Prism

Happily Ever After?

King Randolph was far from pleased. After dismissing all of his courtiers, he began to pace back and forth in his throne room, stabbing his finger at the air as he ranted about the folly of young girls who thought they knew everything. Asides about foolish witches and bards who aided them in said folly were also liberally sprinkled throughout the tirade, which grew louder and louder as time wore on.

At last Ellen had had enough. She snapped her fingers and lightning crackled through the air between her hands, sparking ominously. King Randolph blanched. "Alright, that's enough," she declared crisply. "I believe we thoroughly comprehend your position, Your Majesty. Now are you willing to listen to ours?"

King Randolph glared at her for a second, then slumped into his throne, rubbing his forehead. "Fine. What have you all cooked up between yourselves?"

Rapunzel and the strange knight, whose name had turned out to be Adrian, glanced at each other. Adrian stepped forward first. "Your Majesty, I apologize for my intemperance," she began, taking a knee and pressing her fist over her heart. "I entered this contest under false pretenses, and I regret the need for the deception."

King Randolph snorted. "And what need was that, girl?"

She stared fearlessly up into his eyes. "Your Majesty, your knight-commander refused to accept that women could be suitable candidates for training. I wished to prove otherwise. This contest seemed to be a good way to show that the so-called weaker sex is capable of the same feats that men are."

The king, hardly mollified, frowned. "The court will never consent to be ruled by an untrained girl from an unknown family," he warned, eyes narrowed. "You may have won the contest through some sort of trickery, but that changes nothing."

Adrian flushed. "Your Majesty, I do not seek your daughter's hand in marriage." She and Rapunzel exchanged another glance. They'd discussed this on top of the pyramid, and quickly came to the realization that neither wanted to marry the other – Adrian preferred guys, while Rapunzel was pretty sure that she had no interest in any gender.

King Randolph scowled at her. "So what do you want, then?"

Adrian bowed her head. "Your Majesty, if I may beg a boon, I would like to train as a knight. I realize that I am older than the typical candidate, but I am perfectly willing to work as hard as necessary to catch up."

"A female knight?" Randolph shook his head. "Out of the question."

Ben lifted an eyebrow. "Really, Your Majesty? There is a long tradition of female knights serving alongside the men, and doing just as well. Often," he bowed to Adrian, "they disguise themselves as men for a time, but the truth always comes out." A wicked smile drifted across his lips. "If you'll permit me to say so, this young lady would be an asset to your court. After all, she's already bested all of your knights, as well as those of neighboring kingdoms, in a very public contest."

"She's still female," Randolph snapped.

"Make her Rapunzel's champion," Moira put in, eyes bright with interest. "Your daughter will need a protector, anyway, and a female knight would be perfect."

"It would make a wonderful tale," Ben added, strumming a few chords on his fiddle.

King Randolph threw up his hands. "Fine. If you can survive the training – which I doubt – you may serve my daughter as her champion." He crossed his arms over his chest. "Does that satisfy you?"

Adrian rose and bowed deeply. "Yes, Your Majesty. Thank you for this opportunity. I swear, I will not let you down." She turned to Rapunzel and bowed again. "Nor you, Princess." Only Rapunzel was close enough to see Adrian's lips twitch as she fought to contain a relieved smile.