-The Prince-
"You look like an idiot." Derrick said when he approached.
The prince had left Cinderella under their tree and started the long walk home when Derrick had caught up to him with his horse.
"You must comprehend a good deal about idiots in order to identify them so easily."
"Of course, my best friend is an idiot."
Derrick tossed him the reigns and Charles pulled himself up easily on his horse.
"Did you at least get her name this time?"
"I think so." Cinderella. It was such a unique name and decidedly not her family name.
"You're not going to tell me, are you?"
"No."
Derrick sighed, "when your mother catches wind of this, do me a favor and leave me out of it. I prefer my head attached to my body."
Charles laughed, "My mother isn't going to find out."
At least, not until he was ready to tell her.
They rode back to the castle and traded spirited barbs. Derrick decided that it didn't matter to him who the girl was, he was just happy that his friend was no longer moping.
Charles let his friend behind once they got back to the castle. A week felt like an eternity away. There was a mystery to get to the bottom of and it ate at him. He wanted nothing more than to ride back, find her again, sit her down, and tell her that he was a prince and that he would be courting her and that was that, but that wouldn't work. She balked at the idea of him being a "Lord" there was no telling how she would react to "the prince". He needed a plan, a good plan.
He had just sat on his bed and almost kicked his boots off when the dresser behind him thudded and someone let out a painful "ow."
He crawled to the other side of his bed where he found his sister sitting and rubbing the top of her head. Her face turned bright red with guilt.
"What are you doing here?"
"Nothing." she said defensively, but her face betrayed the truth.
"You're hiding behind my bed Lyddie. I know you weren't doing 'nothing'."
"Fine," she said, standing up and dusting off her dress. "If you must know, I asked around about your mystery dance partner and no one knows who she is. No one. Do you know how insane that is? Rumors have been spreading around the city like wildfire, but there are no names and no real ideas. It's like she doesn't even exist. Then I got thinking about what you said at breakfast a few days ago about that glass slipper, and I wanted to know if it would fit me."
"Did it?" he asked, curious. He pulled open his dresser where his sister had hurriedly stashed it and grabbed it out.
"No" she said and then she reached over and took the slipper out of his hands. "But look at this Charles, it's crazy. It looks identical to my slipper, right?"
She slipped off her own shoe and held it up for comparison. They looked only marginally different, so Charles nodded in agreement.
"But I can't even get my foot in it, not even a little bit. Look!"
Lydia sat on his bed and tried to put the glass slipper on, but her toes barely got past the opening of the shoe an inch or so until it wouldn't go any further.
"I cannot figure out why this shoe won't fit me!" She said.
Charles stood next to her, inspecting her efforts, and nodded. "I think I know what the problem is."
"What?"
"The glass slipper won't fit anyone who sneaks into their brother's rooms to mess with their stuff."
Lydia scoffed and stood up. She slipped on her own shoe and threw the glass slipper at him. He caught it delicately and laughed at her as she huffed out of his room.
The glass slipper looked a little uncomfortable, but altogether it appeared to be harmless. He put it down on the table. He didn't need it anymore now that he had found Cinderella, but he couldn't quite bring himself to throw it away. Maybe it would be a reason to make a house call.
He needed to get some advice, and he knew just where to find the best advice in the kingdom.
He went into the parlor and found his mother alone reading a book while the doctor fussed with her tea at the table.
"I haven't seen you all day!" She said looking over her book.
"I've been out all morning delivering invitations with Derrick."
"Derrick, Derrick, Derrick." His mother tsked, "you spend all your afternoons getting into trouble with the Duke instead of learning more about your duties with your father. I hope I'm long gone when you have to fare without him."
"Where is father?"
"He's at a luncheon at the orphanage. I would be there too except I feel a cold coming on. I told him that he should take you instead, but he just told me, 'No Lettie, let him be a boy while he still can.' You should be the one at that lunch instead of your father. What do you know about the people you're going to rule over one day?"
An idea came to him from his mother's words, and he smiled a wolfish grin. It was his princely duty to get to know his people and their problems. His mother has been begging him for months to take initiative and reach out. She couldn't be more right.
"What are you smiling about? I am serious you know. You and Lyddie never take me seriously!" She complained and Charles crossed the room and wrapped his mother in a hug.
"You are right mother. I have been too irresponsible for too long."
His mother nodded her head slowly, trying to find the trap in what he was saying. "I am right."
"I am going to write some families right now and ask to sit with them and discuss their concerns and hardships. It's just like you said. I need to get to know my own people."
his mother blinked rapidly, "oh- alright."
He pressed a kiss to the top of his mother's head, and he was out the door faster than she had ever seen him go before.
He might not know where she lived, but only three families lived down that road. He would request an audience with all of them and when he found her again, he would solve her problems. She had said her living situation was strained, and that was something a Prince could help with.
-Cinderella-
Usually, Lady Tremaine took the post in her drawing room. She would open the letters and burn them whenever they were creditor letters. Today however, when a footman came from the palace, Lady Tremaine tore it open in the foyer.
"Girls!" She screamed to the rooftops, "Girls get down here now!"
Cinderella heard her from the dining room and stepped out quietly to watch the commotion. Lady Tremaine had only opened the letter a few moments ago, but she was wringing it in her hands as she paced.
"GIRLS!" She screamed again and Anastasia and Drisela finally flew into sight on each other's heels.
"What mother?" Anastasia asked.
"Our time has come at last girls." She said, holding the letter out for them. Anastasia and Drisela fought their way down the stairs. Drisela managed to get the upper hand and she ripped the letter out of her mother's hand.
She skimmed a few words and then shrieked loudly. Anastasia tore the letter from Drisela and then she joined in their shock. Cinderella crossed the room and carefully walked around her stepfamily who were in the midst of a tearful group hug.
"Who is the letter from?" she asked the footman, but he ignored her. He approached Lady Tremaine.
"I was asked to return with your response ma'am." He replied.
"Of course! I'll write him right away! Just give me a moment!"
Lady Tremaine almost ran out of the room and Anastasia and Drisella were spinning each other around. Lady Tremaine finally finished her reply and the footman soon became a distant memory.
"What has happened?" Ella asked.
"It's the Prince!"
"The prince wrote you a letter?"
"Precisely that!"
Anastasia and Drisela jumped up and down until Lady Tremaine returned with a reply for the footman who very eagerly walked out of the door without another word.
"What did the letter say?" Ella asked, forever the odd one out.
"It said," Lady Tremaine smiled a wolfish smile, "the prince would love to visit us any afternoon of our choosing."
"Which afternoon did you pick?"
She was frozen, praying that it would not be Friday.
"I sent him an invitation to join us for dinner on Wednesday."
Anastasia and Drisella both screamed again, and Ella let out the breath she had been holding. Maybe things were looking up. Her Friday afternoon was still free and on Wednesday she would finally get to meet the prince and see what the bid deal was!