Chapters 22 & 23

Chapter 22: The Shadelands

Wrenley

She awoke to screaming in her head. Screams and growls and snarls. They were so loud and overwhelming that Wrenley could barely see. They overrode everything.

Wrenley groaned and all the sounds within her calmed. Relief flooded her before worry and anger followed it. Now that there was more room to think, she knew that all the screams inside her had been through her mate bonds. The men were freaking out.

Apparently, when she was unconscious, the bonds shut down to a certain extent. Enough where they might have had the impression she was dead.

I’m not dead, she thought, rubbing her head. And then she froze as her breath caught.

She was sitting on the perimeter of trees. Dark, gnarly trees that weren’t covered in blood. And beyond was a gloomy, barren land. Cracked and dusty brown.

“Where am I now?” she muttered. Where had that bitch taken her?

Remembering Vienna made Wrenley jump to her feet and look behind her. An eerie fog hung around the trees and though they weren’t bleeding, everything about them said it wasn’t somewhere she wanted to be. They were twisted in torturous ways, at odd angles, and covered in thin spiny branches that gave her the impression of sharp needles.

The trunks were covered in a dark green and brown moss but there were very few trees that actually had leaves. They all appeared dead or dying.

Not a very inviting forest. She turned her attention back to the dead lands. For they were dead. The cracks in the dry ground were deep. If she were to go that way, she thought she’d have to take extra effort to not trip into one. Some looked big enough to swallow her whole.

Come get me, she begged internally.

Maybe it was the desperation in her thoughts. There was an immediate answer. Cain still felt like he had her wrapped in a bear hug. His presence was everywhere and the most prevalent. For that, she was thankful.

Rawson was a steady reassurance, but Wrenley didn’t miss the undertone of worry and echo of anger. Even if he didn’t know that Vienna stranded her somewhere, they must have picked up enough in the moments before she was knocked out to know that someone had accosted her.

And then there was Jaxon. Barely this side of freaking out. Filled with waves of fury and fear, the two emotions battling for dominance.

Wrenley smiled despite herself. It was only a little reassuring to know that she could still feel them so thoroughly. The only one she couldn’t feel was Raider. It made her chest ache. She was certain that if anyone could find her, it would be him. But could he do so without a mate bond?

It didn’t feel like the three bears were anywhere near finding her. There was only Cain’s reassurance, but it was the same constant presence that he always felt. Wrenley imagined herself mentally gripping it and closed her eyes.

Please find me, she thought to them. I don’t know which way to go or where I am. I don’t see any sign of bloody trees. I’m pretty sure I’m not in your fairy tale anymore.

The thought made her stand straighter. That meant there were more fae out here. At first, that felt reassuring. Then she remembered what the Primals said. The fae were not kind or friendly. Any bear who’d returned from meeting one did so barely standing. If they returned at all.

Okay, so maybe she didn’t want to meet a fae. But there had to be something out here. Something useful.

Wrenley was sure she needed to walk either into the desert or into the trees. One of them would lead her back. But she wasn’t sure which. The thought made her wonder how long she’d been unconscious. She wasn’t anywhere that she could see any hints of where she’d come from. That suggested she’d been out a while, giving Vienna plenty of time to get rid of her.

She still had her knife in her belt and the small one in her boot. At least she wasn’t completely helpless.

Without any other solution, Wrenley began to walk on the edge of the trees. There wasn’t a sun in the sky so she had no idea what time of day it might be nor in which direction she was heading. It was overcast. The silence of the place made all the little hairs on her body remain raised. It felt almost as if she were being watched and yet, no matter where she looked, she saw no one.

Taking a breath, Wrenley continued with careful quiet steps, keeping her eyes wide open. Blinking felt ominous so she only allowed herself to do so when it was necessary. She was sure that something would sneak up on her in the fraction of a second it took her to blink.

The presence of her mates was still inside her, but they were muted now. Calmer. She had no idea what that meant but as long as she could feel them, she’d count that as a positive. She might be alone, but she wasn’t as terrified as she might be because she wasn’t alone. Not really. Her mates were there. And she was sure they’d find her eventually.

She maintained that thought because any other felt too unbearable to consider. She’d only just accepted the three of them. She’d yet to even start a life with Raider. It couldn’t be over yet. Hell, she hadn’t even fixed the fairy tale yet!

