Rapunzel and the Griffin Prince

by Savage, Vivienne

  “Forgive me, Ana, I seem to have lost myself a moment.”

  “If anyone has deserved a good cry, it’s you. Now, really, has Muir been giving you a hard time?”

  “No. Yes. I… I really don’t know what to think with him. Each time I think I know what’s in his mind and heart, I misunderstand it.”

  “Griffins are a proud and loyal people. Unlike the wolves and bears of our kingdom, they tend to keep to themselves. It’s only been in the past few years that they’ve left their aeries to join in our society again.”

  “Proud and loyal. Yes, that sounds like him. Too proud, perhaps.”

  “I know your wedding wasn’t the way you would have liked, but Muir wouldn’t have taken oaths unless he meant them. He’s fond of you. I know it.”

  “I suppose I’d hoped for more than fondness….”

  “Love is a fickle and complicated beast, but you know that. If I might make a suggestion?”

  “Of course. I welcome your advice, Ana.”

  “Take charge. Don’t wait on him. He’s a good man, but shifters are a stubborn lot.”

  Rapunzel ducked her chin against her chest. “I, uh… have already done so, in a fashion.”

  Ana clapped and laughed. “Good for you! Though by your morose expression I take it things did not go as planned?”

  “Yes and no. I woke alone, and I’m not sure what to make of it.”

  “He could be fetching lunch.” She glanced away, presumably looking at a clock. “It is the lunch hour for you, isn’t it?”

  “It is.”

  “Shifter men have this obsession with food and providing, especially the meals they’ve hunted with their own claws.”

  “I must sound silly, worrying over something so trivial when far more is at stake than my marriage.”

  “Not silly. There are so many things out of your control right now, but this is one problem you can tackle in the present. Of course you’d focus on it. Since you’ve done all that you can at the moment, my advice is to give it time. Things tend to work themselves out.”

  “Did you know King Alistair was the man for you at the start?”

  Ana laughed. “Oh, heavens no. When we first met, he was quite the beast.” She winked and laughed again. “It took time to cultivate our love, but it was worth the effort. It always is.”

  “Thank you. I know you have your own troubles in Cairn Ocland to deal with. I hope, once this is all over, to visit your shores.”

  “And I yours. Take hope, Rapunzel. A close friend of mine may have a solution to lifting the curse your mother set in motion. In fact, he should be arriving here any day to help you.”

  “Thank the gods for that.”

  They talked for a little while longer of inconsequential things. It made Rapunzel realize how much she missed Sebille in her company for the simple joys of friendly conversation. When she finally said goodbye to Ana, she felt as if she had a new friend.

  Muir arrived not long after, and exactly as Ana had predicted, he arrived with food. They ate roasted fish and steamed vegetables in companionable silence, which allowed her plenty of time to study her husband. He didn’t bring up their night and morning together, so neither did she, but rather than awkwardness, she discovered a quiet comfort.

  And that left room for hope.

  Chapter

  Rapunzel settled beside the solarium window overlooking the town. She’d spent the morning making errands throughout Verais, visiting their only herbalist and assisting some of the rebels with distributing more food from Gergain’s storeroom. He had plenty to share, a true stockpile of goods ranging from oats, flours, and cheeses to preserved jams and pickled vegetables in jars lining dozens of shelves. There had been a stockpile of aged beef, cured ham, and salted fish. Outside, they found the grapevines occupied by dozens of clucking chickens—the apparent secret to Gergain’s fertile soil.

  The griffins had hunted enough caribou to feed the town for days, if not a few weeks, and some of the original rebels from Floren had put their butcher talents to work in dividing the creatures.

  At last, it was her time, the morning devoted to her followers, the afternoon taken for herself.

  Rapunzel was brushing her hair when Muir stepped inside the room with the enchanted mirror in one hand and a saucer bearing a cup of tea in the other. The mist wafting off it carried the aroma of icevine brew. She set aside the brush and gathered her hair behind one shoulder, unaccustomed to it reaching the small of her back instead of trailing behind her on the floor. Muir had chosen the length well.

