21 November 2022
Looking over this, it kind of seems like I was all over the place. Bouncing from one scene to another. Part of that has to do with the fact that as we’re getting close to the end of the month, I actually have been really close to wrapping up the first draft, which makes this more of a novella than a novel I suppose. And due to the disjointed way I approached the project, I needed to take time to fill in the gaps between scenes. There is some new stuff, of course; Aurora’s second confrontation with Maleficent, for example, right as we hit the climax.
Isaac grit his teeth, as he knelt behind a fragment of the wall. How many men had he lost already? Was there anything he could do about the dragon’s fire breath?
The dragon sniffed the air again, and turned to look right at him. She began to suck in, and Isaac knew this was the end. There was no way he’d be able to get away in time. He sighed in resignation; while he didn’t regret anything, he did wish his citizens didn’t have to be the ones to pay the price.
Right before the dragon released her fire breath, however, a transparent, violet-colored image of a stone wall appeared between him and the dragon, then materialized into stone right as the flames hit. Isaac watched in awe as they bore the brunt of the flames without any signs of melting or burning.
On Isaac’s side of the new wall, it shifted to form a door, which opened to reveal Aurora looking quite proud of herself. She grinned at Isaac then turned to stare up at the dragon. “What do you need us to do?”
(Near the climax, after the second half of the dragon fight)
Aurora was incredibly apprehensive as she approached the fortress of thorns and roses. When she finally stepped inside, she found Maleficent focusing intently on some magic.
It took a moment for Maleficent to notice her presence. When the witch-queen finally saw her, her eyes widened, and she slowly walked up to Aurora. Aurora bit her lower lip and looked away. Maleficent slapped her and said, “You foolish, foolish girl!”
Before Aurora could protest, however, Maleficent dropped to her knees in front of Aurora, and Aurora was shocked to see tears in her eyes. She pulled Aurora into a hug and whispered, “I thought we’d lost you forever.”
“I’m sorry.”
Maleficent pulled back. “You understand, though, right? How dangerous fate-spinning is. I still cannot let you do this.”
“What if I had help?” Aurora gestured, and a mini Tower formed beside her.
Maleficent looked surprised, and considered the idea for a moment. Finally, though, she shook her head. “The risks are still far too great.”
She turned to leave, and Aurora had to force herself to keep calm. Then she called after Maleficent, “If there’s no hope in saving them, why did you keep them alive?”
Maleficent turned to her, one eyebrow raised. Aurora took a deep breath and continued, “I think somewhere, deep down, you’re hoping they can be saved. Maybe you’re even planning on saving them yourself.”
(After Aurora reunites with Frederick, when they’ve said Gothel is harmless)
Frederick frowned and turned to Conners. “Your thoughts?”
Conners thought for a moment. “Isaac’s always had a good head on his shoulders, and I would assume your daughter is similar. That said, it might not be a bad idea to leave a small contingent of men nearby to keep a watch on the forest, just to be safe.”
Frederick nodded to her. “Make it happen.”
Conners saluted and began ordering her men around. Frederick gestured to Rapunzel and Isaac. “Shall we head in? We have a lot to talk about.”
Conversation was incredibly awkward at first. Rapunzel had no idea what to say to the king, and Frederick looked just as lost as she was. There were a few false starts, from both sides, and Isaac did his best to bridge the gap, but both Rapunzel and the king were too self-conscious to relax and let the conversation flow.
Eventually, Frederick asked, “So… What are your plans going forward?”
Rapunzel bit her lip. Plans? For what? Three days from now? She had to take a minute to calm herself down. “Well, first off, I’d like to formally remove myself from the line of succession, if that hasn’t already been taken care of.”
Frederick nodded. “May I ask your reasons?”
“There are two main ones. First, Isaac’s trained all his life to take your place as king, correct?” Frederick and Isaac both nodded, and Rapunzel continued. “I haven’t. I’ve been living in the Tower my whole life. That alone would be reason enough. However…” A ghost of a smile flit across her features. “If I am, somehow, alive here in another week, I’m not exactly going to be in any condition to rule.”
Frederick grimaced. “So you are aware of that, at least.”
Rapunzel nodded, and Frederick sank, like the weight of the world had just settled on his shoulders. “Well, at least we get to have a few days together, right?”
“Yeah.” Rapunzel wasn’t sure how to respond to that.
They continued talking for the next few hours. Rapunzel talked about her paintings, and the Tower and everything it did to take care of her. She tried to make a point to avoid talking about Gothel too much, especially some of her…issues. Frederick talked about the kingdom and his goals for it a bit, but mostly he talked about Isaac and Hannah and their life together, including a number of embarrassing stories, to Isaac’s chagrin. Isaac himself would interject here and there, and sometimes gave as good as he got.
Just as the sun began to set, a woman burst in, with wavy, dark brown hair. It took Rapunzel a moment to recognize her as Queen Hannah.
“Mom!?” Isaac stood, shock written all over his face. “How did you get here so fast? You were two weeks away; I didn’t think you were going to make it!”
“I had help,” Hannah replied. She dipped her head to her husband, and then walked over to Rapunzel and rested a hand on her cheek. She stared deep into Rapunzel’s eyes for a long moment. Then Hannah smiled and hugged Rapunzel tight.
Rapunzel wasn’t really sure if she should reciprocate or not. Before she decided to return the hug, Hannah pulled back and smiled at her. “It’s so good to see you.”
Rapunzel broke eye contact and looked at the floor. “I’m sorry. I know you guys are my parents, and you’ve been searching for me for ages. I know you love me. But… It’s all a bit surreal, to me. I don’t really know you yet.”
“That’s alright, sweetie. Take your time.” Then Hannah’s face fell, as if she, too, just remembered time was something Rapunzel didn’t have a lot of,
To Rapunzel’s surprise, though, rather than getting depressed or weepy, Hannah’s expression grew determined. “Well, for now, we’ll do what we can, alright? Tell me if your father or I start acting too familiar.”
Rapunzel gave her an awkward smile. “Alright.”
(Returning to the climax scene with Maleficent earlier)
“Would it matter if I was?”
Aurora sucked in a deep breath, and bowed her head low. “Please let me help. You’re right; I don’t know what I’m doing. But the two of us together have a better chance than either of us alone, right?”
Maleficent frowned, and over the next minute or so her eyes never left Aurora’s face. “You must do exactly as I say, is that clear?”
Aurora straightened and nodded. Maleficent continued, “That means if I tell you to leave for your own safety, you will. Understood?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Maleficent sighed. “Very well. Come this way.” She peered past Aurora. “And you, boy. You have faerie sight, correct? You come too. They’re your parents, as well, and having a second pair of eyes that can see what we’re doing can’t hurt.”
Aurora gasped and spun around. Isaac stepped out from behind the bushes and smiled awkwardly. Part of her wanted to get mad, but her more rational side realized that would be hypocritical.
Most recently updated draft of Rapunzel, the Sleeping Beauty (potentially including unposted content)