The Frog Prince's Hair-Raising Predicament
Author: Scarlet Hyacinth
Date: 2013-11-09 00:00:00+00:00
Keywords: Paranormal; Romance; Fantasy
Description: [Siren Everlasting Classic ManLove: Erotic Alternative Fantasy Romance, M/M, elves, HEA] People think that waiting in your tower for a dashing prince to rescue you is romantic. Believe me, that’s overrated. I should know. My name is Rapunzel Stiltskin, and for years my father kept me locked in a tower. And then my path unexpectedly crossed that of Arthurian prince Medwin. Medwin is my perfect match. He understands me, and he doesn’t freak out when my obscenely long tresses trip him or knock over various items. He also does things to my body that make me ask questions I almost don’t dare to ans
Publisher: Siren-BookStrand

A Tail Like No Other: Book Three

The Frog Prince’s Hair-Raising Predicament

People think that waiting in your tower for a dashing prince to rescue you is romantic. Believe me, that’s overrated. I should know. My name is Rapunzel Stiltskin, and for years my father kept me locked in a tower. And then my path unexpectedly crossed that of Arthurian prince Medwin.

Medwin is my perfect match. He understands me, and he doesn’t freak out when my obscenely long tresses trip him or knock over various items. He also does things to my body that make me ask questions I almost don’t dare to answer.

Am I a maiden? That’s what my father claimed, but if that’s the case, I’m not a very maidenly one. Medwin doesn’t think I’m female at all, and I believe him, especially when my libido responds to him in such a distinctively male—ahem—way.

Now… If only my hair would leave us alone long enough for us to consummate our mating. Wait… Why is Medwin suddenly a frog?

Note: This book is written in first-person point of view.

Genre: Alternative (M/M or F/F), Contemporary, Fantasy
Length: 45,903 words

THE FROG PRINCE’S HAIR-RAISING PREDICAMENT

A Tail Like No Other: Book Three

Scarlet Hyacinth

EVERLASTING CLASSIC

MANLOVE

Siren Publishing, Inc.

www.SirenPublishing.com

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IMPRINT: Everlasting Classic ManLove

THE FROG PRINCE'S HAIR-RAISING PREDICAMENT

Copyright © 2013 by Scarlet Hyacinth

E-book ISBN: 978-1-62740-540-9

First E-book Publication: November 2013

Cover design by Les Byerley

All art and logo copyright © 2013 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.

All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

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Letter to Readers

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Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Epilogue
About the Author

THE FROG PRINCE'S HAIR-RAISING PREDICAMENT

A Tail Like No Other: Book Three

SCARLET HYACINTH

Copyright © 2013

Prologue

Once upon a time, in a kingdom far, far away…But no, Merlinia isn’t exactly a kingdom. It’s more like…a region. And far is such a relative concept. Far from what? From whom?

But I’m losing my train of thought. Let’s try this again. Once upon a time, in…Let’s be clear and frank, in Merlinia, there lived a powerful sorcerer lord. And he was a fierce, fierce man, guarding his privacy and his domain with his remarkable magic. Everybody feared him, and his outbursts of temper were well known all throughout the land.

But what those people didn’t know was that he, Lord Rumpel Stiltskin, was also a very lonely individual. So when fate delivered a tiny baby in his arms, well, suffice to say he became an extremely dedicated father.

Or at least, this was what he told me, his child, over and over, when he came to visit me in my tower. “You’re very lucky, Rapunzel,” he often said to me. “You have such a loving father to take care of you and protect you from this evil world.”

Whenever he pointed that out, I rolled my eyes at him and crossed my arms over my chest. “Uh-huh. Does this protection have to imply me being stuck in a cold, empty tower all by myself?”

“That’s for your own good,” my father argued. “You’re waiting for your prince, my beloved daughter. And when a worthy young man appears in your life, we will know.”

I wanted to scream, for two main reasons. First of all, no matter what romantic notions I might have once entertained about a knight in shining armor finding me in my tower, I realized now that the entire endeavor was somewhat ludicrous. What kind of guy would randomly brave the unknown territory of a notoriously evil sorcerer to investigate the existence of a supposedly trapped and beautiful maiden?

All these princes who hunted their brides by scouting the direst situations imaginable…What could they possibly be thinking? I mean, if in their bravery, they rescued so many damsels in distress, kudos to them. But I could not fathom specifically going on such a quest with the intention to find a soul mate. Weren’t the specifications of becoming a queen a little more complex than being pretty, lonely, and helpless? Didn’t queens need qualifications other than the skill to wait in a tower without losing their minds? Then again, perhaps they didn’t. They had attendants to do everything else for them. And in the end, what did I know about such things?

But even if my father was correct about the virtues necessary to find a husband for me, I found one distinct flaw in his thinking. At first, when he spoke to me like that, I couldn’t tell what it was. It had been like a niggling fly, and made me feel awkward and uncertain. But then, in a bid to grant me a little happiness, my father had gifted me with a lovely mare named Magda. I didn’t know then that Magda’s appearance in my life would signal a change far greater than I’d have ever believed.

Because yes, my prince had been waiting, and he was perfect. But again, I’m getting ahead of myself. This story is just beginning. I still have too much to figure out for it to end.

Chapter One:

In Which a So-Called Maiden Rides to the Rescue

Growing up, I’d been filled with romantic notions about my supposed future husband. My father had encouraged it, telling me time and again how perfect and loving my soul mate would be. Upon our first meeting, our gazes would meet and instantly, we would know that were meant to be together. I’d run into his arms, and he would sweep me off my feet, from my tower, and to his lovely castle, where I would become his queen.

The books I was brought both encouraged this notion and confused me a little. As I advanced in age, I was gifted a great deal of tomes filled with romantic tales. And then, I noticed that, unlike the maidens in those books, I didn’t have generous bosoms or pert breasts. Concerned, I asked my father if my future husband would be disappointed at my lack of development in that regard. That had been the last romantic book I’d been given to read.

As time passed, my father outfitted me with garments that covered practically every part of me, and I came to realize that the romantic love from those old stories wouldn’t be for me.

And then, I found my first friend. Magda, the magical mare. It was what I called her. She always seemed amused by the alliteration.

“You have to stop hiding,” Magda used to tell me. “Take those thick veils off. You have a beautiful face, Rapunzel. Show it.”

I had hesitated at first, but when Magda and I were alone, I’d eventually relented. After all, she was only a horse. My father might have forbidden me to go unveiled in the presence of other people, but likely, she didn’t count.

Magda was also a little strange in that she seemed surprised, and then quite upset, whenever I referred to myself as Lord Stiltskin’s daughter. Finally, one day, she asked me, “You do realize you’re a boy, right?”

I had laughed at my friend’s words. “What are you talking about, Magda? I’m a girl.”

Or so I said. But in my heart, there had always been a seed of doubt telling me something was wrong and different. I might have been sheltered, but I was not an idiot, and I had sensed something wasn’t right.

Still, whether I was a boy or a girl mattered very little when I learned that Magda had been stolen from her original owner, Prince Kirril of Arthuria. Deciding to return Magda to Kirril was one of the hardest things I’d ever done. As it turned out, Kirril had been generous enough to gift her to me. But between those two events, something of great importance happened. I met Medwin.

Medwin was Kirril’s older brother, the middle prince of Arthuria. He was also engaged to be married, to the Morgannian princess, Anelah. Or so everyone thought. Actually, Anelah was an evil witch who had impersonated the true heir of Morganna. She had Medwin under a powerful enchantment. Kirril and his mate, Dineiro, claimed that I was the only one who could break the spell. I had my doubts about that, but I decided to do my best to help.

It was through this chain of events that I ended up in Arthuria’s capital, Camelot. The night before the wedding, I sneaked into Camelot. I couldn’t even be sure that I was doing the right thing, since all I had to go by was a dream of a man who looked like a pixie and called himself the Fairy Godfather. In addition, I wasn’t exactly inconspicuous, since a lone stranger covered from head to toe in elaborate garments was bound to draw some attention. Thankfully, I had Magda with me.

“This way,” she said as she nudged me along. “Keep your head down and stick to my side. It’s a long way to the palace.”

I held onto Magda’s reins and walked by my mare’s side. It wasn’t that I couldn’t ride her—but we were trying to avoid drawing attention to ourselves at all costs. My heart raced and my palms felt clammy as we advanced through the city. Camelot was huge, and even at this late hour, bustling with activity. I’d spent my entire life in a tower in the middle of nowhere, so I had no experience whatsoever with big settlements. The closest thing I’d come to socializing with other people was my brief interaction with Kirril, Dineiro, as well as with Victor Frankenstein, and his mate Larue. My father didn’t really count.

But in spite of my wariness of this alien environment, I continued onward, clinging to the knowledge of the importance of my quest. By the time we reached the palace, I was almost hyperventilating. Seeing all the guards surrounding the place didn’t help. It was a good thing that the royal weddings weren’t held here, but in the palace gardens. Even with Magda’s magic, we would have never gotten inside unseen. My own powers were untrained at best, since, in spite of being a great warlock, my father had never taught me the intricacies of spell casting.

As it turned out, my lack of skill in magic didn’t matter. The structure was guarded, but with Magda’s help, we managed to give the Arthurian watchmen the slip. Of course, we couldn’t enter the palace itself, but we did manage to sneak into the courtyard, and that turned out to be enough.

Unexpectedly, Victor Frankenstein and his mate Larue met up with me just as Magda and I reached the stables. Well, perhaps I shouldn’t have been surprised, but it wasn’t actually their arrival that startled me. The dream had pretty much informed me that they would be waiting. Victor’s feline shape didn’t exactly shock me, but I hadn’t been told that Larue would be invisible.

In the end, none of that mattered, though, because they guided me toward what needed to be done. Larue handed me a pouch filled with pixie dust. Together, we slipped out of the palace yet again. “We need to get you into the Temple of the Great Father,” Larue whispered as we walked through the streets of Camelot. “That’s the only way you can assist to the ceremony without making anyone suspicious.”

I nodded, although his words made me wary and apprehensive. “And how exactly do I do that?”

“Don’t worry,” Magda told me. “We’ll help.”

I fell silent, musing over everything I had been told. The pouch filled with pixie dust felt heavy in the pocket of my robes, reminding me of the promise I had made to Medwin’s family—and to Medwin himself, in my heart. It was perhaps fortunate that we got to the Temple of the Great Father pretty quickly, because otherwise, I’d have worried myself sick.

From that point on, things grew a little more complicated. In my Merlinian garb, I stood out like a sore thumb, and I couldn’t rely on Magda’s magic to assist me. The corridors of the temple were cramped, and I couldn’t exactly take a horse inside. Therefore, I had to leave Magda at the entrance of the temple. Larue and Victor came with me, though, since a small house cat and an invisible pixie wouldn’t draw the eye.

Truth be told, my sense of direction was terrible. By myself, I would have had no clue as to how to find my way through this place. For the better part of my life, I’d been trapped in a tower, and I’d only managed to escape with Magda’s help. However, Larue seemed to know where we should be going, and I could only follow, feeling a bit useless and scared.

No sooner had we entered the temple than we heard someone approaching, humming a hymn of praise under his breath. I instantly ducked behind a nearby tapestry, knowing it wasn’t the best place to hide but completely out of ideas. Through the material, I could see a High Father apprentice approaching, his gaze focused on the book in his hands.

Larue, Victor, and I hadn’t exactly discussed what we should do if we ran into someone. Well, there was not much Victor could help with, but perhaps Larue’s magic might have been able to distract the man in question. For some reason, though, I felt like I couldn’t wait for the others to act.

Sending a prayer of forgiveness to the Goddess, I lunged forward, jumping the man in question. I didn’t have a clear plan in place from this point on, so I just summoned my magic and willed the apprentice into unconsciousness.

Predictably, it didn’t work exactly the way I’d wanted it to. Instead, my hair wormed its way out of the pony tail I’d tied it in and wrapped itself around the apprentice. I actually hated having people randomly touch my hair, but the damn thing often had a mind of its own and acted like a conduit for my magic.

With the amount of hair I had, I could have easily strangled him, but just the thought of it horrified me. Instead, my locks rocked him to sleep, and he fell into an enchanted slumber, clutching a few strands of hair while still humming under his breath.

“Good job,” Larue said, sounding a little surprised.

“Thank you,” I answered. “Now let’s hope he won’t wake up.”

As soon as I ascertained that, I quickly searched his clothes. Much to my relief, I found a set of keys. One of them would likely open his quarters and provide me with a disguise. However, I found myself in quite a predicament, because I had no idea where the room in question could be, and if I advanced any further in my current garments, I would surely be spotted.

With Larue’s help, I have been able to find my way through the corridors, but was it really worth the risk? As if guessing my thoughts, Larue suggested a different approach. “Come on. We’ll stash him someplace and see where we go from there.”

Larue and I started to drag the man away from the place he’d fallen and to the first door we could find. It was locked, but the set of keys managed to solve that problem. The room beyond turned out to be a study of sorts. There were only books and items of worship, nothing I could use for a potential disguise.

“You’ll have to use his clothes,” Victor told me, a note of apology in his voice.

Resigned to my fate, I knelt next to the apprentice and started to take his clothes off. My face flamed as I pulled off his robe—it was hardly something very decent for a maiden like me to do. Fortunately, the man was wearing undergarments, because otherwise, I might have fainted out of sheer embarrassment.

The idea that I had to wear his clothing didn’t appeal to me in the slightest, but I had no other choice. By this point, I also had to acknowledge that I’d have to change with Larue and Victor here, which scared me just as much as this entire endeavor.

Sadly, I had no choice. The veil across my face would give my disguise away. I looked at the sleeping apprentice and took a deep breath. Obviously realizing my discomfort, the other two men turned away. I couldn’t be sure in Larue’s case, since the only thing I could see of him was a slight silhouette framed by pixie dust, but it seemed that he did, and that worked for me. Before I could convince myself that it was a terrible idea, I dropped my veil and my clothes and quickly put on the apprentice’s robe.

Now ready, I had to tackle the hole in my plan. Someone was bound to come by this room and spot the fallen apprentice. I had a good couple of hours left until the wedding, and by that point, the man might even wake up.

“Don’t worry about him,” Victor said. “We’ll make sure he won’t ruin it.”

I bit my lip anxiously. That meant that, from this point on, I was on my own. “Thank you,” I told them. “I would have never managed to get so far without you.”

“You underestimate yourself, Rapunzel,” Larue answered. “You’re very brave just for coming to Camelot in the first place. I’m sure you could have handled it just fine, but there was no reason for it. After all, we’re in this together.”

I nodded. “Watch over Medwin until I can, all right?”

“We’ll do our best,” Victor promised.

I murmured a prayer to the Goddess and another thank-you to the two men I now considered friends. As I did so, I started to tie my hair back. Like the veil, it would be a dead giveaway. Once I had it bound in a tight bun—a nigh miraculous feat given that the damn thing had grown to a length that bypassed my height—I left the room and went deeper into the temple, where the preparations for the ceremony were being held.

By some miracle, the head priest didn’t question me at all. My build was somewhat more slender than that of the apprentice, and really, we weren’t even of the same gender.

Of course, every time someone looked my way, my heart started racing. Fortunately, my luck held and no one noticed me. Apparently, the Arthurian priests were too panicked over the incipient wedding of one of their princes to worry about me.

This was how, the next day, I ended up in the palace courtyard, accompanying the head priest and a horde of other apprentices. The residence of the Arthurian royal family welcomed us with open doors, and I suppressed the urge to gasp and hyperventilate at the throng of muscular guards who surrounded us from every direction.

If I hadn’t met Kirril and Medwin, I’d had thought them to be abnormally huge compared to my own, slighter build. As it was, I could no longer pull back, and I wouldn’t have even if I could.

The High Priest gestured for everyone to gather around him. Two artifacts were brought forward, a chalice and a crown. They were the symbols of the Arthurian royal family. I wiggled forward, so that I would be in view of the High Priest when he chose the people who would carry them. I willed my magic to give him a little nudge, praying that I wouldn’t accidentally mess up what I’d managed until this point.

This particular spell wasn’t very hard, so I succeeded in my task. “You, take the chalice,” he told me, much to my relief. “Be mindful. It’s a very important part of the ritual.”

“Yes, Your Holiness,” I whispered as I carefully took the item from him. When he looked away, I quickly poured the pixie dust into the chalice. So far, so good.

The procession met up with Prince Kirril, and his presence soothed me somewhat. Of course, his parents and older brother were also there, so I couldn’t approach him in any way. He didn’t look my way. Likely, he couldn’t tell which of the apprentices I was, since I wore a hood over my head. Nevertheless, it meant a lot to me that he and the others had trusted me with such an important part of the plan.

The royal family guided the priests, me included, into the gardens. The rest of the guests were already gathered there. Naturally, most of the people here were strangers to me, but I did catch sight of Victor and Larue in the crowd. They couldn’t tell where I was either, but even so, having Merlinians in this place filled with so many people different from me helped calm me down.

The high priest gestured for all of the apprentices to position themselves in a circle. I stood at his right, while the apprentice carrying the crown stood at the priest’s left.

At last, all the preparations for the wedding were complete, and the engaged couple entered the gardens. Time seemed to stop as I watched Medwin approach, hand in hand with Anelah, the supposed Morgannian princess. He was so handsome in his official uniform, the material fitting him like a glove, emphasizing his athletic body and making his eyes glow even greener. His dark-blond hair seemed so soft that I wanted to reach out and touch it. And all the while, he was completely focused on Anelah, on the witch he was supposed to marry.

I clutched the chalice in my hands so tightly its indentations dug into my palm. I didn’t know why I even cared about it, but I did, much more than I’d have liked. I remembered that one time we had seen each other, how our eyes had met, the depth of the emotion I had seen there. It was that memory that had led me here, the promise of that something I had seen in his gaze. I couldn’t really understand it, because even then, he hadn’t approached me in any way that could have been considered affectionate. And yet, seeing him with someone else hurt.

But this wasn’t about me, not at all. Whether or not Medwin had felt the same thing I had, I needed to help him, to free him from the witch’s clutches.

As Medwin and Anelah finally stepped into the circle we had created. The High Priest dropped his hood and started the ceremony with what I guessed was a traditional chant. “We gather here to celebrate the union of these young souls. As the gods and the Great Father watch over us this day, may their hearts forever be one.”

If I wanted to be perfectly honest, I didn’t know when I was supposed to throw the pixie dust at Anelah. I hated the way he was looking at her, but I feared that, if I acted rashly, I would ruin the whole plan.

As it turned out, I didn’t have time to agonize over my course of action. The witch—damn her—seemed to be experiencing some sort of trouble with holding her spells in check. She twitched slightly, and, as if on cue, Medwin asked, “Could we rush this along?”

The High Priest must have been shocked, but he didn’t question his prince, and neither did anyone else. My head started spinning and my muscles froze as the cleric asked, “Prince Medwin, son of King Ralph Theodore the Fourth and Queen Sedonia of Arthuria, do you take this woman to be your companion in all things, from this day henceforth?”

I wanted him to say no. I wanted that memory which had brought me here to have left the same impact on him as it had on me. But I couldn’t hope for that sort of thing to defeat a witch’s spell. It was simply not possible.

And then, just as I expected him to agree, Medwin frowned and hesitated. From my standpoint, I could see the struggle in him, the instinctive knowledge that he wasn’t doing the right thing.

As the cleric tried to make Medwin react, Anelah clutched his arm like a claw, her magic flowing into Medwin. At that, I finally snapped out of my trance. Taking a step forward, I threw the pixie dust at the witch.

Chaos exploded all around us. Medwin drew his sword, ready to attack me, but I dropped my hood. It was all a huge gamble, and something I didn’t fully feel ready for. But I wanted him to see me, to look into my eyes and realize that I was only trying to help.

Medwin froze when he got a good glimpse of my face. His sword fell out of his hand and onto the grass. He seemed to have trouble processing what was going on, but a desperate plea glittered in his eyes. “You…I…”

With the corner of my eyes, I caught sight of the witch trying to reach for me. Another figure got in the way, giving me the chance to do what I’d wanted from the very beginning.

I rushed to Medwin’s side and kissed his cheek. It was a far more daring step than I myself expected to make, but I couldn’t help it. “It’s all right now,” I told him. “You don’t have to be alone anymore.”

Technically speaking, he had never been alone, not like I had. He had grown up in a loving family, surrounded by siblings, parents, and servants who cared for him. But there was just something about him, some sort of vulnerability that seemed to mimic my own.

Perhaps I’d gotten that right, because Medwin slumped in my arms, unconscious. I would have been concerned, and a part of me truly was, but my rational side reminded me that the spell Anelah had cast on Medwin had truly taken a toll on him. It was a testament to his true strength that he’d even managed to push it back instead of plunging into the marriage like she’d undoubtedly willed him to.

I held him closely, petting his hair, distantly registering what was happening to Anelah. The Fairy Godfather, who had appeared while I’d been busy with Medwin, had just turned her into a pixie-sized creature. Undoubtedly, all of her spells and curses would be lifted, just like we had hoped. Nevertheless, she glowered at me, and I tensed, ready to protect myself and Medwin if need be. At the last moment, the witch seemed to realize she was outnumbered and stopped her spell.

I wanted to avenge Medwin, to make the witch pay for her crimes. But right now, the best and only thing I truly craved was to be by Medwin’s side, and so, I didn’t attack her like a part of me would have liked.

I received my reward when, at last, Medwin started to open his eyes. In the background, I could hear the Arthurian king rant and rave at Anelah, but I could only focus on Medwin.

“Hi,” I whispered. “How are you doing?”

Medwin didn’t immediately reply. He reached for my face with trembling fingers, as if he couldn’t quite believe I was there. “Rapunzel?” he asked.

I nodded. “Yes. But you didn’t answer my question. How are you feeling?”

As I spoke, my knot finally surrendered to the inevitable and came undone, my hair tumbling down in a curtain of gold. Medwin blinked in shock, but instead of replying to my inquiry, he swept his fingers over my locks.

The touch was soft, almost reverent, and it made me shiver with pleasure. Heat pooled into my belly, and my skin sizzled with something I didn’t dare identify. Much to my dismay, I found something hardening at my crotch.

That had happened several times before, and my father had assured me that it was a normal reaction, but one I nevertheless needed to control as a chaste maiden. Gasping, I pulled away from Medwin. I could only hope that he hadn’t noticed it, because if he had, he would undoubtedly deem me shameless.

For a few moments, I didn’t even dare to look his way, but then, I remembered that my sensibilities weren’t what mattered here. I’d come to help him, and as much as my behavior embarrassed me, I had to focus on making sure that he recovered after the spell Anelah had cast on him.

As I lifted my eyes, I found Medwin scanning me with a small, concerned smile. “Are you all right?” Medwin inquired.

I smiled back and struggled to get up. “Fine, Prince Medwin.” I didn’t miss the fact that he hadn’t addressed his own condition, focusing on my own. That simply would not do. I might not have known much about magic, but I did realize all too well how hard it was for someone to overcome such a heavy spell.

Perhaps Kirril realized it, too, because he turned his attention to me. “Rapunzel, would you help my brother to his room?” Kirril asked.

All eyes turned to me, and for the first time, I remembered I wasn’t wearing my veil. It wasn’t necessarily Kirril who represented the problem. I’d actually grown accustomed to him. Since he was a dragon’s mate, he had accepted me openly and had actually agreed to give me his beloved magical mare. However, there were so many people here, and each and every one of them could see my face. Magda wasn’t around like before—after all, she was only a mare and couldn’t be present. As a consequence, I completely panicked.

My knees went weak, and I could no longer hold myself up. I fell back, but before I could hit the ground, Medwin lunged forward and caught me.

He didn’t seem to have any trouble whatsoever with holding me up, even if I was the one who should have been stronger. “Thank you, brother,” Medwin said. “I think Rapunzel will do that.”

I clutched the material of Medwin’s uniform and hid my face with my hair. Sometimes, it paid to have long locks, because they shielded me in spite of the absence of my veil. Granted, Medwin was obviously not used to carrying people with such rich tresses, because he tripped and almost dropped me. By some miracle, I managed to pull my locks back just in time, avoiding a total disaster. He quickly recovered and stalked out of the garden, carrying me into the palace.

At this point, I didn’t know whether to laugh, cry, or be absurdly relieved. I couldn’t say anything, because when we were away from other people, I became focused on his proximity, on his heat, on the way his arms held me so protectively, so close.

It shouldn’t have been this way. I should be the one tending to him, not the other way around. But I couldn’t bring myself to break out of his embrace. As much as I hated to admit it, the tower my father had kept me in was likely the only place I felt safe in. Yes, it had been lonely, with my father visiting once every few weeks. But I’d gotten used to it, and even in Merlinia, I had yet to find another haven.

But in Medwin’s arms, I felt sheltered. Even if I didn’t have my regular clothes to hide behind, I found my fear subsiding. Was this how it felt to be swept off one’s feet by a handsome prince? I hadn’t come here expecting that, but the thought definitely made me hopeful.

I was snapped out of my thoughts when Medwin veered off the corridor and into a room. “These are my quarters,” he explained as he placed me on a low settee. “No one is going to bother us here.”

I blinked in surprise and looked around a bit. True enough, I’d been brought to a lavishly decorated chamber, filled with bookshelves and objects of art. There were so many books in the area that my hands itched to browse them all. But that would have to wait, because displaying such curiosity was almost as inappropriate as being alone with a man.

I bit my lip, unsure of how to explain my wariness. I wasn’t actually afraid of Medwin. In the end, I’d come here for him. But I was a chaste maiden, and there were some strict rules I had been taught.

As if guessing my thoughts, Medwin sat on the other side of the couch, leaving a good distance between us. “It’s all right. I won’t hurt you. I only want to talk.”

Talk. Okay, I could do that, if I managed to hear what he had to say over the sound of my own racing heart. Shaking myself, I said, “I apologize profusely for my gaffe.”

“Your gaffe?” he repeated inquiringly. “What exactly did you do wrong?”

“I panicked,” I admitted. “I have never been around such a large crowd of people and…well, I really didn’t know how to handle it.”

Before I knew what was going on, Medwin reached for my hand and kissed it. I froze. Truly, I should have retracted my hand. I should have fled the room. That was what any maiden who respected her chastity would have done. But I didn’t. Instead, I just sat there, meeting his hypnotic green eyes, my face flaming and my body once more buzzing with that strange awareness.

Eventually, Medwin released my hand, and I held my now-free palm to my chest. “Rapunzel,” Medwin said seriously, “I realize that we barely know each other, but from the very first moment I saw you…How can I explain this? I am completely and utterly enraptured with your beauty and your courage. I understand that our current circumstances don’t encourage you to trust my affection, and for that reason, I’d like to humbly plead for you to stay in Camelot for a little while, so that I may convince you of the honesty of my intentions.”

