Page 86 of Down from the Tower

Legs nods, urging her horse closer. She comes within reach, and I glance at Zarev who only shrugs.

Reaching out, she closes her eyes, her fingers playing through my hair as she sighs. “Yes, I remember you.”

22 Rapunzel

Legs may be rather cryptic, but she seems willing to talk. As she brings us back further into the woods, she chats with Zarev and I simply hang back and listen. It’s nothing terribly important, but they talk like old friends, and when he isn’t looking I see the looks of guilt she shoots his way.

No matter how long ago it was, she feels responsible for what happened to him. It’s clear in her hypnotic green eyes.

“It’s bold of you to come back here with so much unrest,” Legs says, and her horse friend trots directly through the double doors of a home that’s clearly hers. Every inch is lush with life, and the whole entryway smells like the freshest flowers.

I keep forgetting this place is built on endless death.

“Do you mean the issues with Arthur?” Zarev asks, and I frown at him.

Legs shakes a finger at him, and he smiles in return. “No jokes now, boy. There’s problems all across Mystica, but I don’t need to tell you that. You’ve been shadow jumping with Tressa’s Golden Princess now, haven’t you?”

We exchange looks. Dahlia picked up on who I was when we first got to the tavern, and Raymundo more or less knew before, but the Flowerborne we ran into had no idea. No one else I’ve crossed paths with directly pointed it out, or they were too scared to say it to my face. “You know who I am?”

“I know what you are,” Legs corrects, reaching out to caress my hair again. It’s a strange obsession of hers, but she only pats it one last time before looking directly at me again. “I knew that woman was a nut when she stole my flowers, but I never knew if there was truth behind the rumors until now. I would recognize my golden roses anywhere.”

I frown, my breath catching in my throat. “What?”

“Ah, I figured they wouldn’t tell you,” she continues, shaking her head. “Your father is Midas the Murderous, isn’t he?”

My breath catches. That’s a new one. “I suppose he is.”

She nods this time. “Yes, I thought as much. Stealing from my garden is already an act of war, but giving cursed flowers to the princesses was unthinkable.” She tilts her head, watching me. “Maybe that’s why there’s only one of you now.”

Slowly I shake my head, glancing at Zarev who looks just as lost. I take a step back, feeling like she’s ripping my world out from under me. I knew we would have to talk about this, but I figured I would need to bring things up and ease in. I didn’t expect her to recognize me at all. “I don’t follow.”

“No, I doubt you would. No one ever just gives you a straight answer, do they?” She shoots me a bemused smile, before navigating her horse towards a large, ornate table. When they reach a tall, leafy chair, she pulls herself onto it and the creature bows its head, fading back into leaves and pollen.

I gape. It’s hard not to in a garden like this.

“You’ll get used to things like that in Wonderland,” she says, studying the two of us. “Come on then, sit down. You must be here for a reason. And since Rapunzel doesn’t have any idea what I’m talking about, I suppose a story is in order.”

I’m suddenly eager, my earlier fear melting away. We’re here for a reason, and all I want to do is sit down and see if this woman really knows anything about my past. But my hands slide to the bag on my shoulder, and I bite my lips. “I found you… well, Zarev brought me here, because of some letter that Dahlia gave us. They made me think that I should come here because they mentioned magical roses.”

She studies me a moment before nodding, gesturing to Zarev. Her face doesn’t give anything away, and I can’t tell if that information upsets her or not. When her eyes slant to his, there’s a harshness in her gaze. “This isn’t another instance like Little Red, is it?”

All at once, the color drains from his face. I don’t understand the reference, but he steps away like she’s struck him. “This is nothing like Red.”

Legs cocks her head, looking between us. “But the pretty princess doesn’t know what we’re talking about.”

I frown. If Zarev didn’t tell me about some random person, there’s probably a reason. We’ve traveled across Mystica and this is the first I’ve heard mention of Little Red. Turning to Zarev, I search his face for answers.

His eyes narrow, looking towards Legs again. “That’s a cruel trick.”

“You want me to pass along information to the two of you,” Legs comments, shifting around on the chair. “Yet you don’t tell her how we met.”

Met? I assumed their first meeting involved the instance with the Mad Queen, but I guess I never really asked.

Zarev purses his lips, and this is starting to feel like a test. I don’t understand the tension rising between them. It’s as if Legs opened a forbidden door. He swallows, looking at me when he speaks. “Little Red was a girl who liked to play with me even after I was bitten. We were friends for a short time, prior to my change into a Reaper.”

He doesn’t elaborate, no matter how hard the two of them glare at each other. I wait for there to be some betrayal, a horrible twist to the story, but he says nothing more and Legs doesn’t look inclined to share either.

After a moment, Legs lip twitches up into a half smile. “Still stubborn as ever, I see.”

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