Braided, page 11
13
DEAR RAPUNZEL,
TODAY I STARTED MAGIC LESSONS WITH THE COURT MAGE.
IF THAT SOUNDS LIKE FUN, IT’S BECAUSE YOU NEVER MET THE COURT MAGE.
HER NAME IS MAGE TALYANI AND SHE IS VERY INTO THE IDEA THAT MAGIC IS AN ART. I MEAN, EVERYONE KNOWS THAT MAGIC IS AN ART, BUT SHE THINKS A MASTER OF MAGIC HAS TO BE FAMILIAR WITH ALL THE ARTS. SO SHE ALSO SINGS SONGS AND PAINTS MURALS AND DANCES WEIRDLY AND IS GENERALLY JUST VERY DRAMATIC ALL THE TIME.
THE PROBLEM IS THAT I AM VERY BAD AT EVERYTHING ARTISTIC. SO FAR WE’VE TRIED PAINTING, SINGING, DANCING, WEAVING, AND EMBROIDERY. NOW WE’RE UP TO POETRY.
SO I HAVE TO WRITE EVERYTHING IN RHYME
WHICH TAKES UP A LOT OF MY TIME
AND I DON’T THINK MY POETRY COMES OUT SUBLIME
SO WASTING MY ENERGY ON IT IS A CRIME.
SEE WHAT I MEAN?
HONESTLY, I’M NOT SURE WHY I NEED A TALENT. IT SEEMS LIKE BEING A PRINCESS WITH MAGICAL HAIR SHOULD BE ENOUGH.
IT IS ENOUGH FOR MOST PEOPLE. MOTHER CERTAINLY DOESN’T PAINT OR SING. SHE HAS NO TIME FOR ANYTHING BUT RUNNING THE KINGDOM. BUT SHE INSISTS THAT I HAVE TO DO WHAT THE MAGE SAYS.
I HOPE I FIND SOMETHING I’M GOOD AT, BECAUSE MAGE TALYANI REFUSES TO START ON ACTUAL MAGIC UNTIL I DO. AND SINGING, DANCING, PAINTING, ETC. WILL NOT HELP ME FIND YOU. I’M GOING TO NEED MAGIC FOR THAT.
LOVE,
CINNA
I forgot, until we started up the stairs, that the art room was in one of the castle’s towers.
Would that call up too many bad memories for Rapunzel? By the time that occurred to me, she was already striding ahead of me up the stairs, apparently unconcerned by her memories or by making sure I could keep up. Or by the fact that I hadn’t said a word to her since we left the training courtyard.
At least she left the door open for me. I entered the art room to find her standing in front of the far wall, examining the framed pictures. There was no one else in the room, which was odd, since we were very late. Maybe Mage Talyani had assumed that all of today’s lessons had been canceled so we could get ready for the garden party. Or maybe she was avoiding Rapunzel for some reason.
“Did you draw these?” Rapunzel asked, gesturing at the paintings.
Once again, it was like she hadn’t even noticed that we were in a fight. Which, I guessed, meant that we weren’t.
“They’re very imaginative.” She glanced at me. “And I mean that as a compliment.”
I crossed the room to stand beside her in front of a framed piece of paper covered with scrawled, childish drawings.
“Those aren’t mine,” I said. “I’m not that bad. They’re yours. You drew those pictures when you were four years old, before you were taken.”
She blinked. “And you…framed them?”
“Nanny Cresta did.”
“I’m flattered?” She frowned at a picture of a person, which looked sort of like a stick-figure tree with eyes in the middle of it. “I wasn’t very good.”
“You weren’t bad for a four-year-old.”
Rapunzel twitched her shoulder, clearly finding that an inadequate excuse. It occurred to me that she had probably never met an actual four-year-old. The fae were immortal and did not have offspring; there would be no children in the Realms.
I wondered if that was why Rapunzel treated me like I was just as important as my mother. Maybe she didn’t completely realize that I was a child.
Though if that was the case, why wouldn’t she let me investigate her kidnapping?
“The fae don’t save things,” she said. “They don’t see the point.” She moved over to stand in front of another picture—this one of an oval with four lines sticking out of it. “I’m not sure I see the point, either.”
“These were all we had left of you,” I said. “Until now.” I hesitated, then added, “Everyone is so happy to have you back.”
