Rapunzel sat with her legs crossed at the ankles; just like her etiquette tutor had taught her. She sipped her tea from one of the fanciest tea cups she'd ever seen before setting it back down on its matching little plate. When her mother had mentioned having tea with some people that wanted to meet her, she'd neglected to mention just how many people there would be. And there were quite a few.
Rapunzel loved people and getting to make new friends, but the amount of royal women and girls in that tea room was a bit off-putting. She did her best to appear calm and composed, but inside she was quite overwhelmed by all of the questions and cooing over her wedding plans.
Her mother sat across from her, her teacup in her hand, the matching saucer sitting daintily on her lap. Her eyes crinkled in happiness as she chatted animatedly with one of her royal friends from a nearby kingdom. Rapunzel stifled a giggle as she glanced over at her mother.
Just then, a pair of tiny feet in polished black dress shoes came to rest in front of her. Rapunzel looked up to find a small little girl, about the age of 6 or 7, standing in front of her with a wide smile.
"Hello, there." Rapunzel said sweetly.
The little girl's eyes widened at hearing the Princess' voice, speaking to her no less. She giggled shrilly, bouncing on her toes. She clapped her tiny hands together in front of her. "Hi, Ms. Princess!" she squealed. Her milky cheeks now flushed in excitement.
Rapunzel laughed at her little visitor's reaction to her greeting. "How can I help you, sweetie?" She looked down at the little one, her bright green eyes coming to meet the girl's deep blue ones.
The little girl clutched at her raven colored curls as she spoke. "I-I've never met a princess before. And you're so pretty!" she gushed. "My mama says that you're getting married soon, is that right?" She dug her shoe into the ground awkwardly.
Rapunzel beamed down at the child. "Thank you! You're pretty enough to be a princess yourself!" She laughed as the girl's face lit up. "Your mother's right, I am getting married soon." Rapunzel leaned in towards the girl and beckoned her closer. "You want to see the ring?" she whispered for dramatic effect.
The little girl let out another shrill string of giggles before nodding enthusiastically and leaning in closer. Slowly, Rapunzel lifted her left ring finger and wiggled it a few times. The girl's mouth formed a wide "oh" as she stared in awe of the princess' engagement ring. She looked up into Rapunzel's eyes.
"How pretty," she breathed. Her eyes darted around the room for a moment before returning to Rapunzel's. "Is your boyfriend here?" she whispered.
Smiling, Rapunzel replied," No, he's not here. He's in the palace somewhere, though." Just then, an idea swept over her. She raised an eyebrow out of habit. "What's your name, sweetie?"
"My name's Alice," she giggled. "And yours is Rapunzel. I know because my mama used to tell me stories of you 'cause you used ta be the lost princess, but you're not no more, right?"
Laughing, Rapunzel responded," That's right, Alice. My name's Rapunzel and I'm not lost anymore." She rose from her chair and bent down to take the small girl's hand in hers. "Now, I have an idea. But, we have to ask your mother for permission because we don't want to get in trouble. Do you know where she is?"
Without a word, Alice nodded her head excitedly and dragged Rapunzel in the direction of her mother. The woman they stopped in front of looked shocked to see her daughter holding the hand of the Princess. Her hands trembled causing the teacup she was holding to rattle violently.
"A-Alice! Wh-what...?" she trailed off as she looked openmouthed at her young daughter and then at Rapunzel. "Pr-Princess Rapunzel?" Her expression went from horrified to utterly confused. Rapunzel jumped in quickly to remedy the situation.
"Hello, ma'am," she gave a small curtsey; Alice mimicked the motion beside her. "I was wondering if I could borrow Alice for a little while. I'd like to show her something special." Alice grinned up at Rapunzel and then at her mother, whose confusion had grown even more.
"Uh-erm, uh, sure, sure! She hasn't caused you any trouble, Princess?"
Rapunzel shook her head. "None at all! She's such a sweetheart and I'd like to show her around the castle."
The girl's mother exhaled heavily, incredibly relieved. "Well, then have fun, dears." She smiled warmly at the pair. "Oh! And by the way, Princess, my name is Angela, Duchess of Karlsberg. I'm a friend of your mother's," she added as an afterthought.
"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you." Rapunzel said, genuinely meaning it. She gave Alice's hand a tiny squeeze and smiled down at her. Together, they sauntered off to find the Queen.
The Queen, however, hadn't failed to take notice of her daughter's interactions with the small girl, and stopped them halfway through the tea room with a smile. Rapunzel looked up with a start and a bashful grin.
"Oh hello, mother! We were just on our way back to see you so that we could ask if maybe it'd be alright if I took Alice with me around the palace and maybe to see-"
"Rapunzel, Rapunzel," the Queen laughed, cutting off her daughter's rambling. "It's quite alright if you take Alice with you on a tour of the castle. I'm sure she'd like that, wouldn't you dear?" Her eyes rested on the little girl, still clutching Rapunzel's hand tightly. She nodded her head, in awe of the Queen.
Smiling, Rapunzel stood on her tiptoes and gave her mother a quick kiss on the cheek before dashing off with Alice in tow.
"I'll have someone fetch you both for dinner!" The Queen called out as the girls skipped out of the room.