~Chapter 19~

Rapunzel

I felt bad for alerting the guards of that man, but it's not my fault he barged his way into my room. He waved at me from the front gate and I didn't understand why he felt the need to be friendly toward me. The past day has been strange to me, as if I have been walking through a deep fog. Everytime my father comes around, my body reacts. Usually I just feel sick, but tonight when he came in my room, I felt pain. So strange. Headaches and confusion. Evangeline handed me a note as she came to check on me before saying good night for the evening. I read the note and looked up at her. She was worried about me.

"I'm okay, I promise." I lied.

I didn't need anyone worrying about me, it was a waste of their time. I've been struggling to remember details about my life. Needing to repeat affirmations I knew to be true. My name being Lady Alivia Conwyn and I have special healing powers that come through my hair. It can't ever be cut for this reason. Not remembering my mother, father brashly reminded me that she died giving birth to me. There was no sign of pain at losing her in his tone. It was as if he didn't care. As Evangeline was laying out my sleeping attire on my bed, father knocked on my door, announcing himself before coming in abruptly.

"Leave us, Evangeline." He ordered.

Evangeline hurried outside my room shutting the door behind her. I put down my brush on my vanity and stood up curiously facing my father.

"Is that man gone?" I asked.

"He is where he belongs, which was never here."

"Wasn't tossing him out from the gate a bit harsh?" I questioned.

"It is not for you to be concerned with, Alivia." He grumbled.

He stepped toward me and I had to sit back down as the pain inside me was excruciating. Father had a look on his face as well urging him to take a few steps back closer to the door. The pain alleviated instantly.

"Tomorrow will be a triumphant day for Ravadyn,"

"And why is that, father?"

"The armada is in our harbor. The siege on Corona will begin soon and with you by my side to heal any injury that may incur, I will be invincible."

He was acting if he had already won Corona. Was he always this arrogant?

"Father, there is peace between the two countries. Why invoke a war?"

"Hardly a war, Alivia, when I'm on the winning side."

That man warned me father was a murderer and I was seeing the eager march for power and destruction within his eyes.

"Is Lachlan coming?"

Father glared at me.

"No, he isn't," He said raising a curious brow, "Why do you inquire about your uncle?"

"I'm going to stay behind with him. The power of Luna Callima will protect you, so there's no need for me to go."

I picked up my brush again and ran it through my hair once before father grabbed that arm twisting it around my back forcing me to drop the brush. I howled in pain.

"Father, let me go!" I cried.

"If I say you're coming, Alivia. You're coming, got it? This is not a debate. You will honor your father or there will be consequences."

Finally releasing my arm, he stopped back toward the door quickly as if eager to separate from me.

"We're leaving at sunrise. I'll have Evangeline make sure you're ready."

He slammed the door behind him as a tear fell from my cheek. That man terrified me. Why was he so cold and unkind? I was disgusted by the fact that we were blood. Regrets filled my mind and the greatest of these was not believing the man who came to warn me. Even as he was being thrown out, he saw me in the window and waved. I couldn't even remember his name. Maybe it wasn't too late. He was probably finding a place to sleep in the village, maybe I could catch up to him. I would leave tonight before father would even know I was gone.

I crept my way to my door and peered outside into the hallway. There seemed to be double the amount of guards patrolling upstairs. A distraction was needed if this was going to work in my favor. My loose hair led a trail right to me, so I would have to be mindful of that. I saw something move out of the corner of my eye and alarmed, I picked up a book prepared to smack whatever it was to kingdom come. A green little reptile stared at me from my vanity and I held back a scream not wanting to alert anyone. The creature stared at me wide eyed.

"Shoo, go away!" I said.

The creature turned a shade of blue lowering its head looking glum.

"What's wrong?" I asked it, "Are you lost?"

I remember seeing this creature in a book I read. A chameleon. Small in size with no threat to a human. At least it didn't turn out to be a rat.

"You want to come with me, boy. I could use a friend." I said.

The chameleon turned green nodding his head excitedly. Extending my hand toward him, I placed him on my shoulder. How he got in my room, I'll never know. After glancing once around my room, there wasn't anything to pack, I just needed to leave. There were some dishes leftover from the dinner Evangeline brought to my room after returning from the harbor. Dinner was baked in a skillet and while I ate every morsel earlier, perhaps the skillet would prove useful. I put the chameleon on my vanity grabbing the skillet.

"Hey, do me a favor. Pretend you're a rat. Can you do that?" I asked.

The chameleon nodded and turned himself a shade of brown. He had no round ears to speak of, but the color and his long tail would be enough for this to be believable. Opening my bedroom door to the hallway, I screamed as a guard just went by. Alarmed he turned and ran toward me.

"Lady Alivia, what's wrong?"

