Maplepunzel, Part 3

Maple spent the happiest summer of her life with Victor, Scott, and her animal friends. As the days grew longer, Pavla was more frequently called away by her generals and advisors in Berlania. The less time Pavla spent at the tower, the easier Maple found it to clear the fog out of her brain after she shimmied down her hair. Black and silver lace gowns, soft slippers, tortoiseshell combs, and satin ribbons were all shoved to the back of her wardrobe, replaced by looser flowered dresses that clung to her decollage in all the right ways, hair flowing to the floor, and bright sandals or no shoes at all. Dirges and tragic ballads were chased away by her own joyous dance tunes and happy romantic songs. 

Victor came in the evenings, after Pavla left. She made him cookies and cakes, soup and bread. They were sometimes burned at the edges or undercooked, but he ate every crumb and told her he’d never enjoyed such hearty and delectable food. Eugenia would teach Maple a new song, and she’d teach it to Victor. He had a deep, strong voice that harmonized beautifully with her own alto and Eugenia’s trilling.

Sometimes, Eugenia would tweet a merry new song, one Maple had never heard, and she’d teach Victor to dance. “I never had the time for frivolity,” he admitted one night when she mentioned it. “I’ve always aided my father in running our kingdom or led our men on the battlefield.”

“Aw, come on, Vic!” Maple laughed, grabbing his hand. “Everyone dances! It’s fun! Just watch how I do it!” She would kick up her heels and swing around, her purple print skirt flaring around her bare legs. “I learned this in Yorkalia, when I went to school. It was the latest rage in all the dance halls.” 

Victor blushed to the roots of his thinning hair, but he smiled. “Now I wish I paid more attention to such things. I too attended school in Yorkalia, but I rarely visited the taverns and dance halls. I spent my evenings studying politics and business. Jeff was the one who frequented taverns and dance halls and learned the latest steps.”

“Well then, I’ll show ya how to do it.” She giggled as Victor stumbled, almost falling over her. She would be the first to admit that the man had no sense of rhythm. He kept bumping into her knees at first or tripping over her unbound hair. “Ok, slow, slow, quick, quick, slow. One and two and…”

“Hey!” Victor cracked a smile, almost for the first time since she’d met him. “You’re correct, Maple. This is enjoyable! I suppose this is what Jeff always said I was missing, shutting myself up with dusty law books and political tombs.”

“See?” She laughed as he picked her up and swung her around. “You got it!” They swirled around the room, her skirts fluttering as they jumped over her hair. She’d never been happier, and she suspected he hadn’t, either. His smile was sharp, happy, and almost scary in its intensity.

The moment Eugenia stopped, they fell on her bed, laughing. “That really was wonderful, miss.” He turned over, breathing hard and still grinning. “This has been the most delightful evening I’ve had in many a year. You are a truly vivacious and remarkable woman.”

She gave him a little shove, grinning modestly. “Oh, go on.” 

“No, I mean it.” He gently tucked a stray red curl behind her ear. “How did you get your hair to grow so long? Was it magic?”

“I don’t think so.” Maple shrugged. “No one’s cut it in a decade. Pavla says it’s stronger the longer it is. If it was short, it would have no power at all.”

“Power?” He raised an eyebrow. “You’re a magician?”

“Yeah. Healin’, mostly. My voice can soothe your head or break it if I get mad enough. Or so they told me in Yorkalia.” She made a face. “Pavla wants me to study black magic, but I’m lousy at it. I don’t wanna hurt people. I want to sing for them, make them happy.”

“Well,” Victor said huskily. “You’ve made me the happiest man in the Seven Kingdoms. I’ve enjoyed our hours together, more than I have with any other woman.”

She leaned close to him, speaking softly. “Even Betty?”

He nodded, gazing into her hopeful eyes. “Even her. I…” His voice dropped. “I…want to do something with you…I hope you don’t mind…”

“I wouldn’t mind.” She leaned in closer, their eyes locking. 

Victor’s kiss was the most wonderful thing she’d ever felt. It was…sweet and melting and exploding all at once. “That was,” he gasped when he pulled away, “a truly edifying experience. If you don’t mind…could we…”

“Oh, get over here!” She pulled him in for another long, slow, passionate kiss. When they separated, she was the one grinning. “Hey Victor…uh, you wouldn’t mind if we, uh, tried somethin’? I mean, we don’t gotta.” She gently rubbed down his back. “But I think…I’m ready now.”

