Rescuing Rapunzel (21 page)

A high wall surrounded the courtyard and a thick gate hung open to allow access to travelers. To the right were stables, and the smell of the horses came with the breeze, making me scrunch my nose. To the left, small carts jumbled together and people milled everywhere, shouting and calling to one another. The corner where the two castle walls met was filled with people, carts, tents and small buildings, making a mish-mash of lumped-together colors that swirled around one another. The chaos of voices, compounded by the noises of so many animals–I could not name them all–seemed to burst into the courtyard and wash over me.

Transfixed by all the sights and sounds, I could not look away. One thing remained constant in the noise and chaos. The voices were all jovial. Not a single voice was raised in anger, nor were there any cries of pain. So different from anything Moth–Gothel had told me of the world.
 

The smells of food and drink mixed with the strong odor of horse, making a strange scented soup I could not say I hated or loved–it was so different from anything I had–

“Oh, you have come out!” cried a female.

I blinked. A young lady of perhaps my age came toward me, a huge grin on her face. She had the same black hair as Nick, and her eyes sparkled with a similar blue but, unlike Nick, she seemed vivacious. As if she enjoyed a life filled with laughter.

Something I immediately envied.

She slid to a halt at the base of the two stairs I had yet to descend to enter the courtyard proper.

“And your hair is lovely,” she said, tipping her head to the side. “I did not realize how pretty a yellow it was.” She climbed the stairs, clutching her rich brown dress. As she approached, I realized it was trimmed in a blue that matched her eyes.

“Sister?” I whispered to Alda.

“Yes, my lady.”

“Enrika von Hohburg,” the girl said, smiling. “There is a long formal title for it, but everyone calls me Kiki.” I could not help noticing Alda’s look of displeasure. Kiki glanced at her. “Oh, Alda, do not say it. There is no point reminding me of proper etiquette when you know I never follow it.” Kiki looped her arm through mine as though we were already very old and dear friends. “She was my governess and tasked with training me in the ways of propriety from my youth. You can measure her success for yourself.” She winked at Alda.

I could not help smiling at Kiki. “It is a pleasure,” I said. “I am Rapunzel. Rapunzel…” I hesitated, unsure what last name I could say.

“Why would anyone name you after a vegetable?” Kiki asked.

I stared at her, my eyes wide. “I am named after a vegetable?”

Kiki nodded. “Have you never eaten rapunzel?”

I shook my head, certain I would never eat this vegetable if given the choice.

“Lady Enrika,” Alda snapped at her.

“Well, it is bound to come up,” Kiki said.

“It is impolite to mention it so bluntly,” Alda said.

“Nick calls me Tressey,” I blurted out.

Kiki grinned. “My lovely brother, the creator of nicknames. He gave me mine when we were children and, as you can see, it has stuck.” She rolled her eyes. “I shall call you Tressey, then too. Speaking of my brother, come, walk with me, we can gawk at the men while they practice.” She motioned to the far side of the courtyard, where a number of men with swords practiced their skills.

How I had missed the noise, I did not know. The clash of sword against sword made me jump.

Kiki smiled. “It is fun.”

As we walked, my shoes began to pinch my toes again and I wriggled my feet in them, trying to find a more comfortable position.

Kiki raised an eyebrow at me. “Do they hurt?”

“No,” I replied, then sighed. “A little.”

“Well then,” she said, leaning down and removing her own shoes. “Let us both walk barefooted.”

I slipped mine off, and in a moment, she had her shoes in hand and we continued on. With one look at her, I knew I had a very special friend.

We crossed the courtyard and I could not help grinning with every step. The grass was damp and springy under my feet. The small spots of dirt and rock were hard in contrast and I giggled.

“It has been so long since I have done this,” Kiki said with a smile.

“I have never done this.”

Kiki froze, eyes wide. “Never? Not once?”

“No.”

For a moment she only stood and stared, mouth open. Then, with a laugh, she recovered. “Well?” she said. “What is it like?”

“It feels so squishy,” I replied.

She laughed. “This is nothing. Remind me to take you to the river, where there are beds of moss growing. Now, that is something to step on.”

I smiled. She turned away from me and I followed her gaze. We had reached the fighting men and I blushed as I realized how many of them wore no shirts. The sight was quite unnerving for I had never seen a male body before.

Kiki glanced at me. “You must have extremely good vision if you can see Nick from here.”

I paused, making her stumble. “Nick is over there?”

“Of course. I assumed that is what had you blushing.”

My cheeks felt even hotter. “I…no. I was…”

Kiki shrugged. “Do not be embarrassed. If you care for my brother half as much as he cares for you, then the two of you are a right match.”

“But I was not–”

“Of course not. Just like I am not here to admire… Drat, the one man I want to see without his shirt is still wearing his.”

I scanned the crowd of men but it was not possible to tell of whom Kiki spoke as a goodly number were fully clad. Despite being unable to identify Kiki’s beau, I still searched the throng. Looking for Nick.

I dared to ask her a question. “You think your brother cares for me?”

“Of course he does. The lug has been making me crazy with his moody stomping through the castle since he brought you here. Day and night, he has been by your side. I would not have been surprised to find him in your bed.”

“No, he did not… he would not do that.”
 

She laughed. “I am sure he did not. Alda would have his hide. Mother...” She shuddered. “Who knows what Mother would have done? And Nick does so hate to upset his mother.”

Panic flooded through me. “Is she mean?”

“Mother?” Kiki shook her head. “Not at all. She just expects her children to behave. She was raised in London, you know. British propriety and all that, and she makes sure if we are ever in the presence of nobility, whether it be here in the White Mountains, or in France or England, we know how to behave.”

