Summary: While searching for Cinderella, Cinderella's prince comes across his brother, who is now blinded and likewise searching for Rapunzel.
When writing this, I found that I had to give the two princes names. Therefore, in this story, Cinderella's Prince is named Maximilian and Rapunzel's Prince is named Jasen.
Many thanks to my sister Sarah who beta read this for me! :)
Feedback is always welcome. Enjoy!
...
"May I suggest we stop for a rest, Sire? It has been several hours since the last one."
Prince Maximilian did not bother to hide his scowl of frustration at his Steward's words, frowning as he glanced up at the midday sun flashing through the low-hanging branches of the woods through which they were riding. It hardly seemed possible, so intent had he been on finding the mysterious maiden who had once again escaped his arms. Yet it had barely been dawn when last they stopped, and now...
He sighed, dropping his eyes to the forest path ahead. She could be down there, so close, so close...but the men needed to eat, and the horses needed to be watered, if the search for the beautiful girl was to continue. And it would, until he found her.
The Prince glanced to his right, where the Steward was riding beside him.
"Very well," he replied sharply. "You and the men take your respite. I shall explore the way ahead and return shortly."
A frown appeared beneath the Steward's thick brown mustache. "Unescorted, sire?" he said with surprise.
"So it would seem," was the quick answer, and Maximilian spurred his stallion forward, ignoring the Steward's warning calls as they faded behind him. As he sped into the sun-dappled underbrush, he grinned to himself, pleased to be free of the Steward and guards; they had been slowing him down anyway, and he trusted none of them to find the young maiden half as much as he trusted himself.
His stallion's hooves thundered over the soft earth as he galloped past the twisted trees, his dark eyes darting constantly, looking for any sign, a flash of gold perhaps. Those who had seen her flee said she had come into these woods, so she had to be here somewhere. But where could someone who was obviously of noble birth hide in such a place?
The woods opened somewhat into an open glen of green grass through which meandered a wide stream. Blinking against the sudden burst of bright, unfiltered sunlight, the Prince felt his horse pull towards the cool water, and sighed again. Perhaps he should stop, just for a moment...
With royal grace Maximilian swung himself from the saddle, one hand remaining on the reins as his fine leather boots settled onto the soft green grass. As he led his mount towards the water his face settled into the same puzzled scowl he had been wearing since the first night of the festival, his mind already spinning with thoughts. If they could not find her today, what would he do? Would she be there tonight? And what if she was? He needed a plan...
They reached the bank of the stream, and the Prince loosely tied the reins to a nearby tree as the stallion dipped its nose into the water and started drinking. He barely paid attention to the animal's actions, his thoughts firmly entrenched in the coming third night of the festival.
If we do not find her today, he was thinking as he moved towards the saddlebags slung over the horse's hindquarters, perhaps there is a way to keep her from fleeing tonight...
SNAP!
A loud noise, and close. Aware of the dangers of the woods, the Prince reacted with well-trained readiness, whirling and drawing his sword with one rapid, elegant motion.
At the far end of the clearing he could see a white horse coming into the light, bearing a tall blond man in dark clothes.
Maximilian relaxed and sheathed his sword, slightly irritated at being so startled. It was only his brother.
"Jasen!" he called out, putting his hands on his hips. "Why did you not warn me of your approach?"
At these words, his brother lifted up his head with a jerk, as if greatly surprised. But not, oddly enough, looking at him. Instead he was turning his head from side to side, searching.
"Brother?" Jasen shouted, much louder than he was expecting, and in a more uncertain tone, as if Maximilian was not standing right in front of him in the full sunlight. "Is that you?"
The older Prince laughed despite his annoyance, walking forward to meet Jasen who was still riding in his direction.
"What manner of absurd question is that?" he inquired as they drew closer to each other. "Can you not - "
The rest of his words died on his lips as his eyes widened. He could see his brother clearly now, and the sight shocked him to his core. Jasen's face and hands were torn, bloodied, covered with gashes as if he'd been dragged over a floor made of daggers. His fine black leathers and costly white shirt were rent almost to rags, and to Maximilian's shock there was a strip of cloth wrapped roughly around his brother's eyes, spotted with dark blood.
Bile quickly rose in Maximilian's throat, as it always did whenever he saw even the merest hint of blood. He'd never been able to stomach it, really, but to see so much of it so unexpectedly on his brother -
He swallowed quickly, controlling himself as he continued to stare at Jasen in horror. What in the blazes -
The other Prince was still moving forward, his head turning slightly in search of the sound of his brother's voice.
"No, actually, I can't," Jasen answered, somewhat frantically. "For mercy's sake, where are you?"
