27 Rapunzel
Mother disappears through the gap in space, her soul vanishing when Zarev’s shadows push her through, and I’m numb as she turns to nothing. The gap closes without my Reaper having to do a thing, and he swings the scythe across his back before daring to approach me.
I stare down at my hands where my mother’s blood paints my palms. I know it’s in my hair too, and possibly all over the rest of me with how she died. I dig deep into myself, past the numbness, waiting for the feelings of horror to rise up.
I killed my mother.
And I can’t find it in me to care.
Zarev helps me to my feet, his grip strong and solid on my chin once I find my balance. “You did so well, Golden Girl.”
A small part of me thrives under his words. We didn’t talk about what would happen when I came back to Tressa, I just took off looking for answers. I was scared of what the surge of spirits heading for Tressa meant and what might happen to Zarev if he had to fight with me. But he looks more than all right now, his red-orange eyes piercing through me as he strokes my chin, assessing me quietly to see if there’s any hidden pain.
There’s a world of problems beyond this room, but I step into his embrace and hold tight anyway. “I’m sorry I left you behind.”
Zarev scoffs, his hands smoothing down my back. “Why? You had things handled.”
I chuckle softly at his words, pride shooting through me. As morbid as it is, he’s right. He never intervened except to remind me to take a breath and send Dorah on once she was dead.
I never thought my mother would be the first person I saw him reap.
Staying in his grasp, I feel the exhaustion slipping in. Mentally and physically I’m utterly spent, but we can’t stop yet. Midas has to be in the middle of his plan, and with people possibly storming the kingdom, I need to finish this.
We have to finish this. The wall could break, or the citizens could revolt and get caught in the fray. I know there are soldiers somewhere, and Anastasia and Priscilla should be someplace in the palace too. If we stop for a rest, everything could go wrong.
My mother’s already died by my hand. What’s one more parent?
Stepping back, I offer Zarev a soft smile. “Let’s finish this.”
The halls of the castle are silent. Eerily so. In all the years I’ve lived here, pained moans and cries filled the hallways closest to the throne room and the royals bedrooms. There should be a symphony of noise with everything going on.
But as we walk down the halls, hidden by Zarev’s shadows, I see and hear nothing. My nails dig into his arms, needing to feel his strength beneath my hands before my mind runs away from me. All my thoughts are both in overdrive and stuttering to a stop at the same time, and nothing is processing anymore. I can see my end goal, the need to stop Midas before he destroys the lives of many, but I can’t mentally handle it.
Maybe I’m still numb to Dorah. When the fallout comes, it’ll be heavy.
“Rapunzel.”
I start at Zarev’s voice, whipping my head around so quickly that he accidentally chokes on my hair. I expect to see guards, Midas, anyone, but the halls are silent and empty.
From this direction we pass the parlor where Midas introduced me to guests. There should be half dead people in this hallway, but it’s silent.
We’re right beside the door where Robin the Brave lived in torment. Now the gold is completely covering his body. I blink, stepping towards the man.
I’ve talked to Robin briefly many times over the years. He was one of Midas’ favorites to torment. Now gold covers every part of him, frozen in time where he suffered in pain. The hurt is etched on his golden face along with the resignation that he died here.
Blinking, I stare down the hall. Everyone who Midas tortured is turned completely to gold, leaving not a single soul in the hallway. Somehow, this is sadder than when they were living.
They couldn’t escape the gold without death, but knowing that Midas decided to silence them forever during his spiral makes my heart hurt.
“He killed them,” I mutter, stepping from the safety of the shadows. I feel them slipping away and for once Zarev doesn’t attempt to draw me back in. “He loves his torture. Why end them?”
“He’s looking for souls,” Zarev replies. “He’s calling spirits to Tressa. It makes sense he would want to steal the ones already here.”
The wind catches my hair, and I glance towards the open windows. It’s cooler than it was back at Legs’ Garden, or even when I came through the flowers. Staring outside, I realize how dark it is.
I rush to the window, looking out. I haven’t had a chance to gaze down at the lights in Tressa since returning, and when I look out the window the friendly glow I always dreamed of visiting is gone.
There are some lights, but not enough for how many buildings pepper the land. Not like the nights I’ve always known when I stared down from my tower.
Pursing my lips, I look back at Zarev as the dread washes over me again. “Do you sense anyone down there?”
“That’s not how it works,” he mutters, and I know I’m asking for things beyond his reach. But a sickening feeling settles in my stomach, and I’m not sure how much more of this I can take.
We stand there for many minutes, staring down at the town. I try to will the night to spark to life, for the people who work nights to make noise, or just for the panic that should be within the kingdom to rise up. But things continue on in silence and a reality I can’t face washes over me.