“Yes.” There was an odd, defensive note in her voice. “So I’m told.”
“Aren’t you—aren’t you happy to be back?”
Rapunzel turned and gave me a piercing look.
“Of course I’m happy,” she said. “It’s just a lot of change. Even if it’s change for the better, it’s disconcerting. In the Realms, I knew what my place was and what was expected of me and how to survive. Here, everything is brand-new.”
“So…it wasn’t terrible in the Realms?” I said cautiously. “It sounds terrible, spending your whole life trapped in a tower. But at least you weren’t scared.”
Rapunzel snorted. “You know I didn’t actually spend twelve years in a tower, right?”
“Um…” In the face of her scorn, it seemed impossible to say that actually, I had thought exactly that. “Uh. I…”
“How would that even work? How would I know how to get myself dressed? Or speak whole sentences? Or interact normally with people?”
I looked at her.
“I could interact normally if I wanted to,” she said. “And how do you think I know that I don’t want to?”
I folded my arms across my chest. “If you were able to leave your tower, why didn’t you come home?”
“I was able to leave the tower. I wasn’t able to leave the Realms. And I didn’t know if things would be any better here, anyhow. The fae are very different from us. They don’t mind being alone. I learned not to mind it, either.” She bit her lip. “And I wasn’t alone all the time. I had friends. At least, I had what the fae call friends. But I always knew that no one there really cared about me. They only cared about my hair.” Her eyes glinted. “Here, of course, it’s completely different.”
“It is,” I said. “Everyone here cares about you.”
“It’s nice that you believe that.”
And now I was back to wanting to slap her.
Rapunzel gave the pictures one last look, then turned to face me. “Looks like we’re not learning art today. How about if I give you a lesson instead?”
“A lesson in what?”
She grinned. “Would you like to learn how to ride a dragon?”
“I…,” I said. “Um…”
“Don’t be afraid,” Rapunzel said. “It’s perfectly safe.”
“Really?” I said. “Perfectly?”
“Well. Mostly.”
I remembered Rapunzel soaring through the sky, her hair streaming behind her, showing everyone that she could do whatever she wanted. That she was capable of anything. That she was free.
“That’s good enough for me,” I said. It wasn’t really, but it made her smile widen, and I was glad I’d said it. “Let’s get out of here.”
* * *
From the south tower, it was a short walk to one of the castle’s side entrances, and we made it out without anyone seeing us. But in the garden, there were people everywhere. Mostly they were servants, hanging lanterns and carrying tables and trimming bushes, but I also heard the castle seneschal shouting instructions, and several of my mother’s ladies discussing what gowns they were going to wear tonight. Any one of them would have the authority to stop us. Or at least to stop me.
So instead of going directly across the central lawn, I led Rapunzel around through the tall hedges that bordered the garden, where the paths were too narrow and winding to be set up for a party. As I had guessed, they were empty, though we could hear commands, curses, and chatter from the other side of the branches.
“You were supposed to bring the bigger table!”
“Put the icebox there—no, you incompetent fool, there—”
“Still too warm for velvet, but it’s a very summery color, so I think—”
Rapunzel glanced curiously through the hedges. “It’s really going to be a grand occasion, isn’t it?”
“Of course,” I said. “Your return is the most important thing that’s ever happened here. The people will feel cheated if they don’t get to celebrate.”
She lifted her gown to step over a fallen branch. “Especially if the fae just whisk me back the next day. At least they’ll get a party out of it first.”
“Rapunzel—”
“Calm down, I’m joking. I’m sure the mage’s spells will be astonishingly powerful. The faerie queen will take one look and flee back into the Realms.”
“It’s not funny.”
“I know that,” she snapped, and something in her tone made me stop talking.
We walked in silence until we crossed a corner of the lawn and passed the rock gardens. Finally, we reached the beginning of the narrower stairway that led up the mountainside to the dragon roost.
Where Sir Joshan was standing, as if he was waiting for us.
He was wearing a dark blue tunic and a yellow cape, with a short sword in the sheath at his belt. There were two pixies perched on his shoulders, but they fluttered away as he swept us a bow. “Your Highnesses. What a wonderful surprise.”
“Is it?” Rapunzel said, in a tone of weary politeness.