"Here! Here, here, here," announced his brother, jumping forward and grasping the bridle of the white horse, guiding it to a halt. "God's blood, what's happened to you? Were you robbed?"
"Yes!" was the other's emphatic reply, as the horse stopped its motion. "Well – no. It's a long tale - "
As soon as the horse had stopped, the younger brother had put one arm out, his fingers spread and searching for his brother's touch. Maximilian reached up quickly, their hands met, and as swiftly and carefully as he could, the older Prince grasped Jasen's arms in both of his own and eased him onto the ground.
"Well, come down here and tell it," said Maximilian as he steadied Jasen on his feet, trying not to let the panic show in his voice. The blood and wounds were even worse up close; he had never seen his brother so grievously injured.
"You may not believe it," gasped Jasen as the elder Prince guided him to the side of the stream. "I would doubt it myself had I not the evidence of its reality all too clearly before me. Where – where are we?"
"A clearing in the northern edge of the woods," Maximilian answered, gripping the younger Prince's arms tightly as he guided him around the rocks and holes in the untilled earth. His heart was hammering – his brother, attacked, blinded! Such a thing seemed unthinkable. Who would dare do such a thing, and risk the ire of the King?
"Northern," muttered his brother, before lifting his dirty, blood-spattered face to the sun. "Is it midday?"
"Almost," was the answer. They had reached the edge of the stream. "Here – sit down, I have wine and bread in my knapsack."
Jasen frowned, one hand reaching down to feel the ground as his older brother settled him onto the soft grass.
"Very well," the younger man muttered. "For a moment."
When his brother was solidly settled, Maximilian went swiftly to his horse, keeping his gaze on his brother at every step. The shock was wearing off, being quickly replaced with countless questions, and only one way to find their answer.
"Did this involve that maiden in the tower?" he guessed, retrieving a skin of wine and a wrapped loaf of bread from his saddlebag.
"Yes!" Jasen exclaimed, the word imbued with impassioned longing. "I saw Rapunzel this morning at dawn, and she was as radiant as ever. I wanted to stay there forever, wrapped in her soft arms, her golden hair. But she begged me to go before her guardian arrived."
The older Prince furrowed his brown as he sat next to his brother, handing him the wine skin. "She has a guardian?"
Jasen nodded as he took a long pull from the wine skin, clearly relishing the reviving power of the potent liquid.
A new thought struck the older Prince. "This guardian is the one who blinded you."
The younger Prince stopped drinking, pulling away the wine skin and swallowing quickly. "Yes, but - "
"He shall pay dearly for daring such an act of treason," declared Maximilian, leaping quickly to his feet and moving to untie his horse. He could feel his face turning hot with rage."Stay here. I shall summon the guards, and we shall take you back to Father's castle. He shall send a force – no, better, I shall go personally and cut down this fiend, if you but tell me where this tower is - "
But Jasen was on his feet as well, reaching out wildly as he tried to find the Prince.
"No!" he was pleading, his cry mingling with the elder Prince's words. "Wait, brother, you don't understand – the guardian is Rapunzel's mother, and she's a witch."
Maximilian stopped, and gave his younger brother a crooked smile, even though Jasen could not see it. "A witch?" he said with amusement. "I'm sure she is, and many other unpleasant names besides. She shall not be one for much longer, however. Come - "
Jasen's fist closed on the rich fabric of Maximilian's sleeve with so much violence that the older brother stopped his actions out of sheer surprise and stared at him.
"Will you be still and listen to me!" the younger Prince shouted in exasperation. "I mean she's a real witch – a sorceress, who used her magic to blind me."
All motion ceased, and the glade fell deathly quiet save for some birds chirping in the nearby trees and the song of the flowing stream. Maximilian stood gaping at his brother, wondering for the first time if the accident which had blinded him had also driven him mad.
"A sorceress?" the older Prince said at length, his hand still on his horse's reins. "What sort of raving is this?"
"It's the truth," Jasen insisted. "Rapunzel warned me of her mother's powers, and she would not deceive me. Do you recall the rose thickets I spoke of, that surrounded the hidden tower?"
Maximilian frowned; this was all too strange to believe. "Vaguely."
His younger brother hesitated, taking a deep breath before he spoke again.
"After my last visit, as I was riding away, I made to clear those thickets as I had done before with ease. But as I rode towards them, they suddenly grew to an immense size, the thorns as long as knife-blades. Stopping was impossible, and..."
He voice faltered, and for a moment he fell still, clearly trying to find his words. Maximilian watched him, saddened and uneasy.
