Preparing for the Masquerade

        Elinore felt like a princess. Francesca and Isla had both volunteered to be her lady’s maids, although Elinore was horrified at the idea of Isla, the daughter of a duchess, waiting on her, and together, they had first scrubbed at her mercilessly in the bath and then brushed her hair, and combed, and brushed it again. After cleansing her, Francesca laced up her corset so tight Elinore could hardly breathe. And then the girls helped Elinore into her costume. She was stranding in front of the vanity, her back to the mirror since Francesca insisted on surprising her with her new image, Francesca arranging her hair around her face.

 

        “Now,” Isla turned Elinore around to face the mirror as Francesca yelped as if she had forgotten something and disappeared into another room. However, Elinore didn’t take too much notice of Francesca’s disappearance since the reflection in the silver mirror had her full, rapt attention.

 

        “The girl in the mirror didn’t seem like Elinore any more. Gone was the cinder and soot that blacked her hair. Gone was the dirt and grim that polluted her skin. Clad in a heavy brocade of golden-brown, a soft overskirt of a golden veil, and a honey-brown stole dripping from her elbows, she twirled around for a moment, looking down at her skirts, and realized, with delight, that a border of roses danced across the hem of her skirt, embroidered with great care in golden thread. Her soft flaxen ringlets fell to her shoulders in loose, gentle curls and there were sparks in her blue eyes that she had never seen before. She felt new, like she had been reborn somehow in the past hour.

 

        The door flew open and Francesca bounced into the room, holding out a delicate, elaborate brown-with-gold-sparkles mask. Elinore gasped. Each detail of the mask was carefully carved, each design carefully sketched and covered with golden sparks. Elinore ran her fingers across the smooth paper of the mask, overcome with the awe of its beauty.

 

        “For you,” Francesca beamed, “I saved some sparkles from Madame’s mask. It would come in handy. Madame nearly caught me working on it last night. I would’ve gotten a sound beating if she had, but it was worth the risk,” She tied it around Elinore’s face, “There. You’re ready.”

 

        “Wait,” Isla said. In the few moments that Francesca had gone and grabbed the mask and came back, Isla had already changed into the billowing white gown she was wearing to the masquerade and tied on her crystal-like, pointy silver mask on. She walked to stand beside Elinore, and, unclasping the golden locket she always wore, draped it around Elinore’s throat. Elinore fingered the golden chain with wonder. She had not known of a single moment until now that Isla had taken off this locket.

 

        “But…”she hesitated, taking the chain from her neck and trying to push it back into Isla’s hand, “…It’s yours…I can’t…”

 

        “Keep it,” Isla pushed her hand back, smiling, “I want you to have it. It was my mother’s, and she gave it to me when she died. I think she would’ve liked you, had she lived to have known you. She says it would bring me good luck. I hope now that it would bring you good fortune.”     

 

        Tears were beginning to fill her eyes now as she refastened the locket around her neck. Her friends, for she believed now that they wouldn’t mind her calling them that, had done so much for her. Francesca risked a beating just to help her make a mask and Isla had given her Isla’s mother’s locket, which she knew meant so much to the girl. So with the tears blurring her sight, for she daren’t let them fall lest they ruin Francesca’s pretty mask, she turned and knelt, and lifting the lid of her trunk, which was brought to her by Francesca, brought out the her only memory of her mother, a pair of beautiful slippers made of beautiful, colored glass, and slipped them onto her feet. They fit perfectly like pieces of a puzzle, just like she knew they would.

Author's Note

Follow-up to the last scene. So, any criticism for this one? By the end, I think you know I'm using the frame story of Cinderella to write, yes?

Reviews

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WAH!!! I'm freaking out here what's going to happen with the prince and Francesca!!! great write :3

[Eric Cox]

Yeah. I like your writing. I'll read on.

[rae52]

yeah i did get the idea of cinderella if you write more on this get a big twist in soon i would say to keep the interest