As it turned out, the prince was correct. Not only was Yates waiting for them at the entrance to the grotto, but as he handed Hector's reins over to the prince Rapunzel could see other shadows in the alleyway behind him – shadows of people and things she had never seen before.
"Your Highness," Yates said, but he was looking at Rapunzel as he drew his hand back, "An escort is here to accompany you back to the palace. You may ride Hector, and of course there is a carriage for milady."
Rapunzel started a little and instinctively reached for the prince's hand, stepping behind him. "I want to ride with him."
Yates took a deep breath, paused as if he was expecting this argument. Now he looked at the prince. "Of course you do, my dear, but I'm word of His Highness' presence has spread among the townsfolk and – well – I'm afraid it just isn't proper for a future princess to be seen in public riding on the back of a horse like a commoner."
Rapunzel's mouth dropped open and she stared at this man, feeling her body begin to shake in panic. The prince must have sensed her distress because he turned around at once, placing his hands on her shoulders and looking at her with serious, unblinking eyes.
"It's all right," he said, in very quick, hushed tones as if he was desperate to calm her down. "Darling? Just listen to me, it's fine. Yates is right, I mean, yes, he talks as if I'm somebody which is pretty funny, but the people here, they want to say hello to both of us and that means a ride through the town. Now Hector here, he's a great horse but that carriage they brought is a lot more comfortable, and anyway it's a short ride, we'll be there before you know it and then I won't leave your side for the rest of the day."
Rapunzel fought to take deep breaths, but at his last words she reached out and grabbed the edges of his jacket. For a moment it was dark, and she was in the middle of a swamp full of snakes and despair, and she thought he would never be by her side again -
"Promise?" she whispered.
A voice came from the alleyway, an irritated-sounding male voice Rapunzel didn't recognize. "Is everything all right in there?"
Rapunzel blinked and, to her own surprise, giggled a little. "She sounds like mother when I tarried at my bath too long!"
The prince chuckled, "That's the steward, and sometimes he's almost as bad as your mother! But we'll beat them both, won't we?"
He smiled at her then, a smile that lit up the whole grotto and melted every fear she had. She leaned forward and very quickly kissed him.
As soon as they parted he squeezed her shoulders and whispered, "The rest of the day, and nighttime too. Promise!"
Yates cleared his throat. "Your Highness, the steward is - "
"Yes, I know," the prince sighed, and taking Rapunzel's hand presented her to Yates. "Those had better be the gentlest palace horses pulling that carriage."
Yates took Rapunzel's hand with a smile and bowed slightly to the prince. "Of course, your highness. I'll see you at the gates."
With that, the prince blew a kiss to Rapunzel and led Hector outside, into the afternoon sunshine.
Rapunzel watched him go and then looked at Yates, hating how bewildered she felt. The older man smiled at her, kindly and with a little pity she thought, and in a hot burst of pride she blurted, "I'm not a child."
Yates continued to smile. "Of course not, miss."
Rapunzel blushed. "But – but I've never done this before. I don't know what to do."
"Understandable," Yates pulled on her hand and turned toward the entrance. "That is what the steward and those at the castle will teach you. Right this way."
Rapunzel followed, gathering up her skirts with her free hand so she wouldn't trip on them going over the cobblestones. The afternoon sunlight was very strong after being in the dim light of the grotto, and for a moment she winced against the glare, unable to see anything but shadows. Then her vision cleared, and she saw what was waiting in the wide alleyway next to the wall of sea-rock.
A carriage was indeed waiting in the afternoon sun, slightly smaller than the one she had seen at the other palace carrying the crown prince and his bride but no less ornate: red trimmed in gold and enamel, pulled by two beautiful bay-colored horses. The groom stood at the open door, and next to the groom stood another man dressed in dark velvets trimmed in lace and looking very official. Yates immediately approached this man, still holding Rapunzel's hand delicately in his.
"Miss," Yates said crisply as he reached the man's side, "May I present Ormand , the steward of the sea-castle. He will accompany you on your journey through town and see that you safely arrive at the castle gates."
