5 November 2022
This was just fun to write. I loved Aurora’s “oh crap” moments when Isaac showed up, and it was fun to explore the dynamic between Isaac and Phillip.
Back at their room in the inn, Isaac pulled loose and spread out a map of Lowenveil and its surroundings. Little dots and x’s had been marked all over it, concentrated especially heavily in the northwest, not far from their current location.
“What’s all this?” Phillip asked as he peered over Isaac’s shoulder.
“The results of research.” Isaac tapped the map thoughtfully, then marked a dot at the location of the farm they’d visited. He looked over the map, and then pointed to a certain forest that had a large red X over it. “No matter how I look at it, I keep coming back to this forest.”
“The X means your family’s already looked there, right?” Phillip pulled back and bit into one of the pears they’d gotten with their meal.
“Several times, in fact. Twice my father sent a whole battalion in to scout the place from brush to canopy. Nothing.”
“Well there you go.” Phillip shrugged and flopped down onto his bed.
“Yeah, but…” Isaac tapped the quill to his lips. “Every other time he’s sent his men out, their reports have been incredibly detailed. They even include the fit and color of the clothes of every citizen they spoke with. But every report on this forest is… vague. General references to birds or chipmunks. It’s not enough to be certain anything’s off, but it’s a noticeable difference.”
Phillip scrunched his eyebrows together and sat up. “So, you think there could be some kind of fairy spell in the forest keeping anyone from finding them?”
“Exactly!” Isaac jabbed his quill toward his friend.
“Okay… But, how are you going to get through, then?”
With his quill raised, Isaac opened his mouth to reply. Then he slumped and turned away. “I don’t know.”
Phillip leaned closer and stared at the map for a moment. “Does she ever come out? The fairy I mean. To buy groceries or clothes, or whatever else.”
Isaac shrugged. “I mean, probably? But how would we ever know? Fairies can shapeshift their appearance whenever they want, remember?”
“Yeah, but if every so often some random person goes wandering in and out of the forest, that’s suspicious, right? Especially if it’s a different person every time.”
For a long moment, Isaac just looked at Phillip. Then he grinned and began tearing through his own bags.
Phillip watched his friend in shock. “Wait, don’t tell me your parents never thought of that? Seems like it’d be– Just how many journals did you pack!?”
Indeed, Isaac was pulling out journal after journal, flipping through a handful of pages before tossing it aside. Finally, with an “Aha!”, he found the one he wanted.
“Of course they did. But we don’t have the manpower to watch the forest borders 24-7.” He cracked open the journal and pointed to one specific entry. “So, in one village on the edge of the forest, they get this apple merchant that comes through every so often. Maybe once every two to three months? Anyway, she’s the only one willing to risk selling apples in that part of the kingdom anymore.”
“Right. ‘Cause so many of them get stolen and ruined by our mysterious fairy.”
“Exactly. Now this merchant hasn’t always had the best of luck either which is one of the reasons she wasn’t on our watch list. But… She rarely if ever visits any of the other towns. And a major part of her outfit is always blue.”
Phillip thought for a moment. “Didn’t all the fairies get assigned a color of some kind? Like there was a green one, and a pink one, or something. Was the blue one the one that took your sister?”
“That’s the one. So we just need to track down this merchant and see if we can follow her.”
Phillip looked skeptical, but he didn’t argue. “Alright then. Now can we go to bed? I’m tired.”
Rapunzel sighed with relief and used her elbow to wipe the sweat from her brow. It looks like both Lottie and her newborn lamb would be alright. The lamb bleated as he struggled to his feet, and the two wandered away.
She hadn’t even finished rinsing the blood from her hands when the Tower flashed a yellow light at her, letting her know someone was waiting outside.
She scowled; she’d wanted to take a bath after all that. Caring for the animals was hard work. Then she hesitated. Mother had just left; she wasn’t due back for several days, and she wasn’t the type to forget something and come back for it.
In the end, when Rapunzel arrived at the reception room, she poked her head outside the window to see what was going on.
