Puberty Cinderella

"Do it again, plow pose, lunge! Okay, up chop, back to cow pose. Ender! What are you doing turning right, left-handed? Don't keep following the little ones, keep an eye on the enemy! Chrissy, "Big "Miss, war is not ballet, what are you doing twisting and turning, do you want me to applaud you? Come again! No, no, Ender is slow! Look at what the little one is doing!"

"Master, you told me not to look at her just now..."

"Have you learned how to talk back? This batch is your worst. After you go back, you will practice it a hundred times a day! One last time, let's start, okay, turn the tip of the sword! This time it's finally neat. Okay, today Up to here, students Sawin happy, see you next year."

"Goodbye, Master!"

"By the way, little one, Farrell asked you to find him after class."

"Okay," Ella put the sword back into the scabbard, "do you know what it is?"

The sword master shrugged. "Good thing, I guess. But nothing can stop you, you have that special potential. I have taught countless students, and I have never seen it wrong."

"You've been honored. Goodbye, Master, and Happy Savin."

"Happy Savin."

Ella walked briskly across the practice field.Today's military camp is extremely lively, everyone is working hard, especially the recruits, trying to finish all the work before the Samhain festival, so that they can go home early for the holiday.But she is already homeless.

Ella knocked on the door of the captain's office and stood there waiting to be called in.

There was a knock on the table, the sound of chairs being moved, and then the door opened and Caitlin ran out.She glanced at Ella, with obvious tears on her face, and walked away pretending to be calm.

Farrell turned his back to the door and looked out the window, without speaking for a long time.Ella walked into the office and closed the door softly, for fear of disturbing his meditation.

After a while, Farrell sighed, shook his head, and turned around.

"Ella! What are you doing here?"

"You called me."

Farrell froze for a moment. "Oh, yes. Are you not going home this Samhain?"

"Yes."

"You have been here for three months, and the masters say that you are improving rapidly. To be honest, I am surprised, but let's put personal opinions aside for the time being. The king issued an order to send some people to The nearby villages are investigating the recent incidents of wild beasts wounding people, and I decided to give you a chance to perform."

"Sir, the village is not under our jurisdiction, why not let the local guards settle it?"

"At this time of year, there is a shortage of manpower everywhere. The local guards are already too busy to maintain the original patrol, so they have to be transferred from the headquarters. Are there any other questions?"

"Gone."

"I've already told Katie the specific details... Kaitlyn, you just follow her. Let's leave today, and it's best to arrive before dark."

"Yes, sir!"

"you can go now."

Ella saluted, turned and went out.

"Wait, there's one more thing," Farrell called to her. "Sawin is happy. Say hello to Caitlin for me, I forgot to say that just now."

"Yes, sir."

Ella found Caitlin in the restaurant. She was wrestling with a centurion. The tables on both sides were full of betting money. It seemed that everyone had received a lot of year-end awards this year.Ella also staked a copper coin and joined the team cheering for Caitlin.

The battle was at a stalemate, and both sides were flushed, sweating profusely, with bruised veins.But Ella noticed that Caitlin still had an expression of ease, while the opponent was exhausted, and the victory was already divided.

With a bang, Caitlin knocked her opponent down.She shook her hand, grabbed a handful of coins from the table and stuffed them into her pocket, smiling triumphantly. "It's 100 years too early for me to win, brat, go home and drink milk!"

The people who made the right bet cheered and robbed the remaining bets, and the air inside and outside the house was full of joy.

"Congratulations, Caitlin," Ella said. "Thanks to you, my little copper coin is having a baby."

"What, you only have one copper coin for your confidence in me?" Caitlin smiled so much that the freckles on her cheeks danced, and she couldn't find any trace of sadness.Ella wished she could keep that smile forever.

"I only have one copper coin in my pocket."

"Poor little guy." Kaitlyn cleared her throat and raised her voice, "Okay, boys, we should go, or we'll be yelled at by Farrell again."

There are five of them in a group, except for Caitlin, the team leader, they are all recruits who have been in the army for less than half a year.Two of them were not good at riding, and they didn't dare to ride fast, so the whole team had to make do with their speed.Before reaching the village, the sun had almost completely sunk below the horizon.At sunset in late autumn, a howling cold wind blew through the forest, making Ella a little terrified.

"Do you think there will be ghosts on the eve of Samhain?" said a recruit.

"I really want to go home..." said another recruit.Ella felt the same way.

"Don't be a fool, it's all superstition," said a third recruit.

"Shut up, everyone," Caitlin said, "If you have time to talk stupid things, you might as well concentrate on your journey."

Amid Caitlin's cursing, they finally saw the distant fire before it was completely dark.On the eve of Samhain, people will burn bonfires all night to drive away malicious residents from another world.Now, even though she only saw the warm fire from a distance and heard the loud voices of people, Ella felt as lucky as she was alive after a catastrophe.

