“All right. When Maddox returns, we’ll decide what to do.”
“Thank you, Snow,” Punz said, then turned to Hansel and Gretel. “See what you can find, but be cautious.”
Hansel nodded. “We’ll be back soon.”
Gretel curtsied again, a bit more elegantly this time, and followed Hansel to the door. He pushed certain spots around the frame and opened the door with ease.
Punz stepped next to me. “Go with luck.”
“If we see Theresa near this door, one of us will sneak through and warn you,” Hansel offered.
“Thank you, Hansel.”
“You can call me Hank—all my friends do.”
I joined Punz and said, “Thank you, Hank.”
He smiled at me just before he and Gretel walked out the door.
“Were you locked up in Sherwood Manor?” I asked Punz. “That must have been the building I saw before I got knocked out and ended up at this place.”
“You don’t remember going through this door?”
“When I woke up I found myself in Aunt Em’s barn.”
“It’s weird that Theresa would leave you here alone without any instructions.” Punz lifted a finger to her mouth and bit at her fingernail. “I still can’t believe she’s entirely evil.”
“Even though she locked you up for ten years?” I asked.
“She never seemed wicked.”
Seeing my cousin’s worry, I changed the subject. “Let’s go downstairs and eat some of the most delicious raspberries ever.”
Punz stopped chewing her fingenail and grinned. “It’s been years since I’ve had raspberries.”
I led her down to the kitchen. Aunt Em was the only one in the room, so I didn’t have to pretend to be Sara.
“How are you two holding up?” Aunt Em asked once Punz and I were both seated at the table.
“Under the circumstances, we’re doing pretty well.” I looked at my cousin. “We’re good, right?”
“I guess so.”
Aunt Em set two heaping bowls of raspberries on the table in front of us. “Here’s something to brighten your mood.”
Punz attempted a smile. “Thank you. For helping us, too.”
“No need for thanks. Your parents are dear friends of mine.”
“Did you know them in Fenmore Falls or did they come here to Idaho?” I asked.
Just then, Dorothy ran through the back door and let it slam against the kitchen wall. Her curly red hair blew around in disarray, and she was out of breath.
“Dorothy Mable, no running in this house,” Aunt Em said.
Dorothy came to a halt. “Sorry, ma’am.”
The energetic girl’s eyes met mine for a second before moving to Rapunzel. “They were right,” she proclaimed and practically leaped to where we were sitting. “My brothers said there was another girl staying with us, but I didn’t believe them. I had to see for myself. I’m so excited.”
She sat next to Rapunzel and asked, “What’s your name?”
“Um . . .” Punz looked to me for guidance. Since I was feigning amnesia, I couldn’t help with her alibi. Technically, I wasn’t even supposed to know her.
Aunt Em came to the rescue. “Dorothy, this is the daughter of some friends of mine. Her name is Rachel, and she’ll be staying with us for a little while.”
“This is the best!” Dorothy bounced in her seat. “You can go to the dance with my two friends and me this weekend. It will be so much fun, and all the boys will want to dance with you. Then they will notice my friends and me, too.”
“Dorothy, you’re only eleven,” Aunt Em said. “You’re still too young to be thinking about boys.”
Dorothy rolled her eyes. “You know me, Auntie—I just like to admire them from afar.”
“That’s my girl.” Aunt Em ruffled Dorothy’s red hair. You’ll love the dance, girls. It’s a fun way to get ready for the harvest season, and the food is always good.”
“I don’t think it’s a great idea for us to go,” I replied.
“Why?” Dorothy whined. “You have to go.”
“Yes, you should go to the dance,” Aunt Em agreed. “It will be the best place for you at a time like this.” She gave us a pointed look as if to indicate, without giving Dorothy too much information, that it was a safe place.
I raised my eyebrows at Punz. How could we go to the dance, since we couldn’t be away when Hansel and Gretel returned? What if Theresa had people searching for us? What if Maddox came back with word from the king that we were in danger?
