"Hmm." Mother glances at the silk laid out on my bed. "And this is for her too?"
I nod, though the pink wouldn't be the best colour for Ella's skin tone. I hope Mother doesn't insist on meeting her, or she'll catch me in that lie.
"What class is this girl helping you with?" Mother paces up and down as she asks me questions, making me feel as if I'm in trouble, despite the fact I don't seem to be.
I search through the classes Mother would approve of, trying to work out which one she'd believe I struggle with. She knows I'm a capable cook, so probably not that one. "Bee-keeping," I say eventually. It is a class I want to take later on in the year when one of my others ends.
"That's a useful skill to have," she muses.
"Yes, I thought so. But I've been having trouble with some of the aspects of it. Ella grew up helping her Father bee-keep, so offered the help." I need to be careful. My lie is starting to become elaborate and it'll be easier for me to trip on it.
Mother stops pacing and comes right up to me. She stares into my eyes, though I'm not sure what she's looking for.
I hold her gaze, determined not to back down despite the pounding of my heart. Now I've started to make friends who believe in me, and have a strong bond with Gavin, I'm finding it easier to remember I'm not the weakling Mother makes me believe I am.
"If I find out you're lying to me, Rapunzel, you'll regret it." Her tone doesn't change, but I don't need it to in order to hear the threat there. She knows I understand too. Mother is a cold woman, that much is for certain.
I nod, not trusting myself to say a word. It's not worth it, and I don't want to anger her.
A bell rings somewhere in the castle, giving me the out I need.
"I have to get to class, Mother," I say. "I didn't submit a request to miss lessons." It's a little dig at her arriving without telling me, though I'm sure it doesn't bother her. Mother doesn't care.
"Hmm." She doesn't say anything else, but spins around and stalks off.
I frown. What's going on? She's acting stranger than normal. And that's saying something.
Mother opens the door, then stops and turns to face me.
"You'll regret crossing me, Rapunzel."
I blink a couple of times, trying to work out if she means a hypothetical crossing, or if it's something she thinks I've already done.
The door slams shut behind her. I breathe a sigh of relief. I'm always so tense when Mother's around, it can't be good for me.
I'm not sure what prompts it, but I rush over to the door and pull it open. My stomach drops like a stone despite the fact there's nothing there. I shake my head. I'm making something out of nothing. I need to put Mother out of my mind and focus on my meeting with Ella and her friends.
Chapter Nine
The cool air whips my hair around me. I wish I'd tied it up, but Gavin seems to like it loose, and I don't see the point of having hair like mine if I keep it tied up all the time. Though sometimes, that is the more practical option.
I wrap my cloak tighter around me. The cold is a surprise. The summer air seems to have taken on a chill I've only ever experienced in winter. It worries me. Though not as much as Mother's visit earlier did. I even went to check the collection of things I've been keeping in secret in case my prophecy begins. Mother's never caused that reaction in me before, I'm not sure what it is about this visit that's made me suspicious.
The gravel on the path to my left crunches under someone's foot as they make their way towards me. My heart skips a beat at the thought of Gavin arriving. I haven't seen him all day between our class schedules, and I'm looking forward to spending more time with him.
Except, it's not him. Instead, the red cloak of one of the Huntsmen swishes around a tall man's feet. He doesn't stop to acknowledge me, which isn't a surprise. The Huntsmen are a law unto themselves, despite the fact they attend the academy with the rest of us. Most of them don't come to the same lessons though. They spend most of their time training in the mini-camp they have in as cordoned off part of the woods. I'm not sure what's even there. Not a lot of students have seen it, and even fewer talk about it.
Once the man's passed, it falls silent again save for the chirping of the birds in the trees as they settle down for the night. That's what Gavin and I should be doing too. We're planning on taking a walk around the lake, then going inside and sitting by the fire with a simple meal from the kitchens.
Except, he's not here. And it isn't like him to be late. In the entire time we've been courting, he's only missed the start of a date once, and he sent a message ahead.
First Mother doesn't send a note ahead, then Gavin, both in one day. Is there something wrong with me that's making people want to take me off guard like this? Our conversation this morning seemed normal too. And he brought me a present. One I'm looking forward to trying with him later. But that raises the question of where he is and why he's not come to meet me?
A bell rings inside the castle. No doubt it’s the end of the dinner sitting. We can still get food from the kitchens, which is what Gavin and I are planning anyway, but the selection is a lot smaller now dinner is over.
Anger begins to rise inside me. If he's going to be this late, then he should at least have the decency to send a message ahead. I'm not asking too much, I don't think.
"Come on, Gavin, don't do this to me," I mutter into the wind.
If he doesn't show in another couple of minutes, I'm going back inside and getting dinner for myself. This day has been hard enough with Mother's visit...
Oh. No.
What if she did see him? And her parting words were about something she'd done to him? It would explain the feeling of dread I'd had all day, and the way she was acting.
I don't waste another moment, convinced I'm right. I rush into the academy, ignoring the other students even though some of them call out to me. I don't care about them right now. There's something far more important I need to do. If I'm right about Mother being behind Gavin's sudden disappearance, then it can only mean one thing. Mother is the reason my prophecy happens. She's the one who has been pulling the strings the entire time.
