Wicked Kingdom

Two young lovers in rags lay on their backs in the hay of the dark barn. They were suppose to be sleeping, but every night they would sneak out of the servant's quarters to embrace and discuss their lives. Ella was formerly a master in the house, a member of the family but had since fallen upon ill fortune and was forced to into servitude by her step family. Pippin was a lifelong servant of the manor, his ancestors had worked for the manor generations ago. The Kingdom worked on a complex set of rules involving birthright. If one was born a servant, he or she had no rights or freedom, not even the right to leave the property they were born on. Pippin was born on the manor as a servant and expected he would die their as a servant. Ella was educated in the classics by a private tutor at the expense of her now deceased father, who when alive was a prominent noble. Ella from an early age took a liking to Pippin and gave him her books when she was done with them. Pippin took to them well and inspired Ella with his ability to creatively apply his learned knowledge to the real world. Pippin was forever in debt to Ella for her kindness to him and others, both people had a deep appreciation for each other, but now the manner and Ella in particular had fallen on hard times. They spoke softly to avoid detection.

"How is a woman to raise her position in this world?" Ella spoke to Pippin.

"By marriage of course, this is the only way, a woman cannot hold a position, in the government, in the church or as a merchant." Pippin replied.

"Exactly, this is what my step-family has been doing, My step-mother married my father when he was in ill-health, knowing of his impending death so that she could improve her status. Fiona has usurped me and now wants to betroth herself to whomever will give her the highest status. My mother and my father are dead, I being but a daughter was not given rights to my father's inheritance and through my step-family's cunning manipulation, they have taken all that was rightfully mine." Ella had tears welling up in her eyes.

"I can't conceive of how distraught you must be?" Pippin reached over to hug Ella, Ella batted his hand away and starring directly at him spoke with conviction.

"Do not comfort me. All my life I believed myself to somehow through birthright be better than the servants on the manor. I even thought myself better than you Pippin. Why? Through some magic? There is no difference between the nobility and the common people, and no difference between the royal family and the nobility. So many books said it, but I firmly in my heart believed that I had some right that you didn't have, that I deserved for no meritorious reason a life of luxury at the expense of the common people's toil. So Pippin do not comfort me. I am wicked!"

"You do not deserve this Ella! You are right when you say there is no difference between the classes, yet you have never shown in your actions any single ounce of malice towards the servants in this manor. You are our greatest ally. We all looked forward to the day when you married and were able to take over with whomever you chose to marry, you would make life better for us. If it weren't for you I would have no happiness in my bones."

"I want to marry you, Pippin! This all happened for a reason, I've loved you my whole life I'd rather live in servitude to my wicked step-family than marry the prince. I am sure destiny brought us together."

Pippin sternly looked back and said with conviction, "I love you Ella! But we cannot marry, you must have your status reinstated. There are bigger destinies than love. You are keen and convincing, these ideas of a more free and just society for women and men of all classes that we talk about daily, they must take hold. I cannot help you do this. You must marry an important man, you must influence him to change our world. You cannot let this destiny be usurped. For my family and for everyone in my class you must help this world be a better place. This is no life being born a servant with no chance for anything else. Our children would be servants and our grand children. I am not acting as the other people of my class and bringing in more fodder for the nobility to abuse! If we are to marry it would have to be a childless marriage."

"What can I do, I have been beaten, outwitted and now I am sure Fiona will marry the prince, she is beautiful and smart, she walks and talks like a princess, even a queen, she is destine for the throne."

"She is beautiful and cunning, she does have the demeanor of a royal. You are more beautiful and smarter, you can act in whatever role is needed for you to act. You cannot lose spirit!"

Just as Pippin finished speaking a light from a lantern shown on the two lovers. It was Harriett a kind but stern old servant, she spoke in a low but stern whisper as the lovers cowered him her lantern light.

"Get to bed, you'll be beaten if they find you here at this hour!"

