by Casey Lane
"Don't tell me you're coming back up here. You know how dangerous it is and you actually have a chance to get away." She paused. "There's no glory to be had here."
Colt smiled as the plan formulated in his head. He had a feeling Fenryk would be proud.
"I'm not in it for the glory anymore." He clenched his fists. "This time, it's all about revenge."
Chapter 10
It took a few hours for Rapunzel's hair to mostly vacate the room and return to guard position. She sat in the corner of the kitchen and watched it flow away like an ocean in low tide. Like usual, the cursed strands of hair carried away all the devastation and death, taking the hero's body as it went.
Rapunzel took a deep breath. The squire wouldn't share most of his plan, but while they waited for the hair to return to its post, they had devised a system of communicating with knocks instead of words. She hoped the hair that had kept her under lock and key for so many years wouldn't catch on immediately and expose her to death twice that night. Then again, she doubted the ability of the wiry Colt to succeed where his bigger, stronger master had failed.
"As the world crumbles and dies, I'll remain beautiful and alone." She looked down at her perfect hands. "It's all I deserve."
Rapunzel heard a knock from below. As they'd practiced, one sound was a question mark. One noise asked if everything was ready. While the hair was back in place, the captive wasn't sure if she was ready to watch the man die.
Rapunzel bit her bottom lip and rapped her knuckles twice on the floor. She followed the previous instructions and walked into the main sitting area. The squire would wait exactly one minute before loosening the stone and entering the tower. She attempted to walk casually toward the staircase, hoping that her hair wouldn't notice a tremor in her fingers and a pair of wobbly knees.
"Gods, if you're at all good and just, let the squire live. I don't care about myself. Just let him survive."
The gods gave her the same silence they had for 30 years, but she hoped that this time her prayer would be answered. Nobody had ever escaped the wrath of her curse. It took something else entirely to know certain death and return for one last try.
Rapunzel heard the sound of light footsteps and turned toward the noise. The squire stood in a slight crouch, his hand clenched around something she couldn't see.
A slight smile spread across his face. "I need you to trust me. Can you trust that whatever I'm going to do is for your safety?"
She could feel her hair start to tingle as it became aware of the returning intruder. "I do. Hurry, it's coming."
The squire nodded as he tossed the contents of his hand directly into her face. Rapunzel's head whipped back instinctively to avoid the brown dirt that slammed into her cheeks, her eyes, and her mouth. It was no use. The soil from beneath the tower coated her face in a thin layer of filth.
Rapunzel coughed. "What the hell are you—"
"Here goes nothing."
The princess turned back and saw the wave of hair streaming into the room. It wasn't headed for the squire in the slightest. Her curse was about beauty, and the dirt was currently the biggest perceived threat. As the strands sought to brush off every last molecule of soil, the squire sprang into action. With a run and leap so fast that he became a blur in her hair-covered eyes, Colt cut through the air and swung his sword. It was the cleanest shot anyone had ever gotten at the space above her scalp. But the blade bounced off like it had before, sending Colt and his sword harshly to the floor.
Rapunzel's heart nearly erupted from her chest. "No!"
As her hair realized the true threat, most of it ignored the dirt on her face and shot toward the squire. He rolled away from the first and second attacks, but the third strike wrapped around his ankle, lifting him high into the air. As he struggled and spun, Rapunzel rubbed enough dirt out of her eyes to spy the squire's sword beside her.
Colt grunted as he tried to pull the hair off to no avail. "If we couldn’t stop it, you’re the one who has to make the cut.”
Rapunzel’s eyes widened. “What do you mean?”
“You created the monster. Only you can destroy it.” He struggled against his bonds. “If only I’d figured that out earlier.”
As more cursed strands left her and turned their attention to torturing the brave soul, Rapunzel's instincts told her to wipe every last bit of dirt from her face. She fought the impulse and picked up the sword instead. The captive watched as the hair tightened its grip around the squire's wrists and ankles. She could feel it in her scalp: it meant to tear him limb from limb.
Colt gritted his teeth. "Rapunzel!"
Rapunzel flared her nostrils and ducked her head. "Leave him alone!"
With strength she didn't know she had, the princess swung the blade toward her scalp, through the magical protection, and into her cursed hair. She heard a faint screaming sound as the sharp sword cut clean through the roots and clipped her scalp. While the swipe hadn’t removed all her hair, she could feel the curse seep out as the bulk of her golden locks floated downward. Rapunzel completed the motion, and her trembling hands sent the sword clattering to the ground.
Colt landed with a forward roll and began to pull at the hair around his arms and legs.
Rapunzel felt a weight on her chest evaporate. "It's over."
He shook he head quickly. "I've heard enough stories to know it's not." The squire loosened the last hold. "Come on."
While her head no longer felt the tingling of the cursed hair, she watched the strands twitch on the ground. When the squire offered his hand, Rapunzel took it. He dashed for the kitchen and lifted the loose stone with ease.
When the princess turned back, she saw it. All of the hair she'd shorn headed right for them. Somehow, she had a feeling her beauty was no longer its chief concern.
