Rapunzel Cuts Loose, page 9
part #4 of Grimmtastic Girls Series
“What makes you two think you’ll win anyway?” demanded Ms. Jabberwocky, popping a barbecue pepper in her mouth. “My pppeppers are pppretty pppopppular.” Each time she spoke a p, flames shot from her green snout.
Oh, hagsnaggle! thought Rapunzel. Would an all-out war break out among these cooks when the Best Snack Award was announced? It seemed obvious that the two who didn’t win would be annoyed, and that could ruin the festival. Their arguing might not end here, either. They might very well keep it up at the Academy next week. Although Red was in charge of the food and this was technically her problem, this was the first break she’d had all day from preparations for her play. Not wanting to bother her right now, Rapunzel took charge.
“Maybe there could be three snack awards instead of one,” she suggested brightly. “Best tart. Most unusual ship snack. Most fiery snack. What do you say? Three awards, and you guys stop arguing. Is it a deal?”
“Forget it,” said Hagscorch, shaking her head.
“No way,” said Queenharts, crossing her arms. “It’s obvious who’d win those from the get-go.”
“Let everyone at the festival vote on the snacks for one award as planned. And may the best cook win,” said Ms. Jabberwocky.
“That will be me,” said Queenharts.
“We’ll see about that,” said Hagscorch.
“Hhha!” huffed Jabberwocky, letting out another blast of flames.
Apparently, I learned nothing in Mr. Dickory’s class, thought Rapunzel in dismay. She still super stunk at bargaining!
Just then, Snow called out to her. “Let’s grab a few more snacks and go watch some of the games until it’s time for Red’s play.”
Rapunzel nodded, and minutes later, she, Snow, and Red were wandering through the various sports and games. First, they watched Cinda’s masketball game. She was playing on the team opposite Awesome’s. Since the two of them were evenly matched stars, the scores were close all game long. It was hard to tell who was who since everyone wore magical masks, but when one of the shortest players dunked the ball in the final moments to win, the three Grimm girls whooped and waved excitedly in the stands. Since most of the players were tall boys, they just knew the scoring player had to be Cinda!
Afterward, Cinda joined them in exploring the festival. Munching Gloomburgers and Huffing Puffs, Rapunzel relaxed, thinking how nice it was just hanging out with her besties and forgetting about her troubles for a while. It was almost sunset when the four Grimm girl friends came upon Basil and Prince Prince, who were competing in the siege games on the lawn against Foulsmell and Awesome.
As Rapunzel stood cheering wildly for Basil, she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned to find Prince Perfect standing there. He looked so cute in his dark blue tunic, she thought as he bowed to her. “Would you do me the honor of accompanying me to the Festival Ball tonight?” he asked.
Stunned speechless, she nodded. At her reply, Perfect grinned and bowed again, then walked away. She turned back toward her friends, her eyes wide.
“Did he just ask you to —” Snow began.
“Go with him —” Red added.
“To the ball?” Cinda finished.
Rapunzel nodded, feeling dazed and happy.
“Awesome,” said Cinda. “Oh, and I’m going with Awesome, too,” she added with a giggle.
“And Wolfgang asked me,” said Red.
“And I’ll be with Prince Prince,” finished Snow.
“It’s going to be sooo fun!” said Rapunzel. The four Grimm girls started jumping around in excitement.
Just then, another round of contestants was announced in the siege games on the lawn. Snow and Cinda were up next. Red wished them good luck, then departed for rehearsals again. Rapunzel gave her a quick encouraging hug, and stayed behind to watch the other two girls compete.
“Perfect. Just perfect. Do you Grimm girls have to take all the cute boys at GA for yourselves?” complained a voice. Rapunzel looked over to see Mary Mary Quite Contrary standing beside her, arms folded. The girl turned to go, mumbling, “That old lady in the forest was a big fat liar.”
“What?” asked Rapunzel in surprise. But the girl had already stomped off.
Rapunzel ran after her. “Wait. What did you say? What old lady?”
“The one in Neverwood Forest that you were talking to Thursday,” Mary Mary told her grumpily.
