“Apples,” I said.
“Yes. We should stop here for our midday meal. Our supplies are low as it is,” Raj said.
We pulled our horses to a stop. As we dismounted and tied them to the tree, my gaze snagged on the looming mountains, jagged purple spires against the sky.
Beyond those mountains was the castle—the place I had once called home—the place my mother had been killed. I wasn’t sure I was ready to face those memories, and I wasn’t sure I would ever be ready to face them, but if I wanted to save Rapunzel, I didn’t have a choice.
I pushed my misgivings aside and approached the apple tree. Some of the fruit had fallen to the ground, some of it rotten, other pieces still pristine. I gathered a few of the unbruised apples, excited by the prospect of eating fresh fruit, when Raj approached me. I couldn’t find it within me to look at his eyes.
“I spotted a stream down the hill,” he said. “I’m going to refill our canteens and take the horses to get fresh water. Do you mind gathering a few extra apples for our journey?”
“No, I don’t mind.” I cleared my throat, still refusing to look up at him.
“Gothel, is something wrong?”
“Wrong? No.” I reached for another apple.
“Then why won’t you look at me?”
“Because I’m busy.”
He lingered a little longer, but he didn’t push the issue as he turned and walked away. I breathed a sigh of relief. I wasn’t sure what was worse—opening up to him about my feelings or avoiding him.
He grabbed the horses’ reins and untied them, then paced down the hill and out of sight behind the brush. The wolf trotted to me, his tongue lolling, and sat at my side. I patted his head, his fur wiry and matted with burrs. His one good eye smiled up at me.
As I began collecting apples, the wolf stayed at my side, sniffing some of them. I picked up a few and placed them in a pile. The wolf stood beneath the tree, and the air filled with light as he transformed, his fur morphing to skin and clothing, gray hair sprouting from his head and growing along his jaw in an unkempt beard.
The dwarf snorted as he lay on the ground, patting his pockets, and adjusting the patch over his eye. It was going to take some time for me to get used to that.
“Hello,” I said.
He only snorted, his mouth puckered, as if he’d eaten something sour.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
“Collecting apples—”
“No, no. I mean, what are you doing with that whelp?”
“I beg your pardon?”
“That young man—the one you’ve been avoiding?”
“Avoiding?”
“Yes. Avoiding!”
I placed my hands on my hips. “You’ve been spying?”
“Observing. And let me tell you something—you’re a daft fool.”
“What?”
“Yes, you heard what I said.”
“How dare you—”
“Blind, you are. Stupid, too.”
This was going too far. “Listen here,” I snapped. “You asked for me to heal you. We’ve allowed you to accompany us on our journey. If you would like to continue, then I suggest you behave civilly. Name calling is unwelcome.”
“I’ve more names to call than that. If you keep it up, you’re likely to end up like me. Alone and cursed. You don’t realize what you’re doing, so I’m forced to point it out. If you reject him, he’ll take it hard, and you’ll never have another chance. Some maids think because they have charm and wit, they can afford to reject a man, and that he’ll fight to get them back again. It isn’t true. A man like your squire will not come back once he’s been rejected. He’s too honorable. He wouldn’t want to be pushy. He’ll leave and not return. Do you understand?”
My blood boiled, and I had to force myself to stop breathing so fast. He was one person, after all. Why should I let his words hurt me so much?
“You’ve no right meddling in my affairs,” I said.
“I’ve every right.”
“Sir,” I said, tempering my voice to keep from snapping at him. “Let me remind you that I didn’t ask for your advice. What goes on between me and the squire is my business. Plus, he’s an Outlander, and he wants nothing to do with a person like me. He told me himself he prefers Outlander girls. It would be vile and wrong of me to lead him on when I have no right doing such a thing.”
The dwarf grunted.
“Plus, I don’t even like him.”
“Ha! That’s the boldest lie you’ve told yet.”
Frustrated, I turned away from him to continue collecting apples. How dare he intrude on my personal affairs! I was tempted to send him away this moment, as I was sure I couldn’t tolerate him any longer. His words made no sense. Lying? I hadn’t told a single lie to anyone since I’d started this journey.
The dwarf’s mind was obviously cracked. He was a lunatic for sure.
Fire burned in my chest, and the anger made tears spring to my eyes. I used my apron to wipe them away.
You’ll never have another chance.
Was it true?
Wasn’t it enough that I had to leave Rapunzel behind to go on this quest? To be confronted by feelings I’d never asked for only complicated matters. Worse, the stupid dwarf was right, and I knew it.
Somehow, the feeling of being apart from Raj frightened me. Did I love him? Of course not. What an absurd notion. But I didn’t want to be separated from him either, and the more I pushed away from him, the quicker it would happen.
Still, I couldn’t allow the dwarf to keep up with his ramblings. Would he say the same things to Raj when he returned? It would completely mortify me. This had to stop, and I knew what I had to do.
“Dwarf,” I said. “Tell me again—what’s your name?”
“I’ve told you I bloody don’t
