I waited at the window for the others to leave. I needed to make sure that they were past the trees that were dividing our land with that of our neighbors. Once they were past those large trees, they wouldn't be able to see me making my escape. I would be able to climb out the window and make my break for freedom.
I didn't relish the idea of climbing down the side of the house, and my hands were already injured a little bit. If I were to climb down as I was now, it was possible that I might hurt myself even more. And, again, I needed to make the prince fall for me. If I was injured too badly then he wouldn't want me at all. That was how these fickle fairytale princes were. They cared about beauty and all that. Not about the strength that it is going to take me to get out of here.
Suddenly, I heard the front door of the house open and steps pounding across the porch. I could tell that it was Milly from all the way up here.
"Do not let that girl out of the house. She is not to go to the ball at all. If I so much as see her face there, I swear I will punish you for it. You will find yourself in just the same position that she is in. Do you understand me?"
"Yes, mother, I understand you. She will not be at that ball. I am not going to let her out of her room." Gilly sounded annoyed at his mother, and about the fact that he was being reprimanded for something that has not happened yet.
"Just see to it that my rules are followed." She snapped at him. "I swear the two of you are worthless. That girl and you both share that idiot man's bloodline and neither of you are worth a damn to me. It's 'my' daughters that will provide me with the future that I so deserve."
"Yeah, you got that right. Those daughters are going to make you a laughingstock in this town. They will be the clowns and you the bearded lady." I whispered the words because I didn't want Milly to hear me, but I needed to say it nonetheless.
"Come now girls, we're leaving"
The three of them stomped across the porch and down to a waiting carriage. It looked like they had rented someone else's for the night. It was newer and fancier than the one that was in the barn. And I didn't recognize the man in the coachman's position at all.
Oh well, I didn't care what they did. I wasn't going to be here much longer. And after I fulfilled this story, I was going to get out of here and move onto the next one. I didn't need to worry about getting back into this house or anything like that. I just needed to get down and over to Elin's house.
I watched as they drove away slowly. The moment that they were past the line of trees, I grabbed the sheet from my bed and wrapped it around my hands. It was going to protect my fingers and palms so that I didn't need to hurt myself anymore.
I moved as quietly as I could across the sloping roof of the second floor, but I was moving too fast. I tripped and stumbled just a little bit, but it was enough to be heard throughout the house. I was hoping that Gilly would just think it was me being upset in the bedroom, and that he wouldn't think that I was escaping.
I lowered myself off the side of the house. Swinging my legs so that I was able to grip the side of the house. There were no columns for me to hold onto, nor were there convenient hand holds. I was using my arms and legs at the corner of the house to grip onto it.
This was not going as well as I had hoped. I had never climbed down the side of a house before, and the trees were all too far away for me to reach, so I couldn't climb down them either. I had no choice but to shimmy down the side of the house.
I was just about to reach the top of the first floor, halfway to my destination, when I heard someone start yelling and running toward me.
"What are you doing! Get the fuck back up there. Mother is going to kill us both if you don't go back up there." Gilly was yelling at me frantically from the side of the porch. "Get back up there."
"She will not be going back up there." I heard a deep male voice boom from beneath me. It surprised me so much that I almost slipped as I stopped to look at the person that was there.
"Ash! I was waiting for them to leave so that we could come and rescue you. Then I saw you climbing down, and it almost gave me a heart attack." Elin was on the verge of tears as she looked up at me.
"Look, I don't know who the hell you think you are, but my sister is not going anywhere." Gilly, standing on the porch, was trying to act tough in front of Elin and Jannick.
"Are you going to stop her, boy?" Jannick was marching toward the house and I saw Gilly flinch. "You know they said that all young ladies that were not married needed to attend. If you try to stop her you will be punished for it."
"B..but I have to stop her. Mother will hurt me if I don't. She always hurts me when I don't listen to her. If I don't listen to her, she will hurt us both." I knew from earlier, when Milly insulted Gilly, that she didn't like him either. Was it possible that he needed to be saved too? Was it possible that he was being abused like me? Did he only hurt me because he was told to?
I had a feeling that the answer to so many of those questions was yes. Dammit! This was going to ruin my plans. I was going to have to stay here longer and make the prince come after me like he did in the original story. This was not what I wanted to do here, but I will not let him go on being abused because of me. I would have to figure this out and help us both.
"Look Gil, if I can get back here and in this room before Stepmother gets home, then neither of us will be in trouble. But I have to go to the ball. And then I will make sure that she can't hurt you ever again." I was trying to think of the plan as I went along.
"Really?" I forgot how young he really was. Looking at him now though, that innocent expression of someone who is still just a child, I was reminded that he was just a young boy. And in this world, he was also my brother.
"Yes. I promise you. Now, please, help me and I will help you."
I saw that he looked at me and then at Jannick. He was thinking it over, but it seemed that he didn't need a long time to make up his mind.
"OK. I will help you. I don't want to do what mother tells me to do any longer. And Ashenella, I..I'm sorry." He wasn't looking at any of us now. His head was lowered in shame, and I just didn't care about it anymore.
"It's fine. But now, I need to get down from here. My arms are getting tired."
The moment that I said that, my arms seemed to give out. I could feel myself moving as if in slow motion. I was tilting back and sliding down the side of the house at the same time.
"ASH!" Elin's panicked voice filled the air.
"ASH!" Jannick called out to me as he started to run.
I thought that there was no way for him to get to me in time. I knew that I was going to hit the ground and that I was going to either die or be stuck here forever. I just knew it.
I was wrong though. Jannick moved a lot quicker than I thought that he would. He caught me in his arms and cradled me like a baby as he tumbled to the ground beneath me.
"Oomph!" All the breath was knocked from him when I slammed into him, but I was just fine.
"Thank you, Jannick. Thank you for saving me." I was untangling myself from him as I went to stand up. "Thank you."
"You are welcome, Ash. I am glad you are safe."
I was free. I was out of the house and could get ready for the ball, but now I needed to find a way back up there later.
"I will help you again." Jannick said, looking up toward the house. "I have a ladder."
"You truly are amazing, Jannick." I grinned.
"Go. Go get ready for the ball. Meet the prince. Make him yours. Then get back here before mother can kill me." There was panic in Gilly's eyes.
"I will be back. I promise you."
With that, Elin took my hand and pulled me toward her house. I needed to get ready in a hurry.