The Frog Prince's Hair-Raising Predicament

by Scarlet Hyacinth

  With that said, I reached for my hair and undid it from its knot. My intention had been to show him another part of me which I knew he liked. He’d been fascinated with my hair the day before, and I wanted him to touch it again. I wouldn’t have called it a deliberately seductive move, but rather, my own willingness to give him everything that I was.

  Sadly, my hair had other ideas. As it rolled to the ground in a heavy curtain, it struck the nearby tree. I grimaced, tossing my head slightly. After all, I didn’t want to have to pull twigs out of my tresses later on. Really, having long hair like this might have been practical for a person who was trapped in a tower, but not so much for regular folk, who actually moved around. I found that my damn hair kept snagging in the strangest of places, and if I continued to stay here in Arthuria, I’d have to come up with solution to this problem.

  Alas, in my attempt to tame my mane, I ended up swishing it through the air like a whip. It collided with the tree, and in the process, it made a bees nest I hadn’t originally seen fall right on top of us.

  Instantly, Medwin pushed me down and covered my body with his own. “Stay down,” he told me. “The bees are dangerous.”

  I tried to summon my magic to push the bees away, but I simply couldn’t focus. With Medwin on top of me, I couldn’t even see them so that I could target them. Medwin winced whenever they stung him, and I desperately tried to create a shield around him. I only marginally succeeded to wrap my hair around him, but even that couldn’t fully protect him.

  I distantly registered Magda neighing wildly in the background, but she was still tied to the tree, so she couldn’t help. Meanwhile, Medwin seemed to be fighting to break free from my hair, although I couldn’t understand why.

  “The water,” Medwin finally whispered. “We have to get into the water.”

  At last, I realized what he’d intended to do. I hid my face in his chest and willed my hair to release him. Mercifully, my damn mane complied. He shot to his feet, lifted me in his arms, and ran toward the pond, the bees right behind us.

  Seconds later, he leapt into the water and hid us right under the falls. I gasped and clung to him, realizing for the first time—stupidly—that I couldn’t swim.

  Fortunately, the water wasn’t deep, and the bees weren’t too insistent. And truly, once the threat vanished, I couldn’t help but notice the potential of the moment. Under the waterfall, Medwin seemed even closer. The sensual glide of the liquid rivulets over Medwin’s strong face made me want to cup his jaw, to brush my fingers over his full lips.

  I was soaked to the bone, but that only made my clothes stick to my skin, almost eliminating the barrier of material between us. His hands clenched convulsively around my hips and he brought my face closer to his. “Rapunzel…”

  “Medwin,” I whispered back, unable to get enough of looking at him. That was when I noticed it, the fact that Medwin’s lips were a little too full and his face was gaining a distinctively reddish color. “Medwin! Your face is swelling.”

  Medwin blinked, having obviously not expected that. Already in a panic, I pulled away from him and started to drag him out of the waterfall. I might not have known a lot about the world, but I realized all too well that bee stings could be dangerous.

  I had no idea what to do. I’d never been stung by a bee since my father had kept his domain free of any critter that could hurt me. “Magda!” I called out, climbing out of the pond. “Medwin is hurt.”

  For his part, Medwin seemed pretty calm. “I’m fine, Rapunzel,” he said as I pulled him out of the water and frantically scanned his face. “Arthurian bees are an aggressive sort, but I just have to remove the stingers and the swelling will go away. Don’t worry. Arthurians are resilient to bee venom.”

  Even as he spoke, Medwin retrieved a knife from his boot and started to scrape certain spots on his exposed arms, which I could only assume were the areas where he’d been stung. I was starting to feel a little light-headed, my mind whirling as Medwin’s words echoed through my brain. Venom? Oh, Goddess. Medwin could die. He might think that he could handle it, but he was still weak after struggling with Anelah’s spell. He could die.

  “We’re going back to the palace, and you’re getting medical attention,” I said. “We have to hurry before it’s too late.”

  Medwin opened his mouth, obviously meaning to protest. At the last moment, though, he seemed to think better of it. He peered closer at my face and scanned me from head to toe. Finally, he nodded. “All right. It’s for the best.”

