Chapter 3 (RR)

   For several minutes Rapunzel stood there, her body frozen and her mind desperately and unsuccessfully trying to process what she'd just heard. Then the man called again, still below her window, and his call brought her back to her senses. Rapunzel shook her head. How on Earth...??? Well, however, he knew about her. What she needed to figure out was what to do about it. What to do... certainly not let him up as he requested. But then Rapunzel reconsidered. Whether she let him near her or not, he still knew she was here, and if she didn't respond, he'd eventually give up and leave. If he knew about her, who knew who else did? And what did they want with her? And just how much did they know? Chances were that this man knew, and if by some chance only he knew, the last thing she wanted was for him to leave and come back with help. She scanned the ground and trees below again, and saw no one but the man and his horse. If anyone was with him, they were hiding well.
      The man called a third time, starting to sound impatient. If Rapunzel was going to let him up, she needed to act quickly. She grabbed a knife for defense, then changed her mind and put it down where it was within easy reach, but would be hidden from the window. Then she took a deep breath, gathered up the ends of her hair, and threw it out the window, letting the rest tumble down after it and holding onto her hair where it reached her waist so that the man wouldn't hurt her climbing up. She heard a startled cry as her hair fell outside and rolled her eyes. Certainly if the man knew enough to know what to call from below, he'd known what would happen as well, even if it was unusual. Then she felt his weight and waited.

      Soon he was swinging himself inside through her window, and she remembered just in time to try to add innocence to her already scared and startled expression just before he looked up at her. Then their eyes met, and his brown eyes seemed locked on her own frosty silver-blue ones, unable to move. They stood that way for a moment, not speaking. Confusion passed through Rapunzel. Why was he staring at her like that?

     "Why are you here? How... how did you know that I was here?" Rapunzel asked.

     Her voice seemed to break the man out of his trance. The man blinked and shook his head a little as if to clear it before responding. "Oh, excuse me. I was out riding yesterday, and I'd stopped at a stream. I saw an old woman not far away and thought it odd that she was in these woods, so I followed her back to this tower... why are you here?"

     "Not by my own choice, sir," Rapunzel lied. "The old woman kidnapped me when I was very little, you see. I suppose she wanted a child of her own. But she was afraid of what would happen to her if her crimes were found out, so she fled here with me, and has kept me here all my life. But you saw her not an hour before she died, sir. For yesterday her age took her."

     The man's eyes widened. "Oh goodness! Well, where will you go now?" Rapunzel shook her head in the manner of a young, scared girl who was unsure of anything. Of course she couldn't tell him her plans. "Alright then. You'll come with me," he said in a gentle tone.
     Rapunzel hid her disappointment. This would inevitably complicate things. But she put earnest gratefulness into her face and voice. "Oh, do you really mean it? Thank you, thank you, I don't know what I would have done!"

     The man's brow suddenly creased. "The only problem is, I don't know how we'll both get down from here."

     Rapunzel let her own face cloud over while inside a small bit of hope formed. Perhaps she wouldn't have to go with him after all.