I hadn’t actually considered what would happen after the wedding. My plan had ended the moment of Anelah’s capture. Sure enough, I didn’t want to abandon him before I was sure he’d fully recovered, but that really had very little to do with what he was saying.

“Prince Medwin,” I whispered, “I don’t know what to say.”

The entire day had been so strenuous. I had doubted myself, my ability to help him, my true chances to get past my fear of people and sneak into the palace. I wanted to stay at Medwin’s side, but could I do so?

“Say yes,” Medwin insisted. “I’m not asking for anything, just for some time with you.”

It was a dream come true, something that seemed torn from the books I’d read as a child. But my father had taken those books away from me. Likely, he wouldn’t be impressed once he realized I’d fled the tower. So far, he’d shown no sign that he’d learned about my rebelliousness, but that didn’t mean this state of affairs would continue.

Upon my hesitation, Medwin quickly added, “I know I’m not very impressive. I’m not like my brothers who are such amazing warriors. But if you’d give me the chance, I’d like to prove to you that I can be as reliable as them.”

The dejection in his voice instantly made me react. “That’s not it,” I replied quickly, “far from it. I would never consider you unreliable.”

“What is it then? Is it because I’m a man?” Medwin groaned and passed a hand through his hair. “Of course. Gods, I’m such an idiot. I’m sorry. I just assumed that…Well, that your preference would suit mine.”

I shot him a confused glance. “I don’t understand. Why wouldn’t it? Why would you being a man represent a problem? You are a prince, and I am a maiden. Isn’t that what this entire conversation is about?”

Medwin stared at me, and I stared back. “Rapunzel. You do realize that you are male?”

Magda had told me that before, countless of times, but I had trouble believing it. After all, if I’d been a man, my father would have told me so. Then again, I had long ago felt that something wasn’t quite right, but I couldn’t confirm my suspicions one way or another. Even the way my body had responded to Medwin…Was that something that would happen to a woman or a man?

I felt so stupid at not understanding something so basic about myself. By rights, I should have been able to grasp the answer just by comparing my own body with that of other people, but for some reason, my mind couldn’t process it.

“I…I don’t really know.” I bit my lower lip and wiped my suddenly sweaty palms against the material of my robes. Embarrassed at my own foolishness, I blurted out, “My father always told me I was a girl. He kept me alone in a tower, and I haven’t really been around other people so much. That’s why I’m worried that he’ll come after me and maybe hurt you. You’ve just had a spell cast over you, and you haven’t even allowed yourself to recover. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

For a few moments, the prince just looked at me, and then, he suddenly pulled me into his arms, hugging me tightly. “It’s all right, Rapunzel,” he whispered in my ear. “Nothing’s going to happen to me, or to you. I’ll protect you.”

And in that moment, as he held me close, I could truly believe that.

Chapter Two:

In Which the Prince Makes Plans to Woo the Maiden

Arthuria had survived and held its own against its neighbors Morganna and Merlinia for one very simple reason. We were warriors, renowned for our physical prowess and strong physique. Or at least, we were supposed to be. The occasional oddball did appear, although it had never happened in the royal family. Until me.

Even if I was the middle son, I’d always been the bookworm. Oh, I’d received plenty of training in all weapons disciplines, and in that respect, the sword master had found in me both a challenge and a more than willing pupil. I could hold my own in hand-to-hand combat, although not against my brothers.

True enough, my strengths lay in other fields. I’d always been good with numbers, castle management, politics, and organization. I’d been the responsible one, and more than once, I’d kept our tutors and our parents from getting too frustrated with my brothers. Perhaps it was for that reason that my family had never really pushed me into any further physical training. My role had already been decided. I was to be Leonard’s advisor in all domestic and foreign matters, just like Kirril was supposed to become the leader of our armies.

But Kirril was gone now, having found an unexpected romance in a Merlinian dragon, out of all things. And now, it was my turn to fall for a Merlinian.

Perhaps it wasn’t so surprising in my case. I’d always been fascinated by magic, which could be one of the reasons why I’d made such an easy target for Anelah. However, my current obsession was very different from that blasted witch. Indeed, Rapunzel had me well and utterly enchanted, but through entirely different means. His shyness was charming and endearing and stirred a protectiveness inside me that I’d never felt before. I wanted to become stronger for him, to be worthy of the leap of faith he’d taken when he’d come into Camelot for me. I wanted to get to know him better, in every possible way.

It wasn’t easy. Rapunzel’s Merlinian friends lingered in Camelot after my failed wedding, making it hard for me and my beautiful love to be alone. I couldn’t begrudge them that, and in a way, it was better that way, because they made it easier for Rapunzel to relax and get accustomed to Camelot. Still, a selfish part of me would have liked to have Rapunzel all to myself.

Fortunately, Rapunzel’s friends encouraged our budding relationship, so we still got plenty of time together. In fact, the morning after my aborted nuptials, they helped me plan for an outing with Rapunzel.

Sadly, the same way I wasn’t brilliant at swordplay, I had absolutely no experience with romance. I’d never been particularly interested in it, and while I’d my own fair share of bed mates, they didn’t qualify as real relationships.

This was why, at daybreak, I found myself sneaking into the stables. It should have been a little silly, but I needed advice, even if it did come from an animal.

I found Magda in her stall, the same one she’d always had when she had belonged to Kirril. She neighed at me when she saw me approach. “I had a feeling you’d show up.”

Magda had always fascinated me. She originated from Morganna and, as such, she had some magic of her own. For quite a while, I’d been secretly jealous of Kirril for owning her, but now, I couldn’t be happier it had turned out that way, because otherwise, I might not have met Rapunzel.

“I was that obvious, huh?” I asked as I offered her a carrot.

She munched happily on the treat, then nodded in a distinctively equine manner. “Well, I did notice that you were smitten with him ever since you two first met, and you aren’t exactly known for your romantic side, so I just drew the natural conclusion from there.”

It was a little frustrating that a mare—no matter how magical she was—could read me so well. However, if she could help, I couldn’t care less. “Magda, you know Rapunzel better than anyone here. Can you tell me about him? What does he like? What does he hate? What can I do to make him more comfortable with me?”

“Well, what you need to understand is that Rapunzel is a complex person. He’s painfully shy, but at the same time, he wants to know the world. He’s afraid of strangers, but he’s a naturally warm and friendly person. In a way, he’s like a flower that didn’t receive enough light or water and is struggling to survive.”

I understood what she meant all too well. When Rapunzel had told me about the way he’d grown up, I’d been both gobsmacked and furious. Clenching my jaw, I recalled how upset Rapunzel had been the day before just at the idea that his father might come after me.

Taking a deep breath, I pushed back that anger and focused on the conversation. “Yes, I noticed that. I was thinking of taking him out for a ride in the forests outside Camelot.”

If Magda had been human, she’d have likely arched a brow. As it was, she just stared at me. “A ride?” she repeated, her voice filled with innuendo.

“Not like that!” I exclaimed with a groan. I had to admit that the thought had crossed my mind, but I knew better than to treat Rapunzel like that. “Gods, Magda, you’re going to be the death of me.”

Magda snorted. “It’s not like you don’t want to do it. Men are just animals, after all. But be very careful, Prince Medwin. Rapunzel still doesn’t understand himself, let alone his sexuality. You’re going to have to be extremely patient in that regard.”

“I know,” I answered, “but for Rapunzel, I’m willing to wait as long as it takes. In any case, I was thinking of getting him a present. Would it be too soon? What should I get?”

Before Magda could reply, I heard footsteps behind me. I turned, only to see my mother enter the stables. Naturally, her presence surprised me. True enough, she enjoyed riding as much as any other Arthurian woman, but she never came here so early in the morning.

“You’re certainly very dedicated,” she commented without preamble.

So this was how it would be like. I couldn’t say it shocked me, because, in the end, my parents’ unease was more than justified.

“Greetings, Your Majesty,” I said with a bow. “And yes, I suppose I am.”

My mother sighed as she walked to my side. “Are you sure about this, Medwin? Just yesterday, you were planning to marry someone else. And this person, this Rapunzel, also has magic. How do you know he didn’t cast a spell on you, too?”

My parents had first met Rapunzel the same day I had, under somewhat unfortunate circumstances. At the time, they’d been close to starting a war with Merlinia on account of Kirril’s relationship with Dineiro. I had expected that episode to somewhat taint their perspective, but it really had nothing to do with Rapunzel, and I refused to allow it to stand in my way.

“I appreciate your concern, Mother,” I answered, “but truly, there is no reason for it. Rapunzel is very different from Anelah, and believe me, at this point, I’d be able to tell if I was under a spell or not.”

“Would you?” My mother gripped my shoulder. “I don’t think magic works that way, Medwin. After all, you couldn’t tell before.”

“Perhaps you’re right, but I snapped out of it because of Rapunzel,” I shot back.

“Tell me this, then. I gather that you’re planning on courting Rapunzel. If he were to say yes to you today, would you marry him?”

The inquiry took me off guard. It was a trick question if I’d ever heard one. But even with that knowledge, I couldn’t deny what I felt was so true and real. “Of course,” I replied without missing a beat. “I suppose…I suppose love has its own brand of magic.”

My mother released an exasperated sound. “Medwin…”

I lifted my hands before she could start to rant at me. “In any case, it’s a moot point. I have no intention of jumping into things, because Rapunzel isn’t ready for it. We’ll take it slow, and then you’ll see that I’m right.”

My mother didn’t look convinced, but finally nodded. “I see I can’t persuade you to give up on this. Nevertheless, it is a relief for me that you don’t plan on rushing. Taking that into account, why are you asking for advice from a mare? I’m your mother. Ask me. Or if you’re uncomfortable with that, ask your father or your brothers.”

“Well, I came to Magda because she knows Rapunzel best. I want this to work, Mother. I want to make Rapunzel feel at home.”

To my surprise, my mother smiled. “Then, my dear boy, don’t take shortcuts. Get him a gift from the heart. It might not work out from the very beginning, but part of the beauty of love is getting over those little awkward moments, when you’re not quite sure what the other person is thinking, but when you desperately want to know. I’m sure that your chosen one will understand.”

It was a relief that for us, same-sex unions weren’t a problem. I’d heard from Kirril that he’d traveled through magic to a place where people looked down on such relationships. As it was, I only had to worry about the fact that I was an Arthurian and Rapunzel a Merlinian. That obstacle would be easy to surpass. Not.

But all of that was irrelevant, really, because I had no intentions of ever letting go of Rapunzel. Grateful for my mother’s advice, I said, “Thank you, Mother. I will.”

After bowing to her, I pet Magda’s head and whispered a thank-you to her, too. As I left the stables, I already started to formulate a plan. After all, plans were my strong point. I would handle this the same way I did my work on the finances of the kingdom. Systematically.

Rapunzel had trouble with his gender identity, and that was an obstacle in our relationship. He considered certain things correct, and in that respect, I needed to treat him like I would a princess. At the same time, though, I had to make sure I got him accustomed to his true self.

As I walked back toward the palace, I mused over the present I intended to give him. I wanted to shower him with flowers and with jewelry, but would that really be a gift from the heart? What did Rapunzel truly crave? We might not have spent too much time together, but I could tell Rapunzel wasn’t a person to swoon that much over expensive gems.

On the other hand, I remembered the way my beautiful love’s eyes had lit up when he’d seen the books in my room. A book. Rapunzel craved and needed knowledge, and I was the perfect person to give him that.

With renewed enthusiasm, I headed toward my quarters once again and started to browse the shelves. I selected two items. One was a Morgannian romantic ballad about two people in love, one hailing from Arthuria and the other from Morganna. The work was very old, but had been quite famous for tackling a subject that few people would have dared to approach. Sadly, Arthurian poets didn’t create the sort of art that would convey my feelings for Rapunzel, but this would do perfectly. I’d acquired it long before I even met Anelah from a merchant of rare volumes. For whatever reason, it had called out to me, even if I didn’t regularly buy poetry. Now, I knew why.

The second book was an encyclopedia of Arthuria. It had been the first ever book I’d received as a gift from my father, when I’d been only five. I had spent hours on end reading it, avidly taking in the information. Even now, when I got melancholic, I would browse through the well-worn pages. It was a tome I loved, and I wanted Rapunzel to have it.

More ideas for other presents came to me as I rummaged through my personal library, but I decided to take it slow. It wouldn’t do to overwhelm my beautiful love from the very first day.

I wrapped the two books in a length of silk and left my room. It was early still, but by now, the castle was bustling with activity. I realized I wasn’t sure if Rapunzel was inclined to sleep in or wake up at dawn. There were so many things I didn’t know about him, and I craved to learn them all.

Fortunately for me, the solution to my problem came when I ran into my older brother Leonard. He gave me one single look and said, “If you’re looking for Rapunzel, he’s in the gardens.”

I didn’t ask how he knew that. Leonard had his own personal network of spies, one which I myself made regular use of. It was a testament to the true extent of my distraction that I hadn’t called upon them when I’d first woken up.

“Thank you, brother,” I told him. After a small moment of hesitation, I asked, “Do you require something of me?”

“Actually, I do,” Leonard replied. My heart fell, since I’d been looking forward to setting my plan into motion, but I couldn’t refuse him. After all, I realized all too well that Anelah’s actions could very well affect the tenuous truce between Arthuria and Morganna. I’d been directly involved in the entire matter, so I couldn’t wiggle free of it for the purpose of romancing my beautiful love.

Just as I resigned myself to this, Leonard elaborated on his previous words. “I require you to find Rapunzel and spend the day looking into his eyes—like you probably intended.”

He said the words with such a straight face, that for a few moments, they didn’t even process. When I managed to gather my composure, I inquired, “But don’t you need me to do some damage control in the issue with the witch?”

“Kirril will help me while he’s still here. I’m taking advantage of his temporary presence to learn from his knowledge of Merlinia.”

“I should be the one doing that,” I replied, arching a brow.

“And undoubtedly, you will, but in a different way. Besides, you needn’t worry about politics right now. You’ve gone through a very difficult episode, and you need to rest and recover.”

Truth be told, I didn’t feel any worse for the wear. I should have experienced some sort of backslash from the spell that had unraveled, but Rapunzel’s presence gave me a focus that made Anelah’s actions irrelevant. No wonder my mother was worried. Likely, she thought I was jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire.

Normally, I would have refused such a generous offer from Leonard’s part, since I acknowledged and accepted my duties as an Arthurian prince. However, I could all too easily imagine the picture Leonard’s words had created in my head—Rapunzel and me sitting close to each other, his lovely blue eyes wide as I crossed the distance separating them and pressed my mouth to his.

Shaking myself, I said, “Thank you, brother. I appreciate this.”

Leonard just patted my shoulder. “There’s no need for you to thank me. The Great Father only knows how many times you got me and Kirril out of trouble. Now, go claim your love.”

The words sounded a little strange when coming from my stoic brother, but they also showed just how much trust he had in me. I wish I felt as sure as him that I would succeed. But I’d never been one to give up easily, or at all. I nodded at my brother, thanked him again, and pushed past him, heading toward the gardens.

Most of the decorations that had adorned the castle for my wedding had already been taken down. Some remained in place, likely because we had so many guests. Not to mention that my parents were probably expecting a visit from the Morgannian sovereigns. It wouldn’t be right now, but it would certainly happen.

But I couldn’t worry about that, not when the anticipation of seeing Rapunzel filled me so utterly, and certainly not when I saw Rapunzel standing in the center of the garden, leaning over a rose bush and gently caressing the petals of one of the blooms. I had a vision of him doing the same thing to my dick, and quickly squashed it down.

He turned toward me as I approached, and I noticed he was wearing clothes similar to the ones I remembered from our meeting in Merlinia. I felt a pang of regret at the fact that a veil now covered his lovely face, but I made no comment. Instead, I said, “Good morning, Lord Stiltskin.”

As I spoke, I bowed and tentatively reached for his hand. I didn’t rush, allowing him the time to pull away if he so desired.

He didn’t, and I took advantage of the provided opportunity to kiss his hand. In spite of the veil, I noticed the charming blush that rose to his cheeks. My cock hardened as I imagined pulling off his clothes and investigating whether that blush advanced over his entire body. This was going to be far harder than I’d expected.

I cleared my throat and released his hand. “You look lovely today,” I continued honestly.

“Thank you, Prince Medwin,” he answered. “Please, call me Rapunzel. And how are you feeling?”

“I am well, thank you, but I have been instructed to rest today. I was hoping you would consent to be my companion through this tedious process.”

“I would love to,” Rapunzel said quickly. Then, he hesitated, as if he’d just remembered something. I realized he was probably worried about the two of us being alone, and proceeded with the first step of my plan A, the idea I’d come up with even before meeting with Magda.

“I was thinking that, after breakfast, I could show you around Camelot. Maybe, if you’d rather, we can visit the outskirts. You could ride Magda if you’d like.”

“That sounds great,” Rapunzel answered, now sounding quite enthusiastic. I knew that having Magda around as a chaperone of sorts would make him more comfortable with me as we struggled to get accustomed to each other.

“I also have a present for you,” I said, offering him the package with the books.

He released a soft gasp. “You…you shouldn’t have,” he said, his hands trembling as he took the gift from me. “We’ve just met.”

“That might be true,” I replied, “but I feel like I’ve known you forever. And I want you to get to know me. Open it.”

Rapunzel unwrapped the silk around the two volumes and stared at them. I bit the inside of my cheek, wondering if in the end, I’d fucked up with my choice of a present. I decided to explain my reasoning. “I noticed yesterday that you seemed interested in my books, and I wanted to give you something that you would like. The ballad…Well, it’s purely because of my romantic feelings toward you. I bought it years before without really knowing why. I just felt I had to have it. The encyclopedia is a gift from my father, and I used it a lot growing up. I thought it might be of use to you, since Arthuria must seem so strange in your eyes.”

Rapunzel gasped at my words. “I can’t accept this,” he whispered brokenly. “They mean so much to you.”

I just smiled and kissed his hand once again. “And that’s exactly why I gifted them to you. Like you said, we are largely strangers, but I think that through these tomes, you can have an idea of how I am like.”

“I wish I could give you something back,” Rapunzel murmured under his breath.

“You already give me more than you know,” I replied. “Now, will you do me the honor to accept my present?”

In response, Rapunzel clutched the books tightly to his chest. “Yes. Yes, thank you so much.”

Chapter Three:

In Which Plan A is All Abuzz

Breakfast with the Arthurian royal family was, for lack of a better word, strange. At all times, I remained aware of all the eyes watching me. It was uncomfortable to eat with my veil still on, and I should have been in a panic. Instead, I felt like I was floating.

In the past, my father had showered me with presents. I’d always received everything I’d needed, but the one thing he had kept from me had been books. From that moment when I’d started asking questions, books had been forbidden in my tower.

This was the second gift I had received from a person other than my father. The first one had been Magda, and to this day, I felt profoundly grateful to Kirril for his generosity. From an objective point of view, this second one might have seemed like it had a lesser value, but it touched me as much as Kirril’s had, or perhaps more.

Was it because these tomes held the secret to Medwin’s heart? Did I deem them so precious because they had come from Medwin, or simply due to the fact that he’d seen what I’d most wanted? I didn’t know, but regardless, all throughout my meal, I held the volumes close.

Medwin and his brothers kept up a steady flow of conversation, preventing any sort of awkward silence. Victor Frankenstein and his mate, Larue, also made sure I was never put in a strange position. I appreciated their kindness, especially since it allowed me to hover on my little cloud of happiness.

Of course, at one point, the Arthurian sovereigns decided they’d allowed me enough time to relax. “Tell us about yourself, Rapunzel,” King Ralph Theodore said. “What is it that you like to do?”

To my embarrassment, I found I didn’t really have an answer to that. There were only so many things one could choose for a hobby when trapped in a tower, and none had really captured my attention. But there had been one pastime I had truly enjoyed, before it had been taken from me. “I like to read, Your Majesty,” I replied after a pause that sounded too long to my ears.

“Ah, then you’re well suited to Medwin,” Kirril said with a grin. “My brother’s always been quite the scholar.”

I noticed Queen Sedonia frown in Kirril’s direction. She didn’t approve of me, then? I supposed that made sense. I was, after all, Merlinian, and her son had just passed through a bad experience with magic-induced romance.

As if guessing my thoughts, she turned toward me with a small, tight smile. “I’m curious about your magic. How exactly does it work?”

“Well…I must admit I’m not a very good spell caster.” I laughed lightly. “I never truly had the chance to learn. But more often than not, I just will things to happen and hope for the best. Usually, my hair acts as a conduit for my magic.”

“Ah, so that’s why it’s so long,” she commented. “I was wondering if you’d chosen this particular hairstyle as a personal quirk, or if it had some other meaning.”

Actually, the reasons behind it had been purely practical. I’d tried to cut it once or twice, but I had no tools for it in the tower. The one time I’d attempted it through magic, I’d nearly ended up bald, and had only escaped this cruel fate through my father’s intervention. And so, I had just stopped trying, and my tresses had ended up like an untamable mane.

But Queen Sedonia undoubtedly didn’t care about all those details. “I suppose it’s a little of both,” I replied.

She hummed thoughtfully, but said nothing else. I would have been a little uncomfortable, but Medwin intervened, smiling at me. “I have to say that Kirril is quite correct in that I’m a scholar. I’d love to learn more about magic. Perhaps you could teach me, Rapunzel. Or…we could learn together.”

For some reason, the way Medwin said those words, they sounded like a sensual promise, not simply a comment about our shared desire for knowledge. I blushed and nodded. “I’d like that.”

I wondered if I was reading too much into it, if perhaps I was mistaken in my assumption that he desired me quite to that extent. A part of me wanted to just leave aside all sensibilities and see where my natural pull toward him guided me, but I was still a little anxious. It would be better if we got to know each other more slowly. Right?

After breakfast, we said our good-byes to the rest of the Arthurian royal family and left the palace together. He took my arm and guided me toward the stables. “I hope you understood Mother’s comment in the spirit in which it was meant,” he said.

“I did understand,” I replied. “She is worried, and rightly so. I’m worried myself. Are you sure you’ve recovered enough to leave the palace?”

Medwin chuckled. “Arthurians are a stout people, and I have quite the incentive to forget about the fiasco with Anelah.”

I winced, having originally wanted to avoid the topic of the witch altogether. Now that he had approached the matter, though, I couldn’t help but ask, “It doesn’t bother you?”

“Of course it does,” he replied. “I wish I had been stronger. I wish I could have kept her from taking hold of me. I didn’t, and you were forced to carry a burden you should have never have had to bear.” His voice grew almost fierce. “But that isn’t going to happen again. I promise.”

The intensity of his gaze made me shiver, but not because of fear. Rather, I found that I wanted him to touch me. I wanted to feel his arms around me again, to experience that sensation of safety he had given me yesterday. Perhaps I would have actually reached for him, but I didn’t get the chance. We reached the stables and found Magda and another horse already saddled. I carefully packed my books in Magda’s saddlebag and mounted her with ease.

I actually didn’t have a lot of experience with riding. Before I’d met Magda, I had never even seen a horse in my life. However, I’d taken to it quite naturally. It frustrated me that I had to ride sidesaddle, but what kind of maiden would I be if I didn’t do that? Not to mention that my garments weren’t exactly designed for anything different. In fact, the few bags I’d brought along in my journey barely provided me with enough clothing for the next few days. That could turn out to be a problem, but I’d find some way to deal with the issue later. Right now, I just wanted to enjoy being with Medwin. The rest could wait.

“We won’t go far,” Medwin explained as he mounted his own horse. “This close to Camelot, there are always patrols that make it safe for travelers, but if we ventured further, we’d have to take guards.”

I smiled at him—even if he probably couldn’t see it through my veil. “I’m sure everything will be fine.”

We rode out of the palace courtyard and into the city. It was still early, but already, Camelot was filled with people advertising their wares or going about their daily business. All of them greeted Medwin with enthusiasm and gave me curious looks. Medwin nodded back, but didn’t stop, and soon, we were out of Camelot and into the forests beyond the Arthurian capital.

I’d passed through these forests before, when I’m made my way into Camelot. Back then, I’d been too frightened and worried to appreciate it. Now, though, I could fully take in the simple beauty of the Arthurian landscape. It was very different from Merlinian woods, but it still had that same purity that could be found only in nature.

Medwin seemed to be heading in a particular direction, so I asked, “Where are we going?”

“There’s a spot I used to go to a lot as a child,” Medwin explained. “After my lessons, I’d always go there and read. My brothers are the only ones who know about it, although they rarely, if ever, come with me.”

“You love them a lot, don’t you?” I inquired with a small smile.

Medwin nodded. “We’re quite close, and our skills have always complemented each other. We’ve always had our roles firmly set in place. Of course, that’s changed now, with Kirril leaving Camelot.”

I couldn’t help but note the hint of sadness in Medwin’s voice. “It must have been hard for you to have Kirril gone.”

“Yes and no,” Medwin replied, shooting a glance my way. “It isn’t what I expected, but how can I blame him for it, when I know exactly how he feels?”

His smile made my heart race, and I quickly looked away before he could realize what thoughts he had stirred in my mind. He made no comment of it, and instead said, “Come. It’s not much further.”

He directed his horse to go a little faster. Magda followed his pace without too much instruction from me, and soon, we reached a lovely clearing, where a small waterfall created a natural pond.

I gasped at the tiny corner of heaven Medwin had showed me. “It’s beautiful,” I whispered as I dismounted.

“Like you,” Medwin murmured back in a nearly inaudible voice. I almost thought I’d heard wrong, because he quickly changed the subject. “It’s a very private spot. You can even take a dip in the pond if you like.”

It was tempting, but I couldn’t exactly disrobe, not with Medwin there. “Maybe later,” I replied, unable to fully hide my disappointment.

“Of course,” Medwin answered as he got off his own horse. “Don’t worry about it. We have plenty of time.” Obviously guessing the reasons behind my refusal, he added, “If my presence makes you uncomfortable, I assure you I’ll be a complete gentleman. I’ll even close my eyes.”

He tied both Magda and his steed to a nearby tree, giving me time to muse over his suggestion. When he turned toward me again, he explained, “I don’t want to push you. I simply mean to show you some of the things you might have missed.”

“Thank you,” I replied, looking down in embarrassment. “It’s just…I want to be different, to learn, but…everything is still so new.”

“That’s why we’re here, to get accustomed to each other.” Medwin retrieved a satchel from his saddlebag. I watched with interest as he placed a blanket on the grass and even retrieved what looked like supplies from the satchel. As he sat down, he patted the spot next to him. “Come. Sit with me.”

