Page 58 of Rapunzel's Gambit (All That Glitters)

“We can do that once you are recovered,” he said graciously. “But remember when I first came to the tower? You said you’d always love me. I’m holding out hope that the woman who said that is still in there somewhere.”

“Ineversaid that!” My blood pressure rose so high that I began to see spots. “I don’t love you and I never did.”

Griffin turned to address Father, who looked conflicted and aggrieved. “I’ve loved your daughter ever since I first met her playing chess. From the very first move, she captivated me, and I’d sacrifice anything for her. If I need to wait a hundred years for her to recover from her illness, I’ll do it, because she is worth waiting for.”

“He’s manipulating you!” I shouted. “He doesn’t love me. He’s just saying that so he can gain power.”

“I don’t need power,” Griffin countered. “All I want is to avenge you. Your Majesty, grant me the resources to kill the dragon who did this to your daughter. Once the beast is slain, her illness will disappear, and if she no longer wants to be my wife, I will abide by her wishes.”

“No,” I choked out. “Don’t kill him.”

“Rapunzel,” Father began in a placating tone, “we must?—”

“No! He hasn’t done anything to you. He’s wonderful. He’s…he’s…” My voice died. They would never believe me.

“We’ll have a trap set up if he tries to come for you again,” Griffin told me.

“Speak to me again, and I’ll break your nose a second time!” I took a step toward him, but he didn’t even flinch.

Father stepped in front of Griffin. “We’ll make sure you’re safe, dear. We are even working on clearing a path between here and the tower. It would only take a few hours on horseback to get there now; if he ever tries to take you again, I’ll send the whole army.”

“No.” My vision swam. Pollox was in danger, and I had no way to warn him.

CHAPTER24

Ipaced my bedroom in a frenzy. How was I supposed to escape? How could I notify Pollox in time? If he came flying in, he would be shot without a second thought. I wouldn’t be there to help remove the arrow, and he would be just as vulnerable as any man, but without the coordination of someone who had spent all their time on two legs.

Would he be recognized as a man? He had joked about coming in disguised as a dragon tamer. Would he actually carry it out? If only we had a way to communicate.

“Your Highness?” It was my handmaiden Beatrix, who was speaking so quietly I didn’t hear her at first. She was making a spectacle of setting out my meal, arranging the tiny vase of flowers and ensuring that the utensils were perfectly parallel. “Can you hear me?” she breathed, barely audible as her gaze flicked toward the guard at the door.

I nodded, wondering why she had suddenly become so secretive.

“Did the dragon really help that orphanage?” She locked eyes with me.

“He did.” I kept my voice at her same, low volume.

“Do you trust him?”

“Yes.”

Beatrix raised her voice. “Do you need help changing for your midday meal, Princess?” Her eyebrows jumped up and she inclined her head ever so slightly toward the guard again. Understanding clicked into place.

“Yes,” I answered more loudly. “I really want to wear my red gown. You know, that one with the full corset and all those tiny gold buttons up the back.”

“Close the door, Jaxxon; the princess will be changing,” Beatrix called.

The guard obeyed, snapping the door closed with a gruff “Make it quick.”

“My sister works at an orphanage near the border,” Beatrix said in a rush, helping me get changed just as quickly as she spoke. “She told me that ever since the dragon took charge, things have been better for the children. They have food and clothing and even toys. They are saying that the dragon wants to lay claim to the entire kingdom.”

“I’m sure he wouldn’t harm?—”

For the first time in my memory, Beatrix interrupted me. “You misunderstand me. At this point, the people prefer keeping the dragon to your father.”

I stared at her reflection in the mirror. Was she being serious? Or was this another of Griffin’s tests?

“What do you mean, exactly?”

---