Cinder and Blood

2

It has been a bright, sunny day – perfect for working the garden and tending to the special plants in the greenhouse.

Elle was in her element being left at home while her stepmother and stepsisters were in town, spending their money on lavish dresses and high teas at the fountain. In their absence, she completed her chores without interruptions or their constant nagging at her for doing it wrong.

Next, she decided to get some gardening done. Weeds have been taking over the past couple of days, and the plants in the greenhouse were droopy and needed some attention.

Gardening used to be her family's way of spending time together. Her mother was a florist before she passed, and Elle inherited her green thumb and love for the outdoors. Tending to the garden was the only way Elle knew of feeling closer to her mother. Fortunately, it is the only thing of her home that remained as it was.

When Lady Octavia moved in with her daughters, everything changed. The house needed to be repainted, each room a different colour. The art works against the walls had to go, replaced with the abstract pieces the new lady of the house brought with her. And finally, all their old furniture had to go to make room for the lavish furniture Lady Octavia so adored.

Fortunately, for Elle, neither Lady Octavia nor her daughters were fond of the outdoors, and the garden remained hers. Even after her father passed away and she was forced to move into the attic. It's all she has left of her family.

It is through her love for this garden that she discovered the healing – and sometimes magical – properties of herbs and plants. This kept her motivated on the days when Lady Octavia was especially harsh on her. One day, she would remind herself, she would leave and open her own apothecary. She will sell her own medicine and potions to those in need – and if her stepmother and stepsisters would ever buy from her, she would secretly sell them poison and hope for the best.

The thought brings a smile to her face as she is wrist-deep in soil, feeling around for the sweet potatoes she planted a few months prior. Her brow glistens with sweat in the midday sun, her face stained with dirt, and her bones aching from sitting on the ground for too long.

She is only happy at times like these, alone to work at her own pace. And it gives her the freedom to do as she pleases, even just for a few hours – such as eating from the apple tree her mother planted when they moved in many years ago. Lady Octavia doesn't allow her to eat without permission, but in the garden, Elle does as she pleases.

Her sweet potato search party comes to an end when a deep and raspy tok-tok sounds at her back. She twists in her position on the ground to find a raven perched on the wooden fence that separates the garden from the forest. Its feathers reflect dark blue in the sunlight, and it stares at her with dark, beady eyes.

"Right on time," Elle thinks out loud and push herself up to approach the bird. Reaching into her pocket, she reveals a quail egg no larger than the nail on her thumb and holds it toward the raven. "This is our little secret, alright? These come from stepmother's secret pantry. If she finds out, she'll make me cook you for dinner and then she'll kill me herself."

The raven gobbles up the tiny egg and tok-toks in content.

"I'll try bringing you some leftover duck tomorrow," she promises, remembering that's what Lady Octavia wants for dinner tonight. As if the thought of her was a summon, Elle hears the sound of a carriage approaching at the road. "That's my cue. Fly home now."

At her command, the raven spreads its wings and flies off into the forest.

For a moment, Elle watches it leave. She wonders where it lives, does it have a nest somewhere, does it have a little raven family it returns to every day? It must be nice to have wings to just fly wherever whenever.