BLESSING / CURSE

" my gift is obedience. ella will always be obedient. now stop crying, child. " i stopped. private and indepdent ella of frell ; book and movie based ; loved by charlotte.

[cursegranted-blog]

crowngranted‌: 

    he doesn’t mean to ignore her, focus gathered on a tome that’s decidedly much less charming than ella herself, but still just as interesting. the polices of trade and peace between kyrria and ayortha may not have the same spark of mirth that his wife carries, but they’re important all the same, especially considering their diplomatic mission to the country for the next few months.

    the journey is long, but it’s made bearable, enjoyable thanks to ella’s presence. there’s not a place char wants to go if it’s not with her

    “i think i might do most anything to make you laugh.” the smile he sends her is nothing less of the warm, bright sun she deserves to see, the warmth he hopes to shower her in for years to come. he presses a finger between the pages of his book, keeping his place and closing the covers. “i don’t suppose you’d like to go easy on me and warm up with some ayorthian first? my tongue certainly is a bit more suited for it.”

it’s enough, perhaps, to see him smile so freely.  were ella not so selfish now that she is no longer beholden by her curse not to be, she might leave him to his work again, satisfied by a single smile.  but she has convinced herself of a worthy cause, and now she leans to twist a curl around her finger, put it gently back into place before she sits straight again.

❛ no, i shan’t.  besides, of all the things your tongue is suited for, ayorthian may not have been my first choice. ❜ she leaves him no time to dwell upon her words, instead tilting her head.  ❛ though we’ll start with easy words first.  the ones you ought to know, if you know nothing else. ❜

in fairness, char is far better at most languages than ella gives him credit for - she has told him, on occasion.  but if she cannot use them as an excuse to draw his attention, amuse him even if it’s for a moment, then why bother at all? ❛ .brzzaY ❜ she speaks slowly, carefully, and smiles warmly at him.  ❛ and if you can tell me what it means perhaps i’ll reward you properly. ❜

[cursegranted-blog]

“It is my intention, if I may be so bold, to remain close to you throughout the evening.”

she hardly sees him, though she dreams of it as intimately as if he were by her side all along.  she had thought of him, at first, as her own private friend.  as a person who she may be so lucky as to speak with, tucked away from the rest of the world.  but he is a prince, and she is the daughter of a lady, and these things suggest that there is no privacy in whatever friendship they may share.  it is why, now, she turns from him, face set as though to reject his words, to turn him away entirely.  

she does not.

❛ i might permit you to stay by my side, if you can promise to make me laugh at least once. ❜ perhaps it’s she who’s bold now, to make requests of a prince.  but he isn’t, around her, is he? how can he be - he’s just char.  beautiful, glowing, handsome char, who’s white suit is striking against his skin, who’s hair seems to be dusted with gold, who’s eyes shine so brightly she feels burnt if she looks too long.  and who is she, but clumsy little ella, who can make him laugh? ❛ otherwise i fear the company is wasted.  both mine and yours. ❜ // @crowngranted

[baymakesmemes-blog]

pride & prejudice (2005) sentence starters pt. 1

[ some lines have been edited to make sense on their own. as always, feel free to make any needed adjustments to suit your muses ]

“As you wish to tell me, my dear, I doubt I have any choice in the matter.” “What have I told you about listening at the door?” “Are you listening? You never listen.” “How can you tease me so? Have you no compassion for my poor nerves?” “Now, if every man in the room does not end the evening in love with you, then I am no judge of beauty.” “One of these days, someone will catch your eye, and then you’ll have to watch your tongue!” “He looks miserable, poor soul.” “I mean, I can read, of course!” “I’ve never seen so many pretty girls in my life.” “She is the most beautiful creature I have ever beheld.” “She’s perfectly tolerable, I dare say. And not handsome enough to tempt me.” “You’d better return to your partner and enjoy her smiles. You’re wasting your time with me.” “Count your blessings. If he liked you, you’d have to talk to him.” “I wonder who first discovered the power of poetry in driving away love?” “I thought poetry was the food of love.” “So what would you recommend to encourage affection?” “You know perfectly well I don’t believe marriage should be driven by a lot of money.” “Only the deepest love will persuade me into matrimony, which I why shall end up an old maid.” “He danced with you most of the night and stared at you the rest of it.” “I could more easily forgive his vanity if he had not wounded mine.” “Your skills in the art of matchmaking are positively occult.” “Although I don’t think you can reasonably take credit for making it rain.” “You drop something, they pick it up, and then you’re introduced.” “I think it’s amazing you young ladies have the patience to be so accomplished.” “I never saw such a woman. She would certainly be a fearsome thing to behold.” “I can admire you much better from here.” “Would you consider pride a virtue or a fault?” “We’re doing our best to find fault in you.” “I find it hard to forgive the follies and vices of others, or their offenses against me. My good opinion, once lost, is lost forever.” “Oh dear, I cannot tease you about that. What a shame, for I dearly love to laugh.” “I think a ball is a perfectly irrational way to make new acquaintance.” “What excellent boiled potatoes. It’s been many years since I’ve had such an exemplary vegetable.” “How happy for you to possess the talent for flattering with such delicacy.” “Believe me, no one would suspect your manners to be rehearsed.” “I can’t be trusted. I have very poor taste in ribbons.” “Only a man truly confident in himself could admit to that.” “Ignore me. I’m of next to no importance, so it’s easily done.” “You can’t invite people to other people’s balls.” “It is not for me to be driven away. If he wishes to avoid seeing me, he must go, not I.” “We were both with him the day he died.” “I still think there must have been a misunderstanding.”  “I’m so pleased you’re here.” “Are you looking for someone?”  “I’m just admiring the general splendor.” “I did not think you danced.” “In fact, several people have complimented me on my lightness of foot.” “It is my intention, if I may be so bold, to remain close to you throughout the evening.” “It would be most inconvenient, since I have sworn to loathe him for all eternity.”  “No, I prefer to be unsociable and taciturn. Makes it all so much more enjoyable, don’t you think?” “Why do you ask such a question?” 

