The woman lifted the eyeglasses that were dangling from a jeweled string around her neck. She perched them on the edge of her nose. Leaning in close, she peered at the painting of Maximus.
Rapunzel looked over at Flynn. She held her breath. She wasn’t sure what the woman was doing.
“This horse is perfect,” the woman said. She backed up from the painting and tilted her head. “The brushstrokes are wonderful, and I love the choice of colors for the background.” She looked up at Rapunzel. “Is this the horse I saw outside?”
“Yes, it is the same horse,” Rapunzel replied. “His name is Maximus.”
“Extraordinary work,” the woman said, staring at the painting. After a long moment, she turned back to face Rapunzel. “I’m Madame Devina. Do you work here?”
Rapunzel wanted to hide behind her long hair, but it was still securely fastened in her braid. “Well, no,” she said bravely.
“Who is the artist? I need to know,” Madame Devina demanded.
Rapunzel stood up. “My name is Rapunzel. I painted this piece.”
“My word!” Madame Devina said. She took off her glasses and looked Rapunzel up and down. “You do have a great gift, my dear. I need to have this painting in my home. I am quite fond of horses, and this particular painting captures the spirit of this horse beautifully.”
The bag on Madame Devina’s shoulder wiggled, and a tiny, furry head popped up. The cat inside pushed its head out of the hole on the side of the bag.
Pascal was the first one to notice the cat. He jumped up from a chair to a window ledge. He didn’t like that twitching pink nose!
The cat saw Pascal and shot out of the bag. The minute the cat saw something moving, she wanted to follow it.
Pascal hopped from the windowsill to a table to the window seat in the front of the store. Rapunzel turned her head quickly to see what was happening. That sent her long braid flying out, and it whipped Madame Devina in the head. The poor woman was knocked backward into a chair.
Roberto walked in holding a tray of cups and a teapot. The tray rattled as the cat scurried by, surprising him. “What is going on here?” he asked.
“Oh, my heavens!” the woman exclaimed. She held her hand to her heart. “What happened?”
“We’ve got an old-fashioned chase on our hands,” Flynn said, eyeing Pascal. He knew how the little guy felt. Being chased all the time was exhausting. He put up his hand for Pascal to jump down from the high ledge.
“Buttercup!” Madame Devina yelled. “You stop that nonsense right this minute.” She wagged her finger at the golden-colored cat. “Get back in your carrier and stop making a nuisance of yourself.”
Pascal landed in Flynn’s hand and smirked as Buttercup headed back to Madame Devina’s bag with his tail between his legs.
After the cat was in the bag, Madame Devina turned back to Rapunzel. “I am sorry about that. I hope your little friend is all right. Buttercup doesn’t mean any harm.”
Rapunzel smiled. She looked at Buttercup. Maybe he wanted to get out for an adventure, too. Everyone deserved an adventure day now and again.
“No harm done,” she said sweetly. She walked over to the horse painting and took it down. “If you really like this painting, then you should have it.”
“Wait,” Roberto said. “Artists don’t give art away—they sell it, my dear!”
Madame Devina smiled. “Yes, and I would love to buy this painting. And if you are like most artists, I’m sure you could use the money.”
Rapunzel’s mouth fell open. She couldn’t believe someone wanted to buy one of her paintings! She wasn’t quite sure what to say. What would she do with the money? She looked to Roberto for the answer as she hugged her braid against her chest. This was all too good to be true.
Madame Devina walked over to Rapunzel. She placed her bag on the table and then reached out to hold Rapunzel’s hands.
“You have a wonderful talent, young lady,” she said. Then she peered at Rapunzel’s thick blond braid. “And an extraordinary amount of hair!”
“Thank you,” Rapunzel said. She touched a few of the flowers in her hair to make sure the braid was secure. “Painting for other people is very new to me.”
“Well,” said Madame Devina, smiling, “then we should have a party to celebrate!”
Roberto clapped his hands together. “Excellent idea, Madame,” he added. “We can have an official showing of your artwork. Come, let’s decorate!”
“But…I have to get going,” Rapunzel started to say. “I don’t have much time.”
Roberto and Madame Devina were already scurrying around the shop. They couldn’t be stopped!
“I’ll go tell Katherine and Margot down the street,” Madame Devina said. “They will be sure to get everyone here for a party.”
“And I’ll tell George to send over some pastries,” Roberto offered. “A party needs some special treats!”
Rapunzel looked over at Flynn. He shrugged. He didn’t mind—they would still make it to the lanterns, if they were fast.
In just a few moments, the store had become a party scene, complete with decorations, food, and people!
“A painter’s first sale is memorable,” Roberto said to Rapunzel. He handed her a glass of lemonade and a cream puff drizzled with chocolate. “Now you are a true working artist. Congratulations!”
“Thank you,” Rapunzel said. She took a bite of the cream puff. She had never tasted anything so delicious. Having a party was more fun than she had ever imagined.
“Flynn, this is fantastic,” Rapunzel whispered to him.
