Braided, page 3
“For now.” Sir Joshan walked over and put a hand on Rapunzel’s shoulder. “But don’t worry. I will locate her, no matter what it takes.”
I put my elbows on the table, waiting for Rapunzel’s reaction to that.
She said nothing. She sat perfectly still, her hair determinedly yellow. Her face was expressionless except for the tightening of her chin.
Which was exactly what my chin did when I was scared.
“It’s all right,” I said. “The castle has been heavily warded and guarded since you were kidnapped. The fae can’t get you here.”
I spoke without thinking. If I had, I would have anticipated the glares from my mother and Sir Joshan. But not the glare from my sister, which was twice as intense as either of theirs. I shrank back in my chair, wishing I could melt into it.
“They managed to get someone into the castle, didn’t they?” my mother said scathingly. “Despite all our wards and all our guards. Sir Joshan—”
“I’ll find out how she got in,” Sir Joshan said. “Don’t worry, Rapunzel. I didn’t risk my life to rescue you just to let you get taken from me again. I swear to you, I will keep you safe.”
And he still didn’t get a glare. Rapunzel didn’t even bother to look at him. He whirled and strode off, still holding the kitchen knife.
“Send for the mage,” my mother said. “Now.” She waited until a guard scurried off to do her bidding, then looked at my sister. “How did you see through the girl’s disguise?”
“I don’t know,” Rapunzel said. “I just…felt the presence of the Realms.”
“Hmm.” My mother’s eyes narrowed. “Well, we’ll get to the bottom of this. In the meantime”—she raised her voice—“let us continue to feast! We will not let this ruin the celebration of my daughter’s return!”
Which was probably the biggest of the many lies told at our table that night.
3
DEAR RAPUNZEL,
THEY SENT ANOTHER ECKSPE EXPID EXPEDITION TO FIND YOU TODAY. THERE WAS A RUMOR ABOUT A GIRL WITH COLOR-CHANGING HAIR IN THE GREEN ISLANDS. THEY SENT A SHIP. JOSHAN, THE NEW SKWIRE THAT EVERYWUN IS TAUKING ABOUT, VOLUNTEERED TO GO AND EVERYONE CHEERED FOR HIM.
I ALWAYS THOUGHT YOU WERE STOLEN BY THE FAERIES BUT I GUESS NO ONE REALLY NOSE FOR SURE. IF U WERE STOLEN BY GREEN ISLANDERS THAT WOULD BE BETTER BECAUSE IT IS EASIER TO FITE PEEPLE THAN TO FITE FAERIES.
THEY SAY JOSHAN IS THE BEST FITER IN THE KINGDOM AND HE WILL FOR SURE FIND YOU. I DON’T REALLY LIKE HIM BUT IF HE DOES FIND YOU I WILL MAYBE CHANGE MY MIND ABOUT HIM. EVRYWUN ELSE LIKES HIM SO IT SHOULDN’T BE TOO HARD.
I GAVE HIM A PRESENT FOR YOU, JUST IN CASE.
LOVE,
CINNA
That evening, nobody was talking about my hair. So at least that worked out better than expected.
“Everyone in the kitchen suspected something was going to go wrong tonight!” Oriana ricocheted around my room like a pixie, rearranging things, fiddling with her clothes, and pausing periodically to peer out of each window as if she expected an army of fae to appear on the horizon. “There was a strange smell in the morning, like something was burning, even though nothing was. And none of the bread would rise. And the pixies were buzzing at the windows all day!”
Which was what pixies spent most of their time doing. A whole cluster of them were at one of my windows that very second, forming a pink translucent cloud that hovered over the windowsill.
“But that’s not the strangest part!” Oriana picked up a pillow, fluffed it (it didn’t need fluffing), and put it back down. Nanny Cresta swatted at the pixies, who briefly dispersed, then came back together, whirring their wings in annoyance. Both Oriana and Nanny Cresta were a bit at a loss. Normally, they spent the hour before bed brushing out my hair, but tonight that had taken all of three minutes. “Naria overheard Princess Rapunzel say to Sir Joshan, Well, what did you expect? As if she knew something like this would happen!”
