It was dark at first, unbelievably dark, and I couldn't tell if I had my eyes open or shut. There was no way to tell if I was facing up or down, and I couldn't even feel the ground beneath my feet. The only thing I felt was a fluid current carrying me through space. It's a lot like being submerged underwater, when you can feel the swish of the tide roll over your body; you let it carry you to shore, because fighting it would do you more harm than good.
At some point, I could see a faint outline in the distance grow steadily before me. As the lines converged, I barely made out a beautiful stone fountain spouting clear water through the intricate carving of a fish. It was splayed over a grey tide, the stone delicately carved into a perfect sculpture, and covered in vines that sprawled out like roots all over the place. I could practically taste the flowers in this magical garden from the symphony of scents that hung in the air. The sensation of the Current had long since turned into the brush of a quiet breeze, gently tugging the strands of my hair, and as I lifted a hand to brush it out of my face I noticed I was wearing gloves.
I paused a little, looking down at my hands. The pastel pink fabric was soft - really, really soft - and I could flex my fingers without even feeling the seams inside. You'd be surprised at how expensive those gloves felt - like little pink mist that curled around my skin, not to mention the rest of my body. I was draped in an elegant evening gown that cinched my waist before it cascaded to the ground. It was the same shade of early dawn pink at the top of the collar where it hugged my neck, but slowly descended down into a deep tone that somehow reminded me of sun-dried strawberries. Sparkling jewels and precious stones adorned the fabric, that same unrealistic softness, and I kid you not, I felt like I was wearing a silky cloud from how the snugly that thing hung onto me.
My cheek flinched. It felt weird. I reached a hand up to touch it, and began to trace the outline of a soft mask. I tugged it off my face, holding the weird thing in my hands. It was picturesque, with the detailed embroidery and shiny gems glimmering in the moonlight. How beautiful.
"Lady Ophelia?" A voice called out, startling me from my train of thought.
A pang of fear struck my gut, and despite my hesitance, I quickly pulled the straps of the mask back on. My cheek twitched again. It wasn't even like the thing was scratchy or had any faults; I just didn't like the weight of it on my cheeks.
I turned again as the voice called, revealing a regal gentleman clad in some sort of period-drama clothing. He also had a mask on, except his was styled after what appeared to be a black cat, and his clothes not much different to it save the silver detailing that held it all together. He looked almost divine. I almost didn't want to go back to school - that man was a fine specimen.
"There you are, Ophelia. The others were waiting for you, why have you not yet returned?"
My first thought was kinda as you'd expect: who was this guy, and why was he calling me Ophelia? In the haze of my wondering, I couldn't tell. Whoever it was, it wasn't me, and I couldn't say anything because I was in a strange garden with a strange man. Who wouldn't be confused? Somehow the words stuttered to life as I felt some portion of my body, or Ophelia's body, push me out.
"Forgive me, my Lord, I was merely catching my breath..." I said.
The stranger smiled, taking my hand, "Let us head inside, Lady. We should not miss the prince's debut, and I would not have anyone else steal your first dance."
There I was, stuck in some foreign body with weird clothes that looked like they belonged on a Wattpad high fantasy fanfic, staring at a garden that looked like the Queen's private backyard, staring at a sky with constellations that didn't even resemble the ones I knew from back home. That's not including the handsome yet absolutely way too demanding stranger whom I assume is supposed to be Ophelia's lover. I was particularly stumped as we passed through the arbours into a courtyard. This place was drop-dead gorgeous. It felt infinite, with pristinely manicured gardens that jumped straight out of a fairytale's pages. I was frazzled by the display. Moving into the palace, I watched long corridors gape into the horizon until it suddenly ended in a set of double doors. I followed him into what I could only assume to be a ballroom, draped in fine silks and beautiful tapestries. Long tables held up canopies of food I'd never seen them before, with a dazzling ceiling that looked like it belonged in a cathedral or something, and there, gathered in a grand ballroom, were thousands of people all arrayed in various clothes. A lot of the ladies' gowns shared similar features to mine, from the style of embroidery to the draping of the fabric to even the kind of jewels that were on my dress. Among all the faces, there were so many varieties of masks that my eyes swam from the sheer number of faces in that sea.
Suddenly, the voices all stilled as soon as we walked down the stairs, and the whole crowd moved aside, leaving the center of the room open. When I glanced behind us, there watched as a tall man with bright golden hair and shining white attire stepped into the middle. He was perfect. Too perfect. I felt my cheek twitch again. There's something to be said for why all the girls in stories fell for Prince Charming, and I could tell even as I stood to the side with my partner; I felt my heart in my throat just looking at this guy. His crown was gilded, glowing brightly as the light glinted off the rubies. No wonder all the women swooned. I watched as he sauntered lazily into the centre of the space with his partner.