Colt pointed to the hole. "Go! Go now!"
Rapunzel leapt through the opening, leaving the tower for the first time in 30 years. She landed on the dirt with a thud and ran away from her prison. It wasn't long before the squire was by her side.
He pressed his hand on her lower back. "It's still coming!"
She willed herself to run faster, even as her lungs threatened to give out.
Colt pointed up ahead. "There's the exit. I have horses waiting ther—"
The squire flew backwards, his ankle once again gripped by the cursed hair.
His fingernails clawed at the dirt, as he attempted to stop himself from sliding back. "Keep going! Leave without me."
Rapunzel considered her freedom for a moment. A few more steps and she could be rid of her curse for good. The princess turned away from her freedom and ran toward the squire.
Colt locked eyes with her. "What are you doing?"
Rapunzel slid to one knee and grabbed a shiny dagger from his boot. "I'm finishing this."
She looked at the beautiful blond hair writhing in the dirt. Her only companion for the last three decades. The only thing holding her back from truly living her life. "Beauty, you can go to hell!"
With a downward thrust of Colt's dagger, she stabbed the hair right in the middle. This time an even louder scream echoed through the tunnel as the strands thrashed a few times before going completely limp. Whatever magical force had animated the hair was gone. The curse was over.
Chapter 11
Colt felt the cool air of the night blow past his cheeks as he lay down in the grass beside his horse. He looked up at the moon, keenly aware that while he would see many more starry nights like this, his best friend Fenryk would not.
The squire shook his head. "You finally got the story to top all stories. But I guess I'll have to be the one to tell it."
Rapunzel sat down beside him. When he glanced over to her eyes, he couldn't help but see a whole spectrum of emotions within them. There was the regret of enacting a curse that not only imprisoned her but one that killed innocent people as well. He could see the triumph she felt from finally conquering her captor. There was as much guilt in her as there was joy. As m
uch pain as there was hope.
Rapunzel looked toward the tower. "It's my fault your friend is dead."
Colt sat up. "Believe me. He'd cheated death on so many quests, it was only a matter of time. His death was always going to be on him."
She smirked. "Great. One death cleared from my conscience. Another three-dozen left to eat me from the inside."
"Nothing I can say is going to take away the terrible things you've witnessed. You wanted perfect beauty. You got it at a very high cost."
He gave her a long look. The beautiful blond locks were mostly gone from her head, aside from a few strands that trailed from the top of her neck. Dirt remained caked on her face, though all her features underneath remained in peak condition.
Colt smiled. "But…."
Rapunzel tried to stop a laugh and failed. "I'm glad you said 'but.' I was about to ask you to put me back in the tower."
"We can't change the past and we can't pretend our flaws don't exist. Fenryk was a glory hog and kind of an idiot, but I was willing to accept those things about him. One day you'll get wrinkles and gray hair and all sorts of imperfections. There's no need to correct those things. It's part of who you are."
Rapunzel sighed and looked skyward. "Where were you 30 years ago?"
"I wasn't alive yet."
She buried her face in her hands, transferring some of the dirt to her fingers. "That makes me feel so old." She pulled her hands away. "But you're saying that's ok, right?"
He nodded. "It's the only way to live." Colt stood up and offered his hand. "Ready to go?"
Rapunzel accepted the assistance and got up to standing. "Sure, but where?"
"Forward. Into a new story."
The former captive looked back to her prison one last time. "A new story sounds… beautiful."
As Colt helped Rapunzel onto Fenryk's old horse, he saw that the soil remained on her face. For the rest of the night, she made no effort to wipe it away.
About the Author
Casey Lane loves fairy tales, superheroes, and magic of all kinds. As the author of the Fairy Tales Forever series, Casey is grateful for the opportunity to spice up classic tales with some kickass heroines. Casey Lane is the pen name of a fiction and nonfiction author whose books have been downloaded nearly half a million times.
Get the free novella "Snow White's Revenge" by joining Casey's list at: http://bit.ly/caseylanelist
Check out "Cinderella Dreams of Fire," the first book in Casey's new series right here: http://bit.ly/cindydreams
www.caseylanebooks.com/
Hansel and Gretel: Devil Children
By Jamie Campbell
Chapter 1
The kids were going to kill me.
I was sure of it.
They were playing outside the cottage, their images framed by the window of the kitchen. The boy of seven and the girl of six looked like little angels with their fair hair and rosy cheeks.
Their father was chopping wood in the distance. He was out of sight, but I could hear the heavy chop of the axe as it came down on the wood over and over again. His presence was reassuring, but I wondered if he’d make it back in time if they decided to attack.
Every now and then, the boy, Hansel, would catch a glimpse of me staring at them. He would wave at me like he was being cute, but there was a silent threat there. He wanted me to know he knew I was watching them. He was taking it all in, absorbing it all to use later.
To justify killing me.
He had done it to his real mother. The two of them had stoned her to death when she couldn’t make the tiny amount of food they had taste any good. They dug a hole, forced her into it, then thrown stones at her head until she died.