Ella and Pippin gathered themselves up and carefully walked back to the servants quarters where they slept unorganized on the dirt floor under ragged blankets. As Ella went to sleep she began to think of what Pippin was saying. She did love Pippin, but he was right, to truly honor him would be to bring greater freedom to the servant class. Like most nights Ella couldn't sleep, thoughts of the past few months and years swirled in her head. Outwardly, even to Pippin she didn't let on her true emotions. The reality was that a boiling rage festered in her being. Ella didn't know what to do with her anger, she was taught her whole life to never outwardly show the world this emotion, yet is continued building night after night. Ella feared someday she would break and turn into a cruel and twisted person just like Fiona.

Ella's step-mother was a beautiful older woman, part of the lower rung of nobility. Her original husband had passed years before she met Ella's father. Ella's step-mother was kind to her at first, praising her and claiming to be in awe of her charms and talents. This irked her birth daughters who treated their mother poorly, demanding much of her and insulting her for practically no reason. Ella didn't like her step-mother's spoiled children but she saw the deep love her step-mother had for them and was always polite to them out of respect for her step-mother.

Ella was supportive of her father's marriage at first. She was happy her ailing father had someone to give him comfort. Ella's mother had died giving birth to what would have been Ella's brother, unfortunately both the baby and Ella's mother died during childbirth. Despite the initial grief, Ella and her father grew a great bond together and lived happily in the manor. After Ella's father died, Ella's step-mother became more distant. Ella had no one to share her grief with and worst of all Ella's step-sisters became ever more sadistic.

Fiona was the oldest sibling, she was tall, beautiful and filled with spite. Her younger sister Millie was shorter. She was pudgy but attractive and completely spoiled. It was Millie who started the insistence that Ella had no place in the manor. "Under law my mother owns this place, you aren't her birth daughter!" She would taunt Ella. It was Fiona however that pursued the matter with her mother. Ella would hear hushed conversations between her step-mother and Fiona "She has no rights under the law, why can't I become the first daughter of the manor?" The head son or daughter was the primary individual on the manor will. Ella didn't worry about her step-mother changing the manor will, she knew her step-mother loved her father and would respect his written will. Yet after months of insistence Ella was finally confronted by her step-family. Ella was still upset about the conversation. It was true Ella had no rights to the manor if written out of the will, her step-mother had inherited it and had control of the manor in every way. Whomever control the manor had a right to bequeath the next successor. The first son or first daughter was usually this person. With a single signature the owner of the manor could disinherit whomever they chose. Ella was in shock when her step-mother actually made Fiona the first daughter and rightful inheritor of the manor. Ella stormed off as tears rolled down her cheeks as Fiona and Millie jumped up and down. Ella heard the immature Millie give her a raspberry as she ran back to her room. Ella's legacy was disappearing.

Despite losing inheritance to the manor Ella was still a noble and her step-mother let her know that she would still receive money upon if her she should die. Ella now mostly locked herself in her room, only exiting to go to the bathroom, eat or occasionally talk to Pippin. Ella burned with rage as Fiona and Millie taunted her when she walked by them. Matters became worse for Ella when her step-mother succumbed to some unknown illness that left her bed ridden and so weak that she was nearly mute. Fiona began to use the only asset that Ella had, her remaining inheritance to blackmail her. Threatening to force her mother's signature to turn her portion of the will over to Fiona and Millie.

One day Ella woke from her sleep to find all of her fine clothing confiscated, and in her dresser instead were servant rags. Finally Ella snapped, she put on the rags and stormed out of her room and confronted Fiona directly. "What is the meaning of this!" Ella screamed. Fiona smirked and replied in a calm and collected but catty voice.

"Ella, you've never worked a day in your life." The truth of these words stung Ella and made her even angrier.

"I know the truth hurts!" Fiona said with a smile before continuing, "Millie, mother and I all agree that since soon you'll be on your own with only a little inheritance you have to start pulling your weight around here. You will most likely not be able to marry into a manor of this size with so many servants, your going to need to learn to cook and clean like a common wife."

Indignantly Ella screamed "Never! Give me back my clothes."

"I ordered the servants to do away with your dresses, you mustn't get them dirty when you clean."

