Rescuing Rapunzel (9 page)

Tonight, the orange glow filling my room pressed home my disappointment. Yet another day had passed and Nick had not come.

A slow tune came to mind and I heard myself humming the morose melody, the sound soothing to my ears.

Words began to form and I let them flow around me, lift out of my chest, and I vented the story out of my heart and into the night. Even the trees and the breeze danced to the song. The birds of night, waking, added their own accompaniment, replacing the soft chirping of lively day birds.

I sang. Louder and louder to the orange sky.

“So not to dance, our chance gone, one fine eve’s twilight…”

“Rapunzel. Let down your hair.”

I let out a yelp, my heart hammering as I looked into the dusky night, making myself focus on the garden, awash in the orange light of sunset. There, standing below, was Nick, his blue cape like a patch of black in the light.

I froze, unsure for a moment what to do, merely staring down at him, hoping he was real, not some figment of my imagination.

“Rapunzel?” Nick called.

“Nick?”

He smiled at me. “Do you wish me to come up?”

“I…” I knew not what to say.

He did not attempt to climb on his own, merely stared back at me.

“I have something for you,” he said, holding up a small parcel.

I did not think, throwing my braids out the window. They slid over the windowsill, and I barely got my arm in place to brace myself before they stopped.

“Are you ready?” he called.

“Yes.”

In a moment, I felt him begin his climb. I gripped the window’s edge, but it was hardly necessary, because he climbed so much faster and caused far less pain than Mother. How he did it, I was not sure, but from what I could tell, he seemed to use the wall to help him. And he moved so fast, his arms working in a solid rhythm as he ascended.

With the wind blowing a little more forcefully as the sun set, I slipped to the side to give him entrance.

He straddled the window and was about to pull his other leg in when a gust of wind burst through, flipping his cape around. He started to lose his footing.

On instinct, I put one hand on his arm, the other steadying him by clutching his shirt. His body, so warm and solid, was still vulnerable. He needed my help, and it seemed a bizarre combination.

For the briefest moment, he was merely a breath away from me, and I met his wide, bright gaze. I felt his stare all the way to my toes and my cheeks grew hot, making me look away.

He shook his head, and took a few deep breaths as he regained his footing. I stepped to the side, pulling a little of my hair back into the tower, just enough so I did not have to stand so close to him.

“Thank you, Rapunzel. The wind is sneaky tonight,” he said, a smile on his face as he ran his hands through his inky black hair.

I felt a strange shiver on my back, as if the way he watched me was a physical touch. I could not help the fleeting thought that he might very well be some kind of wizard.

I moved away from him. “I am pleased you are not hurt.”

“That is quite a perilous window,” he said, smiling. “If you had not been there, I might have not righted myself.” He stayed close to the window, though his attention darted all around the room.

“I hope I did not startle you.” He gestured to the stones on the table across the room. “An arrow seemed the only way to get the present to you.”

My blush had only slightly receded, but it came back full force when he mentioned his gift. “It did, but it was a most pleasant surprise. They are very beautiful. I have never seen anything like them.”

“I am glad. I thought of you immediately when I saw them.”

“You should not have gone to such trouble,” I replied and sat on the corner of my bed, wrapping my arm around the foot post. Still unsure of the purpose of his attention, I wanted to keep my distance.

My dagger remained under my pillow, close enough to grab if I needed it. Knowing the blade rested there gave me comfort.

“It was no trouble.” He pushed his cape off his shoulders and I could not help staring at the size of him. Even the ceilings, which seemed so high to me, were barely above his head. His broad shoulders and thick legs looked oversized. His shoulders, wider than the window opening itself.

I marveled that he had been able to enter the tower at all.

I slid my hands into the twists of the braids, the rhythmic pattern of them calming me. “Why are you here?” I asked, the words tumbling out before I realized what I had said.

“Do you not want me here?” he asked, meeting my stare with his own, his face solid and stiff.

I stroked the braids. “I do not understand your reason for being here.” Which was true. I wanted to understand. Mother always said a fool like me tried to find logic in everything, but could not help failing. I hated that part of myself, yet I could not help my curiosity.

He tipped his head to the side, one of the dark hairs brushing over his brow. My immediate impulse was to brush the strand away from his face so my view of him would not be obstructed.

“Your face looks better,” he said.

I reached up and caressed my cheek where the bruises had appeared after Mother’s strikes. I had no reason to be concerned with them, since she had not been here to tell me how hideous they looked. My cheek was still a bit tender but I assumed most of it was healed.

“I…” It seemed such a strange observation. I did not understand and I was not sure how to respond. “Thank you.”

He let out a sigh and ran his hand over his face. “It must seem so strange to you that I would come to see you. After all, what reason would I have to visit? I doubt you have had many visitors.”

“None,” I replied.

He nodded. “I expected as much.” His gaze ran over me again, making my tummy flutter. “At least we are off to a better start today. You are not trying to stab me.”

A tiny giggle slipped out, and I covered my mouth, not sure if I was supposed to laugh. “I apologize. But you are a rather large man, and you appeared so suddenly…” Again, I felt the fool for not looking to see who had opened the gate.

His warm smile made me feel a little less silly. “You had no reason to think otherwise. Honestly, if I had not fallen through the gate in the wall by accident, I would not have found the way into the garden. The door is extremely well hidden.”

