The Golden Braid

by Melanie Dickerson

  What must his mother have felt, being yelled at and beaten by her husband?

  He had not cried over his mother’s death since he was a little boy, but now, as he continued to kneel before the altar and crucifix, he wept for his mother, and he wept for himself and the guilt, shame, and pain of what had happened to her, of what his father had done, killing her in a drunken rage. He wept for the older brother who had been his hero but who had taken his grief out in anger on Gerek. And he wept for Rapunzel, the courageous young woman who had saved his life, who had gracefully endured his ingratitude and irritability when he had been forced to teach her to read. She was clever and beautiful, and she had no one to protect her from the one person who should love her the most.

  Just like his mother.

  When Gerek looked up, the crucifix was glowing.

  Take the north road toward Thornbeck and listen for my instruction.

  The words just seemed to appear in his mind. When no other words came, he fell prostrate on his face. “Thank you, Sovereign God. Worthy are you, O Lord. I thank you with all my heart.”

  He stood up, the weight gone from his shoulders.

  He went to the Great Hall and found all his friends gathering for the evening meal. They clapped him on the back, asking, “Did you find the girl, Rapunzel?”

  If he had expected them to tease him for still looking for a maidservant, he was surprised to see that they seemed genuinely concerned for her.

  “After what Frau Adelheit said, we all looked, but there was no sign of her. It was as if she vanished.”

  But Gerek had guidance now. He knew where to look, or at least where to start—the road to Thornbeck. He believed he would get further instruction when he needed it.

  He had also decided on a new course that filled him with joy—he would ask Rapunzel to be his wife.

  Rapunzel gazed out the window. She still shouted for help sometimes, even though her shouts had never brought anyone. It seemed worth the effort anyway, and Gothel was usually gone all day and only came back at night to bring food and water and to sleep.

  Every night Gothel still asked her, “Won’t you sing to me tonight, Rapunzel, one of your songs?”

  She had not sung a single note or thought of a single verse of song since Gothel had taken her away from Hagenheim.

  Rapunzel always answered, “I will sing when you set me free.”

  Today Gothel smiled as she was preparing to leave for the day. “I will have another child soon.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I am attending a young maiden who is with child. She doesn’t want it and says she will give it to me.”

  Rapunzel tried to think of something to say. Gothel would do this to another person, the same thing she had done to Rapunzel—poison her against men—and poison her literally if she ever defied her and tried to get away.

  “Then you will not need me anymore,” Rapunzel said. “You can set me free.”

  Gothel simply shook her head, averting her gaze. “I cannot do that, of course.”

  When she was gone, Rapunzel stared out the window. Leaves had started growing on the trees, particularly the tree that was nearest Rapunzel’s window. The air was warmer, the sun stayed out a little longer, and the birds tweeted and sang from early morning to night. The squirrels and chipmunks were hard at work, scurrying around, gathering food. And Rapunzel was still trapped.

  Where was Sir Gerek today? She couldn’t stop hoping that he was searching for her and would find her someday. It was too painful to think otherwise. It occupied so many of her thoughts, especially when she lay awake at night. The pain of being trapped, the injustice of what Gothel had done, was so heavy in her chest, she couldn’t even cry. Oftentimes she just felt numb.

  Her comfort was the three books that Sir Gerek had loaned her and she read them every day. She supposed she was getting lazy because she hadn’t even tried to memorize them. It was the consequence of being able to read and to actually have the books in her possession.

  Today she opened to where she had left off in the letter to the Romans. She read, “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” That was certainly a passage she could easily commit to memory. She read on. When she reached chapter fifteen, there seemed to be a lot of verses about hope. Rapunzel’s hungry heart latched onto them.

