Chapter 31

 

I awoke to the sun shining through the windows as Alda bustled about, opening curtains and laying out clothes. Alda had a thick build and strong arms and helped me move the first day, acting like I weighed nothing. The plates of food she brought me were so overflowing I guessed she ordered double of everything. I had yet to leave my bed unassisted, for every time I stood the room began to spin and I wound up on the floor.

“Good morning, my lady,” Alda said. “It is a beautiful day, and past time to get out of bed.”

I swung my legs to the floor and the room stayed still. Getting to my feet did not make things markedly worse. I sighed with relief and Alda positively beamed. She brought me a dress so lovely, I hesitated to touch it. The white chemise was trimmed with delicate lace and edged in blue and green ribbons along the top and the bottom. The bodice was midnight blue and unlike any I had ever worn.

“I still cannot get used to this,” I said, staring at the intricate dress.

Alda sighed. “I will help you.” She spun me around and began tightening the laces. “A lady of nobility always has a maid dress them.”

“Oh!” I cried out as she reached around the front and adjusted my bosom. 

“My lady, this is what I do,” she said with an exasperated sigh.

“I am sorry,” I said, bowing my head.

“You will learn.”

When she finished, I felt shoved into my clothing, all of it heavy and pinching me together. I felt far from a lady, more like a stuffed doll. It was still hard to imagine I had a station at all. I could not quite comprehend everything that had happened. A moon ago, I was a girl in a tower, and the only person in the world I knew was my mother.

All that had been swept away and I felt thrust into a new life, a new world. One with a maid to attend to me. It felt surreal. As if I had fallen into one of the books I had read and could not find my way out.

“Come. Sit.” Alda directed me to a chair. She had a pair of scissors in her hand.

“That will not be necessary,” I said, jumping out of the chair.

“Do not be silly, my lady.” She pushed me down. Unable to disobey, I sat. She combed my now-short hair, and before I had a chance to protest further she had cut a strip off the bottom. The pieces lay on the floor like little yellow feathers.

“Oh my goodness,” I said. “I never even felt it!”

“Why would you, my lady?” Alda stared at me as though I had lost my mind.

Maybe I had.

Alda brought me a mirror after she had finished. My face was oval and my eyes had the shapes of almonds. Even my cheeks seemed more angular, especially after Alda pinched them, giving them a rosy glow. She also told me to bite my lips, which turned them a bright red.

I barely recognized myself. Again, I could not help wondering if this was a strange dream. I had hair that rested just above my shoulders. I wore clothing of a lady of station, and I looked…

So beautiful.

“Do you think you are ready today, my lady?”

I met her eyes, and from the determined look on the older woman’s face, she thought I was. Whether I agreed, I was not sure. “I can try.” I glanced at the window. The sun shone so brightly today. Perhaps it would give me strength.

“Come then, my lady.” Alda headed to the door, and I started to follow her.

She cleared her throat.

I stopped. “What did I forget?”

She pointed at my feet.

I sighed. “Shoes.” I walked to the door, where my new slippers rested. Foolish little things, they were. All they did was keep me from feeling the ground beneath me. Besides, they pinched my toes together. As soon as she moved a few paces in front of me, I took them off.

I followed Alda through Nick’s home, taking in the simplicity of it, the strength of the wooden posts holding the stones in place.

It should have been dark, but it was not. Sunshine beamed through the doorways, windows and carefully placed holes in the rock, allowing light to dance over the main rooms. It felt glorious, large and open, and I wondered what kind of formal gatherings were held here. Balls? Dinners? Weddings?

My heart leapt at the thought of marriage, and I blushed at my silliness, embarrassed by my foolish thoughts. So lost in my silly musings, I only realized Alda had stopped at a door when I almost ran into her.

“My lady,” she said, making a clucking noise with her mouth. “You must put your shoes on.”

I put my hands behind my back, to hide my shoes. “Why?”

“It is improper to run around without shoes. Certainly you do not want to dirty your feet!”

I blinked. A part of me very much wanted to do just that. Yet her stern look made me hesitate. “Of course. I am sorry.” I put the pinchy shoes down and slid them on. “They are uncomfortable.”

“My lady, you will adjust. This is a change, is all.”

I nodded, for she was right. It was a great change. Everything around me was a change, and I was not quite sure I was ready for it.

We reached the main entrance, and Alda pushed the door open to reveal the courtyard of the castle. I found myself pausing at the door, unable to move forward. Even after everything I had been through, stepping over the threshold seemed suddenly too much to contemplate. Everything I had wanted to feel for so long waited beyond the door, yet I was afraid.

