Dancing on Glass

The Prince

"I wonder what she was hiding?"

"You think she was hiding something or just doesn't like me touching anything?"

"Sounded like the reaction of someone paranoid. What about that letter you found?"

"Not letter, just the envelope." As she spoke, Cinderella pulled it from her apron pocket and passed it over to Jazz.

He sat up from where he had been lying on the grass and took it, looking at the front then flipping it over.

"Beautiful writing," he commented absently as he turned it over again before chuckling. "The royal instructors would die happy to see the royal children write with a hand like this."

"I take it you don't recognise it?"

"No, not at all. I mean, for me to recognise someone's writing, I would have had to see it a lot, that's a select few people. Who knows where it even came from."

Cinderella looked it back, looking at the envelope as Jazz lay back again. It was the evening a few days after Cinderella's collision with her stepmother. The pair had made their way to one of the lakes in the forests just beyond her family home – not that Jazz had any idea it was her family home because the first time they had visited the lake, she had hinted that her home was in the opposite direction, even though the towers of the manor could be seen over the trees if one stood on the small mound on the far side of the lake.

Her family had been invited to attend a dinner party at one of their neighbours which meant they wouldn't be back until late and, with Gozer out waiting for them and not back at the house to report her movements back to the mistress, Cinderella had headed out to meet with Jazz since they'd planned it days before.

"Besides, who knows you as Cinderella with writing like that besides me?" Jazz suddenly said and she looked at him.

"What?"

"Come on, I know Cinderella isn't you're real name," he said, his hands behind his head, his eyes closed. "What kind of a name is Cinderella anyway?"

She stared at him for a moment, her heart shooting up to her throat then down to her stomach. "What are you talking about?" she asked too quickly.

"Cinderella, come on, who has a name like that? It's a nickname or something right? I know it is because you don't always react to it," Jazz said.

"Excuse you, but it is my real name," Cinderella said, a bite to her tone making Jazz open one eye and look at her. She quickly looked away. "I have a strange name; don't be so rude, jeez."

"Seriously?" Jazz said, though she could tell he didn't believe her without looking at him.

"Yes! I just have an odd name, leave it," she snapped about to stand up before she heard him move and his hands settled on her arms, pulling her back against his chest as he settled his chin on her shoulder.

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry, that was rude of me," he said, shooting her huge puppy eyes when she looked at him. "I'll mind my tongue next time."

Cinderella looked away, folding her arms. "What kind of a name is Jazz, anyway?" she said, sticking her nose in the air, "Now that doesn't sound like a real name."

"Rude!" he cried, sliding his hands down to her waist making her shriek with laughter. "I like my name, don't you mock it!" he said, holding on as she tried to scramble away from him.

"It's just a little payback!" Cinderella laughed, wrestling his hands off her waist and stumbling to her feet, spinning towards him, holding up her hands to fend him off as he jumped to his feet.