I complied and carefully positioned myself next to Medwin. The blanket was large enough to allow a good distance between the two of us, something which I appreciated. It showed that Medwin understood and accepted my limits, and I could trust him not to push me into something I wasn’t ready for.

Perhaps it was for that reason that I found myself leaning against my handsome prince. He jumped, but then relaxed and wrapped his arm around my shoulders. “Do you believe in love at first sight, Rapunzel?” he asked me.

“You know I do,” I replied. “Otherwise I wouldn’t be here now.”

His hold on me tightened, and his breath caught. I might not have told him outright that I loved him, but my words were certainly enough to convey my true feelings. Because I really did love him. I didn’t know when and why it had started, but from the very moment I’d seen him, I’d known he was truly my soul mate.

From this point on, our affection for each other could only grow. I had come here for him, to help him, and yet, somehow, he’d turned the tables on me. Already, he’d started to show me such unselfish attention that I didn’t even know how I could repay him.

I decided to start right now. Since we were basically alone, with only Magda for company, there was no reason to hide my face. Decision made, I undid my veil and dropped it on the blanket. As we faced each other, I saw awestruck desire burn in his green eyes. His Adam’s apple bowed as he swallowed. He stared at my lips so intently that I expected he would kiss me any moment now. A kiss from Medwin. My first kiss. The idea frightened me a little, but it also filled me with sweet anticipation.

Much to my surprise, though, Medwin pulled away. He gestured for me to lie down on the blanket. “Just relax and close your eyes,” he told me. “Let me spoil you.”

Even knowing that a truly chaste maiden shouldn’t have allowed this kind of intimacy from the very first meeting, I did as I was told. I relaxed on the blanket, taking a few deep breaths to calm my racing heart. I wasn’t sure what Medwin had planned, but I knew he would never hurt me.

Of course, none of that really helped when Medwin removed my shoes. I released a small startled sound and opened my eyes. “Shh,” he told me, his gaze filled with worshipful affection as he scanned my face. “Trust me.”

His soft voice was like a caress that reached out to my very soul. I remembered the way he’d offered me the two books this morning, almost bashfully, like he’d expected a refusal. I recalled that first time he’d picked me up in his arms, when I’d panicked in the garden. Biting my lip, I closed my eyes once again.

His hands reached under my robe and slowly, ever so slowly, slid off my stockings. I shivered as his fingers touched my naked legs. That same feeling of desire pooled into my crotch, making a million confused sensations course through me. “Medwin,” I whispered.

“Shh,” Medwin repeated. “I’ll take care of you, my beautiful love.”

I might not have known much about what two people did when they were together, but I did understand that it implied both of them being nude. As such, I expected Medwin to do exactly that, to start taking the rest of my clothes off. If I wanted to be perfectly honest, I didn’t think I would have refused him if he had done so. But much to my surprise, he made no attempt to take things further. Instead, his hands traveled down my thighs and he just started to massage my feet.

While the act in itself seemed innocent enough, there was also something very private and sensual about it. His clever fingers found unexpected places on my soles, weeding out tension I hadn’t even known I was carrying.

It was also the first time any man touched me in such a way. Not even my father had done so, as he had always said it wouldn’t have been appropriate behavior toward a daughter. Medwin’s caresses were clearly those of a lover, but at the same time, they had a lazy, unrushed feel, not pushing me into anything I wasn’t ready for.

I became putty in Medwin’s talented hands, and a comfortable languor fell over me. I might have actually dozed off for a while, because when I came to, Medwin was laying by my side again, watching my face intently. “Hi,” he said, smiling.

“Hello,” I replied, my face flaming. “I’m sorry for falling asleep like that.”

Medwin chuckled and smoothed a lock of hair out of my face. “Don’t be. I got a peek of your beautiful sleeping face. I consider myself more than satisfied.”

How did he always know exactly what to say? How did he always manage to make me shiver with just a word? I looked at him with wide eyes. He was so close now that I could feel his breath on my cheek. Just a little closer and his lips would be on mine.

“Rapunzel,” Medwin murmured, “I…”

“Yes?” I prodded when he didn’t immediately reach for me.

The next thing I knew, Medwin climbed on top of me, his green eyes going almost dark with desire. “You’re so beautiful,” he said as he lifted the bottoms of my robes. “I want to touch you, to make you mine.”

Right then and there, that sounded like a brilliant idea. I wanted to touch him, too, to feel the stubble of his jaw with his fingers, to trace the lines of his body with my lips. From that point on, I really had no clue what would happen, but I did trust Medwin, no matter what.

I felt something hard poking my hip, and for whatever reason, I found myself rubbing against him. Medwin hissed, freezing on top of me like I’d struck him. Before I could even make myself ask what was wrong, he clenched his jaw and pulled away again.

As I lay there, watching him, a million thoughts coursed through my head. Mostly, I wondered whether Medwin despised me for being so open to his advances. It wasn’t very something very maidenly to do. But no, Medwin wouldn’t think such things, and truly, hadn’t we gone beyond rules of formality? Or had we? Maybe it was just wishful thinking on my part, to justify my own shameless nature and lack of self-restraint.

Finally, Medwin shot to his feet and spoke out, snapping me from my trance. “I’m sorry,” he said between gritted teeth, not looking at me. “I promised you I wouldn’t take things further until you were ready, but I almost lost it there.”

I couldn’t let my own foolish faults torture him like that. “It’s all right,” I said, getting up as well. I gripped his jaw and forced our eyes to meet. “I have no idea what I’m doing, but I do know one thing. Whatever this thing is that we have together, I want to explore it fully. I don’t want to be afraid anymore.”

With that said, I reached for my hair and undid it from its knot. My intention had been to show him another part of me which I knew he liked. He’d been fascinated with my hair the day before, and I wanted him to touch it again. I wouldn’t have called it a deliberately seductive move, but rather, my own willingness to give him everything that I was.

Sadly, my hair had other ideas. As it rolled to the ground in a heavy curtain, it struck the nearby tree. I grimaced, tossing my head slightly. After all, I didn’t want to have to pull twigs out of my tresses later on. Really, having long hair like this might have been practical for a person who was trapped in a tower, but not so much for regular folk, who actually moved around. I found that my damn hair kept snagging in the strangest of places, and if I continued to stay here in Arthuria, I’d have to come up with solution to this problem.

Alas, in my attempt to tame my mane, I ended up swishing it through the air like a whip. It collided with the tree, and in the process, it made a bees nest I hadn’t originally seen fall right on top of us.

Instantly, Medwin pushed me down and covered my body with his own. “Stay down,” he told me. “The bees are dangerous.”

I tried to summon my magic to push the bees away, but I simply couldn’t focus. With Medwin on top of me, I couldn’t even see them so that I could target them. Medwin winced whenever they stung him, and I desperately tried to create a shield around him. I only marginally succeeded to wrap my hair around him, but even that couldn’t fully protect him.

I distantly registered Magda neighing wildly in the background, but she was still tied to the tree, so she couldn’t help. Meanwhile, Medwin seemed to be fighting to break free from my hair, although I couldn’t understand why.

“The water,” Medwin finally whispered. “We have to get into the water.”

At last, I realized what he’d intended to do. I hid my face in his chest and willed my hair to release him. Mercifully, my damn mane complied. He shot to his feet, lifted me in his arms, and ran toward the pond, the bees right behind us.

Seconds later, he leapt into the water and hid us right under the falls. I gasped and clung to him, realizing for the first time—stupidly—that I couldn’t swim.

Fortunately, the water wasn’t deep, and the bees weren’t too insistent. And truly, once the threat vanished, I couldn’t help but notice the potential of the moment. Under the waterfall, Medwin seemed even closer. The sensual glide of the liquid rivulets over Medwin’s strong face made me want to cup his jaw, to brush my fingers over his full lips.

I was soaked to the bone, but that only made my clothes stick to my skin, almost eliminating the barrier of material between us. His hands clenched convulsively around my hips and he brought my face closer to his. “Rapunzel…”

“Medwin,” I whispered back, unable to get enough of looking at him. That was when I noticed it, the fact that Medwin’s lips were a little too full and his face was gaining a distinctively reddish color. “Medwin! Your face is swelling.”

Medwin blinked, having obviously not expected that. Already in a panic, I pulled away from him and started to drag him out of the waterfall. I might not have known a lot about the world, but I realized all too well that bee stings could be dangerous.

I had no idea what to do. I’d never been stung by a bee since my father had kept his domain free of any critter that could hurt me. “Magda!” I called out, climbing out of the pond. “Medwin is hurt.”

For his part, Medwin seemed pretty calm. “I’m fine, Rapunzel,” he said as I pulled him out of the water and frantically scanned his face. “Arthurian bees are an aggressive sort, but I just have to remove the stingers and the swelling will go away. Don’t worry. Arthurians are resilient to bee venom.”

Even as he spoke, Medwin retrieved a knife from his boot and started to scrape certain spots on his exposed arms, which I could only assume were the areas where he’d been stung. I was starting to feel a little light-headed, my mind whirling as Medwin’s words echoed through my brain. Venom? Oh, Goddess. Medwin could die. He might think that he could handle it, but he was still weak after struggling with Anelah’s spell. He could die.

“We’re going back to the palace, and you’re getting medical attention,” I said. “We have to hurry before it’s too late.”

Medwin opened his mouth, obviously meaning to protest. At the last moment, though, he seemed to think better of it. He peered closer at my face and scanned me from head to toe. Finally, he nodded. “All right. It’s for the best.”

It was only half an hour or so later, when Medwin ushered me in the palace medic’s office, that I realized the real reason why he’d agreed so readily. He hadn’t been certain I’d escaped the bee stings, and he was obviously worried about me.

I dreaded having anyone else seeing me without clothes, even a medic. A different time, I would have refused adamantly. As it was, I complied, as long as Medwin agreed to an extended stay in bed.

This was how, later that day, I ended up in Medwin’s quarters, supposedly watching him for any potential fever. In fact, we were both lying in Medwin’s bed and he was combing my long hair, freeing it from tangles and the occasional twig that had gotten stuck in it during our flight. I needed another bath, but I was loathe to leave Medwin’s side even for that.

“That’s it,” I mumbled under my breath. “I’m chopping off this damn hair.”

“Don’t you dare,” Medwin whispered as he kissed my temple. “I love it this way. It’s a part of you, and I’m selfish enough to ask you to keep it.”

How could I refuse him? I sighed and resigned myself to having inhumanly long hair for the rest of my life.

Chapter Four:

In Which Plan B Bursts into a Bazaar Battlefield

Having our trip to the forest destroyed by bees hadn’t exactly been what I had in mind for my and Rapunzel’s first day together. We’d been interrupted at the most important point in my plan A, and just the memory frustrated me to no end. However, the end result wasn’t all bad.

My father and my brothers teased me mercilessly about what had happened, but Rapunzel and my mother bonded while fussing over me. Their concern was entirely unnecessary, since it wasn’t the first time I’d been stung by bees. Really, the promise Rapunzel had coaxed out of me was more bothersome than the bee stings themselves. Nevertheless, if this helped my mother grow a little closer to Rapunzel, I’d willingly play along and be a good patient.

That didn’t mean I didn’t occasionally escape my room. Not even Rapunzel could deny me getting a little physical activity. I was an Arthurian male, after all, and I thrived on that sort of thing, even if my interests leaned toward more scholastic activities.

A few days after the bee incident, Rapunzel went to see to Magda, while I met up with my brother. I wanted to speak to Kirril, because I knew that any day now, he would have to return to Merlinia.

“You look better,” Kirril commented when I found him in the palace gardens.

I shrugged. “You know as well as I do that the bee venom vanished from my system a long time ago.”

Kirril chuckled. “But you’re still encouraging their fussing. You’re a wicked, wicked man.”

“Well, it did help Mother see Rapunzel in a different light, so it’s not all bad.”

Kirril hummed thoughtfully. “I can understand that,” he said.

I felt a pang of sadness, because it would take far more than such an episode to get my parents to accept a dragon into the family. Oh, they wouldn’t close the door in Dineiro’s face if Kirril’s mate ever decided to visit, but I highly doubted Dineiro would ever be comfortable here. He didn’t belong in Arthuria, even less than Rapunzel did.

“You miss him, don’t you?” I asked.

“Very much,” Kirril replied. “I have the bond, so I can always feel him. I know that he’s safe and taking care of our baby, but…I just want to hold him in my arms.”

I watched Kirril’s expression as he spoke about his dragon lover, and I smiled. “When are you leaving?”

Kirril chuckled. “Most likely, tomorrow. Victor and Larue will stay for a while longer, to help Rapunzel feel more at home, but I’ll have to go. I’ll miss you, Medwin. You always were the cleverest of us.”

“I don’t know how clever I am, but I’ll miss you, too.”

As we chatted, Rapunzel walked into the gardens as well. “Medwin,” he told me, “you shouldn’t be out for so long. What if there are more bees here?”

When he walked by my side, I kissed his forehead. “Don’t worry. The palace gardeners make sure that’s not the case.” Before Rapunzel could continue chastising me, I explained, “Kirril was just telling me he’d be leaving tomorrow.”

“Oh.” Rapunzel blinked, as if surprised. “You must miss Dini very much. Do send my regards to him.”

“I will. Whenever you come back to Merlinia, you’re free to visit us at any time.”

Silence fell, and I glared at Kirril for accidentally approaching the topic. Rapunzel and I hadn’t really discussed the length of his stay here since that first day, and I needed more time to convince him to never leave me.

Kirril gave me a sheepish look, which really helped me very little. Fortunately, Rapunzel took the comment well. “Thank you,” he said. “For the moment, I’m just getting used to Arthuria, but I’m sure Medwin and I will want to pay you a visit soon.”

My heart started beating faster when I heard the natural way in which my beautiful love mentioned us together. Kirril must have noticed, because he smiled crookedly. “I should be going to speak to Mother and Father,” he said. “I’ll see you later, Medwin. With your permission, Rapunzel.”

Bowing slightly, my brother took his leave. Rapunzel and I remained alone in the gardens. I couldn’t help but take advantage of the chance my brother had given me and ask, “Did you mean that? Did you mean what you said about us staying together?”

“Of course,” Rapunzel answered with a small smile. “It’s why I came here, after all. But you needn’t worry about that right now. For the moment, you have to focus on recovery.”

I was so enthusiastic about Rapunzel’s confession that I couldn’t even play along with that. “Actually, I’d prefer it if we went out for a bit,” I told him. It was high time that I proceeded with the next part of my plan. “If you’re willing, of course.”

“Only once you’re feeling better,” Rapunzel told me with a small frown. “Your well-being is the most important thing.”

At that, I couldn’t help but confess my little trick. “You have to realize I’ve been completely recovered for days now, right?”

Comprehension dawned on Rapunzel’s face. He slapped my shoulder. “You cruel man. Your mother and I were truly worried. How could you toy with our feelings like this?”

I would have felt guilty, except Rapunzel’s words held no bite. Perhaps he’d also seen through my ploy, or maybe he was simply relieved that I had no lingering after effects because of everything that had happened. Either way, I rushed to take advantage of Rapunzel’s openness.

“Well, then, now that it’s settled, where would you like to go?”

I had a few ideas, but I didn’t want to push Rapunzel into any of them. I was pleasantly surprised when Rapunzel seemed to guess my thoughts and said, “W–well, I’d like to get to know Camelot a little better.”

I couldn’t help but notice the slight hesitation in his voice. “Are you sure?” I asked him. “You don’t have to force yourself into something you’re not ready for.”

Rapunzel shook his head. “These past few days, I’ve learned a lot about Arthurians, and I think they’ve learned some about me, too. Your family has been great to me. And…I don’t want to hide anymore. I want to be worthy of the trust and affection you’ve shown me.”

I might have protested, except the decision in Rapunzel’s voice convinced me not to. He seemed to have given the matter a lot of thought and hadn’t made this decision on a whim. “I take it you already have an idea as to what our destination should be.”

Rapunzel nodded. “Magda told me there’s a large bazaar here in Camelot. Please, take me there.”

That request surprised me. Even if I had wanted to expose Rapunzel to more people, I wouldn’t have plunged him straight in the middle of the bazaar. I wasn’t sure Rapunzel could handle the chaos of the Camelot marketplace. As a rule, we were pretty organized folk, but in the bazaar, we welcomed merchants from all over Arthuria and, more recently, Morganna. On a good day, thousands of people came and went past the countless stalls. I wasn’t sure Rapunzel could handle it just yet.

Rapunzel must have noticed my reluctance. “Medwin, I wouldn’t ask this of you if I wasn’t ready.”

He gave me such an earnest look that I couldn’t say no. In spite of my knowledge that it was a bad idea, I found myself nodding. “Very well, but you have to promise to tell me if you experience any sort of discomfort.”

“I promise,” Rapunzel replied. He sounded a little breathless, and his eyes glittered with excitement. “Thank you, Medwin.”

My hands ached to reach for him. I desperately wanted to kiss those full lips, to make him even more enthusiastic and excited, but for an entirely different reason. But that would have to wait. Slowly and surely—that was the best strategy to take with my beautiful love.

I took his hand and guided him out of the gardens, already musing over where to take him. The bazaar was a big place, and I had to steer him away from the more unsavory areas. He would probably like the book salesmen area. It was the one I frequented most, since I could find all sorts of hidden gems forgotten in carts of seemingly common tomes.

Like the Camelot outskirts, the bazaar was always teeming with patrols, so I decided not to bring any guards along. Should a problem appear, I was armed and trusted my abilities to protect Rapunzel. I might not have been as strong as my brothers, but I could still hold my own. It would have probably been a good idea to change my clothes to something plainer, but Rapunzel was eye-catching enough on his own, so it would be useless.

Hand in hand, we headed toward the stables. I had to admit I felt pretty enthusiastic myself at the prospect of showing my beloved city to Rapunzel. Just like a few days ago, Rapunzel mounted Magda, while I got on my own steed.

As we rode out of the palace courtyard, I decided to approach Rapunzel on a matter that had been bothering me for a while now. “Rapunzel, you said you wanted to know more about your magic. I want to learn, too.”

“I thought Arthurians didn’t have magic,” Rapunzel replied. “Of course, I could explain, but I’m not sure how much good I could be.”

“It could be all for nothing,” I admitted. “But I’ve always been fascinated with magic. I haven’t had the courage to actually do something about it, or to explain to my family that it’s more that scholastic curiosity. I just have so many questions, and part of me believes this is the reason why Anelah managed to enchant me in the first place. Now that you’re with me, though, I feel like I can finally get my answers. I trust you, Rapunzel.”

My beautiful love’s eyes widened. “Medwin…Don’t say that. I don’t even trust myself with regard to my magic.”

I grinned at Rapunzel. “You underestimate yourself. But forget about it for now. Let’s just enjoy ourselves.”

In no time, we reached the bazaar. Rapunzel gaped in shock at all the people coming and going in the marketplace. They bowed or saluted when they saw me, but I just waved them to continue their activities. Most of the people here were used to me coming to the bazaar, although I never did so in finery. They shot Rapunzel curious and sometimes awestruck looks. He had conceded giving up on the veil, which was another act of courage on his part. However, it also made everyone aware of his loveliness. Fortunately, my presence was enough to make them keep a respectful distance.

“Ready?” I asked Rapunzel.

My beautiful love gulped, but nodded. “Yes.”

His bravery only motivated me further to protect him. Truth be told, my first instinct was to run back to the palace and hide him behind the walls of my home, where no one could ever harm him. But his father had done exactly that, and in the long run, it was harmful for Rapunzel. This was one occasion in which I had to be cruel to be kind, as much as it irked me to put Rapunzel in a situation he felt uncomfortable in.

We dismounted and entered the bazaar side by side, pulling our horses with us. The sounds and scents of the marketplace filled my ears as various merchants called out, advertising their wares. “Stay close,” I told Rapunzel. “I wouldn’t want you to wander off and get lost.”

Rapunzel gave me a confused look. “What?”

He obviously couldn’t hear me over the sound of the bazaar, so I shook my head and wrapped my arm around his waist. Leaning closer to his ear, I repeated my request. “Stay close.”

I could have sworn Rapunzel whimpered, but because of the noise of the bazaar, I couldn’t be sure. Still, he definitely shivered, so on impulse, I decided to keep my hold on him. As I’d originally planned, I guided him toward my favorite book sellers. “This is where I make most of my book purchases,” I explained, “although some of what I have are from special orders or heirlooms.”

We went from stall to stall, with Rapunzel oohing and aahing over the volumes that we found. I actually ended up buying a lot of them for him, in spite of his numerous protests. We bought so many that I had to tell the merchants to transport them to the palace, because we simply couldn’t carry them with us. This only fueled my desire to lavish him with even more presents.

This was how we ended we ended up in the clothing section of the bazaar. I had noticed the fact that Rapunzel didn’t have many garments. He had been supplied with Arthurian male garbs, but he wasn’t comfortable with any of them. However, if I could get him to visit the palace tailors, I could drape him in the most lavish of fabrics.

The silk merchants instantly caught onto my desires. “Oh, what a lovely gentleman we have here,” one woman exclaimed when she saw Rapunzel. “Of course we have something that would fit you just right.”

She proceeded to show us batches of rich materials, most seeming Morgannian in origin. In warm, passionate colors and embroidered with beautiful motifs and gold thread, this kind of merchandise obviously wasn’t affordable for everyone.

“I don’t know about this, Medwin,” Rapunzel said, biting his lip in a gesture that was quickly becoming habit. “I don’t want to put you to any further expense.”

“I’ll agree to leave if you don’t like the fabrics or are uncomfortable with the idea of wearing something made out of them, but not because of money concerns. I’m royalty, Rapunzel. I want to spoil you a little. Please, let me.”

During our exchange, the merchant retreated into her shop and came back with several suits of clothes. “Perhaps our lovely gentleman would appreciate something like this more.”

The offered garments consisted in a tight top very similar with a corset, complemented by a looser collar and sleeves. The garb flared down to a sort of skirt that was slitted up both sides all the way up the hips. A pair of tight pants complemented it, meant to be worn underneath the skirt.

It was beautiful, and it fit Rapunzel’s androgynous beauty. The lines of the skirt reminded me of the flow of his long hair, and the blue gems that studded the garment in occasional areas glowed like Rapunzel’s eyes when he was excited.

But it seemed far more daring that what Rapunzel was used to wearing, and so I was careful not to express my opinion on it. “Do you like it?” I asked him instead.

“It’s very nice,” Rapunzel murmured, shooting me an uncertain look. “But do you think I’d look nice in it?”

“You’d look nice in anything,” I replied, knowing I sounded completely unhelpful, but nevertheless, completely honest in my answer.

“The shop has a private back room if you’d like to try it on,” the shopkeeper offered in turn.

I expected Rapunzel to be horrified at the idea. He’d certainly been unwilling to disrobe when he and I had been alone, and I couldn’t imagine that would have changed so soon.

Much to my surprise, though, Rapunzel straightened his shoulders and said, “All right. I’ll try it on. Can Medwin come with me?”

“Of course,” the merchant replied. “Please step this way.”

She guided us into the stall and to the back room. Rapunzel stepped inside and I lingered by the door. He’d said that he wanted me with him, but I didn’t want to push his limits by reading too much into it.

Rapunzel took my hand and pulled me into the back room. “Just look away for now, all right?” he asked me with a shy smile.

I nodded as I closed the door behind me. It seemed that Rapunzel felt safer with me around. I wasn’t about to fail his trust, so I turned my back on him and simply stared at the door.

Behind me, I heard the swish of material as Rapunzel dropped his previous clothes. It took everything I had to keep a modicum of calm, when everything inside me screamed to look at Rapunzel, to touch him, to take him in my arms. I could easily imagine how beautiful he would look naked, how silky his skin would be. But I needed to be patient for a while longer.

I didn’t know how long I stood there, repeating that litany over and over until I could almost believe it. Finally, Rapunzel cleared his throat and said, “All right. I think I’m ready. You can turn around.”

I did—and nearly fell over at the sight that greeted my eyes. The lines of the garment accentuated Rapunzel’s slender build. The top hid his lower half, but emphasized his beautiful neck and collarbone. When the skirt moved, I could get a clear glimpse of his legs. Even if they were clad in the tight pants, I could easily imagine them wrapped around my waist as I thrust into Rapunzel’s ass.

It certainly didn’t help that Rapunzel had let his hair down. Those long tresses were quickly becoming quite a fetish for me, even if Rapunzel seemed to dislike it at times. They fell past his shoulders, all the way to the ground, reaching and even bypassing his heels. And right now, they just made the image in front of me even lovelier, more seductive than anything I’d seen in my whole life.

I must have made some sort of noise, because Rapunzel’s face flamed brightly. Taking a deep breath, I struggled to control myself and cleared my throat. “Do you like it?”

In the end, that was what mattered, not my own desires, but his. “Yes,” Rapunzel replied. “Very much. But I think…I think I only want to wear it for you.”

I had a distant thought that the gods must either hate me, or love me too much. How was I supposed to reply to such a comment? My instinct was to reach for him and crush our mouths together, but if I started something with him, I’d never be able to stop. Besides, when I finally took him, I didn’t want it to be in some random merchant’s stall, but in a private setting, on a bed covered in pale rose petals that would be almost as soft as his skin.

I snapped out of my trance when I realized I was wondering where I could get pale roses in the bazaar. Focusing on the matter at hand, I said, “Well then, we’ll take it and get a few more modest outfits. How does that sound?”

“It’s all right with me, Medwin, but…this is already expensive, I think. Are you sure…”

I cut him off before he could finish the phrase. “This is nothing compared to what you’ve given me. Go ahead and get changed. I’ll speak to the merchant.”

Obviously realizing I would not be dissuaded, Rapunzel complied. A few hours later, we left the clothes bazaar with my gold purse far lighter than it had been and a complete wardrobe for Rapunzel already on its way to the palace.

The most important thing, though, was that Rapunzel seemed very cheerful. “I like it here, Medwin,” he said. “The people are very nice. I thought they would dislike me, but it doesn’t seem that way at all.”

Who in his or her right mind would dislike Rapunzel? Even my mother, who was naturally inclined to be wary of anyone who approached her beloved sons, had accepted him. Likely, Rapunzel’s sweet nature would eventually lead everyone in the palace to fall in love with him—albeit in a different way than I was.

“I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself. Where do you want to go next?”

As if to answer my question, Rapunzel’s stomach growled. I chuckled. “Back to the palace?”

“Not just yet,” Rapunzel replied pleadingly. “I don’t want the day to be over.”

How could I refuse him? He had me wrapped around his little finger without even making an effort. One look from his beautiful blue eyes made me rush toward the best restaurant nearby. We could eat out after all, and after that, continue our shopping spree.