“You saw me?” Rapunzel squeaked in surprise. Suddenly, she recalled the extra boat that had been onshore when she and Snow rowed away from the woods. “You followed me, didn’t you? Why?”
Mary Mary shrugged. “To see why you were acting so sneaky. I mean, who goes off to Neverwood alone? I thought maybe you were meeting …” Her eyes flicked to Perfect, who was now over with Basil and the other boys. She sighed and stomped off again.
Rapunzel fell into step beside her. “And the old lady?”
“She gave me the comb. That one I loaned you in Threads,” Mary Mary admitted. “Asked me to get you to use it. She said it would fix your hair wiggles, so I figured, why not?”
“Oh, no!” said Rapunzel, hearing that dreaded word. Would her hair behave itself?
Thinking she was mad now, Mary Mary darted her a look. “The only reason I’m telling you this is so you know I tried. I do feel kind of guilty about that tongue twister accident. But it looks like your hair is still wiggly, so I guess she lied about fixing that, too.”
“Too?” Rapunzel echoed. Her braid was indeed acting bonkerdoodles again thanks to Mary Mary’s use of the word wiggle. She wrapped it around her waist and held it there with one hand. Just then, a cheer went up from the crowd around the siege competition. The boys were now catapulting pumpkins they’d decorated earlier, which exploded on impact. She and Rapunzel looked over in time to see Prince Perfect launch his.
Mary Mary sighed admiringly. “He’s just so … perfect. The old lady told me he’d ask me to the ball, but —”
Rapunzel frowned. So that was it. The deal. She’d guessed from the start that the “old lady” must be the witch. And she only ever made deals that benefited herself. She must’ve promised Mary Mary that she’d win Perfect’s favor in exchange for giving Rapunzel the comb. But why?
“Where’s the comb now?” she asked the girl. She started braiding her hair again, trying to calm it down.
Mary Mary snapped her fingers. “Poof! It vamoosed into thin air right after I left Threads class yesterday. Now stop following me.”
Mary Mary stomped off again. Rapunzel watched her go, not sure what to do. Poor Mary Mary, her heart broken by that dumb witch. Still, even if Perfect hadn’t asked Rapunzel to the ball, she wouldn’t have been able to make him ask Mary Mary. Or anyone else, for that matter.
Noticing that one of her potted bouquets had gotten knocked over, Mary Mary stopped and picked it up. With a mere touch of her fingers, the flowers magically mended themselves, perking up again. How nice. That kind of magic was the good kind and made Rapunzel feel happy. It was quite different from the witch’s brand of magic. The evil kind the witch hoped to teach Rapunzel.
Speaking of magic, Rapunzel suddenly remembered how much she’d longed for that comb as soon as she’d seen it. It must have been bespelled by the witch! Luckily, whatever the witch’s intent in getting Rapunzel to use it, her comb hadn’t succeeded. At least Rapunzel hoped not.
Hearing someone shout her name, she turned to see Basil.
“Rapunzel, wait up!” he called as he loped over. When he reached her, he just stood there acting all nervous. He appeared to be tongue-tied and his hands were fidgeting at his sides. Which was weird. Basil was usually so confident and easygoing — traits she admired in him.
“What’s up?” she asked him.
“I was wondering …” His words petered out and he shifted from one booted foot to the other. His hair flopped cutely over his forehead and she watched him push it back. Finally, he tried again. “I was wondering … would you like to go to the Festival Ball. With me?”
She stared at him in surprise. Then she lightly punched his shoulder and laughed off his offer, figuring he was just being nice. “You don’t have to do that. Perfect asked me. But save me a dance, okay?”
“Perfect?” Basil’s eyes widened for a moment. Then he started backing away. “Oh. Yeah. Sure. Well, it looks like that Red Robin Hood play’s getting ready to start. I told Wolfgang I’d help with, um, some stage stuff. See you.” He jogged off. He’d sounded really disappointed! But why would he be? They were just buddies … weren’t they?
It was almost dark now, and she hadn’t been able to see his expression that well. Had she only imagined his hurt feelings? Oh, bopnoddle! she thought. Why did boys have to be so confusing?
Rapunzel started to go after Basil, then paused when she heard a faint cry. It sounded kind of familiar. She cocked her ear to better hear it, but the sound had faded away.