Even though it looked and felt like she was alone out here, Wrenley didn’t dare speak. What if she was overheard and her voice alerted something nasty to her presence? If this was that outside place, the Shadelands, there was nothing pleasant out here. It was best not to do anything to call attention to herself.

And still, it felt like something was watching her. Maybe it was just the creepy trees themselves. That was probably it. In this strange, dark place, the trees looked like they were possessed and alive. Why wouldn’t they have eyes?

Wrenley stilled suddenly when a shape caught her attention. Something large suspended between two trees. Held there as if by arms or branches. It was enormous.

She was frozen in a fear that threatened to bubble up. It was probably part of the tree. It couldn’t be alive. It was too big and horrible looking to be real. A trick of the darkness and what this place was doing to her mentally.

But she didn’t move for several long minutes, waiting to see if it was actually a part of the tree. Or if it was something even more terrifying than being stuck out here. Her little blades wouldn’t do anything against that. Papercut at best.

When it remained motionless, Wrenley let out a sigh of relief. However, she couldn’t convince herself to continue moving in that direction. Get closer to it? No thanks.

She turned and looked behind her. Although nothing moved, not even a breeze, Wrenley was sure she saw movement in the corner of her eye. Try as she may, she couldn’t find anything.

So, she turned her attention to the empty wastelands of cracked dirt and studied the surroundings. It was flat and uninviting but from what she could see, it was void of all life. Even imagined life.

Wrenley took a couple tentative steps out from the protective cover of the trees at the edge of the desert and paused. Waiting for something to happen. Anything. But all remained still. She glanced back at the thing that she imagined was alive and almost choked. It sure as fuck was alive. The bottom that hung down was swinging slightly and what she’d thought were branches suspending it there were actually enormous legs.

The thing was an insect, watching her with the eyes of a fly. Chills ran over her body as fear streaked forward. The muted presence of her mates reared to life, reacting to her emotions.

She didn’t have time to concentrate on that. The giant thing was watching her so Wrenley turned and ran into the desert as fast as she could. Hopefully that thing wanted to stay within the trees. She didn’t look back as she ran and continued to do so until she needed to stop and catch her breath, nursing the cramp in her side.

Wrenley paused, bending over panting as she glanced back. She was both impressed that she’d made it so far and dismayed because the forest still looked like it loomed in front of her, just a couple steps away.

It’s okay, she tried to reassure herself and the mates who could feel her fear. It’s okay. I’m okay.

But then she stood and stared around her. There was nothing here. Maybe just walk parallel to the trees? She was sure she was close enough that if her bears came through the trees, they’d spot her. Then the thought that maybe she should have remained where Vienna had dropped her made her scowl.

Was she making it more difficult to be found? But what if she could make it out herself? She was never meant to be a damsel waiting to be rescued. Wrenley had always intended to be the rescuer. She was going to fix the fucking fairy tale, dammit. And not a crazy bitch like Vienna was going to stop her.

“Plan of action,” she muttered and took another inventory of her surroundings. Which was exactly nothing. “Keep walking.”

Even knowing that she was taking the chance on getting further away instead of closer, maybe she’d find something out there that would help her find the break in Goldilocks. Or at least, give her an idea of how one moves between fairy tales. That could be useful information.

As it turned out, leaving the safety of the trees was a mistake. The sound of wings moving rapidly, like a mosquito but larger, filled the air. Wrenley closed her eyes for a second, just to build her courage to look. And to kick herself for moving into the wide open where she was nothing but prey.

After a second and no longer, Wrenley looked up and stared in terror. Insect, yes, but what the fuck was that thing? A long, gross body that was certainly an insect with lots of creepy little legs starting midway and down to nearly the end of its tail like a centipede. There were two small sets of wings on its sides and then longer ones that almost looked like they grew out of what was supposed to be arms.

But perhaps what was more terrifying was that it had five heads. They were almost dragon-like in structure on the end of long necks and filled with sharp teeth. For a minute, the fear receded when she found that the heads didn’t have eyes.

New fear nearly had her falling when she saw them in the body below where the necks rose up. They were… petrifying.

This was not the fairy tale I signed up for!

And yet, neither was the one she’d found herself in to begin with. She mentally kicked herself when she thought about how bitter and stubborn she’d been about being stuck in Goldilocks when she’d been preparing for Snow White. All those times she determined that her life couldn’t get worse.