We left our horses outside the restaurant and entered the establishment. The owner of the place greeted us himself and guided us into one of the most private booths. I actually came by pretty often, so my patronage didn’t surprise him. However, he seemed to have noticed that today was a special occasion. “What can I offer you today, Prince Medwin?” he asked. “Perhaps your lovely companion would like to taste one of our specialties?”

He glanced Rapunzel’s way and offered him a menu. However, my beautiful love just stared at the words written down and hesitated. Then again, that made sense. There was no real language barrier that would make him not understand, but it was entirely possible that he’d never heard of some of the listed items.

“How about butter-poached serelein fillet?” I suggested. I hadn’t wanted to take the decision out of his hands, but in this case, I had to.

Rapunzel nodded, perhaps a little too hastily. “That sounds delicious.”

“And for you, Prince Medwin?” our host asked.

“Sautéed tantele and scallops,” I replied. “Dark chocolate mousse for dessert.”

After jotting down our orders, the owner of the restaurant took his leave. Rapunzel shot me an embarrassed look. “I wish I’d had the chance to read more of the encyclopedia,” he said with a sigh. “I would have known what to order.”

“Don’t worry about it,” I soothed him. “You’re not required to know everything from the beginning. You have time to learn, and I’ll always be by your side.”

That must have been the right thing to say, because Rapunzel’s eyes began to shine like bright sapphires once again. “For the record, what exactly did I order?” he asked me in a conspiratorial whisper.

Chuckling, I explained, “Serelein is a type of fowl that is bred only in the eastern part of Arthuria. Its meat is renowned for being both nutritious and delicious. Tantele is a fresh water boneless fish. Cooked with Arthurian spices, they make gourmet dishes. But you’ll see with your own eyes soon enough.”

It was so comfortable to be with Rapunzel like this, to explain things and see him take in the information with avid eyes. I found myself reaching for him, leaning closer to him, desperately wanting to touch him.

And then, the inevitable happened. Rapunzel moved closer to me, obviously wanting to meet me half way. However, as he did so, his hair came undone from the knot he’d bound it in once we’d left the clothing store. It fell around his shoulders in a cascade of gold. Mesmerized by the sight, I didn’t even register the fact that Rapunzel’s locks flowed all the way down to the floor, even leaving our booth.

A waiter passed by our table, presumably to carry some dishes to another patron. He tripped on Rapunzel’s hair, and in spite of his efforts, the meal he’d been carrying flew out of his hands and right onto the customers. A furious man shot to his feet and snarled, “What in the world do you think you’re doing?”

As the waiter attempted to apologize, the man’s wife intervened, trying to calm down the situation. Perhaps it would have worked, but their two children decided the situation was funny. They grabbed two fallen pies and tossed it into the air, straight at the waiter.

The unfortunate employee dodged the projectile coming from one of the children, but the second hit him straight in the face. However, the meal he had successfully avoided flew past him and landed on top of another customer.

Fuming, the man in question picked up his own meal and tossed it in the direction of the first victims of the accident. Arthurians were easily riled, and truly, it was a good thing that he hadn’t chosen a deadlier way to enact vengeance. Either way, from that point on, the entire restaurant dissolved in a huge food fight. Every other customers ended up joining in, either for their own enjoyment, or because they became casualties as well.

All sorts of dishes flew through the place, from fruit, to cooked lamb, steak, or even cake. I dodged the projectiles while trying to keep Rapunzel from getting hit. Sadly, someone in the crowd must have had a pretty good aim, because I ended up with a face-full of pie. I staggered back and faltered, which sadly gave my opponents the time to target Rapunzel. My beautiful love stopped one of the dishes flying his way with his magic and it fell to the floor before reaching him. However, the second one responded to his spell in an entirely unexpected and unfortunate fashion. It expanded to almost obscene proportions, drawing gasps from all of the customers in the restaurant. Finally, it exploded over everyone in its vicinity, including me and him.

Silence fell over the restaurant as we were all swallowed in the white goo. I swam through the sea of cream and dug Rapunzel out of it, too. “How did you do that?” I asked him.

Rapunzel licked his lips, and the image naturally made me imagine him drinking in something else entirely. “I don’t have a clue,” he replied, looking a little worried. “What are we going to do, Medwin? The owner will be furious.”

I was pretty worried, too, but I figured that I could provide the man with a monetary compensation and a formal apology. As it turned out, I shouldn’t have worried. The children of the man who’d first been struck by food burst into laughter and started playing in the cream. As if their innocent snickers had triggered something inside the other customers, more of them started to follow their example.

Rapunzel took a fistful of cream and grinned at me. Without any further warning, he tossed it at me. It surprised me so much that I didn’t even think about evading it. But when he started chuckling, too, I was almost grateful for that.

As I took in the sound of his twinkling laughter, I fell in love with him a little more. In the end, I didn’t know if I’d succeeded in all of my complicated strategy to bring us closer. Instead, I’d certainly manage to lose myself in the mystery of his eyes, and I wouldn’t have had it any other way.

Chapter Five:

In Which Plan C Creates a Cultural Conundrum

The day after the little incident in the bazaar, I woke up to an invite from Medwin to meet him in the library at lunch. Apparently, he would be away from the palace this morning, so he wouldn’t be able to have breakfast with me and his family. However, he would return to the palace by noon without fail. Or so the note from him said.

I couldn’t be sure what my handsome prince had in mind, but I had a pretty good idea. After what had happened the day before, it seemed all the more important for me to grasp the workings of my magic. I actually looked forward to learning more about myself at Medwin’s side. Then again, these days, I was looking forward to a lot of things.

As always, I went to have breakfast with the royal family, only to find that Medwin’s older brother Leonard was gone, too. Apparently, they’d both left at daybreak to see Kirril off in his trip toward Merlinia.

Mercifully, I still had my Merlinian friends around. I might have managed to go to the bazaar the other day, but I’d been with Medwin at the time. He made me feel safer, stronger. When I was with him, I could be myself without being worried that I would be judged or ridiculed. And while I’d grown somewhat closer to his parents, I couldn’t consider myself fully comfortable with them.

As it turned out, I needn’t have worried about me being the focus of their attention. All throughout the breakfast, Queen Sedonia kept sighing and gazing out the window. By my side, my pixie friend, Larue, shot me a look of apprehension. It didn’t take a genius to understand the reasons for her melancholy.

“You know Dineiro, isn’t that right, Rapunzel?” she asked me.

I nodded. “Well, yes, although not very well.”

“I’ve only seen him once,” the queen said. “Would you say he is good for my son?”

Larue bristled, obviously not appreciating any possible slight against his friend. His mate, Victor Frankenstein, patted his shoulder. Meanwhile, the king arched a brow at his wife. “I’m sure he is, Sedonia. Otherwise, Kirril wouldn’t have cared about him so much. Not to mention that he will give Kirril a son.”

The queen still looked worried and gave me an unusually vulnerable look. “I realize that. I just want to hear it from Rapunzel.”

Did she trust me that much? It was a little humbling, because we’d only met a few days back. I licked my lips, wanting to reassure her, but unsure how to do so. In the end, I settled for the truth. “I met Dineiro only briefly as well. Nevertheless, he struck me as a very loving person, who truly cared for Kirril. I truly think theirs will be a happy union.”

She smiled at me, then turned toward Larue and Victor. “Perhaps you can tell me about him. Kirril has explained some things, and he did make a good impression on me during our one meeting, but I’d like to know more about the man who is my youngest son’s mate.”

Larue’s anger seemed to deflate at that, and he nodded. “Of course, Your Majesty. I will be happy to.”

The royal couple left after breakfast with Victor and Larue, but only once I assured them I would be fine on my own. Enlisting the help of a servant, I made my way to the library, with the tentative plan of waiting for Medwin there.

I’d never actually gone inside the palace library, so when I stepped inside, I was struck dumb by the size of it. The familiar scent of leather and aged paper enveloped me, reminding me of a time when I’d actually had access to numerous books in my tower, before my father had taken them away from me. At the same time, it held a different meaning. I could easily see Medwin walking through the countless aisles, browsing the occasional tome and humming under his breath when he found something of interest. He’d done so numerous times during our shopping trip, which was why I’d enjoyed our little bazaar visit so much.

The thought reminded me of his reaction to those revealing garments we had purchased. My face heated, and I quickly banished the memory to the corner of my brain. Now was not the time to relive it. An older man—probably the head librarian, if I had to guess—was already heading my way, and I couldn’t allow him to notice my already aroused state.

“Lord Rapunzel, greetings,” he said. “Prince Medwin told me you would be coming. Please, make yourself at home. Are you looking for any particular volumes?”

“Do you have any books on magic?” I asked him.

“Those kind of tomes are very rare in Arthuria,” the librarian explained. “However, Prince Medwin has been collecting them for quite a while now. Please, follow me.”

The librarian led me to an area filled with couches and tables, seemingly designed specifically for people who wanted to study here. As I sat down, he retrieved several tomes from the nearby shelves and placed them on the table in front of me. “These are some of the books Prince Medwin left as a recommendation. You can browse them freely, but I will ask you not to take them out of the library.”

“Of course,” I assured the librarian. “Thank you.”

“Just let me know if you need anything else, my lord,” he said with a bow. “I am at your service.”

With that, the man took his leave, granting me privacy to study the books I’d been given. I didn’t delay in doing exactly that. I wanted to know more about myself, to understand my magic and everything about me that I still couldn’t grasp. Medwin hadn’t pushed me, but I realized my uncertainty regarding my own gender also made up quite an obstacle for our relationship.

That passing thought made me freeze just as I was reaching for one of the books on magic. Perhaps I was better off using the time Medwin had given me to do my own research, on an entirely different matter.

My heart beating faster, I got up from the table. The librarian was nowhere to be seen, and I preferred things that way, since this wasn’t an issue I cared to investigate with a stranger around.

Pushing back any sort of hesitation, I made my way through the numerous aisles. The library was huge, and with every step I took, I became more and more nervous, but also more convinced that I needed to do this.

I was looking for the anatomy section, but I ran into something else first, rows and rows of shelves dedicated to romance literature. I remembered the ballad Medwin had gifted me with. It had mostly been a sweet tale, the passion of the main characters consummated behind closed doors. But perhaps if I looked closely, I’d be able to find something different.

I soon found that, with the quantity of volumes available, it was a fool’s errand to look for a particular one by myself. I persevered, but as more and more time passed, I finally surrendered the battle. Even if there was content like I had in mind here, I wouldn’t be able to detect it through a simple browsing. I’d have to read each book, one by one, which was next to impossible.

Kneeling on the floor, I heaved a sigh. Perhaps I would have been better off in the anatomy section, after all, but now that I’d started looking here, something else just seemed wrong. Many of the titles I’d seen sounded very nice and promising, something I’d enjoy reading even on my free time. I just wouldn’t be satisfied until I found the answers to my questions.

Frustrated tears pooled at the corner of my eyes. By rights, I shouldn’t even have had to go on this quest. I shouldn’t have had any problems with knowing something as basic as my own gender. Medwin and Magda had no reason to lie to me, so I could easily just trust them. I was so stupid for not being able to do so. How could Medwin even like me and show such patience? When was I going to stop hiding behind my past and take my life in my own hands?

As I thought this, I felt magic stir inside me, ready to obey my wishes. I tried to push it back, not wanting to cause an accident in the library. To a certain extent, I managed, but my hair still broke free of the knot I’d tied it in and climbed on top of the shelf I was in front of, much like a vine. It knocked a book from the upper section straight at my feet, then settled down to be normal, motionless hair once more. Grumbling under my breath, I made a mental note to find a way to control the damn thing. Truly, I was surprised Medwin hadn’t run in the other direction, given all the trouble it got us it. Not to mention that it could get very creepy.

For the moment, I took advantage of the hint my magic had given me and picked up the fallen book. As I started to browse through the pages, it soon became apparent that it was no regular romance story. In fact, it didn’t seem to be a novel at all, but more like an encyclopedia, perhaps one that had been accidentally placed here. Explicit images detailed all manners of sexual intercourse, both between men and women, and for same-sex couples.

My face flamed and my hands trembled as I scanned the images. I shouldn’t be doing this. Any decent maiden would be able to tell me that this was very, very wrong. But I simply couldn’t look away. I sat there, taking in image after image. The first section, about heterosexual intercourse, was sexy, but didn’t inspire particularly intense desire within me, although I did find myself drawn to the male of the images. Thanks to the detailed explanations, I could understand everything that was going on, both for the male and the female participant. However, I could also clearly see that the woman had parts I didn’t.

The section dedicated to intercourse between two females also clearly illustrated that fact, although it didn’t arouse me in the slightest. Finally, I reached the last section of the book, dedicated to sex between two men. Fire exploded through me from the very first image I saw. The picture in question showed one of the men thrusting his erect member—his penis—into the nether channel of his partner, while reaching for the second man’s hard shaft. I could so easily imagine myself and Medwin imitating the act.

With a whimper, I reached under my robes and found my member hard. All right. That settled it. I was a man.

For whatever reason, the realization came as a shock. I clutched my chest, fearing that my heart would stop right then and there. Why had my father lied to me? Had he wanted a daughter and been unsatisfied with having a son? Did he deem me that inadequate?

I was torn between that ache and the need to experience Medwin’s touch, to have him caress me and take me, exactly like in the picture. My vision blurred from tears, but I stubbornly continue to flip the pages, drunk on the passion my own imagination fed into my mind.

“What are you reading?” a familiar voice suddenly asked.

I yelped as Medwin’s words snapped me out of my enthralled trance. I’d completely missed his approach. As I looked up at my handsome prince, I guiltily snapped the book shut. “Nothing,” I replied automatically. I was supposed to be learning more about my magic. Goddess, what would Medwin think if he realized what I’d actually focused on?

Medwin had been smiling, but his pleasant expression melted into a concerned frown when he saw me. “Rapunzel? What is it? Why are you crying?”

I struggled to control my still falling tears, feeling stupid and childish for being unable to keep my emotions in check. “It’s…”

“Please don’t say it’s nothing again when I can clearly see that’s not the case,” Medwin told me as he knelt by my side. “I don’t expect you to trust me just like that, but at least tell me how I can help.”

His kindness was almost more than I could bear. Dropping the book, I lunged at him and hugged him tightly, burying my face in his chest. Medwin held me close, petting my hair, whispering soothing murmurs. The magic I channeled through my long locks responded to his touch, and so, I gradually started to calm down. At last, I pulled away from his embrace and wiped my eyes. “I trust you very much, Medwin,” I told him. “I just feel very stupid right now.”

Medwin’s frown grew even fiercer. “What would possibly make you think that?”

“I just…I realized I’m a man,” I replied.

Even to my own ears, those words sounded pretty ridiculous. In my heart, I’d always known something was wrong with what my father was claiming, but I’d been too afraid to face it, to accept it.

“Oh, Rapunzel.” Medwin’s fingers brushed over my cheeks, and I instinctively leaned into the caress. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here and I let you struggle with this on your own. But what exactly triggered this discovery? I thought you were only going to look over those books on magic.”

He reached for the fallen book, and I froze, remembering exactly what I’d been looking at when Medwin had arrived. I wanted to stop him, but I didn’t get the chance. The moment he looked at the cover of the book, he went very still. “Where did you find this?” he asked, his voice strikingly husky.

My face burning with embarrassment, I curled away from him into a tight ball. “I’m sorry. I was looking for some answers, and my magic knocked that tome off the shelves.”

Medwin must have noticed my mortification, because he wrapped his arm around my shoulder and kissed my temple. “This is nothing to be ashamed about,” he whispered in my ear. “If you read it, tell me, what did you think?”

At his words, the memory of the images I’d seen in the book flashed through my mind. I clutched Medwin’s arm, wanting to share my feelings with him, but unable to do so. After all, even if I admitted my own desires to myself, how could I tell them to Medwin? Then again, how could I not?

Taking a deep breath, I faced Medwin and said, “I…I liked them. I thought…I thought we could do something like that together.”

Medwin’s eyes burned me as he scanned my face. It was just like that time, in the grove, when I’d felt his hands on my bare legs. Only, now, he didn’t pull away. Instead, he abandoned the book and pulled me in his lap. “Rapunzel, don’t tease me with what I can’t have. I’ve been trying not to push you, but there’s only so much I can take. If we go on like this, I won’t be able to hold back.”

The position allowed me to feel his hard dick nestled against my bottom. Even if a part of me still shied away from even discussing such things, I pushed back my hesitations and doubts and said, “You don’t have to hold back.”

“Do you even know what you’re saying, Rapunzel?” Medwin inquired softly. “Do you understand what you’re telling me to do?”

“I understand,” I replied, amazed when I managed not to stutter. “I want to be with you, Medwin. I want you to teach me everything there is to know about me, my magic, my body. I know I can trust you with this.”

My handsome prince released an anguished noise, and for a few moments, I actually thought I’d placed too much of a burden on him. Instead, he suddenly crushed his lips to mine, his arms tightening around my waist so much I had trouble breathing. Or maybe it was his touch that made me breathless. Either way, at first, I found myself unable to respond. I wanted to kiss him back, to touch Medwin the way the images had shown me, but instead, I just lay there, frozen in his embrace.

It was my first kiss, and for all my bravado, I had trouble even processing it. Much to my dismay, because of my failure, Medwin pulled away. I cursed my own impossibly shy nature and struggled to come up with an apology, with an explanation.

As it turned out, I needn’t have worried. Medwin just caressed my cheek, then brushed his fingers over my lips. “Open your mouth, Rapunzel,” he murmured in my ear. “It’s all right. I’ll take care of you.”

I shivered in his arms and nodded. I would have liked to tell him something seductive, or at the very least, to find a way to express my feelings for him. The only thing I could say, though, was one single word, “Medwin…”

Fortunately, it was enough. Medwin pressed his lips to mine one more time. This time, the kiss was gentler, the passion hiding behind it tamed. I regretted the fact that even now, Medwin felt like he had to control his impulses where I was concerned. But in the end, I knew nothing about this. I could only follow his lead.

Like he had told me, I opened my mouth and granted him entrance. With a grunt of approval, Medwin thrust his tongue into my wet cavern. Instead of dwelling on my surprise and lack of experience, I surrendered to his exploration and did my best to respond.

As I hesitantly tangled my tongue with his, Medwin groaned. He stabbed one hand into my hair, while the other roamed over my body frantically, sliding under my clothes. The garments I’d worn today resembled my Merlinian ones in that they were more like robes than anything else. I still wasn’t very comfortable with Arthurian fashion, and the idea of normal pants was kind of alien to me. I’d have to get used to it eventually, but for now, my robes were really practical, since they gave Medwin easy access to my nether regions.

Even as Medwin lifted the bottoms of my garments, he never once gave any sign of freeing me from our kiss. He was holding me captive by his hold on my hair, and I had no intention to complain. He really did have a fetish with the damn thing, although in that moment, I couldn’t say I particularly minded. When his other hand slipped into my undergarments, though, I began to feel a little light-headed. How could I have ever doubted my true gender? My body responded to Medwin’s touch so perfectly that even if I’d had any remaining reservations, I would have known the truth then.

As Medwin brushed his thumb over the leaking tip of my penis, I could only cling to him and helplessly writhe in his embrace. I’d never felt such pleasure in my entire life. The few times I’d dared to touch myself in that area, I’d felt strangely wary and confused. There was no such confusion now. For the first time since I could remember, my mind was clear of all questions.

I was so close to something momentous. I could feel it approach, burning in my testicles. My magic flared hotter and brighter, until I could no longer even hope to keep it in check.

I didn’t even realize what was happening until a loud crash sounded next to me. Medwin and I broke apart, just in time to watch all the shelves around us start to fall. My hair seemed to have pushed the first one. As the book stacks collapsed onto the one in front of it, the contact triggered a domino effect that spread all throughout this area of the large library.

By the time I broke out of my stupor, at least ten shelves had collapsed. Medwin freed me from his embrace and rushed to try to stop it. I had no idea what he’d planned to do, but seeing him act snapped me out of my trance. My horror at the idea of all the priceless volumes that could be lost finally allowed me to focus my magic. I willed the next shelf to remain in place. Much to my shock, it actually worked. Even when the previous one fell on top of it, my target remained stable. I winced as the blow recoiled into me.

Medwin shot me a look, obviously realizing I must have been the reason why that shelf hadn’t fallen. When he saw I was holding my own, he started lifting the fallen racks. I didn’t move, but I helped using my magic. It became harder for the ones my hair’s length couldn’t reach, but I managed nonetheless.

Rushed footsteps alerted me to the approach of other people. The librarian entered my field of sight, followed by a few guards. “What happened?” the old man asked as he took in the disaster area.

“Prince Medwin, are you all right?” one guard inquired.

“Perfectly fine,” Medwin answered, looking completely unruffled. “It was just a little accident, but Rapunzel and I succeeded to contain it.”

If the Arthurians realized I’d been the cause of the accident in the first place, they didn’t say it. Then again, the shelves were massive, so they likely thought I couldn’t have moved it unless I’d actively attempted to do so. The librarian did give me a narrow-eyed look, as if he suspected something, but made no comment, instead starting to gather the fallen books.

I barely managed to suppress my wince and quickly bound my hair back. Right now, my magic was no longer necessary, and in fact would only make things worse. I wanted to help, but I wasn’t sure where to even start. All the books had been placed in particular spots, and some of them must have been damaged in the accident.

As I mused over this, Medwin took my hand and dragged me away from the scene. “Are you all right?” he asked me, gazing straight into my eyes.

How could he worry about me at a time like this? “The books…” I whispered.

“They will be fine,” Medwin replied. “The really rare or fragile tomes aren’t kept here just in case situations like this happen. Besides, you kept it from going too far. It was an accident, but nothing too serious.”

Books were such a precious thing. The last thing I wanted was to destroy them. I glanced around us at the fallen shelves and moaned, completely disheartened. “That’s it. I’m chopping it off.”

Medwin helped me to my feet and said, “I won’t tell you not to do it again if it bothers you so much. But wouldn’t it be better to understand why this keeps happening? If you’re using your hair as a conduit for your magic, cutting it might make things worse, right?”

He was right, although I suspected he also had an ulterior motive for not wanting me to get rid of the damn thing. Either way, I couldn’t refuse him. The fact of the matter was that I liked it when Medwin touched my hair, too much to give it up.

My handsome prince must have noticed my dilemma. He picked me up in his arms and said, “I’m taking you to get some rest. We can start working on the magic thing later. Now, you have to recuperate.”

I relaxed in his embrace and placed my head on his shoulder. He done this exact same thing after I’d panicked in the palace gardens after his aborted wedding. Had it been less than a week ago? It was so strange. I felt like an entirely different person now. Many things had changed, and Medwin and I had gotten to know each other much better. But Medwin’s protectiveness and affection toward me remained the same.

In a way, I guessed I had always known, from the very moment I’d seen him, that it would be like this between us. He was a special person in that he kept me safe while still managing to tear apart the shell that separated me from the rest of the world. Even if it wasn’t easy for me, even if sometimes it seemed painful, he guided me through the path I needed to follow and he was there for me every step of the way.

I wasn’t like those beautiful princesses who waited in their towers to be rescued by the dashing prince. For them, the challenge was over once their loved ones defeated the dragon, the ogre, or whoever else kept them from leaving in the first place. For me, my challenge had just begun. I might not have to face ogres, but my fears and uncertainties were far stronger foes. And yet, as long as I had Medwin by my side, I trusted that I could work my way through everything.

Because I knew this, because I knew he was and would always be the one for me, I said, “I don’t want to rest. Take me to your room, Medwin.”

I didn’t have to explain what I meant by those words. Medwin’s breath caught and his heart started to race. Or was that my heart? I couldn’t really tell the difference between us. He had touched me intimately in the library, but even before that, I’d felt him so close to my soul. I wanted us to take that final step, in a place where nothing could intervene, where my hair wouldn’t accidentally knock over a bee hive, a shelf of books, or a waiter carrying trays of food.

Apparently, Medwin agreed, because he asked nothing else. He just kept walking, leaving the library and heading toward his quarters. And when we finally entered his room, I knew that, starting today, everything was going to change.

Chapter Six:

In Which the Maiden Stops Being So Maidenly

When I’d first started my quest to earn Rapunzel’s trust and improve our relationship, I had expected it would take a while for him to fully accept me as a potential lover. He hadn’t been in the slightest bit ready to accept his sexuality, and I’d done my best to get used to that, even if I desired him more than anything in my entire life. I had created elaborate plans to make him more comfortable with me, so that, eventually, sometime in the near future, we could be together in every way.

I’d had every intention to wait until he was ready, for as long as he wanted me to. And now, he’d reached out to me and offered himself in a way that made me nearly incapable of rational thought.

How could I be expected to hold onto my scruples when the man I craved so much came to me of his own free will? I’d been taunted with a brief taste of his passion in the library, and I couldn’t wait to have more.

As such, even if I realized Rapunzel still had no idea what he was getting himself into, I didn’t argue with him. Instead, I practically rushed him through the corridors, uncaring as to who saw us, my whole being focused on the desire to touch him again.

Rapunzel didn’t look like he minded. In fact, he didn’t seem to notice the occasional guard we passed, or the ones who stood in front of my rooms. If he had, he’d have been more embarrassed. But Rapunzel, my beautiful love, appeared to be completely focused on me.

As I walked into my quarters, his hold on me tightened. In that moment, in spite of my urgency, I couldn’t help but wonder if he’d changed his mind. “Are you all right?” I asked him.

Rapunzel nodded. “I’m…I’m a little nervous,” he mumbled under his breath.

I carried him into my bedroom and closed the door behind us. As I gently placed him onto the mattress, I smiled at him. “There’s no reason to be. This is a perfectly natural thing between two people who love each other.”

Rapunzel stole a look at me, then quickly glanced away, fidgeting. “I just…I haven’t done this before.”

“Me neither,” I replied. My beautiful Rapunzel turned toward me, his eyes wide with shock and disbelief, so I amended, “I’ve had sex with various partners, but I’ve never made love with anyone. You’re my first, in all the ways that count.”

Yes, he was the first person who made my heart race like this, the first person who made me happy just by smiling, who valued books and knowledge as much as I did, and simply understood me. He had me under an enchantment stronger than any magic the witch could have ever cast, without even trying.

“Just let me take care of you, all right?” I asked him. “Trust me.”

Rapunzel seemed to relax at my answer. He lay back on the pillows, beaming brightly at me. “I do.”

My blood rushed in my ears as I took in the simple, beautiful faith held in those two words. I wanted to lunge at him and ravage his mouth just like I had in the library, and it took everything I had to hold back. Perhaps it had been for the best that his hair had interrupted us. Rapunzel deserved better for his first time than a random romp between dusty book shelves.

