~Chapter 21~

Rapunzel

Before there were any of Conwyn's men on land, he ordered messages distributed to all ships to fire their cannons on the kingdom of Corona. These messages were the flag of Ravadyn hung high on the mast. This was the signal to release the cannon fire. All I could do was watch in horror as cannonballs flew into the air obliterating anything in their path. There was a protective wall that was built near the harbor that wasn't there the last time I was here. How did such a defensive wall get put up so fast when the kingdom had no warning. Conwyn suddenly put his arm around me smiling wide.

"Look at it, Alivia. Drink it in. This is all because of you."

Those words were venom to me, but they weren't wrong. If I hadn't sought the flower, if my mother hadn't told him about it, we wouldn't be in this mess. People were dying and it was because of me.

Conwyn ordered his first platoon of soldiers to swarm the harbor to take out the Corona defenses there. The cannon fire already opened up the wall on one end. Debris began to swarm the city and I couldn't do anything but watch. The soldiers were sent in before nightfall as it seemed that Conwyn couldn't call upon the power of the moon flower without the presence of the moon. Ships from behind us in the armada pulled into the harbor filling up the dock quickly. Soldiers bearing the Ravadyn insignia on their uniforms rowed their way to shore from those ships that couldn't pull into the harbor. I underestimated how many forces Conwyn had at his disposal. If I could get to shore and heal everyone in my path, that would be something, though getting away from Conwyn would prove difficult. My eyes looked around subtly for anything that I might use to my advantage. A sailor was lowering a rowboat just off to my left. I wouldn't be able to make sense of all the ropes and pulleys, but felt relief as the boat landed in the water. This was my chance. I moved to the side railing hopping into the rowboat. The sailor was surprised at my sudden entrance, but not as surprised as me knocking him into the water and whacking him with one of the spare oars. Conwyn yelled my name as I began using the oars to maneuver my way to shore. It was tricky to manage with the irons, but I didn't stop for anything.

As my rowboat pulled onto the shore, the sand crackled beneath the boat as I put distance between me and Conwyn. Cannon fire ceased almost immediately and I wondered if that was because of me. My chameleon crawled out from his hiding spot resting on my shoulder and looked at me curiously.

"I don't know where I'm going, little guy, but I need to help people if I can."

Avoiding groups of soldiers on both sides in conflict from the harbor, I climbed the hill up toward the main square of the kingdom. Women screaming and children crying as people fled from their homes. Nobody paid me any mind even though I was clapped in irons. Was anywhere safe? I didn't know of any place I should go. Smoke began to burn my lungs as I moved inland continually slowed down by the irons around my ankles. Stopping at a fountain in the main square to catch my breath. Dust and stone clouded the water as I looked at myself in the reflection. It was as though a stranger was staring back. I dipped into a nearby alleyway continuing on my way blindly when my ears heard a little girl crying nearby. I didn't see anyone, but it was right in my vicinity. Yanking off the lid of a nearby barrel, a little girl with braided red hair looked up at me and screamed.

"Shh, it's okay. Are you hiding? Where are your parents?" I said looking around.

I gave her my hand to help her out though it was awkward with the irons to get her out. Her eyes widened upon seeing my predicament.

"Are you in trouble?" She asked, plainly.

"I'm a victim just like the people of Corona are. Are your parents nearby?"

"Papa put me inside that barrel to protect me and told me not to come out until he came back." Her lip began quivering as tears streamed down her face again.

"Let's find your papa together," I offered.

As long as I stayed far away from Conwyn, the safer I would be. Having me hear was sparing the city much destruction since the cannon fire stopped. The little girl told me to follow her as she wanted to go home.

"I'm Claire, by the way."

"And I'm Rapunzel, I like your hair."

"My sisters braided it for me," Claire answered.

"I'd like to meet them." I nodded.

Claire led us down two long passages between various homes and what was left of many being rubble. She approached a house, but I stopped her wanting to go inside myself first. The roof was missing and so I could only imagine how rough the inside was. Poking my head through the door, the place was a mess. Deep cracks in the walls and roofing tiles that had fallen inside in chunks destroying furniture. Water was dripping down from the upstairs from a bath or sink. I didn't see anyone around, but before I could tell Claire that nobody was home, she ran around me inside her home.

"Claire, come back here. It's really unstable inside." I said.

She rounded a corner out of sight as she screamed. Chasing after her terrified, I found her knelt on the ground beside a man pinned on the ground by a large cabinet that had tipped off the nearby wall falling on top of him. There was a gash in his head, but I could see that he was breathing, just unconscious.

"Papa, wake up." Claire cried, patting her dad's hand that was laid out in front of him.

"He's gonna be okay, Claire." I reassured her, "Can you come stand behind me, please?"

She did as I asked even though I could tell she didn't want to move from her father's side. I showed her my chameleon to distract her. She took him and patted his skin clearly fascinated by his lack of fur like a dog or cat. The cabinet was heavy as I tried to grip it. There was no pushing it off as it would hurt the poor man more, but maybe I could pull it off. I couldn't doubt my strength, but adrenaline would help me most as I felt my heart racing inside me. Bending down to lift up with my legs and not my back, after a couple of attempts, the cabinet began to shift. Pulling it up and off back against the wall, Claire's father was free as he came to shortly after.

"Claire?" He muttered.

"Papa!" She cried running toward him.

"Careful sweetie, he's hurt." I said removing my hair net, "But I'm going to help him even further."

He hugged his daughter gently and released her putting a hand to his head noting the blood coming from his forehead.