"There's a rat in my room. Kill it now!" I cried.

The guard entered my room and the chameleon ran from my vanity across the floor as the guard dove to catch him. With his back to me, I took the skillet and whacked him over the head. He fell to the ground completely knocked out. The chameleon emerged from underneath my bed as I held out my hand to him to climb on. I placed him on my shoulder as I gathered up my hair.

"Good work, buddy."

Quietly I left my room closing the door behind me. Nobody would expect me to emerge until morning. There were two patrols near the stairwell, so I went down the adjacent hallway with suits of armor that lined one side. A trio of windows took up the other side. Moonlight shone brightly through them covered only slightly by some black curtains. I heard footsteps coming as I held tightly onto my hair and ducked behind one of the curtains. Gripping my hair tightly, I couldn't let it give me away. I held my breath as the footsteps passed and I exhaled once it was quiet again. Pulling the lever on the nearest window, I knew this was my best shot at escape. The window creaked slightly as it came open and I bit my lip nervously looking around the halls. Nobody came to my relief. I threw an end of my hair around a statuette that hung on a corner of the upper roof overhead. As I secured my hair pulling it tight, I swung down to the ground level. It wasn't that far down and I had no fear with the height. It came easily to me as if I had done this sort of thing before. Shaking my hair free, I was in the courtyard and ducked behind some bushes. There was a single guard patrolling nearby. The stables were close and all I had to do was mount a horse and get out of here. I practically crawled my way to the stables avoiding the guard downhere. I saw the white stallion named Max eating some hay in the stable and I waited for the guard to pass again before approaching. As I took a single step toward Max, I felt a sickening feeling hit the pit of my stomach. Then the knife stabbing pain returned. A hand grabbed my head yanking their fingers against my hair.

"Ow, hey, let me go!" I cried.

The ferocity in the grip was familiar and it didn't take me long to figure out who had found me. Not a guard, but my father.

"What a disappointment you've been, Alivia."

He dragged me by my hair to the manor doors then yanked me onto my feet as we went inside as I protested the whole way. Returning me to my room, he opened the door and pushed me inside. My feet got tangled in my hair, so I tripped falling to the floor. Father summoned a guard to get the one who I had hit with the skillet out of my room. As the guard dragged his unconscious comrade away, my father shut the door. The chameleon hid in the recesses of my hair not to be seen. Father turned to face me and I couldn't even get up off the floor. I sucked in pained breaths as father stood in front of the door. I swear I wanted to vomit. There was no telling what he was going to do. The man had such a short temper.

"I really hoped you wouldn't even try, but your defiance knows no bounds, does it, Alivia?"

"Why must I go on your crusade of violence to Corona?" I snapped, "

"I'm your father, and your opinion on the matter is what I say it is."

"But you're not," I growled.

"You know nothing of these things."

"I don't?" I said, challenging him, "When is my birthday?"

Conwyn glared at me.

"I'm not playing into your game."

"Should be easy to answer." I said.

"In the spring, of course." He said.

Finally, I actually caught him in a lie.

"It was last month." I muttered.

He took a step toward me, but then promptly stepped back putting as much distance between us keeping close to the door.

"Why do you harm me so? Even if we aren't blood, your healing is invaluable."

"I'm not a pawn to be used to aid you in a war. Corona is strong and at peace with Ravadyn. Why ruin that?"

"Because I am stronger than my cousin. King Frederic is weak. The throne of the sun kingdom will fall to me. Tomorrow will be the start of my legacy."

"I can't stop your madness, but I will remain in Ravadyn. You're not my family, so you have no say over me."

Conwyn stomped toward me though the closer he got, he seemed to struggle to make those steps. He felt the pain as much as I did.

"You were welcomed as a guest, then my daughter, but tomorrow we head to the harbor and you will be nothing but a prisoner to obey my command."

"I'll never sing for you!" I growled.

He grabbed my face pulling my chin to meet his fierce gaze.

"Obey me or I'll kill them."

"Who?"

"Your mother has been rotting in my prison along with your former tutor."

Tutor? I questioned. Was that the man that Conwyn threw out?

"I've seen the way you two have interacted. He's quite taken with you, which was probably why he barged into your room this evening. Two innocent lives hang in the balance, so the decision is yours, Alivia."

"My name is Rapunzel!"

I spat at him as his touch was burning my skin. He stepped back and struck me across the face as I hung my head refusing to look at him. If I helped him, hundreds of lives in Corona would be at stake. This was a losing situation regardless of how I answered. He really gave me no choice.

"I'll go," I muttered, glaring up at him through my hair.

"Smart woman, Alivia."

Conwyn stepped away from me leaving me a mess on the floor.

"I'll be back at sunrise to escort you to the ship."