Rapunzel looked up at this man, who was very tall, much taller than she was. He was also old, slender and clean-shaven with graying hair that framed his narrow face and dark, piercing eyes. Eyes that could have been her mother's, they were so keen -
But this man smiled genially at Rapunzel and bowed to her, taking her hand from Yates as smoothly and gently as if she was made of china.
"It will be my very great pleasure, my dear," Ormand said in round, smooth tones that made Rapunzel feel immediately at ease. He guided her toward the open door of the carriage and even helped her gather up her skirts so she could step in more easily.
She sat down, looking around at the carriage in frank curiosity. No, it was not as grand as the bridal carriage at the palace. The satin lining was worn and bare in a few spots, and there was dust and a few leaves on the carriage floor which spoke of long storage and a hasty sweeping-out.
But the seat was well-padded and comfortable, and as Rapunzel settled in she looked up to see, far ahead on the path, her prince on his white steed flanked by a few members of the cavalry, trotted easily along the shadowed path toward a sunlit road where some townsfolk were already waiting, and waving at him.
A moment later the prince rode into the sunlight and Rapunzel thought she heard a cheer go up, and the prince turned to his right, raised his arm and waved at people unseen to her.
I'm not the only one who loves him, Rapunzel realized, and suddenly she felt very small.
But at that moment the prince glanced over his shoulder at her, and blew her another kiss. She smiled, and he turned the corner and was gone.
THUD, the carriage door shut and a moment later the groom was mounting the driving platform and taking up the horses' reins.
Rapunzel glanced at Ormand, who was also looking at the space where the prince had just been, and said, "Thank you for taking such good care of the prince, and me. This is already so much more than I dreamed it would be!"
The steward smiled and patted Rapunzel's hand.
"It's the very least I can do, my dear," he said, and taking up an ebony-tipped cane that had been leaning against the opposite carriage door, he rapped it on the back of the driver's seat, and the carriage started with a jolt down the cobblestone street.
Rapunzel had never ridden in a carriage before, and thought for a moment that the back of the prince's horse might actually be more comfortable, so greatly did the vehicle jounce and rattle down the street.
She also wasn't sure what to do in the presence of the steward, who seemed nice enough but the only man she had ever been alone with before was her prince. She had no idea what to say to this man, who was a stranger, and gave off a definite impression of power and authority in his rich velvets and straight-back shoulders. She smiled at him, awkwardly, and edged over to the other side of the seat, looking out of the carriage to avoid eye contact with him.
This worked well enough for a few moments – she found herself looking at the sides of buildings and, as the carriage neared the cross-street, a few people standing by the side of the road, looking at her. She looked back, unsure what to do, and noticed they were waving to her, as if they knew her.
Or perhaps they're waving to Ormand, she thought, and turned to see if he was waving to them. But no, he was only looking at her with a slightly puzzled frown.
"Is something wrong, my dear?" he asked.
"I - "Rapunzel blinked, then looked down. "I don't know what to do."
"Why, wave back to them!" Ormand exclaimed, gesturing for her to turn and face the other way. "Those are your subjects, when you marry the prince you will be ruling them. Smile and greet them!"
"Oh - " Rapunzel blinked again, not wanting to seem foolish by asking but what the steward said didn't make any sense to her. She only wanted to live with her prince, wherever they went, she had no desire to rule! Certainly her mother would say she had no capacity for it. But...
They were nearing the cross-street now, and the carriage slowed to make the turn. Rapunzel shifted in her seat and waved to the people clustered at the edge of the road, smiling as brightly as she could. To her surprise they waved back even more enthusiastically, and she saw a few people with children sitting on their shoulders, and the children were waving too. How strange! Rapunzel thought. Waving to me when they don't know who I am at all...
When the carriage had turned the corner fully, Rapunzel glanced forward and saw in front of her a long cobblestone road sloping gradually upward, lined with homes and shops and clusters of people all looking at her and waving. A short distance ahead she saw her prince, still astride his horse, sitting tall and happy with Yates at his side and surrounded by his escort, waving his black-gloved hand at the gathered populace with practiced, smiling ease.
