Disclaimer, I do not own The Land of Stories. This was written by Chris Colfer.

Chapter Eight: Rapunzel's Tower

It didn't take long for the trio to reach the Corner Kingdom. Just as nightfall had come, the trees thinned, and in the distance, a golden plack with the words "Rapunzel's Tower" could be seen. It had been an especially long day for Emilia. She'd known it would be from the moment she knocked on the door disguised as a flimsy fairy with a flimsy unicorn. She was overjoyed that she'd found her brother so that she could help Ezmia with her plans, but the mere sight of him made her blood boil. To her, it was a constant reminder that their mother had chosen him and that she wasn't good enough. Although it was difficult to stay in control and hide her true feelings, Emilia was determined to help him collect the items and give them to Ezmia so that she could get her own revenge.

"There's the tower!" Connor called pointing.

Rapunzel's Tower was well over 100 feet tall. It had a hay roof, and a small circular window could just be seen at the very top. It was easy to see why a long train of hair would be needed.

"How do we get up?" Connor asked.

"One of the perks of having frog legs is being able to reach quite a height, but this is much too high."

Emilia sighed inwardly. It had only been a day since their plan took action and Emilia was already unravelling on the inside. They were going too slow for her liking. Her brother had wasted so much time. He could've read the journal while they were travelling out of the forest, and if he had, they would know what the items were by now. Taking a deep breath, she pictured Rumpy beside her instead of her brother, and smiled a cheerful smile.

"Not to worry."

But before she could do anything, Froggy said,

"Wait, there are stairs on the other side of the tower. It says so in the journal."

This annoyed Emilia even more. That hideous frog-man had read the journal. Why didn't he tell them the items while they were travelling? Froggy led the way to the other side, and the three of them climbed the many stairs to the very top. When they reached the top at last, they opened the door to a small circular room. Bird droppings and hay were littered all around, but besides that, the room was bare.

"The view is beautiful," Froggy breathed.

Reluctantly, Emilia looked out of the window at the kingdom below. From up here, you could see everything. The moon was so bright lighting up the sky, and the stars looked so close Emilia felt she could pluck one from the sky. She could see mountains in the distance, and the villages looked so friendly. Despite her motives, Emilia couldn't help but identify with Queen Rapunzel. It felt so uplifting to be in the place where another person had been at the loneliest time in their life. Somehow, her heart felt lighter knowing that she wasn't the only person who had experienced such loneliness.

"Rumpy would've loved this," Emilia thought.

She imagined how Rapunzel must have felt, watching all the people below her go about their day, and seeing such beauty around her, but not being able to reach it. Memories of her as a little girl in the cottage watching children play outside came rushing back. She remembered all too clearly the aching longing she'd felt.

"Em?"

"What?"

Emilia looked round to find Connor and Froggy looking at her oddly.

"Are you okay?" Connor asked.

"Yes," she said smiling.

"I'm perfectly fine."

"Shall we read the journal together?" Froggy asked.

"That sounds like a wonderful idea."

They sat down on the tower floor, and Emilia conjured pillows and cushions to create a more comfortable space. Connor retrieved the journal from the rucksack and they huddled together, and began to read.

—

Dear friends,

I don't know how, why, or where you found this journal, but since it has found its way into your possession, I hope it will be of use to you. What I am about to tell you is going to sound ludicrous, but I ask that you allow me to explain. If I had not seen it with my own eyes, I would have not believed it myself. I am but a simple man from a simple village in the Charming Kingdom, but I have been to another world. Its a world with people and technologies that our world has only dreamed of and places we can only imagine. I know it seems absurd, but I promise you that an extraordinary place exists out there. We just can't see it. During my visit, among the many things I experienced I fell in love. I fell into a love so deep it was unlike anything I've ever known. I never thought this kind of love was real. Every day, every minute, every second I spend without her is cruel torture. I feel that every moment I spend apart from her, not able to touch her, to make her smile and laugh, is a day that is fruitless and wasted. Its as if I am no longer living for myself any more, but for her. So, I must find a way back. I must find a way to see her again. The first time I travelled into the other world was simple. A fairy that knew of its existence allowed me to travel with her, warning me not to get attached to anything or anyone. While my brain was obedient to her request, my heart betrayed it. The fairy has forbidden me from travelling with her. So, now I must find my own way. Naturally, I didn't have a clue how to begin. How does one travel into another world? Who could I ask? How would I even be able to ask without appearing foolish and crazy? Cinderellian society is very judgmental, but I surely would have been ridiculed if my mission were discovered. After many sleepless nights of pondering my predicament, I came to the conclusion that I'd have to ask someone who was crazy in their own right, so no one would believe them if they spoke of what I had enquired. I needed someone I could trust, but who would never be trusted by the world. I lost hope that a person of this sort existed, until I remembered the Travelling Tradesman. He was infamous for seeking out naive children in the woods and trading their items of value for items he claimed to be magical. He was rumoured to have given Jack the beans that grew his beanstalk. Warrants of his arrests had been issued in every kingdom, so he was on the move at all times, making him impossible to find, but then again, my entire quest was virtually impossible. Surely if someone knew of another world it would be him. Late one night, I travelled to a tavern up the stream from my home. There, I befriended two farmers and proceeded to buy them round after round of drinks. After having a few laughs at our youthful adventures, I asked them if they had ever heard of the Travelling Tradesman. They both grew quiet and were almost offended by the question. After a few more drinks, and assuring them that I was not accusing them of anything, they both confessed that they had done business with him in earlier years.

