Ravishing Rapunzel (Passion-Filled Fairy Tales, #6)(4)

“What’s wrong with people, Mama?” Rapunzel had asked, even though she knew the answer. She just, somewhere deep inside, hoped it would change.

“You know what’s wrong with them, dear. They’re dangerous and cruel and your sensibilities, dear, don’t allow you to be near them. Just as you can only go out once every couple of months, interactions with people are dangerous to you.”

Rapunzel had nodded, but a little part of her had always hoped her mother was wrong. Or that a cure for this illness would present itself to her mother. That’s where her mother went on her long absences where Rapunzel was locked in the cabin. She was off searching for remedies that might cure Rapunzel. Only, none ever came.

A butterfly landed on a flower next to Rapunzel, and she grinned. It was beautiful. Big purple wings speckled with yellow.

It fluttered slightly as it stood on a flower. Rapunzel breathed as softly as she could, and lay in the grass as still as possible, making sure she made no movements to startle it. She expected it would grace her with its presence so long as she was kind and gentle to it.

A loud thrashing and yell broke the silence, and the butterfly took flight. Rapunzel grimaced and looked toward the far edge of the clearing, where the leaves of the trees swayed and branches crackled.

Rapunzel marched angrily turned toward the source of the disturbance, but before she got to the woods, a boy emerged. He was running full-tilt, a huge grin on his lips, and almost smacked right into her, yelling, “Got you.” But then he did a double take, stuttering to a stop and staring at her, as if he was completely shocked to see her.

The boy looked about her age, twelve, but he was taller than her, wiry in build, and had brown hair tied in a ponytail behind him.

He looked around the clearing, as if searching for another person, and then he said, “Who are you?”

“You scared away the butterfly,” Rapunzel said, ignoring his question. It was none of his business who she was, but it was his business that his needless noise had sent away a beautiful creature.

He watched her a moment more, as if uncertain of how to respond. Finally, he bowed to her. “I am sorry, milady,” he said. “Accept my full apologies. Might I help you locate another butterfly?”

Rapunzel’s mouth hung open for a second. She hadn’t expected him to apologize. Although it seemed an appropriate response, her mother had indicated that most people were rude, selfish, and brutish. His response was none of those things.

She shook her head. “Thank you for apologizing and offering to help me find another, but I’m sure one will come along shortly.”

He reached out a hand to her and said, “My name is Bradyn. What’s yours?”

She stared at his outstretched hand, unsure why he was putting it there. She wondered briefly if it was some wicked trick, the kind of awful thing her mother warned about with people. Only, nothing seemed to be happening with his hand. He let his arm fall to his side, and said again, “What’s your name?”

While her mother had expressly forbidden her talking to strangers, Rapunzel couldn’t see the harm in telling this boy her name. “Rapunzel,” she said.

There was instant recognition on his face, and he said, “Like the flower? The name suits you.”

Exactly like the flower. Mother Gothel had said the plant was one of her favorites. Rapunzel herself liked the delicate purple flowers, but had never been that fond of the salad greens it produced.

He was staring at her. She wondered why. Oh, she realized. He’d given her a compliment. “Thank you,” she said, trying to remember how to be polite. She’d read a few story books with these customs in them, so she figured she’d try to interact the way children did in those. Those children always seemed to ask what was on their mind, at least with other children. She ventured a question. “What are you doing here?”

Bradyn laughed. “I was playing hide and go seek with my brother. He’s known for running far off into the forest, and I thought he’d come in this direction. I was sure I’d found him. Only, I’ve found you — the flower girl.”

He smiled as if he thought what he’d said was clever. Rapunzel wasn’t sure she wanted to be known as the flower girl. It seemed a bit mundane.

The boy eyed her intensely, and then stepped aside and looked her from head to toe. “You’ve got a lot of hair,” he declared.

“Yes, that’s true,” Rapunzel said, not sure what else one was to respond to such a declaration. Today, her mother had gathered all her hair into a ponytail which hung almost to her ankles, and then had been looped back up until it met the ponytail’s tie, so it was essentially doubled over. “It helps keep me healthy to let it grow,” she assured him.

The boy pointed to his own ponytail, which was much shorter. She guessed his hair would fall just beneath his shoulder, if he removed the string holding it together. “I have to let it grow long for court. Some of the courtesans wear wigs, but I don’t like the wigs. They’re itchy.”

This intrigued Rapunzel. “What is court? I do not know of this.”

The boy smiled, and sat down in the grass. “Don’t worry, I’ll explain it all to you.”

They sat together and Bradyn told her about how there was a king and queen in the land, and how they ruled overall and held court. It was long and interesting, and he never minded if she interrupted him to ask a question, and he never made her feel silly for not knowing the answer to a question. Sometimes mother made her feel stupid if she asked a question she probably should’ve known the answer to.