  “Do you have a moment?” he asked, passing her the cup of tea.

  “Thank you, and of course I do. I always have a moment for you.”

  “Does that honor extend to my king and queen?” He held the mirror before her, revealing the faces of Alistair and Anastasia.

  “Oh! Good afternoon to you both.”

  “Good day, Rapunzel. May this prove to be an even greater afternoon once you hear our news,” Anastasia replied.

  “What news?”

  “We are sending additional aid to Eisland. To you specifically. Magical aid. Were we not in a bind with Liang at this moment, we would grant this matter our personal attention and attempt to fly—”

  Rapunzel waved her hand. “I understand. One must look after their own back door.”

  Anastasia’s shoulders relaxed. “Thank you. It still pains me to remain behind.”

  “And me as well,” Alistair admitted. “But I feel confident the man we send in our stead will assist to the full limit of his ability. Rapunzel, I’d like to introduce you to Grand Enchanter Joaidane.”

  The image in the mirror shifted to reveal a third participant in the conversation, a man of lean stature clothed in a fine white linen shirt beneath an elegant black brocade doublet stitched with gold thread. His skin was the warm, deep ruddy brown of sandstone, and dark hair rested against his shoulders.

  Joaidane bowed to her. “Greetings, Princess Rapunzel. It is my honor to help.”

  “You are… you are the ruler of Ankirith.”

  “Ruler. Protector. These days it is the same difference. My good friends tell me your kingdom is in dire straits.”

  “The worst kind,” Rapunzel said. “Please, we would appreciate any help that Ankirith is able to give, though I fear our need is urgent and you’d never arrive from Samahara in time to—”

  “Then I shall be there shortly.”

  Anastasia passed a silk sash to Joaidane. Dozens of sapphires glittered in the light of her library as he fastened it around his waist.

  Rapunzel’s brow furrowed. “I don’t understand. Muir tells me it takes no less than two weeks to sail from Cairn Ocland. How will you—”

  He vanished.

  Rapunzel blinked at the mirror, her lips twisting into a frown. Anastasia continued to smile, further bewildering her.

  “Ana, I’m not sure I understand—”

  “Ah, it is indeed cold in these parts,” Joaidane’s voice came from the center of the spacious solarium. Rapunzel’s head jerked up, tearing her gaze from the mirror. While she stared at the sorcerer, Muir only grinned.

  “I don’t understand, how is this possible? Joren once told me magic couldn’t move a person across kingdoms. That the distance was too great to travel across the sea with a spell.”

  Joaidane tapped the sapphire-studded sash around his waist and smiled. “As fortune would have it, Queen Anastasia had access to an old magical artifact thought lost to the ages.” He bowed again. “A pleasure to meet you in person, Princess. I am here to serve.”

  “We’ll leave the three of you to get acquainted. Contact us once you’ve decided on a course of action. I received word from James that they met up with my father’s ships last night and they all turned northeast.”

  “We’ll be in touch soon,” Muir said. Once the mirror went dark, he set it aside and turned to Joaidane.

  “Shall we set to work?”

  “Can I get you anything first?” Rapu
nzel asked, still amazed by the man’s presence. She knew little about him, but had grown up reading stories about his mother, Grand Enchantress Safiyya of Ankirith, a woman credited with sinking an entire Ridaeron fleet. “Tea? Wine?”

  “Ah, that is most kind, but I am fine for now, Princess. Many thanks.” He bowed again at the waist then gestured to the nearby chairs. “Let us sit, and I will tell you what I know.”

  Rapunzel settled at the table with her cup of sweet, floral-laced tea and savored the first sip.

  “My wife told me of a tale that originates from these lands. Are you familiar with the Legend of the Snow Queen?”

  “Of course. It’s an old tale people once told their children to get them to behave.”

  “All stories contain a grain of truth at their core, and so it is with this one. When my wife told me the tale, something about it rang familiar. I had read about the affliction before.”

  Rapunzel leaned forward. “Really? Where?”

