Other Fan Fiction ❯ Reprise ❯ Return from the Sea ( Chapter 26 )

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CHAPTER 26: Return from the Sea

A deep whistle. Then, behind Elsa and Rapunzel, an explosion of water. They shrieked and paddled closer to Ariel. Huge waves buffeted them about.

"How could this have happened?" Rapunzel shouted over the cannon fire. "How long have we been gone?"

"Who knows-" Elsa had another coughing fit. She waved away the embers that floated like fireflies.

"We've got to get aboard one of these ships," Rapunzel said.

"No!" Elsa shouted. "We can't. It's too dangerous."

"It's too dangerous down here," Rapunzel said.

"As soon as one ship sees their kingdom's ruler, they'll fire everything they've got. We'll become a target."

"I can go. There's no Corona ships," Rapunzel said.

"You're my cousin," Elsa responded. "You're just as good."

"Let's change back," Ariel said. "We'll swim under and get-"

"Look out!" Elsa pointed behind Ariel.

A streaking black billet spun across the battlefield, knocking into a splintered mast. With an enormous groan, the pole toppled toward them like a falling tree. Rapunzel, Elsa, and Ariel scattered away.

The mast smacked the water like a giant flat hand, spreading swells in all directions. Ariel tumbled into the thick waves and sputtered back up. Her two friends were gone.

She tried to call for them, but the sea and storm couldn't carry her voice. She dove under, searching for falling bodies. If they'd hit their head or been dragged under.... But she didn't find them. Not enough light.

She emerged. A body floated face down next to her. She screamed and paddled away. Two more corpses bobbed behind her, lifeless as wood.

Ariel clung to the fallen mast, battling the salt spray in her hair and eyes. Grapeshot and chains pelted the water like deadly raindrops. Gunpowder exploded in dull bursts. Even arrows were flying across the gaps between ships.

Then she saw them--Elsa and Rapunzel, hanging on to a rope on the side of a boat. The ocean clutched at their half-submerged bodies, as the galleon spun.

Ariel detached from the mast and with her stubby human arms and legs, swam over to them. Another throaty whistle sounded overhead. A white ceramic jar spun end over end and smashed against the hull above Elsa and Rapunzel.

It exploded into a massive fireball a second later. A huge chunk of the ship became engulfed in flame. The shockwave forced Elsa and Rapunzel back into the water. The ship listed to its side as the men aboard shouted about the fire. Others plunged off the side.

Ariel swam toward the capsizing ship. Sailors tossed in the water swam towards each other, sabers in their teeth. They clashed, dueling man-to-man, oblivious of the three women. Nothing would stop them from fighting but death.

Elsa punctured the water next to Ariel, gasping for air.

Ariel grabbed her arm before she somehow escaped. "Elsa, where's Rapunzel?"

"I don't know! I don't know anything!" Her voice quavered, as if about to cry.

Ariel led her away from the clashing swords. A ceramic ball with a lit fuse fell into the water. It floated for a second, then detonated, sending a geyser into the air. Bodies flew. Ariel and Rapunzel ducked down.

"There," Elsa shouted as water flowed into her mouth.

Face down, her yellow hair twisted like a sea snake around her head. Her purple dress spread around her like so much flotsam.

Ariel crawled toward her, plunging again into the middle of battle, and flipped her supine. The color had drained from her face. Her lips were dull raisin.

Elsa grabbed a blasted-off door. Ariel hoisted Rapunzel on, struggling against the surging ocean. "We've got to get out of here."

Elsa spun the plank so Rapunzel's head faced her. "Wake up, wake up!" She tapped Rapunzel's cheeks.

"Hold on!" Ariel gripped the door with one hand and raised her trident with the other. The ocean water bulged upward, taller and taller, as if hauled by reverse gravity. Sailors caught in the pull found themselves rising, as if the ocean were made of taffy and some invisible giant were pulling its gooey center. Elsa held herself against Rapunzel's torso to keep her secure.

The tower crested over even the tallest mast. Ships caught at the base incline tilted away from the surrounding pillar of water. The sloping ocean shrank until she felt as if she were looking straight down.

"Hold on!" Ariel shouted again. She waved the trident.