“Do you… do you think they’re dead?”
“Killing an entire kingdom is a lot for one man,” Zarev says slowly, but he doesn’t deny it either. There’s resignation in his eyes when I turn to meet his gaze.
“He has guards and soldiers,” I reply quietly. “The King… my father… wouldn't risk being utterly defenseless before an attack. He has to have a plan to stand against Arthur. The men we saw running earlier must be close to here.”
“And there’s a fleet coming for the crown from Camelot. Midas is a fool if he left the city defenseless for his own selfish needs.”
“Would you be surprised?” I mutter, and Zarev shakes his head. I blow out a breath, staring down at the quiet kingdom for another moment, before turning away. Zarev follows, a constant shadow to my light.
“You’re glowing,” he says again after a moment, and I glance down, taking stock of my body. My hands are warm, and my head feels hot; I thought it was just the rush of tonight but apparently I’m ready for battle.
“We’re going to kill my father. My mother is dead. I can’t calm down.”
And it's true. If the King and Queen both die, Tressa will be without a ruler. The weight should fall to me, but I have no training in running a kingdom and the people don’t know me. There’s a strong chance I wouldn’t be respected or accepted as the next ruler of Tressa. Killing the King might lead to the dissolution of the Kingdom.
As much as I despise the idea, it must be done. We cannot continue this way.
Turning, I resign myself to facing my father head on. I’ve only shifted towards the direction of the throne room when footsteps catch my attention, and panicked, I glance over my shoulder at Zarev.
He touches my shoulder, and we disappear into the dark just as the person rounds the corner. At first I think I’m hearing things because it doesn’t sound like someone in a hurry
And it isn’t.
Blinking, I stare down at my cat Cheshie as he darts past us, pausing to stare at the shadowed spot where we hide. As a cat, I’m almost positive he can sense us.
A moment later, my father’s favorite guard Theo follows behind, huffing and puffing as he tries to keep up with the fat feline. “Damn it, Cyrus.”
I blink, looking around, and my cat meows from the ground. Theo throws out his hands, looking down at Cheshie like he has answers. “Enough games. The Queen is coming and Tressa is falling. We need to get out of the castle.”
This doesn’t make any sense. Theo is a guard, and a longtime loyal one at that. He’s never taken an interest in my cat before, and he certainly never mistook his name for Cyrus.
From the floor Cheshie meows again, stretching lazily before cocking his head. I tense beside Zarev, ready to use the burning power in my hands if Theo tries to harm my cat.
There’s no need though. As Cheshie stretches, his body twists. He jumps forward, and in an instant my fat, lazily feline is no more.
In his place stands a man, tall and muscular and completely nude. Pink and purple ears jut from the top of his head and a mop of dark black hair, twitching ever so slightly like my cat’s ears always do. The little fluffy ears match the nails on the ends of his hands, sharp like claws. A sleek tail sways behind him, striped the same way his fur usually is.
My jaw falls open, and I can’t tear my eyes off him. That’s who I would cuddle with in bed for comfort? What happened to my cat?
Theo throws up his hands, turning away. “Cyrus - gods, stop doing that! Put on some damn clothes!”
“I would, but that’s really against my feline sensibilities,” he purrs, crossing his arms. I try not to look between his thighs, but my curiosity is too great. Dragging my eyes downward, I’m unsurprised to find that of course, this shifting man is hung and, not only is his cock magnificently large, but it seems to be waking at the attention on him.
I’m not sure why I expect my so-called cat to feel shame, but I certainly do, unable to stop staring at him. This is a twist I never saw coming.
Cheshie - Cyrus - slants his eyes towards us, yellow with strange green pupils, and winks towards our hidden space.
“Turn back, now,” Theo goes on. “The King is ready to kill anything he sees. I have to go to the fountain. It’s the only way to ensure Midas’ death.”
Cyrus huffs, shaking his head. “You could just let her kill the King. Arthur’s troops will be here soon as is to clear the land after her fucking majesty cuts off Midas’ head.”
My mind spins. The Queen… it must be the Mad Queen. And she’s coming here? I can’t even imagine what fountain they are discussing since I can’t remember ever seeing one on the castle grounds, but I suppose I never really saw much of anything while I lived here.
“It’s not that simple,” Theo growls, scratching at his cheeks. “Go back to your feline form. Only one of us can appear as a man.”
He gestures to himself. “Are you sure it shouldn’t be me? I did trick the royal family for all these long years.”
“Cyrus!”
He sighs, shaking his head as he pivots on his heels. He takes his time, prancing down the hall like he has all the time in the world. Zarev makes no move to follow, and I’ll bet he’s just as aware as I am that the shifting cat might sense us.