The crowds waved back, cheering and calling to him, and Rapunzel smiled at how happy they all seemed. It made her feel the way she felt when her mother brought her blackberries from her garden, like spring had come and everything was safe and comfortable and right, and always would be. Like she was home.
Rapunzel cast her eyes ahead of her prince, up, up the road, and saw that it led to a stone gate in the distance, a high one like the one they had entered earlier, with tall iron gates at the entranceway.
Beyond this gate a huge building towered, easily bigger than any other structure in the village. The prince's castle, Rapunzel thought, and stared at it awestruck.
A castle, but it looked nothing like the king's castle, which was all square rooms and high dark-colored stone walls with no windows. This castle gleamed almost white in the afternoon sun, constructed of curved walls set with high rounded windows that glistened as if they were made of spun sugar. The roof was some sort of blue-colored tile and Rapunzel saw ornate terraces and balconies set into the structure, hung with green plants and colorful flowers.
"You're not waving, my dear."
"Oh - " Catching her breath, Rapunzel turned to the street and met the smiles, feeling suddenly and oddly that the beauty of the castle above them was reflected in their faces and eyes. It all radiated together and shone back to her like a beacon, and for the first time since she left the tower Rapunzel felt like she was
home
and as she waved she looked again at the prince and saw that he was smiling back at her, the sun in his hair and the sky in his eyes. She lifted her eyes to the castle ahead of them and before she could stop herself whispered, "It's all so beautiful!"
She didn't look at the steward, but he must have heard her because he cleared his throat and said, "Hm? Oh, yes, the summer castle is...well, it isn't as grand as the king's castle, but I'm sure you'll find it adequate. When we are in a more suitable atmosphere I look forward to learning about your family, as I'm sure we all are."
So intent was Rapunzel on meeting the gaze of the people in the streets that she only barely heard the steward's words, but as the carriage continued its way up the sloping street she began to think about what he had said. Even though the smile never left her lips and her hand never faltered, a dart of worry grew in her heart.
My family? She thought, casting her gaze over the gathered throngs of shopkeepers and peasants greeting her in front of their shops and homes. I have no father, and my mother is a witch. I don't even know where she is, if the giant killed her or if -
Suddenly it was as if a cloud had gone over the sun and Rapunzel shivered, glancing about herself at the carriage and its finery, at the parents and children, at the fine houses and shops and clear blue sky. Only the night before she and her prince had been trapped in a stone tower surrounded by sharp thorned vines, and those vines were not there in the daylight. They grew by magic, and that magic was still very much alive -
- alive, and who knew where it went? Maybe it had followed them there. Maybe she was putting them all in danger, if her mother could blind someone without a second thought, what else could she do? Or perhaps it wasn't even her mother but another witch, or something even more powerful, and if it came after her prince or the village Rapunzel knew there was nothing she could do. She didn't even know how she had healed her prince!
"My dear, are you all right?"
Rapunzel blinked, and realized that she had turned in the carriage and was facing Ormand, and breathing very quick shallow breaths. A horrible thought was shrieking through her imagination, the entire village covered in choking vines barbed with sharp thorns and she could do nothing – nothing -
But Ormand couldn't know any of that, not yet, he'd send her away from her prince and that would kill her. Blinking rapidly Rapunzel opened her mouth but could only stammer, "I – I - "
"Oh, you're thirsty," the steward guessed, and patted her hand as if she was a child. "Of course, and here we are in the fountain square. The prince will need briefing once he arrives at the palace anyway, this is a perfect time to halt so you can freshen up."
Before Rapunzel could say another word, the steward tapped his cane against the driver's seat, and the carriage rattled to a stop.
Only when she was not moving and the frightening images receded a little in her brain did Rapunzel think to look around herself and see where they were. The carriage was no longer sloping uphill but somewhere level, and as Ormand rose and held out his hand Rapunzel took it, stood, and looked around.
The carriage was standing at the top of a small hill, and as Rapunzel looked behind herself she saw the cobblestone road leading downward, people now crossing the road to go about their affairs. At the base of the hill the road continued over the sea-wall she had seen earlier, and disappeared amid a bustle of shops on the other side of the wall.
