The Frog Swordsman
Part Seven
By Maria Cline
The sun rose high in the sky as a lone figure rode down the road. At first glance, he looked like a normal messenger racing to deliver a message. However, if someone were to look closer, that person would see a small frog riding in the front of the saddle.
The 'messenger' stopped the horse and held out a golden ball. "Yahiko is this way." Kaoru said as she smiled slightly.
"Good." Kenshin sighed in relief as he looked at the floating map. His green face paled at the sight of the location. Silently, he prayed that the man he was thinking of won't notice him.
It had been three days since Kaoru had started her journey again, since she discovered the truth behind her exile. She had to find her little brother and her older sister before something happens to them. Unfortunately, she couldn't let anyone else get hurt so she went alone with Kenshin. Hopefully, she could find more people to help her along the way. After all, fighting a fire demon was serious business. The woman rubbed her chest. She was forced to disguise herself as a man since a traveling man attracts far less attention than a traveling woman. Traveling was easy for her but the hard part was looking over her shoulder and wondering what could happen to her.
Of course she couldn't forget her promise to Kenshin. Every chance she had, she tried to find a way to get her friend back to normal. Unfortunately, every lead was a dead end and there was no sign of the 'Red Witch' or Enishi. "I wonder what they are doing now." The woman wondered.
By pure chance, a few miles away, a familiar pair wandered lost through the woods. Enishi frowned as he looked around. "Damn it. I hate being lost."
"Let me rest and I will cast a spell." Rose said as she sat on the log and held out her hand.
"No! Your magic is being stretched to the limits. You can barely stay awake." Enishi growled as he grabbed Rose's shoulder.
"I'm your older sister… I'm supposed to help you. It's a simple spell." The witch closed her eyes and saw through the eyes of a wandering hawk. She smiled. "The nearest road is just a mile that way." Rose pointed in front of her and then collapsed.
"Sister? SISTER!!!" Enishi screamed at the top of his lungs.
Rose weakly opened her eyes and heard birds singing. She glanced around to see a small modest house. It was clean and well kept except for an empty old crib filled with dust surrounded by dolls that had not been played with and toys that had not been touched.
"Sister, you're awake." Enishi said as he knelt down next to his stepsister. "You had been in a coma for three days."
"That's all? That's good." Rose got up and stretched.
"No, it's not. You fainted from casting a basic spell. That's not good." Enishi scolded as he sat down beside her.
"It's the price I paid for justice, you know that." The girl said as she put her hand where Enishi's left arm should be.
"I can live without an arm, I can't live without you."
Rose shook her head as she stood up. "I'm fine. All mages sleep after casting spells exhausted."
"There must be a way to stop this. If we can't solve this problem, then we will never find the Battousai and keep the curses sealed."
"Is everything all right?" A middle aged man asked as he came up. He smiled warmly at Rose.
A middle aged woman came in and saw Rose. "You're awake, good."
"Sister, this is Mike, he and his wife Lisa helped me take care of you." Enishi introduced.
"Thank you for your help." Rose said as she bowed.
"My pleasure." Lisa came up and touched Rose's cheek. "We have a daughter your age. She doesn't have red hair like yours but she was just as lovely."
"Lisa…" Mike whispered as he held her. "Now is not the time."
"What happened to her?" Rose asked as she looked at the empty crib.
"Nothing dear. Just rest." Lisa said as she smiled and then the two walked off into another room.
Kaoru and Kenshin rode on until they saw a bizarre looking tower. It was huge with only a tiny window at the top. Lying at the bottom was an old woman. She was wrinkly with long white hair. Quickly, Kaoru stopped the horse and got off. She rushed to the old woman and asked, "Are you okay?"
The old woman moaned and whispered, "My daughter is up there. Get her please."
"Sure." Kaoru gave the old woman some water and then went to the back and circled the tower. After the third time she asked, "Where's the door?"
"There is no door. You have to get in through the window." The old woman gasped out.
Kaoru stared up at the window. There were no ropes, no ladder, not even a good place to gasp onto the side of the wall.
"Damn it."
"Kaoru-dono, I can get up there. If you toss me, I can reach it." Kenshin offered as he got out of the bag.
"I can't do that. You'll get hurt." Kaoru whispered as she glared at him.
"But, there's no other way. Besides, I can handle the jump. I just need a boost." Kenshin said as he pointed up to the window.
The princess sighed and nodded. She tied a rope around Kenshin's waist and tossed the frog into the air as close to the window as possible. The frog soared through the air and landed right in the middle of a huge pile of hair. Kenshin struggled against the strange hair. While he was used to seeing huge amounts of hair compared to his tiny size, he had never been entangled in hair.
"EEEKKK!!!"
Kenshin looked up to see a beautiful woman with very long blond hair reaching in and picking him out. "You are a very odd looking bird. You have no wings or feathers just skin." The woman said as she studied him.
Kenshin was confused. While he was mistaken for many things in his life, he had never been called a 'bird'. "I'm a frog."
"A… frog?" The woman repeated confused, "What is that?"
