The guests did not make another appearance until luncheon the following day. Elias sat next to Father, as the guest of honor. I was seated across from him, on my father's other side. Hans was all the way down the long oak table, beside Mother. Upon seeing me, he gave a timid wave.
"It is excellent to be here, in your kingdom," Elias remarked dryly. "A worthy place to invest in."
"I'm glad you think so," Father replied warmly.
The Westergaards ate almost grudgingly. Sure, they used the right spoons and kept from spilling or splattering their food, but the blunt edge to their movements bespoke contempt for our frivolity. Not a word uttered, even between the brothers and their wives.
"You know, Elias, I've been thinking, we should take you and your family on a tour of the kingdom," Father suggested, to break the uncomfortable silence. "We could take the carriages go out for a country ride. It's quite lovely in the spring."
"Yes, that would be 'lovely,' as you put it," Elias answered in a surly tone, stabbing his fork into a sausage. "It is such a little country and would only take a couple of days at the most."
Father's serene façade remained placid, but my mouth fell open at his rudeness. What kind of guest wrote to invite himself to another country only to insult it upon arrival? Not to mention all the trouble we went to accommodate him and his enormous family. A surge rose in my chest, and, unable to keep quiet, I laughed out loud.
"Oh, Your Grace, it is wonderful," I declared, "to be able to see the expanse of your domain within the day." All eyes fell on me. I swallowed, pressing on. "At least, you can see the center of it in one day. We mustn't neglect the mainland, where many of our fine nobility and gentry live. Not to mention our farmers and territories. Those can take months to travel, since there are great forests and canyons. Of course, you must be aware of this, since you seemed so keen on visiting our humble nation."
At the foot of the table, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Mother's smooth face contorting, trying to suppress a gasp of horror and admiration. Hans didn't hide his glee; I guessed from last night that he didn't care for his father. My father remained expressionless; only a familiar twinkle in his eye notified me of his amusement.
Elias certainly was not pleased. His eyebrows furrowed as he met my steady gaze.
"I see your governess has instructed you well in the art of making conversation and the geography of your kingdom. Tis a pity that you do not get to exhibit these talents very often in person."
At this Mother raised her voice. "Your Grace, she so enjoys the balls and parties that we host, and I like to go on small excursions with her throughout our kingdom every now and then. However, a trip outside the palace, be it long or short, would be beneficial to us all."
That shut Elias up, but the burdensome silence returned. Prince Lars, the one brother Hans liked, spoke up.
"My youngest brother, Prince Hans, was the one who asked to come here," he explained. "He finds your culture most fascinating."
"Really?" Father queries, genuinely interested. "What is it you find appealing, young man?"
Hans blushed. Hues of violet, scarlet, gold melded together in his cheeks… how I longed to capture them all with my watercolors.
"Your Majesty, I simply admire the beauty and age of your traditions," Hans said. "I especially am in awe of the lantern festival you hold each year; I've always wanted to see one."
Father's chest puffed out in pride. "And so you shall. You have very good taste, I can see, and I am glad that you convinced your family to join you. We're very happy to have you here."
"Yes," Mother added. "It is truly a pleasure."
"Thank you." Hans took a bite of salad before continuing. "If it wouldn't trouble you, I wonder if you could explain the meaning behind the lantern festival?"
"No trouble at all," Father said. "It's a very old Corona tradition; there's some speculation over how it started, but these lanterns- floating lanterns- are meant to replicate the sun at night. To guide the lost home."
"It's tradition to have the festival on the crown prince's birthday," Mother chimed in. "They used to be let go on Frederick's birthday, back when his father was still alive."
"And now they float on my darling daughter's birthday." Father gave my shoulder an affectionate squeeze.
"Amazing; such a beautiful and tender thing to do," Hans said, but he was not looking at my parents as he spoke. Instead, his emerald eyes met mine with each word.
"Perhaps instead of chattering across the room, we could eat this elaborate meal your cooks prepared for us in peace," Elias snapped, breaking the mood.
"You should just keep your mouth shut and your eyes and your ears open." Gothel raked a comb through my hair. "I don't what got into you."
"He was insulting us," I protested. "What's he going to do, declare war?"
"Maybe he will, maybe he won't. At any rate, it'd still be your fault, just like all my other problems." As if to emphasize she gave an extra yank.
"Other problems?"
"All concerning you." She gripped my shoulders possessively. "You being queen one day, getting mixed up with boys, acting like a child." My teeth gritted.
"But I do it all because I love you, my darling," she added. "And one can hope for little miracles."
"Anyway, the sons seem nicer than their father," I said.
