Ever After (ONC 2024)

Chapter 11 - You Can Go Your Own Way

 The group remained quiet until they had put a decent amount of distance between themselves and the escalating conflict between the wolf and bears. They found another pathway leading into the woods and followed it. It took a bit of a meandering route, curving back and forth for no apparent reason that Arthur could discern, but the most important part was it was taking them away from the multitude of vicious beasts that wanted to devour them.

"Well, all's well that ends well, right guys?" Goldilocks said. "That was a narrow escape, but we made it!"

"We didn't need to put ourselves in that position in the first place," Arthur muttered.

"True, but it all turned out okay, so what's the big deal?" Goldilocks asked.

Arthur stopped in his tracks and whirled around to face her. "You lied to us! We all could have easily been killed back there! If I had known that wasn't your grandmother's house, I never would have gone in there in the first place!"

"Yeah, and then the wolf probably would have caught up to us out in the open where we had nowhere to hide and no bears to fight him off for us," Goldilocks folded her arms across her torso. "That's going to keep him busy for a while, if he even manages to survive at all. I think we came out ahead of the game. If anything, you should be thanking me."

"How can we trust you?" Arthur asked. "Maybe you're not even Goldilocks! Maybe you're actually Cinderella! Anybody got a glass slipper we can put on her foot to see if it fits?"

"Those bears would have killed you immediately if I hadn't stalled them with my quick thinking," Goldilocks sniffed. "Not to mention I saved you from the troll on the bridge. Have you already forgotten about that? I think I've more than earned your trust."

"I don't want to interrupt," Gretel said. "But I know where we are now. I recognize that boulder over there with the pine tree growing out of it. There's a fork in the trail just beyond it. The left hand path leads back to my village, but the right one will take you straight to Prince Charming's castle."

"Well, that's the first bit of good news I've heard in a while," Arthur said.

"I've had a fun time adventuring with you," Gretel said. "But I think I'm ready to go home now. You'll be okay without me. It's not much farther and you've got Goldilocks to protect you."

"Yeah, about that," Goldilocks said. "I've got a little bit of history with Prince Charming. He tried to date me, but I turned him down. And then there's the small matter that I tried to steal the crown jewels and he said if I ever showed my face in his castle again, he'd have me tossed in the dungeons immediately and throw the key in the bottom of a lake. I think I'd be better off escorting Gretel back to her house."

"Okay," Arthur said. "Despite the good points you made about saving our lives, I'm still not sure I trust you anyway, so I'm good with that. Well, Hamlet. It looks like it's just you and me, buddy."

"I don't know," Hamlet said. "I've really been enjoying hanging out with Gretel and Goldilocks. No offense, Arthur, but they're better company than you."

"Fine!" Arthur said. "I'll just go on by myself! Sorry, I thought we had a bit of a Fellowship of the Rings thing going on here."

"On the other hand, I've never been to a castle before," Hamlet said. "I bet those castle walls are pretty solid. The Big Bad Wolf would probably have a pretty hard time blowing them down if he tracks us down again, and I'd guess Prince Charming has a lot of guards who could deter him. I think I'll stay with you."

Arthur and Hamlet took their leave from the girls and headed on down the path Gretel had indicated. Just when it seemed like there'd be no end to the forest, it suddenly petered out and they found themselves at the base of a steep mountain. Shielding his eyes from the sun as he looked upwards, Arthur could see some sort of narrow tower jutting from a flat outcropping of rock. Further up beyond that was a magnificent shimmering castle.

There was a staircase heading up the side of the mountain, but the entrance to it was blocked off by fencing and an "Out of Order" sign hung at a lopsided angle from a pole set up in front of it.

"How can a staircase be out of order?" Arthur said as he tugged at the fencing.

"Hey!" a voice called out from overhead. "Can't you read? The stairs are broken! Get away from there!"

Arthur looked back up to see a woman with long flowing blonde hair peering out of a window of the tower.

"How are we supposed to get up to the caste then?" Arthur asked.

"I can let you up, but you have to say the pass phrase," the woman said.

"Is it fluffernutter sandwiches?" Hamlet called up to her.

"No," she said.

"Well, I'm all out of ideas," Hamlet shrugged.

"Let me take a wild guess," Arthur said. "Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair."

"That's correct," she said. "Hang on just a sec."

A moment later a thick bundle of hair that had been stranded together like a rope cascaded down from the window in the tower until it reached the ground.

"You really want us to climb this?" Arthur asked. "Isn't it going to tug on your scalp something fierce? I'm pretty heavy, what if I pull you down?"

"It's okay, my neck muscles are super strong and my hair is like steel fibers," she said. "Don't worry, I do this all the time."

"Well, okay," Arthur said as he grabbed a hold of the hair rope and started hoisting himself up. Hamlet followed behind him.

He was suddenly hit by unpleasant memories of being forced to climb a rope in gym class when he was in high school when he was too weak to do it and all of the other kids had laughed at him. Luckily he discovered there were numerous footholds in the rock he could use to take the weight off his arms, which made the whole thing much easier.

It felt like they were pretty high up by the time they reached the foot of the tower. Rapunzel informed them they could stop there as there was no need for them to come into the tower itself and there was a gently winding path that made its way to the castle.

"Thanks for the assistance," Arthur called up to Rapunzel. "Can I ask why you're doing this though? Aren't you supposed to be a princess or something?"

"I used to be a princess," Rapunzel said. "But my father got involved in some shady real estate deals and we lost everything, so we've all had to take jobs. It's kind of a sore subject, so if you don't mind, why don't you just get on your way and leave me be."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you," Arthur said. "Do you happen to know if Prince Charming is home right now?"

Rapunzel let out a bitter laugh. "I should say so. That lazy bum never leaves anymore. If you're expecting any help from him, good luck. You're going to need it."

"I'm not sure I like the sound of that," Arthur said as he turned and looked up at the castle, wondering what awaited him inside.