  It was only half an hour or so later, when Medwin ushered me in the palace medic’s office, that I realized the real reason why he’d agreed so readily. He hadn’t been certain I’d escaped the bee stings, and he was obviously worried about me.

  I dreaded having anyone else seeing me without clothes, even a medic. A different time, I would have refused adamantly. As it was, I complied, as long as Medwin agreed to an extended stay in bed.

  This was how, later that day, I ended up in Medwin’s quarters, supposedly watching him for any potential fever. In fact, we were both lying in Medwin’s bed and he was combing my long hair, freeing it from tangles and the occasional twig that had gotten stuck in it during our flight. I needed another bath, but I was loathe to leave Medwin’s side even for that.

  “That’s it,” I mumbled under my breath. “I’m chopping off this damn hair.”

  “Don’t you dare,” Medwin whispered as he kissed my temple. “I love it this way. It’s a part of you, and I’m selfish enough to ask you to keep it.”

  How could I refuse him? I sighed and resigned myself to having inhumanly long hair for the rest of my life.

  Chapter Four:

  In Which Plan B Bursts into a Bazaar Battlefield

  Having our trip to the forest destroyed by bees hadn’t exactly been what I had in mind for my and Rapunzel’s first day together. We’d been interrupted at the most important point in my plan A, and just the memory frustrated me to no end. However, the end result wasn’t all bad.

  My father and my brothers teased me mercilessly about what had happened, but Rapunzel and my mother bonded while fussing over me. Their concern was entirely unnecessary, since it wasn’t the first time I’d been stung by bees. Really, the promise Rapunzel had coaxed out of me was more bothersome than the bee stings themselves. Nevertheless, if this helped my mother grow a little closer to Rapunzel, I’d willingly play along and be a good patient.

  That didn’t mean I didn’t occasionally escape my room. Not even Rapunzel could deny me getting a little physical activity. I was an Arthurian male, after all, and I thrived on that sort of thing, even if my interests leaned toward more scholastic activities.

  A few days after the bee incident, Rapunzel went to see to Magda, while I met up with my brother. I wanted to speak to Kirril, because I knew that any day now, he would have to return to Merlinia.

  “You look better,” Kirril commented when I found him in the palace gardens.

  I shrugged. “You know as well as I do that the bee venom vanished from my system a long time ago.”

  Kirril chuckled. “But you’re still encouraging their fussing. You’re a wicked, wicked man.”

  “Well, it did help Mother see Rapunzel in a different light, so it’s not all bad.”

  Kirril hummed thoughtfully. “I can understand that,” he said.

  I felt a pang of sadness, because it would take far more than such an episode to get my parents to accept a dragon into the family. Oh, they wouldn’t close the door in Dineiro’s face if Kirril’s mate ever decided to visit, but I highly doubted Dineiro would ever be comfortable here. He didn’t belong in Arthuria, even less than Rapunzel did.

  “You miss him, don’t you?” I asked.

  “Very much,” Kirril replied. “I have the bond, so I can always feel him. I know that he’s safe and taking care of our baby, but…I just want to hold him in my arms.”

  I watched Kirril’s expression as he spoke about his dragon lover, and I smiled. “W
hen are you leaving?”

  Kirril chuckled. “Most likely, tomorrow. Victor and Larue will stay for a while longer, to help Rapunzel feel more at home, but I’ll have to go. I’ll miss you, Medwin. You always were the cleverest of us.”

  “I don’t know how clever I am, but I’ll miss you, too.”

  As we chatted, Rapunzel walked into the gardens as well. “Medwin,” he told me, “you shouldn’t be out for so long. What if there are more bees here?”

  When he walked by my side, I kissed his forehead. “Don’t worry. The palace gardeners make sure that’s not the case.” Before Rapunzel could continue chastising me, I explained, “Kirril was just telling me he’d be leaving tomorrow.”

  “Oh.” Rapunzel blinked, as if surprised. “You must miss Dini very much. Do send my regards to him.”

  “I will. Whenever you come back to Merlinia, you’re free to visit us at any time.”

