Prism

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Over the next few months, she dove into a study of the traditions that shaped the kingdoms around her, until she knew them inside and out. Ben drilled her mercilessly on the current composition of King Randolph's court, making sure that she recognized their portraits and could provide accurate summaries of their positions on major issues. Their faces swam through her dreams sometimes, but Rapunzel refused to give up.

Prince Eric continued to call on her every two weeks, growing ever more insistent that she was bespelled and that he was the only one who could break the vile sorcery. He was the most persistent of her suitors, but other knights came by as well, and often used similar lines to convince her to let them into the tower. She grew thoroughly sick of the phrase "Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair!" It was both inaccurate and irritating – her blond hair reached to her waist, but no farther, yet none of the knights bothered to pay attention to details like that.

One afternoon, after Prince Eric left in an exhausted heap, Ellen offered to magically lengthen Rapunzel's hair so she could fulfill the knights' expectations.

Rapunzel stared at her. "Even if my hair was long enough, it wouldn't be strong enough," she pointed out dryly. "And having someone yank at my head while they tried to climb up? No thanks."

Ellen chuckled. "Those are solvable problems, you know. Traditionally, the witch of the tower would have cast such a spell on you when you were just a baby, so by the time you were fifteen or sixteen your hair would easily reach the ground." Ellen rolled her eyes. "I'm not sure when or why that became a part of the traditional tale, but I suppose it makes about as much sense as some of the other traditional paths. I mean, turning a prince into a frog? He's far more likely to be eaten by a heron than kissed by a princess." She'd been tutoring Rapunzel on ways to bend tradition to her own will, and her lectures were often interrupted by tirades like this.

Rapunzel laughed and gave her foster mother a hug. "Thanks, but no thanks. If I do decide to let any of the knights up here, a rope will do just fine."

And so life went on.

Arianna fell in love with one of her suitors, a shy young knight with curly brown hair and vivid blue eyes. Though he hadn't coaxed her away from Corthakan yet, Rapunzel suspected that it was only a matter of time. Every time they talked, she practically glowed as she sang his praises – according to her, he was the most courageous and handsome knight on the planet. She didn't care that he was the fourth son of an impoverished noble family, unlikely to inherit anything; her royal parents would provide them with everything they needed.

Rapunzel couldn't resent her friend for her happiness, but it was hard for her to muster unalloyed enthusiasm for Arianna as winter gave way to spring and she still hadn't found anyone. Her birthday was drawing closer and closer, yet she was no closer to finding her one true love – or even someone she felt the slightest bit of attraction towards.

As spring faded into summer, the mood of the tower household turned somber. Everyone knew that Rapunzel would be leaving them soon, but no one wanted to speak of it openly. Rapunzel spent hours poring over old tomes by candlelight after everyone had gone to bed, searching for the perfect argument to convince King Randolph that she didn't need to be married, but every plan seemed to have holes in it.

Liriel, now a half-grown cat, had no patience for Rapunzel's moping. Whenever she sat in one place for too long, he'd fetch his favorite toys – a ball of yarn and a feather on a string – and paw at her lap until she got up and played with him. That, at least, never failed to make her smile.

***

At last the dreaded day arrived. Rapunzel felt like it should have been overcast and rainy, but the sky was a brilliant blue unmarred by the shadows of clouds, while the sun shone brightly.