"I'm sorry, who are you?" He asked, looking at me and then focusing on my irons.

"My name is Rapunzel and with your permission, I'd like to heal you." I offered.

"How?" He asked, clearly in disbelief.

"With my hair." I replied, casually.

He held back a laugh, but gave me permission. The fall from the cabinet and rubble had ripped a few spots of his shirt and I could see some severe bruising in addition to the gash on his head. Wrapping an end of my hair around his shoulders in one loop, I began to close my eyes and sing. My memories might have been spotty recently, but song melodies replayed in my head on repeat and I never forgot them. This was one of them. Claire watched in awe as the bleeding stopped and the gash disappeared as did the purple bruising.

"Are you some sort of wizard?" He asked,

"Just a woman trying to help, I'm glad you're okay." I nodded.

"Papa, where are my sisters?" Claire asked looking around.

At first, he hesitated a response and I feared the worst, but then he turned around digging through a small pile of rubble to reveal a trap door in the floor. He pulled it open now that he had strength back and out from the hidden basement popped two more little girls both with bright red braided hair. They must have hidden when the initial attack happened. They all hugged their father and Claire before turning toward me. Claire handed me back my chameleon now that she was safely with her family. The three older sisters circled around me gesturing toward my hair.

"It's great to see you again," The taller daughter smiled.

"Can we braid your hair again?" The other asked.

I nodded and as Claire and them went to work, their father looked at me with a tense gaze.

"I don't want to sound ungrateful for what you did just now, but I can't help to notice you're in irons. Are you a criminal escaping the law? Though I don't know many criminals clad in armor."

I exhaled.

"I promise I am not a criminal. I've been a prisoner, but from a kidnapping, that is all."

Upon hearing my brief explanation, his gaze softened looking greatly sympathetic.

"I'm sorry to hear it. You're welcome to stay with us for your safety. It's the least I can do after finding my daughter and saving my life."

"I appreciate that, but I should keep moving. The man who put me in these is probably hunting me down as we speak. I don't want to put your family in danger by being here."

"Very well, but at least let me help you now."

He got up leaving the room and came back shortly carrying a leather bag. Inside he pulled out a hammer and another tool with a sharp point. In a few minutes, he had me free of my bindings for both my wrists and ankles. I rubbed the skin on my wrists once I was free as the irons had been so tight.

"Thank you." I smiled.

"No, thank you, Rapunzel." He nodded.

Loud booming suddenly erupted nearby as more screams rang out. The girls had finished my hair, so with my hair secured and not be a tripping hazard. I left their home disappearing into the alleyway. Orange-red hues filled the sky as I got my bearings readjusting outside. Sunlight was fading and this siege would get much worse once the sun went down. Passing through town square again, I avoided the aggressive fighting soldiers heading toward the highest building on the north side of the town. Towers were raised about it with a stone wall securing it around. Who lived there? Moments later, cannon fire shot overhead breaking a large hole in the stone wall making a way toward this large building. The place had taken a beating as holes were busted through the stone from the cannons. I crawled through the hole in wall where this courtyard was cleared of soldiers fighting. Scanning around, there were soldiers here, but they weren't moving. One poor man with his helmet dented, most likely from falling debris, was the nearest victim I saw. As I approached him to be sure I couldn't do anything to heal him, his eyes popped open and he began drastically coughing making me jump in surprise internally.

"W-Water." He choked out.

My chameleon pointed his tail to a well several yards from us and I quickly fetched a bucket for the soldier. Helping him to sit up before giving him water not wanting to choke the poor man. He tipped the bucket back and drank his fill.

"Thank you, young lady." The soldier said, "You shouldn't be here, it isn't safe."

"I'm here to help you, now if I can just-" I muttered reaching for the end of my hair, but the soldier quickly rose to his feet.

"I must get their majesties to safety if they're still in the palace," He said looking toward the building before us and then glancing back at me, "Get off the street and stay out of sight."

Before I could say anything else he ran toward the building he called the palace and I was alone. Leaving the courtyard, I left out the hole in the wall I came through before and saw more soldiers coming up the path from the square led by Conwyn. Nervously I ducked into the doorway of a nearby house. There were holes that had been blasted through each of the main walls. One wall was half gone as I ducked behind the lower half to stay hidden. The all-consuming familiarity of that pain returned. I pursed my lips tightly trying to breathe steady as Conwyn got closer, my stomach lurched. Wanting to put more distance between us, but I could hardly breathe, let alone move. I poked my head out from above the wall to check Conwyn's position. He was just a few paces away as his head moved in my direction as I ducked down quickly to hide. Holding my breath nervously I listened for the sound of dissipating footsteps as they walked on. The moon had come out now lighting up the alleyway nearest outside the back of the house. As I rose to move, a hand came from behind me clamping down over my mouth. Conwyn rose above the wall as he looked down upon me with glowing silver hair and eyes. His touch felt like fire to my face. In retaliation, I grabbed his hand and turned my head in a way to bite him. I clamped down hard as he yanked his hand away slapping me with his other hand. Stung like fire to my cheek.

"You don't know when to quit, do you?"

With the moon out now, the pain of being around him was far worse. Why did he make my body react in pain? Two soldiers came through the door taking each of my arms. Conwyn threw them some rope.

"Tie her up, she's coming with us."

So much for freedom. My wrists were bound once again as the soldiers pushed me forward as they returned toward the palace. It was in this moment that I noticed my chameleon friend had disappeared. As I spun around looking for him, I thought I spotted my mother watching me from a nearby hiding spot. It had to of been my imagination.