Halfway down the hall, Cyrus looks over his shoulder and winks again. He rushes forward, jumping in midair, and as his feet leave the ground he shifts back into my cat, the transformation almost too fast to see, plopping down on all floors when the transition is complete. I can’t believe this strange creature is the cat I’ve loved for so many years. He looks back towards our hiding spot again, giving a lazy yawn, and Theo jogs to catch up with him.
“Come on now, kitty cat. We’re late, we’re late. If we miss this the Queen really will take our heads.”
They dart down the hall, disappearing in the direction of the throne room just like I plan to. Neither of them looks back, and after several beats Zarev drops the shadows so we can have a moment to think.
“My cat… My cat is a man.”
He only gives me a curt nod. “I’ve seen some shifters come down from Cheshire Village, but he’s definitely unique.” He looks towards me. “You said the Queen left him behind the one time she visited? That was no mistake.”
I swallow. No, I don’t think any of this is. My cat and a guard are working together, and from the sounds of it they belong to Wonderland.
Was anything real, or is my life built on conspiracies and a web of lies?
“Rapunzel,” Zarev says, his grounding voice dragging me back to the moment. “We still have to find Midas.”
“Didn’t you hear them,” I whisper, looking down at my hands. My mother’s blood stares back at me. “There’s a plan to unseat the King. Others want Midas dead too. He drew all of these spirits here, didn’t he? He’s done something to the water and corroded the land. I… we… may not have to kill my father. Someone else might do the job for us.”
He raises a brow, turning to grasp my chin. “Maybe. Or maybe the strange cat and undercover guard are speaking utter nonsense. I saw your cat that first day and had my suspicions…” His voice trails off and I can’t help wondering where his mind went. “But I don’t know this cat specifically. Cyrus is just another shifter, like I once was. They could be turncoats to the Queen, to Midas, or to each other.”
I shake my head, staring at the floor. I almost don’t bother asking, but nothing is black and white anymore. “When you say Queen, you mean the Mad Queen, don’t you?”
He nods once, and I see the hesitation in his eyes. He’s hiding something, but Cyrus and Theo are getting away the longer we stand here. He pushes against his chest, and my eyes soften, thinking he’s in pain. “Oh, let me see if I can temporarily heal you-”
“It’s not that,” he replies, his brow furrowing. “Legs ripped the gold out and put something on it. It’s not bothering me right now. But there’s something you should see-”
I shake my head. If I learn anything else right now, I might collapse. I need to process what I’ve learned, decide who I am now that I know I’m the sister of a long-dead twin and a princess bestowed with the power of a magical Phoenix Rose.
Oh, and my cat happens to be a man.
Quite a man at that.
But there’s no time for any of that. The clock is ticking, and if that window had a view of the port, I wouldn’t be surprised to see ships arriving at the dock. If Arthur’s troops storm the kingdom, all is lost. I can’t even consider the Mad Queen or a shapeshifting cat.
We might be able to kill the King, but we can’t stop a whole army. We’re two people, not two thousand, and everything I learn seems to spiral into so many other problems.
We aren’t just competing with the King; we’re competing with everyone, and I don’t know if I want anyone but me ending Midas’ life.
My parents are at fault for so many wrongs. There’s no way I can ever make everything right.
“No,” I whisper, lifting my eyes to his again. “We have to end this. Anything else can wait.”
“This might help you.”
“Will it change what must be done?” I ask quietly. When he shakes his head, I have my answer. “Let’s end this. I don’t care who else stands in the way. Midas has to be taken out. Nothing else will matter.”
I jog ahead before he can reply, and Zarev is right on my heels. I have no fear that he’ll leave me to deal with this alone, but I fear that we both might die from this fight. I still see no soldiers, no guards and no troops, so what waits for us in the throne room? A cat and one, singular guard won’t contend with Midas, but the Mad Queen will.
Midas is insane, but he shouldn't believe he can stand against an army alone.
The doors to the throne room push open easily, and at the last moment Zarev grabs me and I feel him shroud us in shadows again. It’s a good idea, one I overlooked. If my father is waiting on the other side it’ll be difficult to strike us right away. I don’t hear anything, but that’s not reassuring either.
The doors open to silence, and I’m beginning to think there’s nothing left in Tressa. We step in, and when the door catches on something I turn to see what it is.
Zarev barely manages to slide a hand over my mouth before I scream. The door has hit against a severed head. The face is so bloody I can’t make out who it once was. A few feet away, the headless body of a guard lies in a pool of blood.
Lifting my gaze, I realize the room is strewn in dead bodies. Not Arthur’s troops, or even innocent civilians, but guards. So many guards who served Midas. Some still have their heads, some are in pieces. It looks like they were butchered recently.
