4 Princes

XXXVII

Hera
"Why did we cut your hair?" I asked.

Rapunzel held a pile of her hair in her hands, staring down at it like she had... finally let go of something. "It's why she keeps me. My hair. It keeps her young, immortal. Now she is not immortal, and neither am I."

"How... old are you?" I asked.

Rapunzel held a finger up to my lips. "Do not worry about it," she said. She opened the hatch above us and climbed up. She offered her hand down and I took it.

She helped pull me up.

"Rapunzel do you ha—" the witch stopped. "You," she growled out, looking at me.

Her eyes moved from me to Rapunzel. I could see the realization set in her face. "Your hair! What have you done you nasty bitch!" The witch yelled.

I pulled my daggers out. This should be a breeze now.

The witch threw a bottle at me and I dodged around it. I threw myself one way and Rapunzel threw herself the other.

The bottle exploded, sending glass and green smoke everywhere. I covered my face but it cut through in thin lines on my skin everywhere else. More scars.

I jumped up and threw a knife towards the witch but she disappeared in thin air. I stepped backwards, another dagger in my hands.

Green smoke wrapped itself around me.

"Still scared of the dark!?" The witch cackled.

The smoke slowly began turning black, taking my vision from me. My hand began shaking, my dagger looser in my grip.

"You're okay!" Rapunzel yelled.

I'm okay.

I slashed wildly around me, but I didn't come into contact with anything. I continued backing up, but I didn't know where I was going. The black smoke had covered every square inch of the room.

"I took your sight once, I'll take it again!" The witch yelled.

I closed my eyes. She had taken it before. She taught me. She taught me to use my ears instead of my eyes. She taught me to feel the air and the shadows around me instead of just relying on what I knew.

A breeze, to my left.

I swung to my left and felt my dagger slice through skin.

The witch yelled and then she was on top of me.

I grappled with her. Her hand pressed against my face, forcing my eyes open. The smoke was somewhat dissipating and I could make out her curly black hair moving wild in all directions.

My hands were trapped at my sides with her legs.

Who did she think I was? I bucked my hips up and rolled her off of me. I straddled her. "Let's see how you like it," I smiled.

I pressed my thumbs into her eyes as hard as I could. She began screaming and blood poured out of her sockets.

A strong gust of wind knocked me off of her, throwing me into a pile of canvases and paintings.

I groaned and rolled over, trying to catch my breath.

"Aaaah!" I turned and saw the witch coming at me with a shard of glass. I grabbed one of the paintings, a bunch of lotus flowers painted onto wood, and threw it in front of me.

The glass slammed into the wood, cutting through the witches hand. She backed up, blood pouring from between her fingers.

"Rapunzel what did you do!" She screamed.