Karma was here to say that was a lie.

The insect thing took a turn and came for her. Wrenley took off sprinting again, straight back to the trees. Because what were her other options? She needed cover. In the cracked barren land, she was nothing but an easy meal.

She screamed when something else flew overhead, its shadow covering a great portion of the ground. It was maybe a cross between a dragon and a decrepit dinosaur. It was deformed but its yells through the air covered Wrenley in chills.

It wasn’t after her though. It swooped down and grabbed the insect with its three-toed claws, tearing the thing in two as it flew off.

Wrenley didn’t stop running until she’d dove within the knotty roots of the first trees she reached. She pushed herself in until she was convinced that those things couldn’t reach her. Her heart raced as the men in her head roared with fear for her.

For several minutes, Wrenley didn’t try to assure them. She stared out and caught her breath. The men calmed on their own when they realized her fear had subsided for a minute. It wasn’t ever going to go away at this point. Not until she found her way out or she was eaten. The latter seemed most likely at this point.

Especially when she found herself frozen as a new frightening beast emerged from the trees. Chills raced over her body as she tried to burrow herself in deeper. It prowled around on four long limbs, three fingered claws spread wide. There was another set of limbs hanging at the junction of the front. There weren't any hands or even paws at the end. Just a single appendage, as if evolution had intended more but never made it that far.

Its body was somewhat hunched, but it was its face that made Wrenley’s blood run cold. It was almost shark-like in shape but there was a headplate that swept back like a triceratops and then longhorns growing out of it.

It took slow steps as it snarled and growled low in its throat, swinging that massive head around as it hunted. Probably hunted. What else could these things be doing out here? And in a place that didn’t look at all like it was habitable, she imagined food was what anything out here spent most of its time looking for.

The thing continued to approach her, but Wrenley was sure that she was well hidden. Her heart beat fast as she remained tense. There was no way to spring out except towards the thing. If she were going to run, it needed to be while she had time to get out.

She was going to take her chances. Wrenley was convinced it hadn’t seen her. With as little movement as possible, she took the short knife from her belt and gripped it in her hands.

Wrenley nearly screamed when the limb of a tree shot out and speared the monster. See?! She knew the trees were alive.

And then her next thought was fuck, the trees are a live and she was crouched under one.

The monster thrashed and roared a sound that Wrenley could feel in her bones. It pulled back, snapping the branch off. A piece of it still stuck out of its side as it turned angry eyes into the thick of the trees.

That’s when Wrenley saw what had actually happened. The trees weren’t alive. There was a woman controlling them.

She was almost beautiful with long bark brown hair and a creamy face. But looking at her, Wrenley knew exactly what she was looking at. There could be no mistaking with those freaky as fuck fae eyes.

The monster backed away from the trees, out of reach of the limbs. When the ground bucked under its feet, it hissed at the fae woman before turning and running off. Watching it run would have been comical if the fae hadn’t turned to look directly at Wrenley.

She didn’t have time to move at all. There wasn’t time for even an internal scream. The tree itself pulled Wrenley out and held her up, its branches wrapping around her as if they were vines instead of wood.

The fae studied Wrenley for a long time before sighing. “What are you doing in my territory?”

Her voice was lilted and strange, somewhat hypnotic.

“Trying to leave,” Wrenley said. “Some crazy bitch dropped me here to obviously be eaten but I’m not letting that woman win.”

The fae smiled in amusement. “I like your fight. Unfortunately for you, I’m not in the business of letting trespassers live.”

“That thing is alive,” Wrenley pointed out.

“But it was outside of my trees,” the fae reasoned.

“I’m only in your trees because there’s monsters in the sky that I was trying to get away from.”

“Nightmares, woman,” the fae said. “They’re nightmares.”

True enough. There was no argument there.

“Just be glad I’m only going to kill you. If you’d run into a male of my species, they’d kill you while fucking you. Luckily for you, I’m not into women.”

Wrenley’s first reaction would have been to answer sarcastically, ‘how lucky, indeed.’ However, she was still facing death. Being cynical probably wasn’t going to win her any brownie points.

When she thought she might still have time to convince the fae out of killing her, the branches around her began to constrict as if they were snakes. Wrenley gasped for breath, struggling within the hold as the fae looked on with a smile.

“Please,” she choked. But her plea went unheard.

