The Challenges begin at last!
Please send me suggestions for challenges if you have any in mind.
Disclaimer: Most of this is mine but anything Disney owns, Disney owns.
P.S. Spot the Star Trek Reference first and win the right to pick Cinderella's next animal form.
"Hear ye, hear ye!"
Kane, Kurt, and Kit stood in front of the king who was seated on a raised dais. They wondered what was going on. Kane kicked Kit's leg and Kurt roughly nudged him so he was standing behind them. Kit sighed but continued to listen to the herald.
"The most just and wise king has arranged a series of challenges to determine his heir."
Kane's face twisted into a mask of anger and disbelief before being schooled to smoothness as the meaning sank in.
Kurt snorted and flexed his biceps.
Kit was utterly shocked and he looked at Alistair who gave him an encouraging nod.
Kit couldn't believe he had a chance at the throne, he had thought his father's advisors would ensure Kane's inheritance.
Maybe he would have a chance to change things for the people after all.
The herald continued, "Each challenge will be announced one at time. The first challenge is to form a new trade agreement for the kingdom. The only rules are that you cannot take any advisors with you or talk to anyone about trade and you must return tonight with some proof of the agreement."
He sounded the call to charge.
Immediately, Kane and Kurt took off running for their horses.
Kit went to Edmund, Alistair, George, and Marcus in a corner of the courtyard.
"Congratulations Kit," Marcus said as George clapped him on the back.
"I cannot express how happy I am that your father has given you a chance to hold the throne." Edmund said, shaking Kit's hand vigorously. "Perhaps the kingdom will be saved after all."
"Thank you." Kit said sincerely. "I know that Julius and most of the other advisors are against me so I really appreciate your support. Wish me luck getting a new trade agreement."
"Good luck!" They chorused, with a mix of deep voices.
Kit went to his room to change into simpler clothes and grab his bag.
He decided to grab his compass too, you never know when the direction might come in handy and he had a good feeling about it.
Once at the shipping yards, Kurt headed toward the first ship he could see that wasn't one of theirs.
It turned out that the ship he picked was in the trade of fire bolts, a very useful weapon in sieges but one that caused a great deal of damage and civilian casualties.
Kurt thought he had strong armed his way into a good deal but the deal greatly benefited the ship's captain and home country of the Guilder.
They only accepted gold in exchange for the fire bolts.
Kane too headed straight for one ship.
He had been discussing ways to increase the revenue to the castle with Julius.
He thought a trade in "exotic dancers" would greatly profit the kingdom.
He arranged a good deal the ship's captain Mudd, dancers in exchange for information about their allies and a no questions asked policy with a small amount of money.
Both left the docks after a few hours, bringing with them the ship's captain and a sample of the goods.
Kit arrived on a busy scene with people walking every direction.
Many ships were docked, from rowboats to passenger ships to a few of their warships.
The shipping yard appeared to Kit like the anthill he once unearthed, chaotic but organized with a system known only to itself.
After he tied up his horse, he got ready to enter the fray when the purring of a cat around his feet caught his attention.
The cat was a dainty thing, pale yellow fur with soft patches of honey drizzled over its black and tan paws.
Kit lifted up the tail and discovered that his new friend was female.
She hissed and swiped a paw at him.
He was startled by how human the cat's eyes looked, they reminded him of the girl he met in the forest.
The cat continued to stare at him, he smiled and laughed a bit at himself, how could the girl become a cat? Silly thoughts. Still the feeling that he somehow knew this cat remained.
Cinderella was glad to have found Kit again, she had just been hanging around the docks, hoping to find some extra food since she had lost her food privileges in the woods yet again for failing to meet her stepmother's demands.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you." He smiled warmly. "Do you think you could help me? I need a friend with me."
The cat turned her head to the side as if asking "What for?" Cinderella was curious, why was he here? Did he sail?
"I have to form a new trade agreement for my fath-master." Kit answered.
She responded by swishing her tail and then wrapping herself around his legs before darting onto the shipping yard.
She could help him with that, she had been here all morning and knew of a ship no one else had approached yet.
Kit laughed again and started walking behind her.
He took note that the harbor seemed to be in good shape and that their usual trading partners seemed content as they exchanged the goods.
He followed the cat to the very end of the dock where she stopped at a ship he had never seen before.
He thought the ship might be Roman in origin but he wasn't sure.
Still, it would be worthwhile to see what goods they had.
He walked up the ramp and then paused before stepping on board.
Cinderella no such qualms and ran on ahead.
Her arrival caused the men to look up and then they saw Kit.
