The second challenge involving feathers and Fate. Perhaps Kit will finally learn Cinderella's identity now...perhaps not ;)

One more challenge to go after this one, unless you guys have challenges you want me to add in.

The new favorites and follows had me dancing around :)

If I had a genie, I'd wish for a singing voice like Snow White, a dress like Lily James wore and reviews from you guys 3

Chapter 11: One Jump Ahead

The witch scowled at not finding Cinderella where she had left her after her whipping.

She had thought that the pain would force the girl to reveal the location of the spring, for the witch was growing desperate.

Every day, her daughters acted more like toads and less like girls. They even started eating flies now instead of what Cinderella prepared.

The witch would have taken the throne long ago to force someone to find the spring for her but the former queen had laid a protection spell on the land with her death, she was not magical but Cinderella's mother had joined her magic to the Queen's heart and the kingdom was protected from dark magic except for the woods. For the woods had a magic all their own that no one could change or fully understand.

She couldn't bewitch the king to love her or send a plague or do anything bad with magic to humans unless they entered the woods. She could interfere at the castle if she became related to someone there but her toad daughters made seduction of the king seem difficult.
Magic didn't protect those bonded by blood or marriage from their families magic, it was how it could be passed on after all. However, she had never come across the king or the princes in the woods and besides, she didn't want Cinderella's curse to break, however small a risk it was. Even her death couldn't stop it, only the kiss of true love from a prince of all men.

She had bewitched a few humans to serve her and entertain her but they always disappeared. She suspected Cinderella had recruited the other nymphs to help them but she couldn't find them and didn't want to burn the woods down and risk losing the enchanted spring.

She'd have to come up with another way to get the spring from Cinderella, maybe threaten to torture her animal friends...

At least she didn't have to worry about losing her magic. Years ago, in a effort to keep herself young(er) and stay beautiful, she had tied her powers to her core.

She couldn't die, and she aged slowly. The binding had limited her magical range, thus her restriction to the woods.

No manmade weapon could kill her either but she couldn't kill humans with magic.
She had found the loop hole with torture and slavery but no death by magic. She could do it the old fashioned way but hadn't seen the need to yet, so very messy and unladylike.

Still there was always that pesky clause, no manmade weapon could kill her but a lover's token could, if it penetrated her cold heart. She had been careful never to fall in love and to avoid lovers ever since. She doubted she would ever die but wanted the spring to forever preserve her beauty and to expand her powers beyond the woods.

Cinderella would tell her one way or another, she laughed darkly.

Julius and Kane met up before the presentation of the princes' answers to the challenge.

"So, are you feeling confident today, my lord? Julius asked while pouring them each a glass of red wine.

"We both know I am meant to be king, Julius. I am the cleverest, the court adores me, and I am the first born for god's sake!" Kane's fist pounded the table. His usually suave and confident demeanor was let down in front of Julius. Kane was too annoyed to care about keeping his appearance up at all times.

"Oh, I agree, my prince." Julius said, placatingly while handing him a goblet of wine.

"I have an idea for this challenge to ensure your success." Julius' eyes were bright with mischief.

"I haven't lost, the simpleton has cheated and gotten lucky is all." Kane huffed angrily and took a gulp of wine. He needed to get his control back, the simpleton had never bothered him this much in the past. Back then, Kit was easier to intimidate and embarrass and manipulate just how Kane wanted him. Although Kane had not always succeeded in the past in controlling Kit, (where did he go in the village? Kane had looked but had always lost him in the woods and later on his spies had never spotted the prince's garb.) he had done better than these past weeks. Why Kit was showing him up and constantly surprising him.

Kit had evaded detection by changing his clothes and hair when visiting the village. Kane's spies hadn't bothered to look beyond the obvious and thus had missed. Kit had avoid Kane when he was younger by getting dirty and casually staying in the alleys until Kane was gone. Kane never noticed those beneath him, so Kit was just another poor boy living in the street.

"Of course, my lord, naturally. But the simpleton must be reminded of his place." Julius' eyes narrowed with disdain.

"Indeed." Kane smoothly agreed. Once that was taken care of, he had several plans to keep Kit there, ranging from disinheritance to banishment to murder if it came down to it.

Julius smiled and said, "So, I propose that instead of each of you fighting against the captain of the guard as the king had intended, you-"

"We fight against the simpleton instead" Kane finished with a sinister gleam in his eyes.

"Precisely." Julius smirked. He had stopped attending Kit's lesson years ago and Kit had been careful to hide his improved skills from all but his friends.

Kane and Julius toasted their glasses just as Kurt entered.

"And here's why I'll be king one day." Kane winked at Julius before calling out to Kurt.

'Kurt, come join us brother, let me pour you a glass of wine."

"Thanks brother." Kurt took a large swallow and clapped Kane on the back. "Just what a man needs before a challenge, besides a wench that is." Kurt winked and elbowed Kane.

Kane baited Kurt. "Challenge? I'd like to think you weren't scared of the simpleton."

Kurt scoffed. "No, I don't know what he thinks he's doing, the little twerp."

"But you and I are still in competition." Kane's face was expressionless and Kurt frowned.

"Yes about that...hmm… do you really want to be king, Kurt?" Kane asked.

"Well, yeah I do." Kurt snorted.

"Really? You want to be stuck in council meetings all day and be forced to listen to peasants on petition day and never led the troops into battle?"

Kurt's face slowly changed from angry to displeased to horrified.

"No! I want to be the head of the army, the fiercest warrior in the kingdom." He took a large gulp of wine and patted his sword.

"I propose an agreement then brother. You help me secure the throne and I promise you that you can be head of the army and free to be as carefree and lazy as you want." Kane smiled but his eyes were cold. He kept eye contact with Kurt, hoping to convince him to agree.