I didn’t bother with any sort of politeness. “Are you coming from the dragon roost?”
“Of course not. That would be far too dangerous.” He said it blandly, like he didn’t expect me to believe him and didn’t much care whether I did. He looked from me to Rapunzel. “May I ask where the two of you are headed?”
“You may ask,” Rapunzel said, “but before you waste your breath, you should be aware that I have no intention of answering.”
Sir Joshan’s expression flickered. “That was a little rude, Your Highness.”
“Then I said it wrong. I meant it to be very rude.”
Sir Joshan looked at me. Normally I would have enjoyed the expression on his face. But given that I had recently and falsely accused him of trying to kill my sister, I felt at a bit of a disadvantage.
“We’re going up to the dragon roost,” I said grudgingly.
“What a wonderful idea.” Sir Joshan smiled, his teeth flashing. “I will accompany you.”
“You can’t,” Rapunzel said. “Didn’t you just say that? There’s a dragon there.”
One of the pixies fluttered back and perched on his head. Somehow, he managed to look noble despite that. “I should be safe as long as I’m with you. Your hair will soothe the savage creature.”
“Maybe,” Rapunzel said. “Or maybe my hair will rile it up. That’s up to me, isn’t it?”
It was? Well, obviously; Rapunzel had never covered her hair around Fireball. Maybe that was the first thing she would teach me.
“Princess Rapunzel.” Sir Joshan stepped closer to her. “If you will not allow me to accompany you, then please wait while I summon your mother. The dragon roost is the one place in the castle where none of the guard can accompany you, and the fae must know that. If you go there alone, I think they will see it as an opportunity.”
“Well.” Rapunzel pursed her lips. “Now I know what you think.” She stepped around him and started up the steps.
“Rapunzel,” I said. “Wait.”
She paused, looking over her shoulder at me. Her fishtail braid swung sideways against her back.
“Maybe…” My voice came out very quiet. “Maybe he’s right. It could be dangerous.”
Rapunzel gave me a disappointed look. Sir Joshan gave me an approving look. It was hard to say which bothered me more.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I want to learn”—I glanced at Sir Joshan—“what we talked about. But someone left a trap for you on the dragon roost before. Maybe we shouldn’t go alone.”
Rapunzel looked at me like she didn’t much like what she was seeing. My heart sank.
“Fine,” Rapunzel said. She turned her head, making her hair catch the sunshine and glint with annoyed maroon highlights. “Though we may never get another chance, if the faerie queen has her way.”
“I won’t let that happen,” Sir Joshan said. “If you wish, I can escort you back into—”
Rapunzel turned her back on him and strode down the garden path.
I ran to catch up and reached her just as she started into the hedges. I was afraid she would ignore me, but she smiled down at me as if I’d only imagined her earlier irritation.
“Wasn’t that interesting?” she said. “He definitely didn’t want us going up there. Maybe he was the one who left the gallfern.”
Or maybe he actually thought it was dangerous. Because it is. I tried to think of something more neutral to say. “I’m not sure that makes sense. Why would he first rescue you, then try to get rid of you?”
“Well,” Rapunzel said, “I might not have been exactly what he expected.”
I laughed. “You’re not exactly what anyone expected.”
She lifted an eyebrow. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“I meant it as a compliment,” I retorted, “so that’s not particularly noteworthy.”
She laughed again, and I flushed with pleasure.
“But if it wasn’t him,” I said, “maybe he gave the hair bracelet to someone else, not knowing what they would use it for.”
“He still has the bracelet,” Rapunzel said. “Didn’t you see how those pixies were glued to him? They’re attracted to our magical hair, not to rugged good looks.” She paused at the castle entrance and ran her fingers over her head, loosening the tight braids. “We’d better get to our rooms and get ready. Maybe I’ll try to be early to this party.” She flashed me a quick, conspiratorial smile. “I have a feeling it’s going to be very fun.”
14
DEAR RAPUNZEL,
I WONDER A LOT ABOUT WHAT THE REALMS ARE LIKE. MOST PEOPLE THINK THEY’RE A TERRIBLE AND GROTESQUE WASTELAND, FULL OF STRANGE AND VICIOUS AND DEADLY CREATURES. THEY WHISPER THAT NO ONE COULD SURVIVE THERE AND STAY SANE, NOT EVEN A BORDERLAND PRINCESS. THEN THEY REALIZE I CAN HEAR WHAT THEY’RE SAYING AND THEY PRETEND TO BE SUPER INTERESTED IN THE WEATHER OR SOMETHING.