All of their faces hardened into masks of barely concealed disdain.
One man walked forward to meet Kit. He was a short man, stocky in stature.
He had handsome features with his tan skin and dark eyes but right now he was scowling.
"What do you want?" the captain sneered.
"I was interested in why your ship stopped in our country, I was looking for-"
"We only stopped here to refuel our supplies and makes some repairs, we won't dirty your dock for much longer."
The captain spit on the ground near Kit's boots.
The cat jumped up into Kit's arms at this attack.
She reminded herself to have courage and be kind, perhaps this man had a bad day.
"What you mean, dirty the dock? Kit asked curiously. "You don't trade in soil do you?"
The captain scoffed at Kit's naivety. "I meant that Romans are looked down on as heathens and violent criminals by you Europeans. We don't have time for nobodies like you who have probably never done an honest day's work in your life to insult us or try to convert us or educate us.
So piss off and go back to your good for nothing father and bitch mother who didn't have sense enough to teach you to leave strangers alone." The captain spat out, annoyed at Kit's attempt at humor.
Kit was silent for a minute and the look that appeared in his eyes made some of the sailors nervous.
"With all due respect sir, I'll have to ask you not to insult my parents." Kit's tone left no room for argument.
"I have no intentions of insulting your heritage. In fact, I was quite impressed with what I have read and heard about Roman inventions." Kit said.
"Is it true you have made a substance that is very strong and durable for buildings….concrete was the name? And you have a new design, arches?"
"You have heard about our concrete?" The captain's eyebrows rose and his face lost some of its tension.
"Yes, how did you design it? How exactly does it work?" He asked eagerly.
Kit was excited to finally get some answers about the inventions he had wondered and pestered his own tutors about unsuccessfully.
"You want to learn from us?" The captain was skeptical of Kit, they had been treated very poorly by most of the other countries and by the harbormaster here.
"Yes, if you have the time that is." Kit smiled politely but his eyes were bright with curiosity.
The captain looked at his crew. They seemed to think Kit might be different.
After all, he hadn't insulted them or stormed off after they insulted him. He had waited for permission to board their vessel.
The cat in his arms too, she was something special. She seemed to trust this Kit.
Then Cinderella jumped down and walked over to the captain and sat and looked up at him with big brown eyes.
She hoped he would give Kit a chance.
The captain tried to harden his features but he was pleased by the cat's attention.
"Very well, let's go to my cabin and we can discuss it more there." He said gruffly.
After a long discussion about concrete and architectural designs, the captain asked Kit what had brought him to the ship.
"I am looking to forge a new trade agreement. Do you think you would be interested?"
"A new trade agreement? Our countries have never traded before." The captain said with disbelief.
"I think it's about time that we start. After all, just because it hasn't been done doesn't mean it shouldn't be done." Kit smiled.
Cinderella, whom had fallen asleep at his feet, stood up at this and purred before leaving the captain's cabin and going out on the deck.
Cinderella was amazed that Kit had repeated her words.
No one had treated her like an equal, worthy of giving advice before and certainly no man had ever done so.
She needed a moment to remind herself that she couldn't see him as a girl again without raising questions and risking a whipping and then she took another moment to recover from the heartache that her thoughts had given her.
Still, at least she was glad she was able to encourage him. Cinderella hoped his master would be pleased.
She had been wondering around the harbor as a cat all morning to see what was new in the kingdom.
She had spotted this ship and saw the goodness in the men, with how kind they were to each other and to the street urchins roaming the docks.
Cinderella was glad that Kit had sensed their goodness too.
The ship's captain sat down at his desk. "I see. What type of trade were you proposing?" He eyed Kit with wariness and curiosity.
Kit smiled, these questions he could answer easily after all his reading.
"I would like to have some of your people come here and teach us how to make concrete and build arches. What I would love even more is for those battlefield medics you told me about to come here and teach us how to keep our army healthy. They could work wonders for our people here and improve the life expectancy of the average soldier.
"And what would we get in return?"
"I thought you might be interested in these two items. One is a material that lets fire smolder instead of burn so you can take it with you. It's made from a fungus called torchwood from tree bark and boiled in urine. It works much better than it sounds. The second is…" Kit took out his invention from his bag. "It's a lodestone compass that works out at sea. That way you can plan your route on cloudy nights when you can't use the stars as a guide."
The captain examined Kit's invention carefully.
Kit went on nervously, "Of course if you would prefer, we have plenty of horses or weapons or apples…"
"Who designed this?" The captain trained his eyes on Kit.