  “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

  She could easily let anger close her off from hope. And fear of disappointment would cause hope to wither. She had to believe Sir Gerek would find her. Besides, Frau Adelheit knew she was the daughter of Duke Wilhelm and Lady Rose. She would keep sending knights out to look for her. But what if Frau Adelheit didn’t want to hurt Lady Rose again? She would not want them to know that their long-lost daughter, whom they had mourned for many years, might still be alive, if there was any possibility they might never find her. Frau Adelheit wouldn’t want them to go through unnecessary pain.

  Perhaps she had not told anyone. Perhaps no one was looking for her.

  But Sir Gerek would look for her. He might not want to marry her, but he was still her friend. He would certainly try to find her and save her. He would surely realize that Gothel had done something to her. He knew of her threats.

  She had been through all these thoughts many times before. They ran through her mind like a pack of dogs chasing their tails. At night, when she couldn’t sleep, she wondered if there was anyone anywhere in the world who thought of her, cared about her, loved her.

  No. She would not think like that. “ ‘Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer,’ ” she said aloud.

  Tears stung her eyes. It was painful to hope, but it was better than despair. She could not, would not despair.

  But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love.

  The words seemed to leap into her mind. She sat staring up at the sky. Thank you, God. Thank you. My hope is in your unfailing love.

  Instantly, a song rose inside her and she began to sing. She sang new words, a new song to God, in praise of his hope and his unfailing love. When she had sung for several minutes, she stopped and whispered, “I will never sing for Mother again, but I will sing to you, God, as long as I have hope.”

  Gerek followed the north road toward Thornbeck. When he had been traveling for three days, he saw a small piece of paper on the ground about five or six feet off the road.

  He dismounted, walked over, and picked it up. The paper had obviously gotten wet and then dried, as the writing on one side was faded from the sun and rain. The other side also had writing. It had been torn and only had a few words on each side, but the words were familiar. Suddenly, he realized it was from The Poem of the Cid.

  Rapunzel had his book. Could she have had it with her, in her pocket, when Gothel snatched her?

  He quickly grabbed Donner’s reins and pulled the horse off the road, searching the ground. There, up ahead, was another piece of paper.

  He ran and seized it and read the words. The first letter on the page had a familiar style, flowery and decorated with purple and gold paint. Yes, it was his book. He was sure of it. Praise to God in heaven, now he would find her!

  He hurried forward, finding a faint trail, which paralleled the road. As he went, he found another piece of paper, then another. Then, away from the road, he found evidence of a fire, as if someone had spent the night there. He searched around the abandoned fire but he saw no more pieces of paper.

  God, what now? Where should I go? He closed his eyes, forcing back the panic and frustration and concentrating on listening.

  Keep going. He was supposed to keep going, of course, but where? In the same direction.

  Gerek went back to the road, which was nearby, and kept going in the same general direction Rapunzel’s trail had gone. Within half an hour, he arrived at a village. It was around midday and he paused
to look around.

  Several men were sitting outside the bakery, so he headed that direction.

  “That’s a beauty of a horse,” one man said, moving the straw in his mouth so he could spit.

  “He’s strong, but he’s skittish of loud noises.” Gerek and the man talked for a few minutes about horses and other animals. Finally, Gerek asked, “Have you seen two women around here, strangers, one very young and fair, and the other about middle age with a mole just here on her cheek?” He pointed to his own face. “They were probably traveling with one or two donkeys and a cart.”

  The man twisted his mouth to the side, as if trying to remember. “No, not two women. But there has been a woman with a mole as you describe. She’s small and slight?”

  “Yes, that’s her.”

  “She’s been buying food from my wife every day. She won’t say who she is or what she’s doing here. She only just came about . . .”

  “Six or seven weeks ago?”

  He cocked his head to one side. “Ja, about.”

  Gerek’s heart thumped against his chest.

  “She comes to my house in the forest, not too far from here, every morning and every evening. She pays money. I told my wife not to keep selling her our food. What do we need of money? It’s food we need, not coin.”

  He would have to lie in wait outside the man’s house and follow Gothel back to wherever she went, or force her to tell him where she was hiding Rapunzel. He refused to believe she was not still alive.

