ environment. “She's just like her mama! I'm so very proud… it won't be long before the three of us are traveling the world. Alaric will sell the most beautiful of wares, and of course, whatever he wants to bring along, and the two of us girls will amaze the masses with all manner of beasts. From those we train to those we sell, the world won't know what hit it!” 

“Now, where do you fit into all of this? I was hoping you would join us, travel with us for a while, so you can be there to celebrate Bella's tenth birthday and the unlocking of her class when we are done with our next caravan run. I know it would mean the world to her; you've been there for all the momentous occasions in her life already, but… for some reason, I just feel that having you nearby is important. We love you, we miss you, and hope you can catch up; just get here soon! Ever yours, Elara.”

The room remained silent for seconds that felt like an eternity, then, to Bella's dismay, her father let out a broken sob. “She invited you there to watch her die!”

“Alaric.” Bibbidy spoke with such tenderness that the man managed to look past his current crisis and hear her. “She called me in to watch you live. All three of you. A life full of laughter and joy. Is that what you have? Is this what you want?”

He struggled, taking deep breaths through his mouth, slowly turning until he was staring at Bella. “But how… will you ever forgive me?”

They stayed in their seats, staring at each other, until Bella realized he was truly waiting for an answer. “I just want to be your daughter again. I want you to be proud of who I am now… not who I could be.”

“I'll take it,” Alaric fervently promised her, standing from his seat so quickly that it fell to the ground. He ignored it as he came around the table, mimicking Bibbidy’s  actions by throwing his arms around her and pulling her close. “I never could deny Elara, and I know this is what she would want. I must… I will… I am proud of who you are.”

Cupping her cheek, Alaric pulled back and stared into his daughter's eyes, his eyes shining with unshed tears. “This I swear to you… things will be different from this day forth.”