Once Upon a Happy Ending: An Anthology of Reimagined Fairy Tales

by Casey Lane

  "No, that's ok. I'm just a little cold. Would you mind sitting closer?"

  He pursed his lips, turning his dark, thin beard into the most adorable O shape. "Not at all."

  As Roddick placed his arm around her, Rapunzel attempted to sink into his bony shoulder. She wondered if she melted into him now if her mind would let her stay forever. As her eyelids fluttered, the evening advanced to after midnight.

  Rapunzel sat on her balcony and looked up at the night sky. Her feet were sore from hours of dancing. Her ears buzzed with echoes of the sweet nothings that had been whispered into her memories. Her heart continued to flutter with every relived compliment about her face, hands, and legs.

  She grasped the happiness like a lioness latched onto its prey.

  "Rapunzel."

  The voice barely carried over the wind. And yet, the poet's melodic tone hit its mark.

  "Taru."

  Stepping out from the shadows was the bard from a far-off land. He had the body of an acrobat and even his breath was like the sound of an angel singing.

  "How did you get here?"

  Taru reached her with such speed and finesse, Rapunzel wondered if he hadn't been a dream all along.

  He brought his lips close to her ear. "I've sung many ballads of beauty. None of them comes close to describing you. Inside or out."

  Rapunzel felt the bard's fingers work their way down her back like an instrument he'd been playing all his life.

  Her breath caught in her throat. "I don't want this night to end."

  His dark lips formed a smirk. "It doesn't have to."

  Rapunzel's sigh wasn't that of a sheltered beauty reaching the age of 20. It was weary and weathered. It was practiced and resigned to the end of things. Like her fate, it was unavoidable.

  "It always does, Taru. It always has to."

  One more time, Rapunzel closed her eyes.

  When she opened them, the bard was nowhere to be seen. All that stood before her was a floor-length mirror. Her young face was pressed up close to magnify her discovery.

  Beside her right eye was something she'd never before witnessed. Through the smooth plane of her skin cut a valley. The crevice of her first wrinkle sapped the temperature from her body.

  She could only remember the echoes of the scream that followed. It was a sound that preceded the decision that changed everything.

  Rapunzel opened her eyes to reality. Tears trickled down her face, wiped away almost immediately by the hair that ruled her life. Two days after her attempt to end it all, the barrier in front of the window had been removed. The moon waxed larger and shed even more light on her living nightmare.

  "So many years later. They could've had families. They could've been happy." Rapunzel ran her fingers through her long, unforgiving locks. "I destroyed everything." Before her hair could dry her latest round of tears, the blond strands shuddered.

  Rapunzel glanced out the window, but she didn't see anything or anybody. And yet the hair continued to vibrate. The bed beneath her seemed to shake as well.

  Rapunzel focused her senses. The sound that alarmed her protector wasn't coming from outside. It was coming from underneath.

  Chapter 6

  Despite two days of the same sight, Colt could still hardly believe his eyes. A half-dozen dwarves before him moved their picks and shovels as fast as a hummingbird stealing a sip of nectar. The air was thick with the smell of soil and dwarf sweat. Despite the pungent conditions, Fenryk sat triumphantly on a pile of earth.

  He held an ancient-looking horn in his lap. "Who knew that slaying a dragon would end up winning me a princess?"

  Colt shook his head. "Do the dwarves know that you only decapitated it after you tricked it into roasting itself alive?"

  The practically sober hero gripped his squire's shoulder. "Did you know that your skepticism is one of the reasons I picked you, Colt?"

  "I thought it was because I could shoot the eyes off a scarecrow at a quarter of a mile."

  Fenryk showed off his sparkling smile. "You weren't the only skilled applicant, but you were the sole person who questioned things. When someone believes something is true, it changes them. It can either take their power away… or give them more than they ever imagined possible."

  Colt squinted. "Such as the power to dig out the foundation of a magically-protected tower?"