  “I heard a woman ghost.” A boy skipped toward them. He looked about ten or eleven years old.

  “A woman ghost?” Gerek asked him.

  “I heard her singing, in the tower of the old castle. All I could see was long blond hair in the window, and everybody knows that the tower is abandoned. That’s how I knew it was a ghost.”

  His heart went from pounding fast to stopping and stuttering. “Did you call out to her? Did she know you were there?”

  He shook his head. “My Oma taught me to run away from spirits, should I ever see one.”

  “Will you take me to the tower? I’ll give you anything you want.”

  “Will you give me my own knife?”

  Gerek opened his saddlebag and pulled out his extra knife. “Do you like this one?”

  His eyebrows shot up and he nodded.

  “Let’s go.”

  Gerek led Donner by his reins and followed the boy through the village and into the woods. He wished the boy would go faster. They were following a trail through the woods, with bushes and brambles and beech trees on either side.

  Finally, the boy said, “It’s just ahead. But I don’t want to get too close. I don’t want the ghost to get me.”

  “As soon as we see the tower, I’ll give you the knife and you can go.”

  The boy nodded and kept walking. In another minute, he pointed. “It’s there.”

  A gray stone tower was just visible through the trees in a clearing ahead.

  Gerek gave him the knife, and the little boy smiled and ran back the way they had come. Gerek strode forward, his eyes on the tower window, his heart pounding. When he was almost to the clearing, he tied Donner to a tree. As he did, he heard Rapunzel singing.

  The breath rushed out of him. The song was different from the one he had heard Rapunzel singing before, but the voice was the same.

  Gerek’s heart leapt. He left Donner and ran toward the tower, unsheathing his sword as he went, in case Gothel was nearby.

  Just as he entered the clearing, he saw long blond hair flowing out of the highest window of the tower.

  “Rapunzel.”

  Her face appeared in the window. “Gerek!” She covered her mouth with her hand.

  He stopped at the foot of the tower, looking all around for a way up to her. “Is there a door?”

  “The only way up or down is with the rope.” She pointed to the rope and pulley wheel. “I prayed and prayed to escape. But I knew you would come and find me. I knew you would.” Her voice cracked on the last word, and she bit her lip, as though to hold back tears.

  He sheathed his sword, took hold of the rope, and quickly raised the bucket up to her window. “Rapunzel, come down. I will catch you if you fall.”

  She disappeared from the window. Was her mother up there? Was she trying to hurt her?

  “Where are you?”

  “I’m here.” She was smiling, her face radiant as she held a bundle under one arm.

  He held tight to the rope—and held his breath—while she stepped out of the window, putting one foot in the bucket and holding on to the rope, then she put her other foot in. She kept her eyes on him the whole time as he slowly lowered her with the rope.

  His heart pounded faster the closer she got to him.

  When she was still a few feet from the ground, she let go of the rope and reached for his shoulders. He caught her in his arms, and she buried her face in his neck.

  “I have you,” he whispered, letting his lips brush her temple. “I have you.”

  Her feet dangled above the ground, and she laughed. Her whole body shook in his arms. Gradually, her laughter sounded more like sobbing.

  “What did she do to you?” he murmured against her hair, holding her tight. She was so thin, he could feel her ribs.

  He lowered her bare feet to the ground and she loosened her hold enough that he was able to look at her face. Tears trembled on her eyelashes. She pressed her lips together and shook her head.

  “I wish you could take me away from here before she comes back. But . . . she is planning to take another baby and raise her up in this madness. We have to stop her.”

  The pain in her eyes was almost unbearable. “Your safety is more important than anything else.”

  She shook her head. “I am well, but I cannot be at peace until Gothel is stopped. She stole me away from my parents, and I can’t bear to think of her doing the same to someone else.”

  His heart swelled at her bravery. This was the lady he wanted by his side—and in his arms—for the rest of his life.

