Under the Roses

28 - Nibble, Nibble, Little Mouse

RAPUNZEL

Red led them to the center of the city. Or at least, that was what Rapunzel assumed it was. That was usually where they kept the palace.

The palace in front of them was large, similar to the Eilysten palace, which Rapunzel had only seen a few times from a distance. Though this palace was half-crumbling, which made it look so much more 'antique.' Apparently that was in for architecture these days.

Rapunzel stood beside Red, looking up at the palace. Vanessa was standing apart from them, looking traumatized and like she was about to bolt at any second. Wolf was standing the farthest away from Rapunzel, which was good because she didn't trust that thing. Alice stood staring at the palace in awe, and Whit, that liar, just looked bored.

"I can't believe so much of it is still intact," Alice said wondrously. Rapunzel had seen her look of hesitation at Agatha's cottage—which was weird, to Rapunzel. She didn't know where else Alice wanted to go; this was the perfect life here—but apparently, Alice had forgotten all about that. "I thought it had all been destroyed in the Ailthean Revolution."

Rapunzel wouldn't care to admit it, but she didn't know much about the Ailthean Revolution. Except that it happened. So she decided to avoid the topic by ignoring Alice entirely. So did everyone else.

Whit went up and ducked under the half-raised portcullis, the iron red and orange with rust. They followed, and Rapunzel was uneasy as she passed under the sharp bars. One slip and they might impale her on the spot.

They were now in the courtyard, which was full of a bunch of dead plants and a path covered in what were probably bird droppings, which was strange because Rapunzel had heard that, for a long time after the Revolution, any bird that flew over Ailthe would instantly drop dead.

A marble fountain stood in the center of the courtyard, although it was filled with dirty, brown-black water. It was pretty disgusting, but it kind of fit the whole aesthetic.

"It's a shame you'll only be staying with us for one night, Alice," Red said calmly as they walked into the palace, which seemed to have been preserved even better than the outside. "Let's have dinner first, as I'm sure you're all starving."

"I am!" Rapunzel said. "Agatha just fed us these gross bowls of mush. And we only got two meals a day! Not that I eat a lot anyway. Food is overrated. But still."

"Food may be overrated, dear," Red said, and Rapunzel loved the way she smiled at her, "but no one ever got anything done on an empty stomach. I'll let you and Vanessa pick out your rooms after dinner, and Alice may as well. Then you may leave in the morning," she said to Alice.

Alice looked a little uneasy as she nodded. "Thank you," she said curtly, "for your hospitality."

"Well, one more thing," said Red, "I suggest you all take a bath before dinner."

* * *

Rapunzel glided down the grand staircase to the dining room, where they were to eat dinner. She really was starving. She'd never had so much physical activity in her life.

In the dining room, she found that the others were already seated at the ginormous table. Vanessa sat at one end, her hair still damp. She was dressed in new clothes she'd probably pulled from her satchel. It was unfair that Vanessa got to wear new clothes while Rapunzel had to wear her disgusting old dress, which she couldn't even wash.

Rapunzel turned a poisonous apple between her freshly scrubbed hands. She didn't trust Vanessa to keep something so precious anymore. There was still a whole stash of more poisonous apples in Vanessa's satchel, but hopefully, Vanessa would accidentally bite into one of them and die or something.

Rapunzel wanted to sit as far away from Vanessa as possible, but she didn't want to be too far away from Red and the conversation, so she sat a few seats away from Alice, who had pushed her blond hair away from her face with her headband. Alice had spent the longest time in the bath, even though she was the tiniest.

Wolf was sitting next to Vanessa, ugh, between her and Whit. Shouldn't pets have been banned at the dinner table? Wolf had evidently washed up, too. Good. Now there wasn't any disgusting blood over him.

Whit had, like Vanessa, changed into new clothes, which was doubly unfair. How was it that the people close to Red got new clothes? Was Rapunzel not close to Red? Ugh, it was all Vanessa's fault.

Red smiled at Rapunzel as she took a seat, and Rapunzel had to smile back, setting her poisonous apple on the table. Maybe Red was only pretending to be Vanessa's grandmother and she was actually Rapunzel's grandmother. Rapunzel wouldn't be surprised, considering what she'd learned today.

"I'm sure you're all hungry," said Red, smiling broadly. "So I've called for a plentiful meal. First, some appetizers." She clapped her hands, and tiny little plates appeared in front of each person.

Rapunzel poked at her food. It made a little squelching noise, and she wanted to throw up. But she ate it, and it wasn't bad. It was kind of spicy, though, and she was about to demand some water when a glass appeared beside her as if someone—or something—had read her mind. It was kind of disturbing, but also kind of nice. This was the life she was meant to live, as a princess. A beautiful castle, people serving her everywhere she went...

"Why do you have to leave that on the table?" Vanessa's annoying voice cut through her perfect bliss.

"What?" Rapunzel looked up at her, glaring. Vanessa's wet hair was dripping onto the tablecloth, darkening the already dark red fabric.

"That apple. You might accidentally take a bite of it," Vanessa said. "Oh wait—that might be a good thing."

Rapunzel rolled her eyes. "Be more creative," she said. "As if I'd want myself dead. If you can have that wolf thing sitting next to you, I can have my apple here."

"His name is Wolf," said Vanessa. "And he's a living being. That is a poisonous apple."

"He might not be living soon—"

"Rapunzel." Red's voice was sharp, and Rapunzel flinched inwardly. "Vanessa. Calm down, girls. No need to be at each other's throats. Vanessa, Rapunzel can have her apple on the table if she wants. She did get it herself." Rapunzel smirked at Vanessa's expression. "And Rapunzel," Red continued, "please respect Wolf. He has been loyal to me for a long time."

Rapunzel frowned. She hadn't meant to get on Red's bad side.

But Red was obviously favoring Vanessa. Vanessa was even worse than Alice. At least Alice wasn't acting like a scared rabbit. Alice hadn't broken down when she'd heard Red's plan—which was a brilliant plan. Rapunzel completely approved.

Vanessa was being weak. But Red was letting her stay and tag along. Just because Vanessa was her granddaughter.

Well, Rapunzel was going to have to fix that.