He barely nodded, his hand stroking her side. “I think,” he barely breathed, “I am, too.”

They made love for the first time after that. Oh, how she enjoyed it! Victor wasn’t like the boys she’d known in Yorkalia. He was tender, never pushing her to do more than she was ready for. His hands were gentle on her parts. She nibbled his ear, he rubbed her chest. The smell of woodsmoke from the fire and the spicy chicken stew they’d eaten earlier mingled with their own earthy scents. She was never happier than cuddled in his arms, listening to him murmur plans for their future in her ear.

Sometimes, Scott came up too, with the animals. Victor was so gentle with them! Foley took to him right away after he brought him carrots, but Walter was more wary of this strange intruder in the blue fur with the big gold circles. He finally won over Walter with pots of clover honey from Wennaria’s thick fields of wildflowers and frequent tummy rubs. Eugenia thought Maple was lucky to have the two handsomest men in the world dancing with her, and often sang songs about true love’s kiss and parties with people you love.

Maple reveled in every moment. It had been so long since she’d been the center of attention from people who saw her as a human being, not just a child or a living doll. She discovered she didn’t mind lacing her peasant outfit up a little tighter, if it didn’t come with mountains of lace and frills. Pushing up her bosom just a little bit made her feel like a woman. Scott taught her and Victor how to braid flowers and stones into her long, long copper tresses. 

Victor brought her new iron pans from Wennaria and taught her simple recipes with homespun ingredients that his sensible mother Gertrude and her cooks taught him. Delicious smells of thick stews with spicy herbs and hearty, nutty bread chased out lingering stench of musty old spellbooks and bland, mushy meat puddings. She couldn’t remember when her belly or heart had been so full.

Her healing magic was improving, too. One evening, she was more than a little surprised when Victor came up much slower than usual. “Hey there, sweetheart.” She frowned as he clutched his knuckle. “What happened? Did ya fall off Hamlet again? Ya gotta be more careful gettin’ off that big baby of yours.”

“No, I did not fall off Hamlet. I’m an experienced horseback rider.” Thick dark blood ran under his fingers like the chicken he brought before she cooked it. “I caught my knuckle on those damned thorns as I was preparing to ascend the tower and cut it rather badly. I hope you possess a large first aid cabinet, Maple. This hurts abominably!”

“Oh, don’t be a baby. And don’t worry about getting blood in my hair. I can wash it out or cut a tiny bit off. Pavla won’t notice. There’s so much of it!” He scrubbed his hand in the sink and rubbed a sharp-scented green herb paste over the deep, jagged cut before settling on the bed. 

She sat next to him and looked into those gentle whiskey eyes that were also so wise, but now radiated an almost shy trust. “Ok, sweetheart.” She wrapped part of her hair around his knuckle, closed her eyes, and focused on his hand. “Light of mine, restore the skin, the hair, the pain. Soothe the heart, ease the pain, make what’s broken whole again.” 

Victor’s eyes widened and the slender jaw dropped open as golden light flowed from her scalp and her heart into his hand. It caressed the broken skin, repairing the damage and easing the redness and irritation. When the light subsided and she removed her hair, his hand was clear. It was as if he never had an injury.

“Oh my…” He held up his hand, looking it over. “Not even any pain left.” His hand clasped hers. “You’re incredible! How did you do that?”

“I’m not sure. I’ve sorta been teachin’ myself.” Maple settled on her bed. “Pavla don’t like me usin’ my light magic. She says it’s frivolous. She won’t even let me heal her when she gets a scratch. She says she has people in Berlania who do that for her.” 

“Pavla.” His eyes widened in pure horror. “Queen Pavla, the Black Witch of Prague? She’s your guardian?”

“Yeah. She ain’t been seen much ‘cause she’s been meetin’ with her generals all summer.” Maple picked absently at a loose thread on the knitted blanket. “She said she had a guy who wanted to marry me, but…” Her wide, shining brown eyes gazed into his warm ones. “I wanna marry you, not some Berlania official I never even met. I’m not sure I even wanna go to Berlania. She’s always talked about how they’re strong and superior, but…”

“They’re not.” Victor’s deep voice dropped, low and angry. “They’re parasites, Maple. They send their troops to the front…but they really invade from within. Your Pavla is said to be a hundred-year-old sorceress who can appear to be anyone, who strips beauty, magic, and culture from a kingdom until its residents are transformed into animals or become monsters for her army, the kingdom becomes a gray wasteland, its royal family cursed or simply vanished.”