I was sitting on my bed, at a loss myself. Nobody expected me to do anything, but I kind of missed the feeling of a brush stroking through my hair. In my mind, I kept seeing Rapunzel’s face when she glared at me—so different from her expression before the banquet, when she said that she had come back for me.
Did she still think I was worth it? Did she consider me silly and thoughtless now? Why couldn’t I have just kept my mouth shut?
All these years, dreaming about her return…I’d assumed that when she came back, she’d like me. She’d love me. She had to, didn’t she? We were sisters.
I shifted on my bed, then adjusted the blanket. I felt prickly and unsettled, and Oriana wasn’t helping. I glanced at the stacks of books on my nightstand, but none of them seemed distracting enough—not even the story about Cinderella’s third stepsister, which I’d been racing through before Rapunzel’s arrival.
It was clear that no one outside our table had heard what the faerie actually said to Rapunzel. I wondered how long my mother would be able to keep it that way.
“And Princess Rapunzel didn’t look scared at all! That’s what Naria said.” Oriana sighed. “She must be so very brave. What do you think the fae did to her while they held her in the tower?”
“Probably nothing.” Nanny Cresta gave Oriana a sharp look. “The fae are not cruel. They’re just careless. Perhaps Rapunzel is used to their ways and has no reason to fear.”
Sometimes Nanny Cresta treated me like I was still five years old. “Yes,” I said, “I’m sure she absolutely loved being stuck alone in a tower for her entire life. What do you think the fae did, gave her tea parties and braided her hair?”
“I don’t know,” Nanny Cresta said. “No one knows what happened to Rapunzel during her captivity. So far she has refused to talk about it.”
“Probably because it was so horrible,” Oriana said, with a rapturous sigh.
I wondered if Rapunzel would talk about it with me. But obviously, our planned postbanquet meeting wasn’t going to happen. Rapunzel had been whisked to her room in the company of my mother, Mage Talyani, and half the castle guard.
And even if we had met, why would she tell me anything she hadn’t told anyone else? We were strangers.
The only reason I came back was for you.
“In the kitchens,” Oriana went on, “they’re saying that Princess Rapunzel is afraid to speak of what happened to her because the castle is full of fae spies.”
“Oh please,” Nanny Cresta snapped. Usually, Nanny Cresta believed in letting Oriana rattle on, but every once in a while, Oriana said something so silly that Nanny Cresta forgot her policy. “You know almost every person in this castle personally. They’re not fae, and they’re not spies.”
“That’s the worst part of it!” Oriana exclaimed. (Nothing Nanny Cresta said ever made a difference, which was the reason Nanny Cresta had the policy to begin with.) “It means people I’ve known my whole life, people I trust, have secret identities and are working against us!”
“Or,” I said, “it means there was only one fae in the castle, she’s someone nobody recognized, and there’s no need to get all hysterical about it. She wasn’t even a very good spy, was she? Aren’t spies supposed to stay hidden?”
“She would have stayed hidden,” Oriana said, “if Rapunzel hadn’t spotted her. She told the other maids that she was newly hired, and people were too busy preparing for the banquet to ask questions. So sly and clever! But now we’ll discover the truth. Sir Joshan will find her eventually.” She clasped her hands to her chest. “She won’t be able to hide from him.”
I had once devoted myself to opening Oriana’s eyes to Sir Joshan’s true nature. I had made a list of all the ridiculous things he said and did—I’d covered a sheet of paper in a week—and read through it every night while she brushed my hair. She had ended up agreeing that maybe his heroic reputation was slightly exaggerated.
Then he’d smiled at her as he passed her in the hall, and she’d gone right back to adoring him.
“They’ve been asking Princess Rapunzel if she knows the name of that faerie,” Oriana went on. “The mage says that faerie names have power. She says that at the Institute for the Magical Arts, they’ll pay handsomely for any confirmed faerie names. They once paid someone a whole roomful of gold thread for the name of a goblin king!” She sighed. “But Rapunzel won’t say anything about it.”
“That does seem to be her general approach,” Nanny Cresta said dryly. “Cinna, do you want a nutmeg tea before bed?”
“No, thank you.” I hadn’t liked nutmeg tea since I was eight years old, but Nanny Cresta still asked me every night. She made her own brew and got sad when I refused it. “I’m too worked up to sleep.”
