- Prince Cinder -
Prince Cinder dropped into a plush chair, pouring himself a cup of coffee to help regain some clarity after the intense physical training of the morning. He pulled a face as the room-temperature liquid swirled into the cup; clearly the pot had been sitting on the counter f...
2024-08-28 11:00:04 +0000 UTC View PostThat night, Bella was pacing in the cellar, her fingers tracing along the intricate straw weavings hung on the stone wall as she tried to formulate the last portions of her plans. “The most direct route out of here and to get under the hedges, would be to dig south, along the wall of the house ...
2024-08-26 11:00:05 +0000 UTC View Post“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 k...
2024-08-23 11:00:08 +0000 UTC View PostShe had expected the winter to be one of seclusion for her family, between the rise of the plague and the family in public mourning for the loss of her father. But as midwinter approached, Bella found herself being called to the main floor to help her stepsisters get dressed for a party they’d ...
2024-08-21 11:00:06 +0000 UTC View PostBella listlessly cleaned the window, even as she wistfully stared through it, watching the birds fly south before the snow became too thick to find food.
She had passed most of the year in silence—even when she was alone. Far too many nights, she’d noticed that the lines of light coming...
2024-08-19 11:00:06 +0000 UTC View PostAnywhere the haze reached, the mice started coughing, then dropped to the ground convulsing. Seconds after they were first touched, they stopped moving.
“Back! Get back, everyone!” Bella frantically called, and the mice rushed to obey. Even so, less than forty of them were able to...
2024-08-16 11:00:06 +0000 UTC View PostLunch was a strained affair, though to Bella's surprise, Matringa didn't immediately call her out or punish her for the fight. Her older stepsister sat across the table, glaring at her… unless Bella met her eyes. Then she would flinch away and pretend to be studying something in the room with u...
2024-08-14 11:00:10 +0000 UTC View PostBella ran her fingers down her arm, looking at what the system had updated for her. Exactly as she’d hoped, her Minor Creature Control skill had finally increased after years of dedicated, focused, intentional effort… and she couldn't even pinpoint why.
Skill inc...
2024-08-12 11:00:15 +0000 UTC View Post“Can't steal what's already yours! My mice, I’ll need your help with this quest. It's not about being the best dressed; it’s about being able to rest.” Bella softly sang her song, repeating it over and over as she clearly visualized what needed to happen.
She knew the mice ...
2024-08-09 11:00:06 +0000 UTC View PostSpring had never sprung so beautifully, at least in Bella's mind. By the time all the snow had melted, and she was free to sit outside and watch the birds, the Beast Singer had—out of sheer boredom—worked with her mice to weave not only a continuation of the floor mat, but also wall coverings...
2024-08-07 11:00:09 +0000 UTC View PostSeveral days later, Bella was called up to the sitting room, where her stepmother was waiting for her. Without a word, Matringa held out a long black coat. It was fluffy enough that it had to be stuffed with down, and while obviously not new, it looked warm.
Bella was delighted. 2024-08-05 11:00:06 +0000 UTC View Post
The next few months would have been absolute tedium, were it not for Bella being able to practice her skills without interference. With no lessons, no chores, and almost no human interaction whatsoever, her days blended together—marked only by the solitary meals she ate each day. The new cook w...
2024-08-02 11:00:05 +0000 UTC View PostWhen she woke up, Bella threw the doors to the cellar open, only to find that it was a cold, dreary, overcast, and drizzling morning. After a moment of arguing with herself, she descended the stairs once more, pulling on her warm servant dress—hoping it would be the last time she needed to do s...
2024-07-31 11:00:08 +0000 UTC View PostAt Bibbidy’s insistence, Bella returned to her old room, sleeping on a mattress dragged in from Cattiva’s. Even though she slept among paints and broken instrument parts, it was the best night of sleep she had managed in what felt like years.
Waking up to the sun shining in her face, Be...
2024-07-29 11:00:05 +0000 UTC View PostOn 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 clot...
2024-07-26 11:00:05 +0000 UTC View PostThanks to her furry friends, missing dinner with the family was nowhere near the punishment her father had intended to be. Then, after the first night of being stuck in the cellar, she was not just allowed but expected to be out of the underground space working again.
Thanks ...