Swallowing around the sudden knot in my throat, I reached for him and started to work on his clothing. This time, I didn’t rush. I pulled off his sandals first and gently massaged his feet, much like I had the day of our trip in the forest. Rapunzel’s blue eyes began to grow hazy, his robes tenting as his dick hardened. He was starved for affectionate touch, and I’d been given the opportunity to show him how beautiful it could be. I wouldn’t waste that chance or treat that privilege carelessly.

Once Rapunzel seemed pretty distracted from his concerns, I progressed toward the rest of his clothes. The style of the garment had made it easy for me to touch him in the library, but it was a little frustrating when I had to fully remove it. It had all sorts of buttons and belts that secured it, and Rapunzel would have had to get up and help for the process to go over quickly and efficiently.

I had no patience for that, and really, Rapunzel was unlikely to want to do it either. Even if I’d wanted to be gentle, I ended up tearing off Rapunzel’s robes. My beautiful love gasped at the sound. “Medwin…My clothes…”

“I’ll get you new ones,” I replied. “I’ll get you whatever you want, the stars and moon if you ask it of me.”

I was babbling and making promises I couldn’t keep, but I couldn’t help it. In that moment, I truly felt powerful, like I could take on the entire world and win. I was drunk on Rapunzel’s shy beauty, on his obvious desire for me, the small whimpers he made when my fingers came into contact with his skin. My brain was starting to short-circuit, and we hadn’t even done much of anything.

Finally, when I removed Rapunzel’s underwear, my ability to speak vanished altogether. I simply froze, struck dumb by the angelic beauty of the creature in front of me. I was actually afraid to blink out of an irrational fear that, if I closed my eyes even for a second, he would disappear.

I must have been staring at him for too long, because Rapunzel blinked up at me in obvious confusion. “Medwin?” he asked, biting his lip in that gesture I recognized as a sign of his nervousness.

That realization, or perhaps that one word, snapped me out of my trance. He wasn’t a surreal creature. He was Rapunzel, the man I knew and loved, the same one who’d laughed as he tossed a slice of cake at me, who’d cried in my embrace, and who’d faced his every fear to come rescue me. My Rapunzel. My other half.

The thought was so powerful that I could no longer hold myself in check. I crawled on top of him and pressed our mouths together for the second time that day. Rapunzel seemed like a fast learner, because now, he parted his lips, granting me entrance. His willing surrender enflamed me even further, and I took what he offered, tasting him greedily, craving him more than I did my next breath.

Rapunzel wrapped his arms around my neck, rubbing against me and releasing more of those maddening little whimpers. He clutched my shoulders, and lightning bolts of pleasure coursed through me as his magic started to flow over us both. Perhaps it should have made me a little apprehensive, given everything that had happened before, but instead, it just fueled my desire for him.

It was only because of that very same desire that I pulled away from our kiss. My nerve endings were alive with lust, and I desperately needed skin to skin. Rapunzel released a hurt noise when I broke apart from him, but I shushed him. “Relax. I’ll give you what you need.”

As I spoke, I discarded my boots on the floor next to his sandals and unbuttoned my shirt. Rapunzel’s protests died when I abandoned it, as well. He just stared at me, biting his lower lip, his eyes so wide they almost seemed too big for his face. Taking in his obvious need for me served to make me even more frantic. I practically tore off my breeches in my haste to get naked, but my enthusiasm was rewarded the moment I was finally naked, too.

At this point, Rapunzel was trembling, his dick leaking generous amounts of pre-cum, practically demanding my attention. I gladly followed his cues and covered his body with my own. Even if my cock practically screamed to be buried inside the sanctuary of Rapunzel’s body, I ignored it.

Rapunzel had been brave in telling me that he’d liked the images in the book and he wanted us to do such things together. So, I planned to show him at least a part of what he’d seen, all in good time.

I started by peppering his beautiful face with kisses. His hair came undone from its knot—seemingly on its own—and I experienced a brief moment of panic in which I thought another incident would interrupt us. It didn’t happen. This time, Rapunzel’s beautiful locks allowed us to continue with no problems.

With that matter out of the way, I continued to explore Rapunzel’s body. I could have easily dwelt on kissing him forever, on mapping the aristocratic features of his face with my tongue over and over. But both of us needed more than that, and I progressed lower down, sucking on his collarbone and the hollow of his throat. He arched his back, tilting his head, wordlessly demanding more.

As his moans rose in volume, his hands started roaming over my body. At first tremulous, then greedy, they explored me with the same passion I felt within me. Apparently, in spite of his shyness and lack of experience, Rapunzel desired me enough to surpass his previous hesitation. That was a heady thought, and it urged me onward, encouraging me toward more daring caresses.

His nipples had already pebbled, and I couldn’t help but be drawn to them. The plump yet delicate bits of flesh were as beautiful as the rest of him, and I wanted to see how he would respond once I touched them.

I was not disappointed, because when I engulfed his right nipple in my mouth, Rapunzel cried out, his dick throbbing against my abdomen. “Medwin…Oh, Goddess, please!”

He started to thrash under me, his hair writhing around us like a live thing. Drunk on his obvious pleasure, I suckled on the nub in my mouth while tweaking his other nipple with my fingers.

Rapunzel’s hands landed in my hair, but he made no attempt to either push me away or pull me closer. Or maybe he was trying to do both. He clearly craved the stimulation I provided, but couldn’t decide where he wanted my mouth most.

In the end, I took that decision for him. Releasing his nipple from my mouth with a wet pop, I freed myself from his hold and kissed over his abdomen, until I finally reached his weeping dick. Without a single word of warning, I took his cock in my mouth, all the way into my throat.

He screamed, so loudly I could have mistaken it for a shout of pain if I didn’t know any better. As I bobbed my head up and down his prick, I knew that he wouldn’t be able to endure for much longer. His fingers buried themselves in my locks again, pulling so hard my scalp was starting to ache. Meanwhile, his tresses swept over my body, an extension of him, of his magic, touching everything he couldn’t reach on his own.

Even if it would have been easy for me to lose myself in the sensation, I kept a tight leash over what remained of my control. The flavor of his pre-cum tasted like pure, sinful heaven. I could have come just from sucking his dick, but I wanted to focus on his pleasure, on his experience. I sped up the pace and speed of my suction, reveling in the sounds of pleasure he made, in the knowledge that I was the first to touch him like him this.

His dick was long and slender, and I loved the feel of it on my tongue, in my mouth. I lavished every inch of it with attention, at the same time rolling the perfect spheres of his balls in my hand. It was hard to believe that he’d ever doubted his gender. He certainly didn’t have any problems with acknowledging it now.

Finally, when my own urgency began to grow unbearable, I rubbed my fingers over his taint, then thrust one single dry digit into his anus. Rapunzel went completely rigid, and seconds later, he came, his cock pulsing and filling my mouth with streams of hot cum.

It took everything I had not to follow him over the edge. Only my desire to be inside him when that happened kept me from doing so. As it was, I gulped down every drop of his offering. Sweet and salty with a slight spicy tinge, it was much like Rapunzel himself, reminding me of his complex nature. His gentle, generous, and shy exterior hid a very passionate creature, and one of great courage. I truly didn’t know what I’d done to deserve his affection, but from now on, I had every intention to dedicate my life to showing him how much I appreciated it.

I released his spent cock from my mouth and licked my lips as I scanned his face. Rapunzel met my gaze with dazed eyes that shone like beautiful sapphires. He didn’t speak, but he didn’t have to. I could read those lovely blue orbs like I would a book, and now, they said that he still wanted to be with me, in every other way.

Following that wordless plea, I flipped him on all fours. He must have had some idea of what I planned, because he thrust his ass out, wiggling it invitingly. My mind just about melted with lust. Distantly, I wondered if I should be thankful that he’d found that damn book or worried instead.

But that didn’t matter anymore, not really. Right now, I craved him too much to be concerned about trivial affairs. Following that lust, I spread his ass cheeks and licked over his ass crease. He obviously hadn’t expected that, because he tensed up a little and shot a glance toward me. “Medwin…What?”

I squeezed his hip, suspecting that he was worried I wouldn’t enjoy this. As I did so, I thrust my tongue into his anus, using it to stretch him like a little cock. Rapunzel’s resistance died at that, and soon, he was pushing back against me, fucking my face with the same unrestrained passion he’d done earlier with my mouth. I managed to sneak a hand under him and, predictably, found his prick hard once more. I could only imagine he’d denied his natural impulses for a long time. Besides, a potent sexual tension had been building up between us from the moment we’d met. Either way, I was more than happy to provide him with relief.

For a while, I kept tongue-fucking him, unable to get enough of his beautiful passion and delicious taste. Because, impossibly, even here, he tasted delicious, so much so that I suspected that feasting on his ass would soon become one of my favorite activities. In fact, I’d have liked to make him come again just by rimming him, but my dick was starting to be very jealous of my tongue. It throbbed painfully, reminding me that it wanted to be let in on the action.

At one point, I finally snapped. I lifted my head, drawing a small whimper of protest from my beautiful love. Shushing him, I reached for the nightstand and retrieved a vial of oil from inside. It was half empty, largely because these days, I couldn’t help but need to masturbate. I poured a generous amount on my fingers and reached between the perfect globes of his ass cheeks. Even if I’d loosened him up a little through the rimming, he was still a virgin, and I needed to take extra care of him.

I slid two fingers inside his channel, hissing at the tightness that engulfed my digits. I wanted to sink into his heat so badly it hurt, but instead, I stretched him carefully and gently. In the process, I found his prostate and rubbed the spongy gland, making Rapunzel writhe and cry out again.

“Medwin,” he finally said between incoherent moans. “Medwin, please! Take me!”

How could I deny him? In spite of all my Arthurian training, it would have taken a man far stronger than me to refuse him. I pulled my fingers out of his channel and slicked up my prick with some of the oil, readying myself to penetrate him. I would have liked to see his face and his eyes as I fucked him, but it would be easier for him this way.

And then, he shocked me by throwing a look over his shoulder. “O–on my back,” he said. “P–please.”

In spite of the stammering, there was clear decision in his voice. Once more, I was in awe with the fact that our thoughts seemed to be completely in synch. Nevertheless, I felt wary of taking him in that position for our first time. The last thing I wanted to do was to hurt him because of my own selfishness.

“It would be easier this way,” I reminded him. Was that my voice, so husky and raw? I sounded like I’d been eating sandpaper.

“I don’t care,” Rapunzel shot back. “Medwin…please.”

In spite of my intellectual knowledge of what would have been better for Rapunzel, I complied. I flipped him over on his back and lifted his legs onto my shoulders. At last, I positioned my dick at his opening and slid home.

His body opened up to me like a flower, parting to welcome me into his depths. I’d expected him to be a little tense, and he was, but only for a few seconds. After that, his flesh yielded to me almost greedily. He was tight around my prick that I had trouble not coming on the spot like an inexperienced teen.

By some miracle, I succeeded in keeping my imminent orgasm in check. When I was fully buried inside him, I stilled, half to allow him to get used to the invasion, but also for my own benefit. Naturally, it helped very little. If anything, the snug hold of his ass soon made it impossible for me to even consider waiting any further.

Surrendering to the inevitable, I pulled out of my beautiful love and thrust back inside, a little harder than I’d originally intended. Rapunzel didn’t seem to mind. In fact, when my dick struck his prostate, he released another of his now trademark sounds of passion. He held onto my shoulders, his fingernails digging into my flesh so hard he must have drawn blood. I held his gaze, examining his face for any sign of pain, but his blissful expression only encouraged me to continue.

With past partners, first encounters were always a little awkward, a little confusing and hesitant. It wasn’t like that with Rapunzel. Oh, no doubt about it, we were both impossibly frantic, needing, aching, lusting for each other so much that the flame of our desire truly seemed to turn into a palpable blaze. But at the same time, we moved in complete synch. Just by looking into his beautiful blue eyes, I could tell what he was thinking and feeling, but it was more than a simple understanding at an intellectual level. His emotions seemed like mine. Maybe they were. I couldn’t tell anymore.

My skin sizzled as his magic engulfed us both. He couldn’t reach for me in every way he obviously wanted to, but his hair did the job in his stead, caressing me, teasing me, providing an additional layer to the stimulation.

Soon, it became too much for me to withstand, but still, I wanted Rapunzel to come first. Sliding my hand between our sweat-slick bodies, I gripped his hard dick and jacked him off furiously. Two strokes of my hand, and it was all over.

“Medwin!” he shouted as he found his peak, spurting his cream all over my hand. His ass tightened around my prick, and a wave of power and ecstasy exploded over me. With a grunt of my own, I thrust one last time inside him and came harder than I ever had in my life.

In that moment, something seemed to click in my mind and soul. A sort of peculiar thread tightened around me and Rapunzel, and suddenly, I had a crystal clear view of how he’d lived like before we’d met. He’d been so alone because of his father’s possessiveness, but he had never yielded to bitterness. He still cared about the man a great deal, and the realization that the warlock had lied to him about his gender hurt him deeply.

But the love between us was stronger than that. I held him tightly, willing him to understand everything I felt for him. And then, the strangest thing happened. A soft voice drifted into my mind, one I recognized with ease.

“Medwin,” Rapunzel whispered. “I love you.”

I was so shocked I almost thought it was a dream. Kirril had told me once that he could talk to his mate through what he called a mate bond, but he’d also said it was a dragon thing. I had never expected something like this would happen with me and Rapunzel.

And yet, in my heart, I knew it was so right and so true. I tentatively reached out for that new bond and replied, “I love you, too.”

For the longest time, we floated together in a world of our own, one we had discovered through this new bond we shared. Finally, as the haze of our climax began to dim, I slid out of him and collapsed by his side. He curled against my chest, panting, his hair covering us like a protective, golden curtain.

It was Rapunzel who broke the comfortable silence between us. “I think…I think I won’t cut my hair after all.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle. “Good. Somehow, it feels like it’s such a part of you that I would probably miss it a lot.”

Rapunzel arched a perfect, blond brow at me. “In spite of everything that happened?”

“Because of it,” I corrected him. “After all, if nothing else, it was certainly memorable, and those memories will always be precious to us.”

Rapunzel just stared at me, his eyes glittering with so much emotion it seemed painful. Much to my surprise, I realized that it seemed to echo within me now, that his magic cascaded into me, making my head spin with a whirlpool of feelings and desires that were not my own and yet fit perfectly within my soul.

Unable to control myself, I reached for him again. That day, we never did get to study the books on magic, too busy with learning each other’s bodies and exploring our new bond. After all, it was the most beautiful and profound topic to approach, and I looked forward to doing so, over and over, for the rest of my life.

Chapter Seven:

In Which the Frog Prince Croaks into Action

A few weeks later

The carriage carrying Larue and Victor rolled out of the courtyard of the Arthurian palace. I watched it go as I leaned against Medwin. They had actually stayed longer than I had originally expected, all because they wanted to reassure themselves that I would be all right. But now, they had to go to Morganna to pick up Victor’s brother, Philippe, and then start their new life together, back in Merlinia.

It was strange, but even if I’d only known them for a short time, I would miss them a great deal. Even so, I had no regrets. They were the last real connection I had with Merlinia, but my homeland would always live in my heart. Right now, my place was in Arthuria, with Medwin.

“And I will forever be grateful for that,” Medwin whispered as he kissed my cheek.

He took my arm and guided me into the palace. His brother Leonard fell into step with us. “So, what now?” he asked me. “When are you going to make an honest man out of Rapunzel, brother?”

My face flamed with embarrassment, and I released a startled noise that really didn’t sound all that human. Medwin glared at his brother. “Please refrain from saying such things in public. As the future Arthurian king, you need to have more restraint.”

Leonard didn’t seem at all fazed by Medwin’s chastising words, but then, I was quickly growing to realize that few things shocked him. “Ah, yes, but it is my duty as an older brother to make note of these situations. After all, we only want what’s best for both you and Rapunzel.”

By “we,” I gathered that he meant the royal family. I gripped Medwin’s arm a little tighter, very much aware of Leonard’s gaze scrutinizing me. “It’s much too soon for us to discuss it,” I told the Arthurian heir apparent.

Leonard released a thoughtful hum and fell silent. I would have actually been a little more nervous, but I knew he liked me. I’d actually grown pretty comfortable with Medwin’s family in the past few weeks, which was why my Merlinian friends had deemed it safe to leave in the first place. More importantly, my relationship with Medwin had evolved a great deal. Since the day I’d surrendered my body to him, we’d become so much closer. The mental bond between us was an unexpected gift, and thanks to it, we had a far greater understanding of each other.

Because of this, I realized all too well that Medwin wanted to take our relationship further. However, there were secondary factors that complicated the matter. Medwin had just been engaged to someone else entirely, and another wedding would make Arthurians confused and nervous, especially since I was Merlinian. Not to mention that I still wasn’t sure how my father would react to this whole thing. Likely, Leonard knew all this, which was why he must have asked Medwin about it in the first place.

“Well, in the end, you can take all the time you need,” he said. “It’s always best to get to know your chosen partner really well before you make a commitment.”

It occurred to me that the royal family might not like the fact that Medwin had a live-in lover. True enough, we tried to be discreet, but I tended to grow very loud when Medwin fucked me. Medwin always ended up with an arm around my waist or my shoulders when we were in public. Therefore, our relationship was no secret, and even if no one seemed dismissive of me because of it, it might not be all that appropriate.

I bit my lip and shot Leonard a concerned look. “Do you think…Do you think Medwin and I should try to…restrain ourselves more?”

Leonard chuckled. “I thought you might be worried about that. Just do whatever’s right for you and don’t worry about the rest. After all, by this point, you are family.”

Touched, I smiled at Medwin’s brother. “Thank you so much, Prince Leonard. I can’t even express my gratitude through words.”

“You don’t need to be grateful,” Leonard said. “Just make Medwin happy.”

After clapping Medwin’s shoulder, Leonard bowed slightly at me and turned on a different corridor. I watched him go, trying to discern his motivations. “Don’t fret about it, love,” Medwin told me. “It’s Leonard’s job to stick his nose in everyone’s business.” His expression sobered. “Would you join me in the gardens for a few moments? I have something I need to discuss with you in private.”

Apprehension gripped me as I took in his words. I tested our bond to see what he had in mind, but he was carefully reining in his thoughts. I experienced a brief moment of panic, remembering my father’s words. I wasn’t supposed to give my body to my chosen partner before we were married. If I did so, the man in question would think ill of me and would end up casting me away.

And then, Medwin smiled at me, and my fears dissipated like smoke in the wind. “Of course,” I told him. “But you don’t have to be so formal. You know I would follow you anywhere.”

I was completely honest in those words, even if I realized that a decent maiden wouldn’t have thrown herself at her prince like this. In the end, I was no maiden, so I maybe I could afford to blurt out my feelings from time to time. My situation was ambiguous enough that I’d decided to make my own path.

Silently, Medwin guided me into the gardens. We stopped straight at the spot where he had once been about to pledge his life to Anelah before I had intervened. “I don’t know what I did to deserve that kind of loyalty from you,” he said, “but I must admit I am not above taking advantage of it.”

He fell to one knee and retrieved a box from his pocket. As he opened it, I saw a beautiful ring shining inside. Studded with sapphires and diamonds, it had an unusual design that appeared to be a combination between the more solid, straightforward Arthurian style and the elegant curves Merlinians used in their jewelry.

“Would you do me the absolute honor of marrying me?” he asked.

I could only stare at the jewel in awe. It was obviously designed with us in mind, and I really shouldn’t have been surprised at it. Medwin tended to lavish me with all sort of expensive presents, and, other than the books, the jeweled hair pins I’d received from him were my favorites. However, this was something entirely different. That ring meant more than a beautiful accessory. It was everything I’d dreamt of as I’d grown up, and more so since I’d met Medwin.

I wanted to say yes, to shout it to the winds, to take the ring and hug it to my chest. Instead, I heard myself inquire, “But, Medwin…Your people…What will they think?”

A part of me was screaming even as I spoke, chastising me and reminding me I was an idiot. “What are you doing?” it screamed. “You want this.”

Yes, I did, but I couldn’t be selfish. First and foremost, I had to think of Medwin. “What if the other Arthurians deem it inappropriate?” I asked my lover.

“I don’t really care,” Medwin said. “If anyone dares to say anything to you, I’ll handle it. Just say yes, Rapunzel, and let me worry about the rest.”

When I didn’t immediately reply, he quickly added, “Of course, you can take your time if you aren’t sure of what you want to do. It doesn’t have to be right now. We can wait for as long as you need.”

I didn’t want to wait, but now that Medwin suggested it, I wondered if it wasn’t a better idea. I didn’t want Medwin to rush into this and regret it after that.

Even as I thought this, a gust of wind swept through the gardens. My hair suddenly freed itself from the pins holding it up. I reached for it, but froze before I could even touch it. In front of me, right behind Medwin, my father had appeared.

Medwin shot to his feet, turning toward him. “Lord Stiltskin,” he greeted my father, our bond easily clarifying any sort of confusion that might have existed regarding the identity of the unexpected arrival. “I am Medwin, second prince of Arthuria. I’ve heard a great deal about you. I’m very pleased to make your acquaintance.”

The words were formal and polite, but sadly, my father didn’t follow Medwin’s example.

“I wish I could say the same, Prince Medwin of Arthuria,” he replied bitingly. “What kind of halfhearted proposal was that?”

I simply gaped at my father, trying to process what was happening. I didn’t regret anything I’d done, but I hadn’t been at all ready to face my father. Medwin shielded me from sight with his own body. “Halfhearted?” he repeated. “With all due respect, Lord Stiltskin, there’s nothing halfhearted about my feelings for your son.”

“Is that right?” my father asked. “I’ve been waiting for weeks, hoping you would own up to Rapunzel’s expectations. I’ve even allowed you to touch him, although it irked me to have you sully him with your base desires. I believed you to be different from the rest of your brute people. But so far, you haven’t shown me any sign that you actually deserve my son’s hand. For the Goddess’s sake, he had to come rescue you. That’s not the way it works.”

“All right,” Medwin answered. “I must admit that I have no great merits in that regard. But isn’t my love for him more valuable?”

“It is easy for you to claim love when you don’t actually have to do anything to prove it. You even seem reluctant to go through with the wedding.”

That was an unfair comment if I’d ever heard it. I snapped of my trance and stepped forward, holding onto Medwin’s arm as I faced my father. “Father, it’s not like that. Medwin just doesn’t want to push me into something I’m not ready for.”

“And yet, he pushed you into a carnal relationship.” He shook his head in obvious displeasure. “No, Rapunzel. You are my son, and you don’t have to settle for second best.”

This wasn’t the first time he had called me his son. I narrowed my eyes at him and asked, “If that’s the case, why did you always lie to me? If I’m your son, why did you always call me your daughter?”

He didn’t seem to expect me standing up against him. I never had before. Even when I’d left the tower on my own accord, I would have gone back if only he’d asked, at least before. Now, I had Medwin and our bond to fight for.

“Rapunzel, you were always a very delicate creature,” he explained. “In that respect, you were more like a daughter than a son. I merely wanted to protect you.”

“You hurt him, Lord Stiltskin,” Medwin said. “If you’d truly loved him, you should have never kept him from the world, from himself.”

“And what would you know of us, Arthurian?” My father turned furious eyes toward Medwin. “You’re the one who’s trying to separate Rapunzel and me, and I won’t stand for it.”

His eyes were starting to glow, and I recognized the signs of him casting a spell. I threw myself in front of Medwin before my father could finish the enchantment. “No, Father, please. Stop this. I love Medwin. I want to marry him. None of this argument is necessary. We can all set aside our differences and be happy together. I’m sure of that.”

My father scanned my face, his gaze still burning with his magic. “Very well, Rapunzel,” he finally said. “I can understand your feelings for the Arthurian. However, the fact remains that he needs to prove his. Otherwise, I will not accept this union.”

Suddenly, a wave of power swept over me, pushing me aside. I fell back, losing my hold on Medwin. As I struggled to regain my balance, I could only watch in horror as a bolt of lightning struck Medwin. I screamed, reaching out with my magic in the hope of protecting my other half.

My efforts were swept aside by my father with the ease a giant would discard a bothersome fly. I clung to my bond with Medwin, hoping against all hope that I wouldn’t lose my mate.

A shock swept through me from our connection. For a few moments, I completely lost my focus. When my vision cleared, I could see no sign of Medwin.

I gasped, scanning the courtyard, trying to figure out what could have happened to Medwin. Our bond was too filled with confusion to provide any specific answers, although it did tell me that my father hadn’t killed him. But that didn’t mean I wasn’t worried. When I still didn’t spot Medwin, I ran to my father’s side and dropped to my knees next to him. “What did you do, Father?” I sobbed. “Please. I beg of you. Give Medwin back.”

“He’s right there, Rapunzel,” my father replied, pointing to an area behind me.

As I gazed in the direction in question, my eyes fell on a large green frog. It—or rather, he—fixed me with striking, almost human eyes. “Rapunzel? What happened?”

I couldn’t believe my eyes. My father had turned Medwin into a frog. How was this supposed to help me in any way?

“Father, undo it,” I pleaded. “I’ll do whatever you ask. I’ll come with you to Merlinia. Just, please, undo it.”

“Of course you’re coming with me, but I’m not undoing the spell,” he answered. “It is my challenge for him. As you can see, I allowed him to keep some of his previous sensory capacities, so he should be fine. Now, give me your hand. We’re going home.”

The frog leapt forward, reaching us in mere seconds. “No. I’m not letting you take him.”

My father laughed. “And what can you do, Frog Prince? You are helpless against me, and helpless to protect Rapunzel. Until the day comes that you can face me as an equal, you don’t deserve my son.”

“Father…” I tried to reason with him. “You can’t be serious. Don’t do this. I will never forgive you.”

“Don’t be silly, Rapunzel. I am only making the best choice for you.” He looked at my shape-shifted lover again. “As for you, Frog Prince, you can find Rapunzel in the tower he previously inhabited. I will be waiting for you. Come alone, or else you won’t ever see Rapunzel again.”

I reached out to Medwin, unable to believe our happiness had been destroyed so easily. However, before I could even touch him, my father took hold of my hair and kept me from moving any further. “Home, Rapunzel,” he said again.

Those two words were the last ones I heard. The world suddenly started spinning, and I knew no more.

Chapter Eight:

In Which a Certain Amphibian Starts a Noble Journey

The moment Rapunzel disappeared from the gardens, I felt like my very existence had crumbled around me. I tried to reach out to the spot where he had been, but I couldn’t even do that. I didn’t even have hands left. Courtesy of my bond with Rapunzel, I could now understand I was a frog.