My cousin seemed to be wondering the same things. But what choice did we have? We were stuck in a foreign place where customs were different, and Aunt Em—our greatest ally at the moment—said we should go to the dance.
In that moment I knew we had to go to the dance. Hopefully we would be safe.
Hopefully.
Chapter 16
Rapunzel
by the Brothers Grimm
She said, “I will willingly go away with you, but I do not know how to get down. Bring with you a skein of silk every time you come, and I will weave a ladder with it, and when it is ready I will descend, and you will take me on your horse.”
They agreed that until that time he should come to her every evening, for the old woman came by day.
The enchantress remarked nothing of this, until once Rapunzel said to her, “Tell me, Dame Gothel, how it happens that you are so much heavier for me to draw up than the young king’s son—he is with me in a moment.”
“Ah! You wicked child,” cried the enchantress. “What do I hear you say? I thought I had separated you from all the world, and yet you have deceived me.”
In her anger she clutched Rapunzel’s beautiful tresses, wrapped them twice round her left hand, seized a pair of scissors with the right, and snip, snap, they were cut off, and the lovely braids lay on the ground. And she was so pitiless that she took poor Rapunzel into a desert where she had to live in great grief and misery.
Idaho Is a Strange Place
}Rapunzel}
Freedom felt different than I’d dreamed it would feel. I could now go outside whenever I wanted, yet I wasn’t always sure what to do once I got there. Living in captivity in the tower for ten years, I knew what to expect and had grown accustomed to limits. Now, there were so many choices.
After we ate raspberries that evening, exhaustion caught up with me. I fell asleep almost as soon as I lay down on the bed Aunt Em had prepared for Snow and me.
The next morning I woke up and could not remember where I was. But at the sight of my cousin lying on the other side of the bed, it all came back to me in a happy rush.
“Snow,” I whispered, shaking her shoulder.
“Hmm,” she mumbled in her sleep, then turned over and burrowed deeper into the covers.
I shook her a little harder. “Snow.”
Her eyes fluttered open. “It’s not a dream?”
“I was wondering the same thing.”
“You’re really here.” Snow sat up in bed.
I sat up too. “In the flesh. You can even pinch me.”
Snow grabbed my arm. “I still can’t believe it.”
“It’s been too long.”
“I wanted to lead my own search party to find you when you were kidnapped, but our parents wouldn’t let me.”
My heart ached at the mention of my parents. “How are they . . . my parents?”
“Your mom and dad are doing quite well, considering. Even with your dad’s old age, he’s still able to rule the kingdom.”
“I overheard some servants talking about rumors that he is very ill.”
“No, he’s not that sick. Everyone speculates when a member of the royal family doesn’t show himself or herself in public.”
“How are your parents?” I asked.
Snow glanced down. “My dad isn’t so good. The infection in his leg keeps spreading. He can’t get around much anymore.”
The ache in my chest grew. “I’m so sorry, Snow.
” I put my arm around her slumped shoulders.
She sniffed. “Thanks.”
Just then, the bedroom door opened and Aunt Em stepped in. “Oh good, you’re awake.”
Snow wiped away her tears with the back of her hand. “Thank you for letting us sleep in your bed last night.”
“Not a problem,” replied Aunt Em. “The couch is just fine.” She put a finger to her lips. “Don’t tell the boys, because I always threaten them that if they misbehave they’ll have to sleep on the couch, but it’s actually quite comfy.”
I couldn’t help smiling at her cheerfulness. She walked over to her closet and rummaged through it. “Let’s see,” she said. “What else do I have in here that will fit you two?”
I smoothed the wrinkles in my gown. “I’m sorry I didn’t think to bring extra clothes.”
“It’s a good thing you didn’t,” Aunt Em said. “They wouldn’t have worked anyway.” Before I could ask more questions, she threw some clothes onto the bed next to me. “I’ll meet you in the kitchen in ten minutes for breakfast. Don’t be late, or my nephews will eat all the food.”
