Rescuing Rapunzel

by Candice Gilmer

  The Duchess von Stroebel smiled, a warm light filling her tear-stained face.

  “We prayed every day that Lord Nicolas would bring you to us,” the duke said. Nick took the duke’s outstretched hand and they nodded at each other.

  “Perhaps we all need to sit,” Nick said, gesturing to the chairs.

  They nodded and took their original seats. I followed Nick and sat in the seat he offered me. He stood to the side, his hand resting casually on the back of the chair, his fingers grazing my shoulder. Duke von Hohburg refilled the men’s cups and a heavy wheat smell filled the air. I knew not what they drank, but my nerves were so jumbled, I wished for my own glass.

  The Duchess von Hohburg glanced at her guests. “If you do not wish to speak of this now, we can–”

  “No,” von Stroebel said. He grasped his wife’s hand. “We must face this.” He brought his gaze to me. “We were not able to conceive an heir, not until Madame Gothel appeared with her words and promises. We did as she asked and soon my wife grew round with child. A beautiful baby girl was born, with a thick thatch of blond hair.”

  “Madame Gothel was pleased, I daresay more than I was,” the duchess continued. “She held the baby…” The hard lines in her face changed, softened. “You. She held you constantly. She was always whispering to you. Singing lullabies, we thought. We only realized after you were gone that she had been making sure you were comfortable with her, so when she took you, you would not cry.”

  I shuddered, more tears springing into my eyes. “I am sorry,” I whispered, though I was not sure why I was apologizing. Nick stroked my shoulder and I patted his hand.

  “She threatened a plague on our people and drought in our fields if we did not give her the child. Of course, we laughed at her and sent her away.”

  “Then everyone became sick at Stroebel,” the duke said. “Man, woman, child–all fell terribly ill and many died from the plague she had released.”

  Poison.

  She must have poisoned their water supply, I thought. Gothel had said more than once that she had to put a cure in the water to be certain everyone took it. It would not be much different to use poison instead. I shuddered, thinking of all the lives lost.

  For what seemed the hundredth time in the last few days, I felt nauseated, knowing that the woman who had raised me was capable of such horrors. How had no one ever stopped her? If they had, I would have had a home. The right to walk in the sunshine. A place I belonged.

  Shame filled me, making my stomach roil. I must be like Gothel indeed if I thought first of my losses instead of all the people who had died at her hands. Died, so she could take me away.

  “Why did you not come after me?”

  “Fear,” the duke said. “She threatened to kill you and every living thing in the province if we tried to pursue her. We could not risk her harming you. So we hired men to find her. No one ever did.”

  A tear ran down my cheek.

  “Duke von Hohburg searched for you himself for many years to no avail,” my real mother said, patting her eyes with a handkerchief. “Nick then took over, even going as far as to swear on his honor to find you, or have no other.”

  The breath caught in my throat at her words. “I am betrothed to Nick.” It was not a question, but they took it as such. And though Nick had said as much, to hear the betrothal discussed as such a…business arrangement stung.

  “If you choose not to, Kath… Rapunzel.” The duke glanced at his wife.

  She reached over and took his hand, squeezing it.

  “What is my full name?” I asked.

  “Lady Katherina Greta von Stroebel,” the duchess said, and her tone sounded pained.

  “After your sister,” I murmured.

  The duchess nodded. “Greta was a beautiful songbird, a nightingale who blessed us with her voice.” She sniffed. “She died after you were born.”

  “A victim of…the plague?”

  She nodded and another pain stabbed my heart. One more tragedy leading back to Gothel. My stomach turned in disgust.

  “Tressey sings beautifully,” Nick said.

  The couple glanced at Nick. “Pardon?” the duke asked.

  My cheeks warmed. “He calls me Tressey, because of my long hair…” I reached to stroke it and felt the now-familiar pang of sadness. “It is gone,” I whispered. “I suppose he should not call me that anymore.”