And that's dangerous. I've lived with her my entire life, I know how handy she is with plants and herbs, it would be a simple matter to make Gavin blind and mad with grief.
And I've done that to him. It's been etched into my mind that falling in love will lead to this disaster, and yet I did it anyway. I should have stopped it. More importantly, I should have told him.
I scramble to get the key into my door, and unlock it.
I rush over to the closet and fling it open. I flop down onto the floor and start digging through the linen on the shelf. At the back is the tiny vial that's going to help turn everything around.
I pull it out and stare at the softly sloshing green liquid. If Mother knew I had this, she'd have smashed it long ago, especially if she's the one behind my prophecy.
"I'm so sorry, Gavin," I whisper to the air.
I close my eyes and lean back against the trunk filled with fabric and some of my other belongings. If I'm right about what's happening, then Gavin will have every reason to hate me. I got him into this situation, and even if I get him out of it, he probably won't forgive me. I won't forgive me. I should have done more to stop this.
"Pull yourself together, Rapunzel," I scold myself.
It doesn't matter how Gavin feels about me when all of this is over. I have to get this cure to him, or he'll be blind and mad forever, and that's not fair. I have to undo the damage Mother has done, even if my own heart will still break.
At least it'll probably mean my own prophecy will be broken too. Though I'm not sure how that's going to work considering Mother is paying my academy bills. If she stops, I'm not sure what will happen to me.
I push those thoughts to the side. The worries aren't helping me find a solution, nor are they helping me find Gavin. If the worst happens and I end up without a home, I can rely on the skill Ella has reminded me I have. I won'
t be destitute, and I won't have to be alone. I can pick up the pieces of my broken heart while making dresses and earning my keep that way. Perhaps there'll even be a shop hiring in the village outside the academy, then I can keep seeing the girls who are quickly becoming my friends.
Right. That settles it. First, I have to find Gavin and give him the antidote I've been keeping for this specific moment. Then I can sort out the rest of it.
I climb to my feet, a new determination spurring me on. No matter what she thinks, Mother isn't going to win this one. She's underestimated the strength I have, and I'm going to prove it.
I think through the things I know about my prophecy in an attempt to work out where Gavin may be. I'm sure some of the things in it are lies Mother made up to throw me off the scent, but there must be a decent amount of truth in them. After all, I'm here in a tower with long hair, and I fell in love. They're all good indications that at least some parts of my prophecy are true.
The gardens. In my prophecy, the man I fall in love with is banished from my tower, so it stands to reason he's outside. It's a lot of space to search, but if I start now, I may be able to find him before dawn.
At least, that's my hope.
Chapter Ten
The wind has picked up, making it even colder out here now, but I don't care. I have a mission and I'm going to see it through to the end no matter how much time it takes.
"Gavin?" I call out as I rush down the steps.
I slip my hand into my pocket to check I have the bottle of antidote securely in it. The last thing I need is to find Gavin and then not be able to cure him because I lost it.
The path splits in two, stopping me for a moment as I think about the best way to search in the most efficient way. I keep calling for him the entire time, and turn to the left, towards the woods. There's still a bit of light left, and I'd rather be there while I can still see properly, than later when it's dark and eerie.
"Gavin!"
Nothing answers save for the rush of the wind through the trees.
My eyes sting ever so slightly, and I wonder what's causing it. I touch my fingers to the skin under my left eye, and bring it away wet with tears. I haven't even realised I'm crying. I have to find him. Guilt is starting to well up within me, alongside the anger of what Mother has done. What is she trying to do to me? And why? That's the part that confuses me the most. She's never been the best parent, always seeming to deign to speak to me rather than caring for me, but that's not the same as wanting to send me crazy and out into a desert to be lost for the rest of my days.
I close my eyes and try to work out the next way to go. I'm trusting my instincts, though I'm not sure why. I've never felt like I know what I'm doing. Until I came to Grimm Academy, I wasn't even sure what I wanted to do with my life.
Unsure if it's the right move, I turn left. It'll take me a small way into the woods, but I won't go too far in. I don't think Gavin will have gotten lost in there. The first time he runs into a tree he can't see, he'll turn around and stumble back to the castle. At least, I hope that's the case, or finding him is going to be a lot harder than I thought.
I swallow my fear and move deeper in.
After what feels like about ten minutes, I hear the murmur of a voice in the woods. I frown. The Huntsmen aren't in this part, as far as I'm aware. So who is it? Could it be Gavin talking to himself and trying to get free of the trees?
I head towards the voice. I don't have any better leads, and it's better to check it and be wrong instead of missing him and losing a chance to find him.
Disappointment fills me as the voice gets louder and more obviously female. Until I realise that I recognise it. I hurry forward, anxious to find out why Mother is hiding in the woods by the academy. It may explain why she's been turning up more, but I don't know why she'd do that. Then again, it's turning out I don't know anything about her.
When I get to the clearing, I crouch down behind one of the bushes so I can get some idea of what she's doing and why.