Truth be told, I didn’t feel like a frog. Yes, I was much smaller, and I couldn’t really move like I was used to, but that didn’t bother me as much as the sudden muting of my bond with my lover.

“Rapunzel!” I shouted in despair.

It was strange that I even had human vocal chords, and I probably should have been pleased that the warlock had allowed that. However, right then and there, I really couldn’t think clearly. I only knew that I’d lost Rapunzel. My beautiful love was gone.

I probably would have stayed there, uselessly croaking at thin air, but the sound of footsteps reached my hearing. “Medwin!” my brother called out. “Medwin, where are you?”

Our guards must have detected something was amiss, although at this point, it was far too late to do anything about it. Not that I could blame them. They were no match for the warlock. Perhaps it was for the best that they hadn’t been with me. They might have gotten hurt, too.

Leonard ran straight past me, and in his haste, almost stepped on me. I leapt out of the way just in time, only my instincts saving me from such an unfortunate fate. For the first time, I finally registered my change of perspective. I was currently lost in strikingly tall blades of grass, and the buzz of nearby insects registered very clearly and very close. My vision registered the occasional fly lazily moving about, and some part of my brain thought it would be very tasty. I shook myself and focused on my brother instead. I’d never realized how big Leonard was. From my standpoint, he looked like a giant, and I had no idea if he would even hear me.

“Down here,” I replied nonetheless.

Leonard stopped running and glanced around, obviously trying to detect me. I leapt forward once more, until I landed on Leonard’s boot. He released a startled sound and lifted his leg, likely intending to shake the ugly frog off of him. Hastily, I explained, “Don’t. It’s me, Medwin.”

My brother simply froze, exactly in that position, with one leg still in the air. For the first time in my life, his stoic façade cracked, leaving only shock behind. It would have probably been amusing, except I wasn’t in the mood to laugh. “Medwin?” he asked in disbelief. “Great Father…”

Slowly, hesitantly, he picked me up and stared at my now frog-like face. “Is that you?”

“Yes,” I replied. On impulse, I added, “It’s a good thing that I know that you can actually be surprised by something. I was starting to think you only had a single expression.”

My comment did its job in that it returned a semblance of normality to our peculiar exchange. Leonard started to recover, although he still seemed pale and far from his usually calm self. “What happened, Medwin?” he inquired.

Before I could reply, my mother and father entered the gardens. If I’d been able to, I would have winced. I didn’t look forward to my mother’s reaction at my new predicament.

“Leonard, where’s Medwin?” she asked. “I heard there was a magic attack on the palace.”

She frowned when she saw me in Leonard’s arms. “What in the world are doing with that frog? Now is not the time to get a pet, or whatever in the world you’re thinking.”

I simply couldn’t entertain the idea of Leonard having a frog pet at all. True enough, he owned hunting dogs, and he seemed affectionate of them, but that really was very different from what my mother suggested. Then again, for her, no other explanation would be suitable. After all, she couldn’t possibly imagine I was the frog in question.

Leonard didn’t immediately answer her inquiry. Perhaps he feared her reaction as well. Sadly, the truth needed to be revealed. “It’s me, Mother,” I said. “I’m the frog.”

Silence fell over the gardens as my mother stared at me. I stared back, unsure of what else to do or say. For all I knew, she’d reject my current self.

As it turned out, my fears proved to be completely unjustified. She ran toward Leonard and snatched me out of his arms, sobbing as she held me tightly to her chest. “Oh, Medwin. My poor baby. What happened to you? How did you get like this?”

I would have loved to explain, especially since I felt ashamed for having doubted her love for me even for a second. Sadly, in her zeal, my mother was crushing me against her ample bosom. As frogs stood, I actually seemed pretty big, but my mother was the epitome of an Arthurian woman, and she appeared to have forgotten her own strength. Mercifully, Leonard intervened before she could accidentally kill me. “Mother, I think you’re squashing him.”

My mother gasped, and, seconds later, I could breathe again. When my dizziness began to fade, I found myself still cradled in her arms, this time far more carefully. She held me close, but gently, as she would have a newborn. The tears in her eyes were like a dagger to my chest.

“Was it…Was it Rapunzel?”

She seemed hesitant to blame my current condition on Rapunzel, something which I appreciated a great deal. “Rapunzel’s father suddenly showed up,” I explained. “He wasn’t satisfied with my love for Rapunzel, so he turned me into a frog and took Rapunzel away.”

To my own surprise, I sounded far calmer than I felt. My father, however, was anything but calm. As a rule, he had a serene temper, which helped him be a fair and loved king, but when someone crossed him, he was a terrible foe. “We’ll hunt him down and destroy him.” He snarled. “He’ll regret the day he messed with the Arthurian royal family.”

I leapt out of my mother’s arms and toward my father. Looking up at him, I said, “No. We can’t do that. I have to handle this on my own, or else I’ll lose Rapunzel forever.”

“Medwin, you can’t be serious,” my father said. “What can you possibly do in your condition?”

He had a point, but that didn’t change my decision. My shape-shifted state wasn’t even the problem. Since a few weeks ago, when Rapunzel and I had first made love, he had become my full priority. Everything else had fallen into the background. Oh, we’d looked into learning more about magic, but half the time, we fell into each other’s arms before we could reach any conclusion. Today, I’d paid the price for it.

Now, even if every second away from Rapunzel hurt so much I felt I couldn’t breathe, I needed to be rational again. I needed to push my emotions aside and focus on becoming the man Lord Rumpel Stiltskin wanted me to be.

It wasn’t that I craved the warlock’s approval, but he’d been right about one thing. I’d been helpless to keep him from taking Rapunzel from me, which meant that I couldn’t take him back, even if I tried.

In fact, I very much doubted the entire Arthurian army could stand against the damn warlock, but that was a moot point, since, in the end, I had to do this. No one else would be able to help.

“You can’t fight this man through physical strength,” I answered. “He sent Kirril to a whole different world, and he broke through the palace defenses with no problems whatsoever. This is a matter that has to be settled between him and me, and I will do it.”

I started to stalk away for an extra dramatic exit, but since I couldn’t really walk, I ended up just leaping toward the palace with an occasional involuntary “ribbit.” It was really kind of embarrassing, and not at all convincing. Therefore, I was thankful when my brother picked me up again.

“I don’t know anything about magic,” he said, “but if there’s anyone who can do this in the whole of Arthuria, it’s you. I will help you if I can.”

My mother wiped her eyes and forced a smile. “We all will.”

I appreciated their words, even if I suspected my mother was only choosing her battles and would eventually try to convince be to back out of my plan. However, I had no intention to give up, so I added, “If you want to help, you must promise that you won’t send armed troops into Merlinia. Not only would it sabotage my chances to get Rapunzel back, but it might even be dangerous for Kirril and his mate.”

No one spoke, obviously realizing I was right. The last time my father had attempted a mass attack on Merlinia, we’d almost started a war with the dragons. Now that Kirril lived there, it was all the more important to keep at least a tentative truce between the two lands.

“Then what will you have us do, Medwin?” my father asked. “Just wait here twiddling our thumbs?”

“We should at least message Kirril’s Merlinian friends,” Leonard suggested. “I’m pretty sure they could provide information on shape-shifting curses.”

“That’s a good idea,” my mother said, perking up instantly. “I’ll send a rider to catch up with their carriage. They can’t have gotten far.”

I watched her go with a silent sigh. I kind of suspected any attempt to find the carriage of the Merlinians would prove to be pointless. Their lives and their logic didn’t work like those of Arthurians, and I had no time to wait.

“Leonard, could you drop me at the library?” I asked my brother. “I have some studying to do.”

The warlock had been correct about one other thing. I wasn’t like other Arthurians, and this time around, it would be a huge advantage.

* * * *

One month later

“Do you have everything?” My mother fussed as she strapped me to Magda’s back. “Do you need to check again?”

If I’d been able to, I’d have smiled at her. As it was, I nodded, in my frog-like manner, of course. “I’ll be fine, Mother,” I told her. “We’ve checked every detail over and over. I’m ready.”

In fact, I was more than ready. I’d spent hours on end poring over books on magic, remembering what little Rapunzel had told me about his abilities and trying to figure out a way to defeat the warlock. I didn’t really have such powers, so it should have been a waste of time to even make the attempt. However, the spell on me was actually a source of magic, and my bond with Rapunzel remained in place. I hadn’t been able to actually contact him, but that connection still guided my way. I didn’t know if the plan I had come up with would work, but I simply couldn’t wait any longer.

Obviously, my mother realized that, because she didn’t try to convince me to stay. “Be careful, Medwin,” she said. “Make sure to visit your brother and ask for his advice.”

“I will. I’ll give him your letter, too.”

“Good luck, son,” my father offered. “I wish we could have done more for you.”

“You honor me, Your Majesty,” I said formally. “And you’ve already done more than enough.”

It was quite true. In the time I’d spent poring over my books, my family had enlisted the best Arthurian blacksmiths to create a special armor for me. It might have seemed a fool’s errand, but in the end, after much effort, I’d been presented with an excellent result.

Because of my frail body, I couldn’t wear heavy plate armor, and it wouldn’t have been practical for the road anyway. Therefore, the blacksmiths had created a chainmail suit, painstakingly weaving together a coif, a shirt, and a pair of leggings. Naturally, they were adapted to both my size and my specific dimensions and abilities as an amphibian. After all, a suit of armor would be useless if it kept me from leaping around. It hadn’t been easy, but fortunately, I was a larger than average frog, which allowed me to use the provided garb.

Underneath the chainmail, I wore a padded gambeson that would keep the metal from chaffing me. I even had a sheath with a small sword, strapped to my froggy waist.

Finally, the blacksmiths, in cooperation with the stable hands, had made me a special saddle that worked more as like a nest of sorts. Because of my size, I could be easily thrown off any horse, so they’d adapted the saddle to add more straps and a pair of reins that I could actually use.

More importantly, my parents had respected my choice and hadn’t sent any troops into Merlinia. I was thankful to them for all their support, and I could only hope I wouldn’t disappoint them.

My mother nodded and finally moved out of the way, joining my father outside the stables. I realized it was very hard for her to watch me go. In spite of me being the middle son, I’d always been her baby, the one she worried about most. However, she was an Arthurian mother, and she understood the necessity of battle.

Leonard mounted his own steed and silently nodded. At last, I took the reins and ushered Magda to a light trot. Together with my brother and a group of guards, I rode out of the palace courtyard, leaving my home behind.

We unavoidably had to go through the streets of Camelot so that we could leave the city, which was a little bothersome because of the way people stared at me. By now, everyone knew about my predicament, but that didn’t change the fact that they were also getting a little wary. First, the youngest son of the Arthurian royal family mated a dragon and left Arthuria altogether. Now, the middle one fell in love with a Merlinian and got turned into a frog. Tongues were wagging like crazy on the real strength of Arthurian royals. Fortunately, Leonard and my father were controlling the matter, but I still hated the entire situation.

Indeed, even if we left at a very early hour, we still ran into a great deal of Arthurian citizens. Naturally, they all greeted Leonard with enthusiasm, but they just stared at me in confusion and pity.

Oddly, I didn’t really care. I was relieved when we left the city, but just because it was one step closer to Rapunzel. Once we were on the main road, we started riding a little faster. Although it wasn’t easy for me, I managed. The special saddle helped, and Magda was always careful not to jostle me too much.

At one point, I got used to it and I actually engaged Leonard in conversation. “Take care of Mother,” I told him. “I know she’s trying to put up a brave front, but she’s going to need you.”

“I know, Medwin,” Leonard replied. “But don’t worry about us right now. Just think about what you’re going to do when you reach Merlinia. Do you really think this plan of yours is going to work?”

“It has to,” I replied. “I won’t accept anything else.”

Leonard released a soft, sad chuckle. “You always were the most determined of the three of us.”

“Kirril said something similar before he left,” I replied. “I don’t like it too much. It sounds like a good-bye.”

“Maybe it is,” Leonard told me. “But the truth is, I have faith in you, brother. This is your journey, and I’m sure that at the end, you’ll return to us with your Rapunzel.”

It was too soon to tell what would happen, and I couldn’t make too many promises. Still, I appreciated his trust and encouragement. “I will,” I told him. “Soon.”

That night, we stopped at an inn to get some rest. Even if he couldn’t join me in my quest, Leonard had insisted to see me off to the river Dozmary, the natural barrier between Arthuria and Merlinia. It was quite far from Camelot, and we hadn’t even done that when Kirril had gone. This showed the exact extent of my family’s concern for me.

The next day, we left at dawn once more. We made good time, and at noon, we reached the river. Beyond it lay the Merlinian shores, and further into the distance, Rapunzel.

I’d have liked to dismount and hug Leonard, but that would have been difficult for more than one reason. Leonard, however, did leave his horse. He came to my side and patted my shoulder—or what should have been my shoulder—gently. “Be careful, all right, Medwin?”

“I will,” I promised. “Thank you.”

The palace guards we’d brought with us saluted me. I acknowledged them with a brief nod and a far less dignified croak and then, guided Magda onward.

We crossed the river and rode into Merlinia without looking back. “How far is it?” I asked the mare.

“Oh, it’s a pretty long way,” Magda replied. “The first time we came here, it took Kirril and me a week to find Dineiro, and we only traveled to Lord Stiltskin’s lands after that. Merlinia is a complicated place. For all we know, it might take us even longer.”

I knew that, but it was still hard for me to hear it. I settled in for a long ride, deciding to continue with it until both Magda and I could no longer take a single step forward. And then, something inexplicable happened. A bright light flashed in front of me, making my frog eyes hurt. When I could see again, I found myself facing a beautiful path glowing in all the colors of the rainbow. The Rainbow Brick Road.

“Prince Medwin, we could be in luck,” Magda exclaimed. “This has happened before, exactly when Kirril first met Dineiro.”

“Perhaps it will lead me to Rapunzel,” I said as I guided Magda onto the path.

As we rode, I held my breath, scanning the horizon for any sign of a tower like the one I’d seen in Rapunzel’s memories. The chances of me finding it during daytime were slim, if Magda was to be believed, but I had to try.

The more we advanced, the denser the forest became, and it grew increasingly hard for me to see past it. After all, I was only a small frog, and the Merlinian vegetation almost appeared to be designed to thwart my senses. Much to my surprise, I thought I could hear chuckles coming from the greenery, but when I stole glances in the direction of the sound, no one was there. I could only surmise this must be the famous Laughing Forest where Kirril had met his mate.

That was actually quite encouraging, so Magda and I persevered. I didn’t really expect immediate results, and was surprised when a flash of purple entered my vision. Magda released a startled equine snort and headed in the direction it had come from.

A tiny dragon head peeked out from the bushes. “Magda?” the creature asked. “Is that you?”

“Hello,” my mare replied. “What are you doing here, Dineiro?”

“Oh, I was actually looking for Kirril,” the dragon answered, fully emerging from the bushes. “But most importantly, that’s my line. Why did you come here all alone?”

I realized that, from his angle, the dragon couldn’t see me. “She’s not alone,” I piped up.

Dineiro let out a startled little squeak. He peered closer to Magda, and his eyes widened when he spotted me. “Prince…Medwin?” he asked hesitantly.

“Greetings, Dineiro,” I said calmly. “It’s very nice to see you again.”

The dragon finally shape-shifted into his human form and ran to my side, completely oblivious to his nakedness. “Oh, Goddess…What happened? Were you cursed?”

“By Lord Rumpel Stiltskin,” I said, confirming his guess. “He also took Rapunzel. I’ve come to get him back.”

“But…how? When?” Dineiro’s lower lip trembled, his eyes filling with tears. “This is terrible.”

“Don’t be upset,” Magda said quickly. “It’s not good for your baby.”

Now that Magda mentioned it, Dineiro did need to avoid any sort of stress. I didn’t know much—or rather, anything—about dragon pregnancies, but I could only guess that some things were the same indifferently of the species.

Dineiro quickly wiped his eyes. “You’re right, of course. You must excuse me for the outburst. I’m all over the place these days. Please, won’t you come to our home? I know you’re in a hurry, but at the very least, you should see Kirril. Not to mention that you can’t find your way to Lord Stiltskin’s domain until nightfall.”

That was pretty much what Magda had told me back in Camelot as we’d been getting ready for the journey. “I’d be honored if you would have me as your guest,” I replied. “Perhaps you could explain exactly how this secondary realm works. But where is Kirril?”

“Oh, he’s been spending some time with my parents lately,” Dineiro answered as he started to guide Magda and me through the undergrowth. “Since we moved here, he’s very keen on having to provide for me and our future hatchling, so he insisted on learning everything there is to know about Merlinia.” He shot me a sheepish look. “He tries not to be away a lot, but I still miss him.”

I could understand that, perhaps more than anyone else. In fact, the extent of Dineiro’s separation from my brother couldn’t at all compare to my problem with Rapunzel. Perhaps Dineiro realized this, because he quickly added, “Either way, he’s very worried about you. He’ll meet us at the house. Tell me. What exactly happened?”

As we walked, I started to relate the tale of my ordeal to the dragon. Dineiro occasionally made anguished noises, and more than once, I was tempted to stop, or at least temper my frustration out of concern for him. He nevertheless assured me that I shouldn’t worry about him, since, apparently, dragon pregnancies weren’t that frail.

Before I knew it, we found ourselves in front of a beautiful two-story cottage. It wasn’t very large. Truly, I would have never even seen it if not for Dineiro pointing it out to me. The branches of a huge tree hid it almost completely.

“It’s on purpose that way,” Dineiro explained when I said this. “So that it would be safe for us.”

His smile was almost dreamy as he patted his stomach, but he quickly shook it off with a self-conscious chuckle. “But please, come inside. Kirril is already on his way.”

At this point, we found ourselves in quite a pickle. In spite of Dineiro’s invitation, I couldn’t exactly ride Magda into the house, and I didn’t really know where and if I should leave her. Dineiro helped me decide by taking me off the saddle and into his arms. I distantly wondered if he wasn’t uncomfortable holding his mate’s brother like this while he was naked. Probably not. After all, right now, I was only a frog.

Dineiro left Magda next to a nearby tree without tying her down, then entered the house with me still in his arms. “I take it you’re planning to face Lord Stiltskin in a magical battle. Won’t you let us help you?”

“I can’t,” I explained. “If I do so, he’ll take Rapunzel away and I won’t ever see him again.”

Dineiro released a heavy sigh. “Well, at the very least, rest up and recover your strength. You’re going to need it. That man is a dangerous opponent.”

“Believe me, I know,” I replied glumly.

The dragon took me in a room at the back of the house. I hadn’t realized it before, but my brother’s abode opened straight into a cave complete with a pool filled with water that actually seemed to glow. To the right of the cave lay what seemed to be a nest made out of numerous furs. For the first time, I understood that when Dineiro had said he would be nesting, he meant it literally.

I had a feeling that he didn’t allow just anyone here. The place had a very private feel, and to a certain extent, I felt like an intruder for even coming. Dineiro didn’t seem to mind, though. He smiled as he placed me down. “Go ahead and take a dip in the pond. It’ll refresh you.”

I was very tempted to comply. Truth be told, the road had worn me out a little, and the armor was heavier than expected. Not to mention that I hadn’t actually allowed myself to follow any frog-like impulses in the past.

Probably noticing my silent agreement, Dineiro helped me out of my armor. His hands were very gentle, and he no longer seemed taken aback at all that I was a frog. Perhaps something like this seemed natural to him. Nonetheless, whatever the reason was, I greatly appreciated it.

He slipped me into the water, and I felt the tension drain away out of me as the liquid enveloped me in a comfortable, lukewarm embrace. Well, some of my anxiousness simply refused to fade, but that came as no surprise. Ever since I’d lost Rapunzel, there was an empty hole in my chest that would never be filled until I got him back.

As I relaxed in the pool, Dineiro changed into his dragon form and lay down in his nest. Perhaps he didn’t want to startle me out of my train of thought, because he remained silent. I, on the other hand, took the opportunity to understand him a little better.

“How does shape-shifting work, exactly?” I asked him as I leapt out of the pool.

Dineiro lifted his head and pinned me with large, purple eyes. “You mean, how I do it? Well, we don’t actually use our human forms all that much unless we have mates who are of a different species. But when I do change shapes, I simply visualize myself in my second form. It’s really not hard at all, especially since I know Kirril likes to see me that way.”

It was a little startling to note that Dineiro considered his human form secondary. I’d actually meant something entirely different—how he regularly shifted in his dragon shape. It certainly served to point out something very important. In spite of my predicament and my efforts to study magic, I was still thinking like an Arthurian. That wouldn’t do at all if I truly planned to rescue my love.

“Thank you, Dineiro,” I replied. “That’s more helpful than you can imagine.”

“Please, call me Dini,” the dragon said quickly. “You are, after all, my mate’s beloved brother.”

Before I could reply to that, Kirril stalked into the cave. “Medwin,” he said with a gasp. “Dear gods…”

As he picked me up, his expression of shock turned into a fierce glower. “That man is going to pay.”

“Let’s not start this all over again,” I told him. “Like I said to your mate, I’m going alone, and that’s final.”

“Medwin…” My brother attempted to reason with me.

“Look, let me put it this way. Remember last time, when I was under Anelah’s spell? I sent you to slay a dragon.”

Kirril winced, obviously sensitive about the topic, but Dineiro—Dini—just released a small, soothing noise, perhaps telling Kirril that all was forgiven. I hated having to mention it all, but I needed Kirril to understand. “Back then, in spite of her enchantment, I never felt the same urgency I do now. Granted, the situations are very different, but, brother, I love Rapunzel. I might not be a strong warrior like you. Right now, I’m not even human. But that love will help me. I’m sure of it.”

Even as I spoke, I found that I became more and more convinced of my own words. It didn’t matter that I was a frog. I could do this. I could save Rapunzel. I just had to believe in the magic of our bond.

Kirril seemed to realize I was serious. “Very well, Medwin. I’ll respect your decision. But if you don’t return…”

“I’ll return,” I replied. “Besides, the warlock doesn’t want to kill me. He only means to teach me a lesson, but he loves Rapunzel, and he knows that ending my life will cause Rapunzel to hate him.”

“He didn’t seem to be very worried about that when he turned you into a frog,” Kirril grumbled.

“Rili…” Dineiro said as he padded closer to us. “He might be right. I mean, if Lord Stiltskin had wanted to kill Medwin, he’d have already done so.”

“In any case, no matter what happens, I’m doing this,” I added. “Now, before I forget, I have a letter for you two from Mother. She mentioned that she’d like to invite you to Arthuria as soon as possible, or come here, if you’d rather.”

Dineiro visibly perked up. “That’s so nice of her.”

“Once this is all over, we’ll make sure to arrange a meeting,” Kirril said. “I highly doubt she’s in the mood for visits now.”

“She is quite worried about me, but it couldn’t be helped,” I answered. “She realizes that I’m doing the right thing.”

The three of us went outside, and I proceeded to show Kirril where the letter from my mother was. It had been placed in Magda’s saddlebag. Kirril pocketed it while Dineiro pet Magda’s large head with a clawed paw.

I wondered how it had become so normal for my brother to have a dragon around. Then again, I could understand it, since I’d been the same with Rapunzel’s strangely enchanted hair.

We spent a few more hours together, and throughout this time, Dineiro insisted that I eat and rest up for the road. I did so without comment, because I didn’t want to upset him. As it turned out, the meal he offered me was quite good—a first since my transformation. Lately, I’d only been eating for nourishment, but I had strongly refused to be reduced to hunting flies with my long tongue. I hadn’t even realized how much I had missed a good dinner until Dineiro had provided it.

At dusk, I finally put on my armor again and, with my brother’s help, mounted Magda. Dineiro hugged me, and for whatever reason, as he held me to his scaly chest, I felt something inside me pulse. My bond with Rapunzel flared to life, and for a few moments, I could see him in my mind, leaning against the banister of his tower, sighing and glancing into the distance. He was waiting for me.

The brief flash faded before I could reach out to him through our mental link. Dineiro pulled away and fixed me with his deep, purple eyes once more. “You have so much love inside of you,” he told me. “You will win this battle. I am sure of it.”

I wanted to touch him again, because I was suddenly certain it had been his magic that had helped me bypass whatever wards the warlock had put up to keep me from my beautiful love. But if I did so, I could easily draw Lord Stiltskin’s attention to my brother and his mate, and that was the last thing I wanted.

“Thank you,” I told him honestly. “I’ll see you soon.”

They led me back toward the road, where I’d met up with Dineiro just earlier that day. The Rainbow Brick Road glowed in the dim rays of twilight, like a beacon calling out to me from the darkness.

Magda stepped onto the path, and I said, “The Rainbow Brick Road.”

It was apparently some sort of trigger to its power, or so Kirril had told me. I held my breath, waiting and hoping that I would be magically transported to my Rapunzel’s side. At first, nothing happened, and I turned toward Kirril and Dineiro. Dineiro had shifted into his human form, and Kirril was holding him close, as if he couldn’t bear not doing so. And then, before I could even ask them anything, the world started to blur, and their figures disappeared. The forest itself vanished into the darkness of the evening and then started to morph into different shapes.

I found myself in front of a canyon, mercifully still mounted on Magda. It was a little dizzying for someone my size to be on the proverbial lip of the abyss, but I would have braved that, and much more. As it turned out, it wasn’t even an issue. “We are close to Lord Stiltskin’s domain,” Magda told me with a neigh. “It’s that way.”

She was pointing away from the cliff side, toward a dark and gloomy forest. In the distance, I thought I could catch a glimpse of a tall tower. Perhaps I was imagining it—after all, frogs weren’t exactly known for their amazing vision. Nonetheless, what I had seen in my mind had been true and that image was guiding me toward that forest.

As Magda started to gallop toward Rumpel Stiltskin’s land, I sent out a message to my beautiful love. “Wait for me, Rapunzel. I’m coming.”

Chapter Nine:

In Which the Not-So-Maidenly Maiden Learns Two Shocking Secrets

“He’s not coming.”

My father’s words didn’t surprise me, and neither did his presence. I ignored him, as I always did these days. Since my father had dragged me into the tower again, I had not spoken a word. I simply couldn’t forgive him for what he had done to Medwin.

“Rapunzel.” My father sighed deeply behind me. “You have to accept this. It’s been a month. He abandoned you.”

I didn’t even spare him a look. Instead, I just continued my scrutiny of my father’s lands. Evening had fallen over the Merlinian lands. From my position in the balcony of my tower, I glanced out into the distance, hoping to catch sight of an incoming rider. I kept thinking that if I looked away even for a moment from the horizon, I’d miss Medwin’s approach.

