Chapter 5
CHAPTER FIVE
OPHELIA
Icannot go to this ball. I will not go to this ball.
But I long to go to the ball.
The dreaded day arrives, and the desire to be closer to the fae has only grown. There is no saying that the moon fae who offered to grant my wishes was anything more than a figment of my imagination. Regardless, I haven’t heard from her since.
Where is my promised gown? My stepsisters have their attire prepared for the event, but I don’t. I sit by the window and patch up an old, brown gown. It’s all I have, but no matter the embellishments I add, it won’t do for the ball. I poke the needle through the fabric and sigh.
My stepmother storms into the room with a crazed look on her face. A hand, covered in gaudy rings, flies to her chest. “Good. You’re here.”
“Where else would we be?” I mutter, pulling my thread tight.
“That is quite enough of your smart mouth.” Lady Ashbridge buttons her coat. What is she dressed for? “You know I have reason for my concern, and worst of all, I am afraid I must leave at once.”
“What?” Raia gasps. “What happened, Mama? You seem unnerved.”
Raia is right. Lady Ashbridge is in great disarray, so distracted that she doesn’t appear to notice the elegant state of her daughters, with their curled hair and made-up faces.
“It is an emergency with our estate,” Lady Ashbridge says. “I will have to travel by horse to reach our attorney.”
The water fae’s words ring in my ears. She did promise a distraction. Perhaps… perhaps…
A spark of hope glimmers in the distance, but I don’t dare reach out and take it. Hope isn’t allowed to live in my broken heart.
“That is all right, Madam.” I put my sewing aside and stand, offering my kindest smile. “I will be sure the house and your daughters are safe while you are away.”
Her eyes narrow. “It will not be long. Only for the night.”
And on the exact evening of the ball. What a shame.
“All will be well.”
Lady Ashbridge stares for another long moment. “Raia, I entrust you to keep the house from burning to the ground.”
Of course, she leaves the youngest in charge—not because she’s best equipped for the job, but because she’s firmly under Lady Ashbridge’s thumb.
“Yes, Mama,” Raia says.
Raia may be as rebellious as Elisa, but she’s often more loyal to their mother. I can only hope her loyalty falters tonight. Without saying a thing, I return to my spot by the window.
The lady of the house takes her leave, but that doesn’t mean I will be attending the ball—it only means my stepsisters will be able to sneak out more easily, which they seem all too thrilled about.
Hours tick by, and my sisters ready themselves for a night out, but I don’t. There is no way for me to.
“Are you sure you don’t wish to join us?” Elisa is already halfway out the door when she thinks to invite me. Distracted, I suppose.
“Quite positive. My only intention this evening is to catch up on my chores.”
Raia glances out the door and back at me. It’s hard to say whether she’s second-guessing leaving me behind or if she’s fighting guilt about disobeying her mother.
“Go.” I urge them with a wave of my hands. “She’s gone, which can only mean the fates favor your decision to indulge in a night of revelry. Lady Ashbridge will never know, so long as you can keep your secret.”
I give Raia a sharp, knowing look.
“We can,” Elisa says.
It’s not her I’m worried about.
“Let us go,” Elisa says, yanking Raia out the door. “Our carriage awaits, and it won’t linger for long. I’m ready to dance until my toes are positively numb.”
Once the clip-clop of their departing carriage fades, the house sinks into quiet dread. My father smiles down upon me from his portrait. His watchful eye casts a seed of disappointment in my chest.
Why should he be disappointed? I’m disappointed in him. He’s the one who left me here. My father’s death was a matter of health, and I know it is no fault of his, but there are days when I wish to blame him. It’s far easier than missing him.
“Oh, Father, why must you look at me like that?” I slam the front door shut and wander through the silent abode, my bare feet padding against the cool wooden floor.
“I’m sure you would have done this quite differently, considering how you and Mother met—then again, how did you meet?
It’s not as if you told me a single thing. ”
Bitter laughter falls from my lips. I truly do have a list of chores to focus on this evening, but I no longer feel like scrubbing our clothing or sweeping the floors.
Anger bubbles up in me, a rage that can only be directed at my father’s old portrait.
How long will it be until the lady of the house burns it?
How long until she stops pretending to mourn my father?
“You left me without answers,” I shout. “Now… now I am alone.”
“Not quite.”
I jump, staring around the room with wide eyes. “Then reveal yourself, ghoul.”
Bells ring and laughter follows, the mirth more memorable than the voice itself.