  Silence fell, and I glared at Kirril for accidentally approaching the topic. Rapunzel and I hadn’t really discussed the length of his stay here since that first day, and I needed more time to convince him to never leave me.

  Kirril gave me a sheepish look, which really helped me very little. Fortunately, Rapunzel took the comment well. “Thank you,” he said. “For the moment, I’m just getting used to Arthuria, but I’m sure Medwin and I will want to pay you a visit soon.”

  My heart started beating faster when I heard the natural way in which my beautiful love mentioned us together. Kirril must have noticed, because he smiled crookedly. “I should be going to speak to Mother and Father,” he said. “I’ll see you later, Medwin. With your permission, Rapunzel.”

  Bowing slightly, my brother took his leave. Rapunzel and I remained alone in the gardens. I couldn’t help but take advantage of the chance my brother had given me and ask, “Did you mean that? Did you mean what you said about us staying together?”

  “Of course,” Rapunzel answered with a small smile. “It’s why I came here, after all. But you needn’t worry about that right now. For the moment, you have to focus on recovery.”

  I was so enthusiastic about Rapunzel’s confession that I couldn’t even play along with that. “Actually, I’d prefer it if we went out for a bit,” I told him. It was high time that I proceeded with the next part of my plan. “If you’re willing, of course.”

  “Only once you’re feeling better,” Rapunzel told me with a small frown. “Your well-being is the most important thing.”

  At that, I couldn’t help but confess my little trick. “You have to realize I’ve been completely recovered for days now, right?”

  Comprehension dawned on Rapunzel’s face. He slapped my shoulder. “You cruel man. Your mother and I were truly worried. How could you toy with our feelings like this?”

  I would have felt guilty, except Rapunzel’s words held no bite. Perhaps he’d also seen through my ploy, or maybe he was simply relieved that I had no lingering after effects because of everything that had happened. Either way, I rushed to take advantage of Rapunzel’s openness.

  “Well, then, now that it’s settled, where would you like to go?”

  I had a few ideas, but I didn’t want to push Rapunzel into any of them. I was pleasantly surprised when Rapunzel seemed to guess my thoughts and said, “W–well, I’d like to get to know Camelot a little better.”

  I couldn’t help but notice the slight hesitation in his voice. “Are you sure?” I asked him. “You don’t have to force yourself into something you’re not ready for.”

  Rapunzel shook his head. “These past few days, I’ve learned a lot about Arthurians, and I think they’ve learned some about me, too. Your family has been great to me. And…I don’t want to hide anymore. I want to be worthy of the trust and affection you’ve shown me.”

  I might have protested, except the decision in Rapunzel’s voice convinced me not to. He seemed to have given the matter a lot of thought and hadn’t made this decision on a whim. “I take it you already have an idea as to what our destination should be.”

  Rapunzel nodded. “Magda told me there’s a large bazaar here in Camelot. Please, take me there.”

  That request surprised me. Even if I had wanted to expose Rapunzel to more people, I wouldn’t have plunged him straight in the middle of the bazaar. I wasn’t sure Rapunzel could handle the chaos of the Camelot marketplace. As a rule, we were pretty organized folk, but in the bazaar, we welcomed merchants from all over Arthuria and, more recently, Morganna. On a good day, thousands of people came and went past the countless stalls. I wasn’t sure Rapunzel could handle it just yet.

  Rapunzel must have noticed my reluctance. “Medwin, I wouldn’t ask this of you if I wasn’t ready.”

  He gave me such an earnest look that I couldn’t say no. In spite of my knowledge that it was a bad idea, I found myself nodding. “Very well, but you have to promise to tell me if you experience any sort of discomfort.”

  “I promise,” Rapunzel replied. He sounded a little breathless, and his eyes glittered with excitement. “Thank you, Medwin.”

  My hands ached to reach for him. I desperately wanted to kiss those full lips, to make him even more enthusiastic and excited, but for an entirely different reason. But that would have to wait. Slowly and surely—that was the best strategy to take with my beautiful love.

  I took his hand and guided him out of the gardens, already musing over where to take him. The bazaar was a big place, and I had to steer him away from the more unsavory areas. He would probably like the book salesmen area. It was the one I frequented most, since I could find all sorts of hidden gems forgotten in carts of seemingly common tomes.