I shrug off his hand and step further in the room, Zarev right beside me to keep us hidden in the shadows. There’s carnage all around us, but no signs of blood on the throne. I don’t know if that’s a good or bad sign.
I accidentally slide in a bit of the blood, my feet losing purchase on the smooth stone floor. Zarev’s grip on my elbow keeps me from sliding into the bodies. My mother had a hand in the deceit of the kingdom, but these troops were just doing their jobs for the King. Now they lay slaughtered in the throne room.
Coughing, I clear my throat. The sooner I fix everything that’s happened, the sooner I can get away from here. The weight of the kingdom settles too firmly on my shoulders, and I’m helpless to escape so long as I’m here in the middle of the carnage.
“T - there’s a hidden room behind the throne,” I tell Zarev, gesturing vaguely to the empty seat. “I’ll show you. Midas could be back there. It leads onto the grounds. If he escaped, or someone infiltrated the throne room and killed the guards, that’s the way he would leave. I’ve never personally used the passage, but I know it’s back here. Both Mother and Father told me about it when I was younger.”
Zarev nods, oddly quiet. I can’t get a read on what he’s thinking, but it can’t be anything good. He follows me around one side of the throne towards the hidden door.
I gasp, stumbling back into him. Three bodies lay on the ground near the door, two women and a man. My shoulders droop as I recognize each face, the necks slit and eyes vacant, heads still attached. “That’s Anastasia and Priscilla. And Michael.”
Guilt claws at me. My parents killed Gothel Tremaine, and now her daughters have perished in their castle. There’s no justice here.
Zarev’s grip on my shoulder is reassuring, reminding me that I’m not alone. “You don’t have to do this, Rapunzel.”
Swallowing, I look back at him. He looks like a dark angel with the shadows swirling around us, my Reaper. “Yes, I do.”
Pushing forward, I press my hands to the sliding stones in the wall. Midas showed me this trick when I was young so I could escape if need be, but I’ve never had a reason to use it again until right now. There was never a chance to go exploring in this area he showed me and Dorah told me about. I never had the freedom to go looking.
My breath catches as something occurs to me, my hands pressing to the stone. Gothel Tremaine knew about the passage. If there were questions about her lying, that detail could only come from firsthand experience, and that makes her infidelity with my father that much more real. Even most of the guards aren’t privy to this secret passage, but confidants such as Theo would be.
The door opens, and silence greets us once more. But further down the hall there’s light, the first I’ve seen in a while. Other than the gold of the statues and the lanterns in the halls, the castle grows darker by the minute. Night is creeping in, the silence of the castle becoming that much more absolute.
Then the voices catch my attention. They sound resigned and sad, like the person speaking doesn’t want to do this anymore than we do. I strain to catch what’s being said but the voice is too soft to tell who it is or what they are saying.
I jog down the short hallway, and Zarev keeps pace with me beneath the shadows. He’s not going to let me run into danger alone, even if it is my father we’re about to face. He might be okay with me delivering the final blow, but he’s not going to let my emotions put me in any more danger. I’m grateful for Zarev’s presence and how just being here makes me more confident but all I want to do is burst ahead and end this.
The closer I get to the light, the heavier the air is. It’s as though a great, immense pressure pushes down on me, making every step feel a bit harder. I slow my pace, and Zarev is watching me cautiously in the shadows with a worried expression.
The hallway comes to an end at a wall with a door directly to the left that’s been broken. Stepping through cautiously, we enter the greenest clearing I’ve ever seen in Tressa. It’s even brighter than the gardens.
If it didn’t feel like evil lives here, it would be stunning.
Trees surround the opening of the castle, and we step together into what appears to be the treeline surrounding a clearing. The muffled voice is a little louder here, but it’s still spouting off gibberish I don’t understand. But I can see figures ahead, and despite the foreboding feeling all around me, I move towards the strange light.
Stepping closer to the clearing, Zarev stops me just before I can properly see anything. I turn to snap at him but a sense of terror washes over me when I see the way terror colors his features and a new, suffocating feeling envelopes me. If I thought I sensed evil before, this is true horror. It’s soul-crushing, stronger than anything I’ve ever felt and leaves me feeling like I can’t catch my breath.
My eyes swing up to Zarev. I want to know what he sees in the clearing, and what the strange light is pulsing in the dark. It’s brighter out here than the castle and the strange pressure in the air makes me want to turn away as much as it pulls me in.
Zarev’s hand is a vise on my arm, and I almost think I can pick out some of the words of whoever is muttering when he grabs my face, turning my attention to him so I can read his lips.
Mad Queen.