Beyond that Rapunzel found herself looking at something she'd never seen before – something pale-yellow that glimmered in the sunlight, stretching like a shining ribbon along the other side of the sea wall. Whatever it was, people were walking through it, and children were playing in it – so it wasn't something that could hurt them, surely! And they were running from that shining ribbon into – into -
Rapunzel squinted, unsure what exactly she was looking at. Whatever it was it was blue, dark blue like her prince's eyes, and glittered and sparkled just as they did. And it was big, big and wide and so vast it disappeared onto the horizon. There were no trees, no hills, nothing to mark where the sky met the earth. Just that beautiful dark blue, mysterious and endless.
It was the first time Rapunzel had ever seen the ocean, and she would never forget it.
Then Rapunzel felt a slight tug on her hand, and turned to face Ormand and depart the carriage. As she gathered her skirts to step down she glanced around and saw that the fountain square was, indeed, square, and large, ringed with stalls and shops set before tall stone walls colored the same pale-ivory as the summer castle.
The crowd kept a respectful distance but were still buzzing happily, and as Rapunzel smiled at them she noticed some guards, dressed in the same black leathers her prince wore, carefully using their pikes to clear a path for her. A moment later Ormand helped her from the carriage, and as the last of the people were parted in front of her Rapunzel saw where the path led.
It was a fountain, as the steward had mentioned, but Rapunzel had only seen pictures of fountains in her books and none were as breathtaking as this. It was set into one wall of the square, a raised semicircle of painted stones and glass gems arranged to form swirling circles of green and blue. On the wall itself an impressive mural of clouds and hills had been painted, birds and trees and horses all blending together to create a work that was large and dazzling.
But it was what was in front of that mural that Rapunzel stared at, amazed. Four statues, all men, carved from gleaming pink-veined stone.
The largest figure was in the center, broad-shouldered and regal-looking, wearing long robes and a crown over his shoulder-length curling locks. His bearded face was handsome but stern-looking, and he held a sword in one hand and a scepter in the other. Every chiseled inch exuded power.
"I see you're admiring the fountain statuary," Ormand mentioned as Rapunzel tapped both feet to the earth. He lifted one hand and indicated, "That, of course, is King William. You may have met him at the palace."
"I didn't," Rapunzel answered, in a smaller voice than she intended but the statue was so big! "The prince told me he was an inv- "
" - unavailable, of course," the steward muttered quickly, glancing about himself as if to make certain no had heard Rapunzel almost say invalid. "I'd forgotten. And here - "
On the king's right another statue stood, only slightly less lofty in stature. A young man, square-jawed, cape flowing about him as he stood with one hand cocked on his hip and the other grasped a lifted sword. He gazed at the sword with chin held high and a confident smile on his stone lips. Beneath his crowned head his sculpted hair was rendered so precisely Rapunzel could swear she saw it blowing in the breeze.
"The crown prince," Rapunzel stated with a smile. "Yes, I was presented to him. Is he very much like his father?"
"Considering the news we had of Prince Maximilian's escapades this morning, I'd say yes," the steward muttered, but before Rapunzel could ask him what that meant he motioned with his hand again and her eyes were drawn to the next statue.
She thought it might be her prince, but it clearly wasn't. This figure, on the king's left, was broad-shouldered as the king was, and his face was sharp, his eyes large and keen beneath the circlet he wore. His long straight hair fell almost to his shoulders and he wore a small beard. He wore what looked like a suit of armor with a falcon blazoned on the chest, and in his hands held a diamond-shaped shield at his waist and a sword clapped at his chest.
"That," Ormand said wearily, "Is Prince Robriand, the king's second-born."
"I wasn't presented to him," Rapunzel said, frowning at the image.
"No, and very likely you won't see him anytime soon," Ormand muttered in what Rapunzel thought was an irritated tone. "He's off in the next kingdom slaying dragons and the like. All surrounded by heavy guard and never in a moment of danger of course, the king would never allow that."
Rapunzel studied the statue, fascinated. "But the king allows him to leave the kingdom?"
"The king is thrilled he's away from the kingdom," Ormand replied, but didn't elaborate further. "Come, the dipper for the fountain is right this way."