Whatever magic kept the ocean suspended released. The water dropped away and they dropped with it. Trapped sailors spread in different directions. Each ship too, careened away from the battle as the force of the wave pushed everything out.

Elsa, Ariel, and Rapunzel tobogganed down the crested wave, past the ships, and rocketed toward the coast. Pelting droplets forced Elsa's eyes shut as her knuckles turned white.

They covered the distance in a few moments. The rushing water carried their waterlogged door smoothly, noiselessly, all the way to shore.

On the sand, Elsa pried her hands off and stood up on shaky legs. It had been days since she'd felt gravity, combined with the terror they'd just experienced.

Ariel crawled next to Rapunzel. "Rapunzel, wake up. Come on, please." She took Rapunzel's soaking hair and arranged it on her chest. "Flower gleam and glow, let your power shine."

Elsa heaved Rapunzel upright. "She can't heal herself with her own hair. We'll have to do it the old-fashioned way." She clapped Rapunzel on the back with all her might.

Rapunzel's body trembled. She seized, chortled, and spat up a mass of water. Elsa kept whacking while thick, stringy strands of ocean coughed out.

"Ugh," she said. Ariel and Elsa hugged her, crying happy tears.

Elsa rubbed her back. "Everyone okay?" she asked.

"Does anyone know what that was?" Ariel asked. "Since when did Arendelle start a war?"

"What makes you think we started it?" Elsa asked indignantly.

"I don't," Ariel said. "I have no idea what's going on."

"None of us have had contact with our countries for a while," Rapunzel said. "But I can't believe Arendelle would go to war. It must have something to do with Hans's navy."

"But Arendelle was defending itself. Why are they here?" Elsa asked.

Rapunzel sighed. "I hope Ansel made it. I thought that once he arrived, Hans's ships would stand down. They'd be outnumbered. But then, why is Arendelle taking the offensive? What would have changed to cause that?"

"Here's a scarier thought. Who's leading Arendelle's troops? Anna?" Elsa asked.

Rapunzel's eyes widened. "It can't be."

"I know. She doesn't have the motivation or military knowledge. But it's the ruling queen who holds the command." Elsa held her head in her hands. "I should never have left Arendelle. They're right. I am a bad ruler. They should just lock me up. I'm too dangerous. I should just be beheaded."

"Don't talk like that," Ariel said. "You'll get your kingdom back. We'll make sure of it."

"How did they even get to this point? Arendelle doesn't have a strong navy."

"They would with Corona's help," Rapunzel said.

"And their fighting my kingdom. Does that mean we're enemies?" Ariel asked.

Rapunzel, Ariel, and Elsa all looked between each other. No one spoke. Animosity of prejudice and battle hung over them like a triple-bladed pendulum. Each waited for the other to make a move.

"I am not going to let people who think we need to be enemies say we are," Rapunzel said.

Ariel stood up. "What we need to do is get back to my castle. There, we can figure it out."

Elsa and Rapunzel agreed. Damp and itchy, the three of them walked along the shore until they found a path into town. Even with the help of the tidal wave, they were still a long way from the castle. Sounds of a medieval marketplace began to rise over the surf--voices haggling, creaking carts wheeling, horse hooves clopping.

"I'll find a passing carriage or a royal guard. They'll take us to the palace. They'll have to, right? I'm the princess." Ariel smiled at them.

Elsa stopped. "Hold on. If we're really at war, maybe us marching right up to your castle is a bad idea."

Ariel scoffed. "I can just explain to them-"

"No, she's right," Rapunzel said. "Let's hang back and wait for you to explain. Then come and get us. We can scout around town and investigate this." She held up the bottle.

Elsa scratched at her clothes again. "In the meantime, we need a disguise."

Ariel snapped her fingers. "I got it. There's a laundry pool in the village. Wait right here." She crossed the beach, heading around a curve and out of sight.

Elsa crossed her arms and paced up and down the sand. "And on top of all this is Arcius. Do you think he knows where we are now that we're out of the water?"

"I still don't think he can leave his lair. Otherwise, he wouldn't have sent those letters."

