Rapunzel settled into her favorite comfy chair in one of the castle's numerous reading rooms and tried to read her book but she found her mind was aflutter with new ideas. It was brilliant, why hadn't she thought of it before? If the prince could just run off and live in the forest alone why couldn't she? Surely it wouldn't be hard to slip away into the night, leave a note, and scurry into the woods unnoticed. Adventure. That's all she wanted. Something new and fun and no one holding her back. That day in the town before she knew about her real past had been one of the greatest days of her life. Maybe what I need is a few days of doing something new, something to make me feel alive. Maybe I'll even see Euge-
Her thoughts were interrupted by footsteps near the open archway. She looked over at her mother as she entered the room.
"Hello dear," said the queen, "I see you've claimed asylum in this reading room again. Not that I can blame you. This is where I spent most of my days when I was pregnant with you. I soaked up all the information I could, hoping that perhaps that my child could absorb some of it as well." She looked distant for a moment then turned her attention back on the princess. "Of course I see that it worked." Rapunzel smiled up at her mother. She felt a small pang of guilt, thinking that perhaps she could leave the castle for even just a few days. It would break her mother's heart.
"Anyway, I just wanted to stop by. Your dressing maid told me that I might find you here. She also says you've ordered new gowns? That's all very well, after all variety is the spice of life. But really my dear, purple suits you so well."
"Thank you Mother," Rapunzel said politely, smiling gratefully, "I do love purple, but I thought it might be a little bit of fun to try something new."
"Of course, Rapunzel. I'm glad you're doing alright. I had no idea when you'd awaken from this depression. Good to see you smiling again." And with that the queen strolled out of the room, leaving Rapunzel to her unmanageable thoughts. How could she leave after that? Everyone cared so much about her, and she felt so selfish for wanting more.
No stop. This is exactly what you did with Old Mother. You didn't leave all that time because you were afraid. Don't be afraid anymore Rapunzel. People's feelings are going to get hurt, but you're doing what you feel is right, there's no harm in that.
She made up her mind. It was hard, but she knew that she had to go, even if just for a little while. Now all she needed was a plan. Rapunzel rose from her heavily upholstered chair and put the book back on the shelf. She briskly made her way towards her painting room. When she first arrived at the castle, the king and queen commissioned for a large blank room to be built in the castle and allowed to her paint whatever she wished in it. Tools of all sorts were there, from simple sketching pencils to large paintbrushes. She didn't need much. Just a scrap of paper and a quill. After searching through the vast mess of the room (which was exactly how she liked it) she found the necessary supplies and from there made her way to her bedroom, where she would likely be left alone. She pulled the door closed and took a seat at her desk. She needed a list. Keeping her ears open for the sound of footsteps, Rapunzel quickly started to scribble on the paper.
1. Disguise
That one would be simple enough. It would take a few days before her new dresses arrived but in that time she also needed to find a way to hide her face and hair. Maybe a hooded cape? Old Mother used to wear those a lot and they managed to hide her mass of unruly hair. Yes, in fact she did have an old black one somewhere in the back of her closet, she was certain of it. That would be simple enough. If she left in the night people would assume she was a beggar or an old crone. They wouldn't be able to make out her features in the moonlight.
2. Protection
She needed some sort of small weapon, maybe a dagger. Father kept a bunch of them in one of the trophy rooms of the castle; it should be an easy feat to take one. The forest was dangerous, something she'd learned on a few trips she'd taken out there with Eugene, back when he was still around. It satiated his craving for adventure back then, and she was always happy to go along with him. She turned her attention back to the final item on her list.
3. Money
This one was simple. There was always spare change lying around the castle. Whenever she went out to town her parents always gave her more than she needed, insisting that she keep whatever was leftover. Rapunzel knew it was an adventure but she also knew she had to be sensible.
The only other thing she thought she might need was a goal. She didn't want to just wander aimlessly through the forest. Adventure just doesn't come along and smack you in the face. She needed something to do out there. This was more than just a camping trip with Eugene. Of course. Eugene! She could go find him. She could show him that she was tough and strong and maybe he'd teach her a few things or bring her along on one of his adventures. With no guards or chaperones in the room like there was when he visited her at the castle, he could reveal more of what he did. She always felt like he was keeping a few details back and just telling her the watered down version of his stories.