  The sound of furious pick axes settled into silence and the knight hopped to his feet. "I'm glad we have a lot of years left. One of these days I'll get through to you." He walked toward the exhausted dwarves. "How are we doing over here?"

  The lead dwarf stepped forward. The only way Colt could tell him apart from the others was a beard that was a few inches longer than that of his short, nearly identical co-workers. "Should be all set."

  As the dwarf gestured upward, Colt saw the incredible work they'd been able to accomplish. Not only had they dug a hole all the way underneath the tower's foundation, but the stone base of the building was now completely exposed. By removing a single square of stone, he and Fenryk would have no problem getting inside.

  Fenryk presented the horn downward to the diminutive dwarf. "This is amazing work, Bumble. Consider our life debt completely paid off."

  The leader waved away the hero's gesture. "No, no. Keep it. It's the least we could do for such a hero."

  Fenryk bowed. Colt and the dwarves mimicked the gesture. The diggers bid adieu and waddled toward the entrance to the hole they'd been carving the last two days.

  Colt inspected the bottom of the tower. It was just as expertly crafted as the outside had been. He pulled out a knife and stabbed at the bottom of the stone. Sparks burst into life and fizzled out on the dust below. Colt nodded. "Whatever magic is protecting the outside doesn't seem to be down here."

  Fenryk placed his hands underneath one of the stones and gave it a mighty push. Colt watched it give way before the hero lowered it to the ground.

  Fenryk winked. "It looks like everything is going according to plan this time, my boy."

  Colt looked up into the darkness of the tower. He could feel the hair begin to stand up on the back of his neck. "Nothing ever goes according to plan."

  The hero chuckled to himself. "Who knows? Maybe the princess has a sister. A little optimism never hurt anybody." He gestured toward the opening. "After you?"

  The squire walked under the hole and began climbing into the tower. "Optimism doesn't just get people hurt. It gets them killed."

  Colt pulled himself up into the dark unknown.

  Chapter 7

  After Fenryk slid the stone back into place, there was neither sound nor light to guide them in the base of the tower. It was so dark, the knight and the squire would have bumped into each other if their reflexes hadn't been so finely tuned. Colt crouched low as he used the sense of touch alone to fish through his pack. Time seemed to stand still as he finally unveiled an arm-length torch and a few stones to strike together. He breathed in deep as a flurry of sparks ignited the torch.

  Fenryk smiled in the low light. "You're pretty handy, Colt. I might just keep you around after all."

  The squire didn't waste his smirk, instead using his time and the orange-hued light to explore. As was often the case in castles, the building seemed much bigger on the inside. Colt shifted his torch and shined a light on an oven. The last hint of an ember remained red-hot beneath the cooking surface.

  He gestured to Fenryk with his eyes. "At least they're not starving her."

  The knight nodded. "Smells like wild boar. I could use some myself if you find any leftovers."

  Colt rolled his eyes and led the way out of the kitchen. He traced every step he made in case they needed to get back to the tunnel in a hurry. The next room took up most of the bottom floor. Colt noticed right away how incredibly sparse it was. Aside from a table set for one, a cabinet for dishes, and a painting on the wall, there wasn't much to speak of. A dark staircase called to him from the other side of the room.

  Fenryk tiptoed behind him
and stopped before the painting. It depicted a girl who couldn't be much older than 20 dressed all in red. She was as captivating a woman as Colt had ever seen.

  The squire focused his eyes on the perfect picture. "She's stunning. Do you think that's our cap—" Colt paused as he saw the realization cross his master's face. "What is it?"

  The knight was awestruck. "I recognize her."

  "Who is she?"

  “Rapunzel. My father told me a story from his youth of a girl with incredible beauty. He showed me a replica of this exact picture."

  Colt shook his head. "Your father told plenty of stories."

  Fenryk took a step toward the painting. "She had it all. Love. Adoration. Her looks. But she worried about her beauty fading." The knight's face betrayed a look of terror. "By the gods. This is the girl in the tower?"