  “The Opal Spire in Ankirith houses the largest library in the realm,” Muir replied. “I had intended to accept an invitation to see it myself once my business here was finished.”

  “A visit I hope you will still make, but back to the matter at hand. After Zarina told me the tale, I knew exactly where to look. My mother had notes written in the margins of one of her older books speaking of black eyes and cold skin. The tale itself spoke about a mirror of great power.”

  Muir raised a skeptical brow. “A mirror did all this?”

  “You have seen the way your queen uses mirrors for magic.”

  “Aye, but it does nothing more than let us speak across vast distances.”

  “Yes, because that is what she enchanted it to do,” Joaidane explained. “But in the olden days, sorcerers used to imbue terrible spells into ordinary objects. The mirror I spoke of was said to show you the worst in yourself. Your deepest, darkest, desires.”

  “That’s not how I remember the story exactly,” Rapunzel said.

  “Tales shift and change over the years. Tell me, have you seen any strange mirrors of black glass in Icedale Castle?”

  “About a year or two before James left, my father—well, now I suppose it was my mother—anyway, a mirror was embedded into the throne, right above my father’s head. It wasn’t black though, not exactly. More like a dark silver.”

  “And the queen shattered it during the struggle with Joren. That was the last thing I saw before I retreated to rescue Rapunzel.”

  “A dark spell. The legend said shattering the mirror would not dispel the magic, only release it, unleashing an all-consuming darkness on all within its path.”

  “So all the people in the castle and the city?”

  “Are likely afflicted,” Joaidane answered.

  Rapunzel sank down in her seat, struck cold by the realization. Hundreds of people. People she knew and cared about. People she loved.

  “Joren,” she whispered. “And your friends, Muir. The ones who fought beside him.”

  “Aye, there’s a good chance they’ve been put under this spell. We’re resistant to spells, but not invulnerable to sorcery.”

  “You faced these soldiers in battle. Tell me of them, please,” Joaidane said.

  Muir recounted the story, and Rapunzel tried not to shudder. The memory of those men, their crazed yells and fanatical charges, sent an icy chill through her entire body.

  “Most interesting.” Joaidane steepled his fingers together and leaned forward with his elbows propped on his knees. “Such an artifact created in darkness can only be destroyed by a light of equal and proportionate power.”

  Rapunzel considered the number of spells in her repertoire. Joren had taught her plenty related to light, though she had no natural talent for them. “That’s easy, isn’t it? Light isn’t my forte, but between the two of us, we should be able to channel enough.”

  Joaidane shook his head. “My ifrit blood provides an affinity for flames, and while that would yield an abundance of light, the, ah, collateral damage wouldn’t be to our liking. Besides, the two of us alone wouldn’t be enough. This witch has had many years to lay her trap. She’s siphoned power from you for a decade.”

  “There must be something we can do. Are you telling us all hope is lost?” Muir asked.

  “No. I’m saying you need something of incredible power. You need one of the great Cardinal Lights. Specifically, the Northern Light itself.”

  * * *

  Rapunzel rummaged through her travel bag a second time to take inventory of the foodstuffs and rations she’d packed away for their journey. Once they embarked on their quest, there’d be no turning back if they ran short of supplies.

  “Here, you take these, Your Highness.”

  Gergain’s chef, a chubby Ridaeron matron, stepped up beside her in the pantry and began loading a second sack of goods, including jars of tiny pickles, a haunch of cured ham with a thick crust, and a few small wheels of cheese wrapped in linen.

  “Bjornie, I can’t carry so much of this. They’ll be far too heavy, and we have a long way to go.”

  “That is what strong husband is for, yes? Prince will carry all heavy things. I watch him. He becomes creature and all things disappear. It make for easy travel.”

  Rapunzel considered that. She considered the tray of tarts cooling in the kitchen and grinned. “Wrap several of those chocolate-filled pastries you’re cooling then. He favors them.”

  When she claimed three miniature bottles of blush wine, Bjornie clicked her tongue in disapproval.