“Bedtime in ten minutes,” she said firmly.
“But I’m not—”
Someone knocked on the door.
We all came to attention. Nanny Cresta started to get up, but I leaped from my bed and strode across the room. I pulled the door open. “Rapunz—”
Sir Joshan strode through the doorway. He glanced around, one hand on his sword hilt, as if he was checking for fae spies in my room.
“Oh,” I said. “You.”
“Your Highness.” Sir Joshan bowed. “Your mother sent me to make sure you were safe.”
I folded my arms across my chest. “As you can see, I’m fine. We all are.”
He looked at Nanny Cresta—who was pretending to be asleep in her chair, as she generally did around people who annoyed her—and then at Oriana, who was having trouble remembering how to speak. Finally, he turned his striking blue eyes back on me. “I will be extra vigilant about your security, Your Highness.”
“Oh, thank you!” Oriana said. “That’s so kind. It will put my mind at ease. Thank goodness you chased after that fae! Otherwise who knows what she would have done? Just imagine! Of course we trust you to guard against her treachery. And to find her. She won’t be able to outwit you.”
So she had remembered how to speak. But not, apparently, how to stop speaking.
I did her a kindness and cut her off. “Has anyone found the fae?” I said. “Do you know how she got in?”
“Don’t worry, Princess Cinnariosia. We have it under control.” He half raised his hand as if to pat me on the head. Then—perhaps remembering how I had reacted the last time he patted me on the head—he changed his mind and ran his hand through his hair instead. “You can go to bed feeling safe. We’ll probably have it all dealt with by morning.”
“I’m sure you will!” Oriana said. “It’s just so terrifying for ordinary people. Like me! Not for you, of course. I’m sure you’ve faced far more terrifying situations. I mean, I know you have. I’ve heard all about them.”
Sir Joshan smiled at her—which, luckily, made her once again unable to speak. “I must say that I, personally, am not surprised by what happened tonight. It was to be expected that the fae would try to get their prisoner back.”
“Really?” I said. “Then how come none of you expected it?”
Nanny Cresta’s next snore sounded suspiciously like a chuckle.
Sir Joshan squatted and looked me in the eye. “We must make sure they fail. And you, Princess Cinna, can help us.”
I blinked. “I can? How?”
“Princess Rapunzel won’t talk to anyone about her experiences in the tower. That makes it difficult for us to figure out why the fae stole her in the first place and what they might do next. But perhaps she will talk to you.”
“To…to me?”
“You are her sister.”
“I am.” It still sent a small thrill through me. “But we never met until today. She doesn’t know me.” I bit my lip. “She doesn’t know any of us.”
“No,” Sir Joshan agreed. “That is why she will need your help to make her way through the court.”
“How can I—”
“You know how harsh the nobles can be. People will give her some leeway because of her imprisonment, but it won’t be long before they’ll be starting an international incident over her mispronouncing some ambassador’s name or accidentally calling someone an earl when they’re really a duke. Think of all the history and deportment lessons she’s missed.”
Lucky her.
“There’s going to be a public celebration in the garden tomorrow night, and she’ll probably be shy and nervous. Offer to guide her, to introduce her to the right people, to keep her from making mistakes. And while you’re at it, try to learn what she knows.” He smiled, showing off very straight teeth. “If you learn anything significant, tell it to me.”
I frowned at him. His smile broadened, showing even more teeth.
I didn’t want to tell him anything about my sister. And he knew it. But he also knew that I owed him.
None of that could be discussed in front of Nanny Cresta or Oriana. So I said, “How will I know what’s significant?”
“You won’t.” Having run out of teeth to show me, he lifted his eyebrows instead. “So just tell me everything. I’ll decide what’s significant.”
“What makes you think she’ll even want to talk to me?”
He considered me for a moment, his eyes hooded. “Rapunzel almost didn’t come with me,” he said. “When I first found her, she refused to leave her tower.”
Oriana squeaked. “Why?”
“She was afraid of what the fae would do to her if they caught her trying to escape. She told me that she belonged to them, that they wouldn’t let her go, and that I should leave her behind and save myself.”
I refrained from rolling my eyes. Half of Sir Joshan’s stories involved someone begging him to leave them behind and save himself, and him nobly refusing and risking his life to save them anyhow.