  "Fenryk, what happens in the story?"

  His master's breath grew heavy. "We should go back into the tunnel."

  Now the squire's pulse began to quicken. "What happens in the story?"

  A slow, steady tapping sounded from the staircase. As Colt turned to look, the light from the torch illuminated the girl from the painting brought to life. Behind a long, red dress trailed an endless wave of blond hair.

  Fenryk and Colt took a step back in unison.

  "I can tell you what happened in the story. Despite the best efforts of the girl, everybody she knew and loved died horribly." Curling up like a snake, hundreds of strands of hair arched up and sharpened itself like a blade.

  "And, I'm afraid, that's how your story ends too."

  Without warning, the magical makeshift weapon flew across the room and aimed straight for Fenryk's chest.

  Chapter 8

  Rapunzel prepared herself to see blood and pain as her hair shot forth toward the ill-fated rescuers. She didn't expect the broad-shouldered knight and the lean squire to acrobatically dive in opposite directions. The pike of hair slammed into the wall, leaving a deep impression in its wake.

  For a moment, Rapunzel allowed herself to feel hope. After all, none of the heroes who visited her prison had ever made it inside. When the sharpened strands split into two as they pulled away from the wall, her heart sank.

  "The curse. The curse always wins."

  A war cry sounded from behind her dining table. "Not tonight, princess!"

  With his sword drawn high, the knight kicked the table over and ran toward the hair that had split off in his direction. As he swung his weapon toward the blond locks, the strands parted around the blade like a stream splitting in two directions.

  As Rapunzel's cursed beauty aimed for his face, the knight ducked just in the nick of time. The hair sailed over his head, landing harmlessly on her portrait.

  Rapunzel turned toward the squire who had somehow avoided death in his own fashion. His face looked completely at ease as he flipped to the right to avoid one blow and rolled to the left to avoid another. He was as quick as any person she'd ever seen.

  Rapunzel's breath caught. "I'm not worthy of you, heroes. You're strong and swift. Escape while you still can."

  The knight got to his feet with a grunt, just in time to face a few dozen strands that had fashioned themselves into the shape of a sword. "As much as we appreciate your extreme confidence in us—" He met the hair with his blade. A high-pitched noise rang out as if he'd met steel. "—we plan on getting you out of here."

  Rapunzel's eyes widened as she watched the knight move his blade with lightning quickness to block the hair. Meanwhile, the squire continued to put on his own circus on the other side of the room. Each time the strands struck, he somersaulted away from the attack.

  Rapunzel could feel her hair pulling in multiple directions, as it prepared to kill once again. "It's no use. No mortal man can fight off such dark magic."

  The squire leapt to the knight's side as they slowly backed up toward the wall. "She's right. I think we need to use it."

  The knight looked almost disappointed as the hair split into a dozen sharp points and inched toward them. "Are you sure? I was saving it for a special occasion?"

  "This could be the last occasion if you don't use it."

  As the strands shook, preparing for a deathblow, the knight sighed. "Fine."

  Before the hair could surge forward, an act that would surely impale the heroes, the knight reached into the top of his tunic and revealed a small, blue crystal. He crushed it in his hand and a wave of winter spread throughout the room.

  A blast of freezing air brushed Rapunzel's cheeks as the sound of ice forming filled her ears. When a frosty mist had cleared the air, the princess was amazed at what she saw. The deadly strands that were poised to kill remained suspended in the air. The ice penetrated all the way to her scalp and her body began to shiver.

  "What did you do?"

  The knight examined the frozen hair with his fingers. "The heart of a frost giant. How we got it is one heck of a story."

  Before she could blink, the squire was by her side. "Are you okay?"

  Rapunzel laughed. She couldn't remember the last time that had happened. "You're asking if I'm okay? My hair just tried to murder you, I should be asking you."

  "We're fine, but I'm guessing this spell won't hold forever." The squire placed his hand on her shoulder. "We're going to get you out of here."

