6 Rapunzel
Zarev is only very, incredibly, terrifying.
I listen to Cheshie hiss at him as I braid my long locks, wondering when I decided trusting a stranger is a good idea. All the lessons I’ve learned over the years disappear from my mind’s eye, and all I can think about is one thing: fresh air.
There’s a breeze tonight. I could feel the wind all around me. See the moon and my outline in the shadows. I can feel the roof shingles beneath my feet, causing a rush of adrenaline from the height of the castle roof.
I might fall off and die in the process, but this is the closest I’ll ever be to feeling alive again. I went out there once and almost slid off some months ago, desperation making me reckless. It took ages for the guards to get me down, and it’s the last time Midas beat me. This time Zarev might save him the hassle if he tosses me over the side.
But Zarev has too many questions, just like me, none of which I can answer if I’m a bloody smear on the ground.
“Come on, Princess,” Zarev says impatiently. I don’t know what kind of rush he’s in, since no one will notice if he’s missing anyway. I’m the only one who stands to get in trouble if my absence is noticed.
Tying off the ends of my hair, I look down at my shoes again. They’re stiff and hurt my heels and toes. They might be too small, but Mother hasn’t brought me a new pair in more than ten years. Can’t say I’ve really grown much since then, and I almost never bother with shoes in the castle. I just worry about the rooftop cutting my feet or losing grip because of the skin on my feet. Heels are for parties, gatherings, and balls. I attend none of those unless they need my gift.
Zarev unhelpfully had no pointers to offer when I asked about falling. I get the feeling balance is nothing to him, and those creepy shadows probably help him out quite a bit.
I’m about to leave my tower with a man that could be a figment of my imagination to walk around the rooftop of the castle in the middle of the night. To stare over a wall and see nothing but the sea. I know he’s lying about the forest. There’s nothing over there.
But he’s the only person to offer to take me from this room in years. Even my father's guests don’t offer that. They joke of keeping me locked away as well, everyone of them has the same twisted opinion that I need to be kept hidden for my own good.
Zarev’s the only person to offer me anything else. For better or worse I’ll take the leap of faith.
Cheshie practically claws my arm off when I go to cuddle him, his hisses unpleasant and annoyed. “Hush, boy. I’ll be back soon.”
“I’d say your cat doesn’t like me,” Zarev muses.
I narrow my eyes at him. “I never leave. I’m probably stressing him out.”
Zarev shrugs. “You’ll be back soon, Princess.”
And for some reason, that dampens my mood. This is only a temporary freedom, one that ends the moment he decides to bring me back to my tower.
Taking a breath, I leave Cheshie’s protesting form on my bed, turning back as I grab my cloak. “Okay, Zarev. Show me the magic. How do we get out of the tower?”
He raises a brow before pinching the edge of my cloak between two fingers. “You can’t wear this.”
“It’ll be cold on the roof!”
“It’s pink,” he replies, reaching for my neck. I instinctively curl back from his touch, but he’s insistent on grabbing the clasp and pulling it free. His fingertips are surprisingly warm when they touch my skin, sending waves of heat and something else rushing through me. Hand touch lingers on me, making me hyper aware of how tall he is. I’m not particularly short, average height according to Dorah, but Zarev is a foot and a half taller than I am. Maybe he’s part giant or a wolf shifter, but that’s just silly. Neither of those exist anymore, not with the world changing.
Zarev runs his fingers up to my chin, making my skin come alive. I always initiate touch with strangers. It’s a boundary thing, and it leaves Midas in control of the situation while I prepare to use my magic. People rarely ever touch me first, and definitely not a stranger like this man.
His fingertips are rough for the few seconds that they brush over my skin, but he’s surprisingly warm. I almost expected him to feel like ice, but he’s warmer to the touch than I am.
“Pink will reflect the moonlight too easily,” he says, drawing me back to the present. His nose twitches ever so slightly. “And it shimmers.”
“It was a gift from Camelot some years ago.”
“Of course it was,” he grumbles, looking me over. The dress I’m wearing only reaches to the elbow, and I’ve worked to have a few that are higher in the front than back so I don’t spend so much time tripping. It’s only a few inches, but it makes a difference when I’m going to be out on the roof.
With a sigh he reaches up and undoes his own cloak. It’s significantly longer than mine, and I make a small yelping noise when he swings it around my shoulders.
It’s too big and heavy; I feel the weight of the extra material pooling around me. Even the neck is a little loose as his fingers deftly close the clasp again. “There.”
“I’m going to trip in this.”
He leans in a little closer, those unnatural red-orange eyes shining at me. “Then I suggest you be careful not to trip on the roof.”
Scoffing, I take a step back. He’s too much, like something I can“t escape or ignore. On the roof he’s going to be even more all consuming, and when a sharp breeze gusts past the window I almost reconsider following him for fear of being blown off. “And how do you propose we get out there?”
Smirking, he holds out a hand. “Trust me?”
“Absolutely not.”
He roars with laughter, that massive blade at his back catching the moonlight. Yet another thing he might still kill me with. “Smart, Princess. But you are going to have to hold my hand if you want to get out of here.”