“There was no time to reason with her,” Sir Joshan went on. “The faerie queen could have shown up at any minute. I told her that she was a princess, that her mother missed her, that we never stopped searching for her. She said, So tell everyone I’m safe. That’s all they need to know. Then I said, You’ve never even met your sister. And she lowered her hair out the window and said, You had better climb up.”
“Ooh!” Oriana gasped. “And did you?”
The rest of Sir Joshan’s story went on for quite a while. Their escape from the Realms had involved numerous close calls and death-defying feats, during all of which Sir Joshan had exhibited incredible strength and bravery, and my sister had learned to trust him and depend on him. (And also, it was strongly implied, fallen in love with him.)
“But she never hesitated to follow me again,” he finished. “Not after she heard about you, Cinna. You’re important to her. Maybe she’ll talk to you. And if she does…”
Then, of course, I’ll be sure to seize my chance to spy on my sister for you. I nodded reluctantly.
That seemed to satisfy Sir Joshan. He bowed to Oriana, who nearly fainted, then turned and left the room.
“Well,” Nanny Cresta said, her eyes popping open. “That took long enough. It is far past your bedtime now.” Nanny Cresta had no patience for anything that delayed my bedtime, including national heroes. “Let’s clean your teeth.”
For once I had no inclination to argue with her. I needed to think. I went obediently through my bedtime routine, then climbed into bed and lay still while Nanny Cresta pulled my heavy blanket up to my chin. She looked around my room, then gestured at Oriana, who extinguished the lamps on her way out.
The heavy door shut behind them, leaving the room in darkness. My hand reached instinctively for my hair, to coil it around my fingers. Air brushed my palm instead. I sighed and settled for twisting my blanket around my hand as I fell asleep.
4
DEAR RAPUNZEL,
TODAY AT MY SEVENTH BIRTHDAY PARTY, THE MAGE SANG A SONG ABOUT A MAGIC MIRROR THAT TELLS PEOPLE IF THEIR BEAUTIFUL AND ALSO CAN FIND ANYWUN WHO IS LOST. HER GRANDMOTHER’S BEST FRIEND SAW THE MIRROR WITH HER OWN EYES, SO I GUESS IT IS TRUE.
I ASKED HER WHY NO WUN IS SEARCHING FOR A MAGIC MIRROR TO FIND YOU, AND SHE SAID “I AM WORKING ON IT, OF CORSE,” AND I DID NOT LIKE HER TONE OF VOICE SO I DID NOT ASK ANY MORE BUT I DECIDED TO FIND A MAGIC MIRROR MYSELF. THERE ARE LOTS OF MIRRORS IN THE CASTLE. THE SONG SAID THAT WUN WAY TO NO IF A MIRROR IS MAGIC IS IF THEY DO NOT BRAKE.
SO NOW I AM IN BIG TRUBLE AND IT WUD HAVE BEEN WORTH IT IF I FOUND A MAGIC MIRROR BUT I DID NOT. SO I HATE THE MAGE.
I HAVE TO DO A LOT OF EXTRA LESSONS SO IT MAY BE A WHILE BEFORE I HAVE TIME TO RITE TO YOU AGAIN.
LOVE,
YOUR SISTER,
CINNA
“Psst! Cinna!”
I woke with a start, my hands still clenching my blanket. I had been dreaming that I was asleep in a mass of my own hair, that it grew and coiled around me until I couldn’t move, getting heavier and heavier with every passing second.
I kicked my blanket away from me, and it landed with a muffled thud on the floor.
My room was nearly pitch-black. There wasn’t even any moonlight coming through the window. In my half-asleep daze, it took me a moment to realize why: because the window was blocked by a crouching figure and that figure’s voluminous fall of hair.
“Rapunzel?” I whispered.
My sister swung herself into my room. She landed in a crouch and straightened, her hair flying out behind her, and then falling back into place with an audible whoosh.
“Sorry for waking you,” she said. “But you did say you wanted to talk. Do you still?”
“Yes!” I struggled into a sitting position, my heart pounding. She was here! She wanted to talk to me. I hadn’t ruined everything with that foolish comment at the banquet. “Yes, definitely.”
