Chapter 2: Invitation
Author-note: If you want to know more about the King's background of why he is the way he is, please read the first few chapters of volume-2 that starts from chapter 561
.
"Mama!" a young girl made her way inside the humble house of the Harris with an envelope in her hand, "Look at this!" her voice was full of glee and excitement that she could barely contain. She waved the envelope in her hand, she looked around the house, "Mama!"
Not finding her mother or her sibling inside, the girl made her way to the backyard of the house where she saw her mother and her younger sister who were hanging the wet clothes on the clothes line. The sun was bright and warm enough to dry the clothes they had washed in the river.
"Mama! Maddie!"
"Stop shouting, Beth. I am sure even Mrs. Parkins can hear you over the fence," said the woman who had an apron tied around her waist and her hair tied in a bun, "What's gotten you excited?" asked her mother.
The girl named Beth smiled at her mother and showed her the envelope in her hand, "Look what I received," there was a red seal on the envelope that had been opened, "It is an invitation to the grand ball of Hallow in the King's castle."
"That is not possible. Why would the King send an invitation to us?" her mother asked and then took the letter from her to notice the seal that was on the outside, "Madeline, why don't you read this one as my hands are wet."
The grand ball of Hallow took place every year in the King's palace and it was a ball that many wished to go but it was not for the lower people but only for the men who worked for the King and his other acquaintances who mostly hailed from the rich class. People like the Harris' family didn't have the opportunity to get an invitation which was why the woman wondered if her older daughter was imagining things.
The youngest daughter, Madeline said, "Let me take a look at that, mama," and she read what was written in it. Her eyebrows furrowed, "It is indeed an invitation from the King. We have our name in there."
"I told you!" the older girl replied, clapping her hands and coming to stand next to her younger sister who was two-inch shorter than her. Beth had dark brown hair that almost looked black and eyes that were green in color, acquiring her features from her father while the younger girl took after her mother's pale features with blonde hair and brown eyes that had her living in her older sister's shadow, "What do you think? Should we go to the ball?"
Madeline who was the youngest smiled at her sister who was a year older to her who looked excited to go to the ball. It was obvious Beth had been wanting to go there like many other folks who couldn't afford to even step into the castle and only look at it from afar. Her brown eyes shifted to look at her mother who was in deep thought.
She could tell that her mother was calculating the cost if they were going to attend the ball. Birds flew up in the sky, chirping as they made their way towards the forest.
"How did we get invited?" asked Madeline to her sister Beth, "Is it for everyone?" she found it hard to believe that the king or the people who worked for him had decided to send an invitation to a family where the crown would not benefit anything from it.
Seeing the frown on her younger sister's face, Beth said, "The King has decided to be generous enough in inviting many families to attend the ball this time instead of limiting it with minimum numbers. I was right there in the market when I heard the announcement made in front of the village's scaffold."
"How kind of him," Madeline murmured under her breath. With what she had heard, the King was nowhere generous and had the reputation of a cruel tyrant. People like her or many of them who lived on this side of the village had never seen the king but had heard only stories.
Some good but mostly bad.
"Are we going, mama? It is not every time we are invited by the king and get the opportunity to see the castle," Beth eagerly waited for her mother who said,
"We will need gowns, shoes and carriage to travel which we can't afford. Your father is working really hard and the little money we have saved is for one of you married and settled while we seek the help of whoever gets married first," Beth looked glum hearing this.
The elder woman gave it some thought, her eyebrows knitted together. If one of her daughters were able to acquire a male's interest who was of high status, everything would fall in the right place. There were enough suitors who were already trying to woo her daughters. Like every mother, she had the best interest of her daughters in her heart and wanted to see her daughters married and have a good life.
"I suppose you are right. It is a once in a lifetime opportunity but you will need to arrange the gowns, Beth. I will ask your father if he can arrange the carriage," said their mother to have Beth scream in joy.
"Oh, mother, thank you! I will ask Mr. Heathcliff if he can rent us some clothes for that evening. Surely, he wouldn't mind for a day," Madeline heard her sister speak excitedly where she could see her elder sister was already dreaming about it, "You wouldn't mind if I take Maddie along with me, do you, mama?"
"Don't go too far!" their mother yelled when the girls stepped out of the house.
The woman knew out of her two daughters, it was her older daughter who was interested to go and keen on finding a suitor amongst the possible crowd in the ball that was going to take place in the castle. Maybe it was a good thing and the probability of Beth placing a man as husband was higher than Madeline as she was the stunning one out of the two girls. It would place her daughter in a better position while it would also improve the Harris' status and wealth.
But no one knew what fate had in store.