At length Jasen lifted his head with urgency. "Please don't go after this woman yourself, or send any of our men," he begged. "I know what I saw, and that it was her doing, and if she can command nature then there is no knowing what other magic lies at her disposal. Someday we may find her and exact her punishment – but not today."
Maximilian studied his brother, weighing his words. The notion of an enchantress running about in the woods seemed beyond belief, but then, so did the notion of a maiden running from the arms of a Prince. If one obviously impossible thing could happen, why not the other?
"Very well," he stated after a pause. "She shall be spared – for now."
Jasen smiled, clearly relieved. It was an odd sight, his brother's usual brilliant smile upon that battered, bloodied face, under bound eyes that could not see.
"Good," Jasen said firmly. "Now – where's that stream? I need to bathe a bit before I ride again."
Maximilian carefully took his brother's arm, guiding him back to the banks of the shallow brook.
"Now you're talking like one of royal blood again," the older Prince said approvingly as they reached the shore. "We can't have the peasants seeing you covered with grime as they are when we return through the village. Here it is."
The other Prince laughed a little as he knelt in the grass, one hand reaching out to find the water. After finding it and patting his fingers in the clear stream a little, he straightened and pulled off his dark jacket.
"Truth be told, brother, some of those peasant girls seem to like a man with a smudge or two on him," he replied, tossing the torn leather garment aside. "At least that's been my experience." He washed his bloodied hands in the water for a few moments, then splashed a few handfuls onto his throat and chest.
Maximilian shrugged as he stretched out on the grass. "I suppose, but such dalliances are over for me," he declared. "Last night at the festival I – what are you doing?"
His brother had sat back, and was unwinding the bandage around his face.
"I'm going to wash my face," was the straightforward reply.
Maximilian blinked, feeling himself go cold. "Ah – do you really think you should - "
Too late. The bandage was off, and his brother was bending over the stream and carefully dousing his face with handfuls of water, as calmly as if nothing was wrong. As if the upper half of his face was not covered with deep scratches, mottled patched of dark, dried blood, and his eyes were not lost beneath a pair of heavily bruised and swollen lids.
Quickly Maximilian turned away, horrified and sickened, concern for his brother battling with the nausea that always assaulted him whenever he saw blood.
"Sorry," he heard Jasen say as the splashing continued. "I know this sight bothers you. You can leave if you'd like."
Of course Jasen knew about Maximilian's problem with blood, and if the situation wasn't so horrible he'd think his younger brother was doing this on purpose. In the past, Jasen had never missed an opportunity to tease him about it.
"Of course I'm not going to leave," said Maximilian tightly, still not looking at him however. "We'll just – go join the men as soon as you're done there, they can take you to the healers at the castle."
The splashing stopped, and there was a pause.
"I'm not going back to the castle," he heard Jasen say calmly.
Maximilian's brows shot up, and he turned to face his brother, forgetting his squeamishness. Jasen had finished his bath, and was gingerly tying the bandage back around his eyes.
"What are you saying?" the older Prince asked, puzzled.
His brother finished his task, and dropped his arms. "I can't go home yet, brother. I have to find Rapunzel."
The other man's jaw dropped towards the ground.
"Find – and how do you intend to do that, pray tell?" he stammered. "You can't see!"
Jasen had located the bread and wine again, and was silent for a short time as he chewed a bite of food.
"Her love will be the star that guides me in my darkness," he replied softly, after swallowing the bread and taking a long drink of wine. "And Hector will bear me safely through whatever roads I must travel. He's done so without fail thus far."
"Father would never permit it," declared Maximilian firmly, becoming slightly alarmed. It was a fool's journey but it seemed as if his brother was actually planning to go through with it.
"Then he is welcome to try and stop me," his younger brother replied with a shrug as he finished another bite of bread. "By the time he might learn of this, however, I hope to have Rapunzel in my arms again."
"That seems highly unlikely," the older Prince pointed out. "Her sorceress guardian might have spirited her to the other side of the world."
Jasen stood, gracefully brushing the crumbs from his hands. "Then that is where I will go," he said quietly, turning his face in Maximilian's direction. "I cannot abandon her, brother. She is likely in danger from her guardian, who doubtless knows of our love, and as long as I can stand, and ride, and fight, I shall not cease in my quest to find and protect her."
His brother let out a sigh of exasperation. "Hang it all, Jasen, you know I'm not going to allow this!" he exclaimed. "You're going to damn well get yourself killed."
"A preferable fate to living without her," was Jasen's unfaltering answer. "I shall do my best to stay alive, however. For you, for Father, and for her."