“Go on, my lady,” Alda urged. “Nothing will happen to you here.”

Alda gently pushed me toward the opening.

A high wall surrounded the courtyard and a thick gate hung open to allow access to travelers. To the right were stables, and the smell of the horses came with the breeze, making me scrunch my nose. To the left, small carts jumbled together and people milled everywhere, shouting and calling to one another. The corner where the two castle walls met was filled with people, carts, tents and small buildings, making a mish-mash of lumped-together colors that swirled around one another. The chaos of voices, compounded by the noises of so many animals–I could not name them all–seemed to burst into the courtyard and wash over me.

Transfixed by all the sights and sounds, I could not look away. One thing remained constant in the noise and chaos. The voices were all jovial. Not a single voice was raised in anger, nor were there any cries of pain. So different from anything Moth–Gothel had told me of the world. 

The smells of food and drink mixed with the strong odor of horse, making a strange scented soup I could not say I hated or loved–it was so different from anything I had–

“Oh, you have come out!” cried a female.

I blinked. A young lady of perhaps my age came toward me, a huge grin on her face. She had the same black hair as Nick, and her eyes sparkled with a similar blue but, unlike Nick, she seemed vivacious. As if she enjoyed a life filled with laughter.

Something I immediately envied.

She slid to a halt at the base of the two stairs I had yet to descend to enter the courtyard proper.

“And your hair is lovely,” she said, tipping her head to the side. “I did not realize how pretty a yellow it was.” She climbed the stairs, clutching her rich brown dress. As she approached, I realized it was trimmed in a blue that matched her eyes.

“Sister?” I whispered to Alda.

“Yes, my lady.”

“Enrika von Hohburg,” the girl said, smiling. “There is a long formal title for it, but everyone calls me Kiki.” I could not help noticing Alda’s look of displeasure. Kiki glanced at her. “Oh, Alda, do not say it. There is no point reminding me of proper etiquette when you know I never follow it.” Kiki looped her arm through mine as though we were already very old and dear friends. “She was my governess and tasked with training me in the ways of propriety from my youth. You can measure her success for yourself.” She winked at Alda.

I could not help smiling at Kiki. “It is a pleasure,” I said. “I am Rapunzel. Rapunzel…” I hesitated, unsure what last name I could say.

“Why would anyone name you after a vegetable?” Kiki asked.

I stared at her, my eyes wide. “I am named after a vegetable?”

Kiki nodded. “Have you never eaten rapunzel?”

I shook my head, certain I would never eat this vegetable if given the choice.

“Lady Enrika,” Alda snapped at her.

“Well, it is bound to come up,” Kiki said.

“It is impolite to mention it so bluntly,” Alda said.

“Nick calls me Tressey,” I blurted out.

Kiki grinned. “My lovely brother, the creator of nicknames. He gave me mine when we were children and, as you can see, it has stuck.” She rolled her eyes. “I shall call you Tressey, then too. Speaking of my brother, come, walk with me, we can gawk at the men while they practice.” She motioned to the far side of the courtyard, where a number of men with swords practiced their skills.

How I had missed the noise, I did not know. The clash of sword against sword made me jump.

Kiki smiled. “It is fun.”

As we walked, my shoes began to pinch my toes again and I wriggled my feet in them, trying to find a more comfortable position.

Kiki raised an eyebrow at me. “Do they hurt?”

“No,” I replied, then sighed. “A little.”

“Well then,” she said, leaning down and removing her own shoes. “Let us both walk barefooted.”

I slipped mine off, and in a moment, she had her shoes in hand and we continued on. With one look at her, I knew I had a very special friend.

We crossed the courtyard and I could not help grinning with every step. The grass was damp and springy under my feet. The small spots of dirt and rock were hard in contrast and I giggled.

“It has been so long since I have done this,” Kiki said with a smile.

“I have never done this.”

Kiki froze, eyes wide. “Never? Not once?”

“No.”

For a moment she only stood and stared, mouth open. Then, with a laugh, she recovered. “Well?” she said. “What is it like?”

“It feels so squishy,” I replied.

She laughed. “This is nothing. Remind me to take you to the river, where there are beds of moss growing. Now, that is something to step on.”

I smiled. She turned away from me and I followed her gaze. We had reached the fighting men and I blushed as I realized how many of them wore no shirts. The sight was quite unnerving for I had never seen a male body before.

Kiki glanced at me. “You must have extremely good vision if you can see Nick from here.”

