A/N: Hola to all! I've given in and updated, but I don't feel like writing a long note because I don't feel good...or well...or whatever...I feel yucky! Anywho, I like this chapter a lot, so please review and tell me what u think, too! I'll try to update East of the Sun, West of the Moon soon (ha! that rhymed!), but i dunno...tootles til next time! =o) ~Jenny the chica~
Chapter Eight: In which everything is made better...
One day, after I had been living in my tower for over a year and getting quite sick of it, I went to my balcony to sing, as I usually did after Mother had left from the tower in the morning. I heard a loud rustling in the trees surrounding the clearing that went out about ten yards, encircling my tower, and I immediately stopped singing. When I looked around, I saw nothing, and assumed that it was a large deer or some other common animal, but I could have sworn I heard a the familiar "neigh" of a horse, and the sound of it's galloping hooves.
That same evening, I went on doing my daily routine of that time of day: reading a story or two, writing to my fairy godmother, wishing that I would get out here someday, for life hadn't gotten any easier, especially now that I'd been here over a year. In fact, I
had just celebrated my sixteenth birthday a few weeks ago, and I hated to think that I had been here for over a whole year.
I was a little "out of it" tonight, for I was not really feeling well, and I was quite tired. Just as the sun began to set, after I had finished dinner, I heard a voice call, "Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down thy hair."
Not looking down, I lowered my hair out of habit, too annoyed to look at Mother. I would just tell her that I was tired, and to please come back tomorrow, and I would be more than willing to help her.
I heard her step over the balcony, and I turned, still not looking at her, and walked over back to my warm room, as it was getting colder outside. As I did, I felt a heavy hand on my shoulder, and I froze, not moving a muscle. I then realized that, frustrated as I had been, I had failed to notice that: first of all, Mother never came in the evening--always in the morning--and second of all, the voice didn't sound like hers. I slowly glanced down at the hand that had been laid on my shoulder, and I found it to be normal flesh colored, not greenish, and rather large. I heard footsteps as the owner of the hand slowly walked around to face me. Startled, I fell down, luckily landing on my bed in a sitting position. I felt the unknown "intruder" cup my face in the same hand that had touched my shoulder, and I raised my eyes to finally look at the figure.
I gasped, as I stared into a pair of crystal-blue eyes inches from my face. I soon realized that I was face to face with a man. Now, having grown up first in a home with only a mother and all female servants, then living in a convent for two and a half years, and finally being locked up in this tower, with Mother the only one I ever saw, I had never seen a man before-never. Thankfully, they had been mentioned in my fairy-tale book, and my fairy godmother had written me in one of her recent letters, telling me that she was sure that one day a man would come to the tower, and I wouldn't be alone any more, so I wasn't as shocked as one might expect someone in my position to be. Nevertheless, it still wasn't exactly what I had been expecting.
"Hello." I whispered, for what reason, I don't know, nervously, forcing myself to calm down. "I'm Gretchen."
He bowed, than gently lifted my hand and kissed it. Lowering it, he motioned to the empty seat next to me on the bed, motioning if it was all right to sit there. I nodded with a smile, which he returned as he sat. "Hello!" he said, almost eagerly, as if he had been waiting a long time to say it. "My name is Tobin." He paused, confused, then continued, "I thought your name was 'Rapunzel,' I mean, didn't I just ask you to lower your hair, and you..."
Here he trailed off, even more puzzled. I helped him out. "You see, Tobin, that is what my mother calls me. My real name is Gretchen."
"But why would your name be something else than what your mother calls you?" Reasonable question. I should have known that he would have asked it. So, I explained to him what all had happened in my life up until now, leaving nothing at all out.
Once I was finished, we both were in silent thought for a moment or two, and then we began comfortably talking. I began to like him more and more, just getting used to him as a friend. He then told me his story, how he was the prince of our huge country of Echligia, and just how he had grown up. Astonished as I was that I had just met and befriended the prince, I was glad when he mentioned that he was just seventeen years old, close to my sixteen. What he said next both flattered and surprised me.
