#find her on IG @ author-jazzmine

[thegreatbigfourmain]

It wasn’t even a month after her 18th birthday when her stepmother gave her away to the youngest prince of the Burgess kingdom. The blonde sat there in front of a mirror while her maid Toothiana, Tooth, brushed and styled her hair beautifully. Her wedding dress was a stunning gown made of satin that Gothel had specially made to show off her daughter as a prize to be won. It had lace sleeves and a sweetheart neckline, putting attention to her developing curves that she was hesitant to even put on. Gothel still forced her to “keep and hold onto the attention” of her future husband.

She knew nothing of her husband to be other than horrible rumors of him being a demon on the battlefield. It’s said that he kills with just his bare hands and had the strength of an entire army to wipe anyone out. Every time he fought, it was as if a snowstorm wiped away men's lives. Those all these stories aren’t what made her dread this arrangement. What scared her was what if he was just as cruel as her mother is? Is her life just meant to be spent with abuse after abuse? Were those happy days when her father was still alive truly gone from her grasp?

She didn’t notice the tear running down her cheek until Tooth brushing it away broke her from her sad trance.

“Don’t cry Rapunzel. I’m sure he’s not bad as those ridiculous stories make him out to be. And if he is, then I wouldn’t hesitate to bring him down myself!” Tooth said, trying to comfort the poor child.

Rapunzel giggled softly at her attempt, leaning her cheek into her hand before Tooth resumed doing her hair. She was the closest thing she’s ever had to a mother than her stepmother. Her true mother died giving birth to her and Tooth has been her mother’s maid when she was alive. It took all of her father’s strength to ask Gothel for Tooth to stay once they married a few years later. Gothel wanted nothing to do with her mother, turning the once warm palace into a terrifying regime.

“And done. Oh, honey, don’t you just look beautiful…” Tooth whispered off the last part, placing her hand over her heart while trying to hold back tears. If they were tears of happiness or sadness, Rapunzel didn’t know.

The blonde looked at her reflection, admiring Tooth’s amazing work. She made braids at the top of her head that ran down the sides of her face before tying them behind her neck. There were jewels placed throughout her golden locks that sparkled when the light hit them. She wore the necklace of her kingdom Corona; a sun pendant given by her birth mother before she had passed. Since then, she’s never taken it off. It was the only thing she had of her mother. Tooth did another excellent job on her makeup. It was minimal, though accentuated the blonde’s natural beauty tenfold.

“It’s beautiful Tooth… Thank you,” Rapunzel replied as Tooth went to grab the bouquet meant for the ceremony starting soon.

“Of course my child. Now, I’ll meet you downstairs when you’re ready to come,” The woman said. She placed her hands on the girl’s shoulders to look right into her emerald eyes.

“Now Rapunzel. Even though you’re being married to some prince, I don’t ever, ever want you to forget who you are. A beautiful, strong, confident woman. No matter what Gothel or anyone says. You hear me?”

Rapunzel smiled as tears formed in her eyes. She closed the distance between them to pull Tooth into a tight hug. The woman chuckled at her gesture, wiping some tears behind Rapunzel’s back before gently pulling away.

“Don’t linger for too long or she’ll come to hunt you down,” she joked before leaving the blonde to herself. As she was leaving, Tooth’s hopeful smile turned into a frown upon closing the door.

Now alone, Rapunzel made the realization that she was to be wed without her consent and out of an agreement, not of love like her parents. Hearing stories of their romance from her father made her fantasize about how she too would meet the love of her life. Unfortunately, it was never meant to be.

Rapunzel took the long descent of the last ounce of freedom she had before her marriage with one last sigh. She’s never even met her future husband nor did he ever set foot in her kingdom. Everything was arranged through King Burgess and Queen Gothel. How he looked, his dreams, his goals, or anything about him was a mystery that she didn’t know she would enjoy or fear figuring out.

Too lost in thought while descending the stairs, Rapunzel skipped the last step, causing her to trip. Before she had time to grab onto the railing to keep her from falling, a strong arm wrapped around her waist. She let out a slight squeal as her brain was telling her body it was falling. It then made the connection of someone nearby pressed against her body.