We closed in on the circle of men, and Kiki cleared her throat. Several of the men spun around, appraising us, and then parted to let us through.

“And command, even men,” I whispered to her, admiring how the men had made way for her. “How did you know they would not dismiss you?”

“They know better,” she replied with a wink. “And they know I am the reason so many ladies are in residence. If they displease me, the ladies they flirt with disappear.”

“What ladies?” I asked, looking around.

Kiki gestured to the far corner of the combat area and, sure enough, several ladies in fine dresses stood, whispering among themselves and gesturing to the various men. A few of them pointed at us.

“Who are they?” I asked, staring at the ladies, all of whom seemed very fancy and ladylike.

“Friends visiting from other provinces,” Kiki said. “They are all here to snag a husband.”

“You certainly have a great deal of men here to choose from,” I said.

Kiki smiled. “Yes, but most of these men are soldiers. They want a Charming Noble.”

I was no different, wanting my own Charming Noble. “I thought there were only three Charming Nobles.”

“There are,” Kiki replied. “Nick, Bryan and Penn.”

The women milled about, smiling and giggling at the soldiers. “There are far more females.”

“Most of them are ninnie-brained, title-seeking girls, and if one of the Charming Nobles lands in their snares I will lose all respect for them.”

I blinked. “Then why are they here?”

Kiki shrugged. “I like watching my brother squirm.” The devilish glimmer in her eyes made me giggle. I had a feeling I was going to like Kiki.

I focused on the men in the circle. They dueled with thick, heavy swords, swinging them as though they weighed nothing. The man standing closest to me had his sword pointed at the ground, his hand on the hilt–which came almost to my chest. My breath caught in my throat as I tried to imagine lifting such a large piece of weaponry.

A resounding clang drew my attention back to the circle. A tall man with jet-black hair spun to the side, blocking a blow with his shield. Sweat glistened on his body, highlighting the lines of his back and the curve of the muscles there. There was a strange heat in my belly as I watched the beautiful way he moved. His opponent lunged suddenly and he dodged with fluid grace, then swung and struck the other man’s shield.

The turn made the fighter face our direction for a moment.

I saw his eyes. It was Nick.

As he lifted his shield to block another strike, I noticed a fresh bandage covering his stitches. If he was this strong when injured, I could not imagine how he would be when fully healthy.

“I thought his wound was healing,” I whispered to Kiki.

“It is,” she replied. “I put that on him before he came out to make sure it did not open again.”

“Are you a healer?”

She shook her head. “No, I just pay attention.” She never looked away from the men in battle, though she did not seem to be watching her brother.

I, on the other hand, could not seem to look away from him.

“Close your mouth,” Kiki said. “It is only Nick.”

More heat filled my cheeks, and I doubted I would ever need to pinch them again for that rosy glow Alda was so fond of.
 

Kiki smirked. “You must really love him.”

“He saved me.”

A commotion at the front gate spared me from saying more, for Kiki turned away from me. A carriage rolled through the gate, accompanied by several men on horseback. The ground shook under my feet as they entered. My stomach clenched.

The carriage pulled straight to the main entrance.

Kiki stared at them. “What are they doing here?”

“Who?” I asked.

She let out a sigh. “The Duke and Duchess von Stroebel.”

Chapter 32

Nick lowered his guard as the carriage passed him, and the soldier he dueled with scored a strong hit on his shoulder. Wincing, he raised his hand, signaling a break in the fight. The soldier immediately drew up and Nick righted himself, looking for Tressey.

He had almost stumbled when he saw her approach with Kiki, looking more beautiful than ever. Her hair now lay around her face, showing the pale length of her neck. She had been smiling as she walked with Kiki through the crowd, and it had been all he could do to look away in time to parry a particularly brutal blow. When he managed to look back, her face had turned white with terror.

When he saw the carriage and the crest emblazoned on the side he knew the reason for her fear. The von Stroebels had arrived to take their daughter. That left a bitter taste in his mouth. Grabbing his shirt from the edge of the circle, he headed toward Tressey.

“Giving up so soon?” Penn said, wiping the sweat from his brow. He had been dueling with one of Nick’s best swordsmen. And Penn had beaten the lad very quickly.

Nick glared at him. “Visitors.”

Penn glanced at the carriage and said nothing more to Nick, focusing his wit instead on the rest of the men in the circle.

Nick pretended he did not hear Penn accuse him of cowardice, and headed toward Kiki and Tressey.

“Nick,” Tressey said, watching intently as he pulled his tunic over his head. He felt a tug in his groin at her appraisal, though he knew it was not appropriate at that moment. Her eyes shone with worry yet she smiled at him as if he were the one who needed reassuring.

“Ugh. Nick, you smell like a goat’s butt,” Kiki said, waving her hand before her face.

“He does not,” Tressey said. She stepped closer to Nick, and he put his hand on the small of her back.

“You must be enamored with him. He smells awful and you are still making calf eyes at him.”

“Enrika,” Nick warned.

The carriage had stopped in front of the castle and servants milled about, helping the duke and his wife alight and remove their luggage.

Kiki watched for a moment. “So, brother, what are the von Stroebels doing here? You did not tell them she was here, did you?”

Nick did not dignify Kiki’s comment with a reply, but it hardly seemed to matter. She prattled on without even pausing to give him a chance.

“I do not think you look like either of them, Tressey. They are old. And hunched over. Look.”

They all watched the duke and duchess walk into the castle. They both seemed to be swimming in their clothing. The duke’s hair was much whiter than Nick remembered, and he stooped as he walked to the castle doors.