And then the trees around her burst into flames as roars filled the air. Wrenley tried to keep her panic in as dread filled her. More monsters. These ones set fire. Even if she wasn’t squeezed to death, she was going to die. At the very least, by fire. At the worst, by being an easy meal.

She recognized the second fae that came screaming in fury as he threw more fire at the woman. Wrenley was forgotten and the tree released her, letting her drop to the ground. She panted as she moved away from the trees to watch as Raider continued to douse the woman in flames.

The woman fought back, sending tree limbs at him. But then a bear, a giant grizzly, came crashing in and snapped its enormous jaws at the woman’s hand, barely missing as the woman pulled it back. Two more bears were there, surrounding the woman as she stared at the fae with teeth bared.

“This is my territory,” the woman screamed. “How dare you-”

“Be strong enough to defend it then,” Raider snapped. “And don’t you dare fucking touch my mate. I will tear you and this entire fucking forest down.”

The woman looked at me in surprise before looking back at Raider. “Who are you?”

“Good question,” Raider said. “You going to move on or be a snack for the three bears?”

The woman knew she was beaten. Especially as fire roared around them. She turned and sprang into the trees, jumping from limb to limb over the fire and deeper into the forest.

The bears turned to Wrenley as Raider did. She stared for a minute before running at them. She didn’t pay any attention to the fire but would later note how it moved away from wherever she was. As if it refused to touch her.

She dove into their faces, knowing which she was touching as she did. Their huge mitts pawed at her roughly as they tried to assure themselves that she was fine. Then she turned and sprang into Raider’s arms.

He nuzzled her tightly, nipping at her neck and kissing her.

“You found me,” Wrenley sobbed, not realizing she was crying in relief until she spoke.

“Nothing will ever keep me away from you. It just took a while to get here,” he said.

“The fire – is it yours?” she asked, burying her hands into his hair.

“Yea, pretty sure. Unless your bears can magic fire in their fury.”

She laughed quietly before taking a deep breath. She was alive. And she was safe. Next order of business. “We need to find Vienna. And I’m going to put my knife through her neck.”

Chapter 23: Mother Gothel 

Wrenley

The bears growled violently at Wrenley’s declaration.

“What happened?” Raider asked. He rested his forehead against hers though she could feel the threat in his question.

“I admit that I might have miscalculated,” Wrenley admitted. “I stepped out of the town walls to study the trees. I thought, maybe the blood was thicker on one side. Or there might be a hint. It was all stupid and fruitless. I hadn’t realized I’d continued to wander until I turned, and Vienna was there. I miscalculated here, too. I’d brought my knife and so, I thought I could defend myself. I wasn’t prepared for how fast she was and before I realized, she was behind me, knocking me unconscious. I woke in this Hellish place.”

The bonds of her mates flared with anger. Bright and hot and deadly. Wrenley smiled, enjoying their ire. It felt good. Felt good to be cared about. Felt good to have her injustice validated.

“We need to find shelter for the night,” Raider said instead of addressing Wrenley’s experience.

“Are we that far away from the story?” she asked.

He nodded and Wrenley wondered how long she’d been knocked out. Not only that, but how had she managed to not be something’s meal when she was unconscious? This place was fucking crazy with monsters.

Wrenley found Raider looking around, studying the trees and the barren world. “Before you get any ideas, there are monsters in the sky. The crazy fae that tried to strangle me with tree roots called them nightmares and she’s not wrong.”

Raider sighed, turning back towards the trees. “Let’s just walk towards home for a bit. See if we see anything on the way that looks promising.”

Wrenley nodded but he didn’t put her down as he started back into the trees. She wasn’t going to lie; her heart immediately started to race. Between the giant insect thing that hung from the trees and the murderous fae, she wasn’t feeling all the warm welcomes of an enchanted fairy tale forest.

It was an odd feeling having the three men’s bonds inside her. They’d all quieted but she could still feel the undercurrent of rage. When they weren’t fueling that, they were trying to soothe her fear. They couldn’t speak in their bear forms but that didn’t mean they couldn’t comfort her. She was still their sole focus.

The three bears lumbered through the trees around them. And so did the fire that Raider had created. It hopped from tree to tree, keeping a half circle of flames licking along with their progress. The trees and ground were left smoldering as they moved.

“You know, I suspect if you keep the fire going, we’ll probably be left alone and can rest,” Wrenley suggested.