I paused, making her stumble. “Nick is over there?”

“Of course. I assumed that is what had you blushing.”

My cheeks felt even hotter. “I…no. I was…”

Kiki shrugged. “Do not be embarrassed. If you care for my brother half as much as he cares for you, then the two of you are a right match.”

“But I was not–”

“Of course not. Just like I am not here to admire… Drat, the one man I want to see without his shirt is still wearing his.”

I scanned the crowd of men but it was not possible to tell of whom Kiki spoke as a goodly number were fully clad. Despite being unable to identify Kiki’s beau, I still searched the throng. Looking for Nick.

I dared to ask her a question. “You think your brother cares for me?”

“Of course he does. The lug has been making me crazy with his moody stomping through the castle since he brought you here. Day and night, he has been by your side. I would not have been surprised to find him in your bed.”

“No, he did not… he would not do that.” 

She laughed. “I am sure he did not. Alda would have his hide. Mother...” She shuddered. “Who knows what Mother would have done? And Nick does so hate to upset his mother.”

Panic flooded through me. “Is she mean?”

“Mother?” Kiki shook her head. “Not at all. She just expects her children to behave. She was raised in London, you know. British propriety and all that, and she makes sure if we are ever in the presence of nobility, whether it be here in the White Mountains, or in France or England, we know how to behave.”

We closed in on the circle of men, and Kiki cleared her throat. Several of the men spun around, appraising us, and then parted to let us through.

“And command, even men,” I whispered to her, admiring how the men had made way for her. “How did you know they would not dismiss you?”

“They know better,” she replied with a wink. “And they know I am the reason so many ladies are in residence. If they displease me, the ladies they flirt with disappear.”

“What ladies?” I asked, looking around.

Kiki gestured to the far corner of the combat area and, sure enough, several ladies in fine dresses stood, whispering among themselves and gesturing to the various men. A few of them pointed at us.

“Who are they?” I asked, staring at the ladies, all of whom seemed very fancy and ladylike.

“Friends visiting from other provinces,” Kiki said. “They are all here to snag a husband.”

“You certainly have a great deal of men here to choose from,” I said.

Kiki smiled. “Yes, but most of these men are soldiers. They want a Charming Noble.”

I was no different, wanting my own Charming Noble. “I thought there were only three Charming Nobles.”

“There are,” Kiki replied. “Nick, Bryan and Penn.”

The women milled about, smiling and giggling at the soldiers. “There are far more females.”

“Most of them are ninnie-brained, title-seeking girls, and if one of the Charming Nobles lands in their snares I will lose all respect for them.”

I blinked. “Then why are they here?”

Kiki shrugged. “I like watching my brother squirm.” The devilish glimmer in her eyes made me giggle. I had a feeling I was going to like Kiki.

I focused on the men in the circle. They dueled with thick, heavy swords, swinging them as though they weighed nothing. The man standing closest to me had his sword pointed at the ground, his hand on the hilt–which came almost to my chest. My breath caught in my throat as I tried to imagine lifting such a large piece of weaponry.

A resounding clang drew my attention back to the circle. A tall man with jet-black hair spun to the side, blocking a blow with his shield. Sweat glistened on his body, highlighting the lines of his back and the curve of the muscles there. There was a strange heat in my belly as I watched the beautiful way he moved. His opponent lunged suddenly and he dodged with fluid grace, then swung and struck the other man’s shield.

The turn made the fighter face our direction for a moment.

I saw his eyes. It was Nick.

As he lifted his shield to block another strike, I noticed a fresh bandage covering his stitches. If he was this strong when injured, I could not imagine how he would be when fully healthy.

“I thought his wound was healing,” I whispered to Kiki.

“It is,” she replied. “I put that on him before he came out to make sure it did not open again.”

“Are you a healer?”

She shook her head. “No, I just pay attention.” She never looked away from the men in battle, though she did not seem to be watching her brother.

I, on the other hand, could not seem to look away from him.

“Close your mouth,” Kiki said. “It is only Nick.”

More heat filled my cheeks, and I doubted I would ever need to pinch them again for that rosy glow Alda was so fond of. 

Kiki smirked. “You must really love him.”

“He saved me.”

A commotion at the front gate spared me from saying more, for Kiki turned away from me. A carriage rolled through the gate, accompanied by several men on horseback. The ground shook under my feet as they entered. My stomach clenched.

The carriage pulled straight to the main entrance.

Kiki stared at them. “What are they doing here?”

“Who?” I asked.

She let out a sigh. “The Duke and Duchess von Stroebel.”