This is absurd. He’s playing tricks with me for his own amusement. Still, my heart aches to leave the tower, so I clasp hands with him anyway. “That doesn’t make any-”
Gasping, I watch as Zarev’s form disappears into a spiral. It’s like looking into a black abyss. One moment he’s beside me, the next he’s being swallowed up by the darkness and becoming one with, with…
With the shadows. My body feels oddly weightless, endless, like there’s no beginning or end to me. I know I’m still here, but I’m moving without trying and his shadowy, almost transparent form tugs us through the window like vapor.
Half a moment later, the surroundings are dimmer, and that weightlessness disappears. I cry out before a hand slams over my mouth, my footing uneven as I stumble.
And slide.
“Damn it, Princess,” he growls, and I feel Zarev shifting us around as my head spins. The weightlessness only lasted a moment but I’m feeling dizzy. “Get it together.”
His hand is too warm over my mouth, his body far too close behind mine as he pivots and I feel us even out. My eyes try to adjust, first taking in the space below us.
Shingles. And…
I give a muffled cry behind his hand, and he scoffs. “Do. Not. Scream. I’ll throw you back inside and leave you to deal with all this if you do.”
My breathing comes faster as I stare off the side of the roof. I sat out here once, trying to feel anything other than loneliness, but it was during the day and I eased myself out the window slowly so I didn’t fall. That was before I slid and people noticed I was gone.
Zarev, he…
I don’t exactly know what he did, but we’re on the roof now and I don’t feel weightless. But my heart is in my chest as I try to calm my breathing.
“In and out, Princess,” he says, his voice gravelly in my ear. “If you don’t calm down I’m not taking you a step further. I’m not sure I can save you if you fall off the roof.”
I squeeze my eyes shut, wondering why I decided to trust this man. Did solitude make me this rash? After several breaths I open my eyes again, clenching my hands into fists, and nod against his hand.
“Are you going to scream if I remove my hand,” he snaps, and for the first time I realize his other hand is banded across my stomach. I don’t know how I missed that, but I suppose I was too worried about falling to my death. Shaking my head, he blows out a breath.
His breath is still hot on my ear when he speaks again. “Be good now. I can distract you from the heights, but you won’t like how I do it, Golden Girl.
I don’t understand what he means, until I feel that soft touch against me again. My eyes widen as the shadows lazily travel around us, the stretches of inky black reaching out towards us, towards me .
I’m too surprised to do much of anything. His shadows wrap around my legs again, sliding beneath the skirt, and two others disappear up my arms.
Even with his hands wrapped at my stomach and over my mouth, I feel the touch of hands wrapping around my throat, caressing over my breasts through the shirt, and shoving aside my underwear -
I arch against him with a gasp, and he chuckles and lets me go. “Aren’t you full of surprises?”
I spin to glare at him, almost losing my balance thanks to the cloak a second time. “How dare you?”
He raises a brow, leaning in. “I didn’t hear you say no or push me away, Princess. I didn’t even hold that tightly. Speak up. Even the monsters listen to your needs.”
The wind snaps past us again, nearly throwing me into the roof. I manage to keep my footing; it's almost unnatural how balanced he is up here. But I'm guessing those shadows don't make him an ordinary man.
He watches my hair for a moment before snapping out his hand, catching the braid. My eyes widen, momentarily envisioning the pain and freefall as he tosses me to my death. Instead, he approaches me, stepping back into my bubble, and tucks the braid beneath the loose neck of the cloak.
“What was that?” I ask breathlessly, licking my lips as I watch him. Part of me wants to step back in and see how else his shadows play. “How are we out here?”
“The shadows.” His eyes dance over me, and I think that it’s better there’s space between us.
“You're going to have to explain more than that.”
“Perhaps another time,” he says, his dark hair picking up when the wind blasts past again. He watches as I lean forward, fighting to keep my balance, before pulling the hood of my cloak up.
Well, his. It almost covers my eyes.
“Clasp the other two closures,” he snaps, and my fingers scramble to obey. “Your hair throws you off balance.”
“I'm aware.” Closing the last clasp, I look back up at him. He's lower on the rooftop than I am where he stopped me from sliding off, but he's still taller than I am. “How are we not going to be seen up here? Any of the posted guards could see us if the moon shines right.”
“Don't worry about that,” he says, holding out a hand. I watch the shadows spark to life, the only telltale signs are the black wisps that float past my view of the moon. “Hiding in the darkness is my specialty.”
I swallow, deciding to go with it for now. I'm already out here like a loon, so there's no turning back. I can't jump back through the bars, and my parents might resort to the dungeon if they learn I somehow got out here through the gold.
Zarev watches me for another moment before turning away. I clench my hands and pace after him, my balance only a little bit better with my hair hidden from the wind. There's still the cloak to contend with, which is definitely made for a much taller man.
Despite the darkness, it feels like I can see Zarev perfectly. Maybe it's because I'm so focused, but the dark black clothing he wears seems to move more fluidly with the shadows. I can make out broad shoulders and a strong back without the billowing cloak. His hair catches the wind and truly makes him look like a creature of the night. When he pressed against my back, I could feel the powerful, hard ridges of his body, but he pulled his hips back before I could feel any hardness between his legs, and that’s telling.