“Here’s the issue with that idea. I have no idea how I’m keeping it going. Whether through my anger or panic or just the apprehension I have concerning this place, I don’t know,” he answered.

She nodded. “In theory, these trees should burn. We could make a fire anyway and rest.”

Raider nodded but he didn’t stop. And since he still clung to her in his arms, Wrenley didn’t put up an argument for it. The bears followed quietly, but she still caught the quiet rumble of low growls as they moved through the trees.

The forest was getting darker. Since there was no sun in the sky and she didn’t see that the canopy thickened seeing that all the trees were dead, Wrenley could only imagine that meant night was coming on. Night was notorious for being scary in any nightmare. She could only imagine how much worse this place could be.

“Look,” Raider said at last, nodding ahead of them.

Wrenley shifted in his arms to see the little cabin in the woods. An A frame with lights on. Raider stopped, his grip on her tightening. In a place filled with monsters, she could only imagine what they might find inside.

He was weighing his options when he paused, staring at the house. “I need to talk this out,” Raider said, setting Wrenley on her feet. He brushed a hand through his hair as he considered the giant bears.

The Cain bear nudged his big nose into Wrenley’s ribs gently until she leaned into him, wrapping her arms around him. “I missed you,” she murmured. “Thanks for coming.”

His low growl felt almost chiding but his warm, firm presence in her didn’t change. Filled with assurance and affection, Cain touched all parts of her.

“The chances that whatever is in the cabin being stronger than me are pretty high. I don’t know what I can do nor how to do so intentionally.” He glanced at the fire dancing in the trees. Surrounding them like a protective perimeter. “Could I burn the house down if the situation called for it? Probably. But I know for a fact we didn’t pass that thing on the way in, and I think we need directions. What do you think, bears? In or keep moving?”

Jaxon yawned, his lips splaying open over his teeth in an almost commit way.

Raider frowned at him. “I don’t speak bear. So, maybe raise a paw if you’re into the idea of visiting the cabin.”

Jaxon certainly glared at him, his eyes narrowing.

Rawson and Cain both raised paws in front of them before bringing them down to scratch at the ground. Jaxon turned his glare to them. The wall that was Jaxon inside her glowered, giving both of them men his middle finger.

Wrenley sighed. She really hoped they could work around this soon. Or even eventually. It was going to get exhausting if he kept fighting all the time. His emotions were justified. He could be hurt by their past. But he’d been insistent that she was their shared mate. That meant he needed to coexist peacefully.

Emphasis on peacefully.

“Alright. I feel that’s a majority rules. Sorry, Jax,” Raider said. He offered his hand to Wrenley and carefully picked their way through the trees towards the cabin.

There were fires burning inside. She could see the shadows dance from how the flames threw them across the room. There was also smoke drifting steadily from the chimney.

Her nerves were already shot so she was a shaking mess by the time they stopped a dozen feet from the house.

“Be ready,” Raider murmured as he took a few steps forward. “Wren, stick with Cain, please.”

Wrenley nodded, taking her hand back and letting herself fall in line with the bears. She tangled her fingers into Cain’s fur, gripping it tightly as they paused at the bottom of the stairs. Raider went up alone.

Watching him with her anxiety peaking, she was sure she was imagining the little licks of flames dancing on the ends of his hair. And the way his hands glowed red like embers.

He paused in front of the door, and Wrenley held her breath. It was almost involuntary that she closed her eyes as soon as he raised his hand to knock. Her heart beat in time with the three thuds he made on the door. And then they waited.

Even though this forest didn’t have the typical woodsy sounds, everything hushed to listen. The cold fingers of a breeze rubbed against her cheeks and down the back of her neck. The branch of a tree scraped against another. Jaxon quietly growled as he hunkered down, ready to pounce at the first sign of threat.

The door opened with a quiet click. No sound followed it. With her eyes closed, Wrenley imagined Raider and the person on the other side of the threshold standing there, staring at each other.

“You’re not from around here, are you?” a voice asked.

It didn’t sound hostile, so she opened her eyes. She was an older woman, crouched with age. Long white hair partially obscured an old, wrinkled face. Fairy tales could go either way. The old woman who lived in the woods could be a witch who eats children or has a stupid number of kids.

“I’m not,” Raider conceded. “I’m looking for directions and a safe place for us to sleep tonight.”