Maximilian watched as his brother retrieved his torn leather jacket and shrugged it on, an unaccustomed sense of helplessness mounting within him. It would be little effort for him to physically restrain Jasen – he had usually bested him in most of their contests as children – but that did not seem the right approach.
"At least take a few of the guards with you," said the elder Prince after a few moment's thought.
Jasen shook his head as he settled the battered jacket on his broad shoulders. "I'll travel faster alone, and that witch scarcely needs any more victims," he replied.
Then he straightened and turned towards Maximilian, as if struck by a thought. "Wait a moment – what guards? You're not out here on your afternoon ride?"
Blast!, thought Maximilian. "Well - "
Jasen was smiling now. "You're out here searching for your maiden again, aren't you? I noticed you left the ball suddenly again last night."
Maximilian sighed; no use in denying it, even though he could see exactly where this was leading.
"She was at the festival again last night, but fled as before," he explained in a firm tone. "We are very close to finding her. It is not the same as your task."
His brother was shaking his head, still smiling. "It is exactly the same, brother, don't you see?" he said. "I could no more cease looking for my love than you could cease looking for yours. You would search every village in the kingdom for her, wouldn't you?"
A silence fell as Maximilian hesitated, unwilling just yet to concede.
"You would search for days, weeks, years, to hold her in your arms again," Jasen went on as he pulled his black leather gloves onto his hands. "To hear her voice and look once more upon her beauty."
A sad frown crossed Maximilian's face as he reluctantly considered his brother's words. The memory of the mysterious maiden leapt before his mind's eye, and he saw once again her lovely face, her radiant eyes, her beguiling shyness that had completely captivated his soul. The passion that had consumed him since the first night of the festival washed over him again, and he unconsciously clenched his hands into fists against the unexpected surge of longing. He had to find her, before he went mad, or perished -
A preferable fate to living without her -
"Sire?"
The Steward's voice, from far away. Starting a bit as if awakening, Maximilian turned his head a bit, then glanced back at Jasen, who was standing beside his white horse, waiting.
The Prince hesitated, suddenly afraid, a highly unusual event for him. Jasen was blind, injured, he could not allow this. This might be their last parting, and what would he say to their Father the King if the young Prince never returned?
Then Maximilian looked at Jasen's face, the determined set of his chin, the squared stance of his shoulders. He'd seen that look before, when they were children, and knew at once that it was useless. Jasen would go to find Rapunzel if all the armies of all the kingdoms in the world stood in his way.
He sighed.
"Well, you'd best be off on your mad hunt then, before the Steward spots you," said Maximilian softly. "He'll sit on you to keep you from going, just to win Father's favor."
"That's true, the scoundrel," the other Prince said in agreement, before swinging himself into his he was firmly seated, he reached out one arm in Maximilian's direction. "Godspeed and good fortune, brother, until we meet again."
For a moment, Maximilian's throat clenched. This was madness, all of it, how could he send his brother away on such a hopeless quest, with nothing but his love for a vanished maiden to guide him?
"Sire? Where are you?"
The Steward's voicer, closer. He'd be upon them any moment.
The older Prince drew a deep breath, looked at Jasen, and reaching up firmly clasped his brother's arm.
"Godspeed and good fortune to you," he said quickly. "I look forward to meeting your maiden when you return."
Jasen grinned at him, then after a moment released his arm, wheeled his horse about, and galloped back into the darkness of the woods.
Maximilian watched him go, in turns worried and hopeful. Damn if he didn't believe his brother might actually be mad enough to succeed...
The sound of approaching hoofbeats caught his ear, and he turned to see the Steward riding across the clearing towards him, looking concerned.
"is everything all right, sire?" the other man asked as he rode up and halted his horse. "The men were growing worried, and I thought I heard another's voice with you just now."
Maximilian shrugged, doing his best to appear completely unconcerned.
"Merely a peasant who had gotten lost in the woods," he replied. "I sent him on his way again."
The Steward frowned a bit. "I see."
The Prince smiled and picked up his wine flask with one grand sweep of his hand.
"Now, let us return to the search," he commanded. "And if she is not found today, I have a few ideas to try at tonight's festival."
The Steward bowed, and wheeling his horse around began to gallop back to where the other men were waiting.
Maximilian walked to his horse and stowed the wine flask in his saddlebag, sparing one last solemn glance to where his brother had ridden away.
Then he took a deep breath, squared his shoulders, and with one smooth move swung himself into the saddle. Jasen was going to find his maiden; he felt certain of that, despite the madness of the belief. And he couldn't very well let his brother succeed while he himself failed to find his own fair love, now could he?
Taking up the reins, he spurred his mount forward, and followed after the Steward.
THE END