In truth, even if I was doing my best not to let my father get to me, it hurt to hear him say all these things. I couldn’t deny that a month had passed since my separation from Medwin. I had no doubt that Medwin was doing his best to find a solution to our predicament. He wouldn’t have been able to defeat my father if he’d just come after me at once. I knew all this, and I trusted Medwin’s affection for me. Still, each second that passed while we were not together speared me with arrows of fear and doubt.

“Come inside,” my father finally said. “It’s getting pretty chilly, and I don’t want you to catch a cold.”

He grabbed my hand, struggling to pull me into the tower. I shrugged him off, freeing myself from him with ease. He allowed it, even if he could have easily forced me to comply. Perhaps he was truly distraught about my anger with him. But what had he expected? That I would openly embrace my separation from Medwin?

“Rapunzel, don’t be stubborn,” he said. “Do you think that your prince would want you to hurt yourself like this?”

That was a low blow. I turned around and glared at him. “Do you truly not realize that you’re the one hurting me?” I asked, finally breaking my vow of silence. “What kind of enchantment do you have on the tower that keeps me from reaching out to Medwin?”

“Rapunzel…” my father tried to say.

“No! I won’t hear it. You’ve been saying on and on that you’re only thinking about my own good, but what are you protecting me from? What can possibly warrant such a treatment from you? I can admit that I might not have been the perfect son, but that can’t justify you warping my sense of self like you did. And still, I could have forgiven that, because you’re my father. But I can never—understand this, never—forgive you for what you did to Medwin.”

He released another heavy sigh. “Very well, Rapunzel. You want me to answer your questions. I will.” Instead of trying to guide me back inside, he stepped onto the balcony with me. He wrapped an additional coat around my shoulders, and I accepted it in silent agreement that, indeed, Medwin wouldn’t want me to get sick.

My father stared out into the distance, and for a few moments, he remained silent. “I realize I haven’t been the best parent,” he finally said. “But you came to me unexpectedly. Rapunzel, the truth is…you’re not really my birth child.”

I should have been shocked, but in my heart, I’d expected it. Every time I’d asked about my mother, my father would dodge the question—until I’d at last stopped asking. “So then, why…Why did you stage all this?” I asked.

“It’s a really long story, one that started many years before you were born. You see, a long time ago, in Grimoire, there lived a strong witch, renowned all throughout Avalon. Few people even remember her anymore, as her name has been lost in the mists of time. At one point, in spite of her power, she grew lonely, and she had three children with men of different species. She picked a pixie male, a psychic from Mentalia, and a strong Morgannian mage. And then, she wanted another child, one with a shape-shifter.”

“She went to the most noble of the shifter houses in the whole of Avalon and requested that the king himself fulfill her plea. But the king of the province was already married, and his wife had just born him a boy, so he refused her.”

“Angry with the rejection, the witch cursed the kingdom. In the eighteenth year of the heir’s life, he was to prick his finger with a rose thorn. In that moment, he would fall asleep for all eternity, and so would the entire kingdom.”

“The king ordered for all the roses to be destroyed. This was particularly difficult for them, because the abilities of these shifters were strongly aligned with plants. Not even this sacrifice prevented the inevitable. On the morning of his eighteenth birthday, the young heir found a white rose in the gardens, pricked his thumb, and fell asleep. The witch’s curse took over, just like she had wanted.”

That was a sad and frightening story, but I couldn’t see how it had anything to do with me. “I don’t understand. Am I that heir? What about the witch? Who was she?”

“Please, let me finish,” my father answered. “The spell came with a caveat. It could be broken if a man from the witch’s bloodline, born on the same day the curse fell, saved the unfortunate prince. It was said that this man would be the one to pave the path to the kingdom’s salvation.”

“Meanwhile, the witch’s children grew up together, gradually learning magic. Time passed, with the witch ever watchful of them. And then, unexpectedly, the witch’s daughter fell pregnant. Knowing about the curse, she and her brothers concealed the pregnancy. By the time the witch found out about it, it was too late for her to kill the baby without risking her daughter’s life.”

“For all her anger, the witch loved her children, so she could only do her best and keep the child from being born in the wrong day. It was pointless. The baby—a lovely blond-haired boy—drew his first breath precisely a hundred years after the curse was cast.”

“The witch instantly attacked the helpless babe, but the child’s uncles stopped her. Anticipating her actions, they had prepared a binding spell. They stripped her of her powers and divided it within the three offspring, at the same time, tying her fate to the sleeping kingdom.”

“Unexpectedly, though, the witch’s evil endured, and it recoiled into her daughter, making her hate her own child. The two sons could do nothing but take the baby and hope to keep him from harm.”

Finally, my father looked toward me. “I took it upon myself to protect you from my sister,” he said, “while my brother decided to watch over the rest of Merlinia, to make sure our mother never woke. My sister searched for you at first, but once I concealed you here, under the identity of my daughter, she couldn’t reach you.”

I would have been inclined to believe him, but even I knew that the shape-shifters who organized themselves in kingdoms had died out a long time ago. Time-line wise, what he was telling me made no sense. “That can’t be right,” I told him. “In my twenty years, I’ve never even heard tell of such a witch, or of such a curse.”

My father shot me a look full of pity. “This tower is enchanted, Rapunzel. Time passes differently here, according to my will. You were here for over two hundred years before I even brought you Magda.”

I glanced at him in complete shock, and in his eyes, I saw the truth of it. My head started to spin. I could no longer focus on his tale, but rather on the realization that the time I had waited could have been something entirely different. For all I knew, years had passed since Medwin and I had been separated. If that was the case, no wonder my father kept insisting Medwin had abandoned me.

“Did you…Did you speed up time while we were here?”

He shook his head. “I didn’t want to chance it. It was too risky.”

“Risky?” I repeated. I didn’t even know if I was supposed to feel relieved or even more concerned. I just couldn’t understand anything anymore, and I desperately wanted to be by Medwin’s side, where everything made sense. “What do you mean?”

Even as I spoke, I felt a wave of dizziness flow over me. I swooned, but my father—or was he my uncle?—caught me before I could fall. Before I could protest, he picked me up and carried me into the tower. “That’s the reason,” he said darkly as he placed me on a low settee. “Rapunzel, you’re pregnant.”

Pregnant. Pregnant. That word echoed in my mind over and over, like my father kept repeating it. I couldn’t even doubt him. The man might have lied about countless things, but this would be too much even for him.

I didn’t know what to say or do. I couldn’t even breathe anymore. My outrage, fears, and shock bubbled together in a whirlwind of emotion. I felt like I was underwater, like a thick veil had been erected between me and reality.

My father was still speaking, but his words kept passing me by. There was one single thing I could remember, one reality that came to me as crystal clear as the waters of the Dozmary. I was pregnant with Medwin’s child. Soon, I’d have a baby created out of our love.

I supposed I shouldn’t have been surprised. After all, Dineiro was a Merlinian male and he’d been able to conceive with Kirril. But the situation was vastly different for me. I’d just gotten used to the thought that I was a man, and now, suddenly, I’d been given a gift that typically women received.

Oddly, it wasn’t even the shock at the news of this unexpected pregnancy that had me so shaken. Being Merlinian, I could intellectually understand the possibility of it. Rather, I was lost between disbelief, happiness, and my utter dismay at not having Medwin by my side.

Tears filled my eyes, and I stubbornly tried to push them back. This was a good thing, a beautiful thing. No matter what happened, I would always have a part of Medwin, and that made me so blissful it seemed unbelievable. At the same time, though, it was heartbreaking that I couldn’t share it with the man I loved.

“Why?” I finally asked my father. “If you knew this, why did you separate me and Medwin?”

“Your Medwin has to learn that things in life are never easy. If he wants you to be his, he has to stop acting halfheartedly and take responsibility for his actions.”

“That doesn’t even make sense,” I argued, wiping my eyes. “If you thought I needed protection, you could have joined us, taught us, instead of attacking us. How is Medwin supposed to understand magic? He’s Arthurian.”

“He’s also the man who fell in love with your mother.”

I just stared at him, unable to believe my ears. “A–Anelah?” I stammered.

My father—because I would never get used to thinking of him as my uncle—nodded. “She is my younger sister, and the man you know as the Fairy Godfather is my brother. I gave you some freedom because she is in his custody, but we have a lot of enemies. I might not be able to stand by your side forever.”

That was no answer, but I didn’t have it in myself to argue with him. Suddenly, Medwin’s behavior started to make sense. From the moment we’d met, he’d claimed that he loved me, and I’d completely convinced myself that it was true. My magic had even bonded us together. But what if Anelah’s spell had never truly faded? What if it had only transferred onto me because I was her son?

I took a deep breath and pulled away from my father. No, I couldn’t think like that. Medwin’s emotions for me were genuine. Our baby was living proof of it. I trusted him, and nothing my father could say would change that.

It occurred to me in that moment that if Lord Rumpel Stiltskin wasn’t my father, I had another parent out there, maybe looking for me. “Who was my real father?” I blurted out.

“We suspect that it must have been an elf,” he replied. “Anelah never actually said. But for what it’s worth, I do consider you my son.”

Maybe he did, or maybe he didn’t. He could be lying, or he could be telling the truth. In all of this confusion, I still remained convinced of one important thing. I loved Medwin.

I left the settee and wrapped myself better in the thick cloak. As I stepped onto the balcony again, my father followed. When he offered me a seat, I took him up on his offer and plopped down on the chair. I might still be angry with him, but I wouldn’t put unnecessary strain on myself just to spite him. I had my baby to think about now.

Resting a hand on my belly, I glanced out into the distance. My hair swayed over the banister of the balcony, like a rope ready for Medwin to climb—but kind of coming up short. “Love me, Medwin,” I sent through our silent bond. “Please love me.”

As I sat there, I suddenly got the feeling I was being watched. Before I could even identify the source, the niggling sensation faded away. Nevertheless, it made my connection with Medwin stir.

Behind me, my father tensed, and I hid a smile into the darkness. No matter what he said, there were some things that not even his magic could change or hold back. Medwin was coming for me. I was sure of it.

Chapter Ten:

In Which the Frog Prince and His Not-So-Maidenly Maiden are Reunited

The ride through the dark Merlinian landscape was ripe with tension. We weren’t magically transported to Rapunzel’s side like I’d have liked, and advancing on the still-glowing path felt far too slow for my comfort.

Once in a while, shadows stirred at the corner of my vision. I might have actually deemed it a trick of light, perhaps caused by the fact that I was still unaccustomed to frog-like eyes, but whenever it happened, Magda snorted nervously. Thankfully, the Rainbow Brick Road shone brighter, emanating warm power and pushing back whatever foes the darkness hid.

We reached the edges of the forest I’d seen from the canyon with no real incident. It was only then that I noticed the Rainbow Brick Road didn’t enter the woods. I was just about to ask Magda why, wondering if we’d made a mistake somewhere along the way, when a voice suddenly said, “I’m afraid you’re on your own from here. My power can’t touch Lord Rumpel Stiltskin’s lands.”

A cold chill gripped me. I had known Rapunzel’s father was powerful, but had truly considered the Rainbow Brick Road as an ally and an entity that could defeat the warlock should the need arise. I hadn’t exactly been counting on him—this was my fight, after all. Nonetheless, it was sobering to note that even a power as great as that of the proverbial Path of Fate couldn’t stand against Rumpel Stiltskin.

Even so, I didn’t allow any hesitance to linger in my heart. “I see,” I replied. “Thank you for guiding us here. I’m deeply grateful.”

“No thanks are needed,” the voice answered. “Good luck, Prince Medwin. Stand up for yourself and for Rapunzel, and you can do this.”

This time, it held a different tonality, and even the colors seemed to flash differently. I had the distinctive feeling that I was missing something. What was the true nature of the Rainbow Brick Road? I might have actually asked, but right now, I was too worried about Rapunzel to do so.

That part of me that had kept me in Arthuria reminded me that my task wouldn’t be easy, but still, I had faith that I would succeed. I just had to. The alternative was simply unthinkable.

Tightening my hold on the reins, I ushered Magda onward. As we entered the forest, the glow of the Rainbow Brick Road faded behind us. I could hear the sound of creatures rustling in the trees, but I didn’t falter.

I half expected to be jumped by some sort of awful monster, but it didn’t happen. If Rumpel Stiltskin had such beings watching his lands, he’d warned them off me. I didn’t know if that was supposed to make me wary or pleased. At this point, it didn’t even matter. The tower was very close now, looming ahead, so much so that not even the darkness of the night and the tall trees could hide it.

Even so, I was somewhat surprised when Magda and I stepped into a large grove. The trees suddenly melted away, leaving behind a clearing filled with green grass and flowers that bloomed beautifully, emanating pollen that appeared to glow. The entire grove seemed lit up because of it. And Lord Rumpel Stiltskin sat on a tree stump in front of me, shooting me a smile that could have meant anything at all. He was just like I remembered him, handsome, in a cold and graceful way that oddly reminded me a little of Anelah. I could see very little of Rapunzel’s beauty in him, but there was something about him that I couldn’t help but care about.

“Well, well,” he said. “If it isn’t the Frog Prince. You sure took your time.”

The words were biting, but the tone was so matter-of-fact that I couldn’t even get insulted. Besides, losing my temper wouldn’t help. “I suspect you would agree with me in that my delay wasn’t necessarily caused by my lack of enthusiasm toward seeing Rapunzel.”

His full lips twisted into an even wider smirk. “Perhaps.” He got up and brushed his clothes of invisible specks of dusts. “But of course, you’re going to have to go through me before I allow it.”

“Why are you doing this?” I asked. “You must know I love your son.”

“Do you, or do you just think you do?” He arched a brow. “What if I told you that Rapunzel’s mother was the same witch who put an enchantment on you?”

I froze. “What are you talking about?”

“Anelah is his mother,” the warlock replied. “And by now, you must realize that magic can recoil through bonds of blood. The love you think you feel for Rapunzel could be just another effect of her enchantment.”

I wanted to shake my head, to deny those words, but I couldn’t, not really. How many times had it occurred to me that the soft silk of their locks was somewhat alike? Yes, Anelah was a brunette, but the fall of her tresses held distinct similarities with Rapunzel’s enchanted hair. Anelah’s beauty was icy compared to Rapunzel’s, but something in her aristocratic features and her sharp cheekbones had been akin to my love’s fair grace and charm. How many times had I brushed away those thoughts in dismay and disgust, not wanting to analyze it too closely?

“Don’t misunderstand,” the warlock continued. “Rapunzel didn’t know. He truly believed you loved him. Otherwise, he’d have never given you his innocence. Now, what about you, Prince Medwin? Knowing all this, can you stand against me?”

Just like that, my mind cleared. “Rapunzel’s parentage is irrelevant to me. It’s him I love, no matter what you or Anelah did.”

I ushered Magda deeper into the grove and stole a look at the tower. The balcony was the same one from my vision, but this time, it was empty. I surmised Rumpel Stiltskin must have locked Rapunzel into the tower to keep him from seeing the battle between us.

Even so, knowing that he was inside, waiting for me, just added to my fervor. “You won’t manage to change my mind,” I told the warlock.

As I spoke, I released Magda’s reins and leapt out of the saddle. Quietly, Magda moved away from us, just as I’d instructed her beforehand. This was just between me and Rumpel Stiltskin. No one else could intervene.

For a few moments, Lord Stiltskin and I just stared at one another. “Well?” the warlock prodded, arching a brow. “Do you think you’ll defeat me through pure intimidation?”

I didn’t answer. Instead, I scanned the grove and the tower, feeling the magic permeating the entire area rippling over my skin. It must be the reason why my bond with Rapunzel had been muted. Everything here, from the grass and the flowers, to the tower itself, was part of the warlock.

As I realized this, I retrieved my small blade from its sheath. The warlock watched me with amusement, as if thinking “What? You’re going to harm me with that?”

Ignoring him, I swept my miniature sword in the direction of the nearest flower and slashed it from the middle. It was far harder than I had expected. My strength as a frog was very limited, and I only managed through sheer will. Because of my size, I could also see the way the flower’s stem eventually yielded to my blade, and it reminded me strikingly of a limb being cut off.

Nevertheless, I had no regrets. When the flower hit the grass, it dissipated into tiny, vaporous lights. A scratch appeared on Rumpel Stiltskin’s cheek before it quickly faded away. He gripped his temple, a grimace of pain pushing aside his previous demeanor. It soon faded, replaced by a fierce frown. “That wasn’t very nice,” he said.

A ball of swirling magic appeared in his palm. “You think you’re so clever, Prince Medwin. But even still, after all this time, you haven’t learned how to value Rapunzel.”

Without further warning, he threw the enchantment at me. It was what I had been waiting for, and the reason why I had taunted him by killing the flower. I couldn’t actually cast magic of my own, and I needed his to defeat him and to use the residual magic energy that existed within me from the previous spell.

As his power hit me, I closed my eyes and imagined myself in human form, just like Dineiro had taught me. As I did so, I held on tightly to my connection with Rapunzel and struggled to tame the magic Rumpel Stiltskin had directed at me.

It wasn’t a spell meant to kill. In fact, it seemed that he had merely intended to send me away. The transmutation spell was so different in nature from the shape-shifting one that I had trouble stabilizing my molecules. The magic itself was very complex, and as much as I’d have liked to identify its nature, I still remained an Arthurian with very few skills in that regard. Pain erupted through me, so strong I couldn’t see or breathe anymore. But I would not be denied. I had expected the pain, and I accepted it gladly.

In the background, I could hear Magda neighing wildly. “Medwin!”

The warlock himself seemed a little shocked by this turn of events. “Prince Medwin,” he called out to me, “let it go. At this rate, you’ll….”

After that, I could no longer distinguish his words, because Rapunzel’s voice came through our bond, crystal clear for the first time in a month. “Medwin…Oh, please…Medwin, I love you so much. We love you so much.”

He could have said a million other things. He could have told me to go, not to waste my life by trying to fight a foe who was so much stronger than me. I could tell that a part of him wanted to do exactly that, because he feared for me and was in agony due to my pain. Even so, he found enough strength to encourage me, and to give me an even stronger reason for succeeding. It should have been impossible, but it was, nevertheless, true. Because my beautiful love, my Rapunzel was carrying my child.

A few months ago, the idea would have made me burst into laughter. A pregnant man? That simply wasn’t possible. But with what had happened to Kirril, I’d had the chance to get accustomed to the idea. Granted, I hadn’t expected it would happen to me and Rapunzel, but in that moment, it didn’t even matter. I couldn’t possibly rationalize something so beautiful and precious.

Suddenly, Rumpel Stiltskin’s magic was mine to use. I willed it to shatter the curse that had made me into a frog, and threw the remaining power back at its source.

Or that was what I tried to do. The actual process was torturous, the magic still refusing to hurt its original owner. Ages later, when I finally opened my eyes again, every muscle in my body hurt. My heart was racing, and my lungs had trouble drawing in air. I felt clumsy, dizzy, and not myself. In front of me, where Lord Rumpel Stiltskin had once been, lay another frog.

“Oh, dear,” it said. “This is unexpected.”

The ground started to shake. I actually thought the warlock was fighting back, but as it turned out, I was mistaken. The flowers began to wither and fade and even the forest started to disappear. More worryingly, Rapunzel’s tower started to crumble.

I gasped and ran past the warlock-turned-frog. “Rapunzel!” I shouted, wildly scanning all of the tower’s sides for any sign of a door. I found none, but I did receive a response. Rapunzel suddenly burst into the balcony, his eyes wild with fear and need. “Medwin, thank the Goddess you’re all right.”

I wanted to point out that my safety wasn’t the problem right now. In fact, I was starting to grow desperate when the earthquake suddenly stopped. A frog leapt onto my shoulder.

“You didn’t actually think I’d allow anything to happen to Rapunzel?”

“Father?” Rapunzel asked hesitantly.

The frog vanished into thin air, and then, Rumpel Stiltskin was standing by my side again. My hackles rose, and I readied myself for another fight. The warlock just laughed, lifting his hands as if to say he was harmless. “It seems I underestimated you, my dear Frog Prince,” he said with a soft laugh. “You have my blessing to be with Rapunzel. It’s clear that you do love him.”

“Yes, I do,” I answered, still a little wary. “Very much.”

Rumpel Stiltskin just nodded. “I will be watching over you.”

A wave of power flowed over me, echoing within my bond with Rapunzel. My head started to spin, and when I could focus again, Rumpel Stiltskin was gone.

“Wait!” I called out. “How am I supposed to get into the tower?”

“Maybe I should let down my hair so that you can climb on it,” Rapunzel mused, still high up in the balcony.

I just stared at him in disbelief. “Your hair might be enchanted, love, but I highly doubt it can hold the weight of a grown man. Besides, I never thought I was going to say this, but it’s not long enough.” Seriously, had his hair reached the ground from the balcony he waited in, I doubted he could have even dragged it along. It would have been too heavy. “There has to be a door somewhere here.”

Magda approached quickly and kind of nodded in that equine way of hers. “Yes, although I don’t remember where it is. Lord Stiltskin was the only one who could find it.”

Guided by the magic still buzzing through me, I swept my fingers over the cold stone of the tower walls. I found one particular spot somewhat warmer and pushed on it. The wall parted, and I burst into the building, breathless with anticipation.

As I ran up the stairs, Rapunzel met me halfway. He leapt into my arms, hugging me tightly, and as I pressed my lips to his, all was right in the world again.

* * * *

Having spent so much time in this tower, I’d gotten quite used to the enclosure, to the isolation. It hadn’t been easy, but the loneliness had eventually become bearable, at least to a certain extent.

By comparison, waiting inside, trapped while my father fought my lover, had been pure torture. And when I’d actually begun to feel Medwin’s pain, it was only the knowledge I carried his child that kept me from doing something desperate and very foolish.

Now, only minutes after that ordeal, I found myself in my lover’s arms. It was almost unbelievable that Medwin had managed to bypass my father’s defenses, but here he was, holding me close once more, just like he had when we’d been in Arthuria. Finally, he kissed me, and I felt my tension and my fear drain away like they had never existed.

He took my mouth ravenously, with a greed born out of the same despair I had experienced during our separation. There were so many things I wanted to tell him, but I couldn’t have spoken to save my life—at least, not through words. I chose to communicate with him through my body, responding to his kiss with all of my pent-up passion. Medwin released a low groan and pinned me to the wall of the tower. I wrapped my arms around his neck, moaning as I rubbed against him.

I didn’t think he’d even noticed, but he was completely naked, and the sight of him, so very handsome, took my breath away. Given how long we’d been apart, I wanted to be perfect for him, to make every second of our reunion better than anything we’d ever shared. Sadly, I soon realized that I wouldn’t be able to get my way. As Medwin slid his hands under my robes, I became more and more frantic. I felt like I could never get enough of the delicious friction, of Medwin’s taste and his touch.

When Medwin broke our kiss, I let out a low whine that I hardly even recognized as mine. “Medwin…Please fuck me.”

Was that my voice, so breathless and shameless? A few months ago, I’d have been horrified at the thought. Right now, I could only be ecstatic, because it seemed to please Medwin.

He picked me up and carried me up the stairs, into the same tower that had been my prison for so long. I wordlessly guided him to my sleeping quarters, the room that held the bed where I had dreamt of him so many times. I almost feared that this was yet another dream, but then Medwin placed me on the bed, climbed on top of me, and kissed me again. Just like that, I forgot about all of my doubts. Nothing outside the reality of Medwin could feel so very good, so imperfectly perfect.

We were both a little too eager, a little too frantic, but that was all right, because anything else wouldn’t have been truthful to our desires. As he thrust his tongue into my mouth, Medwin ripped off my clothes. The material shredded under Medwin’s assault, freeing me from its restrictions. I helped insofar as I could, although, as always, my hair got in the way.

My handsome prince didn’t seem to be particularly bothered by the way my long tresses clung to his body. If anything, he was enjoying it. He caressed my skin and my hair, and he kissed my lips, my face, every spot of me he could reach. On occasion, he whispered my name under his breath, on and on, like a prayer, almost as if he couldn’t make himself believe that I was truly there with him.

Soon, these touches became insufficient for both of us. Medwin’s mouth traveled lower down my body, leaving behind trails of fire. I tangled my hands in his hair, unsure if I wanted to pull him back up for another kiss or to guide him down toward my hard dick.

Medwin took the decision out of my hands. He swirled his tongue over my belly, stabbing it into my belly button in a caress that really shouldn’t have been as erotic and pleasurable as it turned out to be. He lingered there for the longest time, and I could tell that he was thinking about the child we would have soon. Our now-free bond pulsed with his love, his awe, and his gratitude. Distantly, I wondered how I could have ever doubted him, even for a second.

And then, Medwin’s mouth enveloped my straining prick, and I forgot all about my previous thoughts, questions, and dilemmas. The only thing I could focus on was the wet heat, the nearly ruthless suction, and oh Goddess, the pleasure Medwin coaxed out of me.

I writhed under Medwin, my hair swaying wildly around us, clutching him, guiding his motions. I didn’t even know what I was doing anymore. My body was starved for his touch and my soul hungry for his emotions. I was completely lost in him, lost in his mastery of me, and I wouldn’t have had it any other way.

Medwin’s fingers rubbed over my anus, and I couldn’t take it anymore. Crying out his name, I exploded into a climax that shattered my very sense of self. I filled Medwin’s mouth with my spunk, and he drank it all down greedily, groaning like he couldn’t get enough.

For my part, I knew exactly how he felt. I’d just come, but I didn’t grow soft even for a second. Even as Medwin released my dick from his mouth, I was already begging for his touch once again. “Medwin…Please, take me.”

Medwin took a deep breath and blinked several times, like he was having trouble seeing. “I…We shouldn’t. I’m sorry…The baby.”

I might not have known much about male pregnancies, but I knew my own body and my limits. Right now, every fiber of my being was screaming for him, and no matter how well intentioned he was, I wouldn’t allow anything to separate us any longer.

“Medwin,” I whispered, “I ache for you. I need you inside me. You wouldn’t deny me, would you?”

As I spoke, I allowed my hair to caress him. My magic buzzed through the enchanted tresses and into Medwin. He shivered and let out a pained sound. “Rapunzel…”

“You know I would never ask you for anything I can’t handle. Medwin…”

A few locks of my hair opened my nightstand and retrieved a vial of cream from inside. It was actually never meant to be used as lubricant. Rather, it was one of the substances I used to make my hair untangle with more ease. Since I didn’t actually have anything better, that would have to do.

I handed the substance to Medwin, and, finally, my lover’s resistance cracked. He took the vial and poured a generous amount of liquid on his fingers. I spread my legs, bending myself practically in half. My legs trembled, and much to my dismay, I found that I was still a little weak from my previous orgasm. Medwin didn’t seem to mind. He supported my legs on his shoulders and reached between my buttocks, slicking up my most intimate spot with two fingers.

