Despite Herself Ella Couldnt Keep The Fear From Filling Her Face At Her Stepsisters Scolding, Half Tempted

despite herself ella couldn’t keep the fear from filling her face at her stepsister’s scolding, half tempted to already begin to apologize for upsetting her, though part of her is so focused on trying to read her stepsister without looking too deeply into lucy's eyes- was that foul little creature placed in her hand a gift or was it a trick? ella was thinking trick until her step sisters scolding turned to....

thanks?

ella was certain she looked a fool, staring at rancilda with her mouth slightly agape and confusion swimming in her eyes. she corrected herself, closing her mouth, standing straighter, with her head hung low, almost still bracing herself for some sort of punishment- be it from the youngest troll or her mother, but she commented back as calmly as she could, still honestly. " ...it was a clever one. you do not have to thank me... " but kindness, especially from them... in the years they have been within her house, she knew not the last time she was treated with any sort of kindness.

best not to linger on it all too long. it will not last, ella knew that. even if it did she did not know how long she could look into lucy's eyes without rage bubbling up inside of her and an overwhelming pit of grief. ella focused in on the gift at hand.

" ...would you like me to try and find it? " the roach. the bug. an impossible task but she was used to trying to complete impossible tasks for their own amusement. " was it your friend? "

rancilda was the most tame of the trio. fucked up, nonetheless. that was in her dna and deep seeded, just like the hatred she was taught to have for her stepsister. useless, rotten, worthless. those were the most common words thrown around by her mother. and usually, rancilda was there to egg it on. but at breakfast, rancilda had been proud to deliver a riddle that had fallen on deaf ears . . . except for one person who had laughed. so, she wanted to repay the favor . . . in her own, unique way.

she had something cupped in her hands while she waited on bouncing feet for her stepsister to open her palms. there, she excitedly released a large cockroach into her palms, and rancilda was nearly giddy with delight until she saw the reaction.

" hey!! don't fucking squash it! what the fuck is wrong with you?! " she scolded as she scrambled to try to collect the cockroach, who made a big leap and skittered away. rancilda groaned and huffed out of frustration. her head dropped for a second before she looked up to her stepsister with large brown eyes that belonged to ella's former friend.

" you were the only one who laughed at my riddle today, and i . . . wanted to th -- " she stopped herself as the word caught in her throat, hacking a gag as if the word 'thank' was a hairball rather than a pleasantry. niceties were foreign on her tongue. " thank . . . you . . . "

i have the aggressive need to share that i have one song on my ella and the prince playlist and its please please please thank you

I've Endured, Now What?

Blue Iris - Mary Oliver / So This Is All I Will Ever Be? - Fatima Aamer Bilal / Vive, Vive - Traci Brimhall

every moment that ella can spend with the grizzwald sisters is a moment ella feels this certain rush of relief that little else can. they are alive- she knows they are alive, but it is only when they are near that she fully believes it. whenever they come, she clings to any moment she can spend with them, but that doesn’t mean that every moment spent in their company is carefree.

one moment the pair ride through the woods around the castle, chatting, catching up, the next a noise, something moving, a whisper of the wind disguises itself as some sinister threat and sends ella ashmore’s steed galloping off alone to protect on instinct, riding and riding until she reaches the glowering towers and finding nothing- not even a bird. it was just a noise…

meeting justine halfway, ella is about to explain when @playbarbies frets “  yes.  i am telling you what to do.  i’m telling you not to pull something like that again because—  ‘cause fucking hell.  i care about you.  okay? ” and ella can only blink in surprise.

justine is the sister that ella can only imagine having, her kindness and protectiveness for even her after everything that both her and her sister have been through is something that ella cannot begin to understand, no matter how she tries. but she can hear. and that simple four letter word has something inside of her and has her swallowing the defense that is on the tip of her tongue.

for a long moment, ella can only stare at justine as she tries to process the weight of the word echoing in her head. of course, she knew it deep down, justine and lucinda have been in her life for as long as she can remember- even years spent away from each other, the memories of them

" ... i thought- " but again the protest dies on her lips as she instead shakes her head, instead moving so to hold justine's hand and squeeze it in hopes to assure and calm the other. " i did not mean to worry you. ”

𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐢 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝: a little assortment of prompts revolving around painful, bottled up affection and endless yearning, as well as the possible result of finally taking action. remember to tag your dark themes. add +reverse to swap the roles.

[ 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 ] : receiver notices sender looking at them longingly. [ 𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦 ] : receiver hears sender calling their name while asleep. [ 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐭𝐡 ] : sender drapes a coat / cape / etc. around receiver's shoulders. [ 𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭 ] : receiver is hugging a coat / cape / etc. that belongs to the sender. [ 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐦 ] : sender is helping the receiver through a panic attack / severe anxiety. [ 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝 ] : sender takes a hold of receiver's both hands. [ 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭 ] : sender and receiver are spooning for comfort and warmth. [ 𝐚𝐥𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 ] : sender and receiver are finally about to kiss, but are interrupted. [ 𝐭𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞 ] : sender and receiver are finally sharing a passionate kiss. [ 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 ] : sender has just found the receiver who's been missing for weeks. [ 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐬 ] : after being misinformed that the sender has died, receiver is grieving. [ 𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐝 ] : sender is expressing anger over receiver's constant recklessness. [ 𝐣𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐬 ] : sender is voicing their negative opinion about a person who appears to be close with the receiver. [ 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐞 ] : sender has just told receiver "you belong to me". [ 𝐰𝐡𝐲 ] : sender has just asked receiver "why don't you love me". [ 𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭 ] : sender has harmed someone who threatened the receiver. [ 𝐠𝐫𝐢𝐦 ] : sender has killed someone who threatened the receiver. [ 𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐭 ] : sender has gotten injured protecting the receiver. [ 𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐞 ] : sender is getting frustrated with their repressed affection and asks receiver to leave them alone. [ 𝐜𝐫𝐮𝐞𝐥 ] : unable to handle their fondness towards receiver, the sender lashes out and they end up in a heated argument. [ 𝐚𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 ] : sender is apologising for appearing cold. [ 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩 ] : sender is telling receiver they "deserve better than whatever this is".