BUT THE MAGE’S SONGS MAKE THE REALMS SOUND BEAUTIFUL. SIR JOSHAN SAYS IT IS FULL OF “DANGEROUS WONDERS.” AND NANNY CRESTA TOLD ME ONCE THAT THE REALMS ARE NOT ANY SCARIER THAN THE HUMAN PART OF THE WORLD, THEY’RE JUST SCARY IN A DIFFERENT WAY.
SOMETIMES, WHEN I GO TO THE DRAGON ROOST, I CAN SEE THE FOG THAT COVERS THE REALMS. PEOPLE SAY THAT WHEN THE WINDS ARE RIGHT, THE MIST GOES THIN, AND YOU CAN SEE SOME OF THE WONDERS BENEATH THE FOG. THERE ARE THOSE WHO CLIMB UP THE NEARBY MOUNTAIN RIDGES TO LOOK.
BUT I DON’T TRY TO PEER THROUGH THE FOG OF THE REALMS. FIRST OF ALL, BECAUSE I NEVER HEARD OF ANYONE ACTUALLY SEEING ANYTHING REAL.
AND SECOND OF ALL, BECAUSE TO ME THERE’S ONLY ONE IMPORTANT THING ABOUT THE REALMS: THAT YOU ARE IN THEM.
LOVE,
CINNA
Rapunzel was on her best behavior during the garden party. She sat on her chair on the wooden dais next to my mother, her elaborate braids cascading over her shoulders. There were dozens of varieties of spells woven into them—for grace and charm and serenity and regal bearing, as if her stylists hadn’t been sure what spells she would need and had decided to just go for all of them. It might have looked overdone, if not for the fact that they all seemed to be working. Rapunzel smiled graciously at the nobles who came to meet her. She kept smiling, with extreme serenity, as Mage Talyani sang her new song about the escape from the tower, which bore no relationship to the story Sir Joshan had told everyone. She tilted her head regally when Sir Joshan announced that she was the most remarkable person he had ever met and he would devote his life to protecting her. (He was vague on what, exactly, he would be protecting her from.) When she took my mother’s hand and stepped down from the dais onto the grass, she looked like a perfect princess, right down to the pixies flitting around her hair.
It made me nervous.
I had started out near the dais but had managed to gradually slip away to the far edge of the lawn, where it sloped downward toward the flower bushes. Here, the branches rustled with birds and squirrels, eager for crumbs from the feast. They were every bit as loud as the chatter from the nobles but a lot less annoying. A few of the pixies who had followed me dashed into the branches, making a group of birds leave in a sudden cacophony of flapping and shrill protests.
“Such a beautiful ceremony,” a voice said behind me, and I whirled, my braids slapping against my cheeks. Nanny Cresta had attempted something similar to Rapunzel’s coiffure on me, with lots of tiny braids, but I could tell the spells weren’t drawing on enough magic to work well, and the braids themselves were already coming apart in annoyingly ticklish wisps.
Mage Talyani stood in front of a bush of pink-tinted yellow flowers, perfectly positioned so that the colors framed her face. She was heavily made up, and her hair was arranged almost as elaborately as my mother’s—clearly, the reason she had skipped our art lesson was because she had needed all day to get herself ready. She was still wearing the black-and-silver cloak she had donned for her performance of “The Beautiful Long-Haired Maiden in the Cold, Lonely Tower.” The silver glistened in the light of the setting sun, and the breeze stirred the edges of the cape into a wavelike ripple. A half dozen pixies swarmed around the cloak, clinging to its edges and fluttering like some sort of constantly moving fringe.
How had the mage gotten here? I could have sworn that she was right in front of the dais, hovering near Rapunzel and whispering gossip into noblewomen’s ears.
“Yes,” I said, a couple of seconds too late. “Very beautiful.”
“I hope you are enjoying it.”
“Of course I am,” I said. “It’s, um”—fun was not believable, and I couldn’t say beautiful again—“nice,” I finished weakly, and the mage smiled as if I’d just admitted something.