  “What?” Rapunzel asked.

  “Wine is no good for little one. Mead make for strong baby. Make nice strong boy.”

  “For little one,” Rapunzel repeated, dumbfounded. “Bjornie, I’m not with child.” Had she truly put on so many pounds since gaining freedom that virtual strangers believed her to be pregnant? She glanced down her stomach, smoothing her palm over the flat plane, and frowned.

  “No?”

  “No,” Rapunzel confirmed patiently. “Whatever made you think such a thing?”

  “But Prince is so handsome! How do you stay off him? If had husband so fine, he have no rest. I never let him leave bedroom and drag back inside.” Bjornie’s eyes twinkled with mischief. “Or any room when alone.”

  At first, the vision of the stocky Ridaeron woman dragging any man into the bedroom horrified Rapunzel, but then she laughed, and once she started, she couldn’t stop until her cheeks were hot and tears streamed down her face.

  “Thank you for the laughter. I needed that.”

  Bjornie merely smiled at her. “It will happen soon. Prince is strong man. They say shifter people very virile. You will retake throne and fill castle with many little princes and princesses.”

  The promise of having little ones at her age filled her with pleasure. It was a nice dream to have, so many years of potential motherhood squandered while locked away within her tower.

  While they hadn’t made love again in the two days since she snuck into his room, Muir had been a doting husband, returning that morning with her lunch as Anastasia had suggested.

  But he hadn’t visited her bedchamber, nor had he invited her to return to his room again. Would those two times be enough for his seed to flourish in her womb? She touched her stomach and closed her eyes, wishing for little griffin boys with her silver hair and down feathers the color of starlight. Or little girls with silky hair rivaling the vibrancy of fire.

  Rapunzel blinked away the moisture in her eyes. It seemed an impossible feat under the circumstances.

  “It will happen soon,” Bjornie repeated again.

  “Perhaps,” Rapunzel said, claiming the overpacked traveling bag from the chef. Bjornie took it back from her.

  “I carry.”

  Rapunzel knew better to argue, even when the chef stuffed a few more items into the bag in passing. She wrapped several chocolate tarts for storage in her personal bag and lead the way outside. There, Muir was waiting in his human form alongside Milo and S�
�las.

  Sòlas glanced at the heavy sack. “Did you lasses pack the whole larder? Will there be anything for the rest of us? Only curious.”

  Muir snorted and glanced away, choking back a noise suspiciously similar to a laugh.

  Before she could set them straight, Faolan landed in the lawn. The powerful downdraft from his wings stirred aside snow and dirt, and his claws left deep grooves in the ground beneath him. “Where are you going?” he asked.

  “We’ve discovered a weapon to combat the curse. Rapunzel and I leave immediately.”

  “Well, you’d best hurry then. I flew as far as the capital, and before you berate me like I know you want to, all puffed up as you are, it’s a good thing I did it. The queen has assembled a massive army, with siege weapons the likes I haven’t seen since Dalborough invaded Cairn Ocland.”

  Muir released the breath he’d been drawing in on an explosive string of swears. Rapunzel laid her hand against his arm and squeezed. “We knew it was coming,” she said. “They’ll march for Floren. If she hopes to control Eisland, she’ll need both ports.”

  “Aye,” he muttered. “I only hate the idea of abandoning the fight.”

  “We won’t be,” she assured him.

  “It will take time for an army that large to cross the kingdom, but I wouldn’t discount magic hastening their progress.” Milo frowned. “With your leave, Princess, I’ll get our men moving immediately.”

  “And I will ensure they arrive with all haste,” Joaidane said.

  “Thank you both,” Rapunzel said. “And thank you, Faolan. No more risks from you though.”

  The griffin dipped his head. “Be safe you two. Bring Muir back in one piece, will you?”

  Rapunzel smiled, stood on tiptoe, and kissed the side of Faolan’s beak. He ruffled his feathers and dipped his head. “Of course I will. You and your father help Milo. I trust all three of you, and Joaidane as well, to see to everything.”