"Come on, let's go to the fire too," Caitlin said.

"Wonder if they'll save us some whole roast," Ella said.

"Another ale," said one of the recruits.

"A glass? How did I hear that you sneaked into the kitchen in the middle of the night and drank a whole bucket, and when the cook found it lying on the floor the next day, you still shouted for another glass?" Caitlin said.

Everyone laughed, and the previous tense atmosphere was swept away.

Entering the village, the uproar became clear and audible.

Ella pricked up her ears. "Are they shouting... burn it?"

"Oh! I hope they're not burning witches. The last time I saw a witch being burned, the stench lingered for days. It was worse than my roommates."

They walked towards the village square and saw a woman standing by a campfire with a newborn baby in her arms.The surrounding villagers were urging her to throw the baby into the fire, and the mother seemed to be in doubt for a while.

Caitlin stopped a local guard and asked him why an innocent baby was burned.

"It's not a baby," said the guard, "it's a changeling. The devil took the baby while the woman was sleeping, and replaced it with a clawed monster."

"Nonsense," Ella said. "Look at this kid. He's just born with deformed limbs. Believe me, I've seen it in books."

"No, it's not my baby! My baby...he's healthy and beautiful and doesn't howl like this..."

"He's screaming because he's afraid!"

"Burn it! Burn it!" shouted the villagers.

The woman stepped back and lifted the child to the fire. "Just throw it in the fire and it will reveal itself and give me back my baby..."

Ella rushed to snatch the child, but was held down by Caitlin and other recruits.

"No," Caitlin said, "let her go. I've seen too many people kill their own children under the pretext of being a changeling. Most of the children are either born with deformities, or the family can't afford it. Anyway. She will be killed no matter what, why not let her believe that the devil took her baby away."

"But the child is innocent!"

"It's not the parents' fault that a disabled child is born. A disabled child born in a poor family will experience countless discrimination and pain in this world that are more cruel than death. It may be best for him to go to another world early choose."

Amidst the booing, the woman let go of her hand.The baby fell into the fire, and the baby's wailing screamed through the sky, but it didn't last long.The baby did not fly up, nor did it turn into a devil. The surrounding villagers were silent, only the fire was still crackling.

Ella covered her eyes and sobbed.Caitlin took her into her arms and patted her on the back.

"What a fucking world," said one of the recruits.

As Ella tossed and turned in her hotel bed, she kept seeing images of the baby being engulfed in flames and nothing she could do.She should have gotten used to the thunderous snoring and unpleasant body odor of the soldiers in the same room, but today it seemed particularly annoying.

After struggling for a while, Ella wrapped herself in a blanket and walked out into the street.It was late at night, and everyone returned to the house, only the bonfire was still burning.

We can't decide who we are, she thought.No child wants to be born with a disability and be killed by his biological parents; Caitlin and Farrell have mutual affection, but they are both alphas, and alphas cannot be combined; and I, I only want to be an ordinary Girls never have to leave the house...

"I hope..." she said softly.

"What do you wish?" a voice said to her.

Aila regained her senses and saw a tall woman in a silver plush cloak standing in front of her, with winking eyes and a smile.The blond hair, which was so pale that it was almost silver, hung on her chest, drawing a seductive arc under the moonlight.A few small pale green flowers are inserted at the tips of her hair, only a little lighter than the green of her eyes.

"Say it, maybe I can grant your wish."

The woman was only in her early twenties, and she stretched out a hand to her, revealing the thin gauze skirt under the cloak, a snow-white arm, and a sweet fragrance that came from nowhere, which she couldn't refuse.

"Are you a fairy?" Ella asked, taking one step closer to her uncontrollably. "Can you grant my wish?"

The woman smiled. "If it's a kiss, I'm willing to oblige."

After finishing speaking, the woman raised her chin with cold fingers, and pecked lightly on her lips.

The garden, the summer, the scent of flowers, she recalled that dream, but only for a moment.

"I hope..." She stretched her arms around the woman's neck and burrowed into her cloak, "This dream will never end..." Then she kissed her again.

But the woman pushed her away and murmured, "No...I can't do this anymore."

"what?"

The woman turned her back, as if holding back a lot of grief. "I can't come to you anymore."

"Then let me come to you! Tell me who you are and where you live. I'll..."

"Do not……"

"I will follow you to the ends of the earth..."

But the woman is gone.

When Ella woke up, she found herself lying on the hotel bed, her coat folded as neatly as before bed.

What a sad dream!Ai stretched, and picked up a small light green flower from the pillow.

"Happy Savin, Ella," she said to herself.

The author has something to say:

Wishing you all a Happy Samhain!