Maple narrowed her eyes. “Ya know, that explains a lot. I wondered why she never seemed to get any older. She’s looked the same my entire life. I’ve gotten…a little bigger…but she never did. Berlania really does that?”

“I’m afraid so.” Victor put an arm around her, pulling her close. “Whole kingdoms have disappeared after Berlania sent officials to insinuate themselves within their courts, in the royal family itself. Once they have planted the seeds of dissension, Pavla and her monsters move in and take over.” 

She shuddered, suddenly cold despite the warm, humid August evening. “I know Pavla ain’t always been the best to me, but…she’s my guardian.” She gazed into those worried eyes of his. “Until I met you. You, Scotty, Walter, Foley and Eugenia…you’re more of a family than she’s ever been. This has been a really mag-nif-ficant summer, and I’ve never had so much fun.”

“I think you mean ‘magnificent,’ and it has been for me, too. I can’t remember a time when I’ve felt so much happiness.” He gulped, reaching into the pocket of his navy uniform. “Maple,” he stammered, his voice suddenly soft and shy, “I wasn’t sure how to do this. I want you…I mean, what I want to say is…” He pulled out a beautiful, shining gold ring with a small garnet stone on the top. The ring itself was intricately etched with vines and flowers. “This has been in my family for generations. My father gave it to my mother when they became engaged, and now, I give it to you.”

“To me?” Her face lit up like the thousands of stars twinkling outside her window. “You mean, you wanna marry me? We’re a-fianced?”

He nodded, his face red as a tomato. “If you’ll have me. I love you more than any woman I’ve ever met. Even Betty doesn’t make me feel alive like you do.”

“Oh Victor!” She flung her arms around him and nearly knocked him to the bed. “I accept! I’d love to be a-fianced to you! You’re the nicest guy I ever met. Scott’s more like a buddy to me than a lover. You…you see me, ya know? You really respect me and treat me like a lady. No one has ever done that for me before.”

He slid the ring on her finger. “You must keep this with you until I can take you to Pittsburgh Town and Isabella Castle. I want you to meet my parents and see my home. We’ll have our wedding in the spring, after I’ve returned to the front. I won’t be there for long. I just need to speak to my head men and see if they’ve made any progress defending Britannica.”

“There’s two problems, Victor.” Maple stared at her beautiful new ring. It smelled like tangy metals and fresh polish. “I can’t get outta here, remember? I can’t climb my own hair.” She sighed and looked up at him. “And there’s Pavla. She’ll be mad if I ain’t here. She’s already been complainin’ that I ain’t been listenin’ to her lately. I’ve been playin’ Eugenia’s songs an’ not lettin’ her pull my hair so much.”

“Maple.” He took her arms. “I love you more than anything. I want nothing more than to be with you. I would never make you do or wear things you didn’t wish to. I love you the way you are, because you are the way you are. You’re the most amazing, magical woman I’ve ever met, and I want nothing more than to dance and sing and take care of Walter with you for the rest of my days.” 

“Could I be a singer?” Maple’s eyes shined. “Could I sing for your parents? Or in a huge theater, like the ones in Hope Springs?” 

“We don’t have huge theaters. Our theaters are small, and not as well-funded as they could be.” He rubbed her hand. “But they’re yours. I want to hear your beautiful voice forever.”

“Oh Victor…” Her smile was incandescent. “Victor, I don’t want to stay here all my life. I appreciate what Pavla’s done for me, but I want to see the world. I want to sing for everyone, includin’ you.” She rubbed his hand. “Maybe you could bring rope? Scott might have some, or we could even weave a rope from old sheets or pieces of fabric.” 

He nodded. “I’ll bring rope from my family’s hunting lodge on the edge of the woods tomorrow at twilight. We’ll leave as soon as I get up here. Pack anything you think you’ll need.”

“Sure!” Maple hugged him again. “Until then, can we have…one last kiss in the ol’ tower?”

Victor nodded, gazing into her hopeful, glittering dark eyes. “Yes, my love.” He gently moved a long lock of hair from her face. “One last…kiss…” She pulled him into the kiss before he could continue all night.