  Rapunzel looked down at the first human contact she'd experienced in three decades. Even in the midst of such cold, she felt the warmth deep inside of her.

  "Thank you."

  The knight moved toward her, gripping his sword tight. "Don't thank us yet. Let's see if we can't chop this curse right off of you."

  Rapunzel nodded as the shiver moved from her body to her hair. "Hurry. I think it's waking up."

  The knight huffed. "I waited two years to use something that lasts two seconds. I won't be killing another frost giant anytime soon."

  The squire took a step back. "Do it now, Fenryk. We can talk all about frost giants when we're back at the tavern."

  Without hesitation, the knight swung his mighty sword only a few inches away from Rapunzel's scalp. The blade bounced off without cutting a single strand, its failure echoing throughout the chamber.

  The knight growled. "Damn!"

  "We've gotta get out of here, Fenryk."

  Rapunzel's scalp tingled. "It's waking up!"

  Fenryk crouched lower and tightened his grip. "Let me try one more time."

  He swung a second time, but the magic protecting Rapunzel's hair became strong enough to push him to the ground. As he fell and rolled to a stop, the cursed strands came to life. Shedding the icy spell with a sound like glass breaking, the hair shot toward the knight with incredible speed. Before he could move or utter a sound, her blond locks covered his every inch.

  The squire reached for him. "Fenryk!"

  Rapunzel held the squire back as she felt her hair close around the knight like a snake. A gut-wrenching crunch echoed throughout the tower.

  Chapter 9

  Colt wanted to scream. The hero he'd spent every waking moment with for half a decade was dead. Everything in his body told him to shut down and meet the same fate as well, but his mind and his will refused. At the very moment the murderous hair streamed in his direction, Colt flipped backward into the air. He could feel the strands approaching as he sprinted toward the kitchen. His heart had never beaten faster in his entire life.

  When Colt reached the room, he dove to the floor and lifted the loosened stone with all his might. As it gave, he turned onto his back, just blocking the magical onslaught from Rapunzel's hair before it could take him over. The squire pushed back with the block of stone and rolled in reverse, sending him down the hole and locking the rock back in place. As he released his hold, his back slammed hard on the dirt below.

  Colt coughed as he heard the hair crashing into the stone. Try as it might, the magical strands couldn't work their way through the rock.

  The squire was safe. For now.

  As he sat up, he ignored t
he bruise forming on his lower back. Nothing could match the pain he felt for his lost friend.

  He sniffled. "Why'd there always have to be another story? Damn it, Fenryk."

  "Hello?" Rapunzel's voice was as beautiful as her face and her shiny, deadly hair. "Are you okay?"

  The squire stood up to get as close to the stone as possible. "I'm alive." He wasn't sure what else to say.

  "Your friend was brave. If I'd known a blade couldn't cut my hair I would've said something."

  Colt tried not to think about Fenryk's crushed body above him. "I know. Rapunzel, how is this even possible? You haven't aged for 30 years? Your hair is… a psychopath." Even through the stone, the squire could hear the girl's crying.

  "I truly had it all. Loving parents. Men who wanted me. Beauty that people talked about throughout the land. But when it started to fade just a little… I turned to magic to keep me beautiful."

  Colt chewed at his cheek. "Magic always comes with consequences."

  Her crying transitioned to sobbing. "I know. I know! As soon as I cast the spell I knew that something horrible had happened. Before I could understand what was wrong, my hair killed everyone I loved. It turns out I can have beauty forever… but no one can ever share it."

  He shook his head wondering just how many girls would try the same thing in the quest for beauty. "I'm sorry."

  "My hair won't even let me cry. It wipes away the tears before they can even fall. I guess it makes me ugly or something."

  Colt narrowed his eyes. "What did you say?"

  "My hair always wipes away the tears."

  The squire rubbed his hands together. "Now that's something I can work with."

  Colt could almost see Rapunzel shaking her head through the stone.