Kurt scratched his head and slowly smiled as he realized what Kane was saying. He spit into his hand and held it out.

"I agree."

Kane shuddered but shook the hand.

His eyes glinted with glee and superiority. "Let's remind the simpleton just how unsuited he is for the throne."

They all toasted their goblets and downed their wine.

Kit entered the training yard, carrying his magnesium and a his dagger. As Alistair rushed up to him, asking where in the world he had been, the herald called out.

"Attention!" One of the heralds thumped his staff down.

"The Challenge will begin shortly. The princes each followed a feather to find something from the kingdom they could use to defend themselves. They will show the court by defending themselves from the captain of the guard."

The king nodded as he shifted on his throne to try to sit up straighter despite his tiredness.

Kane spoke up. "Father, Kurt and I think it would be better to showcase our new weapons against each other rather than the captain of the guard."

"It would be better, Father, " Kurt "Then we would really be facing off with each other."

Kit inwardly groaned at his brother's blatant attempts to bully him in front of the court.

"I don't know…" the king hesitated.

Julius knelt by his side. "Oh, sire, I think it is a great idea, really gets to the heart of what the challenges are all about."

"What do you mean?" The king asked, confused.

"Well, sire, the challenges are about having the boys show who is best suited for the throne. What better way to do so than have them defeat each other in a contest of strength."

"Very well, if you think it best." The king agreed.

"Excellent." Julius stood up. "First, let's have the two top contenders go, Kurt versus Kane."

Kane eyed Kurt, reminding him of their agreement. Kurt nodded.

Kane showed his weapon, "I found a wonderfully strong mace, father. The feather took me all around I devoutly followed it to this excellent weapon.

Kurt stepped forward. "I found this rock father, a great weapon to be sure."

Kit and Alistair rolled their eyes at his brothers' attempts to butter up the king.

They then faced off. Kurt throw his rock but aimed it poorly on purpose so it went towards Kit in the audience. Kit jumped back and fell down to avoid the rock.

The court laughed at his clumsiness while he got to his feet slowly.

Kane then stepped toward Kurt and tapped him on the shoulder.

"I concede to the better heir, father." Kurt said, clapping his arm around Kane's shoulders.

"Very well" Julius announced. "Kane wins the first battle."

"Now, let's see Kurt versus Kit."

Kit tossed the rock back towards Kurt but it fell short as Kurt stepped back.

Kurt smirked and then hefted his rock high above his head.

Kit rolled his shoulders back and picked up his dagger and the magnesium.

"I too found a rock in the woods Father." Kit held up his much smaller rock and the court burst into laughter.

"You may begin now. " Julius smiled, sure Kit would be crushed soon.

Kit stood firm as he carefully watched Kurt to see where the rock would land.

Kurt threw his rock and Kit didn't flinch as it missed him, going just to the left of his head.

The court murmured at that, seeing Kurt miss and how Kit just stood there, unflinching in the face of danger.

Kit then aimed his rock at Kurt's forehead and threw it, powered by his anger when he remembered Cinderella's wounds.

The rock hit Kurt right in the forehead and he stumbled around before falling down on his backside.

Kurt looked up dazed as Kit walked over, to make sure he was alright.

"Kit has won against Kurt" Alistair announced as Julius gaped.

The court was shocked, Kit had beat Kurt? Maybe there was something more to the boy...

Julius composed himself. "Now the simple-Kit will face our beloved champion, Kane."

The court applauded as Kane took a bow.

Kane held his branch, daring Kit to come closer.

Kit didn't take the bait. Instead, he struck his dagger on the rock's edge and turned his face away.

Kane rushed forward only to be blinded as the magnesium started burning brightly.

As he stumbled blindly, Kit grabbed the branch out of his hands, kicked his legs so that Kane fell the the ground.

Kit then straddled Kane, and held the branch to his throat.

Kane still couldn't see but surrendered to the pressure on him. What had happened?

Once again, Alistair announced Kit's victory as Julius stood there in shock.

Kit got up off of Kane and stood to face the court.

The court was amazed and a few clapped.

Just as the king stood up, Julius leapt into action.

"Sire, wait, your majesty. The boy has cheated, there is no way that he could have won the\is challenge."

"How do you figure that sir?" George spoke up.

"He...that is he..." Julius trailed off.

"He used a dagger." Kane spoke up.
"Yes, he used a weapon he didn't find in the woods." Kurt added.

Kit looked at his father, he hadn't viewed that as cheating but perhaps it was outside of the bounds of the challenge.

"What shall I do then?" The king asked Julius.

"Why have another challenge, your majesty."

"But what else could they need to prove?" Alistair asked.

Kane wanted to stack the deck in his favor, he couldn't believe the simpleton had beaten him.
At least he convinced his idiot father that Kit had cheated.

The king looked down at his hands and his wedding band caught his eye. He held his hand out into the light and saw the beams dancing off the gold.

"I know what the next challenge shall be, we will convene here tomorrow." The king left to rest, he had grown tired over the course of the challenge.

Meanwhile, Kit tried to steal away to see Cinderella but was unable to as his friends refused to let him leave the castle, for fear Kane or Kurt might try to injury him for beating them in the challenge.

He settled for dreaming of her smile and her lovely hair. His dreams were lovely but strange, for one minute they would be riding through the woods side by side and the next, he and Cinderella would both be horses racing through fields of flowers and then they would be birds flying through the sky and then she would be a girl again, running into the sun.

Unbeknownst to Kit, Cinderella had the same dreams as him while she slept at the priest's house.

They each enjoyed the dream, as they change from horses to birds and back to humans. They leaned into kiss...

Cinderella awoke as the sun rose and transformed.

Kit woke up as well, to the sounds of the clock tower striking 6, he smiled, vowing to turn his dream into reality.