By now, most people had taken seats in the amphitheater, since Red and Wolfgang and the rest of the cast would begin performing in a few minutes. From a distance, she spotted Cinda and Snow in the audience and headed their way, still mulling over what Mary Mary had said about the comb. Why had the witch made that deal with her? she wondered.
Over at the theater, the red velvet curtains swept open for Act One of Red Robin Hood. The play was the last event of today’s festival. But tomorrow, Sunday, the fun would all begin again, and end in the Festival Ball Sunday night. The one she was going to with her crush! Rapunzel lifted the hem of her gown slightly and hurried toward the theater. She wanted to take a seat before Red made her entrance.
Then she stopped, hearing that weird cry again. It was Mordred! Howling. It sounded like he was in trouble!
Swinging around, Rapunzel turned and ran toward the sound, following as it led her toward the tower. The moon was bright enough to light her way, and there were candles flickering in decorative stone stands here and there around the festival grounds. Just as she rounded the trees, the howling stopped. And there stood the witch! She was alone at the base of the tower, her eyes glittering.
“Where’s my cat?” Rapunzel demanded in a panicked voice. When the witch didn’t reply, Rapunzel turned on her heel to continue looking for Mordred elsewhere.
“I have your magic charm,” said the witch. Rapunzel looked over one shoulder and watched the witch reach into her black bag. She pulled out the onyx comb. The fanciful carved one Mary Mary had loaned her in Threads class.
Rapunzel shook her head. “That’s not mine.”
The witch stepped closer. “It is. Your parents wanted you to have it.”
Rapunzel gasped. “No way. My parents were poor. They couldn’t afford such a fine comb. Besides, they bargained me away to you for a bit of rampion. I obviously wasn’t that important to them.”
The witch’s brows rose. “It’s true that they didn’t have much money. But your father found a piece of onyx and made this comb for you based on your mother’s design. It’s your charm, all right. Cross my heart.”
The witch hadn’t disagreed when Rapunzel said she wasn’t that important to her parents, Rapunzel noticed. So maybe she agreed that they hadn’t really loved her. But then why had they bothered to make her something so valuable and pretty?
The witch took another step forward and held out the comb. However, when Rapunzel reached for it, she quickly snatched it back. With an air of satisfaction, she said, “I’ll give it to you on one condition. That you use it now to comb out your hair.”
Rapunzel’s eyes gleamed as she stared at the comb. If it really was her charm — one that her parents had made for her — then she wanted it desperately. But she held back.
“Why should I believe you?” she asked the witch. “You lied to Mary Mary. Besides, charms only do what the person they belong to tells them to do, and that comb is obeying you.”
Meowww! It was Mordred howling again. She could tell that the witch heard him, too. And from the cruel smile on her face, Rapunzel guessed she had something to do with whatever trouble her cat was so obviously in.
Without waiting for a reply, Rapunzel ran around to the other side of the tower. Mordred howled again, and this time she could tell that he was somewhere above her. She tilted her head back to gaze at the tower’s single high window. There he sat on the window ledge. The witch must have magicked him up there somehow, because there was no way he could’ve gotten to the top of the tower by himself!
Rapunzel looked around desperately for some way to reach him. Apparently, no one had succeeded in getting one of the ropes up to the window. They all still lay coiled on the ground.
“It’s okay, Mordred,” she said soothingly. “I’ll figure out a way to get you down.” Maybe she could throw the rope herself, climb it, and rescue him. Not likely, but it was her only hope. She ran toward the tower, reaching for one of the coils. As her fingers touched the rope, there was a loud grinding noise.
And suddenly the tower disappeared, taking Mordred with it!
The witch had disappeared, too, and Rapunzel knew of only one place to look for her and the tower. And most of all, Mordred! She just hoped her cat would be safe till she could rescue him. She ran down to the dock and leaped into one of the swan boats. Hearing footsteps, she turned and saw that Snow and Cinda had followed her. They must have seen her leaving the amphitheater.
“Red’s onstage. You’re missing out on a grimmtabulous performance,” Cinda told her.
“Yeah. Where are you going?” asked Snow.