Snow and I changed into the odd clothing, which consisted of baggy men’s pants, and shirts with buttons down the front. She explained that people in Idaho didn’t dress like we did. But it didn’t bother me—in fact, I found I enjoyed not wearing a skirt.
Thankfully, my long hair had stayed in its braid, and I didn’t have to spend the time brushing it out. Instead of pinning it back in a bun, I let it lay along my shoulder.
I followed Snow down the stairs. In my fit of nerves, I counted eighteen steps, twenty-two framed pictures on the wall, and forty-eight floorboards across the hallway.
Six boys of all different ages and sizes, and one girl, sat at the kitchen table. They stopped chattering when Snow and I entered the room.
Standing by the stove, Aunt Em said, “Come sit.”
“Sit by me!” shouted Dorothy.
We joined them and the room exploded with noise as the boys dug into their food like starving wolves.
“What’s going on?” I whispered to Snow.
“They always eat like this.”
Aunt Em cleared her throat, but the feeding frenzy continued. She cleared her throat again, more loudly this time, and a few of the boys stopped their chomping. “Boys, we have guests,” she reminded them.
Looking sheepish, they slowed down a little. “Why do we have to stop eating because we have guests?” asked one of the youngest boys.
“How about some introductions, and then you can finish your food?” said Aunt Em.
The boy at the head of the table put down his silverware, and the rest of the company followed suit. “You’re right, Aunt Em.” He looked at me. “Sorry for our rude manners, ma’am.”
Ma’am?
“My name is Eddy, and these are my brothers.” He recited the names of the other boys.
My mind sort of shut off after the first three. There were so many of them.
“Yes, they are all brothers,” Snow whispered to me.
I raised my brows. “How did you know I was wondering?”
She grinned. “I asked myself the same question when I first met them.”
The brothers resumed eating, and the noise level rose to a dull roar again.
“Eddy is the oldest of the seven brothers,” Snow explained, and I couldn’t help but catch the way her smile brightened at the mention of his name. “Maddox is the only one missing,” she continued. “And Dorothy is the youngest of the siblings.”
I glanced to the head of the table. Sure enough, the eldest brother was staring at her.
“How long have you favored Eddy?” I asked.
Snow froze with a bite of food halfway to her mouth. Her face turned a rosy red.
“Sorry, is it a secret?”
“Shh!” she said, almost spitting in my face. Thankfully, the boys must not have heard anything other than their own conversations and the chomping of food. “I don’t favor him,” Snow said. “I already have a boyfriend.”
“Who?” I asked a bit too loudly. I lowered my voice and repeated, “Who?”
After a long pause, Snow said, “It’s Aleck.”
“Aleck?” I gasped. Eddy looked over at us.
“Quiet,” Snow hushed.
“Sorry.”
We dug into our breakfast. When Eddy’s gaze turned elsewhere, I dared speak again. “Aleck, the boy who used to tease us and pull my hair all the time?”
Snow nodded, then bit into her bread.
“We always hated him,” I said.
“He’s changed,” she mumbled, almost as if she was trying to convince herself.
I hoped so. In my memories from age six, Aleck was a bully who took pleasure in annoying us. I couldn’t remember him ever saying a kind word to us.
After a few moments, I noticed Snow had stopped eating and began using her utensil to stir around her food. “Are you not hungry?” I asked, worried she was feeling unwell.
Her shoulders slumped. “I need to be more cautious with what I eat. I think I’m gaining weight.”
“Says who?” I exclaimed.
She didn’t answer, so I took a guess. “Was it Aleck?”
Her lowered gaze answered my question.
“You can’t take advice from someone who thrives on hurting others.” I lowered my hand to rest on hers. “Snow, you are beautiful, strong, and everything I wanted to be when I was six years old. Don’t let an egotistical jerk tell you otherwise.”
She raised her head and smiled sadly.
“And don’t ever forget that,” I added.