Rapunzel waited as the ink dried on the creamy color page, then folded it up. She searched her room for a hiding place. The maids were so thorough when they cleaned her room every day. She stepped into her walk in closet and looked around. Surely there was something in there with a pocket she could slip her note into. She rifled through the frilly gowns that she wore to the balls and the plain frocks for everyday use. After a few minutes she found exactly what she was looking for. There in the back was her old black cape. It looked like it hadn't been touched in months.
It had been a gift from Eugene. She had thought it was such an odd gift at the time. He always complained when she wore darker colors, and this cape was the color of night. It was so plain compared to everything else she owned. When she asked him about it he just shrugged and said "Just thought it might be useful one day. You never know. If you ever want to go into town without being stopped by everyone, this could probably come in handy." Rapunzel had been confused. Why would she want to be secretive? She loved going into town and meeting people. She thanked him for the gift however, and promised she'd wear it. Into the back of the closet it went, never once crossing her mind until this morning.
Rapunzel slipped it on over her indigo frock. She was surprised by how well it fit. She tied it at the neck and flipped the hood on over her chocolate tresses. It came down over her hair and nearly covered her eyes. The cape reached nearly to the floor and she found that it covered her body so well that form behind it would be difficult to tell if she was a man or a woman. Rapunzel trailed her fingers along the fabric. It was soft, but her years of needlework experience told her it was exceedingly strong. Her fingers stopped at a ripple in the fabric, when she realized it was just what she'd been looking for. She slipped the note into the deep pocket and took the cape off. Hanging it back on the hook she thought of her next objective: defense. Yes, a weapon would definitely be needed. Not all ruffians out there were nice.
Rapunzel slipped quietly through the hall, something she was very good at doing. She infinitely preferred being barefoot, simply because shoes were just too loud. She tiptoed towards one of the trophy rooms, past the beautiful purple tapestries. After a few minutes of sneaking, she managed to make it to the least visited trophy room of the castle. She recalled when she had first started living at the castle and how impossible it was to find anything without someone pointing her in the right direction. Within a week of exploring she had found all of the castle's hidey-holes. She remembered when Pascal had gotten lost in one of the rooms. She never found him, nor did the rest of the castle workers. She didn't stop crying for a week, the whole kingdom was in mourning for her beloved friend. She hated the feeling of losing someone she loved. First Pascal, then Eugene. She was frightened to think of who might be next.
She peeked into the room and found it empty. She couldn't believe how fortunate she was. Most of the rooms in the palace were guarded, especially those with a sun roof. She knew she didn't have much time, so she began to search. There in the back was a perfect dagger. Not too large, and it certainly didn't look too heavy. More importantly it was relatively hidden behind some larger swords. Rapunzel took it from the wall and pulled out the hooks that had been holding it in place. She slipped the sheathed weapon inside her dress, hoping not to run into anyone on the way back to her chamber. Just as she turned to leave she saw the shadow of a man approach the open doorway. Rapunzel froze, he knees locked in terror. What if she was caught? How would she explain it? Yeah, just wanted to borrow this a while hope you don't mind. Acting quickly she moved quickly across the stone floor, and stood in a darkened corner near the doorway. Hopefully it was just a guard making his rounds…
The footsteps drew nearer and nearer… Then further and further. She was safe. Even better, the guard was walking opposite the direction of her room. Rapunzel slipped out of the chamber and headed towards her sanctuary. She was nearly done. She just needed to hide her dagger and then collect a few coins and slip them all into her cape pocket. She hoped it would be big enough. It's surprising enough that the cape has a pocket she thought. Women's clothing didn't usually hold such convenience. Realizing that her mind was wandering, Rapunzel focused her thoughts back to the task at hand.
She made it back to her room, and closed the door. Ugh… why does it have to make such a loud noise? A door slamming in the castle wasn't uncommon, as they were all made of heavy wood or metal, but it still attracted unwanted attention. Rapunzel rushed into her closet and quickly concealed the knife and then collected a few coins from on top of her nightstand and deposited them into the heavy pocket as well. She was grateful for the heavy cloth and thread that kept the pocket together. Finally finished, she lay on her bed and brought out some simple embroidery she had been working on. There, if anyone came to investigate there would be nothing suspicious to check. Not only that, she deserved a rest. The princess settled more into her bed and tried to relax. Her nerves were shot, and perhaps a little needlework would do her well. She smiled a bit and felt proud of herself. Her plan was nearly complete. Soon enough she would be back in the forest, running free and happy. Maybe this time I won't get leaves and twigs stuck in my hair. Rapunzel laughed softly at her own joke. For the first time in months, things were looking up.
