Golden Braids and Dragon Blades: Steampunk Rapunzel

Chapter 8: Mother Knows Best, Right?

I scanned the room, looking at the dragons who were all staring at me. What in the world had just happened? Had I made the right choice? What was Mother going to say? And more importantly, what was she going to do?

Pacing the room nervously, I decided that in the end, it was already done. Whatever happened now would happen. It wasn’t my fault he had found me. It was the device he had. Somehow, it had led him to me. And he said there weren’t any more like it. And he had promised he wouldn’t tell anyone about me. He would keep his promise, wouldn’t he?

Feeling fidgety, I took the teacups to the bin and washed them. I then went back to the couch and folded up the blanket with which I had covered him. I lifted the fabric to my nose. There was the familiar smell of the beach and the wind, but under that, I caught the unfamiliar scents of lemon and lavender mixed with a musky scent—his smell. I inhaled deeply then folded the blanket back up.

“Really, Rapunzel. Don’t get romantic. No one falls in love with a man they just met. Especially not one who potentially wanted to kill them,” I chided myself aloud.

At that, Estrid snorted in agreement.

“Exactly.” But as I folded, I kept thinking about those warm eyes and chocolate-colored curls.

Shaking myself from my thoughts, I finished tidying up then sat back down. Wink yawned tiredly. All the excitement done, she and Estrid flew to the back of the cave where they slept. Luna had fallen asleep in the teapot on the shelf.

I sat at the table turning the badge around and around with my finger.

There were others like me.

There were others like me, but they were dangerous creatures.

I cast a glance at the entrance of the cave. Mother would come soon. Once Mother arrived, everything would become clear. Everything would be all right. Mother always knew the best thing to do. Mother would keep me safe.

Picking up Miss Austen’s book, I flipped to the chapter where I’d left off. Part of me hoped Elizabeth married Darcy just to spite Lady Catherine de Bourgh, to rebel, to be free. But first, she had to heal her own prejudiced heart. Or was it pride? Clever, Miss Austen. They were both pride and prejudice. And if they were ever going to fall in love properly, they would need to overcome them both.

An image of Ewan flashed through my mind once more.

Clearing my throat, I forced the image away and settled in with Mister Darcy once again.

* * *

As the final wedding bell tolled on the double wedding of Mister Bingley to Jane Bennet and Mister Darcy to Elizabeth Bennet—my victorious heroine—my eyes began to droop. I finished the last words on the page then closed the book and set my head down on the delicious tome. Scanning the table, my eyes rested on Ewan’s badge. I wrapped my hand around the small piece then slowly drifted off to sleep.

It must have been late in the afternoon when I heard a familiar voice call my name.

“Rapunzel? Rapunzel, are you there? Rapunzel?” I woke groggily and went to the cave entrance.

“Mother?”

“Thank the gods. Are you all right?”

“Yes.”

“Please let down your hair.”

Hands shaking, I lowered my braid to the ground. At the sound of Mother’s voice, all three dragons returned to the central living space.

I stared out at the water as Mother climbed up. The waves were a soft blue color. A breeze blew onto my face. I closed my eyes, relishing the feeling of the wind caressing my cheek. A moment later, Mother climbed into the room. She wrapped her arms around me at once, shifting from child to woman in one swift motion.

“Oh, Rapunzel. Thank goodness. When Wink appeared, I couldn’t believe my eyes. I thought maybe you’d gotten ill or fallen. I couldn’t discern from Wink what had happened. Thank goodness you’re—” Her voice fell flat as she looked at the table. Wordlessly, she left me then went to investigate the pieces of the device that lay scattered there.

“Rapunzel?” she whispered.

I crossed the room and held out my hand. In my palm was the badge. She reached out to touch it, but her hand recoiled as the steel with which the badge was made burned her fingertips.

“What…what happened?” she asked, her dark eyes wide.

“Someone found me.”

“Found you? What are you talking about?”

I reached out and touched the amulet she always wore. The piece glowed blue at my touch. “He had a piece of metal just like yours. He coupled it with that device, and it led him to me. He said he used the device to find others like me.”

Mother’s eyes widened even further. “Another shard? That’s impossible. Are you certain?”

I nodded. “Yes, I held it with my own hand. It…responded.”

Mother looked at the badge. “Where is he?”

I bit the inside of my cheek. Truth or lie? Truth or lie? “I let him go.”

The lines around Mother’s mouth twitched. “You let him go?”

“He told me he is a man of the law. He hunts others like me who are…bad. He promised he wouldn’t tell anyone about me.”

“Do you know what that symbol is?” she asked, motioning to the badge.

