Dark Fairy Tales

Rapunzel

The prince carefully made his way to the tower, taking care in the darkness as he slowly made his way through the brambles and thorns surrounding the massive stone structure.

According to the stories, none of the others had made it this far. What was left of their corpses being found in the field that bordered the witch's home months after their quest had begun.

Every eligible man across the land wanted to be the one to accomplish the quest, to rescue the maiden with the beautiful, lilting voice from the tower. She was said to be the most beautiful woman in all the land, and the King himself had decreed that anyone who saves her would be awarded enough riches to last a lifetime.

No man had succeeded, until now.

If his father knew he was here, only minutes away from freeing the mysterious maiden, he would surely be disowned. Everyone claimed the mission too dangerous for even the most highly trained of the royal family to attempt, much less the forgotten youngest son.

Yet here he was, the only one to make it past the witch alive, the first to successfully kill the wretched creature and approach the tower.

The witch had tried to stop him, spinning lies in an attempt to instill fear and doubt in his mind. It had tried to convince him that to free the maiden meant freeing an unspeakable evil.

He had silenced it's pleading lies when he removed it's head from it's shoulders.

He opened the sack he had slung over his shoulders, pulling out the tools he had crafted to aid the next, and possibly the most difficult portion of the quest. Many long nights had been spent in the palace forge, testing and reworking the metal to help him successfully scale the outside of the tower.

He prepared his tools, strapping the ensemble together and stepping up to the tower. The tower stood nearly twenty feet higher than the wall he had tested the equipment on at the castle, but he was confident in his strength and the integrity of his craftsmanship.

He began the climb, each stone he clung to carryinging him closer to the opening at the top of the structure.

He reached the window, hauling himself over the ledge and rolling into the darkened room.

He pushed himself to his feet, dusting his shirt off and scanning the dimly lit room.

His eyes landed on a figure standing in the corner, mostly hidden by the shadows. Even in the low lighting, he could see the beauty that radiated off the girl before him.

Her hair glinted in the soft lighting, her eyes watching him with a bright curiosity that sent a flash of uncertainty through his mind.

She was stunning, but there was something wrong with the way she watched him, without a hint of fear in her eyes, despite his unannounced entrance.

"Don't be afraid-"

"Why would I be afraid?" Her voice filtered through the space between them, giving off an air of bored innocence, unsettling him further.

"What's your name?"

"Rapunzel. What's yours?"

"My name is Darius. How long have you been up here, Rapunzel?" She shrugged, playing with the massive braid that was hanging over her shoulder, drawing his attention to the mountain of braided hair covering the floor.

"Are you a knight?" There was a softness in her words, making it feel as though he were talking to a child. He smiled at her, stepping closer to the beautiful woman timidly.

"No, I'm no knight. I am a prince, my father is the king." Her head tilted slightly, and a strange smile crossed her face at his words.

"I've never had a prince before." Darius froze, his chest tightening at her words.