by K. C. Hilton
Was he serious? “Look, you're a nice guy, and I've enjoyed spending time with you, but this has to end. This, whatever we have between us, will never amount to anything, and for that I'm sorry.” I opened the door, got out of his car, and headed up the lane. It wasn't that I didn't want to have something between us. Our friendship had grown, and it would have been nice to see where it might have gone, but I just couldn't. Besides, I was too old for him in both years and experiences.
Gretta's words kept swimming through my mind. Why was I even thinking about marriage? Gretta was right. This friendship had to end now. I couldn't let it go on any longer. It wasn't like we were in love or anything, but the promise of hope was strong in the back of my mind. There was no hope for me. I would always be unloved.
I heard John’s footsteps behind me. He placed his hand on my arm and tugged me back until I turned to face him. I should have just kept on going and ignored him. But I didn’t. He wasn't making this any easier. Why didn’t he just leave me alone?
“Rapunzel, wait. Just wait.” Sincerity shined from his eyes. Somewhere between our meetings, picnics, and stories, we had found a connection.
“I can't be with you, John. It would never work.” I hung my head. I didn't want to see the hurt in his eyes nor did I want him to see it in mine.
He lifted my chin. “Rapunzel, look at me.”
I lifted my gaze. His eyes were filled with hope. I could see it and I could feel it. My pulse raced at his soft touch.
Before I could utter a word, John's mouth covered mine, and my arms found their way around his neck, pulling him closer to me. We had shared a kiss once before, but this one was different. It was an escape. I was lost in a blissful moment of pure rapture. Then I heard it. That familiar sound that kept me prisoner in my home.
The dragon.
We were out in the open and too far away from the trees. I scanned the sky. He was close. The dragon's roars were angry and full of pain. Was it hurt? Something was wrong! But what?
John saw the dragon at the same time I did. He gasped and pointed to the sky. “It's a dragon! A real, live dragon!”
The dragon swooped toward us. His roar shook the ground.
“You need to go!” I pushed John toward his car. “Go! Now!”
John couldn’t seem to peel his gaze from the erratic flight of the angry dragon. Didn’t he understand what he was looking at?
I pushed on his body and tried to jolt him out of his shock. I suppose I would act the same way if I was John, but he was going to be ashes if he didn't leave.
Why was the dragon so angry?
“I thought you were making it up,” John whispered, his eyes searching the sky.
“You didn't believe me?” I stumbled backward. “I thought you believed me! I thought we had something, but you didn't trust me.” To think I actually thought I could trust him with my story. That he wanted to help me. Looked like I'd fallen for it again.
Maybe I should feed him to the dragon.
“Well, it was a little far fetched, but Luke’s letters said…I mean, besides, who would ever believe a dragon actually existed? And what about the witch? I've never met her.”
What did he know of Luke? Luke had been gone for a hundred years.
“Not once did you provide concrete proof that your story was true. Was I supposed to take you by your word? I'm a reporter. I need to have the facts. But now that I've seen a real dragon.” John paused and ran his hand through his hair. “Now that I've seen your dragon, I believe you, but I don't think anyone would believe me. And I told my boss I didn't need a camera! I was so stupid.”
“What? A camera? Is that all you can think about? No! You can't take any pictures. I have to keep the dragon safe. I have to keep it safe from people like you who want to expose him. If it ever got out that a dragon lived here on my land, he would be hunted and killed. I won't let that happen.”
“You said yourself, the dragon was the reason you never left Paradise Valley.” He was right. I did say that, but I didn't mean it. Not really. The curse was what kept me here, but this was my home.
The dragon circled around the castle. He wanted me to go home. He wanted me safe in the tower. He circled again, then let out a roar of anger. I'd better hurry!
“I need to go! Goodbye, John,” I strode toward home.
“Will I see you tomorrow?”
“I need time to think.” Why hadn't I just said no and let it be the end?
I knew why. My mind was on the dragon. He needed me.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
My walk turned into a jog and I was home in no time. I entered the kitchen with a newfound hope. The dragon not only protected me, but he cared about me.
“I warned you, Rapunzel.” Gretta stopped me in my tracks. I didn't see her sitting in the corner. “You've been with that boy again, and the dragon is angry. What are you up to?”
“I'm not up to anything,” I said, but the words came out shaky. Gretta knew I was hiding something. My voice gave it away. It always did.
“Perhaps you should go to your room for a while,” Gretta suggested. But it felt more like an order. I didn't care. I was going to my room anyway.
I needed to light a candle and set it on the windowsill. I needed to let the dragon know I was safe in my tower. It didn't take long after that for the dragon to calm down. He patrolled the sky surrounding the tower for quite a while, but then he finally settled down and disappeared for the night to—wherever he spent his evenings. I respected his privacy and never dared search for his lair.
I never paid much attention to where he had gone before, but now I was curious. I sat near the window most of the night, watching for my dragon.
He finally appeared again. He didn't get close enough for me to see the shimmery scales of his body, but I had seen them up close the night I moved my belongings up to the tower and they were beautiful. If only I could touch them.