She was in a similarly pale ballgown, almost white but with a baby blue tinge so faint I could barely see it. The empire waistline held embroidered blue roses, and the layers of the skirt fell down in such a mythical manner that it didn't feel real at all. Her accessories were quiet in comparison, but they only elevated the entire ensemble to new heights. She shimmered with the spark of a thousand diamonds, and her hair was a shade of brown that looked like pure amber in the morning light. If you told me that prince guy was dancing with a Fae-creature, I'd believe you in a heartbeat - she was gorgeous. Her smile lit up the room, and even under the mask I could tell she was a sight to behold.
The whole crowd watched with a hush as these two inhuman creatures danced, captivated, until the music shifted from a waltz to another piece. Pair by pair, everyone crowded around. They swayed in synchronised movements, like a well-oiled machine. The stranger took my hand and led the dance. The chandeliers on the ceiling spun. Around and around I went, passing between strangers, sometimes men, sometimes women, until I found myself staring at the woman in the blue dress. I didn't really notice anything as I kept my eye on her. We twirled around and danced like all the other people in the ball, but I could feel her name sitting right on the tip of my tongue; she looked so familiar. Where had I seen her before? I was about to call out to her, but by then it was time to end this dance and move on to the partner dances. I had to return to my partner.
My stranger kept talking to me, murmuring about engagements and how his business is going and other such things, but in all honesty I zoned out much of what he said because why would I care about some random guy I'm dancing with? That familiar swishing sensation of water crossed over my body again, making me dizzy from the long dance, and suddenly the dress that felt so comfortable before felt like a tonne of lead weighing me down.
"I will be a moment, my Lord. I feel faint." I said quietly, running through corridors and hallways to get outside. Someone pointed me to the cloakrooms, and I quickly went to grab something for the night air. There was a shawl thing lying around, which I grabbed before I practically sprinted outside. I pushed past until I reached the gardens and felt the cool night touch my skin.
That mask was so unbearable, and the makeup wasn't too far off; I could feel my skin tense up at the sensation and practically ripped the thing off my face. The entire time, the only thing on my mind was that woman's name. What was her name? Where had I heard of her before? A woman clad in blue at a ball late in the night, dancing with a prince? Why did that sound so familiar?
I scanned the gardens sprawling in front of the palace, then saw that same fountain from earlier, and you wouldn't believe the relief I felt from seeing it. I made my way to it, careful to avoid the stranger, and sat down on a bench near it. It was right next to the steps of the palace, but the canopy over the bench made it feel private and cozy like a hidden alcove I could breathe in. I watched the sky, wondering what on earth was going on, until I saw the woman from before running down the steps. She ran in a flurry, palpable horror evident on her face, and suddenly, I caught a glimpse of a shiny glass slipper left on the steps.
I froze. It was dumb. It was really dumb. Her beautiful dress came undone at the seams, revealing rags that were torn to shreds. Her hair unraveled into something in between a rat's fur and a bird's nest, and her mask was nothing more than a piece of cloth with two torn holes. Quickly, I pulled her arm, tugging the woman into the alcove.
"Ella?" I said unknowingly, wrapping the shawl around her.
"Ophelia?"
"What are you doing here?"
She blinked, flustered, "Sneaking out?"
We hushed as soon as the prince ran out, looking out over the palace gardens. He took hold of the glass slipper,
"Well, it isn't doing you any good, from the looks of things," I, or Ophelia rather, replied, looking her up and down, "What about your shoe?"
"Leave it - can I borrow your carriage?"
I huffed, nodding, "Let's go. It's high time I went home too."
We got to the carriages in silence, sticking to the shadows like black cats. I passed the coachman a large ruby, motioning Ella into the seats. Soon enough, we were rattling down the cobblestone pathway to her manor.
"Are you alright?" I asked curiously, putting a hand on her arm.
A silent nod.
"Who did this to you?"
"Who else?" She replied bitterly, "It was my step-sisters and step-mother that did this. I didn't even sleep last night trying to make it in time, and now it's ruined."
How foul, I thought to myself. How much do you have to hate someone to ruin their hard work? I could feel my body tense up, frustrated. There must be something I can do.
"Wait, then how did your dress..." I paused, recalling how pristine it looked before.
"Magic?" She shrugged sheepishly.
Somewhere along the line, I heard a clock strike in the distance and looked around for where it was coming from. There, in the distance, was a clock tower in the town square. It read '17:48'.
I stared in horror as a thin watery film came between me and Ella, her image washed away as the film became a rapid curtain of water. Reaching my hand through the curtain, I fell through to the other side and then abruptly woke up in my bed, drenched in sweat.
By then, it was 3:00AM in the morning, and I had school the next day. I groaned, dropping my head back onto the pillow.
Great.