Grounded: The Adventures of Rapunzel

by Megan Morrison

  “Look at her, Clover.”

  “Oh, I’m looking. She’s a carriage wreck.”

  “Those shoes. And what’s under that cloak?”

  Rapunzel turned around, aware that the conversation must be about her. Two people stood there, a man and a woman. Both were young, but older than she was, and both had deep brown skin. The woman’s hair stood out like a massive, frizzy black hat on one side of her head; on the other side, tight white curls covered her scalp. The man wore a long coat with one sleeve missing; the skin of his exposed arm was purple, and coppery sparks crackled from his fingertips. Rapunzel looked inquisitively at this spectacle, while the man and woman gazed upon her with dismay.

  “Are you all right?” asked the young woman, lifting an eyebrow.

  “No,” said Rapunzel. “I don’t have any money.”

  The young man held out his hand. In it were two flat, bronze things, each about the size of an eye. “Take these and buy yourself some shoes. Burn those things you’re wearing.” He made a gesture with his purple hand when he said this, and fiery orange light sparked from his fingers.

  Rapunzel took the bronze things and held one up. “Is this money?” she asked.

  The young man frowned at her. “Of course. They’re Hawthornes.”

  “Food in the park’s cheaper,” added the young woman, jabbing a thumb over her shoulder.

  “Thank you,” said Rapunzel. Clutching the coins in her hand, she ran back along the streets she’d come down until she found the fountain where she was supposed to meet Jack.

  He wasn’t there. Rapunzel sat on the fountain’s edge to rest her aching feet, her stomach gurgling so loudly that she could hear it over the rushing water. She wondered how long she would have to wait. She smelled hot buttered corn, sweet apple tarts, sizzling sausages, and fresh cake. It was all she could do to keep from drooling.

  When Jack returned, Rapunzel stood at once, ready to go and buy food at last. But he sat down on the rim of the fountain and slouched over his knees.

  “I couldn’t get a job,” he muttered.

  “It’s all right, I have money.”

  Jack raised his head. “You do? How?”

  “A man gave it to me.”

  “How much did he give you?”

  “This much,” said Rapunzel, and she showed him the two bronze coins. “Is that enough to eat with?”

  Jack’s mouth fell open and he plucked the coins out of Rapunzel’s palm. “Somebody just gave you these?” he asked. “For no reason?”

  “He said that I should get new shoes and burn my slippers. And I do want some better shoes,” she said, wiggling her aching feet one at a time. “But first, let’s eat. Come on, Prince Frog,” she said, and Prince Frog, who had been swimming in the whirling fountain, bounced into Rapunzel’s hand, then up her arm and onto her shoulder.

  They made their way to the park, which was a crowded but jolly place where people played music and games, and floated in a lazy river. Rapunzel might have found all this worth looking at if she had not been so hungry; as it was, she hurried straight toward the long, tented rows that Jack called food booths. There, hundreds of people wandered about, sucking lemon ice through peppermint-stick straws, or munching turkey legs, or gulping from tankards. Pale, furry little creatures scurried around on their hind legs, picking up garbage and scraps of food in their front paws and eating the remainders before tidying the trash into neat piles. Jack said that the creatures were called Brownies, and Rapunzel was surprised. She had thought that brownies were a chocolate dessert.

  The idea of chocolate dessert was too much to bear. Rapunzel headed toward the closest booth, where whole chickens were roasting on spits, licked by flames. She pushed her way across the crowded path, following the marvelous smell.

  “Hold on,” said Jack. “Don’t you want to get a look at everything before you decide?”

  Rapunzel did not. “I’ll buy a chicken,” she said to the aproned man in the booth.

  “A quarter or a half chicken?” he asked.

  “A chicken,” Rapunzel repeated. The man wrapped one up in paper and handed the greasy, bulky package over.

  “Five thorns,” he said.

  Jack handed over one of the bronze coins, and the man in the apron gave back a handful of little gold coins.

  “A Hawthorne is twenty thorns,” Jack explained to Rapunzel. “So we get fifteen back.”

