The Other Girl in the Tower: Ch. 4

Continued from Chapter 3. . . .

When Armand and Adrian left, Rapunzel danced around her side of the room, her blue skirts swirling like a whirlpool. "Oh, Rouge! Armand said my eyes were like the sun rising over the ocean. He said he'd never met a girl so wonderful. I'm almost certain he loves me as much as I love him. I can't wait for tomorrow! He's sure to ask me to marry him. And oh, Rouge, just look at what he gave me!" She snatched something off her dresser and held it up to the opening. A long-stemmed rose with light pink petals.

"It--it's beautiful," Rouge faltered. She slowly sat down as Rapunzel danced away, still chattering. Adrian had spent the entire visit talking to Rouge, but he certainly hadn't said anything romantic in nature. She shook her head. It was a hopeless fancy.

She looked up for a moment, and her eyes fell on something lying on the floor beneath her "window." She put a hand to her lips.

It was a red rose.

~

Rouge was awakened the next morning by a voice calling, "Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair!" But it wasn't Armand's or Adrian's. It was Gothella's.

"Don't tell her about them," she hissed as Rapunzel threw her braid out the window.

"Do you think I'm an idiot?" Rapunzel hissed back.

Rouge declined to comment.

When Gothella entered the room, there was a marked difference in her bearing. A little smile played around the corners of her mouth. She surveyed the room with slightly narrowed eyes, as if she were looking for something. "Why, Rapunzel," she said, slipping her long fingers under Rapunzel's chin, "you have such a lovely color this morning. I do believe you're blushing. Whatever is the matter, child?"

Rapunzel would not meet her eyes. "I'm fine."

"Hm." Gothella glided over to the dresser and lifted Armand's rose. "And where," she said, sniffing it daintily,"did you get this exquisite rose?"

"Oh, I--" Rapunzel began, then froze.

Rouge froze as well. They had no excuse for the roses, being over fifty feet from the ground.

Gothella smiled at their alarm. She began methodically plucking off the petals and tossing them out the window. "So tell me, girls. Those handsome young men that were leaving here last night--what did they want?"

Neither of them answered.

Gothella looked up thoughtfully at the ceiling. "Seems like I remember hearing them say they'd be back tonight . . . around seven, yes? Splendid. Well, I'll se to it that we're properly prepared for them."

"What are you going to do?" Rouge choked out.

"You'll find out soon enough," Gothella said smoothly. Then she climbed over the windowsill and was gone.

They didn't have to wait long. After five or six agonizing minutes, there was a commotion outside. Rapunzel ran to the window and gave a little scream.

"What is it?" Rouge demanded, twisting her head every which way in a futile attempt to see outside.

"I don't know--she--she's made some kind of army! Swords and shields and everything! I guess they're alive--I mean, they're not moving."

Rouge knew what Gothella was doing. They must be soldiers she had created with magic--lifeless beings that could kill and be killed but would not know what was happening either way. They were worse than a human army, because they were created for destruction alone and knew neither pain nor fear.

She leaned backward against the wall and closed her eyes, trying to think. Gothella had created these soldiers to destroy Adrian and Armand when they came back at seven. Judging by the position of the sun, that left her about twelve hours.

"Rapunzel!" she said, standing up decidedly. "get me a piece of paper and something to write with."

Rapunzel gave her a funny look, but obeyed.

On the paper, Rouge scrawled, "You cannot come back. Gothella has placed an armed guard around the tower." Then she set her face to the opening and began to sing as loud as she could.

"What on earth are you doing?" Rapunzel demanded.

Rouge continued her song without answering. It was an incantation she had learned long ago that would summon a phoenix, the most intelligent of all birds. She had always considered the spell rather useless, but now it might be their only hope.

Within three minutes, she heard the flapping of wings, and a large bird with blue and scarlet feathers flew into the room. Rapunzel shrieked and began hurling books and pillows at it.

"Rapunzel, stop it," Rouge growled. She held out her hand, and the phoeniz perched lightly on her fingers. She slipped the paper into its beak. The bird tilted its head to one side with a knowing look. She gently took its head in her hands and looked deep into its golden eyes. "Go to Prince Armand and Prince Adrian," she said as distinctly as she could, "and give this to them."

I'm talking to a bird, she lamented silently. Judging by the priceless look on Rapunzel's face, she was having similar thoughts.

The bird seemed to understand, though. It warbled once, then took off as if a dragon were after it.

Two hours passed before it returned. Actually, Rouge hadn't expected it to return at all, so she was rather startled when it dropped a paper into her "room."

"We're coming anyway," it read. That was all.

Rouge ground her teeth in frustration. Men! So caught up in their own heroism, they insisted on walking straight into a death-trap. She couldn't help wondering which of the twins had written it. Probably Armand, she thought, rolling her eyes. Even so, part of her hoped it was Adrian.

She sat down again and massaged her forehead. There was clearly no way to stop them from coming, but maybe there was some way to keep them from being utterly annihilated. If only I had my wand . . . she thought.

A moment later she was on her feet. "That's it!" she hollered.

"What is it this time? Rapunzel asked, without much enthusiasm.

"Get me another paper!" Rouge orered.

"This is the last time I'm doing this!" Rapunzel asserted.

To be continued. . . .