She’s back. The water faerie has returned in all her silver glory. Her lavender hair flows to the middle of her back, and her cape is longer today, dragging against our polished floors.
“I apologize—you shouldn’t have to see me this way.” My heart pounds. “I wasn’t expecting you to come, in truth. I thought you were a creation of my mind.”
“I’m much more than that. You see?” She takes my hand. “Shall we go? The festivities have already begun, and I would hate for you to be late.”
I look down at my tragic, dirty attire. “Do I look ready?”
“Right you are. There is always work to be done.” She lets out a burst of chaotic laughter and circles me like I’m prey. She clicks her tongue. “There is much work to be done here.”
I suppose I am prey. I can only stand, frozen, waiting for her to do what she pleases. She may devour me whole if the others in my village are correct. If they’re wrong… if she has magic that can help…
Perhaps I’ll find the answers I’ve been searching for. Or perhaps I’ll find more, something like love—but no. I cannot linger on the thought or the yearning to end the night with the breathtaking fae from the tavern. That is far too dangerous.
Answers. That’s all. I will leave it at that.
“I know just the thing.” She pinches my cheeks. “Close your eyes.”
A fae wishes for me to close my eyes, but to what end? So she can sink her teeth into my neck?
I press my lips together. “Why should I?”
She giggles. “Because I cannot work with such scrutinizing pressure. Now, do as I said.”
A small huff passes through my nose, but I listen to her command, my eyelids flickering shut.
She continues shuffling around, tugging at my arms as she goes.“Your hips are quite wide.”
It takes effort to resist the urge to pull back. “Yes. I’ve heard that many times.”
“Unsurprising—and I don’t mean it as an insult, dear.”
“More of a backhanded compliment?” I ask, quite used to those.
“No, no. It’s all about the measurements. Now, keep your eyes closed. All I need you to do is make a wish. Wish for a beautiful gown and a lovely night at the ball.”
I hesitate. “What if I long to wish for something else?”
“Then I may choose whether or not to grant it. What do you wish for, Lady Ophelia?”
I peer into the darkness of my eyelids. There are other things I could wish for.
I could ask for my father to return to the land of the living—but such wishes, even from the most talented fae, rarely have happy endings.
There’s a possibility of asking for a way to escape my wicked stepmother. Yes, that does sound quite nice…
But the ball. Above all else, I long to attend the ball, and I trust such a simple wish not to backfire on me.
“You must be sure no one will recognize me,” I say.
“That will not be hard to do. A simple illusion spell.”
“Then that is what I want. I wish to go to the ball, for no one to recognize me, and… to have a lovely time.”
I’m not brave enough to wish for love. The part of me that yearns for it is one I no longer entertain.
“Consider it done.”
“Is this what you do with your magic? You grant wishes.”
“Mhm. It is a trait of many Moon Fae... like yourself.”
“Like me?” I snort under my breath. “I cannot grant wishes.”
“Perhaps not.” She taps my nose. “But I have already granted yours, dear one. Go on. Look at yourself.”
I rush to the looking glass above the mantle, certain she is lying to me—but that isn’t so.
My rags are replaced with a floor-length gown that sparkles with the moon’s light.
And… my wings. My glamour is gone, allowing my lavender wings to stretch out from my back.
When I twist and turn, my skin shines in the light, covered in the glitter I’ve always tried to hide.
Pearls adorn my face, stuck onto the corners of my eyes, and a matching string hangs around my neck.
I brush my fingers against the jewelry. Each wisp of my hair is perfectly curled, small tendrils falling out around my face.
With the light around me and the magic in the air, I hardly recognize myself…
Which means my stepsisters will not recognize me either.
“This can’t possibly be me,” I breathe.
“But it is.”
I turn to her. “I have no way to pay you. Apologies. I want to thank you, but I have nothing.”
“I don’t require any payment.” She steps forward. “All I wish is for you to have a lovely evening. One night of fun. Can you do that for me?”
She doesn’t know what a tall ask that is. I’ve never had fun before, at least not as an adult. Brief moments of joy have always been eclipsed by worry and responsibility that were impossible to forget, even for an evening. If this night does not go horribly wrong, it may be my first time doing so.
I nod slightly. “I will do my best.”
“Good.” She grabs my hand and pulls me to the garden. “Then we must hurry before you miss all the fun.”
“Will I truly arrive in a portal?”
“Of course. That is another Moon Fae ability.”
“Where… where did you learn all of this?” I step into the cool evening breeze.