I blinked. “Is it? I have never seen it.”

“So you have never been down from the tower?”

“No, never,” I replied.

“You were born here?”

I shook my head. “I have no memory of anything before the tower. Mother said I was born on the side of a road during a spring storm and she brought me here eighteen years ago.”

“When is your birthday?”

“In sixteen days,” I replied, smiling, already a bit excited for my birthday.
 

Sometimes it came and went with nothing, but every year, I clung to the hope that Mother would give me something. Aside from Nick’s stones, I had never received another gift beyond what I needed to survive. Which made his gift that much more special.

“I shall have to remember to bring you a gift,” Nick replied. “Speaking of gifts.” He reached behind him, producing a small parcel, like the one that had dangled from the arrow. “This is for you.”

I stood, intent on accepting his offering, but could not find the steps to move toward him and take the gift. I knew not why, but I could not move forward.

As if he understood my hesitation, he took a step to his right, and placed the package on my bed.

“You may open it when you are ready.” He moved back to the window, putting his hand on the braid, then glanced outside. “I will be going now.”

I nodded, clenching the braid that hung over my shoulder as I stepped toward the window. “As you like.”

He watched the hair fall for a moment, before turning to look at me again. “I would like to come back. May I?”

“Yes,” I said, before I even realized I had uttered the word.

With a smile on his face, he climbed out the window, twisting to the side so he could fit, then started his descent.

I braced against the windowsill, my back stiff and straight as he climbed down, yet I kept turning to look at the parcel on my bed.

When the weight disappeared, I released the window and turned to the bed, my fingers trembling once more. I ripped apart the parcel.

Inside were three beautiful bright blooms. One pink, one blue and one violet.

And a note.

For your beautiful hair,

Yours,

Nick

I stared at them, twirling each one in my fingers. The bright petals were so beautiful, I had never seen anything like them. I took the pink one first, tucking it behind my ear. The other two, I tucked into the braids around my face.

A groan echoed–the door being opened.

I ran back to the window. “Nick!”

He was just walking through the door and he froze, turning back to me.

“Thank you!” I yelled, louder than I ever had before.

He cupped his hand next to his mouth. “You are welcome!”

Chapter 16

“Here we go,” Nick said, standing on the exterior wall of Rapunzel’s tower. He held his bow aloft and took aim at her windowsill. Inhaling a breath, he let the arrow fly. It hit to the right of the window, clattering against the stone, and tumbled into the garden.

Nick spat out a curse and sat on the wall, ready to drop into the garden.

“I think you missed,” a lovely female voice said.
 

Rapunzel stood in the window, the flowers he had given her two days ago still in her hair.

“Hello,” he said, smiling at her.

“Hello.” The sunshine bounced off her, making her look just as angelic as the first time he had seen her. The bruising on her face was now a distant memory. “Shooting more arrows at me today?”

“I am. Attempting to, in any case.” He shouldered his bow and glanced at the ground. Not terribly far. He should easily be able to jump down from his seated position.

“You might need more practice,” she said, leaning forward on her elbows and resting her chin on her hands.

He should climb down and get his arrow, but he could not take his eyes off her. His heart thundered in his chest for he could not get over the sunshine that seemed to glisten in her eyes.

“Archery is not my strongest skill.” Embarrassment made him look away, panning over the gardens below though he barely saw what grew there.

“How did you get the first one up here?”

This did make him look back at her. “Luck, I do believe.”

“Luck is a good thing.” She stood, her hands spread on the windowsill to either side of her. “What are you sending me today?”

“A surprise, of course.”

A short strand of hair around her face fluttered in the breeze. “Any hints?”

“No.”

“Aww.” She grinned at him. “I suppose I should let you get your arrow.”

“I suppose so.” He lowered himself into the garden, landing with a crunch on a leafy green plant he did not recognize. “Sorry,” he called up.

“That is all right,” she called down. “I cannot stand the taste of those.”

This made him laugh. “Should I step on more, then?”

She giggled. “I could tell her a wild cat stomped all over them.”

He glanced at the crushed green plants. “Should I growl while I stomp?” He did his best imitation of a mountain lion.

A peel of laughter exploded from her, as beautiful as her singing voice.

“Roar, roar!” he cried, holding his foot up to stamp on another of the leafy green vegetables.

As she laughed, she leaned her head against the window sill. “Mother would never believe it…” She stiffened, standing upright again, her posture rigid.

“I suppose I must be careful then.” He made a point to step around the rest of the vegetables and onto the main walkway, where his arrow had fallen.

He scooped it up. “Does your mother have a temper?” He used one hand to shield the sun from his eyes as he looked back at her.

She leaned forward, her arms out and hands clenched together. “Yes, she does.” Her voice was not as loud as it had been. He barely heard the words.

“She strikes you.” He did not yell, and wondered if she heard him. By her expression, he knew she had and felt like an ass for saying that aloud.

She stared at him, not moving for what felt an eternity, before slowly nodding her head.

Nick took a deep breath to steady himself. He had known. Of course he had, but seeing her acknowledge the fact sent a chill through his heart. He had to get her out of this tower.

He pulled the bow off his shoulder and picked up the arrow. “I am going to shoot now.”

“All right,” she said and ducked inside.