The woman looked beyond him, her light eyes scanning over the bears and Wrenley. “Hmm,” she said. “I’m not sure your bears will fit inside.”

“They seemed to have ripped through their clothing,” Raider said, a smirk in his voice. Jaxon growled again and Wrenley covered her mouth with a hand to hide her own smile. “I don’t suppose we could purchase some men’s clothing from you?”

The woman looked at him with amusement. “I can assure you, I haven’t seen a man around here since I got here. Come in, though. Come in. Your girl looks cold and like she needs some care.”

Did she look that bad? Wrenley glanced at her hands in the dimming light. It was only then that she noticed how quickly the night had come on. It was almost dark. A shiver raced down her spine and she was stupidly grateful that they were being let in somewhere that they presumed was friendly.

But who really knows for sure. Maybe it’s a Hansel and Gretel thing.

Wrenley walked to the stairs and climbed them, coming to rest at Raider’s side. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her in as he glanced back at the bears. The woman was right. They weren’t going to fit through the door. 600+ pound bears… was the deck even going to hold that weight?

Raider waited until all three bears were close before he accepted the old woman’s invitation inside with Wrenley tucked tightly to him.

“Are you going to put your fire out?” the old woman asked.

Raider glanced back at it with a frown. “Maybe. We’ll see.”

“Fair enough. It doesn’t seem to be burning anything so if you could kindly keep it away from my house, I’d appreciate it.”

Raider met Wrenley’s gaze with a secret smile. They knew he didn’t now what he was doing. It was a bit of detail they were going to keep to themselves for now.

They stood inside a one room cabin with an open loft. There was a couch and stairs at the far end of the room. A table met the opposite wall, abutting the open galley kitchen. The woodstove was large, it’s door open and fire lighting the room. She could just make out the hints of bedding from the loft when she looked up.

Wrenley missed when Rawson changed, too busy admiring the small space. But now he stood at her other side, tall, gorgeous, and naked. It wasn’t the first time she saw him without clothes but as he stood close to her, it became all too aware that she hadn’t so much as touched this man. And he was her mate!

A bit of heat snaked through her, and she wasn’t sure if it was her own or one of theirs. Maybe it was all four of them. The three men felt distinctly different in their bonds but sometimes, emotions and states of mind blended together into a big pool.

A charged, hot, and aroused big pool.

“Who are you?” Rawson asked, taking Wrenley’s hand in his.

“Everyone calls me Mother,” the old lady answered.

“Who is everyone?” Raider challenged.

Mother grinned, chuckling as she backed further into the room. They watched as she slowly lowered herself into the rocking chair. As she settled, she groaned, stretching her hunched back. “It’s terribly awful being old, lads. Come in, make yourselves comfortable. I’ll check on what I have for clothing in a bit.”

Raider pulled Wrenley deeper into the cabin towards the couch. Rawson didn’t release her hand, so he was on her heels. The three of them took the couch.

Cain was just picking himself up from the floor, pulling Jaxon with him. Jaxon looked haggard and irritated as they joined everyone. Cain sat on the floor at Wrenley’s feet, bringing her legs over his shoulders and massaging her calves.

Jaxon remained standing. Which was fine because he too was fucking glorious naked. Actually, they all were. She glanced at Raider. She hadn’t actually seen him naked but from what she’s seen, she was willing to bet he’d be just as spectacular.

“Where I come from, I am known as Mother Gothel,” Mother said, and Wrenley almost leapt from the couch.

“You’re from Rapunzel,” she exclaimed. “Why are you out here? Unless we’ve stumbled into your fairy tale somehow?”

Mother Gothel shook her head. “No, dear. We’re still in the Shadelands. I tracked Rapunzel this far and lost his trail.”

“Okay, okay,” Wrenley said. “Start over please. Because if you’re Mother Gothel, I’m pretty sure we shouldn’t be staying here.”

The men around her tensed. Raider laid his hand protectively on her knee as they all locked their gazes on Mother Gothel’s every move.

Gothel nodded. “Rapunzel is the heir to a throne he didn’t want. To keep him in line, his father charged me with this care. However, Rapunzel was a rebellious boy and not at all interested in ruling. When teaching and tutoring and advising didn’t help him to see the errors of his actions, I locked him in a tower in punishment, hoping that the solitary life would make him rethink his path. Unfortunately, I underestimated him and left him for an extended period of time, thinking the threat of my wrath was enough to keep him in line. But he didn’t just run; he left the story completely. I followed his trail to this point and lost it.”

