Lady in the Tower_Rapunzel (Tangled Tales Book 5)

by Elizabeth Rose

  “Control her,” said Rapunzel. “She is your daughter.”

  “I will only do what Marco tells me to do,” said Medea. “He is the only one who I will let control me.”

  “Marco?” The old witch looked up and hissed. “He’s pathetic and can’t even control a little dragon. The only way he succeeds in anything is purely by accident.” Hecuba took her bandage off her hand, inspecting the wound.

  “Mother, are you still injured?” asked Medea.

  “I haven’t had luck in healing this wound. It’s probably because I’ve been too tired.”

  Rapunzel finally managed to get out of her entangled braid. She stood up to notice Hecuba’s hand bleeding. The odd thing was that the blood wasn’t red. It was green. Her heart almost stopped. Hadn’t Marco said his dagger stuck into the dragon’s wing and it bled green? Hecuba could shapeshift. Marco was also having trouble controlling a dragon that was unruly, small and bony. She suddenly realized the problem. It wasn’t because Marco was a failure as a Dragon Lord. Nay, not at all. It was because the witch was the dragon and she was sabotaging him. No wonder she was barely ever here at all.

  “How is the search for the castle going?” asked Rapunzel, trying not to show her emotions as she straightened her gown. She had to be smart if she was going to get both Hecuba and Medea to leave the tower so she could escape and tell Marco the witch was the dragon.

  “I think I might have found a castle that would be perfect for Medea and me to conquer.”

  “Is it big?” she asked. “Is there a room that will be just for Medea? Will her suitors be able to dance with her in the great hall?”

  “Yes, will I have my own solar?” asked Medea, taking the bait.

  “Once I conquer the castle, you will.”

  “I’m sure you’ll probably end up with a small room by the kitchen,” Rapunzel told Medea.

  “I want to choose my own solar. Mother, I want to see the castle now.”

  “You will see the castle in time,” Hecuba told her daughter, still inspecting her wound.

  “Show me in your mirror,” said Medea.

  Rapunzel didn’t want that. If so, they would never leave. “I am sure it is much grander to see it in person. Even if you have to stay hidden until the castle is conquered.”

  “Make me invisible, Mother. And take me to see the castle,” Medea persisted.

  “All right,” Hecuba finally agree. “But I am only doing this so when we return you will be quiet and let me get some rest.” She stood up and took Medea’s hand. In a puff of green smoke, they were gone.

  “Perfect.” Rapunzel started for the window. Her hair had grown even longer since the last time she cut it. As if it knew her plan of escape, it wrapped around furniture and kept her from moving. “I am tired of this,” she said, knowing if she cut it, she would have only a short time to try to make it to Marco before it grew back.

  Opening the drawer, she picked up the shears, snipping off her hair and then running for the window. She used the braids as a rope and lowered herself to the ground. Tucking the shears into her pocket, she figured she would keep cutting her hair and running. Hopefully, she’d make it to Marco in time. If not, she would be tied up in the woods by her braids, a prisoner once again.

  Chapter 19

  With his bow and arrows thrown over his shoulder, Marco rode his horse through the woods the next morning, hunting for food to break the fast. After having no luck at all calling for either the green or red dragon, he decided his skills would be better used if he hunted instead.

  The sun rose on the horizon, promising to be a beautiful day. He hadn’t traveled long before he heard a muffled cry from in the woods. Urging his horse forward, he followed the sound, stopping on the other side of a knoll.

  “Rapunzel!” he cried, seeing her lying on the ground, wrapped in her long braid. Tendrils of her hair sprawled out on the floor of the forest, gripping on to trees, branches, and rocks.

  “Marco,” she cried, struggling at her binds, barely able to move.

  “I’ll set you free,” he said, dismounting his horse and using his sword to sever the hair. “What are you doing out of the tower?” He helped her to her feet. “You know you can’t go anywhere.”

  “I had to warn you,” she said, throwing her arms around him in a hug. When she did, the shears that had been in her hand fell to the ground.

  “Warn me? About what?”