Ariel came back, stickers and leaves in her hair. She held out the trident. A bundle of clothes were wrapped around the tines. "I snuck around the bushes so no one would see me."

Elsa and Rapunzel discarded their salt-grainy clothes and put on the peasant garb. Rapunzel's braid was still cohesive enough that she could tie it behind her back. With the white hoods and dirty faces, they were confident the disguises would work.

The three of them climbed up the stairs.

"I'll go back to the castle and find out what's going on with this war. I'll stop it too," Ariel said with doggedness. "I can't believe this would happen. I would never go to war with you."

"I know you wouldn't. Not intentionally."

Ariel said "The glassmaker is in the east side. He should be friendly enough. Tell him the princess sent you."

Elsa nodded. "Good luck."

She and Rapunzel went east and faded into the market crowd.

Ariel smiled, satisfied, then walked west towards one of the village's patrolmen.

When she got to the palace, the first thing Ariel did was ask for a bath. No need to boil hot water or mix the soap. All she needed was to be clean. The staff welcomed her back, saying they hadn't expected her so soon. Prince Eric had told them she'd gone to visit family, which was many leagues away.

Yes, but leagues down, Ariel thought.

Besides her personal attendants--whose sole job was to drop everything and serve her needs--no one seemed to notice her arrival. The palace seemed unusually quiet. Eric was nowhere. Grimsby hadn't shown up. Even Max, who could smell her from the other end of the palace, hadn't bounded in to say hello.

But she paid little attention to this as she worked to make herself presentable. An hour after her return, she was clean, scrubbed, dressed, and most of all, felt human again. Which meant it was time to find Eric.

"He's in the Lion Hall, poor dear. Been there near every day. Even for meals," Carlotta told her.

"The Lion Hall..." Ariel scratched her head. "You know, I don't think I've ever been up there."

"Why should you, dear? It's the war room."

Ariel followed Carlotta's directions to the top floor, thinking We have a war room?

It was at the outermost corner of the keep, in a chamber that was half-solarium. Bookcases and chests lined the walls. Bright sunlight kept the room well lit.

Eric sat next to Sir Grimsby, buried in charts and documents, at a circular table. A handful of other advisors, most in military uniforms, held consultations with each other in clumps.

Ariel pushed open the double doors.

"Eric, there's a war going on. Did you know that?"

The room fell dead silent. One of the generals with a thick white mustache snickered.

Eric looked up. His bright blue eyes shifted from surprise to confusion. "Ariel? When did you get back? Are you all right?"

"I'm fine. Everything's fine."

He stood up, ready to embrace her. "Did you get... everything taken care of?"

"Yes, but..." she trailed off after getting a look at the giant map on the table. Someone had highlighted their home country, Corona, and Arendelle. Various model ships were pointing north on an intercept course to Elsa's kingdom. "What are you doing? Why are you sending troops to Arendelle?"

"I, uh..." Eric said. A courier interrupted him with a scroll and a pen. Eric scanned it, then signed.

"Eric, do you tell this girl anything about your kingdom?" one of the generals asked.

"She's been away for a while. She just got back," Eric said to him.

A military commander pounded his fist on the table. "Arendelle will be a pile of rubble when we're through." The others at the table murmured affirmatively.

"No, it won't," Ariel said, interrupting their self-congratulations. "We're friends with Arendelle."

She was used to receiving confused looks, but because she'd used the wrong word or behaved oddly. The way the group was looking at her, even Grimsby, raised the hairs on her arm.

She turned to Eric. "Aren't we?"

"We've never had contact with the northern kingdoms," Eric said. "But we do have treaties with Weselton, which we have to honor."

"You have what?!" Ariel shouted. "No, they're the enemy. You've got to stop this. Right now. Call it off."

"We can't just call off a war," Eric said. "Maybe we don't have any issues with Arendelle, but we've got alliances with their enemies. And we've got to support those alliances."

"But they're not our enemies. Just stop fighting. Call back the ships," Ariel said.

The general with the white mustache spoke again. "Eric, will you put this foolish girl to bed? We have business still. The platoon commanders needs to know if we're sending out in the fifth fleet. And the contingency plans for foul weather."

