Bridging the Gap

Chapter 11

Cinderella couldn't help but wake up with a smile despite the overcast weather outside her window. Today was the day that she would finally get an answer regarding her ability to watch over her niece and whether her step-sister would be free from the Isle.

"Excited for your meeting?" Kit asked, emerging from the closet and brushing a bit of hair out of his eyes. Somehow, Kit would always wake up before Cinderella. It was something that never failed to amuse the former scullery maid.

"Excited and nervous," Cinderella said with a sigh as she reluctantly pulled back the covers. The weather had started to get a bit colder and Cinderella made a mental note to make sure the staff had enough wood for the fires. While the castle was heated, sometimes there was nothing better than a nice roaring fire. "Ben could easily say no to the request."

"Well except for the fact that Mal and Evie both adore Dizzy," Kit told her, buttoning up his cuff links. "No man in his right mind would do something that might anger his wife or girlfriend. We may have to be prepared though for the possibility of only half the request being granted."

Cinderella sighed and nodded. "I know dear. Trust me, but there's nothing I want more than for Dizzy to be free from the Isle. She's only been here a short while but I love her as if she was my own. However, she does deserve to be around someone familiar like Anastasia."

"And I love that about you Ella," Kit said, walking toward her and wrapping her arms around her. "But we do have to be realistic. This is the sort of thing that would be up to a council vote, not just Ben's authorization.

Cinderella nodded. "At least he'd be able to bring her children over. Considering they would fall under his decree about giving the villain kids a second chance."

"Exactly," Kit chuckled, breaking the embrace, laying a kiss on her forehead and heading into the hall. "Is Jacob meeting you at the school or here?"

"We're meeting at Auradon Prep. It's probably less nerve wracking than sitting in a car with the step sister of your wife," Cinderella told him as she entered the closet to get dressed. "I'm tempted to surprise the kids but I'm not that cruel."

"Send a photo of their faces if you do," Kit said, his voice trailing off as he descended the stairs. Cinderella shook her head in amusement before getting dressed. Choosing one of her more formal gowns, she quickly got changed. Normally, a meeting with Belle or Beast would have been an informal affair. But this was an official request to a new king. The last thing Cinderella wanted was to insult Ben by assuming anything.

"Aren't you a little too dressed up? After all, it's a meeting with Ben. You've never gotten this dressed up for a meeting with Beast or Belle," Kit stated as Cinderella walked into the kitchen. "That being said, I've always liked this gown."

"This gown got us Alexandria so I know you do," Cinderella chuckled, smoothing out part of the bottom portion of the silver gown. It had been a gift from Fairy Godmother a few years prior. "I'm glad she's finally feeling a bit better though. Nothing worse than a bad head cold."

"I'm just glad she didn't pass it along to anyone else," Kit said, handing Cinderella a cup of coffee. "Then again, with our three elder kids off at Auradon Prep, the only other people she could give it to would be us and Dizzy."

"I may have ordered the staff to be extra diligent in cleaning while Alexandria was sick," Cinderella told him, a small smile gracing her features before taking a long sip of coffee. It was the perfect temperature, not too hot as to scald the roof of her mouth but not too cold either. Nothing was worse than cold coffee...with the exception of possibly reheated cooked pasta.

Kit shook his head in amusement before turning to scramble the eggs he was cooking. Cinderella shook her head as she leaned on the counter, drinking her coffee. Ever since they got married, Kit had taken an interest in learning at least one 'servant' role as some of the other royals would call it. So far, cooking was the only one he truly enjoyed doing. "Why does that not surprise me?"