  “Hair grows,” the Duchess von Hohburg said.

  Nick lifted a lock of my hair, sliding it through his fingers. “She may wear it any way she chooses, I shall still call her Tressey.”

  He let the hair fall and grazed my cheek with his fingers. It was a simple touch, a warm gesture of comfort, but I felt it all the way to my toes. I read the same lightning in his gaze and wished, in that moment, for the meeting to end.

  Duke von Stroebel glanced at the Duke von Hohburg. “I suppose the contract is still valid?”

  Hohburg nodded. “I still have it, yes.”

  Stroebel let out a sigh. “Then, in light of this, we should read it again, and determine how best to merge the provinces.”

  I froze, staring at the two of them. I opened my mouth to speak, but Nick cut me off.

  “The agreement is sound,” Nick said. “The provinces will both be von Hohburg territories.”

  I snapped around to look at Nick. “You receive both provinces for finding me?”

  Nick nodded. “Of course. What did you think your dowry would be?”

  My stomach turned again.

  I was a promise made a lifetime ago. A title to receive or, rather, a province. Was Nick no better than the women he professed to run from?

  I felt no more important than a piece in a game of chess and, from the look in his eyes, he was simply measuring my value, waiting for his move.

  A prickle ran through me and I turned. All four parents stared at us. I pulled away from him. Nick stood straighter, taking his hand off the back of my chair.

  “Did Nicolas not explain that to you?” the Duchess von Stroebel asked.

  I shook my head. “He did not explain any of the details.”

  The Duchess von Hohburg waved her hand in the air. “They are merely details. Nothing for you to fret about.”

  Mere details or not, it seemed appropriate to be concerned. Aside from me, everyone in this room was getting something out of this betrothal. I remained nothing more than the catalyst.

  Duke von Hohburg cleared his throat, though whether he detected my discomfort, I did not know. “It has been a rather unusual morning, and I assume you and Vallya would like to retire, eh, Stroebel? We shall dine by and by, and you will be our honored guests.”

  The Duke von Stroebel nodded. “Yes, that would be most kind. Rest, a meal, then retire for the evening. Carriage is not sprung as well as it used to be. I need to see to that when we return home.”

  “I shall have one of my men attend it,” von Hohburg said.

  “Most kind,” von Stroebel replied.

  “We can go over the details later, after you are rested,” von Hohburg said.

  “Again, most kind,” von Stroebel said.

  The Duchess von Hohburg crossed the parlor to a bellpull, yanked on the heavy cord before returning to her seat. “Nick, if you would, take Miss…Lady Katherina back to her room, then return. I wish to speak to you.”

  Nick nodded and helped me stand. I made my farewells to the von Stroebels, promising to speak to–and possibly sing for–them soon.

  Nick led me from the room and I clung to him, my hands shaking, realizing how inconsequential I was to this entire meeting. “Anyone could have pretended to be their daughter.”

  “No they could not,” Nick replied.

  “Why not? I am no more than a pawn in the game. Do you not see that? We both are. We have been maneuvered into the positions in which we are needed. You find this missing girl and get to marry her. Me, I am promised to you as a reward for doing what they said. You get a dukedom as payment for your time. I am nothi
ng more than a reward and a title.”

  “It is not that way, Tressey,” he said.

  “Maybe you have grown up with these games, but I have not. I had more freedom in my tower.” I took a few steps away from him, heading toward my room where I could pull my thoughts together. Somewhere I could think, and not be made to feel a simpleton.

  “Rapunzel.” His footfalls echoed behind me, and he caught my arm after a moment. “Please, slow down.”

  “Why? So you can tell me what to do too?” I snapped. My voice echoed in the hallway.

  “Tressey…”

  “I am not your betrothed, Nick. Katherina Greta von Stroebel is.”

  I spun around, days of frustration bursting from me in tears. And of course, Kiki and her friends were standing near the end of the hall, several of them whispering back and forth.