  He bought himself two skewers of meat and potatoes, and as they looked for a place to sit, Rapunzel saw a tall white thing with a sign on it that said Wine by the Skin (or Half Skin). Jack told her that the tall white thing was a tent and that wine was something she wouldn’t like.

  “But I want to taste it,” said Rapunzel, watching as a girl with a long, dark tail of hair ladled pretty, garnet-colored liquid through a funnel into the same kind of pouch that Jack wore at his belt.

  “Just get a half skin, then,” said Jack, taking the pouch off his belt and dumping the water into the grass. “You can use mine.”

  Rapunzel took it and brought it to the dark-haired girl, who put a ladleful of purple liquid into the skin. A half skin of wine cost one thorn, and Rapunzel handed over one of her little gold coins, happy to be able to pay for something without begging.

  They took their food and drinks and found a grassy meadow beyond the booths and tents where they could sit under a tree. It wasn’t until they had eaten their fill and were picking at the last of the meat that Rapunzel tried her half skin of wine.

  “Blech!” she yelled, and spat blackish-purple stuff everywhere. “It’s bitter!” She smacked her tongue against the roof of her mouth in distaste.

  “Told you,” said Jack. Rapunzel tossed the skin into the grass. Wine flooded from it, gushing around Prince Frog’s legs to form a puddle. He leapt out of it, bouncing repeatedly to shake purple droplets from himself — and then he bounced into a tree and gave a dazed croak.

  Rapunzel leaned against the tree, watching several little bright yellow birds flitter around in the grass. She was full. She was sitting down. Her hair was off her back; the wheel lay beside her on the ground, covered with the cloak. As far as she was concerned, they could camp right here tonight. And maybe tomorrow night.

  Prince Frog tottered over sideways and flopped down beside Rapunzel, who sprawled out beside him, gazing up at the sky. She never wanted to move again.

  “I wish I had a lemon custard,” she said. “I saw people eating them.”

  “Go get one, then.”

  Rapunzel groaned. “I can’t put my hair on yet,” she said.

  Jack finished the last piece of meat on his skewer. “It’s time,” he said. “We need to get supplies while all the shops are still open.”

  They got to their feet, and Rapunzel stowed a very wobbly Prince Frog away in her pocket. With a little moan of effort, she strapped on the hair wheel, and Jack covered it again with the cloak. They made their way toward the north side of the park, where Jack said the equipment shops were located.

  The heart of the park had no food tents but was even more crowded with people. In the center was a large, raised wooden platform with a few wide, shallow steps leading up on all sides. A dense crowd surrounded it. Atop the platform were men and women, all wearing sashes across their chests that said things like Village Champion of Plenty. Most of them clutched small pouches in their hands, looking disappointed.

  Two of the sashed people, however, knelt on an even higher stage that rose from the center of the platform. When she realized what they were doing, Rapunzel stopped and stared.

  They were playing jacks. To her surprise, it was the same as the game she had played by herself in her tower, except that they were playing it together, and instead of trying to beat their own scores, they were trying to beat each other.

  “It’s a championship,” said Jack, stopping beside her in the thick of the crowd. “Too bad we don’t have time to watch.”

  “A championship?”

  “You’re a champion if you�
�re the best at something,” said Jack. “These are some of the best people in jacks. People compete all over the country to be Village Champions, and then they come here to see if they can beat the Capital Champion.”

  Jack pointed to the high stage, and Rapunzel read the champions’ sashes. The Capital Champion of Cornucopia was playing against the Village Champion of Chutney Falls.

  “If he beats her,” said Jack, nodding to the champion from Chutney Falls, “he gets to represent Yellow in the All-Tyme Championships next summer. It’s a big deal.”

  Rapunzel watched the competition closely. She had never seen anyone else play the game, but Witch had always praised her for being good at jacks. The Village Champion of Chutney Falls bounced his ball high into the air. He picked up nine jacks without touching any of the others, and then, with great speed, he made a vertical circle around the falling ball with the hand that held the jacks.

  “Around the world,” murmured Rapunzel. “I can do that up to twelvesies.”