He said that the reason that he was here now was that, a few weeks ago, he had been hunting in these woods, and had gotten separated from the rest of the hunting party. Wandering through the woods, he told me that he had heard the most beautiful singing voice ever, and he walked around, silently leading his horse, until he came to the edge of the woods, just before entering the clearing, and saw this tower that we were in now. He explained how he would come every day after that, to hear me sing, and one time he had even circled 'round the tower to try and find a way in, only to find none. Finally, he said that he came at just the time to day to see a woman, who he now knew to be Mother, calling out, "Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down thy hair!" Amazed to see what happened next, he quickly rode away, to come back later and see if he could call out the same words and get in the tower to see the mysterious maiden. "Which," he concluded, "Brought me to where I am now."
As involved as I had become in his story, I had not noticed the time it had taken. I looked out the balcony, only to see pitch-black darkness, and then realized, after looking at the clock, that it was one in the morning. I laughed, and told Tobin this, and he laughed as well. I explained to him, as he prepared to leave, that Mother came every morning promptly at eight, and sometimes stayed until eleven. He told me that he would come visit me everyday, to which I told him to come around five, where the light wasn't so bright here. With a final word of caution to him to not listen to my singing at any other times, since I was afraid that one day Mother would catch him, I said good-bye.
He smiled, saying, "Don't worry so much, Gretchen."
Here we had to part, as we were now standing on the balcony, and I began to let my hair down. He started his climb down, then stepped quickly back up, grabbed me, bent down, and suddenly kissed me on my lips, his blond hair mingling with mine.
I was completely baffled, but I watched him as he slid down my hair, skip to his horse, and gallop off with a final wave. I waved back, then walked slowly back to bed. Although I was still exhausted, it was a while before I got to sleep, for I was trying to figure out what exactly had happened in the last few hours. At first, I had thought that Tobin and I were becoming good friends, but since he kissed me, I was not sure. I still had not figured it out when sleep finally claimed me.
A/n: Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww....now go review, because the Great Turkey is coming! mwahahahahahahahahahaha....ok then...Jenny's gonna go take a nap now...ta ta for now! ~Jenny the chica~
Chapter Eight: In which everything is made better...
One day, after I had been living in my tower for over a year and getting quite sick of it, I went to my balcony to sing, as I usually did after Mother had left from the tower in the morning. I heard a loud rustling in the trees surrounding the clearing that went out about ten yards, encircling my tower, and I immediately stopped singing. When I looked around, I saw nothing, and assumed that it was a large deer or some other common animal, but I could have sworn I heard a the familiar "neigh" of a horse, and the sound of it's galloping hooves.
That same evening, I went on doing my daily routine of that time of day: reading a story or two, writing to my fairy godmother, wishing that I would get out here someday, for life hadn't gotten any easier, especially now that I'd been here over a year. In fact, I
had just celebrated my sixteenth birthday a few weeks ago, and I hated to think that I had been here for over a whole year.
I was a little "out of it" tonight, for I was not really feeling well, and I was quite tired. Just as the sun began to set, after I had finished dinner, I heard a voice call, "Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down thy hair."
Not looking down, I lowered my hair out of habit, too annoyed to look at Mother. I would just tell her that I was tired, and to please come back tomorrow, and I would be more than willing to help her.
I heard her step over the balcony, and I turned, still not looking at her, and walked over back to my warm room, as it was getting colder outside. As I did, I felt a heavy hand on my shoulder, and I froze, not moving a muscle. I then realized that, frustrated as I had been, I had failed to notice that: first of all, Mother never came in the evening--always in the morning--and second of all, the voice didn't sound like hers. I slowly glanced down at the hand that had been laid on my shoulder, and I found it to be normal flesh colored, not greenish, and rather large. I heard footsteps as the owner of the hand slowly walked around to face me. Startled, I fell down, luckily landing on my bed in a sitting position. I felt the unknown "intruder" cup my face in the same hand that had touched my shoulder, and I raised my eyes to finally look at the figure.
