Is yet for me to see.

Apparently, the narrow dirt pathway leading away from Cinderella's modest yellow cottage was not very far off the main cobblestone road that would take the prince to the village. Christopher would have sworn until he was blue-faced that his trek through the Forever Wood had brought him to the heart of the middle of nowhere. But alas, Cinderella's home stood just a ten minute ride from the old footbridge. As the prince guided his mare, Sage, across the rough, stone bridge, he stopped at the very middle to look down at the creek below. The harsh autumn wind rippled the cool water, distorting his reflection, and Christopher realized this must be the very same stream he had followed to the cottage. This meant, of course, the prince hadn't ridden as far into the forest as he first thought. No, he had simply taken a round-about route circling the town. Christopher's sense of direction was near useless, it seemed, and that caused a major blow to his princely ego. Drawing his cloak tighter around his frame, Christopher continued to stare broodingly at his four-eyed reflection. His face was beginning to swell now, due to all Cinderella's zealous attacks against him, and there were some minor abrasions he had acquired in that infamous fall from the apple tree. He could look worse, Christopher supposed, but he didn't appear much of a prince, by any means. Somehow, his basset hound, Arrow, had wandered unnoticed from the footbridge, and decided to go for a quick swim. The dog splashed happily about the creek, rippling the water, and shattering Christopher's reflection completely. Oh well, no good ever came from staring at oneself all day long, anyway. It was time to move on.

"Come on boy," Christopher whistled for the hound to follow, as Sage clattered along the stony footbridge.

When the prince finally rediscovered civilization, he dismounted from his horse, rewarding her with a loving pat on her muzzle. Arrow, Christopher noticed, was distracted by the varying sounds and smells of the village, and was running about in his usual quick circles of excitement. Christopher could only hope there were no stray cats lurking anywhere nearby. There would be no controlling the hound at that point. When the dog cut sharply underneath his legs, nearly knocking him off-balance, Christopher understood. Arrow did not want to simply sit and wait around, and neither did the prince, come to think of it.

Christopher grabbed hold of the reins, and lead sage through the village square on foot, until he found the livery. The sign read: Openmoor Stables. The place looked promising enough, though Christopher had never employed these people before. Typically, the stables were mainly utilized by travelers who needed somewhere to keep their horses while they were held up in town. But today, Christopher was in no hurry to return home and face his livid parents, so, he might as well take the time to enjoy the village. Peering inside Openmoor's doorway, Christopher saw a young, red-haired boy busily tending to three other horses.

"Little boy," the prince began, gaining the child's attention, "who heads of this establishment?"

"I do," the boy pointed proudly to himself with his thumb, "ever since my papa died, mama let me run the family business."

"I see," Christopher nodded, "would you mind keeping an eye on my horse for a bit?"

"Not for free," scoffed the boy.

"Of course not."

"Well, have you got any money?" the child whined, resting his hands on his hips.

"Have I got any money?" Christopher mimicked the miniature stable hand," what do you call this?"

The prince paused to fish a gold coin from his drawstring pouch, and the boy gaped at it with green, saucer-like eyes. Christopher knew the boy likely hadn't seen so much money in his short lifespan.

"But sir," the child sputtered, "the fee is only two coppers!"

Coppers? Why, the smallest denomination Christopher even held in his pouch was a bronze piece. Two coppers. Could people truly survive off so little?

"It's all right. I have plenty," the prince smiled kindly, "you can use it to help your mother, yes?"

The boy reached out his little hand for the coin, but drew back in a moment's hesitation, probably suspicious of Christopher's intentions. The young prince nodded once, a silent gesture of encouragement, and the boy hastily snatched up the coin and buried it in his trouser pocket.

"She's a fine horse," the child remarked thoughtfully, leading sage to an open stall, "but her coat could use a decent brushing."

"We've had a long day," sighed the prince.

"It looks it."

"Say, what's your name, lad?" inquired Christopher, as the boy picked up a currycomb intended for Sage.

"Liam. Liam Destry."

"Pleasure to meet you, Liam. I'm Christopher, if you can remember that."

"Why shouldn't I remember?"

"Never mind," Christopher snorted in amusement, ruffling the boy's red hair, "I'll return for my horse within the next hour or so."

Young Liam murmured a distracted goodbye to the prince, as he worked to brush down Sage's brown coat with the currycomb. He was a fine little groom, Christopher had to admit. With a final look behind his shoulder, the prince left the stables to enter the village once more.

Ultra Special Blah Blah Blah

Well, luckily for you readers, there was a massive snow/ice storm in my area which left me with three hours of nothing to do, so I wrote this chapter to alleviate my boredom. I hope it didn't bore you too much, but I did enjoy writing this chapter. Christopher may be one narcissistic, irritating creep, (I mean seriously, he thinks the entire would revolves around him. Does anyone else get that vibe?) but I envision him with a heart of gold and a black and white sense of what is right and what is wrong. I felt that this chapter was necessary, and again, I hope you enjoyed.

You are precisely my cup of tea,

xJadeRainx