"I traded two goats for a watering can that was suppose to magically water all my crops by itself," one of the farmers said.

"The damn thing never worked, and it had a leak! It was the biggest mistake of my life."

"I traded two cows for a goose he told me would lay golden eggs!" the other claimed.

At first, they tried to persuade me to call off my search, but after one final round of drinks, they finally told me of the routes he covertly took through the woods. I must have searched every patch of trees in the Charming Kingdom. Finally, in the woods just south of the Red Riding Hood Kingdom border, I found him. The Travelling Tradesman was an odd, elderly dishevelled man who wore several layers of ragged clothes. He had a long grey beard, and dark circles were etched under his eyes. One of the eyes wandered to the left, making it difficult to determine what or who he was looking at. Judging by the two geese and pig in his cart, I was sure he had already made many trades that day.

"Are you a friend or a foe?" the Tradesman asked me.

"A friend, I believe," I said.

"Oh good, then what may I do for you, friend? Would you like a bag of magic pebbles that grow into boulders?"

"No, thank you," I said cautiously.

"I've come to ask you for advice."

"Advice? That, my friend is something no one has ever asked me for. What do you wish to know?"

"I am wondering," I began uncertainly.

"What is the farthest distance you've travelled?"

The Tradesman scratched his beard in thought.

"Well, I'd honestly say there isn't a place in this world I haven't been. I've travelled from the Southwest to the Northeast and from the Southeast to the Northwest. I've been from the bottom of the Corner Kingdom to the top of the Sleeping Kingdom and from the tip of the Elf Empire to the coast of the Fairy Kingdom."

"What about further than that?"

"Farther than that?" the Tradesman asked, both his eyebrows raised.

"What's farther than that?. Only ocean is beyond that, and that's it."

"What about a different world? Have you ever heard of one or how to travel to it?" I finally asked.

"Young man, I've been all over the world and I have never seen any suggestion of there being another."

He hopped back onto his cart and took the reins of his mule.

"stop! Please don't go!" I pleaded.

The Tradesman began to travel up the path, and in desperation, I stood in front of the cart almost getting trampled.

"I mean you no harm, old man. You don't understand! I've been to another world and have seen extraordinary things. I need to go back. It may be the greatest wish I will ever have."

My arms were spread out and I sank to my knees begging with him to believe me. He sat still with his good eye fixed on me.

"Is it truly the most desired wish in your heart?"

"Yes, I've never wanted anything more in my life."

"Well then, there's only one thing you need."

"What is that?"

"The Wishing Spell."

At first, I thought he was joking.

"The Wishing Spell? You mean the childish legend?"

"It's as real as the nose on my face," the Tradesman said.

"Many men of tried to obtain it. Legend says that if you collect a series of objects and place them in close proximity, the collector's one true wish will be granted."

I didn't know whether or not to believe him. Perhaps he was playing me for a fool. Although my brain was suspicious, my heart chose to learn more.

"but how do I find these items?"

"I don't have the slightest idea," he said.

Now I was frustrated, all that information for nothing. I turned away and began heading back, deflated that my quest had ended so abruptly.

"But I know someone who does!" the Tradesman called after me.

"Who?" I demanded.

"I never trade for free," the Tradesman said, extending an open palm towards me.

I placed several gold coins into his hand until he was satisfied. "Her name is Hagatha," the Tradesman said.

"Where can I find her?"

"Take this path west into the Dwarf Forests, past the three boulders, and then follow the smoke," he said.

That was all the direction he gave and he took the reins of his mule and travelled away.

The sensible course of action would've been to ask him for more directions, but my heart soared, defying any rational thought or logic. Instead, I took off running towards the Dwarf Forests.