"Uhhhh… never mind." Kenshin said as he looked to the side. "Anyway, I'm here to help you because your mother is at the bottom of this tower dying and asked to see if you are all right and get you down." The frog said as he showed the woman a rope.
"Well, I'm fine but heartbroken because my beloved left me and I may never see him again." The woman wept out loud.
"It's okay." Kenshin comforted awkwardly. "What is your name?"
"Rapunzel."
"Well, Rapunzel-dono, just help me tie this rope to that hook and you can climb down and find your prince."
"I can't do that. There are monsters, murderers, and demons that eat virgins with long golden hair. There are also witches that love to curse on a daily basis and destroy cities. I cannot go out there. My beloved said that what my mother said was lies but I trust my mother more than anything. I don't know who to believe."
"Well, I have a friend down there who is the kindest person I know of. If you can just lower the rope and let her up, she can help you."
"Oh…" The young girl took off the rope and tied it to the hook. Kaoru took the rope and climbed it up the tower until she got into the window and sighed in relief. She looked at Rapunzel and her long hair.
"Hi, I'm Kaoru. Who are you?" Kaoru said as she bowed.
"I'm Rapunzel and your frog bird told me to trust you."
"Frog…bird?" Kaoru repeated as she looked down at her friend. "Kenshin's not a bird of any type. Haven't you ever seen a frog before?"
The other woman shook her head and stared at the frog. "I have been in this tower for ten years. Mother said that if I leave this place, I will die."
Kaoru sighed as she crossed her arms. "If you stay up here, you will die anyway. Just go down the rope and we can leave this prison."
"Oh no. It's not my prison, it's my home." Rapunzel said as she sat down and smiled. "Up here, I am safe from all of the monsters and stuff and I am rarely lonely because my mother and bird friends visit me all the time."
"Your mother is sick and she can't get up. You can't stay up here forever. What about your beloved? Don't you want to find him?"
Rapunzel bit her lip as she looked outside. "Well, yes."
"Then go and find your beloved! Go out there and face the outside world!" Kaoru cheered as she pumped her fist.
"Okay!" Rapunzel cheered as she got up and then looked down the tower. "Oh my… how can I get down with all of my hair holding me down?"
"We'll just cut it off. I have a sharp knife with me." Kaoru said as she got out a knife and held it up.
"NO!" Rapunzel screamed as she held her hair. "If you cut off my hair, I will die."
"You won't. It's just hair." Kaoru said firmly as she showed her the knife.
"Mother said that all people are bonded to their hair. If their hair is cut, they will die." The blond shook and Kaoru just looked at the knife.
Despite her age, Rapunzel was acting like a child not knowing the world around her. "Okay, fine. Look at this." Kaoru took her own ponytail and chopped it off.
Rapunzel gasped as she closed her eyes. "Look at me, I'm not dead." Kaoru said as she ran her hand through her short hair.
"Oh…" Rapunzel nodded as she closed her eyes and let Kaoru chopped her hair until it reached her waist. The long hair fell to the ground and the woman nearly fell over. "My head feels so light."
"That's what happens when you get a haircut." Kaoru said as she stepped out of the window. "Okay, now we will go down, slowly."
"R-right."
Rose gazed upward as she went out into a vast garden filled with all sorts of flowers and vegetables. Then, she saw a patch of rampion to the side surrounded by a fence. At first glance, it looked like an ordinary patch of rampion except for the fact that it was covered in red blossoms rather than blue or white. "Witch's rampion?" Rose whispered as she knelt down and touched it.
"No! Don't touch it." Mike ordered as he and Lisa ran to her.
Rose stared at the rampion and asked, "Why do you have a patch of witch's rampion?"
"Witch's rampion?" Enishi asked as he came up from behind.
"It's a rare species of rampion. They only bloom once every ten years and are very hard to take care of. Nothing happens if a normal human eats it but if a witch like me eats it, they become stronger in every way. Only warlocks or witches like me even know of such a plant and dare to take care of it."
Lisa's jaw dropped. "You're a witch?! But you're so young and beautiful!"
Enishi smirked as he put an arm around Rose's shoulders. "Not all witches are old and ugly."
Lisa went down onto her knees. "Please! You must help us!" Lisa pleaded as tears ran down her face.
"Lisa, no!" Mike yelled as he tried to pull her up. "The last time we dealt with a witch-"
"I don't care!" Lisa screamed back, "I want my baby back!" Mike jumped back at the tone and Lisa wiped her tears. "You are the only one who can help us. You see, I was pregnant with my first child and I was so happy but then… I had cravings for rampion and we saw bunches of them in the neighbor's yard so I had Mike steal some for me. The rampion tasted so good and I was eating for our child so we kept on stealing them. Then, the neighbor who was a witch caught us. The witch threatened our lives and demanded that she has our child. We… we have no choice. The baby was snatched away and we never saw her again. Then, that witch left behind that rampion as a reminder of what we had done!" Lisa collapsed into tears again and silence echoed throughout the forest.