  The Village Champion then tried to catch the ball in the same hand before it bounced. When he missed instead and knocked the ball out of the ring, a loud ooooh sounded from the crowd around them. He looked very unhappy as he watched his opponent.

  The Capital Champion of Cornucopia threw her ball into the air. She gathered nine jacks without touching any of the others. She circled her hand twice around the ball, then caught it, and smiled at the crowd.

  “Capital Champion wins!” shouted a man in a yellow jacket, and the crowd sent up a whooping cheer. The whole park seemed to be shouting and waving.

  “IS THERE ANOTHER CHALLENGER?”

  Rapunzel turned and looked toward the booming voice. A man with a thick double chin and a capacious belly sat opposite the jacks players on a grand platform, in a beautiful chair with a high back. His skin was dark, and his hat was tall, with a wide brim that went all the way around, a deep cleft in the top, and a golden band encircling the middle. This band was embellished in the front by an emblem that looked like two sheaves of wheat crossing.

  “That’s Governor Calabaza and his family,” said Jack. “He’s in charge of Yellow. See the armed guards all around there?”

  Rapunzel swept her eyes across them, fascinated by the spiky sticks they carried.

  “That’s the governor’s daughter in front,” said Jack, “and his sons are just behind.”

  Rapunzel studied Calabaza’s daughter, who wore a burnt-orange dress that showed her muscular upper arms. Her skin was deep brown, and she had a mass of extremely curly hair swept back by a bright copper hair band.

  “The Nexus is right next to the governor,” Jack went on.

  “Is that his name?” asked Rapunzel. “The Nexus?”

  “No, it’s his title — he’s Nexus of Yellow. Most countries have a Nexus. See his amulet? Means he’s Exalted.”

  The amulet was pretty; it gleamed from its resting place against the Nexus’s embroidered tunic. “Exalted?” Rapunzel asked.

  Jack’s eyes widened. “I keep thinking I’m used to you not knowing stuff,” he said, shaking his head. “The Exalted are really important. They’re people like us, but they’re full of magic.”

  “Magic like Witch?” asked Rapunzel, looking curiously at the Nexus’s tanned face, straw-colored hair, and the clear glass circles he wore over his eyes. “Or magic like the fairies?”

  “Neither,” said Jack. “The Exalted are humans who are born magical, and they all have different talents. Some of them advise governors and queens, others are healers or inventors, and some of them fight magical problems all over Tyme.”

  “What magical problems?”

  “Threats to people’s safety,” said Jack. “Like Stalkers. The Exalted Council tries to protect everyone. They slay mimics and tooth harpies and wi—” He stopped short and gave Rapunzel a nervous look, but before Rapunzel could ask him what the matter was, Governor Calabaza spoke again in his booming voice.

  “THEN LET THE CONTEST BE ENDED,” he roared, “IF NO CHALLENGER REMAINS!”

  “What does that mean?” asked Rapunzel.

  “If no one else wants to play jacks, then the Capital Champion wins,” said Jack.

  “But I want to play!”

  Rapunzel said it more loudly than she’d intended to. The crowd had quieted somewhat, and everyone turned to look at her. Calabaza’s daughter shaded her eyes to glance down at Rapunzel. So did Calabaza himself.

  “And who are you?” he asked.

  “Rapunzel,” said Rapunzel. “Your lordship,” she added after glancing at Jack, who was frantically whispering the words to her.

  “Are you a Village Champion?” asked Calabaza, studying the hump of her cloak.

  “No.”

  The whole crowd murmured at once. One of the governor’s sons said something to the other two about laying a wager. People whispered to one another and giggled, and Rapunzel was reminded of the Red Glade and the tittering of hundreds of fairies.

  “Can I still play?” Rapunzel asked. “Do I have to be a Village Champion?”

  “Not at all,” said Calabaza, grinning. “I’ve just never known anyone else to try it.”

  “Because it’s ridiculous,” Jack muttered under his breath. “You have to be good to compete with these people.”

  Before Rapunzel could reply to this, Calabaza’s voice boomed again. “ONE LAST BRAVE SOUL!” he cried, and the crowd went wild with noise. “MAKE WAY FOR THE FINAL CHALLENGER!”