“Rapunzel. Rapunzel.”
Who was calling my name? Where was it coming from? I leaned out the window and listened.
“Rapunzel!” It was coming from outside. I parted the curtain and scanned the gardens below. Nothing. Nobody was there. Was I losing my mind? “Rapunzel! Down here!”
I looked down, but still didn't see anyone on the ground.
“Here. Down here.”
I leaned out a bit farther and scanned the wall of the tower. There, hanging from vines midway between the earth and my window was John.
“What are you doing there?” I asked. “You could get yourself killed!”
“Help. Please.” John was barely holding on. The vines this high weren't strong enough to hold anyone. Even I wouldn't try something that crazy.
“What am I supposed to do?” I asked. Did he actually think I would climb out my window and rescue him? It wasn't possible.
“Rapunzel. Rapunzel,” John said the words slowly, like if he spoke fast he would lose his grip on the vines. “Throw down—”
“Don't you dare say it!”
“Throw down a rope or a sheet or something,” John said keeping his voice level. The sheet wasn't long enough and I certainly didn't have a rope up there. Who did he think I was?
I heard it then. The vines started cracking. They were going to break under his weight. If I didn't do something, he would fall to his death. He was too high up to survive a fall like that. I scanned my room for something, anything, but nothing I had would help. It wouldn't be long and the vines would finally break under the stress.
I had to make a decision. Save him or let him fall.
I unclasped my long braid, and then threw it out the window toward him, “Grab hold of my hair!” I said. My hair wouldn't break, and it was stronger than any vine. I crouched down below the window, planted my feet at the base of the stone wall and held on to my hair—no need to have my scalp yanked off or go flying out the window.
I struggled against the weight of John pulling his body up with my hair as the rope. Finally, he made it. He was safe
inside.
“What do you think you're doing?” I demanded after I stood up. “You could have been killed! If it weren't for my hair, you’d have fallen to your death. Did you ever think of that?”
“I had to see you.” John took my hands in his. “I needed to see that you were all right.”
“I'm fine.” I looked away. But I wasn't fine. I didn't know what to do. Me being safe in my tower was the only thing that subdued the dragon. John wanted something to happen between us, but it was impossible. He had to see that.
“John, this will never work. If I'm not in my tower each night to light a candle, the dragon will go crazy. He would go into a fit of rage and burn everything down looking for me. I can never leave this place. What kind of life would that be for you? And what about my age?”
“What about your age?” He still held my hands. “I don't care about that. We could be together. We could leave this town and move far away from here where the dragon wouldn’t find us. We could move every so often so nobody would ever know the difference.” He kissed the back of my hands.
“Eventually people would notice.” I said and the tears welled up in my eyes. “They would see you as an old man kissing a young girl. And what about children?”
“What about them?”
“If we were to have children, they would eventually look older, much older, than their mother. Then what? It would never work.”
“We don't have to have children.” John kissed me softly. “Everything will be fine. You'll see.”
“What about the dragon? He would burn the town down and I would be to blame!” I said. “What about the witch? She'd find me, or she'd do something to the dragon.” Tears tickled my neck as they dripped into my shirt.
“Trust me. I think the witch is more scared of the dragon than the dragon is of her. If she wanted him gone, she would have done something by now. I have a plan. Look…” John reached in his back pocket. He held out a plastic candle with a cord attached to it. Then he pulled out another cord with a dial on one end. He plugged it in to the wall socket near the window and then plugged the candle into the end with the dial. “It's a Christmas candle and a timer. We plug it up and set the timer to automatically turn the candle light on around dark. The dragon will never know the difference.”
Could something so simple actually work long enough to let us get far enough away that the dragon couldn’t find me? John was brilliant. I could actually have a real life. A life away from Paradise Valley with freedom to travel whenever I wanted to. I wasn’t sure what John and I had together, but it was something. We could build our relationship and it could turn into love. Like the love I had with Henry. John could never replace Henry, but I could learn to love him in a different way. We liked each other well enough and he wanted to help me. That stood for something.
“Meet me by the stream tomorrow night. We’ll leave and go somewhere nobody will find us.” John pulled me over to the window and dropped my hair down the side. He cupped my face with his hands and kissed me again. “It's time for you to live, really live, Rapunzel. I'll take care of you.”
“All right.” I smiled as the realization hit me. “Tomorrow is my birthday,” I whispered.
“Then it'll be the best birthday you've had in a long time.” John wrapped his arms around me and placed a gentle kiss on the top of my head. He sat on the windowsill and swung his legs over the side.
I placed my feet against the wall and braced myself for his descent.
He disappeared out the window.
He was out of sight before something sprang up in my mind. What was that he’d said about Luke?
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Henry
My dragon heart sank as I watched the man climb out of the tower with the help of Rapunzel's beautiful hair. I’d always loved her hair and never dreamed another man would touch it. And, what’s worse, there was only one thing that would drive a man to climb up a tower in the late of night. Love.
Did this man love her? Had Rapunzel found someone and fallen in love? After all this time, she had finally forgotten about me and given her heart to someone else. I thought our love would last our lifetime. I thought I was her true love. But how could I ask her to stay committed to me, a man she’d never had, whom she didn’t even know still watched her from afar?
