Kiera's Very Bad Idea

Everyone knows the story of Rapunzel. A couple has to give their firstborn over to a witch because they stole from the witch’s garden, the witch locks the girl in a tower, she is eventually rescued by a handsome prince, and they lived happily ever after. What few people know is what happened to the couple after Rapunzel was taken from them.

They were understandably heartbroken, and mourned the loss of their daughter for years. Eventually, however, they began to heal. They had another child, a girl named Kiera. She would never replace Rapunzel, they agreed, but she didn’t need to; they loved her as much as they loved Rapunzel, and she helped to heal their heartache.

Coincidentally, Kiera was born right around Rapunzel’s eighteenth birthday, shortly before she was rescued from the tower. Kiera’s parents didn’t tell her about her older sister until, sixteen years later, they lay on their deathbeds thanks to a plague. Kiera was shocked to hear about Rapunzel. Her parents died abruptly before they could finish telling her everything that happened to Rapunzel, so for the next few years much of her sister’s story remained a mystery to her.

Kiera was taken in by some close friends of her parents, and over the two years she lived with them, they told her the rest of Rapunzel’s story. How a prince came to her tower and fell in love with her. How the witch cut off her hair and cast her out after she became pregnant with the prince’s twins, leaving her to fend for herself. How the witch laid a trap for the prince and left him blind. And finally, how the prince was finally reunited with Rapunzel and their twins, and how Rapunzel’s tears are said to have restored his sight. After that little was known of their whereabouts, but they were assumed to be married and living happily in a cottage somewhere.

As Kiera grew older, she was admittedly not very pretty. Her hair was golden like Rapunzel’s, but thin and dull. Her complexion was sallow, and her eyes were gray and squinty. She longed for a husband, but, by the time she was twenty and still single, she began to despair.

One day, she marched up to her adopted parents and declared, “I am twenty now, and, as much as I have appreciated you taking me in and caring for me so tenderly, I think it’s time I leave home to find my own path.”

Her parents were a bit taken aback, as it was customary in their village for a woman to leave her parents’ home only after marriage. But, taking into account her unusual childhood, they gave her their blessing and consented to her departure, lending her money and supplies and wishing her well.

Little did they know that Kiera had a plan. Inspired by her sister Rapunzel’s life, she was going to shut herself up in a tower, gaze longingly off of the balcony every evening, and wait until a prince came to fall in love with her. In her mind, it was a foolproof plan. After all, what man could resist a chance to “rescue” a maiden from a tower? Some might come to her out of sheer curiosity.

Her only setback was finding a tower, but even that was a minor one. After a few months she came across the ruins of a castle on a hill. It was surrounded by trees and quite secluded, but one of the towers was intact and peeked above the trees. It was the perfect place for a prince or knight to explore. It even had a balcony!

Kiera first set about making the tower inhabitable. Fortunately there was a door around the back that opened to a staircase leading up to the tower’s main room, so she didn’t have to build any sort of ladder. It took her a few weeks of cleaning before she deemed her residence worthy of receiving a prince. She used the money her foster parents had given her to stock up on food and water and fill her room with things to keep her amused. She was prepared to wait as long as it took for a prince to find her.

When she was finished with cleaning and stocking her tower, all that was left to do was wait. Instead of attempting to grow her hair long like Rapunzel’s, Kiera made something more practical: a rope ladder she could throw off the balcony. Even though the tower had a staircase, she wanted a man who was willing to put in a little bit of effort for her.

Kiera sat in her tower for almost an entire year without seeing a single human being. She became very good at drawing, painting, needlework, and composing poetry. She also discovered a love for doing puzzles, and read almost every book in her tower’s library.

But one night, 348 days after she hid herself away in the tower, she was out on her balcony, gazing at the sunset, when she saw someone approaching. The setting sun bathed him in its glow, obscuring his features. When he came closer, Kiera could more clearly make out his attractive physique. He was tall and muscular, clean-shaven with neatly cropped, dark-brown hair. He wore a black cloak, hood down,  over a thick, sand-colored tunic and brown pants. Hanging across his chest was a satchel.

He halted at the base of the tower, craned his neck up, and paused.

Kiera decided to take the first step. “Who are you, stranger?” she called down to him.

“My name is Zain,” he shouted back. “I come from the town beyond the forest. I was hiking in the woods and lost my way. Could you by chance give me any directions?”

“Come up so we can better hear each other,” Kiera said, initiating the next phase of her grand plan. She gathered up the rope ladder, fastened one end firmly to the balcony, and threw it down. She waited, giddy with excitement, as Zain carefully climbed the ladder. While she waited, she smoothed her hair and dress, checked her reflection in her mirror, and hurriedly applied some lip gloss.

When he reached the top, he vaulted over the railing and landed next to Kiera. He smiled, and her heart melted. He was so handsome, she thought. And strong, too.

Zain seemed to size her up. “What’s a pretty lady like you doing all the way out here by herself? Or are you not alone?”

Kiera flushed. He had called her pretty! “I’m alone,” Kiera confirmed. “I’ve lived in this tower for almost a year now.” She stepped back into her room. “Do come in. You must be hungry.”

“I suppose I rather am,” he admitted. “Thank you very much.”

Kiera stepped into the corner that served as a kitchen and got to work. She laid out the ingredients to make her specialty: pork chops and mashed potatoes. On the side she’d serve salad made from lettuce and veggies she had grown herself in her little vegetable garden on the balcony. The pork chops were smoked to preserve them, but Kiera was confident that she could make them taste fresh.

