The four flowers of Corona sat in a line against the tower windowsill like daisies in the morning. Halos of glowing white rays extended around the golden fan of their hair, the dew from the fog settling against the petals of the invisible radiance that they possessed and shivering until it tumbled into their purple clothed laps as if tears. Into each braid of gold the four birds settled flowers and grasses, flora gifted to them by the north wind when it wafted past their wide window from the forests far above the cliffs. The youngest, Astrid, caught one such present and held it precariously out from her to examine it. It was not a flower this time, but a stray petal, one that possessed a gentle, glowing green midrib surrounded by dottings of purple, and as Astrid looked upon it, its beauty transfixed her. Once, twice, three times she turned the broken veined life between her glowing fingers and closed one eye, hunching over it to examine it more clearly. Above her Clover sat, entwining the younger's hair with poppies, buttercups and tiny mint leaves. Astrid protested the tug of her sister's fingers by leaning forward. As she curled the little green ribbed petal to her chest, the maiden braiding her hair lost track of the golden fleece and let it slip from her fingers, cascading its flowers over the windowsill and into the sigh of the wind. After fluttering through the air, the delicate petals tumbled over the purple and yellow flowers lining the tower's base into the river beside, where they were engulfed in a spray of churning white.
In shock Clover looked at their disappearance with mouth wide open. When Astrid began humming at her side, the older whipped around and kicked her in the back of the legs, making the younger yelp and turn to meet her.
"Why did you do that?" Astrid demanded. In reply the older flower clucked her tongue and set her gaze against the forest on the cliffs outside the window. Farther into the confines of the tower Honey Lemon, the eldest, poked out from the kitchen. Like a willow she swayed back and forth in discomfort, arms out wide as if catching falling glass. But the two youngest sisters' argument had passed. From the sewing closet at her side Rapunzel glanced as well, expressionless. Her green eyes dotted with brown stared towards the ivy curtain the men had stumbled through the night before. When she peered further up the cliff wall, her vision was blocked by Astrid's curious form, leaned against the window frame side as if questioning Rapunzel without word. Rapunzel returned to the book splayed in her lap, but a shadow passed over her head as she turned the page. When she looked up again, Astrid's glazed blue eyes stared upon her, her feet inches away from Rapunzel's side. The braid of her hair had fallen to disarray, but a few stray flowers kept hold of the tresses, their petals peeking out in little dots of pink, mauve, and orange. It only made Astrid's cheeks glow brighter.
Rapunzel smiled
And shrugged.
"I'm just reading a book on plants," she murmured, raising the book to eye level and pointing with her forefinger at a watercolor botanical drawing of an orchid. Astrid saw it better when she leaned to Rapunzel's side. The heat of her flower sister's cheek met with her own as they looked over the vibrant pages together. Behind them Clover scowled and braided her own hair, snatching flowers from the pots surrounding and breaking them apart so that their perfume soaked into her fingers. She rubbed the petals against her hair and the skin of her chest. The remaining she tucked into her hair. Then she glanced out the window with a sigh.
"I like this one the best, Punzel," muttered Astrid, pointing to a picture of a pair of yellow flowers that looked like slippers. "Those are lady's slippers," Rapunzel replied. "One of the rarest flowers in the world."
"What about these ones?" asked Clover from the window. When Rapunzel furrowed her brows in confusion, Clover beckoned for her and pointed around the window frame's left side, so that Astrid fluttered to her shoulder and nudged her out of the way. As Clover shoved her back, Astrid yelped and tucked herself into the window frame's left, yelling that she could have fallen. As Clover snapped, "good", in return, Rapunzel shut her botanical key and set the book back against the shelf near the kitchen. After wiping the sweat from her hands against her purple skirt, she stepped towards the window and leaned out of its right side, away from the other two as they quarreled. "Where is it, Clover?" she asked in a quiet voice.
Clover replied by pointing left, to a little purple and yellow cluster of iris like flowers with parallel veined, heart shaped leaves tufting out on either side. Where the gold of the petals disappeared there drew a deep purple belly sunk to black as it slipped beneath the anthers. The family hung huddled against the underside of one of the arches supporting the purple-shingled roof, and as the wind blew past them they lifted their chins and peeked towards the three maidens leaning out to meet them. Breathlessly Rapunzel glanced upon them and shook her head, grinning as she whispered that drawn or grown, she had never seen them before.
For a moment all three sisters leaned against each other's shoulders in silence, transfixed by the fat irises that reflected the sun's golden rays against their yellow petals and spurned its light from their purple ovaries. Then, hoisting herself against the windowsill's side, Astrid gripped the lantern hook over the portal arch and peered towards the flowers with a grin, making her sisters gasp beneath her.