I gasped, as I stared into a pair of crystal-blue eyes inches from my face. I soon realized that I was face to face with a man. Now, having grown up first in a home with only a mother and all female servants, then living in a convent for two and a half years, and finally being locked up in this tower, with Mother the only one I ever saw, I had never seen a man before-never. Thankfully, they had been mentioned in my fairy-tale book, and my fairy godmother had written me in one of her recent letters, telling me that she was sure that one day a man would come to the tower, and I wouldn't be alone any more, so I wasn't as shocked as one might expect someone in my position to be. Nevertheless, it still wasn't exactly what I had been expecting.
"Hello." I whispered, for what reason, I don't know, nervously, forcing myself to calm down. "I'm Gretchen."
He bowed, than gently lifted my hand and kissed it. Lowering it, he motioned to the empty seat next to me on the bed, motioning if it was all right to sit there. I nodded with a smile, which he returned as he sat. "Hello!" he said, almost eagerly, as if he had been waiting a long time to say it. "My name is Tobin." He paused, confused, then continued, "I thought your name was 'Rapunzel,' I mean, didn't I just ask you to lower your hair, and you..."
Here he trailed off, even more puzzled. I helped him out. "You see, Tobin, that is what my mother calls me. My real name is Gretchen."
"But why would your name be something else than what your mother calls you?" Reasonable question. I should have known that he would have asked it. So, I explained to him what all had happened in my life up until now, leaving nothing at all out.
Once I was finished, we both were in silent thought for a moment or two, and then we began comfortably talking. I began to like him more and more, just getting used to him as a friend. He then told me his story, how he was the prince of our huge country of Echligia, and just how he had grown up. Astonished as I was that I had just met and befriended the prince, I was glad when he mentioned that he was just seventeen years old, close to my sixteen. What he said next both flattered and surprised me.
He said that the reason that he was here now was that, a few weeks ago, he had been hunting in these woods, and had gotten separated from the rest of the hunting party. Wandering through the woods, he told me that he had heard the most beautiful singing voice ever, and he walked around, silently leading his horse, until he came to the edge of the woods, just before entering the clearing, and saw this tower that we were in now. He explained how he would come every day after that, to hear me sing, and one time he had even circled 'round the tower to try and find a way in, only to find none. Finally, he said that he came at just the time to day to see a woman, who he now knew to be Mother, calling out, "Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down thy hair!" Amazed to see what happened next, he quickly rode away, to come back later and see if he could call out the same words and get in the tower to see the mysterious maiden. "Which," he concluded, "Brought me to where I am now."
As involved as I had become in his story, I had not noticed the time it had taken. I looked out the balcony, only to see pitch-black darkness, and then realized, after looking at the clock, that it was one in the morning. I laughed, and told Tobin this, and he laughed as well. I explained to him, as he prepared to leave, that Mother came every morning promptly at eight, and sometimes stayed until eleven. He told me that he would come visit me everyday, to which I told him to come around five, where the light wasn't so bright here. With a final word of caution to him to not listen to my singing at any other times, since I was afraid that one day Mother would catch him, I said good-bye.
He smiled, saying, "Don't worry so much, Gretchen."
Here we had to part, as we were now standing on the balcony, and I began to let my hair down. He started his climb down, then stepped quickly back up, grabbed me, bent down, and suddenly kissed me on my lips, his blond hair mingling with mine.
I was completely baffled, but I watched him as he slid down my hair, skip to his horse, and gallop off with a final wave. I waved back, then walked slowly back to bed. Although I was still exhausted, it was a while before I got to sleep, for I was trying to figure out what exactly had happened in the last few hours. At first, I had thought that Tobin and I were becoming good friends, but since he kissed me, I was not sure. I still had not figured it out when sleep finally claimed me.
A/n: Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww....now go review, because the Great Turkey is coming! mwahahahahahahahahahaha....ok then...Jenny's gonna go take a nap now...ta ta for now! ~Jenny the chica~