"Do not ever call her foolish," Eric said. "She is your future queen."

Ariel anticipated he would say more--that she was right or had a point or to listen to her. Instead he took her by the hand and led her out to the solarium's balcony.

Crisp, cold ocean air hit her face. Eric shut the door behind him.

"Ariel, I'm not going to call back the ships."

"Why not? This isn't even our war. No one attacked us."

"Even so! It's a matter of support. Weselton's one of our biggest trade consorts. They partnered up with the Southern Isles, and they're fighting against Arendelle and Corona. They asked us for help and we couldn't say no."

"You don't understand. I know the Queen of Arendelle. She's not bad."

"I'm sure she's not," Eric replied. "But if we want to keep our allies as allies, we've got to help them when they need it. Otherwise, who would help us when we need it?"

Ariel had no words. Her mouth opened and closed, but nothing came out.

"We're not a big country, Ariel," Eric said. His voice grew harsher. "We don't have a large navy. If Weselton turns its sights on those who refused to help them, we couldn't put up much of a fight."

"But that's so mean. Who would do that? Why would we be partners with people like that?"

"Goddammit, Ariel!" He ran his fingers through his hair and paced along the walk. "Don't lay down orders for things you know nothing about. If you're going to be queen, you've got to realize this is not a game. You've got to grow up. Not everyone's our friend."

Eric never shouted at her. Ariel's eyes watered and dilated with fear.

He continued, "I'm sending people I grew up with a hundred miles from their homeland to possibly die. I've been here three days with as many hours sleep. This is what it's like to run a country. This is why I'm not staying up late playing with puppies. There are hard decisions that have to be made. Decisions that might make people starve or get sick. Decisions that have no right answers, that have consequences I can't even predict."

"Just walk away," Ariel whispered. "Just say you're going to stop it."

"I can't," Eric said. "This is my land. This is what it's like to be a ruler. It's alliances and armies. And bannermen and ships and crew and resources. It's not fun and it's got to be done."

The door to the solarium opened. Sir Grimsby poked his leathery head through and coughed. "Uh, sir, it is time." He held out a knapsack bursting with scrolls.

Eric took the pack and walked inside. Ariel followed him. "Where are you going?" she asked.

"I need to meet with the military commanders to discuss strategy. We meet somewhere private so secrets don't get leaked. You can... I don't know... stay here. Do whatever it is you usually do."

Ariel bit her lip, watching him go. She strutted forward. "Wait. I'm coming with you."

Eric stopped halfway through the door. His eyebrows raised. "You are?" he asked, surprised.

She marched toward him. "Yes. I'm ready. This is my kingdom too. I need to take care of it."

And she marched right past him.

"Oh, Juuu-deee..." the red puppet squawked. It whacked the wife puppet in the stomach, then three times on her head. Children circling the show cheered and clapped.

"I don't get it," Elsa said, one hand on her hip. They stood behind the crowd, observing both the show and audience. "They just whack each other. He's not even trying to disguise her voice."

"Must be a local thing," Rapunzel said. "We'll have to ask Ariel about it."

They walked away as the jester started beating the new police puppet. Rapunzel, once again, made sure the bottle in the front pouch of her peasant costume was still there. They merged back into the crowd, dodging women with baskets on their head and men hoisting carts. She was just happy to have some cousin time. And the town square was so elegant, with purple drapes and dark green ivy circling every pillar.

"Now ventriloquism... that's hard."

"What's ven- ventriloquism?"

Rapunzel smiled. "It's like puppetry but you're on stage with the puppet, pretending you're not speaking. Takes a lot of practice and patience... which I had plenty of in the tower. Remind me to show you some time. Pascal and I do this great trick with a glass of water and..."

She sniffed. Something smelled... nostalgic. Savory and crisp. Sharp like coffee and thick like butter.

"Do you smell that?" Rapunzel muttered. Like a puppy, she followed her nose, weaving past booths until she came to a bakery. A woman was setting out pies in a wooden stand.

"I know this taste. I remember it... when I was in the tower. Mother... Mother Gothel brought me these berries. She didn't know what they were, but I baked them in a pie, and it was one of the best things ever. The crust turned out just right. The inside was warm and gooey. And it had this taste I couldn't even describe. Rich and spicy and... like different instruments in a symphony. We both ate it all up. That was one of my proudest days there."