It was obvious Rapunzel didn't want to live here anymore. She wanted to leave Paradise Valley to be with this man. Someone she'd only known for a short time. I'd seen them together, and I'd seen them kiss on more than one occasion. She was supposed to stay with me forever. I was supposed to be the one she grew old with. Not this man!
Rapunzel was going to leave. I'd tried to protect her and kept people away from her, but I could only do so much. All these years, watching from the mailbox, spying in the garden, following from a distance as she went on her walks. But I could never tell her. How could I?
It's Rapunzel's birthday tomorrow. I have a sinking dread that this will be the last time I see her.
If it weren't for this blasted curse! To be safe in my hideous form, I only come out at night and the witch is always safe inside by then. Safe from me! I had not once caught her outside after dark. If I had caught her outside, just one time, I would have burned her to ashes. She was the one who cursed me. She was the one who turned me into a dragon. She was to blame!
What a cruel 250 years. I am a man for mere moments of time surrounded by endless hours as a fire-breathing dragon. I've watched over Rapunzel day after day, but this curse keeps our distance far apart, for if I see her face, I immediately return to my dragon form. But I’m a man. How can I not look on that face?
Every day I’ve watched her from the hillside. I wanted to wave back when she saw me the other day, but if I did, she would've tried to find me. If she had, she would've been face to face with an ugly dragon. I didn't want her to see me that way, ever. Sometimes I catch a glimpse of her beautiful face in the tower through my dragon eyes. I yearn for her touch, to hold her and to kiss her soft lips. And each night, when she lights the candle, I see her.
What a prison I’ve been in.
We've both been so lonely. I could see it in Rapunzel's eyes and the way she walks. In the late hours of the evenings, while Rapunzel sleeps, I settle my dragon body on top of the tower. I've heard her screams. Night after night, my name screeches from her lips. Her nightmares haunt me and keep me rooted to the past.
If only I could burn that evil witch. Given the chance, which there aren't many, I would gladly turn that witch into ashes. If I could have killed her, the curse might have been lifted years ago. I had always held that as our only hope, but I’ve failed.
How was I to know it was Anastasia standing at the stove that day? How was I to know Gretta was not at her usual post? And Luke. Why had he protected that evil wife of his? It wasn’t my fault that Luke died. Was it? Had I killed Rapunzel’s boy?
She could never know the truth.
If Rapunzel leaves, I will surely die of a broken heart.
I need to think of something to keep her here. Anything! But what?
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
For the first time, since moving my belongings to the tower, I hadn't had to light a candle. I couldn't hear the dragon's roar of anger. He knew I was safe inside. John's fake candle really worked. The dragon was pacified. I couldn't resist standing by the window since it had become a habit of mine after lighting the candle. I searched the sky looking for the dragon to catch a glimpse of his glimmering scales. It wouldn’t be long before I’d never see them again. I was going to miss this, but not enough to stay.
Scanning the sky, my eyes found comfort gazing at the garden. Maybe I could have a garden where John planned to take me. I wasn’t sure what this new life would hold for me, but it was time for a change. I had to try.
What was that? I peered into the darkness at a figure standing beyond the garden.
It was a man. The same man from the hillside! Who was he and why was he there? I'd never seen him this clo
se before. He walked closer, but he kept his eyes focused on the ground.
Very strange.
I should tell Gretta. But wait. Where was the dragon? Had Gretta done something to the dragon? There was no way he would ever let anyone this close to my home. Something was wrong. I'd have to deal with this man myself.
“Hey, you! Stop where you are.”
But the man kept coming and never looked up.
What should I do now? “Who are you and what do you want? This is my land, and you're trespassing. Now, go away before I shoot you.” I still remembered how to use Father's gun, but it had been years since I shot the weapon.
He stared at the ground. Why would he not look up? I knew it was the same man from the hillside. I was sure of it. He spun around and stepped away from the castle without saying a word. Who was this man? I had to know. I'd be leaving tomorrow anyway, and if I didn’t find out now, I'd never know.
“Wait!” I yelled. “Wait!” Not that I expected him to stop. I had just threatened to shoot him. “I'm coming down!” He kept walking. I opened my parents’ trunk at the end of my bed, and grabbed the loaded rifle just in case. I headed down the spiral staircase as fast as my feet would take me. I did my best to stay quiet, but I had to hurry or he would be gone. I needed to know who he was, what he wanted, and why he had been watching me from the hillside.
I ran past the gardens toward the mysterious man. What was I doing? No turning back now. “Wait!” I paused, panting for air. I wasn't used to running this hard. Why did I need to know anything about him? Something was drawing me. I had to find out who he was and what he wanted with me.
The man stopped.
I stopped running when I got about twenty feet from him, lifted the rifle and aimed. “Who are you and what do you want?” I demanded. “You've been watching me from the hill. I've seen you.” Still out of breath I took deep breaths as I waited for him to answer. I was shaking so much I had to withdraw my finger from the trigger, but I kept it close.