  Like the Camelot outskirts, the bazaar was always teeming with patrols, so I decided not to bring any guards along. Should a problem appear, I was armed and trusted my abilities to protect Rapunzel. I might not have been as strong as my brothers, but I could still hold my own. It would have probably been a good idea to change my clothes to something plainer, but Rapunzel was eye-catching enough on his own, so it would be useless.

  Hand in hand, we headed toward the stables. I had to admit I felt pretty enthusiastic myself at the prospect of showing my beloved city to Rapunzel. Just like a few days ago, Rapunzel mounted Magda, while I got on my own steed.

  As we rode out of the palace courtyard, I decided to approach Rapunzel on a matter that had been bothering me for a while now. “Rapunzel, you said you wanted to know more about your magic. I want to learn, too.”

  “I thought Arthurians didn’t have magic,” Rapunzel replied. “Of course, I could explain, but I’m not sure how much good I could be.”

  “It could be all for nothing,” I admitted. “But I’ve always been fascinated with magic. I haven’t had the courage to actually do something about it, or to explain to my family that it’s more that scholastic curiosity. I just have so many questions, and part of me believes this is the reason why Anelah managed to enchant me in the first place. Now that you’re with me, though, I feel like I can finally get my answers. I trust you, Rapunzel.”

  My beautiful love’s eyes widened. “Medwin…Don’t say that. I don’t even trust myself with regard to my magic.”

  I grinned at Rapunzel. “You underestimate yourself. But forget about it for now. Let’s just enjoy ourselves.”

  In no time, we reached the bazaar. Rapunzel gaped in shock at all the people coming and going in the marketplace. They bowed or saluted when they saw me, but I just waved them to continue their activities. Most of the people here were used to me coming to the bazaar, although I never did so in finery. They shot Rapunzel curious and sometimes awestruck looks. He had conceded giving up on the veil, which was another act of courage on his part. However, it also made everyone aware of his loveliness. Fortunately, my presence was enough to make them keep a respectful distance.

  “Ready?” I asked Rapunzel.

  My beautiful love gulped, but nodded. “Yes.”

  His bravery only motivated me further to protect him. Truth be told, my f
irst instinct was to run back to the palace and hide him behind the walls of my home, where no one could ever harm him. But his father had done exactly that, and in the long run, it was harmful for Rapunzel. This was one occasion in which I had to be cruel to be kind, as much as it irked me to put Rapunzel in a situation he felt uncomfortable in.

  We dismounted and entered the bazaar side by side, pulling our horses with us. The sounds and scents of the marketplace filled my ears as various merchants called out, advertising their wares. “Stay close,” I told Rapunzel. “I wouldn’t want you to wander off and get lost.”

  Rapunzel gave me a confused look. “What?”

  He obviously couldn’t hear me over the sound of the bazaar, so I shook my head and wrapped my arm around his waist. Leaning closer to his ear, I repeated my request. “Stay close.”

  I could have sworn Rapunzel whimpered, but because of the noise of the bazaar, I couldn’t be sure. Still, he definitely shivered, so on impulse, I decided to keep my hold on him. As I’d originally planned, I guided him toward my favorite book sellers. “This is where I make most of my book purchases,” I explained, “although some of what I have are from special orders or heirlooms.”

  We went from stall to stall, with Rapunzel oohing and aahing over the volumes that we found. I actually ended up buying a lot of them for him, in spite of his numerous protests. We bought so many that I had to tell the merchants to transport them to the palace, because we simply couldn’t carry them with us. This only fueled my desire to lavish him with even more presents.

  This was how we ended we ended up in the clothing section of the bazaar. I had noticed the fact that Rapunzel didn’t have many garments. He had been supplied with Arthurian male garbs, but he wasn’t comfortable with any of them. However, if I could get him to visit the palace tailors, I could drape him in the most lavish of fabrics.

  The silk merchants instantly caught onto my desires. “Oh, what a lovely gentleman we have here,” one woman exclaimed when she saw Rapunzel. “Of course we have something that would fit you just right.”