Chap 37 - A Different Kind of Nightmare -
It was dawn.
Eugene poked his head out of his room and looked down the hall. The king and queen were doing the same. The guards looked back and the chambermaid shrugged. It was quiet.
Could it be, wonder of wonders, Rapunzel not having a nightmare for once? Maybe the rosemary tea had taken effect or one of the other anti-nightmare remedies.
Together they padded quietly to Rapunzel's room and the Queen put her ear to the door. Her face fell. She opened the door and Eugene could hear Rapunzel thrashing around on the bed and moaning.
The Queen moved quickly to the bed and gave her daughter a shake. Rapunzel awoke with a gasp, "Oh, mama it's you," and relaxed and gave her a hug.
"Another nightmare, dear?"
"No, not exactly. Just exhausting." yawned Rapunzel. "Eugene and I were rolling around in the grass and flowers. It was a good dream but then most of the nightmares don't start out bad. I like rolling around in the grass."
"When I was 13 my hair could reach the ground and I pulled some up one day. It was so incredible to just smell grass and feel just a few leaves of it against my skin. I used to chalk some of the floor green with little flowers on it and try with all my might to imagine what grass felt like. They are still in my tower, I have a secret place on top of the highest beam that Mother could never find. When I got out of the tower, rolling in the grass was the first thing I did; it was even better then I had imagined." Rapunzel finished with a happy sigh.
"That sounds very nice, dear." said her mama.
The chambermaid brought in a breakfast tray and everyone move to the table. Pascal climbed up on Rapunzel's shoulder as she straightened herself and the bed. The King and Queen were starting with jam toast and Eugene was working his way into a boiled egg. Rapunzel sat down, and Pascal padded down to the table snagging a grape, his favorite snack and matched its purple color.
Watching Eugene spoon another piece of egg into his mouth, she frowned slightly and asked innocently. "Mama, does a dream mean something particular if we weren't wearing clothes?"
The Queen gasped.
Eugene's eyes nearly bugged out of his head as he tried not to spit his egg across the room, slapping a hand across his mouth..
The King jumped up, "Well, now, I-ah-have a meeting with the, um, Captain of the Guard about pying frans, um, frying pans. Eugene, why don't you come with me." He said in a high pitched voice as Eugene nodded enthusiastically turn ing a bright shade of red.
Pascal turned an alarmed shade of red as they bustled out.
"Mama?" Rapunzel asked in a scared voice, her hand fumbling at her shoulder.
Queen Rebecca puts a hand on Rapunzel's arm and gives her a gentle smile. "It's all right, dear. You just surprised us is all, this is something we women do need to talk about, alone."
zZzZzZz
Author's Note: Well, she can't have nightmares every night, but now everyone else will have one. {grin}
I just love how she rolls around in the grass when she gets out of the tower the first time. Of course, she's going to dream about that at some point, good for her.
It's also a 'first' that the Queen can have with her daughter that would make a special bond in their relationship. She loves and cares about Rapunzel so much and is level-headed enough not to twist it up to for her own benefit, like a certain someone else.
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