“It is the crest of King Pellinore.”

“Yes. King Pellinore, the dragon slayer, the hunter of the Questing Beast. This person who found you, he and others like him marshal this realm, impose rules on those of us who are…different. You made a terrible mistake. You cannot trust him. Did he see the girls?”

“Yes. Estrid almost roasted him alive.”

“You should have let her. You are in great danger now, Rapunzel. All of you.”

“How could I just kill an innocent man? Mother, you never told me there are others like me. How many others are there? Are there other dragon callers? Maybe someone else could wake the egg. We need to find the others. I shouldn’t just stay here, hiding in this place like a hobgoblin if there are others out there like me.”

“Those others…. They are not like you, Rapunzel. There is no one else like you.”

“But Ewan said there are other dragon bloods, men with fierce blood who can—”

“Ewan?”

“The…dragon hunter.”

Mother raised an eyebrow at me. Taking my hand, she sat me down. “There are others who carry the Pendragon blood, but they are not like you, my love.”

“Why not? Mother, you must explain all this to me. Please, I am not a child anymore. And I am in danger. I need to know why, exactly.”

Mother sighed. “Very well. You are the blood of Pendragon. You already know this. But how is more important. The most popular legends say that Arthur had only one child, Mordred, the son of an incestuous liaison between him and his half-sister Morgan. It is true that Mordred was his son and that Morgan was the child’s mother. Morgan was turned by the Unseelie court and practiced their dark magic. Mordred’s descendants live on. But their line is tainted by the influence of the Unseelie. The dragon bloods this Ewan told you about are the bloodline of Mordred.

“But Arthur had a wife, Gwenhwyfar. She was not a lover of Lancelot. She was not a dimwitted whore. Gwenhwyfar, the white phantom, was a practitioner of the old ways and much loved by the Seelie. From her union with Arthur, a daughter, Anna, was born.”

“But all the stories say she was barren,” I interjected.

“That is because they are stories. Take it from someone who remembers.”

“You were there?”

Mother smiled sadly. “Yes. Anna survived the fall of Camelot, but she was hunted by Mordred’s heirs. With our help, she disappeared, carrying with her the true blood of Pendragon. Anna was born of the Once and Future King and Gwenhwyfar, the white phantom. You are the last surviving descendant of that line. It is Anna’s blood you carry. And that is the reason I am here, to protect you as I once did Anna.”

I stared at Mother. “What you’re saying is…”

“Truth. This hunter you met, are you certain—are you very certain—that he had a metal shard like mine?”

“He said it was a shard from the sword Excalibur. He was hunting another dragon blood when the shard led him here instead. Is it true? Is this really a shard of Excalibur?”

“Yes.” Mother began pacing the room.

“Why doesn’t the shard burn you?” I asked. Steel always burned mother’s hands, but not the small amulet she wore.

“It is made of star metal and bound to the blood of Pendragon,” she said absently as she continued pacing. She passed the table once more, stopping to look at the metal device. “He took the shard with him?”

“Yes. I tried to stop him, but… He tricked me,” I said, unable to hide the quick smile that lit up my face. Clever man. I cast a glance at Mother, relieved to see she had not seen me smile. I smothered my expression.

“And he said there was another dragon blood near here?”

“In Cornwall. Ewan had been tracking him.”

Mother frowned hard. “Mordred’s heirs are hunting you. You’re not safe here. As it was, all signs were leading to danger. That is why I went to see my people. You are not safe even in Merlin’s cave.”

“But…why? Why are the other dragon bloods hunting me?”

“Because they will take you, your womb, your dragons, and your blood to use as their own. If the bloodlines ever combine… It would be catastrophic. They would use you to reclaim this realm at the bidding of the Unseelie Queen. Rapunzel, we must leave this place. It isn’t safe.”

“But what about the dragons?”

Mother smiled gently. She reached out to pet Wink. When her fingers touched the tiny dragon, Wink transformed into a tabby cat. “What dragons?”

Wink spun in circles looking at herself. She then winked, appearing in the air nearby, only to fall—landing on her feet—to the floor. Wink flicked her tail and glared with annoyance at Mother.

“But everything I have is here,” I whispered. “And the other egg.”

Mother nodded. “We will have to take it with us.”

I looked around the cave. So, my life was in danger. I could potentially be kidnapped, raped, and murdered. I was being hunted. But, for the first time ever, I would be able to leave the cave. See some place new. It was everything I’d ever wanted, under the worst possible conditions.

I picked up the copy of Miss Austen’s book and smiled at Mother. “I’ll get my things.”