Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

well.
    The ropes held, and they quieted slowly.
    SEEf glared at me with such rage and hate that I fell back a step. I held his gaze, however.
    “You are never going to eat me,” I told him in Ogrese. “I am not an ‘it.’ And I’m not your dinner. And how do you like being tricked into doing what you don’t want to do?”
    Telling them felt wonderful. I smiled at Char. For some reason, he blushed.
    While Char and I addressed the ogres, the knights were busy setting out lunch for all of us. When we were seated, we delayed our first bite until Char began to eat. It was so natural to him I doubted he noticed. Over traveler’s bread, cheese, dried meats, and sweet cider, he told me about his mission to help King Jerrold.
    “The king will be glad to see this lot. Eight ogres and no injury to us.” Sir Stephan nodded at the ogres, who were struggling anew at the sight of our meal.
    “He’ll be interested to learn that humans can use their magic against them,” Char said. “At least Ella can.”
    “Whenever he finds out.” Sir Bertram frowned. “How will we convey them to King Jerrold?”
    “No need for your melancholy, Sir Bert,” Sir John said. “With this maid’s help, we just caught eight ogres. Six knights never did that before.”
    “We’ll think of something,” Char said.
    “They’ll have to be fed.” Sir Bertram reached for the bread.
    “And you’re the best hunter we have, Sir Bert,” Char said, and the knight’s expression lightened.
    “Ogres can move quickly,” Sir Martin said. “It shouldn’t take too long to reach the king.”
    “I’ve been told they can outrun a horse,” Sir Stephan added. “A centaur too. Even a hart.”
    While Char and the knights discussed ogre transport, I thought about the wedding and despaired of getting there in time. It was three days from now, and I was even farther from the giants than I had been when the ogres had captured me. If I walked; I would arrive weeks late. And then I remembered NiSSh’s order not to run away. I could not leave anyway.
    Sir Bertram’s gloomy voice penetrated my thoughts. “We’ll have to drag them. And how can we do that?”
    “The young lady can tell them to go wherever we say,” Sir Aubrey said. “She can come with us and keep them biddable.”
    “Let the prince tell us what to do,” Sir Stephan said. “He knows.”
    Char spoke confidently. “You, Stephan, will escort the Lady Ella to her destination, wherever that is. Martin and Percival will ride to my father for assistance. Sir Bert, Aubrey, John, and I shall take turns hunting and guarding the ogres. We’ll put the wax back in our ears when we are within earshot of them in case their gags slip.”
    “I’d rather stay with you, lad,” Sir Martin said.
    “You and Percival are our best scouts. We’ll depend on you to get through quickly.”
    Sir Martin nodded.
    “The maiden will be safe with me,” Sir Stephan vowed. “I’ll—”
    “Unless he talks her to death,” Sir Aubrey interrupted. “You don’t know him, lady. His speech stops only when the stars shine green in a yellow sky.”
    “He’ll be a better companion than ogres,” Char said. “But, Ella, why didn’t you go back to Frell when you left finishing school?”
    “My father is trading at a giant’s farm, where a wedding will take place soon. He wrote that giants’ weddings are interesting. I thought I’d join him there.”
    Char marveled. “You put yourself in such danger in order to see a wedding?”
    He thought me a fool.
    Sir Bertram spoke. “It’s fortunate that all the maidens in Kyrria do not decide to travel by themselves. We have work enough without having to rescue them.”
    “If all the maids in Kyrna could tame ogres,” Char said, “we would have much less to do.”
    Perhaps not such a fool, after all.
    After lunch Sir Stephan mounted his horse, and Char lifted me behind him. As soon as he did, my curse-caused complaints began. In a moment I was going to fall off the