Hi everyone! I've been wanting to write a Rapunzel adaptation for a while, and I figured now was as good a time as any. I'd love to hear what you think about this first chapter.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Chapter 1:
Two young men stood awestruck before an immense tower in the woods.
"Was this here last week?" one asked, furrowing his brow.
"We didn't come this way last week," the other replied. "I don't think our weekly treks have ever taken us here before. It's pretty far from town." He paused for a brief moment before adding, "You have a horrible sense of direction."
The first speaker grumbled but did not dispute the statement. The two men continued looking up at the tower for quite some time. Both were fairly tall, though one stood about two inches over the other, and both sported unruly brown hair. They seemed rather wealthy, wearing finely tailored coats and breeches. As they peered up at the tower, the expressions of bewilderment on their faces were nearly identical. Curiosity shone from both pairs of brown eyes.
"Do you think there's a way in?" asked the taller of the two, the one who had spoken first.
"I'd imagine so," said the other. "Let's see."
They circled the tower several times in search of an entryway. Apparently there was none. "This is ridiculous," grumbled the shorter man. "Who makes a tower with no way of entering?"
"They say the third time generally does the trick. Let's go around again."
"No."
"Maybe I could climb it. It looks like there's a window up by the roof."
"Will, you can't climb this thing. You'll die and I'll be without an elder brother."
"And you'll be unspeakably heartbroken and lose your way in life because you'll lack the guidance of an older and wiser soul?" The one named Will pulled a tragic face as he asked the question.
The younger brother hesitated before replying, "Sure."
Will set his hands on his hips and frowned up at the old stone tower. "I really think I could climb it. It can't be more than ten yards high."
Laughing, the younger brother said, "It's far more than ten yards high. You also have horrible depth perception."
"Well, you know, once something's tall it's tricky to pinpoint just how tall it is, because it's simply tall."
"And once something's redundant it's tricky to pinpoint just how redundant it is, because it's simply redundant."
"You, Nick, are insufferable. Just because you've started pursuing scientific interests doesn't mean your mind has been launched into a superior plane of thinking."
"I thought I was born into a superior plane of thinking."
Will sniffed at his younger brother's quip, removed his coat, and marched towards the tower with a determined look on his face. Setting his fingers between two of the tower's stones, he began to haul himself up. "I shall ascend the tower," he announced as he kicked his feet about in search of a foothold.
"You shall die before your time," Nick said with a worried frown, watching his brother climb.
For several long and silent minutes, Will climbed, and Nick observed his progress. The farther Will was from the ground, the more anxious Nick became. "Are you sure you're alright?" he called up.
"Fine," Will grunted, extending his hand to grab a protruding stone that was just a bit out of his reach. He swore as his hand fell uselessly back to his side. Sweat was trickling down his face, and he wasn't even halfway up the tower. He bowed his head in defeat and began to descend. "Don't say 'I told you so,'" he growled as he reached the ground. "We're coming back tomorrow with a ladder."
"I don't think we have a ladder that can reach the top of this tower," Nick sighed, shaking his head at his brother's impetuosity.
"Of course we do," Will said. He shrugged his coat back on and began to walk briskly away from the tower. Nick had to jog to catch up.
"I really don't think we have one," Nick said once he had come alongside his older brother.
"Then I'll borrow one from James the builder."
"Does James the builder actually exist?"
"Why must you always question me?"
"Why must your decisions be so questionable?"
The siblings bickered their way home, leaving the tower to be further battered by the autumn winds. Throughout the night, all was silent in the tower's leafy grove. Its peace, however, was once again disturbed the next morning, when Nick, Will, and three servants crashed through the woods bearing an enormous wooden ladder. Birds, rabbits, and other assorted woodland creatures leapt out of the men's way as they stomped towards their goal.
"Set it up!" Will shouted imperiously. The men obeyed, grunting and groaning as they heaved the ladder so that it first stood upright, then came to rest against the tower's curved exterior. It was perhaps four yards short of the window.