Two boys stood some twenty feet below her, a short and slender blonde and a larger brunette. The blonde boy cupped his hand around his mouth and yelled, “Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair!”
Where did he learn that? Had he overheard Mother? Rapunzel scowled down at them, then pulled her head back in. “Do you think they’re dangerous?”
The Tower clattered in a shrug, and Rapunzel took another look at the boys. The blonde had moved to the base of the Tower and had started to climb, while the brunette gesticulated wildly, probably asking the blonde what he was thinking.
With a sigh, Rapunzel released the brake to lower her hair. SHe poked her head out and yelled, “I can only take on up at a time, alright?”
The two boys exchanged glances, and the blonde grabbed onto her hair. Rapunzel began to heave, and soon he clambered through the window. He looked Rapunzel up and down, and his eyes lingered on the blood splattered on her dress and forearms. “You are… not what I expected.”
She leveled a glare at him. “Well, let’s see how you look after spending the morning helping an ewe birth their lamb.” She spun around and released the brake again to pull his friend in.
“No! That’s not what I–” Rapunzel could hear him curse under his breath behind her.
Rapunzel finally pulled the brunette in. It wasn’t easy; that boy was heavy. She had new appreciation for Mother’s ability to change her size and weight. She turned on the boys and placed her hands on her hips. “So, who are you, and what do you want?”
The brunette just stared at her, slack-jawed as a blush crept up his cheeks. Rapunzel ignored him and turned all her attention on the blonde.
He ran his fingers through his hair to the back of his neck. “Well, this isn’t going at all how I imagined it.” He extended a hand with a wry smile. “Hi. My name is Isaac. And this is my friend Phillip.”
Rapunzel moved to accept the handshake, then stopped when she heard his name. “Isaac? As in, Isaac Lowenveil? The prince?”
Isaac grew sheepish. “Um, yeah. That’s me. I wasn’t sure you’d even know who I was out here.”
Crap. Crap crap crap. Rapunzel put her hands to her temples. “Oh, this is bad. This is very, very bad.”
“Wait, what’s wrong?” Isaac reached out for her but Rapunzel pulled back and snapped her fingers.
The two boys screamed as the floor fell out from under them, and the Tower created a slide that dumped them outside. Rapunzel poked her head out to make sure they weren’t injured, then pulled back inside and sat against the wall. “Okay, Rapunzel. Think, think. How are you going to get through this?”
Isaac was struck speechless. That was definitely his sister; she had their father’s nose and flaming red hair, along with their mother’s eyes.
And she’d dumped him outside. Was she worried about Gothel’s reaction? That made sense. Did she even know who she was?
Beside him, Phillip was still in a daze, a slappy smile on his face. Something about that expression profoundly irritated Isaac, and he elbowed Phillip. “Oi.”
Phillip turned to him, still only half aware of his surroundings. “She’s an angel.”
“No, she’s my sister. And she just kicked us out while she was covered in blood. In what way is that angelic?”
“I’m serious, man. It feels like I’ve dreamed about her before.”
Isaac slugged his shoulder and glared at him. “Stop trying to hit on my sister.”
Phillip blinked a few times and shook his head. “Right, sorry about that. But dang.”
That earned him another look from Isaac, but he ignored it. The two glanced up at the window. Phillip commented, “I don’t think she’s going to pull us back up after that.”
“Yeah. I highly doubt it.” Isaac took a deep breath, and headed to the tower wall.
“You’re still thinking of climbing up there?”
“Do you have a better idea?
Phillip did not. But he did come over and crouch down next to Isaac. “Here. At least let me give you a boost.”
Isaac looked at his friend in surprise. “Thanks.”
Phillip hoisted him up, and Isaac began the climb. About halfway from where he started, though, he grabbed onto a block that sank into the wall, and the wall turned smooth beneath his grip. He shouted out as he slid all the way back to the ground.
Most recently updated draft of Rapunzel, the Sleeping Beauty (potentially including unposted content)