  Rapunzel didn’t know what to do, but it didn’t matter. Several people in the crowd shoved her, all at once, onto the platform steps, which were so wide that she had to take two strides across each one. She climbed them with purpose, feeling under her cloak and in the pocket of her robe for her jacks.

  Atop the platform, the village champions parted to give her room, and Rapunzel walked all the way up to the high stage in the middle, with the jacks ring. Kneeling on the other side was the Capital Champion of Cornucopia. Her brown hair was pulled sleekly back, and she wore a long green dress that Rapunzel thought very pretty.

  “I’m Carmella,” said the Capital Champion, raking her eyes over Rapunzel’s hump and looking satisfied. “Do you challenge me?”

  Rapunzel guessed she did. “Yes,” she said. “What do I do?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I’ve never done this before. I’ve just played jacks on my own.”

  The crowd below gave a roar of laughter, and Rapunzel glanced down at Jack, who covered his face with his hands.

  Carmella smiled and held up her hand to quiet the crowd. “First, you must kneel at the ringside,” she said to Rapunzel, “facing me.”

  Rapunzel did. It was a little awkward with the weight on her back, but she managed to get into a good position.

  “We start with Commons,” said Carmella. “Onesies and so on. Are you familiar with the game, or will you need a lesson?” she asked, casting a knowing look at the crowd, which bellowed with laughter again.

  Rapunzel narrowed her eyes. “I know the game,” she said.

  “Lovely,” said Carmella. “Now take your jacks from the umpire.”

  A man in a yellow jacket held out a small bag to Rapunzel, but she didn’t take them. “I’ve got my own jacks,” she said, removing her set from her pocket.

  “Are they regulation?” asked the umpire, and he whisked them out of her hand. He went to a little scale on the side of the platform, where he poured them out and weighed them, and then held each one to a ruler. He tested the ball next, and when he was satisfied, he brought the bag back to Rapunzel, who took it.

  “All clean,” said the umpire. “Challenger starts!”

  When Rapunzel didn’t do anything, Carmella gestured to the ring. “He means you, dear,” she said. “Time to play.”

  Rapunzel scattered her jacks. They gleamed silver in the sunlight, and Carmella stared at them with her mouth open. “Those are precious,” she said, knitting her dark eyebrows together. “And you say you’re not a champion?
”

  “Yes, I say that,” said Rapunzel, digging the ball out of her velvet pouch and bouncing it in the ring before Carmella could say another word. Rapunzel picked up one jack before the ball landed.

  “Onesies,” she said.

  Carmella bounced her own ball and completed onesies with her own jacks, which appeared to be carved from some hard, white substance. “And how did you come by such valuable jacks?”

  Rapunzel pulled twosies. “They were a birthday gift,” she said.

  “You must be very well connected to receive such gifts,” said Carmella. “Who is your family? Perhaps I’ve heard of them.”

  “I don’t know what you mean.”

  Carmella raised an eyebrow and flashed another quick smile at the crowd. Their laughter resurged, and Rapunzel glared across the ring at her opponent. She had never wanted to beat someone at a game until now.

  They said nothing else to each other until each had cleared sevensies, at which point Rapunzel realized that it had been half an hour since she had checked on Prince Frog.

  “One minute,” she said to Carmella, and she dug her hand into her pocket. Prince Frog wasn’t there. Rapunzel looked around the platform and searched the steps. When there was no sign of any frog, she began to panic.

  “Prince Frog!” she cried, and stood.

  Carmella looked up at her. “Do you wish to forfeit the match?”

  “No, I lost my frog —” Rapunzel began, but she was interrupted by a rather loud croak from across the crowd. She looked over the throng of people, toward the platform where the royal family were enthroned.

  There was Prince Frog, still stumbling sideways rather than hopping, beside the feet of Governor Calabaza’s daughter. How he had managed to get through the crowd without getting squashed, Rapunzel didn’t know.

  “Prince Frog!” she said. “Come back here right now! I’m in a championship!”

  Prince Frog leapt onto the governor’s daughter’s lap. She gasped, and the crowd chuckled.