"It doesn't reach," Nick noted. He sounded almost pleased.
Will laughed at his younger brother's naivety and revealed the hooked rope he'd brought along. Grinning, he scampered up the ladder like a squirrel scaling a tree. When he reached the top of the ladder, he tossed his rope into the air to hook onto the window ledge. He missed, and the rope's hook narrowly missed his head as it fell towards the ground.
On the ground, Nick was swearing, pacing, and muttering, "Careful, careful, be careful, you idiot; I'm not a doctor yet; I won't be much help…"
Will grit his teeth and began twirling his rope again. He released, and this time the hook fell inside the window. The servants on the ground cheered their master, and Will waved to them triumphantly. Grabbing the rope with both hands, he climbed the final few yards and tumbled over the window ledge. Everyone fell silent.
Nick stared up at the unmoving tower for far longer than he would have liked, waiting for some word from his older brother. "Will!" he finally shouted. "Are you alright?"
After a brief hesitation, Will's voice called back, "Yes, I'm fine! I'll just poke around for a little longer."
"What did you find?" Nick asked.
There was no reply. Grumbling to himself, Nick sat down on the grass to wait. The three servants soon followed his example. "Sorry for pulling you from your duties for this," Nick said to the nearest servant. "We found this tower yesterday on our weekly excursion, and my brother was…inspired by it."
"Not a problem, Master Nicholas," the servant replied in a monotone voice.
Sighing, Nick placed his hands on the ground behind him and leaned back. "So headstrong," he muttered to himself. "He'd better not be tearing that tower apart. It might belong to someone." He glanced at the ivy growing around the tower and the weeds choking its base. No, it really did look abandoned.
At last, Will's head appeared in the tower window. He once again waved to his brother and servants, then began to descend his rope. When he reached the ladder, he attempted to unhook the rope from the window, but ended up failing with a shrug and a grin. He slid down the ladder, and without turning around, said to his companions, "Let's get this ladder down."
"What did you find?" Nick asked his brother as the servants laboriously lowered the labor back to the ground.
Will shook his head in disappointment. "I peered into every nook and cranny, but there was nothing of interest. I'm sorry I dragged you out here." He was just slightly out of breath from his rapid descent.
"No worries," Nick said, clapping a hand on Will's shoulder. "Everyone has a right to satisfy their curiosity."
"Spoken like a true scientist," Will laughed. "Do you think Dr. Richardson was very angry that I pulled you out of class early today?"
"I shouldn't think so. We were covering urinary catheterization, which is really a nurse's domain, so as long as I read over the information later, everything should be fine. I'll go to the university tomorrow and practice inserting a catheter into one of the dissection bodies. Shouldn't take too long."
As Nick spoke, Will's face grew more and more uneasy. "That's disgusting," he said decisively as soon as Nick had finished. "No wonder Mother hates your profession."
They both grabbed hold of the top of the ladder and began leading the way back to town. Nick was replying, "Mother has no idea what I do. Catheterization or not, she's just horrified at the thought of me studying alongside the children of tradespeople."
"Rather unreasonable of her, I think," Will remarked.
"Yes, where would you be without all of your friends in trade? Where would you be without James the builder?"
"Where, indeed?" But Will was now looking over his shoulder at the tower, which was gradually being obscured by the foliage of the woods. His face took on a rather odd expression, one that Nick couldn't quite read.
"Are you certain you didn't find anything of interest in that tower?" Nick asked pointedly.
"Quite," Will replied, immediately whipping his head around to face his brother. He looked almost guilty. "Come, let's hurry home. Father is expecting me. He insists that I learn to manage the accounts of the estate."
"Like a common tradesman? Abominable."
Although they continued bantering until they reached town, Nick noticed that Will seemed rather absentminded. His ripostes to Nick's good-natured insults lacked their usual conviction. Something was on Will's mind, and Nick couldn't help but think that it had something to do with the mysterious tower in the woods.