He slammed the door behind him as I heard a lock click. The chameleon came out from hiding as I wrapped my arms around my knees. The pain had ebbed and yet tears fell from my eyes. People were going to die because of me. I should have never found that moonflower, no, I should have never left my home in the tower.

I had just begun to doze off when Evangeline unlocked my door coming inside. In her hands, she carried a leather tunic and chainmail. I yawned still trying to wake up as I drowsily rose from the floor. I glanced around as my little chameleon friend must have been hiding somewhere. Evangeline gestured for me to turn, so she could undress me. Handing me the leather tunic, I looked at her confused.

"Why don't you speak?" I asked.

Her face fell as she shook her head. Why didn't I remember? She looked at me as if I should have known. The leather tunic was form-fitted and quite uncomfortable. Then she put a chainmail dress over my head and it was awful. The mail was long and heavy. Was this Conwyn's punishment or did he just wish to protect his asset? Lastly, Evangeline braided my hair and fixed all the braids into a hair net. Soon, a pounding rang out against my door as Evangeline opened it quickly. Lord Conwyn came in with two guards standing at the ready behind him. Dismissing Evangeline, she hurried out as Conwyn looked me over. He was clad in iron armor himself.

"Your protection is important,"

"Though clearly my comfort is not." I grumbled.

"We are going to war after all."

Conwyn glanced at the two guards behind him nodding to them as they approached with irons in both of their hands.

"You're still a prisoner and must be handled as such."

My wrists and ankles were promptly locked into irons that were tightly cuffed. Secured by a short slack of chain for both.

"This might have been avoided had you not tried to escape last night."

"I hate you! I've done nothing to deserve this!"

"Spit on me again and I'll gag you too, is that what you want?"

I bit my lip.

"That won't be necessary. I have nothing left to say."

Conwyn nodded to the guards again as one-handed him a key that was on a small chain that he put around his neck. My chameleon friend carefully moved toward me as Conwyn gave his guards some new orders. I could feel the chameleon climb up the mail and stop in my hair. At least I had a friend. The guards pushed me forward out the door as my feet dragged from the irons. I came to Ravadyn a prisoner and I was leaving as one.

Riding down to the harbor, Conwyn boarded the ship we were on yesterday. Though with a small platoon of his soldiers and cargo on deck at the ready. Ten cannons were on deck with crates of cannonballs gathered around them. Conwyn kept his distance from me and had the guards put me in the ship's hold below deck. The pain in my body waned being a fair distance away from Conwyn, but it returned every time he came downstairs in the hold to check on me. I sat quietly with the chameleon as my only company. The sailing was rough as the morning was windy stirring up waves on the water that I could see in the ship's windows. Mother warned me people of the world were selfish and cruel. She was the first to try and get me out of Ravadyn and I didn't listen. One of my many regrets. We sailed for hours and we dropped anchor around midday. Conwyn had guards fetch me from the hold and dragged me on deck. Conwyn approached me and my body again reacted. I vomited at his feet. He struck me across the cheek again disgusted by my reaction.

"Control yourself as I must." He whispered into my ear, "Now take a look at that,"

He said, yanking my head up. A few miles away from the Corona harbor, but I never thought I'd be so happy to see my home kingdom.

"An armada is here to lay waste to these lands," Conwyn said.

I glanced behind at the bow of the ship and saw several dozen ships anchored just behind us.

"Once the cannons are loaded, we will launch the siege," Conwyn ordered one of his men. All of which were running around deck loading cannons and unloading weapons and ammo as soldiers were arming themselves and horses being saddled and brushed.

"My lord, you draw power from the moon, correct?"

"Now you're being polite?" He mocked.

"It might be more beneficial to wait for nightfall for a stealthy approach."

I had to stall or buy Corona some time. Did the lookout soldiers even see the armada approaching? A sailor nearby was unloading a crate of cannonballs when he lost grip of it dropping it as a hole broke in the deck into the lower hold. I watched as Conwyn approached the sailor and yelled at him for being so careless. The man begged for forgiveness, but it was too late. Conwyn closed his eyes and spoke in a strange foreign tongue toward the man. Though nothing happened. Conwyn looked up toward the sky as the sun was still high in the sky. In one quick motion, Conwyn took his sword from his belt and gutted the poor man in front of everyone. I cupped my hands around my mouth as it sent a chill down my spine to witness. Two soldiers took the sailor's body and tossed it overboard so callously. Conwyn was ruthless and a murderer. He returned to stand beside me as he looked out on all his men preparing for what was to come. My knees were knocking from the pain and my stomach continued to rage in pain within me. Even still, Conwyn remained close. He wanted to hurt me, even to his own detriment. Painfully my eyes gazed out upon Corona as a single tear fell from my eye. People were going to die today and it was all my fault. My power has made Xander Conwyn invincible.