Free Rescuing Rapunzel by Candice Gilmer

regained his footing. I stepped to the side, pulling a little of my hair back into the tower, just enough so I did not have to stand so close to him.
    “Thank you, Rapunzel. The wind is sneaky tonight,” he said, a smile on his face as he ran his hands through his inky black hair.
    I felt a strange shiver on my back, as if the way he watched me was a physical touch. I could not help the fleeting thought that he might very well be some kind of wizard.
    I moved away from him. “I am pleased you are not hurt.”
    “That is quite a perilous window,” he said, smiling. “If you had not been there, I might have not righted myself.” He stayed close to the window, though his attention darted all around the room.
    “I hope I did not startle you.” He gestured to the stones on the table across the room. “An arrow seemed the only way to get the present to you.”
    My blush had only slightly receded, but it came back full force when he mentioned his gift. “It did, but it was a most pleasant surprise. They are very beautiful. I have never seen anything like them.”
    “I am glad. I thought of you immediately when I saw them.”
    “You should not have gone to such trouble,” I replied and sat on the corner of my bed, wrapping my arm around the foot post. Still unsure of the purpose of his attention, I wanted to keep my distance.
    My dagger remained under my pillow, close enough to grab if I needed it. Knowing the blade rested there gave me comfort.
    “It was no trouble.” He pushed his cape off his shoulders and I could not help staring at the size of him. Even the ceilings, which seemed so high to me, were barely above his head. His broad shoulders and thick legs looked oversized. His shoulders, wider than the window opening itself.
    I marveled that he had been able to enter the tower at all.
    I slid my hands into the twists of the braids, the rhythmic pattern of them calming me. “Why are you here?” I asked, the words tumbling out before I realized what I had said.
    “Do you not want me here?” he asked, meeting my stare with his own, his face solid and stiff.
    I stroked the braids. “I do not understand your reason for being here.” Which was true. I wanted to understand. Mother always said a fool like me tried to find logic in everything, but could not help failing. I hated that part of myself, yet I could not help my curiosity.
    He tipped his head to the side, one of the dark hairs brushing over his brow. My immediate impulse was to brush the strand away from his face so my view of him would not be obstructed.
    “Your face looks better,” he said.
    I reached up and caressed my cheek where the bruises had appeared after Mother’s strikes. I had no reason to be concerned with them, since she had not been here to tell me how hideous they looked. My cheek was still a bit tender but I assumed most of it was healed.
    “I…” It seemed such a strange observation. I did not understand and I was not sure how to respond. “Thank you.”
    He let out a sigh and ran his hand over his face. “It must seem so strange to you that I would come to see you. After all, what reason would I have to visit? I doubt you have had many visitors.”
    “None,” I replied.
    He nodded. “I expected as much.” His gaze ran over me again, making my tummy flutter. “At least we are off to a better start today. You are not trying to stab me.”
    A tiny giggle slipped out, and I covered my mouth, not sure if I was supposed to laugh. “I apologize. But you are a rather large man, and you appeared so suddenly…” Again, I felt the fool for not looking to see who had opened the gate.
    His warm smile made me feel a little less silly. “You had no reason to think otherwise. Honestly, if I had not fallen through the gate in the wall by accident, I would not have found the way into the garden. The door is extremely well hidden.”
    I blinked. “Is it? I have never seen it.”
    “So you have never been down from the tower?”
    “No,