“So, what you’re saying is that you are a witch,” Wrenley said.

Gothel smirked. “Yes. An accomplished one at that. But Rapunzel is an obnoxious prince.”

“Odd that he’s a he and not a she,” Wrenley muttered. In all the fairy tales in the Outside, Rapunzel is a she.”

“Rapunzel is a family named passed down through each generation. His mother was the previous,” Gothel provided.

Wrenley nodded. At least she didn’t hate that explanation. It made some sense.

“You think your prince is still alive?” Rawson asked. “In the Shadelands?”

Gothel nodded, sighing. She pulled out a little teardrop pendant that was tucked inside her shirt. Wrenley couldn’t make out the details but there was something glowing faintly on the inside. A glittery gold twinkle. “Locks of the prince heir shines like the sun in the sky until the story ends with their demise.”

“You cursed the prince?” Jaxon asked, amused.

“Yes and no. It’s a curse that follows the throne put there from one of my ancestors. The curse burns just as strongly in my blood as theirs.”

“How close are we to another fairy tale?” Cain asked.

Gothel sighed. “Unfortunately, there’s no real way to say. The Shadelands shift depending on where they want to lead you.”

Rawson sighed heavily, leaning his head back.

“Fine. How long have you been here?” Jaxon asked.

“Years. Many, many years. Eventually, I’ll fine my heir prince and then we’ll return. This time, that boy will be on a leash,” she growled, and it sounded every bit like a bear.

“We’re looking for an infection in our story and conveniently, there’s a missing from another fairy tale,” Raider mused. “Odd coincidence, no?”

“Explain, please,” Gothel promted.

Between Wrenley and Raider, they explained what was wrong with their story. Wrenley went into more detail about the Women of Chaos based on her experience with them. And then a thought occurred to her.

“Would it be too far of a stretch to ask whether your prince has long, golden hair?” Wrenley asked, causing her bears to glance at her in curiosity.

“Yes,” Gothel said with a smile. “Such lovely hair. It’s spelled into the curse, you know. If the heir cuts their hair, their lives are cut short, too.”

“And I’m thinking he had a nickname, this Prince Rapunzel,” Wrenley pushed.

Gothel tilted her head to the side. “Well, yes. His parents called him Zel.”

Wrenley grinned, crossing her arms over her chest. “I know where your prince is, Mother Gothel.”

Silence filled the room as they all turned to look at her.

“He hasn’t so much as changed his name. He’s among the Women of Chaos.”

Mother Gothel grinned. “I’ve been waiting for some direction. Thank you, child. Though based on what you’ve told me about them, it’s not going to be as easy as walking in and demanding he return with me.”

“No,” Rawson agreed. “However, they hold many fugitives. Perhaps its time we end this allowance of their rebellion and disband their little camp for good.”

“I’m listening,” Mother Gothel said, leaning forward in her chair.

“This group is a whole slew of morally misguided women – and men though they’ve chosen to emphasize the women in their plight – attempting to convince anyone who will listen that if they’re rejected from a mating, that means they’re shunned from society in general,” Rawson said, his voice hard. “In reality, the sky is fucking up and making mistakes. I’ve been subject to one such mistake myself and I didn’t make Goldi leave. I didn’t tell her to nor suggest it in anyway. I simply turned and walked away from her while she threw a tantrum. To her, that meant she was no longer welcome in Bear Tower Heights. And so, she started this little protest group that we’ve clearly let carry on too long. It’s time we put a stop to it.”

“Okay, okay,” Wrenley said, shifting to look at Rawson. “Goldi, as in Goldilocks?”

Rawson nodded.

“Is that her name?”

“No. Her name is Aurelia. Goldilocks was a nickname because of her hair glittering like spun gold or some shit,” Jaxon supplied. “She was all sorts full of herself. I bet she figured out a way to convince the sky to assign Rawson to her because she was that full of herself.”

“Is that a thing?” Wrenley asked.

The bears shook their heads.

“So many pieces falling together,” she murmured, shaking her head.

“Here’s what I’m thinking,” Rawson said, leaning forward and resting his hand on Cain’s shoulder. “Time to orchestrate a backwards ambush. Mother Gothel, make sure your leash is ready. And get yourself some walking shoes. We need to find our way back to our bloody fairy tale.”