"Needle work is just not my forte." Rapunzel said as she stuck her finger in her mouth for the fifth time this morning. The princess' schooling had resumed at Val's palace the next day, and so far all they had done is sew designs on tapestries. Rapunzel was getting restless, she could see out the huge windows, watching the boys outside, doing their own training and wished she could be with them instead of sitting indoors sewing tapestries.

She had always been somewhat of a tomboy she knew, but she couldn't help it. She craved adventure, and her best friend was a boy. Not to mention that until she was about seven, she had been in almost absolute solidarity. She had forced Val to teach her sword fighting and loved it! She had wanted more, and got it. She learned as much about sword fighting as Val did, and she had whipped his ass many times. But that was her and Val's little secret.

Speaking of Val, he, Hans, and Dap weren't outside with the rest of the boys, they were inside making war plans and strategies. Rapunzel's heart ached every time she thought about that word... WAR... She was hurting on the inside, she wanted to just run to Val, jump in his arms and have him hold her in his strong arms. She wasn't sure if she was more happy that she was dating him and he was going to war, or if she would have rather him have been more happy with him as just a friend to her and the boyfriend of another girl.

Rapunzel sat contemplating the pros and cons of her situation for quite some time until Lady Brinsworth came up to her. "Miss Rapunzel, are you going to just sit there with your finger in your mouth, which is quite unladylike, or start sewing?" Lady Brinsworth asked Rapunzel, thrusting her back into the real world.

"Um... Sorry Lady Brinsworth, I just have many problems on my mind recently... Forgive me." Rapunzel said as she whipped her wounded finger out of her mouth and sat up straiter.

Lady Brinsworth looked down at Rapunzel and took pity on the poor girl. She knew that none of the other girls would understand the pressures and problems that she was dealing with. She sighed quietly and knelt down in front of Rapunzel, gracefully of course. "My dear... Tell me what can I do to help you and your people?" Lady Brinsworth asked her as she reached for the tapestry in Rapunzel's lap. She stood up and held the heavy cloth close to her and looked down into Rapunzel's eyes with a slight smile dancing on her lips.

Rapunzel knew that Lady Brinsworth was trying to get a certain reply out of her and thought quickly about it for a bit, looking at the cloth in front of her. Lady Brinsworth was holding it against her as if it were a blanket, and not the wall decoration it was. "Lady Brinsworth! You mean we could?" Rapunzel asked excitedly, but quietly. Lady Brinsworth smiled big and walked away, turning to look at Rapunzel and gave her a slight nod.

Rapunzel stood up and all the girls' eyes reached her. Rapunzel was nervous but swallowed her fear and walked to the middle of the room and cleared her throat. "What good is this doing us now?" She asked looking around at all of her fellow classmates and superior ones. "Congratulations, my new home will have wall hangings that my classmates have sewn." She said sarcastically and noticed that Val's mother and the other queens had walked into the room.

"We could be doing so much more! Better!" Rapunzel said walking over to Lady Brinsworth, who was holding out the tapestry that Rapunzel had been working on, and she took it. Walking back to the center of the room, she resumed her speech. "What do the wounded soldiers have? Nothing, that's what." Rapunzel watched Val and the other boys come into the room with the kings. What the hell is going on that a the exact moment that I decide to make a stand everyone on the fucking country decides to show up to hear? Rapunzel thought as she continued on. "I say we stop what we are doing and make something worthwhile... In fact, let's do something worthwhile, for our fighting men..." Rapunzel remembered that the prince's school decided that they were going to the war too, and since most all of them were courting a princess at her school she should point her speech in that direction.

"What will our men have to keep them warm when they are hurt? Nothing! I say that we stop sewing tapestries and start sewing blankets!" Rapunzel said, finally finishing her speech. But the speech its self wasn't over yet.

"Better yet ladies... We should be there to heal and comfort our men!" Came a cry from Lady Brinsworth. The girls started to stand and talk amongst themselves. And for the most part, it was positive feedback.

Rapunzel scurried over to where she saw her friends run towards and found them talking to Hans, Dap, and Val about Rapunzel and Lady Brinsworth's ideas.

Val turned around to see Rapunzel behind him. He smiled and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her up off the ground and twirling her around before letting her stand again. He planted a gentle kiss on her cheek and smiled even bigger.

"My girl is brilliant!" He said looking over at his father, grinning proudly as if his own child had just beaten a rival in their first sword match. His father smiled and had his mother my the arm, they were both headed that way to congratulate him and Rapunzel.

"My dear, you certainly do have some guts to do what you did, in front of all you classmates and those grades above you!" Queen Shoter exclaimed as she approached the couple.

"Yes, indeed! Such a great suggestion, it will be wonderful to have the blankets and the help in the medical tent." King Shoter added.

Rapunzel blushed, "Thank you your majesties." she said quietly curtsying.

"Oh dear, no need for that anymore! You are family now!" The Queen said laughing litely.

Val took Rapunzel's hand and looked right at her, proclaiming right in front of his parents, "You know I love you, right?"

Rapunzel blushed, but never faltered under his gaze and answered, "Yes, yes I do... And I love you Valentine Shoter."