***JAKE'S POV***
After the horse was secured, I took the two saddlebags off of the beast. In one was a blanket, in the other was a picnic lunch. It didn't take me long to set it up since this was a simple world. I laid out the blanket and laid out some sandwiches for us to eat. There were some glasses that we were able to drink from. And of course, being a fairytale, we were just going to drink the fresh water from the pond. It was in a clearing near a castle. Obviously, the story would make the water pristine and drinkable.
Sure enough, when I filled the glasses, the water in it was perfectly clear and wonderfully cool. Yet when I put my hand in the water, it felt warm. That wasn't exactly normal, was it? The water was cool to the mouth but warm to the body.
"Come now Al-..Ash." I almost called her Alex again. I really needed to be careful with that. If I kept messing up, I was going to ruin the story. And she would think that I was not interested in her because I couldn't get her name right.
"This looks so, so good, Jake. Thank you." She was eyeing the sandwiches with greedy eyes. I had told the staff how to make these. They were actually a medieval version of a mushroom, steak and cheese sub. They had even been put into the oven to toast them up just how I like them. The dressing wouldn't be perfect since this world didn't have the kind that I was used to, but it would be good enough. And I hoped that Ash would like that.
"Well, come sit down and enjoy the lunch. I asked the chefs to make this special for us."
I swear, the moment that Ash sat down, she was already taking a big bite of the sandwich that was sitting in front of her. The look on her face was of pure ecstasy. Her eyes were closed and the smile that she had was one of nostalgia. Had she actually had these before. Was that possible?
I had asked for these to be made for two reasons. I personally loved them and ate them all the time during the school week. And it was also one of Alex's favorites. Or at least, one of the things that she ate all the time in the dining hall.
"This is so good. It tastes like something I used to have a long time ago. I haven't eaten this in so long. Thank you, Jake."
"I am glad that you like them."
We continued to eat in silence. We were just looking around the clearing and enjoying the meal. It was peaceful, and neither of us felt the need to break the silence around us. That or we were both just too nervous to do so. I guess that was possible too.
When the food was gone, and we were both sipping on our glasses of water, we made the leap to start talking. By the way, the water was some of the most delicious that I had ever had in my life. Of course it was.
"So, Ash, tell me about yourself." I wanted to break the ice, and that was all that I could think of.
"I think you know most of it. My father got remarried to an evil woman that made my life a living nightmare. I was mistreated and forced to do everything for them. I cooked, I cleaned, I was their personal servant. And when I didn't do a good enough job, while my father was away anyway, I was forced to sleep in the barn. If it wasn't for a neighbor of mine, I would have died a long time ago."
"That must be Elin, right? I met her when I got you from the house. She seemed nice. I am glad that you had her to help you."
"Yes. She is nice. And so is her husband. They saved me." She seemed to be remembering something, possibly the assistance that they had given her. "Anyway." She shook her head like she was trying to get rid of a memory. "What about you, Jake? Tell me about your life."
"Well, I guess my life was pretty standard for a prince. I was raised to be a king. I had lessons. I was restricted in a lot of things. And more often than not, I was lonely." I was making up some of this, but I am guessing that it would have been true enough.
"Were your parents not there for you?" She looked concerned for a moment. "Well, they are a king and a queen, they were probably busy."
"My mother died long ago. It was just my father, and yes, he is busy." I looked down. I didn't like thinking about my mother being dead. My real mother was not dead. And I would love to see her again. "What about your mom? Did she die?" It was morbid, but I guess I should ask. Assuming that she was dead could be a problem.
"I don't know." She shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe she ran away when I was a little girl to be with her boyfriend." She looked bitter. I doubted that was the case. In all the stories, Cinderella's mother was dead, she didn't run away. "I guess she is dead though. I don't remember anything about her so I wouldn't know. I guess that is a question for my father." She didn't act like her mother's death bothered her at all. Maybe her mother died before she could bond with her and her only mother was the evil stepmother. That would suck.
The depressing subjects passed us by, thankfully. We started to talk about the future and what we wanted for it. Ash couldn't tell me much about that, so I was forced to fill it in for the most part.
"It's getting hot." Ash looked up at the sky after a while. I did the same and saw that there was not a single cloud in the sky. The sun was still high in the sky and it was beating down on us relentlessly.
"I guess it is." She was wearing long sleeves and a jacket, along with that riding skirt. She must be overheated. "Would you like to head back?" I was already getting to my feet in anticipation.
"Actually, what I would really love to do is go for a swim." She was eying the water like it was some sort of saving grace. "I love to swim and haven't been in so long that I can't remember the last time."
"Swimming?" I was at a loss here. That didn't sound like something that a story book girl would say. Especially not one from a fairytale. Was this really going to happen? What would she do if I told her to take that swim? What would she do if I joined her in the water? Would it all go just fine, or would she get mad at me? I didn't know what to expect.
"What do you say, Jake? Do you want to take a swim with me?" That look was so exciting, and also inviting. She wanted to take a swim with me. She wanted to get into the water, nearly naked, with me. Did she know what she was asking for? Or was she just being naïve?
"I..I wouldn't say no. But are you sure?" I looked at her with eyes that were asking her 'is this really what you want to do'. Apparently, it was exactly what she wanted to do, because she hopped to her feet and started to take the jacket off.
"Of course I am sure. I want to swim, so I am going to swim. Come with me."
Ash dropped the jacket and started on the shirt. Before long, I was standing there looking at the topless girl standing in front of me. Of course she had a white cotton bra on, so I wouldn't have been able to see anything even if she was looking at me instead of the water.
"Come on, Jake, let's get going." She started to unwrap the skirt from around her waist as she ran toward the water.
At some point, while watching her in a trance, I started to undo the buttons on my shirt. These were proper clothes from centuries before I was born. That meant that there were lots of buttons and no zippers. It was taking me a long time to strip down, and by the time I was wearing nothing but the boxer-like underwear that this world provided, Ash was already in the water swimming out to the middle.
"Wait for me. I am coming!" I called after her, excited and happy for this development. At least, with this new development, I should probably be able to see the mark on Ash. That is, if she actually had it.