Flynn and Pascal were standing next to the food table. Flynn licked his fingers.
“These cream puffs are good,” he said. “Roberto knows how to throw a party.”
“I’ve never been to an actual party,” Rapunzel admitted. She looked down at her feet.
“No big birthday parties in the tower?” Flynn asked, raising his eyebrows.
“No,” Rapunzel said sadly. “Usually it’s just Mother Gothel, Pascal, and me.”
Pascal lifted his head and nodded. Then he reached out and shoved another cream puff into his mouth. He rubbed his tummy and smiled.
“And this is the artist,” Roberto said, pulling Rapunzel over to meet a friend. “Rapunzel, this is the bookstore owner. He wants to buy one of your paintings.”
Rapunzel smiled so wide that her cheeks began to hurt! She still couldn’t believe that people liked her work.
“This is my most successful art show!” Roberto exclaimed happily. “We’ve sold all of your paintings.” He opened his cash box to reveal many gold coins. He handed it to Rapunzel. “This is all well deserved.”
“Please, take this money,” Rapunzel said. She pushed the box toward Roberto. “It’s for the art lesson and so much more. Today was a perfect day.”
Flynn’s eyes widened. “You know, maybe I should hold on to the money for you. I could go buy Roberto a gift…and still have some left over.”
Pascal turned red. He stamped his foot.
Rapunzel shook her head.
“I want him to be able to go back home.” Rapunzel continued, turning to Roberto, “You need to paint the seaside. Please, take this money.”
Roberto was overwhelmed. “You are making my dreams come true,” he said. He burst into tears.
“Oh, why are you crying?” Rapunzel asked. She had not meant to upset him. “Did I do something wrong?”
“Those are tears of joy,” Madame Devina said, handing Roberto a handkerchief. “Rapunzel, you have made Roberto very, very happy.”
“And what about your dream, Rapunzel?” Flynn asked softly. He glanced out the window at the darkening sky. He knew that soon the lanterns would be launched.
Roberto walked over to a large cabinet in the back of the shop. He opened the doors and pulled a shiny tin box from a shelf. “I want you to have this set of paintbrushes,” he said to Rapunzel.
“Oh, Roberto.” Rapunzel gushed. “You have already given
me so many gifts.” She opened up the box and saw the rows of brushes in all different sizes. The handles were all bright red and the tops were shiny silver. The brushes had never been used. “Wow,” she whispered. She held up one to show Flynn.
“I was saving these brushes for a special project,” Roberto said. “I would like it if you’d take them.”
Rapunzel reached out and gave Roberto a tight hug. “I will never forget you. Or this day! And I will treasure these brushes forever.”
“Will you come visit me again?” Roberto asked.
“Yes, please come back again,” Madame Devina said.
Rapunzel looked down at the floor. This adventure day was a big step for her. She wasn’t sure what Mother Gothel would say about art lessons with Roberto. If only Mother Gothel could meet Roberto and see how kind he was. And how he and Madame Devina had thrown such a lovely party for her.
“If Rapunzel is back in town, she’ll swing by,” Flynn said.
Rapunzel smiled at him gratefully. He took her hand and led her to the door.
Rapunzel, Flynn, and Pascal headed out. Maximus was waiting for them to go down to the canal.
Rapunzel had set out with Flynn to see the lanterns. She hadn’t hoped for anything else along the way. Now she had sold her paintings, like a true artist…and made some new friends.
She looked at Flynn. Life had been full of surprises since he’d shown up at the tower.
“Race you to the canal.” Flynn took off running.
Rapunzel looked at Maximus and grinned. She hopped up into the saddle with Pascal and trotted up to Flynn. “You might want to rethink that plan. On second thought, this would make a funny painting.”
She clicked her heels, and Maximus bolted forward.
Flynn chased after them. Somehow he didn’t think this would be the last time Rapunzel surprised him.
Being a princess is a dream come true. But sometimes, Aurora misses the days she spent in the woodcutter’s cottage with the three good fairies. The princess decides to throw them a surprise party. She’ll gather their favorite items from the cottage and invite all their forest friends to the castle! But can the princess keep her perfect party plans a secret from the fairies before the big day?
Aladdin’s birthday is just around the corner. Jasmine wants to find him the perfect gift, so she sets off on the Magic Carpet with Rajah the tiger. She is determined to track down a camel coin Aladdin needs for his rare-coin collection. It’s smooth sailing until the Magic Carpet suddenly stops, stranding Jasmine and Rajah in the desert! Will they find the special coin and make it back to the palace in time for Aladdin’s birthday celebration?
Tiana has always dreamed of having her own restaurant, and now her dream is about to come true. The grand opening is just around the corner, and all of Tiana’s friends and family will be there, along with a famous food critic! But suddenly everything starts to go wrong. Her bandleader Louis loses his prized trumpet. Then the power goes out after the guests arrive. Will the princess be able to fix things in time, or will her big night be a royal disaster?
Rapunzel Page 3