  “I found out that –” was all she said before her hair grew in enormous lengths in a matter of seconds this time. It wrapped around her mouth, keeping her from speaking. She yanked at it, but it seemed that whatever powers she held did nothing where the curse was concerned.

  “Let’s get out of here,” he said, sweeping her up into his arms. A green cloud of smoke appeared before them, and there stood Hecuba and Medea. Hecuba was frowning, but Medea smiled at him.

  “Hello, Marco,” said the girl. “Did you know I am fifteen today?”

  “Hush, Medea,” snapped Hecuba. Then her focus went to Rapunzel. “You tricked us to leave the tower last night so you could escape.”

  “Mmmph,” replied Rapunzel, pulling at the braid wrapped around her face and lodged in her mouth.

  “This is enough, Hecuba,” snapped Marco. “Let her go, and remove the curse.”

  “Just like that?” she asked, cackling. “And you think I’m going to do it? Mayhap you should use that dragon to save her.” She laughed again, raising her hand to her head. Marco’s eyes focused on her bandage that was stained green. Suddenly, he understood what Rapunzel was trying to tell him.

  “You!” he shouted. “Your hand is bleeding green, just like the dragon.”

  “So, it is.”

  “Now I know why I couldn’t control the pathetic, puny thing – because it wasn’t a dragon at all.”

  “What is he talking about?” asked Medea.

  “He’s finally figured out that your sister will never be saved, nor will her curse ever be broken,” Hecuba told Medea.

  “Your mother was the dragon all along,” explained Marco.

  “You were?” Medea turned and frowned at the witch. “Now I will never get my ride on a dragon with Marco, thanks to you.”

  “Why did you do it, Hecuba?” asked Marco.

  “Why wouldn’t I do it to have a little fun with Lucio’s children?” Her irritating laugh made Marco’s skin crawl.

  “I am Lucio’s child, too, am I not?” Medea almost seemed upset by this whole ordeal.

  “You are,” Hecuba answered with a nod. “But you are different because you are not half-mortal.”

  Rapunzel finally managed to pull the braid from her mouth. “Hecuba, you won’t get away with this,” threatened Rapunzel. “My father will see to it that you are punished.”

  “Your father is oddly in no hurry to save you.” Hecuba grinned, showing her broken and rotten teeth. “But I’ll bet anything once he finds out we have a daughter together, he’ll show up on my doorstep quickly to see Medea.”

  “He already knows,” said Marco in a low voice.

  “And he hasn’t come for Medea?” This seemed to bother the witch.

  “What makes you think he’ll want a child who is being trained in the dark arts?”

  “Go back to pretending you are a Dragon Lord, you miserable excuse for a man,” shouted Hecuba. “Stay out of my business, or you will find yourself cursed as well.”

  “You can’t curse me. I’m a Dragon Lord,” he said proudly. As soon as the words left his mouth, he felt a surge of power rise up within him.

  “You will never break Rapunzel’s curse, so just stop trying,” hissed Hecuba. “Her hair will continue to be her prison for as long as she walks upon this earth.” With that, the old witch lifted her arm, and she, Medea, and Rapunzel all disappeared.

  “Nay!” Marco shouted, grabbing for Rapunzel, but his hands came up empty. This was the last he was going to take from the old hag. He would find a way to summon a new dragon, save Rapunzel, and break her cu
rse if he had to die to do it.

  Chapter 20

  Rapunzel stayed in bed the next day, feeling sicker than she had ever felt in her life. Hanging her head over the side of the pallet, she retched into a brass bowl.

  “Mother, I don’t want to be by Rapunzel when she is retching,” said Medea, brushing her long hair, admiring herself in the mirror.

  Medea had changed her hair back to black. Her ebony eyes were outlined by a thin black line, and her cheeks were rosy and her lips a bright red. Her skin was white and smooth. Medea’s womanly curves were filling in, so she no longer needed to use cloths stuffed down her bodice.

  Rapunzel hated to admit that Medea was turning out to be a very beautiful young lady.

  “Mayhap I should just let her go,” said the witch, stirring a pot of some obnoxious brew on the fire.