She brought in a small tray of appetizers and set them on the coffee table. Zain had made himself at home on the couch, his eyes darting around as he took in the room.

“Thank you,” he said as he helped himself to a piece of sausage. “You’ve got a nice little space here.”

“It’s certainly cozy,” she agreed. She picked up an apple and offered to split it with him. “Do you have a knife on you or should I get one from the kitchen?”

He grinned, but not the same grin as before. The twinkle in his blue eyes became menacing. “I thought you’d never ask.” Lightning fast, he emptied the contents of his satchel onto the ground.

Kiera shrieked as human limbs fell out and hit the floor. A bloated hand, a severed leg, a few bloody fingers and toes…

Zain stood up, reached under his cloak, and pulled out a long, sharp carving knife. “Hope you’re ready to be hacked up, Princess,” he growled. “Because this ain’t for cuttin’ fruit.”

Kiera screamed again and bolted for the balcony. Zain’s hand shot out lightning fast and grabbed her wrist. He pulled her in close to him until she could smell his rancid breath.

“Let me go!” she cried, struggling to free herself; but he was too strong.

“And why would I do that? The others put up a fight, too; and as you can see, they are very clearly not alive.”

Kiera shuddered as she glanced at the body parts on her rug and realized she was dealing with a serial killer. “How many others?”

“I keep a trophy from each girl,” he told her. Kiera counted the body parts and came up with seven, assuming none of the fingers or toes had rolled under the couch. She was determined not to be his eighth victim…

“I just can’t have an odd number,” Zain said in a casual tone one might use while discussing pencils or collectibles rather than murder victims.

“Is Zain even your real name?” Kiera hoped to buy herself more time with the question.

“Stop stalling!” he yelled, his nonchalant facade suddenly gone. He slid the tip of his knife down her cheek, opening up a wound. Warm blood spilled down her face, getting into her mouth so she could taste its saltiness.

Kiera struggled even harder, but again to no avail. He held her with an iron grip.

“Just be glad I’m a gentleman,” he said. “Other men might’ve done worse things to you before ending your life.”

Kiera knew he was right, but it didn’t make the situation any better.

Zain made another cut, this time on her shoulder, and then one on her leg.

Kiera gritted her teeth, trying not to give him the pleasure of hearing her scream again, despite the immense pain she was in. Time slowed and the world seemed to fade away until all she could hear was her pounding heartbeat. Adrenaline pumped through her veins. She thought that a good thing to do before dying was to reflect on her life. She wished she could have met her sister and nieces and nephews. She regretted leaving her foster parents like she had. But it was all too late now.

As her blood watered the flowers painted on the rug beneath her, she closed her eyes to meet her end.

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew in from the balcony, followed by an unearthly howl. A creature leapt into the room, gutting Zain with a long, sharp blade. He groaned and collapsed, his blood pooling beneath him. He coughed up blood, shuddered, and then lay still.

Kiera looked up to see who… or what… had saved her. She could barely suppress a shriek at the horrible figure standing before her. It was an old hag, withered and stooped, with clammy gray skin, stringy white hair, and beady eyes that bore into Kiera. Her nails were long and jagged, and in her hands she clutched the sword she had killed Zain with. She was dressed in a tattered gray cloak, and her grimy, gnarled feet were bare.

“Wh-who are you?” Kiera stuttered.

“My name isn’t important,” the hag rasped. “I raised your sister.”

Kiera gasped. “You’re the witch?”

The lady jabbed her sword at Kiera. “Don’t call me that!”

“S-sorry. What do you want from me?”

“What do I want?” she cried. “I saved your life! Have a little gratitude.”

“Thank you,” Kiera said hurriedly.

“I’ve been watching you, girlie,” the hag growled, beginning to pace the room. “I figured out what you were doing. Stupid girl. You would’ve gotten yourself killed if it wasn’t for me. Don’t you know what a dangerous place the world is?”

“I just… I wanted a husband.”

The hag scoffed. “Of course you did. But what you got instead was this man.” She nudged Zain’s body with her foot. “And he was out for blood. You just invited him in!”

“I didn’t think he’d-”

“That’s just it!” the hag snapped. “You didn’t think. Period. And you must be punished.”

“Excuse me?” Kiera blinked at the hag. This old bat had no right to punish her!

The hag stepped closer to Kiera and bared her teeth. “It’s been awhile since I’ve had a meal this fresh.”

Kiera stumbled back in horror. The witch wanted to eat her! She knew she had to think fast…

The witch fell backwards as first one, and then both of Keira’s pointy heels came flying at her and struck her in the chest. Kiera ran screaming down the tower steps. She ran out of the tower and down the hill and didn’t stop until she was out of the woods and in the neighboring town.

Once in town, she stopped to catch her breath. She made a hasty plan: find a wagon to take her back to her home village, and then beg her foster parents to take her back in. Since it was late and no wagons were out, she went door to door seeking refuge for the night until a kind old woman took her in.

Early the next day, she sat in a wagon driven by a maid returning to her master’s estate. Kiera wouldn’t accept any rides from men; she no longer trusted them.

As she watched the sunrise over a grassy plain, she breathed a sigh of relief. After her near-death experience, she had learned her lesson, and all she wanted was to be back with her foster parents, assuming they’d take her in again. She hoped they would help her find Rapunzel so Kiera could meet her big sister. She settled back in her seat and closed her eyes.

Kiera was safe. And she was going home.  

Back at the tower, the witch was fuming at losing her meal. “Guess I’ll have to settle with the next best thing,” she grumbled as she began rolling Zain’s body into the kitchen…