  Once again, I had done something wrong.

  Maybe Nick should have pretended one of those girls was his betrothed. At least they would know how to behave.

  Maybe I was better off in my tower.

  Chapter 34

  “Are you in love with her?” Mother asked, a glass of wine in her hand.

  Nick nodded, shifting in the hard backed chair Rapunzel had just been sitting in. “I am.”

  Whether she returned the sentiment was yet to be determined. Maybe he had read too much into their encounters, but in the tower he would have sworn blind that she loved him and wanted to be with him. Now, after her outburst in the hallway, he was not sure what she wanted.

  And that made his heart ache in a way he could never have imagined.

  His mother pursed her lips and took a sip from her glass.

  “Do you not approve?”

  She crossed the room and dropped into her favorite chair in the parlor. She straightened her skirt and adjusted her position.

  Nick crossed his arms over his chest. “For a woman who rarely keeps her opinions to herself, you are being rather quiet.”

  His mother narrowed her gaze at him. “She is where you have been going every night these last few weeks?”

  Nick made one affirmative jerk of his head.

  Her jaw worked as she considered. “Is she compromised?”

  “No,” Nick replied. Not yet. Though he had promised Tressey he would come to her room, he was no longer sure she would allow him in.

  “Good.” She slammed her glass on the table and a bit of wine sloshed out. She made no move to wipe it. She simply sat and appraised him. “Still, a quick marriage would be prudent.”

  This did make Nick smile. “And why is that?”

  “This is the first female you have shown any interest in in years. I am not about to let you try to get out of this.”

  “Ah, Mother, you can always be counted on,” he said, managing a smile as he approached her and leaned in to kiss her cheek. In truth, he felt sick to his stomach. He was not the one who would try to get out of this. It appeared his betrothed might do that for him.

  “I am not through with you, boy,” she said, grabbing his ear.

  Nick winced. “Mother, please. The ear?”

  “Now you listen here,” she said, releasing his ear. “I want to be absolutely sure this is what you want. If you have any doubts, do not drag her through this. She has been through enough in her life. It is best to let her go and move on, if you question it at all.” She wagged her finger in his face. “You have hidden behind this betrothal all your life, never letting yourself care for anyone. Katherina is a lovely young girl and deserves someone who cares about her, not some twenty-year-old obligation two men created when deep in their cups.”

  He patted his mother’s cheek. “Mother, if she were a peasant girl, I would want her just the same. It is merely a blessing she is also my intended.”

  The duchess nodded. “Then by all means, let us plan a wedding.”

  “I leave those details to you,” Nick said, and said his goodbyes.

  He did not stop to heed his mother’s calls, instead heading directly to Rapunzel’s…Lady Katherina’s…Tressey’s chamber. He was not about to spend another moment away from his intended. They needed to speak, to put that outburst of hers behind them, because, damn it, he loved her. He needed to make sure Tressey understood that. That he wanted to be with her, always.

  He stormed through the hallways until he reached her door and did not bother with knocking. He would pull her into his arms, hold her to him until morning. Never let her go.

  He had never felt so strongly about anyone before. It did not matter to him that she was his intended. No old promise could have ignited such need in him. Until now, he had viewed women as the means for a moment or two of pleasure until he grew bored. Somehow, he was certain his Tressey would never bore him. Hearing her voice made his heart lighten. Her laughter made him soar. And her love? If she felt only a quarter of what he felt for her, he would be forever grateful.

  He burst into her room, a declaration of love on his lips. He wanted no mistakes or misunderstandings between them. She would listen, smile and say that she too loved him, and then…

  Then everything would work out.

  Naturally, that was not possible.

  Tressey stood in the middle of the room, singing a lovely melody Nick did not recognize. She was not alone. Kiki was there–accompanying her on her flute–along with the von Stroebels, who sat on her settee.

  Tressey’s voice faltered as she glanced back at him, standing in her doorway.