  “You can’t do that.” Medea sprang to her feet.

  “Why not?” asked the witch, looking over her shoulder. “Don’t tell me you are starting to take a liking to your sister.”

  “Don’t be silly.” Medea’s dark eyes bore into Rapunzel. “I only need two more days with her here, and then you can kill her for all I care.”

  If Rapunzel hadn’t felt so ill, she might have used her newfound powers to push Medea from the tower for that comment. She moaned and turned to her side, holding her hand over her stomach.

  “Then why don’t you want me to set her free?” asked Hecuba. “Not that I would.”

  “Oh, all right, I’ll tell you,” she said. “Marco has promised to not only take me for a ride on his dragon, but he is going to kiss me on the lips when I turn eighteen.”

  The witch laughed loudly at that, continuing to stir her brew.

  “What is so funny?” asked Medea with a pout.

  “It is amusing that you think that man will keep his promise.”

  “He gave me his word.”

  “A man like Marco would tell you anything to control you. He only agreed to it so you’d leave and he could make love to Rapunzel.”

  “Nay, Marco cares for me,” she protested.

  “Even if that were so, once he finds out about Rapunzel, he will forget all about you.”

  “Find out what?” the girl asked.

  The witch ladled some of her brew into a cup and hobbled across the room, stopping in front of Rapunzel. “Drink this,” she said, her bony fingers holding the cup out to Rapunzel.

  “I cannot drink anything. I won’t be able to hold it down,” said Rapunzel, feeling queasy.

  “Do it.” The witch brought the cup to Rapunzel’s lips, forcing her to take a sip. She gagged, not only from the smell but also from the taste of the potion. Then, once again, she retched into the bowl at the side of the bed.

  Hecuba picked up the bowl, peering inside, swirling the contents around and around as she studied it. Then she poured a little of the brew into the container. It sizzled, and steam rose to the surface.

  “What are you doing?” asked Medea from the other side of the room.

  “Mmm hmm, it is just as I thought. Rapunzel is pregnant with the Dragon Lord’s baby.”

  Marco had purposely stayed away from Rapunzel, heeding the orders of his father. It was crucial he focus and clear his mind of everything if he were going to succeed in calling forth the dragon.

  It pained Marco to stay away because he had the feeling something was wrong and that Rapunzel needed him. He also felt something he couldn’t explain. It was as if something were on the horizon and he anticipated it, feeling nervous, yet happy at the same time. He supposed it was only his nerves. If he wasn’t able to summon a dragon and learn to command it in the next two days, Lucio and his sons would arrive to claim Rapunzel. Then, he would be a failure, living the life of a pauper with no confidence at all, just like his father.

  Confusion clouded his mind, and he was torn. Rapunzel deserved someone who could give her the things a lady should have. He couldn’t do that. His heart ached because she agreed to marry him when she knew he had nothing – not a title, not a castle, and certainly not money.

  He sat down on a rock, staring out across the lake just like he’d been doing for the last day. Every time he tried to clear his mind, it filled instantly with thoughts of Rapunzel. Mayhap it was no use. Perhaps, there was no dragon waiting for him in a different realm.

  “Don’t give in to self-doubt,” said his father from behind him. Marco had been so caught up in his thoughts that he didn’t even hear his father approach.

  “It’s no use, Father,” he said, picking at a few blades of grass. “I can’t do it.”

  “There is no such thing as can’t.” His father sat down on the rock next to him. “I wish your mother were still alive. She had a way of lifting anyone’s spirit. She believed in me, even long after I stopped believing in myself. Plus, she always had great expectations for you, Marco.”

  “I miss Mother, too,” he said. The thought of her only made his head more clouded.

  “Do you love Rapunzel?”

  “Aye, I believe I do.”

  “And does she feel the same way about you?”

  “I’m not sure. I thought she did, but it might have only been because she was desperate for someone to rescue her.”

  “From what you tell me about Rapunzel, she doesn’t seem to be someone who would deceive you. She also wouldn’t want you to give up your dream.”

  “I don’t know that for sure.”

  “Then you need to find out.”

