The Door in the Tower

She sighed and picked disconsolately at the tapestry she was supposed to be making. She didn’t even remember what the picture was supposed to be anymore. Before she could fling herself restlessly onto her bed, she heard the familiar call, that ridiculous name Aunt had picked and that stupid chant about her hair.

She bundled her hair up, hauled it across the tower, and peered out.

Another buffoon in fancy armor on a horse. Of course.

She sighed again and let her hair down, and when he made it to the top she kissed him on the cheek before Aunt burst out of nowhere and chased the boy off with magic.

“You can’t be so picky,” Aunt said after the knight tumbled to the ground and staggered away, blinded and cursed.

“I want an interesting boy, thank you very much,” Rapunzel said, and plopped down in front of the tapestry next door.

“You won’t be young and pretty forever, and if I keep cursing those knights soon no one will be telling your story in the courts,” Aunt said.

Rapunzel shrugged and picked at the tapestry some more.

***

She woke in the middle of the night to find a young man perched on her windowsill. A scarf covered the lower half of his face, and he had a wicked-looking dagger instead of a sword.

“Who are you?” she asked.

“A thief,” he said. “I heard there was a fancy tapestry here that would fetch good money. Go to sleep, let me take the tapestry, and I won’t hurt you.”

“Well,” Rapunzel said, “how about you cut all this stupid hair off, marry me, and then for once, someone can use the stupid door at the bottom of the tower?”

“Why should I marry you?”

“I’m a princess.”

(298 words)