She stepped back and rubbed her forehead. "Wow, for a moment there I was back in the tower. I wonder if this is where the berries came from. Wouldn't that be a funny coincidence. Do you think-"

She looked around. Elsa was not beside her.

"Elsa?" She darted her head. "Elsa?"

The crowds shuttered back and forth, with jingling pouches and stomping boots. Rapunzel retraced her steps, returning to where she last saw her. She wasn't there.

Rapunzel cupped her hands over her mouth. She was about to call out, but stopped herself. Yelling out her name was not a good idea. Not when they were in disguise, hiding in the country they were at war with. How many people named "Elsa" lived in this part of the world?

Which meant Elsa couldn't call out for her. She knew "Rapunzel" wasn't common. Her only recourse was to wander.

She circled the town square for what felt like hours, searching through alleyways and tripping over muddy flagstones. Rapunzel cursed herself for not thinking this would happen. For not setting up a meeting point. She couldn't even find where they had come out of the water.

Then she spotted a large fountain, big enough to catch anyone's eye. The best bet was to stay there and, hopefully, Elsa would get the same idea.

She climbed onto the fountain's rim and scanned the crowd like a lighthouse sweeping for lost ships. Not five minutes and a voice called to her.

"What are you doing up there? Come on."

It wasn't Elsa's voice, but a young female. Confused, Rapunzel stepped down and approached. The girl who called her was wearing clothes like hers.

"Lunch is over. You don't want to be late," she said.

"I don't?" Rapunzel asked.

She took Rapunzel's hand and led her through the crowds, dodging passersby left and right. "Are you new?" the stranger asked.

"Um... yes?" Rapunzel couldn't tell this girl who she was, but how was she supposed to explain what she wasn't? This stranger thought she belonged some place.

"You shouldn't cross Minchin. She's a real fussbudget. You don't know how bad she can get."

They caught up to a group of other women in the same clothing, rushing toward a bamboo fence. The fence closed off a section of the town square between two houses. Next to the entrance gate stood a giant woman, with thick arms and black curly hair.

"I knew you trollops would dawdle. Move it, ladies." She grabbed each woman who passed by the arm, shoving them forward with her thick monkey fingers. Rapunzel stumbled through the bamboo-fence.

Rapunzel could smell soap, drying fabrics, water, and metal. Women circled a large well of shallow water, scrubbing clothes against washboards. Then Rapunzel understood--these were uniforms. And they thought... oh, of all the silliest...

"Wait. I don't-"

Minchin practically belly-bounced them forward. "These clothes don't scrub themselves."

"But, I'm actually-"

The girl beside her shushed her.

Minchin slammed the door shut. "You think because this is a laundry I'm soft? You think I'm taking it easy on you because you're new?" she boomed. "I was at the first battle of Remmerslund. I got a medal for it. That have any meaning to ya? You think someone who survived Remmerslund should be taken lightly?"

"I-"

"Let me look at you, doll face." Minchin pinched Rapunzel's chin. "What are you, twelve? This your first day?"

"Uh-huh," Rapunzel said with scrunched cheeks.

Minchin yanked Rapunzel's hands out. "Look at these hands. Like cream. Daddy's little princess, huh?"

"Actually, I am-"

"Ladies! What are you standing around for? Get the pool and start scrubbing."

The few who'd stuck around to watch Minchin berate Rapunzel scattered off to different stations. Rapunzel was too scared to do anything but follow. But Minchin barred her with her arm.

"Oh, no, not you. You're on stains. See those women over there?"

Minchin pointed to a roofed niche across from the pool. Five women sat on logs around a pile of clothes, mostly soldiers' uniforms. Each of them held an article, digging their fingers into a particular spot. Occasionally they would dip their item into a sudsy bucket of water shared between them.

"We're going to chisel those twiggy fingers of yours into iron bars. Your skin will be ragged by the end of the day. By the end of the week, you won't care. You won't even feel them."