  “Very well. I shall find her and bring her back to Hagenheim.”

  Rapunzel’s heart soared at the protective look on Sir Gerek’s face. He had come for her! It would be so much easier to cling to him and let him take her away as fast as possible and not look back. But how could she rest if Gothel was running around free and able to hurt someone else? No, she should not get distracted by how noble he looked, or how compassionate his deep voice sounded when he’d said her safety was more important.

  Even with a few days of stubble on his jaw and chin, he was still the most handsome man she had ever seen. And she was so grateful she had changed into her best dress, a pink silk bliaud with purple trim, this morning after Gothel had brought enough water for her to bathe.

  “She always goes in this direction.” She started to walk toward the west, but Sir Gerek did not move. He was staring down at her face. She met his eye and he did not look away. What was he thinking? Had he missed her?

  “I’m so glad I found you.” He put his arms around her again, and she buried her face in his chest.

  “Thank you. Thank you for finding me.” How comfortable and good it felt to be close to him, to feel his arms around her. But she had no right to cling to him this way. He was marrying Lady Lankouwen.

  She pulled away and turned toward Gothel’s trail through the woods.

  “Wait. Let us go get my horse.”

  She turned to follow Sir Gerek, but he stayed close by her side as they made their way to the horse.

  A slight rustling sound came from behind them.

  Rapunzel turned, clutching Sir Gerek’s arm.

  Gothel stood several feet behind them.

  “So you found her, did you?” Gothel narrowed her eyes at Sir Gerek.

  Rapunzel’s heart raced as she clung to him.

  Gerek said, “Give yourself up to me, Gothel. I am taking you back to Hagenheim.”

  “I do not think so.” Gothel sn
eered. “If you try to take me, I will kill her.” She flicked her gaze at Rapunzel.

  Gerek placed his body between Rapunzel and Gothel and drew his sword. “I will never let you harm her again.”

  “Come and get me then.” Gothel cackled a laugh that sent a chill up his spine as she headed back into the forest.

  Gerek went after her, and Rapunzel followed.

  They ran through the trees, and in a few moments, Gerek had nearly caught up with Gothel. Then he stopped, holding his arm out to stop Rapunzel as well.

  “It’s a trap,” he whispered.

  Gothel spun around and held up a dagger. “Come and get me.”

  Gerek didn’t move. “I see the rope snare you set for me. You might as well give yourself up. All I have to do is walk around it.” Then he proceeded to skirt around the snare that was all but hidden in the leaves, but Rapunzel saw the rope running up the tree beside it.

  “Get back.” Gothel lunged at him with the long knife blade.

  Gerek swung his sword. His blade connected with hers and knocked her knife to the ground. He stomped his foot down on it, then grabbed Gothel by the arms and pulled her hands behind her back. Gothel screamed, a sound of rage.

  Sir Gerek held her by her wrists while she screamed out threats and insults. He pulled her back through the woods toward the tower, and Rapunzel bent and snatched up Gothel’s dagger and slipped it into her own pocket.

  Once they reached the clearing, with Gothel still heaping abuse on both Sir Gerek and Rapunzel, Sir Gerek walked around to the back side of the tower. There was the donkey Gothel had used to pull the cart.

  Sir Gerek nodded toward the donkey, keeping his hold on Gothel. Rapunzel quickly untied the animal, then they all walked back to Sir Gerek’s horse, just as Gothel seemed to be running out of breath.

  “You’ll be sorry you did this,” Gothel threatened. “I’ll kill you both in your sleep. I stabbed Reginald through the heart, and I’ll do the same to you.”

  Rapunzel gasped. How could Gothel kill the man she had once loved? But she had said Sir Reginald had rejected her again, that he was planning to marry someone else. Perhaps her hatred was stronger because she had loved him once. But the thought of her stabbing and killing the man made the bile rise in her throat, so she pushed it away and concentrated on Sir Gerek’s movements.