After everyone finished eating, the brothers went outside to start their chores. Aunt Em asked Snow, Dorothy, and me to clear the table, wash the dishes, and clean the kitchen. It felt good to do something with my hands, and I found myself counting the chairs, dishes, and silverware.
Next, we helped Aunt Em in the garden. We pulled weeds and picked ripe vegetables. After lunch, Snow was on dish duty again, and Dorothy went to visit some friends. I got my first opportunity to walk around the yard by myself.
First, I counted the rows of corn. Next, I walked the perimeter of the barn and counted each footstep. When I felt tempted to count the strands in the hay bales, I told myself to stop. I was free. I was out of the tower. I could do whatever I wanted.
I came upon one of the brothers in the barn, pitching hay to the horses. He greeted me with a bright smile and said, “You seem upset. Is everything all right?”
I forced a smile. “I’ll be fine. Thank you.”
“There’s no use being sad about things that are out of your control.”
“What’s your name again?” I asked.
He thrust out his hand. “Lark.”
“Lark?” I stared at his outstretched hand.
“Yes, they say I’m as happy as a lark.” He reached for my hand and gave it a firm shake. Caught off guard, I instinctively pulled back my hand.
“Sorry,” he said.
Feeling ridiculous, I replied,“No, I’m the one who is sorry. I’m a little distracted today. And actually, uh . . . I just came outside for some fresh air.”
“There’s a nice place over there behind the trees where I like to go sometimes.” Lark pointed behind me, past the corn field. “It’s pretty sheltered if you want privacy.”
I looked in the direction he indicated.
“If you want, I’ll come find you when it’s time for dinner,” he offered.
“Thank you, Lark. That would be nice.”
“Anytime.” He flashed another bright smile and turned to finish pitching hay.
Soon I passed the corn field and entered the small clearing he had described. A patch of fruit trees surrounded the clearing. Satisfied that I was alone, I took some deep breaths to clear my mind. My arms stretched up to the sky, and I let my head fall back. Leaning side to side, I felt my muscles extend.
After a few more stretches, I went through my daily routine of punches
and kicks, exercises that had evolved over the years. It now took over an hour to go through all the steps. The exercise targeted each of my major muscle groups and calmed my mind.
Every day after that, once I helped Aunt Em clean up after the noon meal, I stopped in the barn to talk with Lark, to enjoy his contagious happiness. Then I would head out to the secret place behind the corn field.
On the third day, about twenty minutes into my exercise routine, I heard a twig snap behind me in the clearing. I whirled around. There stood Maddox, leaning against a tree trunk, watching me.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, trying to calm my breathing.
“Lark said you were out here,” Maddox said in his usual cold tone. I couldn’t tell if he hated me or if he acted that way because he didn’t want people to get to know him.
In spite of this, and as much as I wanted to ignore it, I couldn’t deny my attraction to him. Seeing him again brought back the feelings from the other two times we had spoken. I hadn’t seen a boy my age for so long, so I’d chalked it up to that. Yet I didn’t get tingles in my stomach around Lark or the other brothers.
Maddox took a step toward me. I took a step back. “Funny story,” he said, taking another step toward me. “You see, I went through that door and was shocked to find myself in another house. But it wasn’t like any house I’d ever seen.”
Now he stood directly in front of me. I had backed myself against a tree and couldn’t move any farther.
“The story gets stranger.” He stared down at me. “Everything Aunt Em and you said was true. There really was a castle.”
I gasped. “You went to the castle? Did you see my father?”
“I thought you were crazy. In fact, I figured you escaped from a mental institution, but I didn’t get why Aunt Em was part of it.”
I grasped this handsome boy’s upper arm. “Did you give the message to my father?”
Maddox looked at my hand on his arm and then back at my face. For a split second, his mask of annoyance vanished and he almost seemed kind. But just as quickly, the cold stare returned.
I dropped my hand. “Sorry.”
Rescuing Rapunzel (The Princess Chronicles Book 3) Page 8