“Oh, I’m so sorry! I must have-“ she stopped at the sight of her savior.

He was mesmerizing.

He had the brightest blue eyes she’s ever seen. They were breathtakingly intense that she felt seep into her soul. If she didn't know any better, she swears she saw his irises be in the shape of a snowflake. What surprised her next was his hair. It was a frosty white, though he seemed to be no more than a few years older than her. His facial features were sharp and his jawline chiseled. She knew the number of freckles he had spread across his cheeks mirrored that of the stars in the night sky.

The desire to touch his face grew the longer she gazed into his eyes.

“Are you alright Your Highness?” The beautiful stranger spoke, seemingly concerned.

“Ye-yes… Thank you,” she managed to utter. The man let go of her waist before bowing his head and leaving. It must be one of the guests here for the wedding. Many have come that she’s never met before in her life. The feeling of his arm around her lingered on after he left her gaze. Just who was he?

“Now wasn’t he something?” Tooth’s voice rang the air. The blonde jumped at her sudden appearance, too entranced by the man to notice her surroundings. She gently brushed the woman’s side.

“Oh, hush. I’m to be wed in 10 minutes remember?”

“Anything can happen in 10 minutes my child,” she joked. It only causes Rapunzel to blush a bright pink as she shoved a laughing Tooth towards the ballroom where the ceremony is to be held.

Tooth helped her with the veil that reached the floor and following behind her, completing the beautiful ensemble. Rapunzel took one last look at Tooth, anxiousness clear on her face by the way her brows knitted upward and the slight bite of her bottom lip.

Tooth smiled reassuringly at her. “Don’t look at me like that. My offer of running away together still stands…”

Though she knew that joke was only half kidding. Rapunzel gave Tooth one last quick hug before the doors opened before her. As a princess, she was trained to ignore the room and focus on a singular point when entering a room. It’s to establish dominance and power Gothel reminds her, which is exactly what she did.

The closer she reached the front, the tighter she gripped the flower arrangement she held. She could see the outline of the man she was to marry from underneath the veil. Though not obscuring her view completely, it did make it difficult to see. His back was turned to her in the tradition of all loveless weddings.

Was it the lights causing her groom’s hair to be light or was it her mind playing tricks on her?

It wasn’t until she was a few feet away did she notice that the man’s hair was completely white.

Her eyes widened and she let out the slightest of gasps, causing her to stop ahead of the music. Could it be the beautiful stranger from before? There were not many young people going around with a head full of white locks that she knew of.

“What are you doing?!” Whispered an angry voice. Rapunzel glanced to Gothel who pointed to the spot she was to stand beside her groom.

The blonde quickly removed any further thoughts from her mind to continue her path until she was standing right beside her groom. Her heart was beating out of her chest as she tried catching a glimpse from the side to see if her suspensions were correct as the priest before them rambled on. Her groom simply stood there in his regal clothing, black with blue designs meant to represent snow crystal decorated his attire.

Darn it! She was too focused on his face to notice anything he wore when he caught her.

“And do you Rapunzel Corona, take Jackson Overland Frost of the Burgess kingdom to be your husband, for as long as you both shall live?”

“What? Oh! Yes. Yes, I do,” she corrected, bringing the flowers close to her face in a fruitless attempt to hide her embarrassment. She could hear a soft chuckle beside her, no doubt coming from her now-husband. Husband. That’s right. She’s married now, no point trying to pinpoint the stranger as her husband now. What a pathetic rush of excitement she felt before handing over her freedom to someone else.

“I now pronounce these two kingdoms as one. The kingdom of Burgess welcomes Princess Rapunzel of Corona. May God shines brightly on these two,” finished the priest.

Cheers and claps surrounding Rapunzel’s train of thought. It was almost too overwhelming she felt her knees go weak. She nearly fell over until a slight nudge caused her to look down next to her.

“You can hold onto me if you’d like,” said her husband in the midst of all the applause, offering his arm. Rapunzel blushed as she linked her arm with his, blushing even more at how toned it was.

“Thank you,” She replied in a shy voice before finally glancing up to see his face now that they’ve agreed to this union. Her body froze at what she saw.

It was the stranger with the blue eyes.