"Uh, well, you see…I did." Kit stammered out.
"Well, it is a marvelous invention, you should be proud." The captain said with a large grin at the blushing youth.
Kit smiled back, elated that someone besides Edmund and George valued his invention.
"Now what gives you the right to set up a new trade agreement?" The captain asked. "Is your master a merchant?"
"Not exactly, no." Kit rubbed the back of his neck, wondering how to break the news to the captain without losing his respect.
"Did you lie to steal our secrets?" the captain's eyes narrowed and his hand went to his sword.
"No! No, I am an apprentice…well you see…" Kit sighed. "I am a prince of this kingdom."
The captain's eyes widened comically and his jaw dropped.
"But, we…and then you…I thought the princes' names were Kane and Kurt and you don't look like either of them…you're too young to be Kane and too small to be Kurt."
"My older brothers are Kane and Kurt. I am the youngest prince."
"But the youngest prince is a simpleton. You are far too smart for that with your invention and your patience and temper." The captain couldn't believe that this intelligent young man was the simpleton prince he had heard some of the nobility insulting earlier that day.
"Yes, well I didn't choose that nickname. My brothers gave it to me a long time ago." Kit explained, red faced with shame.
"What is your real name?" the captain's eyes were kind but his tone left no room for argument.
"Kit."
The captain gave him a sideways glance.
"Well I have heard of a Kit from some of the villagers, a very generous fellow, a friend to the animals, and one who apprentices at the palace."
"People talk about me in the village?" Kit asked.
"Oh yes, very proudly." The captain watched Kit carefully for his reaction.
Kit turned red and looked a little stunned.
"So the Simpleton Prince is this Kit then, you?"
"Yes." He answered absentmindedly. Kit was still processing that people in the village thought well of him.
"How do you put up with your brothers? Your reputation? Why do you help in the village?" The captain wanted to understand this mystery and the man.
"I do have some good friends who treat me well. I know my father loves me." Kit answered. "I started helping out with the village with my mother and have continued after she died. I don't see the point in trying to argue with my reputation…people will believe what is easiest to believe and my brothers are set in their ways."
"But why try to trade with us? Why not go to someone else who doesn't have a bad reputation with your country and didn't insult your parents? I am very sorry about that by the way." The captain said.
Kit nodded his head to accept the apology. "I did get depressed for a while and thought about not trying to improve things. But a good friend told me recently that one must simply have courage and be kind. I thought you might've been mistreated and degraded and I know how that feels. I wanted to show you that not everyone in the kingdom feels that way. I also wanted better medication for my friends in the army and you are the most advanced in the world. I was hoping to kill two birds with one stone."
The captain didn't say anything for long time after Kit's explanation.
Then, the cat wandered back in and hopped on the table, and turned towards Kit.
Cinderella was curious how the trade agreement went and despite her attempts to leave the ship and not see Kit again, she had to come back.
She needed to see him at least one more time before she let him get on with his life.
After all, he couldn't break the curse and she had nothing worthwhile to offer him besides her help today.
"What do you think girl? Do you think the captain should trade with me?" Kit asked, half joking, half serious.
The cat purred loudly in response.
Cinderella knew how good Kit was, and she wanted the captain to see it too.
The captain laughed aloud at the cat's actions.
"Very well, let's get down to business and set up this agreement."
A few hours later, they had a deal.
The captain claimed Kit was being too generous but Kit claimed it was for all of the unfair treatment that he had endured with the prejudice against Romans.
The captain then declared that he would accompany Kit as proof rather than just sending the signed agreement.
As they made their way to Kit's horse, the cat rubbed against his legs and then ran off toward the forest into the setting sun. Kit tried to call her back. However, the captain restrained him.
"There's something special about that cat, something…supernatural. She may be a host to a spirit. You should let her be, she will show you in time if she wants too."
Kit said nothing to this, only looked a moment longer and thought about the cat's brown eyes before starting the journey back to the palace.
In the woods, Cinderella had changed back into her human form.
She smiled to herself and was glad she could be of help to Kit. She was glad to have a friend.
She only wished she could have stayed longer and seen his master and what he thought of the trade, and maybe heard more about who Kit was.
But the sunset had come sooner that she realized and she had to get away before she could be seen.
Her stepmother and the toads had always forced her to clean their lair and cook for them. If she hurried, they might not suspect that she had been to the village and she might be able to go back again
So, Cinderella hurried deeper into the woods with thoughts of Kit's smile running through her head.
Did you spot it? If so, "Live long and prosper."