  “Have you forgotten how to knock, brother?” Kiki said, putting down her instrument.

  “Do you not have something to do? Men to follow around?”

  Kiki narrowed her eyes at her brother. “I was making music for Tressey, so she could sing for her parents. What are you doing here?”

  “I…” He could not exactly say, in front of Kiki and the von Stroebels, that he was here to compromise Tressey. If she let him, that is.

  “Nick was going to take me on a tour of the grounds,” Tressey said, coming to his side, then facing the von Stroebels. The smile on her face was far too bright for a woman who had been snapping at him a short time ago. “I have only begun to recover from…” She paused, and worry started to mar the von Stroebel’s faces. “From…”

  “From that horrible cold you had,” Kiki chimed in. “She had a horrible cold when she first arrived. Could not get out of bed for a few days.”

  “Yes, I was ill,” she continued. “But I am much better now.”

  “Glad to hear it,” von Stroebel said, the worry lines receding on his face, as well as his wife’s.

  “Would you like to come with us?” Tressey asked them.

  The duchess shook her head. “How polite of you to ask, but no, we shall retire.” She stood, and as she did Nick noticed how much more invigorated she was. Even von Stroebel showed more strength in his movements, and they did not seem quite as old as they had on arrival.

  “We shall see you at evening sup?” von Stroebel asked.

  “Of course,” Tressey replied. “I look forward to it.”

  Kiki had tucked her flute into its little carrying bag and joined Nick and Tressey.

  “Anon then,” von Stroebel said as they left.

  “Come along,” Kiki said, heading to the door.

  “What are you prattling about?” Nick asked his sister.

  “You have to take her for a walk now,” she said, a wicked grin on her face.

  Nick gritted his teeth. The last thing he wanted to do was take Tressey on a walk. He wanted to kick his little sister out of the room, bar the door and have his way with his intended. However, his sister had a point. Now that he had said he was going to take her for a walk, if they did not leave the chamber it would cause more concern and attention.

  “Fine, we will go for a walk.”

  Kiki had already headed out the door, a few paces ahead of them. Which was fine with Nick. He needed to talk to Tressey.

  “Tressey, I–”

  “Not now.” She gestured to Kiki. Tre
ssey’s shoulders dropped just a bit and she leaned to whisper to him. “I did not want to be rude. I should have told them I was resting.”

  “Do you think it would have stopped her? She is a monster.”

  “She is no such thing, she is quite charming.”

  “Child’s a menace,” he muttered.

  “That woman is older than I am,” Tressey replied.

  Nick grumbled as they began their walk.

  Chapter 35

  Kiki managed to put a few paces between us as we walked through the castle, and my heart began to beat faster. I had noticed a pattern. Nick would glance at her and she would increase her pace while he slowed down.

  He had tried it twice already, but both times I managed to slip away from him and rejoin Kiki. This time, however, he kept a grip on my arm and pulled me into a discreet alcove adorned by a painting Kiki had pointed out as a distant relative.

  “What?” I asked, crossing my arms over my chest.

  I did not like standing in the little alcove with him. Not only because I was not sure of his intentions, or my feelings, but I did not like how my body reacted to his presence. My hands trembled and I gripped my arms tighter, trying to hide it, as I backed into the wall.

  “We need to speak,” Nick said.

  I tried to squeeze past him, but he did not move.

  “Please, Tressey, I need you to understand something.”

  “I understand well enough. You are a hero twice over. You rescued a damsel from her tower and she winds up being the same maiden you have been searching for your entire life. You won not only the maid, but the title and the lands.”

  He bowed his head. “There is one thing you omitted.”

  “And what is that?”

  “That my heart won the greatest prize.”

  “And what is that?”

  “You.”

  “You have not won me,” I said, pushing him away in a bid to get past him.

  This time he let me slip by, though he called after me in a subdued voice. “Tressey, if you wish to cancel the betrothal, you have my permission.”