"But - " Rapunzel began, but Ormand was pulling on her hand, pulling her to the edge of the fountain before she could get a good look at the final statue. Frowning, she planted her feet and tugged her hand out of the steward's grasp, took two steps toward the fountain, and looked.
It was the smallest statue, as she knew it would be, but it was obviously done when the prince was younger as it depicted a child of perhaps twelve. The statue was set next to Robriand's but a few feet further away and the sculpting was not as smooth or polished as the others. Still there was no mistaking it was her prince – the face was round and smiling, and a shock of long hair was falling from his forehead over his eyes. He wore no crown but a cape covered his shoulders, and in his gloved hands he held a cluster of what looked like long vines.
The other thing Rapunzel noticed was that all of the statues were facing front, except for her prince. He was looking away, toward the distant glittering mystery.
Rapunzel stared at this for she wasn't sure how long, but it might have been only moments; then Ormand took her hand again, and she turned her head to see him looking at her impatiently.
"Sorry," she muttered, but she wasn't, not really. When the steward gently tugged her hand toward the side of the fountain she followed, but she never took her eyes off the statue of her prince.
"No need to apologize," the steward replied, although the vexed tone of his voice said otherwise. "Perfectly natural that you should be curious about Prince Jasen's statue, although as you can see it is not quite matched to the others."
They had moved to the right side of the fountain now, and she could no longer see the likeness of her prince. So, she turned to look at Ormand instead, as they approached a small cluster of townsfolk who were gathered at the edge of the fountain. "What are those things he's holding?"
"Hm?" Ormand leaned back and squinted around the statues. "Oh – he was always climbing the rose trellises and whatever was growing up the side of the castle walls, I seem to remember he wouldn't even stand still so the sculptor could get a likeness. So I imagine those vines are a bit of an inside joke."
Rapunzel bit her lip to keep from smiling too much at the steward's words, and the image of her prince climbing up anything he could find, even as a child! She had no trouble picturing that -
The steward turned away from her for a moment, and when he turned back Rapunzel saw that he had a child with him, a young dark-haired girl of perhaps eight wearing homespun clothes, holding a silver dipper dripping with bright, crystal-clear water. As Rapunzel met the child's brown eyes, the girl smiled and held up the dipper.
"Oh!" Rapunzel exclaimed, and smiled back, touched. She quickly knelt down to the girl's level and accepted the water. "Thank you!"
The girl looked down shyly and stepped back, her chin down but her eyes huge and fixed on Rapunzel in rapt wonder.
Rapunzel looked down at the water, so clear and pure it glowed like the water in the grotto. She drank it and kept her gaze down, at one honored and confused. These strangers were so quick to accept her! It was at once thrilling and terrifying, and for a moment Rapunzel wished her mother was there – her mother, who always knew how to explain things, who always answered Rapunzel's questions with such patience and kindness.
What am I going to do now, mother? She asked, staring down into the depths of the silver cup as if it held the answers. These people love me, my prince loves me, how can I keep them from coming to harm? How can I protect them when I don't even know what to protect them from? Those thorns – the danger – what if it's coming from you? Or someone stronger? How can I fight that when I couldn't even stay by my prince's side when the giant came?
What am I going to do?
Rapunzel felt a shy touch on her shoulder and looked up. The little girl was standing in front of her, eyes full of wonder and respect.
"Prince Jasen's lady, would you like some more water?" the child asked.
Rapunzel smiled and decided right then she wanted children of her own, someday. She nodded and handed the dipper back to the girl.
The girl skipped back to an older woman standing by the fountain, who Rapunzel guessed was the girl's mother. As Rapunzel watched the mother take the dipper and refill it from the fountain, she heard Ormand clear his throat behind her.
"Yes, I'm afraid the young prince's statue isn't quite the quality of the others," the steward lamented as Rapunzel watched the mother refill the dipper and hand it to her daughter. "But then, there wasn't the need, you see, the king already had the progeny he required and a third legacy was considered...well, an afterthought."
A little of the water spilled out of the dipper, splashing on the brightly tiled ground. The little girl winced, but the mother smiled at her anyway and smoothed her hair.