"Astrid, what are you doing?" gasped Clover, hanging from the window and clinging to her legs. The younger girl banished her with a fierce kick so that Clover fell and howled. With crossed arms she barked that she hoped Astrid fell. Astrid laughed, and while Rapunzel scolded her, Clover disappeared for her bedroom in a huff of tears. As she chanced a peak into the back of the tower, Astrid pointed with her right hand to the cluster of irises.
"I want to get one for you," she cooed, releasing the hook as she shrugged into the windowsill's left side. When her bright blue irises met with her sister's glowing greens, she winked.
"You can add it to your book."
Again Rapunzel commanded her to come inside the window. But this time her voice was weak with thought, and as her eyes rose against the flowers she clutched her hands to her breast. "It has strong roots," she murmured, reaching out as if the wind would carry her towards the green twine. Behind them, Honey Lemon asked where Astrid was. The apron she had been wearing disappeared from her waist and was cast to the floor as she padded forward with feverish energy.
"What is Astrid doing?" she snapped.
"I'll get them for you, Punzel," Astrid hissed with pleasure.
"No, Astrid," snapped Rapunzel, but before she could grab hold of Astrid's feet, the girl jumped from the windowsill and caught hold of one of the wooden panels at its side, curling her body close to white brick as she gripped the stiff string of ivy creeping up the tower's side. Her feet she tucked firmly against the wooden base supporting the hexagonal head to the tower leg. Then, shimmying to the side, she reached out her hand and clutched at the string of flowers, sighing when she realized that the length of her arm could not support her even when she leaned. The ivy rope snapped and whined under her weight, and in fear she lurched back and gripped the wall tighter. Beside, Honey Lemon shoved Rapunzel out of the way and stuck her head from the tower in horror.
"Astrid!" she screeched, groping for her sister to no avail. "Get back in here! You will fall!"
"No I won't!" barked Astrid in reply, scowling as she returned her gaze to the flower. "I'm just getting a flower for Rapunzel. It might be the only one in the world."
"It's useless hanging off the side of the tower!" howled Honey in return. "It will die if you pick it!"
With a grin Astrid leaned to the side again, sticking out her tongue as if it would support her effort. Her hands clutched within centimeters of the first flower's surface, and when she sucked in a breath and swung her arm around in a circle to stretch it out, she found that she could brush the gentle petals. With a huff of determination she gripped the first and pulled, snapping the iris's stem and crying in displeasure as it tumbled to the river below. The remaining flowers hung a foot further. Three were left, but Astrid would never reach them with the ivy in her hand. Gritting her teeth, she held the broken, perse blade she had managed to catch against her cheek and sighed, whispering how soft it was. Without looking back she threw it over her shoulder and blew her fringe from her eyes, releasing the ivy tress and curling her fingers around the wooden paneling surrounding the tower. Behind her the tiny black petal glinted sprinkles of gold on its edges. Then, it was gone. Grasping for nooks and crannies in the tower's person, she shimmied along its side and reached out her arm, grinning impossibly as the second flower came within her grasp.
"It is so close, I can feel it against my skin," she whispered with hunger. Behind her the cries of her sisters drowned to silence in her wondrous stupor. She decided to let go of the wooden panel extending closest and shimmy further. As she reached for the side she felt her weight slip, but in her gasp she gripped the second flower tight in her hands, using its strong vines for support as her feet nearly flung from the wooden base beneath her. Behind, Rapunzel cheered and begged for her return, and in victory Astrid held her the golden iris and mushed its purple tongue against her nose, crying to the north wind "Rapunzel!" Amidst chuckles Honey Lemon and Rapunzel beckoned for her. Astrid shimmied back to the wooden paneling parallel to her body and clung to it as she tucked the Rapunzel flower against her breast with her teeth.
"Do you think I can hop the rest of the way?" she cried. Her sisters screeched 'no' and held out their hands. So with a shrug Astrid stuck out her tongue and stepped with care towards the ivy tress snaking down the tower's side. As she groped for its side she set her right foot against white brick and wood panel and leaned in, her left toes moving through mid air and barely catching against the wood closest to the window. As she pressed her weight to her sisters, the slippery underside of her shoe slid down. Then she teetered towards the ivy curtain across the valley and jerked backwards.
In that moment the motion of the world slipped into bed. There was no sound of the sea, no swish of leaves or breath of wind. Rapunzel ascended the windowsill and spread forth her arms for Astrid to meet. But the girl flew too far, and as the young maiden fumbled through the air for some sort of hold, her hair curled around her ears, suspending her beneath waves of blue sky. Her body rotated, and her legs curled to her chest as she descended, and the sky blue waves churned her torso back and forth, fluttering her fringe from her wide blue irises as her jaw hung open in shock. The violet hearted iris, lined with yellow lace in the breast of her robe broke its hold and slipped through the air above her as she became smaller and smaller against a blur of grass and flower. For that final minute, the life of the valley held its breath. Rapunzel heaved from the windowsill and felt Honey Lemon's strong thin arms bind her waist. Astrid's arms stretched out once more. Then, her golden head kissed the lichen smeared cliff rock of the tower's base, and her eyes shut in shock as her teeth gritted and body followed, bouncing through the air and sending her tumbling down the cliff side to the lone alder near the river edge.
