Jermaine Deon Carter
May 9, 2021
Tangled in Knots
One evening, Rapunzel sent me an invitation to come visit her in Corona. I was in the area, so I naturally accepted. The following morning, I arrived at the castle bright and early.
"Jermaine!" Rapunzel said. She ran up to me and gave me a great, big hug.
"Aww…," I said.
"It's so good to see you!" she said.
"It's good to see you too, Rapunzel," I said.
"I'm glad you accepted my invitation. You've already spent a lot of time with Ariel and Tiana. I figured it was time for us to hang out again," she said.
"So, what do you have planned for us today?" I asked.
"I made a list of activities we could do," she said. She pulled out a small scroll with several doodles and drawings on it. "First, we'll have breakfast with Eugene and my parents. Next, we'll have a picnic lunch with Cassandra. Finally, we'll have dinner."
"Sounds good!" I said.
We went to a large table on the balcony for breakfast. Even though I'd been around the likes of infamous hothead King Triton, I was still nervous to be in the presence of strict King Frederic. I made my plate. I sat down next to Rapunzel and Eugene. My leg shook a little, and everyone noticed.
"Are you okay, Jermaine?" King Frederic asked. "You seem nervous, son," he said.
"I am nervous, Your Majesty," I said.
"Why?" Queen Arianna asked.
"To be honest, I always feel anxious around royalty. I worry I'll do or say something disrespectful or rude, Your Majesty. I also get the same way whenever I eat with a group of people," I said.
"Those feelings are perfectly natural, but I had no idea you went through that," Rapunzel said as she placed her hand on my shoulder.
"Blondie's right, Jermaine. Everybody gets nervous sometimes," Eugene said.
"Yes, even if they're royalty," Queen Arianna said.
"We're human beings just like you are, Jermaine. We may be royal, but we still stumble and fall during our lives," King Frederic said. The king and I exchanged smiles.
After breakfast, Rapunzel took me on a tour of the castle. We ate snacks along the way. I was in awe at all the artwork she created around the castle.
"Wow. You're really talented, Rapunzel," I said.
"You're talented too, Jermaine," she said.
"I'm not on your level," I said.
"Jermaine, I know I've only seen a few of your pieces, but I thought they were all amazing. As a fellow artist, I know how easy it is to become your own worst critic. Art's supposed to be expressive and fun! It's not meant to be stressful," she said.
"You're right, Rapunzel," I said.
A couple hours later, we met up with Cassandra and went to the courtyard for lunch. Rapunzel had a blanket stretched out under an umbrella. A small table with a tablecloth draped over it stood in the center of the blanket. The picnic basket was filled with plenty of goodies. Friedborg brought us drinks.
"What made you want to come back to Corona, Cassandra?" I asked.
"Rapunzel told me she was thinking about inviting you over and wanted to make it special," Cassandra said.
"She did?" I asked.
"Yes, I did," Rapunzel said.
"I couldn't say no to my best friend, especially since it's been so long since we've seen each other," Cassandra said.
"Aww…," I said.
"I also wanted to see you again too, Jermaine. You're not just my best friend's friend. You're my friend, too," Cassandra said.
"Aww!" Rapunzel said.
"Thanks, Cass," I said.
After lunch, the three of us went to the weapons room. Cassandra gave me a spare sword to hold. She and Rapunzel led me to the castle's training grounds. Cassandra drew her sword with a smirk on her face. We had a brief swordfight that Cassandra easily won.
"Good job, Jermaine. You handled yourself pretty well," Cassandra said.
"You think so?" I asked.
"Definitely. You could be an expert swordsman one day," Cassandra said.
"Really?" I asked.
"Yes," Cassandra said. Rapunzel ran up and hugged me.
"Cass is right, Jermaine. It's like what you and me were talking about earlier. Don't doubt yourself," Rapunzel said.
Several hours later, Rapunzel and I went to the dining room for dinner. I looked around and noticed we were alone.
"Rapunzel, where's everybody else?" I asked.
"Oh, I guess I forgot to tell you. This dinner is just for me and you," she said as she sat down.
"It is?" I asked.
"Yes," she said.
"And everyone's okay with that?" I asked.
"Why wouldn't they be?" she asked. "We're just two friends having dinner together," she said.
"You're right, Rapunzel," I said.
"Besides, you said you felt more comfortable with fewer people," she said.
"That's true. Thanks for being so considerate, and thanks for having me over," I said.
"You're welcome," she said. Many months later, she invited me to spend Christmas with her. "Are you ready to spread some Christmas cheer?" she asked.
"You know it!" I said.
We decorated the castle from top to bottom. After that, we went from door to door singing carols and giving out gifts. We also ice skated, built snowmen, and had snowball fights.
"Did you have fun, Jermaine?" Rapunzel asked.
"Yes! I had a great time!" I said.
"Oh! It looks like you're standing under the mistletoe!" she said as she looked up at the ceiling. I looked up, too.
"Yep," I said.
"You know what that means!" she said.
She got on her tiptoes. She gave me a kiss on the cheek. I blushed and grinned.
"Thanks for helping us celebrate Christmas, and thanks for always being such a good friend," she said.
"Oh…um…you're welcome," I said.