I had never been in the forest before, but as a child, I was constantly told of its danger. Once I was there, I realised why I had been warned. The trees grew so thick and close that someone could be standing three feet from you and you would never know they were there. It took two days to find the boulders the Tradesman had spoken of. They were three large rocks that were tilted in a peculiar position. I thought perhaps they might have been pointing at something, so I lowered my head to look in that direction. The boulders pointed directly between two trees separated just enough that you could see a wide patch of the sky and in this patch I could see smoke. I ran toward the source of the smoke. Where ever it was coming from was completely off the path and I almost seriously injured myself jumping over bushes and tree roots. Occasionally, I could see the sky through the tree branches and could tell if I was off track. I must have travelled in circles for hours. Every time I thought I was just about to find the source of the smoke, the wind would shift it in another direction. I was lost. Every way I turned looked exactly the same. I felt as if the forest had swallowed me. The sun was setting and the smoke became harder to see. Panic was setting in now. There was no shelter in sight. I thought for sure a treacherous beast would find me during the night and make a feast out of me. I started running again blindly. I heard howls in the distance. I tripped and fell straight through a large thorn bush. I landed hard on the other side of the thorn bush, scraped, scratched and bleeding. I got to my feet and surveyed my surroundings. I was standing in a large, circular clearing in the forest surrounded by a large wall of thorn bush. In the centre of this clearing stood a small hut with a hay roof and a brick chimney. Rising out of this chimney was the smoke I had been following. No wonder it had been so hard to find. I must've been wandering in circles around it, not knowing it was hidden behind the thorn bush. I approached the hut slowly. It had one door and two windows. Before I could knock, the door burst open.

"Who are you?" said the woman that emerged from the hut.

Instantly, I knew this was Hagatha. She looked like a human tree stump. She was short and wore a brown hooded cloak. Deep wrinkles circled her face and one of her eyes was squinted. Her nose was small and was neighboured by a gigantic mole.

"Are you Hagatha?" I asked her.

"How did you find me?"

"I tripped through the thorn bush," I said.

"But how did you know I was here?" she asked, her eyes narrowed.

"The Travelling Tradesman. He said you knew of the Wishing Spell."

Hagatha grunted and sighed at the same time. Reluctantly, she gestured me to follow her inside.

"Come in, come in," Hagatha said.

The inside of the hut was an utter mess. There were vials of strange liquids everywhere. Some bubbled, some glistened, some steamed. There were dozens of glass jars containing the strangest things, dead and alive reptiles, insects of every species, even a glass jar of various eyeballs. Even though they had been plucked out of their owner's lids, I swear one of them blinked at me. There were also geese, monkeys and chickens, all residing in cages around the hut. They were all restless, prisoners no doubt.

"Have a seat," Hagatha instructed, pointing to a large chair.

"I see you are a collector of sorts," I said.

But she didn't welcome conversation. She ignored me and began collecting items from around the room, a vial here, a bowl there.

"The thorn bush in front of your home is very clever. It must keep out most unwanted visitors."

"Most," she said, and glared at me.

"That thorn bush is from the Sleeping Kingdom. I planted it here and it grew around my home in a perfect circle just as it grew around the castle while the queen was in her 100 year slumber. You are the first to break through it."

"I do apologize-"-"

"This will cost you 15 gold coins," she said, taking a seat across from me.

"For what?" I asked.

"You want to know what the Wishing Spell items are, don't you? That is why you're here, is it not?"

I laid all the coins I had on the table, but doing business with the Tradesman had left me short.

"I only have 14 coins," I said.

Hagatha did not look pleased.

"You stupid youth and your wishes. Very well," she said, and scooped up the coins with one swipe.

She placed a bowl in front of her and emptied the contents of two vials into it, one red liquid, the other blue.

"One eye of an eagle, the wings of a pixie, and the heart of a newt," Hagatha said, adding ingredients into her bowl.

"Plus three drops of giant blood, the big toe of an ogre, and a straw of gold hay. That completes the potion."

With all the ingredients added, the liquid in the bowl started to smoke and glow. Hagatha breathed it in. She closed her eyes and lost herself in a moment of deep thought.

"Does this potion tell you what the Wishing Spell items are?" I asked.

"No, but it helps me remember. You aren't the first, and you won't be the last person to request the list. Consider yourself warned. Many people have lost their lives trying to acquire these items. They are impossible to collect."

"I'd rather die trying, than spend the rest of my life wondering if I could've done it."

"Then listen carefully, because I'll only say it once."

I leaned as close to her as I possibly could. The anticipation made every second feel like an hour. This is what I'd come all this way for.

"There are nine," Hagatha said.

She took a deep breath, then began.

"Glass that housed a lonely soul, up til midnight's final toll.

A saber from the deepest sea, meant for a groom's mortality.

The bark of a basket held in fright, while running from a bark with a bite.

A stony crown that's made to share, found deep within a savage lair.

A needle that pierced the lovely skin of a princess with beauty found within.

