??? ???????? ??? ??? ?????????: Varian (Tangled

"Marta, I'd really just like to read alone for a while! I'll get ready later!" I pleaded with one of the maids that often tended to me.

Marta was one of four that were tasked with wrangling me when I was younger and confined to the castle. I proved to be an incredibly restless child.

"But you said you were tired of re-reading all the books in the library?!" Marta replied. She was wedged in between the door of my bedroom, attempting to get me dressed for the day.

"I changed my mind! You know what they say, 'reading is power!' or something like that." I fumbled for an excuse.

"Anyway, there isn't anywhere for me to go, and no one to see me but mother and father so I might as well get ready on my own account!" I argued, finally managing to shut the door, then hearing a disgruntled sigh from Marta on the other end.

"Fine! But I won't be to blame when your parents find you still in your nightgown past ten!" Marta called.

I listened closely up against the door till I could hear her footprints trail off. Then the second they dissolved into silence, I raced to the other side of my bedroom and tossed a few things into my bag, a sketchbook with a few pencils, a compass, and two maps. One map of the castle (drawn up myself), and another of the entire kingdom (that I traced out of a book). Because that day, for the first time, I decided I was going to see it for myself.

My plan was fool proof.

I slipped into one of my green dresses with a simple white ribbon tied around the center. Though I was a princess, most of my dresses when I was small were pretty simple, mostly because I managed to rip or stain them all, but also because my existence was kept a secret, and there really was no need for more formal attire. This worked perfectly, because with this and the cloak I had haphazardly sewn myself (with the skill of an eleven year old) I really looked no different than any other village girl.

As I looked around the room for anything else to bring, I spied a small drawstring pouch on my desk and plopped it into my bag as well.

The pouch was filled with various dried meats for my falcon, Atlas. My parents got him for me when I was eight, so I could send letters to people by bird. Though at this point, I had no one to send letters to but my aunt, Willow, and my parents when they were away from the castle. For my expedition, Atlas would serve as my eyes in the skies, because despite my maps, there was a very promising chance I'd get lost.

I opened the doors to my balcony and let Atlas fly out, he'd get a head start on me and we'd regroup once I got out of the castle.

I spun around my room once more, taking in my surroundings, and shoving down any doubt.

My bedroom was just as impressive as you'd expect a princess's bedroom to be. A large canopy bed served as the center point of my room, along with other furniture like my dresser, desk, and Atlas's cage.

Most of the other furniture and decor in my room was colorful and bright. Mostly greens and pinks, but everything was often covered in books or art supplies (a side effect of having to find something to do in a barren castle).

Rapunzel's room would have looked very similar, but at this point my parents were still so deep in grief that all of her nursery things were still in her room, unmoved since the day she was lost.

But by far the most impressive part was behind one of the tables nestled in the left corner of my room. A trap door, around four feet tall, something I had only discovered a few months before.

This trap door in particular just happened to lead to a very complex series of passageways through the castle, which was common in palaces at the time, but as far as I could tell none of the palace staff, or anyone for that matter was using them.

Over the past few weeks, I had explored each path the passageways had to offer, mapping them out as I went, unintentionally ending up with a head covered in cobwebs, hands smothered in dust, with four very frazzled maids, who had to search up and down the castle for me every time I disappeared.

Where the passageways led were always interesting, one led to the back of a portrait in the palace gallery, which swung out so you could climb into the room. Another lead to the royal artifact room, which hadn't interested me quite yet. Another led to the kitchens, which was quite useful every now and then when I wanted a snack.

But one led to an exit, right out of the castle and straight into town.

This would be my escape route to finally be able to explore the kingdom of Crona, instead of just gazing at it from my balcony.

Little did I know this first time I left the palace on my own, in many ways, would change the trajectory of my life forever.