Chapter 3: Tailor's door
The roads of the village were busy with people walking and a few carriages that came to pass by them occasionally. Beth tugged her sister, Madeline by her hand. Madeline saw her sister walking quickly and she said,
"Sister Beth, the shop won't close right away. We still have time for the ball," Madeline had to remind her sister as she appeared to be in a hurry.
"Oh, hush, Maddie. You don't know how people are going to be swarming in the shop soon to get their clothes tailored or fitted. Knowing a lot of us cannot afford, there is going to be a line when it comes to renting the gowns," said Beth walking along with her sister as they made way to the village's esteemed tailoring shop owned by James Heathcliff, "It's right to take you along as the man fancies you. It would be easy to get our clothes from him. Just because you aren't interested in going to the ball and don't enjoy those things doesn't mean I should too, does it?" her sister let out a hearty laugh.
A smile appeared on Madeline's lips when she said, "I never said I didn't want to. I do wish to attend to the ball."
"Don't be a damp weather on a sunny day then," Beth smiled, giving a quick look to Madeline. If it weren't for the little laugh, one would have found how Beth tried to demean her sister, which the younger girl brushed it away by thinking it was her sister's playful words.
Like many others from the villages and a few towns, Madeline wanted to go to the ball, but her purpose of going was different compared to her sister. Her sister, Beth, wanted to place herself in the highest social standing than live her life here in the village. Madeline was slightly hesitant in going to the shop because it wasn't just Mr. Heathcliff who fancied her. She liked the man, but neither of them had ever spoken about it. The most Madeline had done so far was smile at the man.
Once they reached the shop, as expected, there were young girls and women, who Beth had seen receive the invitation letters from the messenger of the castle,
"Do you think he has so many gowns to give everyone?" Madeline noticed how far the line had been formed. By the time they would go to receive it, there would be none left.
"Of course, he doesn't. The man barely has five to ten good ones while the rest I believe have been given away by now," Beth looked at the entrance of the shop and then the line before she pulled Madeline towards the door. She pushed her sister in the front so that Mr. HeathCliff would notice Madeline which he did in less than a few seconds.
To Beth's calculated expectation, Mr. Heathcliff excused himself from the customer by handing the work to his assistant so that he could talk to her sister.
Madeline smiled when her eyes met with Mr. Heathcliff's pale green ones, and he smiled back at her.
"Miss Madeline," he greeted her first and then greeted Beth, "Miss Elizabeth."
"Good afternoon, Mr. Heathcliff," Madeline greeted him.
Beth didn't know why the man took an interest in her sister as she was better looking out of the two of them and Mr. Heathcliff was a decent looking man in this village. Not caring about it as she had to get the gowns from him, she used her sister as a means to get it.
"How have you been doing, Mr. Heathcliff?" Beth initiated the conversation.
The man gave a gentleman-like smile, "Very well, milady. The King gave out invitations today to some of the families in and around the village. It is why we have a line of customers waiting to get their clothes," said the man.
He turned around to make sure his assistant was taking the right measurement as it wasn't often they had these many people waiting in a queue.
"Are you here to buy clothes?" he inquired before his eyes fell on the younger blonde girl as if he were unable to keep his eyes off of her.
Madeline, who felt her sister nudge her back from behind, spoke, "We received the invitation too."
"You did?" he asked, surprised to see Madeline nod.
"Did you get invited to the ball too, Mr. Heathcliff?" asked Beth and the man smiled at her.
"I didn't," he laughed at the end, "I am guessing you are here for the gowns?"
"We were hoping we could get the gowns from your shop if it is possible. We will make sure we return the gowns in the same condition," Beth politely asked the man with a smile of promise in the hope that he would agree.
They heard Mr. Heathcliff say, "I don't know about that. Some gowns will be given to the ones who are first in the line."
"We don't mind gowns that look average," it was Madeline who said this to him, "Please," and he finally gave in.
Mr. Heathcliff opened the back door for them so that they could come in and have a look at the gown that were kept as rented gowns without it costing too much. While her sister, Beth, was busy searching a silk gown for herself, Madeline looked in the other side to have Mr. Heathcliff assist her.
"I am surprised you didn't receive an invitation," said Madeline as he helped her. It was because the man stitched and delivered materials of clothes for people who lived in the palace.
"My guess is a tailor isn't much of an importance. I would have probably felt less bad if I didn't know you were not going. I mean you girls," he laughed and then said, "I am happy that you are going to attend it. Maybe you can come back and tell me how it was."
"I will be sure to do that," Madeline agreed to it before her sister, Beth, called for her help in choosing the gowns.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
200+ Power
Ranking 
211 Power
stone 
Paragraph comment