With his sleeves rolled to the elbow, I can see his forearms are without the scars of his hands, and just as strong looking as the rest of him. He's agile on his feet, fluid where I stumble in the too-tight shoes and the unevenness of the shingles.
I might not know about the world outside of these four walls, but I know about myself. And I like getting a little roughed up if I can return the favor, especially if the guy can make our games fun. I’ve only slept with two men, and neither of them is anything compared to Zarev.
Shut up. There’s no reason he’d have any interest in a recluse.
He glances back when I slide a second time, his sharp eyes cutting through the night. “Pay attention where you’re stepping.”
Scowling, I stop admiring his handsome figure and go back to focusing on my footing. We crest the first slant of the roof, the rest of the palace's rooftops before us. I scramble after him as I hook one leg over the peak, and Zarev turns back to hold out a hand. The incline is too much, and I grasp his hand without hesitation.
Warm again. I'm chilled yet he's retaining his heat even without the cloak.
Breathing heavy, I copy his movement before pressing a hand to my chest. I'm winded from the short walk. “How much further?”
He chuckles, and I'm debating smacking him for it. But his other hand presses to my chin, the comforting warmth washing through me. “Look up, Princess.”
I lift my gaze as my breath leaves me. I've never been this high before, and even though it's a little dizzying, the adrenaline rush chases off my nerves.
In the distance is the wall, one I've seen so rarely. Even in the night it glitters like gold dust, even if I know it's solid and impenetrable. It illuminates that side of the kingdom like a beacon in the night.
At this height, I really can see over the wall. I doubted Zarev, since the wall is so very grand and supposed to be impossible to cross. Everyone comes into Tressa by the sea.
But beyond the wall, where I expect to see a drop before I can pick out the gentle waves of the sea, there's only a haze of uneven peaks and fluffy tops. I slowly shake my head. “Are those…”
“Treetops,” Zarev supplies, keeping one hand beneath my chin and the other holding my hand. “Sherwood Forest is full of all types of vegetation. Evergreens, Willows, plenty of plants you can never see from here. It's all on the other side of the-”
“Wall,” I mutter, cutting him off. “There's a forest on the other side of the wall.”
“Yes.”
“A forest…”
My voice trails off. A forest would mean land, not the endless sea Midas and Dorah always told me lies beyond the walls.
I lick my lips. “How far does it go?”
“Across Mystica. That's just Sherwood. It stretches from here, the walls of Tressa, out to Thornton Palace and to the rivers across from the Red Woods that border Wonderland. They cross into Camelot and blend with the Raven Woods down near Swan Lake. It cuts off before the Frostland, where Icicle Pass is.”
That means nothing to me. Those places mean… nothing. I’ve never heard of any of those names except for Camelot.
I shake my head, lifting my eyes to his. Instead of speaking, my gaze skates past him in the other direction, towards the sea.
Ocean? Sea? I have no idea if that’s truly the sea, or if our coastal location is a lie too.
I point the opposite, nearly throwing myself off balance on the peak, and his hand slides down to my waist to keep me from falling. I barely feel his touch as my mind spirals. “What's that?”
“The Endless Sea. It stretches for hundreds of miles, and further still than I’ll probably ever know.” One hand lifts, pointing upward. “See the moon, and the two stars to the right? Follow the second one until the horizon disappears and you'll find Neverland.”
“Neverland,” I squeak.
“That's very far from here, Princess. It's a place I've never gone. It's much farther than Arthur's Kingdom of Camelot.”
I close my eyes, feeling the panic setting in. A gust of wind snaps around us, and I have half a mind to stop fighting against. It could carry me off the rooftop and end this. The swirl of feelings, the edge of betrayal… it’s all taking root in my brain and making my thoughts clash together.
Midas and Dorah love me, don’t they? They hide me in the tower for safety and to ensure that no one takes advantage of my magic… except for them. Thinking about it, I can’t recall a time where I received any sort of love from them unless it’s in response to something they’d already done.
What kind of relationship is that?
Maybe it’s just the clear outside air, but I’m starting to see that things may not be as they seem. I stew in silence for a moment longer, and when I glance back at Zarev his brow is pinched. I wonder if I got too lost in my thoughts. “Camelot. Is that… an island?”
“ Yes. You travel north on the Endless Sea for seven days and nights and you'll find it.”
“Seven days…” there's a thumping in my head, or maybe it's just my heart. “Arthur… mother says he's coming back.”
He shrugs. “I don't have any knowledge on that, Princess.”
I glance at him again, watching his hair blow unnaturally around us. It takes a moment for my eyes to catch the shadows, playing with his dark hair like a friend instead of an extension of himself.
Focusing, I realize the shadows drift in a lazy, almost invisible sphere around us. Maybe that's how he planned to hide us in plain sight.
Or me, most likely. No one can see him.
Looking back towards the wall, despair crawls into my mind. “Why did they lie to me?”
He's quiet for a moment and I start to wonder if he will bother to answer. “To keep you from fighting to be free.”