"No, you don't understand. I can't-"

"Do you know how lucky you are to have this job? Working with the royal laundry? How many other women would kill for this? To leave their farmsteads, get away from their deadbeat husbands. Get cracking."

Minchin shoved Rapunzel forward. She found an unoccupied stump. Minchin reached into the pile and grabbed a tablecloth.

"See this? Red wine. Gravy." She tossed it on Rapunzel's lap. "When you're done, I don't want to see a trace. Understand me? There's no such thing as 'good enough'. I want it gone. The castle's not going to pay for new cloths every time the Duke's bratty son flings his potatoes."

Minchin stepped back. Addressing the group. "Let's go, ladies. These are soldiers' uniforms we're washing. And the load's only going to get worse. It's war time. The castle's not going to shell out to give every soldier a bright spanking new uniform. So when some private can see the bloodspot where its previous owner bought it, you're gonna answer to me."

She turned away, leaving Rapunzel with the group of women.

"She's on a roll today, isn't she?" said a middle-aged woman with a lean face and beaked nose.

"I- I- I-"

"Better start working, kid. She don't let us leave until it's finished. And it's mighty hard to see the stains after sundown."

A thousand thoughts clashed through Rapunzel's mind. She was a princess. This wasn't her country. She was in disguise. She wasn't a washer-woman. This country was at war with hers--she was an enemy of the state. No one would believe her. For them to do so, she had to reveal herself. She'd be recognized. Elsa didn't know where she was. If she tried to leave, Minchin might kill her. But she wouldn't kill a princess. But no one knew she was a princess. But she was a princess of the enemy country.

"What's your name?" the beaked woman asked.

"Rapun- Rapun...a."

"Rapunna? I'm Agitha." She introduced the other women around the circle. Rapunzel glanced at their fingers, chalk-white with splotches of bruised skin. "Better get started, dear. Minchin's bark is as bad as her bite. I've seen her shove a girl's head into the laundry pool. Almost drowned her."

Rapunzel swallowed. Unconsciously, her fingers began working at the stained cloth. "Is she always like that?"

"Bet you never expected the chief launderer to be so militant, eh?" Agitha shouldered her good-naturedly. "Remmerslund must've changed her."

"What's... what's Remmerslund?"

"Don't they teach that in history? Little fort in the north. Been attacked three times, but she was there since the first. Thirteen years old, bringing supplies. The fort took a cannonade, wiped out its main force. Naught but five men left, but she took up the flag, stopped them from deserting. Held the fort until reinforcements arrived. Now she's a legend in her own mind."

"And won't let us forget it," a woman named Tinnie said. "Haven't had a day she's not brought it up. Don't ask to see her medal. She'll talk your ear off till sunset. And still expect you to finish your clothes."

"You won't need to ask her. Odds are she'll bring it out at some point. Maybe whack you across the cheek with it."

Rapunzel swallowed again. She returned to her scrubbing, fingers already getting sore.

"Did you hear the princess is back?" Tinnie asked.

"I didn't know she was gone," Agitha said.

"She wasn't gone for as long as I thought she'd be."

Agitha scoffed. "You wouldn't know it for all she's done."

"You're talking about Ariel?" Rapunzel asked.

Agitha nodded. "Prince Eric's new wife. Well, if a year's still considered new."

"Rumor is they're trying to have a baby," Tinnie whispered to Rapunzel. "Maybe she's having trouble and she left to clear her head. But they need an heir. It'll strengthen the regime."

"I like her fine. As a person," a woman named Margot said. "I see her around town sometimes. Looking in windows like a curious child. But she's no leader. Never heard her taking council or hearing petitions." The other women nodded and murmured acknowledgement.

"Funny, the whole kingdom wanted to see him happily settled down. And when he finally did, it ruined the kingdom," Agitha said.

"Why? What happened?" Rapunzel asked.

Tinnie interrupted. "You don't know that it was her."

Margot shrugged. "All I know is Prince Eric married her. Not more than a month later, the fishing ships pull back, shops shut down, and trawling equipment became contraband. I don't know why. But you don't need which way a fart's blowing to know that it stinks."

Rapunzel clapped her hand over her mouth, preventing herself from laughing at something so vulgar. The other laundrywomen looked at her funny.

