With Friends Like These (Giselle)

[Rapunzel]

Rapunzel had always wondered what Mother Gothel had done during the day. She had assumed at the time that her mother, who was not really her mother but a witch and kidnapper, had been out gathering foodstuffs. But she had since decided that could not be the case. She knew her parents would be sad if they found out she had left the castle, but they couldn't understand what it was like to live a lie for eighteen years of one's life, and she had to find answers. So she slipped out of the castle in the dead of night, after putting on a robe over her nightgown, and took Maximus out of the stables and began to gallop towards her old home. Suddenly something spooked Maximus, and with a cry of surprise, Rapunzel was thrown from his back.

She landed hard on her stomach and arm, and when she stood up, she cradled her wrist in pain. She looked around, eyes squinting in the dark, and felt her way blindly around. Unexpectedly, she had fumbled against something, and before she knew what was happening, she was falling. She thought it might have been a well, but it was hard to tell in the dark, and when she kept falling and falling without feeling water and was just suspended in the air, she realized that this must be some of Gothel's magic. Though she at least had that answer, she was about to have a lot more questions, because something was changing within her. She didn't know how to describe it, exactly; it was everything at once, intangibly. And then suddenly everything looked sharper and ...realer.

She didn't know how to get out of the well, or whatever this was, so she pushed up against every solid surface that she could, until something gave way after a good shove. She crawled out into blinding light and blaring noise, and she covered her ears as she stared around in shock and slight fear. It wasn't night here, and everything was bright and busy, and she did not really know what to do. She was frightened, and there were people everywhere, and this was not like Corona where people bowed to her and smiled at her instead of scowling and pushing her out of their way; this could not be Corona. So she kept walking and walking until she was tired and alone and defeated, and she was somewhere green, and she sat down on a bench and began to cry in confusion. Would she ever get back to Corona?

[~Giselle~]

Giselle beamed as tears of joy filled the eyes of her latest client as she saw the wedding dress she would be wearing in just a few weeks.

"It's so beautiful!" The woman gushed as she gently touched the delicate lace. "Oh Giselle, thank you so much!"

"I'm so pleased you're happy!" Giselle said. "You're going to look lovely on your wedding day."

After the formalities of business was complete, Giselle smiled and waved goodbye as the woman left the store. She flipped the sign on the door to read 'closed' and turned to the birds and mice, a brilliant smile on her face.

"You all did such a wonderful job!" Giselle said, reaching for the bird seed and cheese that she always kept handy within the shop. Her friends ate their well-earned treats before looking back to her expectantly.

Giselle allowed a giggle to escape her. "I'm afraid that was the last bit of it. But I promise to have some on Monday. Now, remember, tomorrow's Sunday, so we'll be closed."

Giselle crossed back over to the front door and held it open. She held up a hand as the one legged pigeon she named Lucky perched on her finger and nuzzled her cheek before taking off again.

"Good bye!" She called before grabbing her jacket and locking the door.

It was fairly late, and Giselle wanted to hurry home. She'd lived in New York with Robert and Morgan for nearly a year, and while she was getting used to living in this world, and even much happier here than she had been in Andalasia, there were some aspects that still frightened her. Robert had warned her that she needed to be careful when she was by herself, especially at night. He explained that there were some people, not unlike Queen Narissa who would harm others, often not needing reason to do so. Giselle shuddered to think there were such cruel people, but it seemed a small price to pay when she was with her true love.

Central Park was the quickest way for her to get home, and she found it was much quieter than the busy streets of the city. As she made her way through the park, her cerulean eyes fell on a lone woman on a bench, her face buried in her hands as her body trembled with soft sobs. Compassion quickly took over Giselle, and she walked toward the girl at a quickened pace, though not fast enough to startle her into thinking she would attack her.

"Excuse me, miss..." Giselle said, concern clear in her voice and expression. "But are you alright?"

Giselle knew it to be an odd question. Why would someone be crying if they weren't unhappy? Well, she'd seen plenty of people cry happy tears, herself included, but that didn't appear to be the case here.