I gasp as I spot Gavin tied to the tree, a bandage over his eyes. If I'm lucky, she hasn't made him blind yet, and we can escape that part of the prophecy without any harm coming to him.
"Rapunzel is the one who brought you to me," Mother taunts him. "If it wasn't for her, you wouldn't be in this situation."
"You're lying," Gavin shouts.
My heart skips a beat. Perhaps we'll have a chance together after all. So long as I can save him.
A rustle to my left makes me jump, and I look up to see one of the huntsmen standing there. My eyes widen. I gesture to him to come closer, seeing this as my chance to ask for back up. Everyone at the academy knows how important it is to stop prophecies, and even the Huntsmen have to deal with them. This could be my chance for help.
"Is everything all right?" he asks softly.
I shake my head. "My prophecy, and that boy's prophecy, are happening," I admit, gesturing to Gavin. "But I think I need help."
He nods. "Do you know the woman?"
I bite my lip. "That's my Mother."
He reaches out and puts a reassuring hand on my arm. "I'm sorry."
I smile bitterly. He doesn't need to tell me that. I know he's sorry. Just about everyone who knows anything about prophecies will be sorry. This is a bad situation to be in for everyone.
"Give me five minutes, then go in and distract her. I'll get my unit in place and we'll circle the clearing. When we're in position, we'll close ranks and take her into custody," he says.
I close my eyes and breathe out a sigh of relief, finally feeling like I may be able to get both of us out of here. "Thank you," I whisper.
"You're welcome." He doesn't say anything else, and disappears off into the forest, hopefully to do what he said he would.
I start counting in my head, not wanting to go into the clearing too early and waste our chance. I watch Mother closely as I do, though she's not doing anything interesting now she's stopped taunting Gavin.
My gaze slips over to him, but he's not doing anything either. I hope his eyes are all right. If he isn't wandering around blind, then there's a chance he's not going to hurt himself majorly, but I don't want him to suffer in any way.
I glance around me to try and find any trace of the Huntsmen once the five minutes have passed, but I can't see any of them. I have to trust them. They won't play with people's lives, I'm sure they're there waiting.
"Mother!" I shout as I walk into the clearing.
She jerks her head up, and then a sly smile crosses her face. "Why, Rapunzel, I didn't expect to see you here."
Gavin whimpers at the sound of my name, but doesn't say anything. I wish I could go to him, but right now, keeping Mother distracted is the more important job.
"You mean you didn't expect me to work it out, or you thought I'd be too weak to do something about it?"
She cackles. "I can't say I thought about you at all, dear."
"She's your daughter, why are you talking to her like that?" Gavin demands.
I wince. Why is he putting himself in danger by saying things like that?
"She's not my daughter," Mother says, disbelief in her tone. "Haven't you worked that out yet?" she asks me.
My blood runs cold. "What do you mean?" I'm trying to put the pieces together, but I can't work out what goes where.
"You were a payment. I gave my services as a healer to your parents, and they didn't pay me. By the laws of my kind, I can take what's most precious to them," she sneers.
I can't say anything, even though I know I should. I'm supposed to be distracting her, and yet she's done a better job of shocking me.
She laughs again, triumph in her tone. "Your face is a picture. I should have told you this years ago."
"Why send me here, then?" I whisper.
"I needed you to fall in love." She shrugs. "There's nothing more delicious than a broken heart, and this way, I got two."
"You could have told me I didn't have a prophecy, though."
"You
know nothing about children, Rapunzel," she muses. "Tell a child not to do something, and they end up doing it quicker. How long did it take you after getting here to fall in love?"
I glance in Gavin's direction, but don't answer.
"Let him go," I insist.
She shakes her head. "I want two broken hearts. His is one of them."
"It's not going to happen," Gavin says, determination in every word. "I know your plan, I'm not going to let you taint me against Rapunzel."
"Oh you foolish child," Mother says. Well, Not-Mother, but without knowing her name, I can't think of her as anything else. "I can break your heart a lot of ways. I'll tear the two of you apart and wait as one of your hearts break, and then the other. I'm a patient woman, and they're worth the wait." She licks her lips.
A shudder runs down my spine. She's planning on eating our hearts. I don't have any words for how disturbing that is.
I spot the red cloak of one of the Huntsmen standing in the bushes behind her. Relief floods me. They've done what they said they're going to, and now they're in position. I stand a chance of getting the two of us out of here.
"I'm not going to let that happen," I say, moving myself so I'm in between her and Gavin.
She smirks, convinced she's got the upper hand.
Bushes all around the clearing rustle, and Huntsmen jump out from them. Within moments. Mother is surrounded by them, shrieking and demanding they let her go. I smile to myself, enjoying it for a moment. I know they're not going to listen to her. Mother will be up in the academy in front of the Headmistress in no time. I'm not sure where they are, but I know the castle has holding cells for people like Mother who encourage the prophecies.
Certain that part of the plan is under control, I turn to the tree Gavin is tied to. I start fiddling with the knot, trying to get it loose so I can free him.
"I'm sorry I didn't warn you sooner," I whisper.
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