[laughytaffythegrape]

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

“You like me. You wouldn’t waste time or paper on a being you didn’t like. But I think I’ve loved you since we met at your mother’s funeral. I want to be with you forever and beyond, but you write that you are too young to marry or too old or too short or too hungry—until I crumple your letters up in despair, only to smooth them out again for a twelfth reading, hunting for hidden meanings.”

[calszonee]

Jordan Fisher for ZzzQuil

[schreichters]

i might trail off into silence, lost in smiling at you………………….

he says all that and then says “your very good friend” fskldfjsdlkfjk okay char,,,,,u in-love pining bitch

[cursegranted-blog]

though the carriage is far more luxurious than any ella had ever used before marrying char, it is still sees it as the least enjoyable way to travel.  there is no access to the cool air, no sense of how long they have been in motion.  perhaps the nicest part of it is that she can see char wholly, whether she chooses to sit opposite to him or next to him.  she can drink in his features as much as she pleases, and no one may ever order her to stop.  

still, she grows bored, the tip of her thumb tracing the callouses of her hand that she knows will never fade ; they are not the callouses of a cook’s helper, nor of a princess.  they are a reminder of the work her hands did at the order of dame olga - of hattie and olive.  some days she is glad for them, for the memories they hold to remind her of a life she no longer has to live anymore.  other days she despises them, wishes for the smooth, soft hands that would be soothing to run across char’s face, through his curls.  there is nothing to be done to change them.  she rubs the callouses and studies char.

❛ shall we work at improving your gnomic? ❜ she speaks unprompted, to capture his attention from the book he is studying.  if it is important he’ll tell her so, but their journey is long and it seems unlikely that she is to be denied attention.  ❛ not that it seems to help, but it is fun to watch you try. ❜ she smiles mischievously, tilted forwards ever so slightly, her mother’s necklace swinging in the space between them.  ❛ you know how it makes me laugh. ❜ // @crowngranted

[fenellaelizabeth]

June Book Challenge Day 29: Favorite Book Couple/Pair

So I thought most unrealistic character was rough… This choice was extremely difficult. I have quite a few favorite pairs or ships or whatever but I based this on how much I wanted them to be together. I knew Katniss would ultimately choose Peeta. I couldn’t imagine Ron abandoning Hermione forever. I knew that Hazel wouldn’t be able to distance herself from Gus. However, having borrowed Ella Enchanted one too many times from the public library, I remember physically feeling ill when Ella was commanded to put Char in danger, even when I was re-reading it. I don’t think I’ve ever shipped a couple more fiercely.

Do I Know You? by MalloryMakesStuff

[cursegranted-blog]

crowngranted‌: 

    truly, with as much as there is to do around kyrria, and its surrounding nations, char didn’t think he’d have much time to dwell on his uncle, or his short-lived, if persistent, attempts at killing char. but, as always, his mind finds a way to surprise him, betray him, and his thoughts are drawn back to the man he grew up with, the man who treated him as a son, the man who murdered his brother, char’s own father.

    “i don’t feel – beholden to him.” which is the truth. char speaks almost nothing if it isn’t truthful to ella, and certainly most everyone else. still, a knit of worry creases his brow. he always did wear his emotions plainly on his face. “although i will admit finding closure after all of this rather difficult. reconciling the man i thought he was to the man he truly was to the man he now is –” there’s no delicate way to put it. char feels lost. “well, i’m having trouble with it, i suppose.”

it pains ella, to see him struggle like this.  she can’t imagine the confusion it must face him with, to know that someone has tried to harm you for so long, and yet still feel a sense of familial duty to them - still love them.  char’s heart is bigger than edgar ever deserved.  she rises then, moves towards him and sinks down before him, close enough to touch, close enough to run her thumb gently across the line between his brows, as though she can smooth it out.

❛ i’m sorry, for making you think of it. ❜ though perhaps he needs to ; perhaps he needs to examine the feeling he has in opposition to the things edgar has done.  then again, perhaps it isn’t ella’s place to decide what char should and shouldn’t do when it comes to his relationship with edgar.  besides, she only really saw the tail end of it, when things were hostile and awful.  she knows nothing, truly, of what edgar was like when char was a child.  ❛ do they feel like two different people? the man who raised you and the man you knew later? ❜

[rayreddi]

Clarice: Medici: Masters of Florence (s2e3)

[cursegranted-blog]

their silence is never anything less than companionable, these days.  it’s nice, ella thinks, to be granted these moments of peace with one another.  the rest of their lives are hardly peaceful ; too many duties to attend, too many matters to address, too many people to speak with.  a kingdom can hardly run itself, and as king, char bears more of that than ella can imagine.  should they not, then, revel in these little moments of peace?

and yet there’s a tense air to the room, just around the edges.  as much as ella wishes she could pretend otherwise, she knows it is because of her.  it seems only fair to address it, and she makes sure to keep her tone fair and even before she does.  ❛ you owe him nothing. ❜ were she a more cowardly person she would avert her gaze ; she is not.  she is his wife, and his queen.  ella will look at her husband when she speaks.  ❛ you don’t owe him your kindness, nor your care.  not after what he’s done.  not after all this time. ❜ // @crowngranted

[sharman-debnam]