"Still, it all turned out all right," the steward continued at Rapunzel's back. "There could have been a plague or some other accident I suppose, but now they've all grown and crowned...well, there was some talk that the youngest might be sent away for good, to guard our northern gates. Just so you're aware, miss. This might not be your permanent home."
There was something hollow in the steward's tone, something that nagged at Rapunzel even as she knelt to accept the girl's second dipper of water. She smiled her thanks and stood, drinking it as she lifted her eyes and gazed on the glittering castle beyond her.
Not her home? Impossible. It was where her prince was, of course it was her home. She had never seen a body of water in her life, still had only seen the shimmering green-blue depths of the grotto, but there was something welcoming about the shimmering serenity of what she had seen, something that reminded her of a womb, of being born.
She had never known a home except for the tower where her mother had kept her, never seen a world that existed beyond the woods and her books. Now it was real, it existed, and it was wonderful! Her mother had warned her, always warned her of the wolves and the humans and how awful the outside world was but -
- but oh, her mother was wrong! Rapunzel looked down at the little girl and almost wanted to cry with the revelation, so completely did it fill up her being. Her mother was wrong – humans were wonderful, her prince was everything to her and the wolves -
The wolves were not wolves, they were choking thorns and the frightened, possessive souls who cast the spells to create them. They were nameless threats of pain and darkness, and thoughtless stewards who didn't seem to even like her prince, or think he was worth much at all.
Her prince – Jasen – Rapunzel could see him, far ahead of them now, a small dark speck on a white horse, almost to the gates of the summer castle. Soon he would be inside, and she would join him, and maybe some witch would threaten them, or the village, or the kingdom, make walls of thorns grow or an earthquake happen or a giant appear. Maybe someone would try to hurt her prince again.
But they wouldn't succeed. They would never succeed, because her prince was magic, he had given her the world and she had not even known she wanted it until he came. And what could she give him in return that was more precious than her own magic, her love and whatever protection she could offer?
She could see wolves, and witches, and humans, and maybe he couldn't. Maybe nobody had ever shown him how to look. But she knew. She would look.
And she would never let anyone hurt him again.
The little girl was still there, smiling up at Rapunzel, her small hands held up to receive the dipper.
Rapunzel smiled at her, kneeling down and placing the dipper in those tiny fingers. Impulsively, she reached up and patted the girl's head with one gloved hand.
"Thank you," she said, and met the girl's smile with one of her own. "What's your name?"
"Tessa."
Ormand cleared his throat again, impatiently. "We should be on our way, miss."
"All right," Rapunzel said, although it wasn't really, but she did not have the authority to make her own rules. Yet. She glanced from the girl to her mother and back again. "Thank you for the water, Miss Tessa. Mind your mother."
The girl nodded, happily Rapunzel noted. Rapunzel stood and smiled at the young mother, who had stepped forward to collect her daughter. The woman smiled back, warmly.
"Welcome to our kingdom, miss," she said.
"Thank you," Rapunzel answered, and shook the images of thorns and giants from her mind. No, such threats would not get within a hundred yards of this kingdom's gates, not if she could help it. And she would help it, she and her prince together. "I'm sure I'll love it here."
Ormand coughed, loudly. Rapunzel gathered her skirts and made to turn toward the carriage.
Before she could move, however, the mother, little girl, and every person in the square bowed and curtsied to her.
Rapunzel paused, awestruck for a moment and unsure what to do. She had been bowed and curtsied to at the other palace before, but this felt different. It felt like a promise, and a request. From the whole town -
"Do not curtsey back," came Ormand's words, very low and commanding. "Please get in the carriage, miss, we don't want to be late to the castle."
Rapunzel heeded those words, only because she had none of her own to return. But she knew that that, too, would change, one day. She gave the gathered townsfolk one last smile, accepted the steward's hand back into the carriage, and as the horses were prodded on their way, waved to the assembled cheering of the crowd.
And, when Ormand wasn't looking, she blew a kiss to the smallest statue at the fountain, its hands grasping the stony vines and its eyes cast ever outward to the sea.