"But fishing must be, like, your main resource," Rapunzel said.

"Of course. You been living here long?"

"Um... I used to live inland. On a farm. Far away."

"Came to make a new life for yourself," Agitha said. The other girls nodded and returned to their scrubbing, suspicions placated. "I did the exact same thing. Farm for seven generations. One bad season and--boom--it's all gone. Debt's recalled. Minchin's right--you are lucky to get this job."

"Lucky for anyone to be in a job. All my friends have left. Followed their husbands to find work elsewhere. Serving some serf or baron on his land."

"Meanwhile we get the scent of sea air without any of the benefits," Tinnie said.

Rapunzel kept her lips closed. No one had any idea Ariel had been a mermaid, and this was why their town was suffering.

"I never thought I'd say this, but I miss having fish for lunch." The ladies murmured positively. "A nice fat bowl of fried prawns. Lobster stew. Today it was grouse eggs and bruised pears."

"You were lucky to get eggs," Agitha added.

"Whatever happened to that girl in the clam cart? You know--'oysters, clams, and cockles!'--she'd be shouting in that piping voice. Haven't seen her for months. Hope she's doing all right."

"Well, maybe this war will boost things a bit. If we can't fish ourselves, at least we can trade for them."

Tinnie scoffed. "Stupid. A port town having to trade exports for fish? We'd be the laughingstock of any kingdom."

"How did the war get started?" Rapunzel asked.

The laundrywomen froze all but their working fingers to stare at her. Rapunzel had committed a major mistake. "You had your head in the sea, lass?" Agitha asked.

"I... I don't get much news out on the farm."

"Ain't exactly our war. But two big kingdoms like Corona and Arendelle, you need all the ships you can get," Tinnie said.

"Lord have mercy they don't set their sights on us. Next thing we know there'll be an invasion," Margot said. "It's the sign of the end for sure. We'll be lined up against the wall in a matter of months."

"Hush, Margot," Agitha said. "If these are our last days, let's talk of more pleasant things."

"Hey," Rapunzel said, thinking a mystery was a pleasant thing. "I found this bottle the other day. And... it looks pretty old. Do you know anyone who might know where it's from?"

Rapunzel plucked it out of her dress and handed it to Agitha, bottom-side up. "It's old. That's the kingdom's old emblem. This is the new one." She spread out the lapel of the uniform she was working on. The differences were slight--a wider shield, narrower laurel wreaths, and different words on the crown.

"When did they change it?" Rapunzel asked.

"Oh, a long time ago. Hundreds and hundreds of years." Agitha sniffed inside. "Smells like it had some kind of tipple. Looks like a bottle for spirits too. Where'd you find it?"

"In the ocean. It had a note inside."

"You found an actual note in a bottle?" Tinnie mused. "I think you come from some kind of fairy tale, not a farm."

Rapunzel stood straight, ready to muster up some kind of response.

"Did someone say 'spirits'?" Minchin marched up to the circle of ladies. Her voice carried as if she were in Rapunzel's ear. "Is someone imbibing here?"

The women averted their eyes.

"I want answers. Chop, chop."

Again, no answer. She placed her hands on her hips and glowered at the group.

"Why are you trying to hurt me? Do you want to get me fired? As a widow, I'd starve. There's no place for someone like me."

"It was me." Rapunzel said, guilty for starting the trouble. "I wasn't drinking. I was asking about this bottle I found."

Minchin yanked it out of her hand. She inspected it for a label or trace of its former ingredients.

"You see, I was trying to figure out-"

"What are you here for? To work? Or to tickle your girlish whims? Huh? Huh?" Her hot breath stung Rapunzel's eyes. "Any time spent not scrubbing out those stains is wasted time. You should consider yourself lucky I allow you to make conversation. I can take that away too. Is that what you want?"

"N- no," Rapunzel said.

"Then get back to work. And any distractions to that work..." She chucked the bottle into the air. "Must go!"

A quiet chirp of shock left Rapunzel's lips as the bottle sailed over the bamboo fence, where lay the rocky shore. The sound of a glittering crash followed.

It was the same sound her heart made.