Ravishing Rapunzel (Passion-Filled Fairy Tales, #6)(15)

He was still in the hood, so she could barely see his face, really just a silhouette, but something about it seemed familiar.

He pulled back the hood, exposing his brown hair, still tied in a ponytail, a strong chin, a handsome nose, and clear blue eyes that were mesmerizing. His face said, “trust me.”

“Rapunzel, do you remember me?” he asked.

Remember him? She’d only ever met one other person beside family. She took a step toward him, her eyes scrutinizing him, examining every feature. There was kindness in him, and she knew exactly who he was. It was a name she would never forget. She didn’t have reams of friends like characters in the books she read. She’d only ever had one. “Bradyn?”

He smiled, making his face look even more handsome and revealing a dimple in his right cheek. He looked positively scrumptious when he grinned like that.

“Yes, it’s me,” he said, relief sweeping over his features. His body stood taller, straighter now. He must have been crouching slightly to make her feel less threatened, but as he stood tall, she wondered how she could ever have considered him her mother. He was large and strong, a broad, muscular torso that now seemed way too large for the red cloak. He spoke softly, his eyes focused on her. “I saw your mother in a shop the other day when she was buying the music box engraved with your name. I’d only ever met one Rapunzel, and I hoped that she was bringing it to you. When I realized she was, I knew I had to come and see you.”

Rapunzel wanted to smile. He’d come to find her. Only, she couldn’t smile. Her mother would be angry if she found him here. She was powerful, and she disliked people. She’d done something to a man before, something horrible that her aunt Giselle would mention from time to time. Auntie would say, “Gothel, you should have let him go,” and her mother would say, “He is a beast who’s gotten what he deserved.” Only that didn't make a lot of sense to Rapunzel, and the two of them would clam up about it the moment they realized Rapunzel was underfoot. She couldn’t have whatever had happened to that man happen to Bradyn. “You have to leave,” she said. “If my mother finds you here …”

He shook his head, and grinned with confidence. “Worry not,” he said. “I won’t hurt you, and you won’t have to leave. You’re not in the kingdom of Danforth anymore. My father won’t make you leave. There is no trespassing. If your mother finds me, she will know I have come of good will.”

Rapunzel stared at him, not sure what to make of his words. He’d been kind before, so she would give him the benefit of the doubt that he wasn’t stark raving mad--the way her mother often described people--but he wasn’t making a lick of sense. She smiled kindly. “I’m not sure why you think it matters what kingdom we’re in,” she said. “My mother does not like people. She will make us leave if she knows that I have been around you.”

Bradyn crinkled his brow and took another step toward Rapunzel. “Surely you’re mistaken,” he said. “No one can hate all people.”

Rapunzel gave him a glance to let him know that yes, a person could hate all people.

His brows squished together in confusion. “Certainly you’re not kept in this tower to keep you away from people,” he said, his voice incredulous.

“But I am,” she said, and then stepped past him, back to the window sill. She looked out. No sign of her mother. She debated whether she should try to get him to climb back down. It was midday and her mother was gone for a while. Her mother never came back early, but what if she did? What would her mother do?

She turned back to him. He stared at her with yearning in his eyes. He wanted to stay. He said he’d come of good will. That meant he wanted cheer and chatter, like Giselle. For her birthday, she’d wanted to go out. She’d wanted to see the world and her mother had said no. This would allow her a glimpse of the world without leaving her tower. She peeked out, biting her lower lip, considering.

“I won’t cause any trouble,” she heard him say.

If only he knew the trouble he would cause if he were found out. But if he weren’t found out, if he left before her mother returned, then he was right. He wouldn’t cause trouble. Instead, he would bring her the birthday present she’d really wanted: another look at the world, one not tainted with the darkness of Mother Gothel. Her mind made up, Rapunzel marched to the iron loop and pulled her braid through, being sure to detangle the section that had become caught. She turned to Bradyn. “Let’s sit, and I’ll explain.”



*

There was something entrancing about her beauty, though Bradyn couldn’t quite put his finger on it. Her face was a perfect oval, soft and curved, with pink cheeks and luscious red lips. Her eyes were the greenest he’d ever seen, reminding him of sparkling emeralds. And her hair. It was luxurious, silky, and seemingly never-ending. He’d tried to remember his mother’s strictures on beauty being skin deep, but he couldn’t help but think Rapunzel’s beauty was deep deep, and radiated outward, leaving only a shadow of its strength on her skin.

He’d listened as she explained about her illness, about how the world could make her sick, how she got one day of freedom every couple of months — that is, until she’d met him. She’d become deathly ill, and only through her mother’s knowledge of herbs had she survived. They’d moved to this tower afterwards and had been here ever since.