A wavy lock of golden rope, That once was freedom's only hope.

A treasured locket that glitters and glows, worn by a queen with skin pure as snow.

Teardrops of a maiden fairy feeling neither magical nor merry.

A woman despised where ever she roams, wearing a token of love and grief that brought bitterness upon her lover's home.

I repeated the entire list to myself all the way home and wrote the Wishing spell list and my journey into this journal. I don't know how I'm going to gather these items, but my goal is to find them then record how I managed it in case I may need to do it again. If you're reading this, I hope it means I succeeded, and if you're reading this and are about to start a journey of your own, I wish you luck.

They sat there in stunned silence. Clearly, they weren't expecting what they had read. Froggy's mouth was agape and his glossy eyes were wide. Connor looked dazed, as if he'd been clubbed over the head. Emilia was bewildered and it took considerable effort to keep her cheery fairy facade. In all her life, she'd never imagined anyone leaving their home and risking their life just for love. The concept of love and romance was a completely foreign concept to her, more complex than any spell or potion Ezmia had ever taught her. Sure, she'd had a slither of love from Rumpy, but that was friendship, or that's what she thought it was. Not like this. This was different. It seemed foolish to her, irrational and reckless. What if the woman didn't love him in return? How would he find his way home? With a great mental heave, she pushed the inner turmoil whirling within her and took up her role once more.

"Wow!" she cried, giving a dreamy smile.

"He must love her very much to be willing to travel to another dimension just to be with her."

"Yes," Froggy said warmly. "I've always admired his courage for taking a leap of faith. He left everything and everyone he knew. He left his family and his home. That is quite a risk to take. I hate to think of what would happen if she didn't reciprocate his feelings."

"Okay, enough talk," Connor said. "What about these items? I didn't think they'd be in a rhyme. Froggy, do you know what they are?"

"I have ideas."

"Lets go through them one by one and see what we come up with," Emilia said calmly.

"I think the first item is Cinderella's glass slipper. The rhyme was spoken, and the man must've thought of soul as in body and soul. But I think it means the sole of Cinderella's foot because it was housed by the slipper and it was lonely because when she was running at midnight, she lost the other shoe."

"That makes sense," Emilia said.

"Lets make a list," Connor said.

Emilia waved her wand, and a piece of paper and a pen appeared in Connor's hands.

"What about the saber from the deepest sea?" Connor asked.

"I'm not sure about that one," Froggy replied.

"I think the next is bark from Red Riding Hood's basket. She was holding it while running from the wolf, which is the bark with a bite," Emilia said, confident with her answer.

"Okay, bark from Red Riding Hood's basket," Connor said scribbling.

"Hmm, not sure about the next one," Emilia said thoughtfully.

"Me neither," Froggy said. "But I'm confident that the needle that pierced the beautiful skin, of a princess with beauty found within is Sleeping Beauty's spindle.

"A wavy lock of golden rope, that once was freedom's only hope is definitely a lock of Rapunzel's hair," Emilia said excitedly.

"One down eight to go," Connor said, waving a strand of golden hair before them.

"Your one ninth of the way home," the other two said together smiling.

Connor wrapped the hair carefully in a tissue and placed it safely in his rucksack.

"The next one is definitely jewels of Snow White's locket. That locket is her most cherished possession as it was given to her by her mother before she died," Froggy explained.

"What about this one, do we just have to make a fairy cry?" Connor asked.

"Oh I hope not!" Emilia cried, throwing her hands up. "That would be awful. Fairies are very sensitive you see."

"Maybe we can find a fairy that's already feeling down, collect some tears, then cheer her up," Froggy suggested.

"Lets cross that bridge when we get to it," Connor said.

"I have no clue what the last item is," Froggy said. "Or the one about a crown that's deep within a savage lair."

Connor and Emilia shook their heads. They didn't have any ideas either.

"Well, we've done pretty good," Connor said. "Lets get some sleep, I'm exhausted.

The others agreed without protest. They put the journal away, and spread out the cushions and pillows on the tower floor. Emilia conjured them each a blanket, Connor took out the blankets in his rucksack, and with their brains full to bursting, they lay down, looking up at the sea of stars above them. It was slightly chilly in the tower, but the blankets seemed to do the trick. In no time at all, Connor and Froggy were fast asleep. Carefully, Emilia sat up, reached into her pocket, and took out a small mirror. As soon as her fingertips touched the glass, it began to shimmer brightly. After a few seconds, Ezmia's image appeared.

"Mother," Emilia whispered. "I've found him. We've begun the quest."

"I knew I wouldn't regret choosing you."

A/N:

Hey guys!

Not sure when the next chapter will be, but I'll definitely be back. I hope you all have a lovely week and take care.

Happy reading!