“Please don’t ask,” Rapunzel replied. On an impulse, she jumped from the boat to hug them both. If she went into Neverwood Forest and met up with the witch, who knew what might happen? This might be good-bye forever!
“Is this about that witch?” Snow guessed. “I mean the one who raised her,” she added to Cinda, who was looking puzzled.
Rapunzel was too upset to hold back what was happening any longer. “Yes! I think she might have magicked that Tower of Doom from the festival back to Neverwood. With Mordred inside!”
She climbed back into the swan boat again and picked up a paddle.
“You’re not going into that forest alone to find him!” said Snow. She and Cinda jumped into the boat before Rapunzel could stop them.
“But it could be very, very dangerous,” Rapunzel protested.
Cinda sent her a supportive smile. “Hello? You sound like Mr. Hump-Dumpty!”
“If you’re going, we’re going,” Snow added firmly. The two girls picked up paddles. And together they shoved off. The Once Upon River looked almost black at night, but the full moon led them toward Neverwood’s shore. On the boat trip over, Rapunzel filled them in on the details of what had happened with the witch, including the comb.
Soon they were inside the forest, scurrying down a path. Tree roots crawled near their feet and tried to trip them as they ran. Oddly, torches hung in the trees, their flames swaying in the breeze. Is the witch lighting our way? Rapunzel wondered. In no time at all, they reached the clearing.
“There!” shouted Snow. Sure enough, the tower loomed before them.
Meooowww! Mordred howled from its window. Again Rapunzel wondered how the witch had achieved magic strong enough to transport him and the tower here.
“Don’t be scared. I’m here, Mordred,” she called softly as the three Grimm girls stepped into the rampion patch. The green stalks with their pretty pale purple bellflowers rustled around their skirts.
Instantly, the witch appeared before them. Ignoring Snow and Cinda completely, she said to Rapunzel, “He’ll make a fine companion, once I train him to do my bidding.” She waved a hand toward the tower and the cat stopped howling.
“No! Let him go!” Rapunzel begged. Then she winced, remembering that begging was something Mr. Dickory had specifically told students not to do when making a bargain. And wasn’t that what this was — a deal in the making? She wanted her cat back safe and sound, and the witch wanted something else. But just exactly what, she wasn’t quite sure.
The witch held the comb out again. “The cat will be set free if you do as I ask. All you have to do is comb your hair.”
Comb her hair? That was the deal? If so, it was sure to be a bad one for Rapunzel. She just wished she knew what the witch was up to.
“Don’t do it,” Cinda whispered from behind her.
Mr. Dickory had told them, “Don’t be afraid to leave a bad deal.” But if Rapunzel tried that, would the witch really call her back and suggest something better? She couldn’t take the chance. Not with Mordred at risk. So what choice did she have?
“Her cat’s up there. She has to save him!” Snow whispered to Cinda.
The two girls continued whispering, but Rapunzel hardly heard them. She was staring at the comb, mesmerized. Had her father really made it? she wondered. The more she looked at the beautiful comb, the more she wanted it. Was it enchanted? It must be because she’d fallen under its spell! As the seconds passed, the witch’s bargain didn’t seem so horrible anymore. All at once, Rapunzel reached out for the comb. She grabbed it and began running it through her long glossy black hair.
The witch smiled a ghastly smile. Worried now, Rapunzel stopped combing. “Did you put a spell on this thing?”
“Of course,” cackled the witch. “A two-parter. After you combed your hair with it in class, it caused your hair to do my bidding in the Grimmstone Library. But the spell wasn’t complete until you combed your hair a second time just now.”
“What’s she talking about?” she heard Cinda whisper behind her.
“No clue,” Snow replied.
They hadn’t learned multipart spells in Bespellings class yet, but Rapunzel knew they were far more powerful than single spells. Having no idea what the witch had actually done, she dropped the precious comb into her bag.
But the witch didn’t seem to care. She was studying the treetops. “Your parents and I made a bargain. A bargain in which they gave you — and all your belongings — to me. Including that comb. However, it has now served its purpose. You can keep it.”
“Let Mordred go,” Rapunzel demanded. “And we’ll be on our way.”