"Yes, I heard you had an enchanting evening with one of them at the ball last night." Gothel finished combing and let my hair fall on my back. It sprawled the floor since I was sitting, but when I stood, the ends fell to my ankles.
"It was nice." I wrung my hands, anticipating her response.
"I'm sure it was nice for him to be dancing with the heir to the throne." She seized my chin and turned my head to look in her gray owl eyes. "Stop being so naive, you know he's after one thing."
"Hans?" I blurted out his name before I could stop.
"Is that his name? Well, at it isn't as odd as yours- stop looking at me like that, I'm only joking."
"He was kind to me."
"Kind to you? I'm kind to you, and yet you continually disregard my orders and make mountains of trouble for me!" Gothel released my chin and grasped her forehead, running her spindly fingers throughout her dark hair, panting like a wild beast. "Let's be honest, you aren't capable of looking after yourself, let alone ruling this kingdom. And I worry constantly about what you're going to do if I'm not here to look after you."
"I'm eighteen," I whispered weakly.
"And yet you run around barefoot and misbehave as if you were six!" She collapsed in a nearby chair, her beautiful fingers still drumming on her forehead. "Just stop, darling, you'll just upset me."
We sat, silent as tombstones, while Gothel composed herself. Harsh lines etched her face, and her chest rose and fell exhaustedly. A stabbing force gnawed at my heart and brain. Once again I'd forgotten how the toll of taking care of me weighed on her.
"I'm sorry, Mother Gothel."
She creaked an eyelid open, giving me a tired, cynical glance. "I know how you feel, Rapunzel. It's only natural to feel elated when someone notices you- especially when they have so many better options. But you leap into things too quickly, and these things always end in heartbreak. I might sound harsh, but I'm just trying keep you safe. Heaven knows what would happen to me if I lost you." Her foot nudged my hair.
"Yes, Mother Gothel."
"I know you will have to marry someday, and I know that someone will need to take care of you, besides me. But let me and your parents do the dirty work; we don't want you making a muddle of everything." She rose and sauntered to my closet. "Make me a promise, Rapunzel; Promise that you'll be careful, that you won't do anything stupid."
"I promise." My voice was barely audible. "It's not dangerous, he's alright."
"Stop with the mumbling, Rapunzel, it's annoying." She held out a violet tulle ball gown. "Now let's get you ready for tonight. I don't know how we'll get you to look presentable, but hey, miracles are possible."
I sighed. "Mother Gothel…"
Gothel's fingertips skimmed my locks again. "Sing for me?"
We finished the day at a house party hosted by some duke on the mainland. I hardly got to see Hans, since the locals were still mesmerized by the new visitors, but I did enjoy myself. It was a nice change to be going out instead of playing hostess and catering to every guest's whim. The young noblemen made me laugh, but I held them at a distance. Despite my promise to my governess, I strangely felt protective of Hans as he was bombarded with questions, especially by the host's young daughter.
Only as we headed back to our caravan of carriages did I catch a minute to myself. My feet ached from the high heeled shoes I'd been wearing for hours; I never cared for shoes. I loved it when Gothel let me run around the castle and through the gardens barefoot, even if it appeared childish.
I was so focused on the thought of kicking my shoes off in the carriage that I failed to notice Hans, flushed red from the heat of the party, coming up to me.
"Your Highness," he said. I jumped, startled with delight.
"No please, call me Rapunzel," I stammered. A series of nervous waves spasmed throughout my entire being. "I mean, we already met and we're friends- not that I'm presuming anything…" My tongue tied, I wondered why I didn't just keep my big stupid mouth shut, like Gothel advised.
"Of course, we are friends, even if it has been only one day." Hans cleared his throat and continued. "R-Rapunzel, I only wanted to say… you looked very beautiful tonight. Though I'm sure everyone tells you that."
"No," I responded, thinking back to Gothel teasing.
"Well, I think so. And I think lots of people agree with me." He kissed my hand and bowed before heading to his own carriage, leaving a stunned princess in his wake. I stood frozen for centuries, deaf to my mother calling me.
I don't remember much more; I know I sounded like a silly girl. But these feelings were all so new, so adventurous and unspoiled to me. A new land, a different, much better world to explore.
I had only one moment with Hans after Gothel's lecture. And that was all it took.
Westergaards- Hans and family's last name.
In case it's not obvious, Rapunzel is falling hard for Hans. However, this is by no means a Hans x Rapunzel story. I do not think that Hans should be seriously shipped with anyone. There's more to him than one would think. Eugene will be making somewhat of an appearance shortly.