"I see." Rose stared at the plant. "This witch wouldn't kill your daughter. Give us the rampion so my powers will increase and I will bring back the child."
"You will? But how? We don't even know our child's name."
"I have my ways." Rose replied as she smiled slightly. "So, may I have your rampion?"
"If stealing rampion took our daughter away, then giving the rampion may bring her back." Lisa said logically as she removed the fence. "Here it is. Please, save my daughter."
"Thank you." Rose said as she picked up the rampion by the roots and went off to prepare it.
Rapunzel hesitantly stepped onto the ground and gazed at the sky. For the first time since she was seven, she was out of the tower and touching the ground. Then, she saw her mother lying on the ground barely breathing. "Mother!" She cried out as she ran up and held her. "Mother, are you all right?"
"No. I am dying." The old woman laughed as she held her side. "Cursing that prince of yours took the last of my power and at my age too."
"Mother, please rest." Rapunzel pleaded as she held her hand.
"After all I had done, you still love me. Oh, my precious bird, I only wanted to protect you from the world. The world is a cold cruel place and I had to protect you. I can see evil everywhere except in your eyes. I didn't want the evil to touch you so I kept you in the tower so no one can hurt you or corrupt your pure heart." The old woman whispered as she closed her eyes.
"A lot of good that does her. She's my age and all that protection just made her vulnerable to the outside world." Kaoru said as she frowned.
"I know. It was foolish of me. I was wrong. You must watch over her now. Protect her please and make sure she is happy."
"I will." Kaoru promised as Kenshin nodded.
"Good… because I see a painful journey for all of you. Be strong and you will endure and have that happily ever after ending." The old woman gasped out one final breath and transformed into a pile of ashes. The ashes flew away into the wind leaving Rapunzel alone.
"Mother? Mother, come back!!!" Rapunzel pleaded.
"She can't come back. But, someday, you can see her again in the afterlife." Kenshin said softly.
The woman bowed her head down and wept. "Mother…"
Rose stared at the bottle in front of her. "I had concentrated all of the rampion for more of an effect. This should work."
"So, this should enhance your powers?" Enishi asked as he looked over her shoulder.
"Yes. When I take this potion, everything will become clear."
"What about finding the rampion child? We should be out looking for the Battousai."
Rose reached up and kissed his hand. "Enishi-chan, that family was ripped apart because of one person very much like our family. Besides, a rampion child has super natural abilities that are even beyond that of a witch like me. Can you imagine what it would be like to have the rampion child on our side? The Battousai and anyone associated with him will be toast."
"I see. I will protect you with my life and make sure the rampion child is ours." Enishi vowed as he took her hand and held it firmly.
"Yes, our vengeance will be complete and our sister will smile again like you wanted." Rose took the bottle and drank the rampion potion. Her eyes glowed and she smiled. "Yes, the Battousai is clearer now. I can almost feel his slimy skin. There is a haze around him but that will pass."
"Then, let us go, Sister, and have our final revenge." Enishi said as he and Rose got out of the door and into the road.
Rapunzel looked around as night fell. She tugged at her blankets as tiny bugs bit at her. "There are so many bugs here." The woman whined.
Kenshin eat up the bugs one by one. "That's normal. Do not worry, they don't hurt you. Some might make you itch."
"Ewwww…"
Kaoru smiled slightly as she handed Rapunzel a blanket. "Tomorrow, we are going into town to get you some clothes and start teaching you about the outside world. We also have to find my brother, Yahiko."
"Okay, what's a brother and a 'town'? Is it that place with hordes of criminals and monsters?" Rapunzel asked wide eyed.
"Ummm…" Kaoru scratched her head. "A brother is… well… he's the son of my mother hence my brother. A town is a place where groups of people live but most of them are nice."
"Okay." Rapunzel lay down and covered herself up.
Kaoru sighed as she watched the blond sleep. "Poor girl."
"I know. Rapunzel-dono is very naïve and yet I sense a strong power in her." Kenshin said as he hopped next to Kaoru.
"Really?"
"Hai. I don't know what kind though. Her power is not like any I had sensed before. Unfortunately, her mind is so young and vulnerable that the wrong person can…"
"We won't let that happen. Rapunzel needs us to guide her and make sure she can survive on her own someday." Kaoru giggled as she leaned back. "You do have to admit it. She is so much like a doll."
Kenshin looked up at Kaoru's hair. "Your hair looks different like that."
"Well, I might as well try to keep it out of the way. Do you like it?"
"It's cute." Kenshin complimented as he looked down.
"Errr… thanks." Kaoru stared at the frog for a long moment. Why did her cheeks get hot at that answer? Was she actually feeling good about a man trapped as a frog complimenting her?
"Excuse me?" Rapunzel asked as she sat up. "Where's the toilet?"
Kaoru and Kenshin looked away. The woman got up and led the blond into the bushes. "You have to get used to this."
"I don't see any thing."
"Let me explain this to you, Rapunzel." Kaoru said as she accepted the role of mentor to a naïve seventeen-year-old blond.
To Be Continued…