Dancing on Glass

Queen of the Snow

"Should I use the rose? Or the lily?"

"What in the world to either of those flowers have to do with being a star?"

"They look nice, do I need another reason?"

"You have no sense of occasion."

"Oh shut up."

Giselle turned back to her mirror and her debate over which flower to put in her hair while Jezabelle looked down at Cinderella who was fitting her second shoe into place.

"Will you be joining us tonight, Cinderella?" she asked.

Cinderella finished with the shoe and got to her feet, looking her stepsister in the eye.

"Is that supposed to be funny?" she asked.

"An honest question, I assure you."

Giselle snorted. "Join us in what dress? Her rags or her mother's gown? Oh wait, that's rags too!"

Cinderella glared at her younger sister and turned away, picking up Jezabelle's gold mask to match her sun costume. "No, I shall not be joining you, as you know; I do not have an invitation."

"Poor Cinders, what a boring life you lead," Giselle said.

"On the contrary, I have two excessively needy people who lack the ability to care for themselves thus I am kept busy and have no time to spare for boredom," Cinderella replied.

"What? Who?" Giselle asked, looking back at her.

Jezabelle rolled her eyes and took a seat at the vanity table. "You realise just a few months ago you would have never dared speak to us in such a way?" she asked coolly as Cinderella slid the mask into place, "Pray tell where this backbone appeared from?"

"It must have been holidaying out on the continent," Cinderella said, her tone equally cool, tying the mask.

"Ah, and it is returning with the return of the original daughter of the house," Jezabelle said, "It will make for quite a change when 'She' returns."

Cinderella glanced down at her reflection and there was a clatter. Both girls looked across to Giselle. She had dropped the peal comb she had been fitting in her hair. She looked down at it for a moment, then got to her feet.

"I don't want anything in my hair," she decided. Her tone was suddenly tight.

"What's the matter with you?" Jezabelle asked.

"Nothing, shut up," Giselle said, turning and walking to the doors. But before she could reach them, they suddenly swung open and everyone turned.

Lady Constantia stood in the doorway, dressed like a queen. She looked pale and tired but she was at least up. After she had received the letter at the start of the week, she had taken to her bed and hadn't been seen outside of her rooms since.

Whatever had been in the message had upset her more than Cinderella believed possible and there was even talk that she might not attend the ball.

Clearly she was to attend however.

"Are you girls ready?" she asked, her voice quiet – not carrying any of the weight or intensity it usually held.

"Almost, Mother," Jezabelle said.

"Hurry then, we shall leave in five minutes," Lady Constantia said.

She then looked at Cinderella.

"Please see to it that the fire in my room is readied for my return along with tea," she said simply, then turned and walked away, leaving her three daughters gaping after her because she had politely made a request.