Ella clinched her fists, not knowing what else to do she charged at Fiona. Fiona easily grabbed both of Ella's arms and pushed Ella away. Ella had never fought before and didn't know the first thing about fighting. Humiliated Ella was on the ground in rags weeping.

Millie at that moment walked in with several servants including Pippin following her, Fiona told Millie and the servants to come over to her. Fiona looked at the servants and said, "Look Ella is crying because she has to live your life for what will amount to a few months. Weeping like a baby! This woman has no fortitude and this is why she is not fit to be the head daughter anymore."

As Ella cried she realized that indeed she was crying because she did not want to temporarily live the life of a servant. The closest person to her in her life was Pippin, he had lived his whole life toiling for her, yet she couldn't pay her pittance and live his life temporarily. Ella felt shame, although she knew Fiona was evil, she also recognized some truth to her words, this brought Ella great shame.

Later that night Ella confided with Pippin that she was going to live the life of a servant in exchange for her inheritance, she would do so with dignity and without complaint. Pippin felt great empathy for Ella, but explained that Ella would have a greater understanding of the world due to her new occupation and that they would see more of each other.

Through the next weeks Ella's step-sisters were her bane and Pippin was her savior. As a love blossomed with Pippin hatred increased toward her step-sisters. Ella found that the servants respected her and her father and did not respect Ella's step-family. The respect for Ella amongst the servants grew stronger when Ella quickly learned the various tasks and performed them well without complaint. Inside the manor however it was a different story. Ella was frequently humiliated by both Millie and Fiona. Ella was forced to massage Millie's feet. Fiona watched and berated Ella as she cleaned the dirtiest recesses of the manor. At one point Ella was forced to be used as a foot rest while Millie sat on a chair and cooled herself off with a paper fan. Worst of all Fiona would force Ella to look up at her so that Fiona could spit on her face. Ella could not understand where the sister's utter distain for her was centered. Ella wondered what she did wrong and why she was being punished so severely.

One day both Millie and Fiona stood around as Ella cleaned out the fireplace. When Ella was done she stood before her step-sisters covered with soot and exhausted. Millie started laughing loudly and aggressively while pointing her finger at Ella. Fiona smiling and in her best attempt to be witty called Ella "Cinderella." This caused Millie to double over in laughter. For some reason this nickname stuck and Ella was known by Millie and Fiona as Cinderella from this day forth.

Ella kept this information from Pippin. Pippin would be overcome with anger over this knowledge and she did not want him to fret. The conversation did come up, with Pippin asking Ella why her step-sisters hated each other so much. Ella believed that jealousy was the key component. Ella was the kind of woman that Fiona and Millie wanted to be. Ella was born into a higher class of nobility than both the step-sisters. Amongst the nobility's different ranks was never ending gossip, envy and what amounted to idolization. Millie and Fiona were consumed with the idea of royalty and nobility, constantly comparing themselves to others and commenting on the look of dresses and how handsome and powerful the different men of high birth were.

Although both Ella and Fiona were both beautiful, Ella was at least equally beautiful. Fiona especially was not used to meeting a woman that was her equal in looks and Ella was threatening to her. Fiona was tall, she ate sparsely and exercised to keep her body thin and toned, she had a shapely figure and nice round medium sized breasts. Fiona had dirty blond hair cut to medium length, she made sure to wash it every day and she knew many trendy ways to style her hair. Fiona's face could best be described as beautiful yet haughty. Fiona meant her voice to come across with an air of refined confidence, yet she often came across as snobby and self-centered despite her best efforts not to. Fiona attempted to look as dignified and royal as possible in hopes of marrying into a position of great power. Ella would constantly catch Fiona making grand speeches in the mirror, pretending she was a person of high importance. Fiona's ego was inflated to say the least.

Fiona's meticulous care of her body was in stark contrast to Millie. Millie was lazy and loved to dine on fine food, this made her have more body fat. Most of Millie's weight went into her very large buttock. Her buttocks were not well proportioned to her breasts which were considerably small. To compensate for her small breasts Millie would often stuff her blouses. Millie's main goal in life was to live in luxury and to be weighted upon hand and foot. She would have many suitors, most men however in awe of her looks would eventually be turned off by her bratty attitude and shrill whining voice.

