Page 19 of Rapunzel's Gambit (All That Glitters)

“The princess ismine,” Pollox howled. “And I’ll keep her where she’ll never escape!”

Pollox’s tail whipped through the crowd of knights and wrapped around my torso, then he took off into the sunrise. I closed my eyes against the cold wind that bit at my face and clung to one of Pollox’s tail spikes. As long as I didn’t look down, I could pretend we were a few feet off the ground. But even so, the sensation of my legs dangling over the vast nothingness below me churned my stomach. Would I ever get used to this?

* * *

Pollox landed with a clatter on the tower’s roof, claws clinging to the ridges as he gently deposited me on the balcony. I collapsed onto the plush rug that covered the stone floor, eternally grateful for the feeling of solid ground beneath me once more.

“How did I do?” There was a definite note of pride in Pollox’s voice.

“You terrified everyone,” I answered truthfully.

“Without any casualties or damage either,” Pollox gloated, rustling his wings. His tone had reverted to being calm and pleasant, a massive change from before. “You did well too. Running to stand in front of the people will make them love you.”

I gave a hollow laugh. “I’m not sure any sacrifice would make them care about me. My family isn’t the sort of royalty that commoners want ruling them.”

“Then you just did something to help change that perception. You’re showing them that they should be a part of your hoard. If you are willing to sacrifice yourself in order to protect them, many will be willing to try to rescue you. We’ll be very rich, indeed.”

A twinge of guilt panged in my chest. Was I just as twisted and corrupt as my father?

CHAPTER9

The first knight arrived early the next morning. His shouting roused me from a deep sleep, nestled between the warm, downy quilts. For several moments, in the disoriented state between sleeping and waking, I couldn’t remember where I was.

“Rapunzel, Rapunzel, are you there?” the voice called.

Adrenaline surged through my body and I leapt out of bed. I hadn’t expected someone to come so early; he must have traveled the entire night through. I hurried to the balcony and peered down into the meadow below. The height made me dizzy just looking, and I ended up kneeling while wrapping my arms around the balcony supports, too nervous to lean over.

“I’m here, but there’s no way down!” I called. “Thank goodness you found me!”

The knight looked unfamiliar, but from this height, I couldn’t be sure. His squire held the reins for both their horses near the forest, and I squinted, hoping against hope that it was Griffin, but was disappointed. The squire appeared to only be fifteen years old or so, with a shock of flaming red hair that didn’t look at all like the quiet chess champion I hoped to see.

“Is the dragon nearby?”

“It left to hunt,” I invented wildly, hoping I would have time to take the wardrobe passage to warn Pollox. How was I supposed to alert him that a knight had come while still acting like some damsel in distress desperate for escape?

“Then we must act quickly. Can you climb down?”

“No, the only way up here is by dragonback,” I shouted back down, hoping my words weren’t being lost to the wind.

The knight circled the tower several times, searching for some method of entry, and I scanned the skies, desperately searching until?—

“Look out!” I screamed. “It’s coming back!”

Pollox’s flight was too fast for the man to escape, especially as he was laden down by absurdly heavy metal armor. The clanking was loud enough that it was easily audible from my lofty perch.

The shadow passing over made the knight’s horses rear in fright. One broke free of the squire’s grip and galloped away, but the squire clung tight to the second, backing up and looking just as terrified as I’d felt when I first met Pollox.

“What’s this?” Pollox rumbled in a voice so loud that the tower trembled. “A human come to claim my princess for his own hoard?”

The knight drew his sword and held it at the ready. Pollox landed directly in front of him with a heavy thud that shook the ground.

“I’ve come to rescue the Princess Rapunzel,” the knight challenged.

Pollox’s face twisted into an expression that I recognized as a smile. “Very well, do your worst.”

The knight attacked with a war cry, jabbing the sword at Pollox’s hide repeatedly and with all the force he could muster. Pollox watched him, interested, as the man exhausted himself by wielding the massive broadsword while inflicting no damage whatsoever to the dragon.

“Your…your mind tricks won’t work on me,” the knight panted, trying again to drive the blade into the dragon hide and watching in dismay as it bounced harmlessly off once again. Finally, the man stopped his assault, too weary to continue.

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