“Release me,” I said.
“Gothel, listen,” the first man said. “We really must find that tower. We’ve been riding for weeks trying to find it. Please, the war must end, and the only way for the fighting to stop is for the high sorcerer’s daughter to be united with a prince of our kingdom. We left the war in search of the princess in the tower—the woman rumored to be the high sorcerer’s only offspring—the last princess left alive in the land.”
He seemed to know a lot, which piqued my curiosity. “Who are you?”
The man threw back his hood, revealing a silver crown atop his crop of unruly blond hair. His eyes were dark blue under the firelight, and the shape of his nose and jawline made him look as if he came from nobility.
“My name is Prince Merek Duc’Line.”
“You’re the king’s son?”
He nodded.
My stomach knotted. A prince? Could he be the one? If he was, then I should’ve fought him off. I should’ve kept him as far away from the tower as possible. There was a foretelling that a prince of noble blood would free the princess and kill the witch.
Kill me.
But after five years of being trapped inside a tower, I no longer feared soothsaying. Those tales were usually rubbish anyway. If he could save Rapunzel, shouldn’t I let him try?
“The tower is down that path,” I said. “But there’s a spell in these woods to keep it hidden, which is why you couldn’t find it.”
“Can you remove the spell?”
“Perhaps.”
“Will you do it for us? Please?”
He sounded sincere, but I still wasn’t sure if I should help him. If the high sorcerer found out, he’d have my head. But if there was a chance the prince could undo the curse, wouldn’t it be worth it to tell him?
“I can show you the way, but once you reach the tower, you must speak the spell to get inside. Call the princess’s name two times, then command her to let down her hair.”
His eyebrows rose. “Her hair?”
I nodded.
“Very well, and what is the princess’s name?”
I hesitated. What if he wasn’t the one? Then again, he was the king’s son. If anyone was worthy, it would be him. I hoped.
“Her name is Rapunzel.”
“Thank you,” he said, heaving a relieved sigh. The tall man with the hood held my arm a moment longer than necessary, then released me. I rubbed my arm. He’d most likely left a bruise.
Filthy knave.
“Be careful,” I said as the men mounted their horses. “There’s a spell on the princess. If you are not worthy, if your heart is not noble, or if you have ill intentions, you will be under her enchantment.”
“I do not fear enchantments,” the prince said. “I’ve vanquished many enemies in the war, fought dragons, slaughtered giants, and delivered justice to my enemies. Magic doesn’t scare me.”
He sounded overconfident, but maybe if he were as brave as he said, he would be the one to break the curse. I opened my pack and removed a vial of crushed primrose petals. After uncorking the glass, I emptied its contents on my open palm, then with a whisper of magic, I gently blew the petals across the path.
A blue glow appeared, snaking along the trail and through the forest, leading the way to Rapunzel’s tower.
“Follow the magic to the tower,” I said. “And do not forget my warning.”
“No need to remind me,” he shouted, then kicked his horse. The two men galloped away. As I watched them go, their lantern’s light quickly disappearing in the thick foliage, I regretted my decision to help the prince. Someone so self-assured could never beat the spell, but one could always hope.
“May the goddess protect your souls,” I said, my words a quiet whisper that got lost in the wind.
2
“How much do you want for the herbs?” the old lady asked, the afternoon sunlight beating down on her weathered skin.
“Five pence, if you please,” I answered.
“Nay.” She spat. “I’ll give you three. Not a pence more.”
Sighing, I held on to the satchel. It had been a slow day. At this rate, it would take me until nightfall to earn enough money for our supplies.
“Four,” I said, “and I’ll throw in an extra sprig of lavender.”
“Is it fresh lavender?”
“Yes. I gathered it myself.”
“Ah, very well then. Four it is.” She fumbled with her coin purse and pulled out four copper coins, then pressed them into my hand as I gave her the satchel and the lavender.
Around us, carts rolled past, their wheels creaking, and voices of the street vendors carried through the narrow lanes. I wiped beads of sweat from my forehead as the woman ambled away.
Checking my coin purse, I counted my money. Seventy-five shekels. I could buy a cask of flour and a few apples, enough to last a week, but that wouldn’t do. I’d need more than that if we wanted to survive through winter. This wasn’t going how I’d planned.
I walked down the lane, hoping a different spot would attract some new customers. My stomach rumbled as I walked, and I realized I hadn’t eaten anything all day. I blamed my coin purse.
A shadow loomed over me, and I stopped, staring up into the dark eyes of a man with deep bronze skin.
“Gothel?” he asked.
I eyed him. “You know me?”
“Yes, we met last night. Don’t you remember?”
“Last night?” I studied him. Was he an Outlander? No one in Willow Wood had such dark skin, but I wasn’t sure I’d ever seen an Outlander here. I wasn’t even sure there were any left. I thought they’d all been killed.
“Were you the man with the prince?” I asked.
He nodded.
“You hurt my arm!”
“Did I?”
“Yes! You almost bruised me.”
“I’m sorry. It wasn’t my intention. I was only trying to protect the prince.”
“Against me?”
“I had no idea who you were. Plus, it was dark. You could’ve been anyone.”
“Fine. What do you want?”
“I need your help. You must return with me to the tower immediately.”
“Why?”
“Because something happened to the prince.”
My