2024-07-24 11:00:08 +0000 UTC View PostThe steps to the bottom of the cellar were uneven, forcing Bella to keep her hand on the wall as she descended, or she would trip and fall down the stairs. Only the thought of how much it would please Matringa if she broke her neck kept her moving slowly and cautiously.
As she stepped...
2024-07-22 11:00:14 +0000 UTC View PostAs days turned to weeks, Bella's excitement over her father’s decree began to wane. Each morning, he had a full schedule of anything from the new arrival of goods, potential partners vying for attention, to reveling and celebrating his success. The promised ‘talk’ never manifested, and thou...
2024-07-19 14:06:03 +0000 UTC View Post“Heigh-Ho, the manor!” Bella couldn't remember the last time her father's voice had sounded so jaunty, excited, practically oozing self-satisfaction. She dropped the mop in the hallway, rushing out the door before anyone else had a chance to get there first. As he stepped down f...
2024-07-17 11:14:00 +0000 UTC View PostLate in the spring, a thunderous clatter in the yard caused Bella to rush outside, coated to her elbows in flour. Her mouth dropped open as a dozen men drove draft horses forward to pull on the support beams of the old barn. Before she could do more than gape at them in surprise, a whip crack sig...
2024-07-17 11:13:00 +0000 UTC View PostAs per usual, winter passed ever so slowly, doing its very best to dig its claws in, only to eventually be dragged away by the heat of spring coming into full bloom. Just as winter refused to give in, so too did Bella find herself navigating the complexities of life with far more cunning, strateg...
2024-07-17 11:12:01 +0000 UTC View PostAlaric’s departure the following day was done without pomp and barely a word of farewell. With the death of her mother, Giada the younger had tendered her resignation, so the final non-indentured servant, Luca, went along with him. As the caravan was full of expensive trade goods, it was at ano...
2024-07-17 11:11:01 +0000 UTC View Post*Knock.*
The single strike against her door woke Bella from a dead sleep, and she blearily sat up. “What? Why? What time is it?”
“Bella, I need you to come out here right now.” Alaric's voice came through her door, and the young woman swept her covers to the side and ...
2024-07-17 11:10:00 +0000 UTC View PostIt was approaching summer by the time Alaric returned, but the intervening months had barely taken the edge off Bella’s fear of Matringa. The young woman had thrown herself into her work, finding new and inventive ways to involve the creatures in and around the house.
Bella quietly took h...
2024-07-17 11:09:01 +0000 UTC View PostWinter passed quickly, with no changes, other than Bella's hands becoming harder, calloused, her body shifting slightly as she grew used to the harder lifestyle of being an indoor servant in a noble manor. The weather had been exceptionally harsh, setting her father’s caravans back by months. H...
2024-07-17 11:08:01 +0000 UTC View PostThe walk home, short though it may be, was extremely informative. “My staff was quite looking forward to meeting you. They've never worked beside a proper lady before.”
Bella ignored her, staring straight ahead, refusing to give this cruel woman the satisfaction of seeing ...
2024-07-17 11:06:00 +0000 UTC View PostBella stepped into the house, straining to carry a suitcase in each hand. She set them down just inside the door, turning to go and retrieve the others when Matringa waved her over.
“Oh me, oh my. Those must be so heavy; what a robust child you are. Still, that can ...
2024-07-17 11:05:01 +0000 UTC View Post“A day's rest after travel? I'd say that's fair. But three? I don't know what sort of effort he's had to put in with his previous employer, but around here, that's downright lavish,” Aria muttered, not quite under her breath, as she used a rag to angrily buff the family's si...
2024-07-17 11:04:00 +0000 UTC View PostThe next two and a half months passed without incident, Bella's fourteenth birthday coming and going at the end of summer without being remarked upon—though Cook did make sure to prepare her a special meal. As the master of the house was away, everyone else seemed more at ease, doing their work...
2024-07-17 11:03:01 +0000 UTC View PostThe night was filled with fitful sleep, both from her sudden, shining hope as well as dread filling the pit of her stomach. She knew there would be ramifications for causing her father to be humiliated, but Bella hoped the remainder of the evening had gone well and smoothly after she left. “Per...
2024-07-17 11:02:01 +0000 UTC View Post