For a blink, Rapunzel and Honey Lemon stood engulfed in each other's arms, unable to move or speak. Then, a wail unlike anything Rapunzel had heard before sailed from Honey's mouth and she collapsed to the ground.
"Oh my god, oh my god," breathed the eldest, beating her hand to her temple and clutching the windowsill for support. Back and forth she swayed as if she would crumble had she stayed still. At her side Rapunzel bored the splayed body against the alder by the river with such ferocity that the twitch of its arms seemed like an outstretched arm. Without thinking, she stepped upon the windowsill and glared around her for something to catch hold of. Then, clinging to the wooden posts on her left side, she swung from inside the window and hoisted herself against the wooden paneling lining the perimeter of the hexagonal tower. As she moved to sling her right foot in the crevice between the wooden arches holding the tower head up, her remaining companion screeched and clung to her hand, making Rapunzel lose her foot hold and dangle from the tower.
"Honey!" she screeched, glancing upon the lush green grass below in terror, "let me go!"
"If I let you go you will fall, Rapunzel!" Honey wept in return, thrusting her knees beneath the sill to protect her from slipping out as well.
"I must get to them, Honey!" screamed Rapunzel.
"But she is dead, Rapunzel!" lamented Honey. "You will not be able to return to the tower! Leave her, she is gone, she is gone!"
With a snarl, Rapunzel hoisted herself up and bit Honey's hands, making the willow howl in displeasure. With all her weight, the younger swung back and forth so that Honey slipped across the windowsill as well. Finally, the eldest let go with a cry, and Rapunzel tumbled until she caught hold of the ivy rope. With a gulp she raised her knees to her chest and entwined them in the ivy in fear, shutting her eyes as she thrust her cheek to the white brick behind. Above her Honey Lemon called out her name, and Rapunzel responded in a hoarse whisper. Then, sucking in, she descended the ivy curtain with careful steps, sinking every time the plant separated from the wall, until sweet flowers wafted into her nostrils and invited her to the tower base. With a final bound she tumbled over the lichen-ridden slab beneath and swept down the riverbank, landing against her knees with her toes just missing its churning edge.
Under the alder Astrid lay crumpled like a broken bird, her golden locks splayed about her head like dark stained wings. Tears stained her cheeks, but she breathed and looked forward without definition. When Rapunzel collapsed to her side and held Astrid's hand, the younger gripped hold tightly and wetted her lips with her tongue, trying not to move. As she hissed, Rapunzel shushed her, cradling her palm against her cheek.
"Your f- f-lower," Astrid stuttered, pointing to the crumpled plant beneath her right arm. Rapunzel nodded and took it, setting it in the side of her hair for Astrid to see. When the younger girl sobbed, Rapunzel relinquished its petals and slipped it behind her back.
"Rapunzel," Astrid whispered, her hold on her sister's hand growing tighter. "Now that it's all gone... I want... I am only fourteen."
"I know," murmured Rapunzel in reply.
"I shouldn't... this isn't fair," the younger hiccupped, slurring her words. "Is Gothel coming?"
"Yes," Rapunzel lied. But Astrid shook her head. "There was a boy," she whispered, making Rapunzel lean close.
"Wanted me to... come... " The younger continued. "I told him to bring a dragon... and fry... her."
"I'll look out for him," replied Rapunzel with a vigorous nod. "I'll wake you up to see it."
"I hit my head," slurred Astrid, padding at the back of her bleeding scalp. When she tried pressing the break in her skull, Rapunzel removed her hand and set it close to her heart. Then Astrid's breathing slowed and her eyes closed. Her hand fell limp in Rapunzel's own. When her breathing stopped altogether, the gush of the river returned, and the wind moaned through the trees above the cliff and the alder at her side. Honey Lemon's cries wafted from the tower head, but another joined them. Birds twittered and deer and goats bounded across the rock faces surrounding the gorge. Time had returned. But Rapunzel stared about her as if in a dream. Astrid's limbs grew stiff and her lips turned blue. It was then that Rapunzel left her side and trudged back to the tower base. Blood bathed her purple skirt, smeared itself against the skin of her palms and forearms. She wiped it away against the ivy at the tower base, feeling around for a hold to climb back up. Above her, the sound of clucking entered her ears.
When Rapunzel glanced upon the tower window a head of black curls whorled down to meet her. Gothel's glass blue eyes peered dully against her form, and as Rapunzel stared into their pupils, a sigh escaped her throat. As she stepped from the tower edge with sagging shoulder's Gothel beckoned for her from the wide window's sill with the point of her forefinger.
"Go on darling," she cooed. "Let us see how you climbed down."