Ella woke up in the early morning to a commotion amongst the servants. "Whats going on?" the groggy Ella said to a smiling Pippin. Pippin grabbed Ella by her shoulders slightly shaking her and said

"Now is your chance, the prince is having a ball to decide whom to marry, the most beautiful intelligent suitable and eligible maiden from the nobility he will marry! You are part of the nobility! Your beautiful, intelligent and wonderful!" Pippin grabbed Ella by the waist and spun her around.

Ella was flattered by Pippin's compliments but said as she was being spun, "What? How can I go to a ball? I have no dress."

"We will think of something, you will someday be queen!"

As Ella toiled through the day she thought of the ball. It was a tradition followed very occasionally on request of the crown prince. The last ball was many years ago and it was still talked about today. Whatever happened at the ball would make some woman very famous. In the last ball a woman from the lower nobility was chosen and she ended up being one of the most celebrated queens in all of the kingdom's history. Ella's mind was also hesitant about going to the ball, she did not want to leave Pippin. Ella had actually grown to love the all the servants. Yet Pippin she wanted to marry. Then she remembered Pippin's words "There are destinies greater than love." Ella believed she had a duty to the kingdom, a duty to make life better for the servant class. To allow them to freely move of the land they were born, to learn trades, to sell wares, to serve in government, to get an education. Then Ella's heart sank, she had no dress.

Ella was called into the manor by the shrill voice of Millie. Ella came into the manor and her heart sank again, Millie was wearing a stunning and trendy dress, she looked better than Ella had ever seen her before. Ella's eyes began to water from her envy. Then Ella dropped to her knees and started wailing as she saw Fiona walk down the stairs.

"Where did you get that!" Ella screamed. Fiona was wearing Ella's deceased mother's finest dress.

"It was the best dress in the manor." Fiona smugly said.

"How dare you! My mother's dress!" Ella screamed as Fiona did a twirl at the bottom of the stairs.

Ella thought her mother's finest dress was gone, as a girl she used to marvel at the dress Fiona was wearing. Ella would stare at it in her mother's old dress room. Ella's father had to store the dress in the attic because every time he saw it he would burst into tears. Ella's father never let Ella know the true location of the dress, for fear she would put it back in the main part of the house. He told her he had to sell the dress, because the sight of it made him too sad to bare. Losing the dress was like losing her mother again, Ella cried for days, now she was seeing it again and her worst enemy was wearing it.

"I found it in the attic, its the most beautiful dress I've ever seen, I think the prince will love it!"

Ella stormed out of the house again hearing the taunting laughter of her step-family she was red faced with anger. Once back in the servant's quarters Ella started pulling at her hair and screaming. Pippin came to comfort Ella but she pushed him away, she was inconsolable.

Weeks passed and Ella remained silent, raging inside she wouldn't even talk to Pippin she silently did her chores, she lightly sobbed herself to sleep every night. One night Pippin whispered to her,

"I've been going to the barn every night to meet you."

Ella responded with cold silence, Pippin frustrated spoke back, "You used to be okay with staying with me, you said you were destine to do it. Now this ball happens and you have a chance to be with a real prince and you can't talk because you don't have a dress?"

"You said there were greater destinies than just love, I lost my chance to help the world, because of a dress, that's the kind of world we live in Pippin. I am not okay with being abused, by anyone, you shouldn't be either. Why don't you servants set fires to all the manors you live in and slit the throats of the royals?"

Pippin remained silent this time, Ella spoke back "You are a coward, you all are, you let yourselves live in a situation where you constantly take abuse."

Pippin now visibly upset pounded his fist on the dirt floor and went across the room to sleep. Ella began to softly cry again, what she said to Pippin was horrible, he was no coward. Why didn't Ella murder her step family? Why was she suffering such abuse? As much as Ella hated her step-family she was thoroughly committed being abused by them to simply gain a small inheritance, she was the one who was a coward. She projected her rage onto Pippen. Ella didn't know what to do with her rage, she couldn't take out her rage on his step-sisters so now she was directing it at Pippin, the person she loved the most.