Impossibly, heat burst over my body even stronger than before. During our time apart, I’d relived my memories of him over and over, until I’d kind of started to believe that I was exacerbating some of my recollections. Instead, everything seemed so much more intense than I could even hope to dream. As he scissored his fingers, all of my nerve endings started to scream with my need for him. I could only push back against the invading digits, seeking a more fulfilling penetration.

His deep-green eyes pinned me to the bed, holding me as his slave. “Rapunzel,” he murmured again.

I would have liked to continue urging him to take me, but I couldn’t do it any longer. Once again, he had me exactly where he wanted me. As much as I pretended to seduce him, in reality, he was always the one to make my bones melt and my mind shatter with pleasure. When his fingers hit my special spot, I cried out something incomprehensible, completely losing control of my magic.

Suddenly, my hair began to glow as it touched my lover’s body. Medwin wasn’t taken aback at all. He just held my gaze while his free hand took hold of my tresses. I could only whimper as his lips brushed over my hair in a nearly reverent caress.

In contrast, his digits started rubbing my prostate almost mercilessly. Soon, I was practically in tears because of my frustrated pleasure. My second orgasm was rapidly approaching, but I couldn’t come because I hadn’t felt him inside me just yet.

Obviously, Medwin must have guessed my thoughts, which couldn’t have been very hard, especially with our bond once more in place. He removed his fingers from my body and positioned his cock at my opening. Slowly, ever so slowly, he slid home.

It should have hurt. Medwin was quite well-endowed, and I was no longer used to taking him inside me. None of that mattered. My muscles stretched to accommodate him, greedy to welcome him. My moan echoed Medwin’s groan as his cock pierced my channel, inch by excruciating inch.

The sensations that exploded through me were…Goddess, I couldn’t even come up with words to describe them anymore. I was hot, breathless, lost in rapture, happy, tearful, and more than anything aware of how very Medwin’s I’d always been. He was, as always, mindful of my comfort, but the heat of his hard dick still branded me as his, burning me from the inside out.

As Medwin fully impaled me on his prick, I clung to his shoulders and buried my fingers into his flesh so hard I must have drawn blood. My reality was fading away, leaving behind only my need for him. For a few moments, Medwin stilled, giving me the time to get accustomed to the invasion.

Even if I understood his need to protect me, I could bear to wait for much longer. Without even making a conscious decision, I tightened my ass muscles around his dick. He hissed, almost sounding pained at my actions.

Whether he was dismayed or not, he did reward me for my unintentional audacity. He pulled out of my body, then thrust back inside, in the process striking my special spot dead-on. Stars exploded in my vision, a wave of pleasure swamping me, taking my breath away and threatening to shut down every rational thought I could muster.

“M–Medwin,” I stammered.

I didn’t even know how I managed to say that, but Medwin appreciated my efforts. He started to move in and out of me, his cock piercing me over and over and hitting my prostate with every thrust. I was propelled into a world of pure desire and rapture, one which Medwin alone could create.

We fell together in a dance as old as time, following a melody only the two of us could hear. Medwin claimed me again and again, setting a pace that somehow managed to be both gentle and passionate. His green eyes had gone almost black with pure desire, like meadows ravaged by a storm of lust. And when he said my name again, I truly felt like I was where I belonged.

Sadly, nothing quite so perfect could last forever. All too soon, I felt my second climax approach, and I knew there was nothing I could do to stop it, especially not when I could experience Medwin’s pleasure, too. He was close, and the sensations swamping him flooded me as well, filtered through our bond.

Medwin crushed his lips once more to mine, thrusting his tongue into my mouth when I gasped. His voice appeared into my mind, somehow rough with arousal in spite of being just a thought. “Come for me, my beautiful love.”

I didn’t know what pushed me over the edge—the taste of his kiss, the way he’d spoken to me, or perhaps the fact that he’d called me his love. Maybe it was a combination of the three. It didn’t really matter, because the next thing I knew, another even more powerful orgasm rushed over me. The pleasure was so intense that I couldn’t hear, feel, or see anything anymore—well, anything except Medwin’s touch, his taste, his breath, and the sound of his heartbeat. And as if that hadn’t been enough, Medwin followed me into climax. With one final thrust, he came as well, filling my channel with hot spunk and feeding his rapture into our mate bond.

With our bodies connected in the most intimate way possible, our minds and souls became one as well. His memories and emotions became mine, and in turn, my feelings entwined with his, until I could no longer tell where he ended and I began.

It was carnal, passionate, raw, and yet, so pure and beautiful, a reunion of two souls manifested in the coming together of two bodies. It was everything I’d hoped for and dreamed of during the lonely nights I’d spent without Medwin. It was love, in its most perfect form, and it filled me with such awe, comfort, and delight that even when the haze of the orgasm started to dim, my happiness lingered.

“I knew you would come for me,” I told Medwin once I could speak.

“Of course.” Medwin kissed me gently as he slid out of my body. “I’m just sorry it took me so long.”

I regretted every second of our separation, too, but it had made me learn how much my bond with Medwin meant. It had made me understand that nothing else would ever be more important, not for me and not for him. Especially now that we had a baby coming, our relationship was all the more precious.

Medwin smiled widely at me. “Does that mean you’ll say yes now?” he whispered in my ear as he toyed with my hair.

I didn’t even have to ask what he was referring to. “Yes, Medwin. I’ll marry you.”

Medwin climbed on top of me again, kissing me with the same passion he had shown me earlier. He’d have undoubtedly claimed me again, and I very much looked forward to it. Alas, he seemed to change his mind at the last moment.

“We should go,” he said. “I’m not entirely convinced this place is safe for you, and I want to let my family know that we’re all right.”

He had a point. Medwin’s parents and brothers were probably worried sick. I couldn’t be selfish enough to make any further demands. But once we had a little more time at our disposal, I had every intention to celebrate our reunion properly.

For all his words, though, Medwin seemed reluctant to actually pull away from me. In the end, my hair took the decision out of our hands. It trapped Medwin against me, keeping him from leaving the bed.

Chuckling, Medwin fell onto me again. We made love over and over, and then succumbed to our exhaustion and the comfort of each other’s embrace. It was a long time later that we actually remembered what we had to do.

I slipped out of the bed and found a new outfit to wear. As I did so, Medwin let out a sound of surprise, like he’d only realized just then that he’d come into the tower naked. “I had armor on,” he said, “but it must have gotten torn when I changed back to this form.” He chuckled lightly. “Somehow, even with all the careful preparations, I managed to forget about a change of clothes.”

That was quite a problem, one I honestly hadn’t expected. As it turned out, I needn’t have worried, because out of nowhere, a suit of clothes manifested in front of him. Medwin stared at it and finally picked it up. The garments looked very much like the same clothes Medwin had been wearing the day he had been cursed.

Was it a warning? An encouragement? I had no idea. Medwin didn’t seem to care either way. He just pulled them on, all the while smiling brightly at me. “With you by my side, I’m not afraid of anything.”

Now that we were ready, we finally left my quarters and then exited the tower. Magda was still waiting, grazing patiently. She looked up at us once we stepped out of the building. “Ready to go home?”

Medwin nodded and squeezed my hand. “Yes,” he told Magda. “Rapunzel?”

As always, he was mindful of my emotions, of the mixed feelings I had toward this place. I threw one last look at the tower, and much to my surprise, under my very gaze, it started to disappear into thin air.

It should have been strange for me to witness. I should have felt afraid, anxious, or perhaps relieved. It had been both my home and my prison for years I hadn’t even been able to count.

Oddly, I didn’t feel any of that. “Yes,” I told Medwin as I turned away from the tower. “I’m more than ready.”

Medwin helped me mount Magda, and together, we left the grove. We never once looked back. One stage of my life was over. Another was beginning, and I couldn’t wait.

Epilogue:

In Which a New Chapter Begins

Returning to Camelot was both a little strange and a great relief. I couldn’t wait to reach my home so that I could start wedding preparations with Rapunzel. At the same time, we’d picked Kirril and Dineiro up on the way. The dragon was very nervous and emotional about his first real visit to Arthuria, causing my brother to be extra protective of him.

For that reason, when we entered our capital city, Kirril kept glowering at any Arthurian who got too close. I knew exactly how he felt, because I experienced the same protectiveness toward Rapunzel.

I received my share of curious looks, since obviously, no one had expected my swift return, but Rapunzel was the target of far too many glances for my comfort, so I really didn’t have time to experience concern for myself.

Rapunzel didn’t appear to be too worried, though. We’d bought horses in the first Arthurian town we’d passed, so he was riding Magda on his own, his spine ramrod straight, not looking nervous in the slightest.

There was a new decision between us, one that had built up partly because of our time apart, but mostly due to my awareness of the new life Rapunzel carried inside him. Whatever happened from now on, we would brave it together and not allow anyone to separate us ever again.

Kirril and Dineiro rode the same horse, because Dineiro wasn’t very skilled at that sort of thing. Dineiro clutched my brother’s arm so tightly it must have hurt, and I just had to say something. “We can always go back,” I suggested. “Mother wouldn’t want you to do this if you’re uncomfortable.”

“I know,” Dineiro answered. “I can’t say it’s easy, but I need to face this, and right now is the best time.”

Kirril threw him a look over his shoulder, and while he didn’t speak out loud, I suspected they were probably using their mate bond. Slowly, Dineiro started to relax. He beamed brightly at Kirril and just continued to hold onto Kirril’s waist.

Thankfully, my parents must have been busy during my trip. Even if our citizens seemed wary at first, after a while, they started to cheer, welcoming me and Kirril back. Even Rapunzel’s name was cried out a few times. Two children, a boy and a girl, jumped in front of Kirril’s horse, and would have gotten trampled if not for Kirril’s skill with husbandry. Giggling, they ran up to Kirril’s horse and pulled onto Dineiro’s clothes. “Hi,” the boy said. “Is it true that you’re a dragon?”

“You’re very pretty,” the girl added. “I didn’t think dragons would be pretty.”

A man and a woman emerged from the crowd, looking concerned and flushed in the face. “Children, come here,” the woman said. “We apologize, Your Highness,” the man told Kirril. “We didn’t mean to inconvenience you and your mate.”

The word “mate” came out naturally from the man’s lips. Perhaps in acknowledgement of that, Dineiro said, “It’s not a bother.” He dismounted and directed his attention toward the children. “I am a dragon, yes,” he said. “And thank you for the compliment, young lady, but you are much prettier than I’ll ever be.”

The girl giggled in delight, while the boy watched the scene curiously. Meanwhile, I stole a look at Rapunzel. “Can you believe it that soon, we might have a baby of our own?” he asked through our bond.

It was, indeed, pretty incredible. It still hadn’t fully processed, and I suspected that once it hit me, I’d grow even more excited and nervous than I was now.

Rapunzel arched a brow at me, then directed his attention toward the still-fretting couple. “Children are a very beautiful thing,” he said. “Congratulations on your third.”

The man shot Rapunzel a confused look. “We don’t have a…”

He trailed off when his wife started to fidget. “I wasn’t sure,” she mumbled, her lower lip trembling. “After last time…”

“Your baby will be just fine,” Rapunzel said, interrupting her. His hair gently swayed in the wind, and to me, it seemed like it was glowing. The Arthurian couple stared at him, a little in awe. I wondered if they were finally starting to see what I did—how beautiful, pure, and perfect my love was.

“How can you tell she’s going to have a healthy baby?” I asked my mate through our mental link.

“I don’t know,” Rapunzel answered. “I just can. I feel it, deep inside. I wonder if I’m getting new powers.”

Really, that should have scared me a little, after all the adventures we’d gone through while trying to grow accustomed to Rapunzel’s magic. Instead, I was happy for Rapunzel. We were learning together, just like I’d wanted from the very beginning.

After hugging the two children, Dineiro mounted the horse behind Kirril for a second time. The excitement of the crowd seemed to have increased at the sight of Dineiro’s friendly nature and Rapunzel’s magic foretelling. We continued our ride without further incident.

Finally, we reached the palace. My parents were waiting in the courtyard, something that was actually unusual given their position. The moment we dismounted, my mother raced toward us and threw her arms around Kirril and me.

“Medwin! Kirril!” she cried out as she embraced us. “I was so worried.”

As the Arthurian queen, she rarely showed such an open outburst of concern, but it seemed that, this time around, she didn’t really care. “I’m fine, Mother,” I told her. “I’m back.”

She kept touching my hair and my face, as if she couldn’t be sure that I had indeed turned to my normal form. It was only many minutes later that we were finally freed, and only because my father intervened. “Sedonia, give the boys some air,” he said. “They’ve just arrived from their long trip. They must be tired.”

My mother held onto us for a while longer, then released us with a heavy sigh. “You’re right of course. Besides, I’m being terribly rude to our guests.” She turned to Dineiro and Rapunzel. “Welcome back, Lord Rapunzel. We were all very worried about your disappearance. And it’s very nice to see you again, Dineiro. I’m glad you decided to visit Arthuria.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Rapunzel answered. “It’s great to be back.”

“I am honored by your generosity and your welcome,” Dineiro added.

My mother chuckled. “I’m not sure how generous I am. I’m just looking forward to hearing more about my first grandchild.”

Dineiro hesitated slightly and threw a look Rapunzel’s way. At first, I couldn’t figure out the reasons for his behavior, but then he said, “It will take a while until my baby will be born. Dragons have very long gestation periods, and even if our child is a half-breed, it will likely be in a good couple of years.”

Oh. Oh. Dineiro’s baby wouldn’t be the first grandson, then. My baby with Rapunzel would have that honor.

Awkward silence fell over the courtyard. “Why do I get the feeling there’s something we don’t know?” our father inquired.

I snapped out of my trance, taking the chance to let my family know of my good news. “Rapunzel and I are getting married,” I said. “And…we’ll be having a baby.”

* * * *

A few days later

The soft grass felt cool and ticklish under my bare feet. The sound of the whispering water and the playful way the wind tugged on my hair made me smile. I leaned against my mate, glancing up at the starry sky.

“It really is beautiful here,” I told him. “I’m glad we could come tonight.”

Medwin laughed. “It was getting pretty busy in the palace. I’m sure we’ll get an earful from my mother when we go back, but it’ll be worth it.”

I had to agree. I was starting to grow even more comfortable in Arthuria, but Medwin’s people were still very different from me. It would probably take me a while until I could actually get accustomed to a way of life so different from mine. But that wasn’t the reason why we’d fled. Rather, the preparations for the upcoming celebrations were starting to choke us.

It certainly didn’t help that our wedding had turned into a double ceremony. Dineiro and Kirril hadn’t gotten an official one, and it seemed that they hadn’t actually felt the need for it. But surprisingly, with all the excitement, Dineiro had started to be more understanding of Arthurian customs—and he’d ended up proposing to Kirril. Medwin’s brother had been gobsmacked, but had naturally agreed, much to everyone’s delight.

I knew Medwin was thrilled for his brother’s happiness, and in turn, I was happy, too. Alas, so was the queen, and she had chosen to thrust herself wholeheartedly in organizing the ceremony. She demanded our attention so that every detail would turn out perfect. We’d had to flee the palace for some privacy, and we’d come here, to the same meadow where Medwin had first touched me.

“Do you remember that time?” Medwin asked, snickering. “I still can’t figure out how your hair shook the bees nest from the tree.”

I turned toward him and stuck my tongue out. “If you’d like, I can demonstrate.”

Medwin just grinned at me. “I’d very much like you to demonstrate something, but not your hair’s ability to knock down bee hives. In fact, I think you’re offering, right?”

He lifted me in his arms and draped me over his lap. My face heated as my ass came into contact with his prick. My body responded to his closeness, like it always did, and my dick went rock hard as well. Would I ever get used to the way he affected me? Probably not, or if I did, it would be in that unique manner that kept surprising me in spite of everything.

Medwin’s hands explored my body, clutching the material of my clothing without actually trying to remove it. It frustrated me, but at the same time, I enjoyed this lazier exploration. In spite of the fact that we always lusted for each other a great deal, it was nice to take our time, to just revel in the fact that we could touch each other at leisure now. To be true, it was also due to the fact that I was pregnant and Medwin grew increasingly protective of me. I would have actually been put out, but I enjoyed the end results too much.

I tangled my hands in his hair, sighing softly into the kiss as I caressed his soft locks. I was quickly finding that I’d started to borrow Medwin’s hair fetish. His tresses might not have been as long as mine, but I loved touching them nonetheless. Medwin groaned as I massaged his scalp, his hold on me tightening.

We broke the kiss to breathe, and Medwin took advantage of the occasion to lower me onto the grass. He climbed on top of me, his hard, muscled body making me feel so very safe and protected. I tilted my head, wordlessly offering myself to Medwin.

My lover started to brush kisses all over my face, cheeks, lips, even my eyelids. “Rapunzel,” he murmured in my ear. “What you do to me…”

He always claimed that I drove him wild and took his breath away, but in reality, I was the one who lost control. Now was no different. With each of his touches, each of his kisses, my arousal increased more and more, until my clothing started to feel scratchy on my skin. I fidgeted and wiggled under Medwin, and in the process, I actually started to rub against my handsome prince.

Medwin gripped my hips, his breath now far quicker than before. He said nothing, and instead, slowly started to undo the buttons of my garments. I had started to wear the garments Medwin had purchased for me, although not the most daring ones, which I intended to save solely for him. Even so, it was pretty easy for him to remove my blousy top, my sandals, and my pants. In moments, I lay there, naked on the grass, exposed to Medwin’s gaze.

The lust in Medwin’s eyes made me shiver, which he immediately noticed. “Are you cold?” he asked.

Maybe I was. Truly, I couldn’t really tell. When he touched me like this, when he held me and kissed me, my body went into overdrive, so much so that I couldn’t even differentiate physical sensations from strictly emotional reactions. Maybe, where Medwin was concerned, there weren’t any real differences at all.

Smiling, Medwin briefly moved away from me. It was my turn to watch in awe as he took off his shirt, his boots, and then his breeches. He’d taken a habit to going sans underwear, which I was most appreciative of, especially now, when he finally revealed his magnificent dick to my greedy eyes. It pointed accusingly at me, already leaking copious amounts of fluid.

I licked my lips, aching to reach for it, to feel it fucking my mouth, or better yet, my ass. But Medwin was in no rush. He put our clothes together and formed an impromptu bedding, then guided me to lie down there. I quickly complied, although my limbs were already trembling out of pure desire.

“Medwin,” I told him, finally managing to find my voice, “please. I need to taste you.”

Again fixing me with his intense gaze, Medwin straddled my face. His jutting prick hovered right over me, inches away from my mouth. I parted my lips, eager to sample his pre-cum, already addicted to the taste of him.

Slowly, ever so slowly, Medwin fed his dick into my wet cavern. I breathed through my nose, accepting his cock, reveling in finally having him. Both of us groaned at the same time, although my moan was muffled due to the obvious fact that I had my mouth full. He went slowly, careful not to choke me or cause me any discomfort. In truth, I wouldn’t have minded, because I had grown used to his girth, and the pleasure emanating through our connection made everything worthwhile. Still, his gentleness touched my heart, that part of me that always reached out for Medwin.

Stimulated by the sensations, my magic responded, and my hair started to caress him, urging him to move faster, to give me more. Medwin’s breath sped up, and he began to thrust harder into my mouth. I clung to his hips, trembling, needing him, drunk on his scent and the echo of his bliss.

A circle of rapture formed between us, melting into shared passion, into a sensual greed that kept building more and more with every second that passed. Medwin’s pace grew rougher, more frantic, and I loved every second of it. Even when my jaw started to ache, I didn’t care. In fact, that slight pain just made everything better, more real.

Naturally, it couldn’t last, and not just because of Medwin’s desire to protect me. As much as I wanted to taste the flavor of his spunk, I needed to feel him inside me. I was torn between a million desires, my body enflamed by the blaze of our passion. Every inch of me—from my lips that came into contact with the hot flesh of his dick to the tips of my hair that caressed the rest of him—sizzled with that fire.

I was practically about to come just from sucking his cock, but then, all of a sudden, Medwin pulled his dick from my mouth. As he robbed me of my prize, I released a choked sound of discontent. “Medwin…”

He tsked at me, rubbing his thumb over my now-swollen lips. “Don’t worry, Rapunzel. I’ll take care of you. Always.”

Medwin slipped his fingers into my mouth, and on instinct, I sucked the digits deep, fellating them just like I had his prick. It was maddening that I could feel the extent of his desire for me, growing with every flick of my tongue—and still, he wasn’t taking things any further.

Finally, just as I thought I would lose my mind to the buildup of pleasure, he retrieved his fingers and brushed his lips over mine again. As he did so, I lifted my legs as high as I could, granting him access to my nether regions. He brushed his digits over my opening and rubbed slowly, making me moan in tortured delight. One of them slid into my needy body, and my channel greedily swallowed it. I pushed back against the invasion, gritting my teeth when he brushed over my prostate. He massaged my gland over and over, somehow managing to be both merciless and impossibly gentle. By the time he added another finger and scissored them inside me, I was already so far gone I could barely remember my own name. In fact, the only reason why I could only hold onto my sense of self was because his mental voice drifted into my mind, “Rapunzel…Rapunzel, look at me.”

In part, I couldn’t understand why he’d even asked that of me. I couldn’t have at anything or anyone else to save my life. It was true that my vision had gone blurry, but even so, in a paradoxical way, my senses still felt clearer than they had ever been, like his touch made me more aware of everything I was—everything I could be.

Since I’d been freed from my captivity in the tower, I’d gained a deeper understanding of my magic. Although I still couldn’t fully control it and I had yet to grasp the secrets of my birth, I was nevertheless more secure in my own abilities. But it was only when I was in Medwin’s arms that I could get a glimpse of things that I hadn’t been able to make sense of just yet.

Medwin stirred my soul just as he mastered my body. He was more than anything I could have imagined in my once-innocent fantasies. He fulfilled dreams and desires I hadn’t even been aware of. At any moment, he and our unborn son were my full focus. Right now, the lust he coaxed out of me combined with the awe I felt at having been granted the gift of Medwin’s affection, leaving me lost in a whirlwind of sensation of emotion and sensation that nearly stopped my heart.

But Medwin wasn’t done with me yet, not at all. As I writhed under him, he pulled his fingers out of me and reached for the bag we’d brought with us. From inside, he retrieved a vial of oil, which he quickly opened. Naturally, we’d had the foresight to bring the lubricating substance, and it turned out to be quite a useful. Medwin poured a generous amount of fluid on his fingers and rubbed it around my opening. He used some more on his dick, and then lifted my legs on his shoulders. Still holding my gaze, he pushed inside me.

Even if I’d grown used to Medwin’s girth, a part of me was always surprised at the sensations the penetration conjured inside me. Every time we came together seemed better than the last, as if the memories of previous lovemaking sessions added onto our current emotions. Whatever the reason, when his cock pierced me, I truly felt propelled into a reality far beyond what I could have normally experienced.

At first, Medwin used a few shallow thrusts to make sure I was ready for him. I urged him on as much as I could. Although I couldn’t actually muster enough coherence to speak, my hair clutched him wildly and my desire for him burned through our bond. I knew he understood and that he wanted the same thing I did, and that knowledge was confirmed mere moments later.

Even if my handsome prince had been trying to hold back, he seemed to have reached his limit, because he finally snapped. He sped up, the rhythm of his motions becoming more erratic, more desperate. I clung to his shoulders, moving with him, impaling myself on his prick. Every time our bodies came together, his cock struck my prostate, causing tiny explosions of pleasure to burst through my body.

It all built up to a point where I could no longer keep my rapture in check. I could practically feel a volcanic orgasm burning in my testes, so maddeningly close I was almost in tears. And then, unexpectedly, Medwin slowed down the pace of his thrusts. His motions grew languorous, almost lazy. I might have actually started to scream in frustration, except there was something hypnotizing about the way he touched me. He pushed inside me with intent, like he wanted to get deeper than ever before and remain there for all time. And even as he impaled me over and over, he caressed every part of me he could reach, brushing kisses over my face, rubbing my sensitive nipples.

Panting, breathless with love and lust, enthralled by his gaze and drugged by his touch, I hovered over the edge of an abyss which I couldn’t wait to plunge into. When my orgasm came, it flowed over me like a lazy wave lapping at the shores of a beach, wiping the footsteps of whoever had left traces in the sand. It was like that, gentle, yet cleansing, reaching out to my very core and bringing tears to my eyes. Meanwhile, Medwin thrust one last time inside of me and followed me over the edge, his climax adding to the perfection of my pleasure. My magic uncurled out of me, tightening the bond between me and Medwin. For a few perfect moments, I could experience everything he did and sense all of the emotions I myself brought out within him. Our thoughts and memories mingled, and we rode our orgasms together, united in the most intimate way possible. And throughout it all, I felt the new life growing inside me, pulsing slightly in response to the union between Medwin and me.

I didn’t know how long it lasted, but even when the high of the pleasure began to fade, we didn’t separate. For the longest time, we lay there together in the grass, holding each other and enjoying the afterglow of our orgasm. Finally, Medwin pulled away from me and got up. He lifted me in his arms and carried me to the water. Together, we slipped into the pond, and I let out a sigh of relaxation as I lazily swam, my hair fanning around me.

“I’m happy,” I told Medwin.

My lover chuckled and held me close. “I’m happy, too. I love you so much.”

I wanted to tell him I loved him, too—so very much—but suddenly, the water started to ripple around us. The wind began blowing harder, and I instantly sensed the approach of another magical creature.

Indeed, my guess was confirmed moments later, when Count Vlad Dracula manifested in front of us. “I need your help,” Vlad said without preamble. “Vesper is missing.”

THE END

WWW.SCARLETHYACINTH.WEBS.COM

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

A native Romanian, Scarlet was born in 1986 and grew up an avid fan of Karl May and Jules Verne, reading fantasy stories and adventure.

Later, when she was out of fantasy stories to read, she delved into her mother’s collection of books and, of course, stumbled onto romance.

As a writer though, Scarlet Hyacinth was born one sunny summer day, when a dear friend of hers—the same friend who introduced her to GLBT fiction—suggested they start writing a story of their own. As it turns out, the two friends never did finish that particular story, but Scarlet discovered she had a knack for writing and ended up starting to write individually. And so, between working on her dissertation, studying for exams, and reading yaoi manga, she started writing the Kaldor Saga. Along the way, Scarlet met a lot of wonderful people who supported her, and in the end, she found her story a home and, in the process, fulfilled a beautiful dream.

For all titles by Scarlet Hyacinth, please visit
www.bookstrand.com/scarlet-hyacinth

Siren Publishing, Inc.

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