  “Really?” He looked up to see his father smiling at him. “But you told me to stay away from her. That it would drain me of my power and fog my mind.”

  “I said not to couple with her again until you figure things out. I think you need to go to her and find out just how she feels about you. If not, you will always hold doubt in your heart.”

  “Aye, I will.” Marco jumped up and headed for his horse.

  “You’re going now?” asked his father in surprise. It was nearly nightfall, and the witch was usually at the tower at night.

  “I cannot wait until morning. I feel that Rapunzel needs me. I won’t let her down.”

  Finally feeling a little better, Rapunzel stared out the open window of the tower, breathing in the fresh air. She hadn’t been sure why she felt so miserable, as she was very seldom sick. Then, Hecuba told her she was pregnant with Marco’s child. After hearing that, there was no way she could sleep.

  With her hand on her stomach, she looked out to the full moon, missing Marco, missing her family. She had been a prisoner of Hecuba for way too long. If her curse wasn’t broken soon, she might still be trapped with the witch and Medea when she gave birth to this baby.

  Rapunzel had a thousand questions floating around in her mind. If Marco was a Dragon Lord, that meant he had some kind of special powers. She had some newfound abilities as well, being the daughter of a warlock. Would that mean their child would grow up as quickly as Medea? She hoped not.

  Looking over her shoulder, she could make out the outline of Medea sleeping atop a fur on the ground by the fire. The moonlight coming through the window bathed her face, making her look so innocent. But Medea wasn’t an innocent child. She’d seen the darkness in the girl’s eyes. Lately, it was getting stronger. Rapunzel didn’t want to be around such dark magic. Hecuba was capable of anything and, by the looks of it, Medea was going to be just as powerful as or even more so than her mother soon.

  She touched her belly again, wondering about her unborn baby. It would be full of light and not darkness, wouldn’t it? She couldn’t have this child growing up surrounded by the likes of Hecuba and Medea. Nay, she needed to be set free from her curse soon.

  “Marco, where are you?” she said aloud, desperation eating at her soul. Almost as if her prayers had been answered, it startled her to hear the clip-clop of a horse’s hooves emerging from the forest. She moved closer to the window, her heart beating rapidly. When the rider emerged into the moonlight, she could see it was Marco.

  He was tak
ing a great risk coming here at night. He knew Hecuba would be here. She looked back over her shoulder to make sure Hecuba and Medea were both still sleeping. Then she scooped up the severed braid that was still tied to the leg of the bed and tossed it out the window. Marco saw it, and looked up and nodded his appreciation.

  “Rap, I need to talk to you,” he said in a hoarse whisper.

  “Shhhh.” She put her finger to her lips, glancing back once again at the witch and Medea.

  It didn’t take Marco but a minute to scale the wall using the braid as a rope. He climbed into the tower room, collecting Rapunzel in his arms and kissing her deeply.

  “What are you doing here?” she whispered. “Are you crazy? It’s much too dangerous to come here while Hecuba is in the tower.”

  “I would risk my life over and over again for you, Rapunzel. I love you, and came to find out if you felt the same way about me.”

  A warmth encompassed her. She put her hand on her belly and looked up at him and smiled. “We both love you, Marco.”

  “Ugh, that’s what I was afraid of.” He peered into the darkened room. “I hope Medea doesn’t wake up because I don’t want to see her right now. I am running out of excuses as to why I can’t give her a ride on a dragon or kiss her.”

  “I wasn’t talking about Medea,” she said with a soft giggle. “Marco, give me your hand.”

  “Why?”

  “Just do it.”

  He gave her his hand, and she placed it on her belly. “Do you feel anything at all?”

  “Nay,” he said. “Sweetheart, I’m sorry, but I can’t get randy right now.”

  Marco thought Rapunzel was acting very odd. Why was she having him put his hand on her belly? They couldn’t get intimate with both Medea and Hecuba there. What was she thinking? He looked down when he felt warmth beneath his palm. To his astonishment, his ring was glowing.

  “Rapunzel, do you see that?” he asked excitedly.

  “I do,” she said.