When their father came home, they said a thief had broken into the cottage and killed her. My husband loved his precious children so much that he believed them. They shed crocodile tears as he buried her in the woods.
You want to know how I know about that?
Hansel told me.
Gretel had nodded along to the whole story.
It had been a warning to me on my wedding night. A warning that I needed to behave, otherwise I would suffer the same fate. If they could do it to their real mother, of course they could do it to their stepmother.
I’d looked at the children afterwards with horror written in the creases of my face. I didn’t want to believe those beautiful children, so loved by my husband, could be capable of such evil.
Over the days that followed, I’d laughed it off. I thought it was just a joke the children had concocted, trying to scare their new stepmother so she would treat them well.
But every time I saw Hansel, he was rubbing the stones he kept in his pockets. He would pull one out occasionally, holding it up for me to see as a silent threat – This will be the first one I throw at you. The evil little boy knew exactly what he was doing.
Now, I was terrified.
My husband didn’t believe me, I gave up trying to convince him. He couldn’t see anything other than his perfect children and nothing I said could change his mind. He was a sweet man, but completely oblivious when it came to his children.
As the children played outside, I looked at the measly food I had to prepare the evening meal in front of me. A few limp carrots from the garden, a tiny loaf of bread purchased from the market, and some green herbs picked from the woods. I had to somehow make it feed four people and taste good.
Otherwise…
With nothing but fear pushing me, I sliced the carrots and herbs together and boiled them over the fire. My life depended on every meal I made, just one spoiled spoonful and I could easily have lost my head.
Living under these conditions was so stressful that sometimes I broke down in tears during the night and day. I would quietly sob to myself and wish for the life I had dreamed of with my husband. His children had seemed so cherubic at first. I only wanted to be their mother and be able to love them like they were my own.
Now, it was just a nightmare.
Nightfall came too soon and the children and my husband came inside the cottage to sit around the wooden table. I dished out the soup and crossed my fingers. My stomach was clenched tight with nausea while I waited for the verdict.
Hansel ate.
Gretel ate.
My husband ate.
Finally, I could eat my own supper, which was little more than broth. I had given the small amount of vegetables and herbs to the others. I could handle my own stomach growling, but not their wrath.
I did the dishes afterwards and tidied up while the children went to bed. They treated me like a maid, not even acknowledging me the entire night. That was okay with me, if they ignored me they couldn’t threaten me.
The last of the fire was crackling in the hearth as I sat on the stool next to my husband. He was such a good man, one I still loved with my entire heart. Even if the life I had wished for hadn’t come true, I wouldn’t change marrying him for anything. I loved him and always would.
Which was what made doing what I had to do so much worse. I wrapped my hand around his strong arm, pulling him in close so I could whisper in his ear. He gave me an adoring look, the kind that made spring butterflies come alive in my stomach.
But it had to be done, I couldn’t go on like this. “My darling, we have to talk about the children.”
Chapter 2
My husband didn’t like hearing anything bad about his precious children. I could understand why, because he had never seen their evil side. They kept it so well hidden that they would always be innocent in his eyes.
“What is it, my love?” he replied.
“We barely have any food left,” I started, keeping my voice low while I prayed Hansel and Gretel would remain asleep. “I fear we won’t be able to feed them for much longer. We will all starve before too long.”
He gave a long sigh. “I know, this situation has been playing heavily on me for some time. I am working so hard, but it is hard times. There is barely any food to buy, even if we d
id have money.”
“I would like to venture further into the forest tomorrow to see if there are any berries or wild vegetables I can pick. Is that okay with you, my darling?” I’d never gone far into the woods before, but I was prepared to for my family. As scary as it would be, I needed to do something.
“Yes, certainly. Why don’t you take the children with you? They can help you forage.”
I plastered on a fake smile and hoped it was convincing. “That’s a good idea, husband. Thank you. Maybe we’ll all feast like royalty tomorrow night.”
“Let us hope, my love.” He kissed the top of my forehead and held me close until it was time we retired to bed. I cuddled up against him, trying to stay warm in the cold, cold night.
In the morning, it was my husband that broke the news to the children. They didn’t like the idea of helping me, but they didn’t argue with their papa. They wouldn’t dream of it.
The three of us took off into the woods. I carried a basket and was wrapped up in my long black cloak. A fine mist clung to the forest floor, giving everything a ghostly shadow. I tried to keep Hansel and Gretel in sight at all times, not only watching for their wellbeing, but making sure they couldn’t sneak up on me too.
Hansel pulled out a pebble from his pocket and held it up for me to see as we walked. The grin on his face could only be described as chilling as he issued the silent threat. He dropped the pebble on the ground, but I knew he had a pocketful more.
We walked in chilled silence through the tall trees of the woods. My eyes scanned our surroundings, always searching for anything that could be used as food. The winter so far had been harsh which made it difficult for anything to grow plentiful.
The whole time we moved, Hansel continued to show me pebbles and then drop them on the ground. The pressure to find food weighed on me. I didn’t want those pebbles being thrown at me, I didn’t want them to cause my death.