[Rapunzel]

Rapunzel looked up in surprise as she heard the sound of quick footsteps approaching and heard a sweet, compassionate voice. There was a pretty redheaded woman who was now at her side, and Rapunzel swallowed, not sure what to do. She hadn’t really been in this position before, as she never cried in front of anyone except for Eugene, and obviously crying in public was not something that a princess should be doing, even if the princess was no longer in her own country. Or at least that was the conclusion she had come to, because this was nothing like Corona, nothing at all. Oh, she had been so foolish to leave at all! Her parents would be so disappointed in her… They had just started their relationship together, and was she going to give it up already for something as stupid as answering questions from her past life?

She didn’t know what to say for a second, and her lower lip quivered as she tried not to cry anymore than she already had. She used the back of her hand to wipe unceremoniously at the tears that dotted her cheeks, and gave a little sniffle in an attempt to regain her composure. “I…I don’t know,” she said tremulously. “I don’t know where I am, or how I got here, or how to get back. C-can you help me?” She sounded so small and pathetic, but she was. Perhaps she was eighteen years old now, but she was still a child in many ways, kept that way by a domineering mother who had not taught her how to do anything other than basic domestic skills while keeping her emotionally stunted in the maturity department. “I’m from Corona… I’m Princess Rapunzel,” she added, without thinking.

Perhaps it was foolish to just say it like that, without even knowing who this was. After all, if the whole thing with Gothel had taught her anything, it was that she should not trust people so easily. But at this point, she felt that she had no choice, because she was alone in a strange place, and she would feel a little better if at least someone knew her name and who she was, in the hopes that they might reciprocate by introducing themselves and proving themselves to be a friend. A friend. That was all Rapunzel really wanted, in the absence of Eugene and her precious Pascal. What was this strange place, with all of the strange lights and loud noises? She was glad at least to have stumbled on a small place of peace, a patch of green.

[~Giselle~]

Giselle sat beside the girl as she reached into her purse and pulled out a pink handkerchief.

"Here, dry your eyes." She said gently.

Giselle's eyes widened as her companion revealed who she was. Princess Rapunzel of Corona...

"Oh my..." Giselle said softly.

Was it possible? While living in Andalasia, Giselle had heard of the missing princess of the neighboring kingdom, and had often hoped that someday she would be found. It appeared that she had, only now the poor girl was lost again.

Giselle considered what could have led the princess to be here. Had she somehow found her way to Queen Narissa's well, or was it possible that others like it were out there? One thing was for certain, Giselle couldn't leave her on her own out here.

"I believe you." Giselle said. She knew that no one believed her when she told everyone she was from a far away kingdom. She'd never lied a day in her life, but in this world, things were different, and very few people believed in things like Happily Ever After and True Love's Kiss. She had a feeling that Princess Rapunzel had gotten the same stares and scowls she'd gotten when she first arrived here, and any requests for help had been ignored.

"I'm afraid I'm not sure how to help you get back to Corona, your highness... but I will help you in any way I can."

Giselle stood again, looking up at the sky as distant thunder began to rumble. A storm was coming...

"Come with me. My home isn't far from here. You could get some rest, and we'll see what we can do in the morning."

Oh, what was Robert going to say? Giselle hoped he would understand...

[Rapunzel]

“Thank you,” Rapunzel said, sniffling bravely as she looked up at the woman and took the handkerchief to delicately dab at the corner of her eyes to dry up the remaining tears that had welled up there. “You’re very kind.” She should be used to this sort of thing by now, what with being a princess and all, but she still wasn’t, and actually, no one had been very kind to her here, except for this young woman. She realized that she didn’t know her name, but she wasn’t sure if it would be rude to ask.

She stared at the red-haired woman when she said that she believed her; why wouldn’t she? It wasn’t like she had gone around telling everyone who she was, so she had no cause to think that they wouldn’t believe her. The only skeptics had happened when she had first introduced herself to the palace guard as the lost princess, but they had known by her eyes, which were large and luminous and green just like her mother’s, who she was. After that there had been no question, and her parents had brought her into their home and loved her like they had known her for the past eighteen years instead of the fact that they were separated.

Oh, to think that she had just found them again and now she was lost once more! Tears began to well up again but she tried to hold them back. She couldn’t get back to Corona? Her eyes darted to the sky nervously at the sound of thunder. “Why can’t I go back?” she asked, sounding rather frightened. She knew she should be grateful for this woman’s assistance, but she just wanted to go home. She swallowed and nodded her consent; she supposed that would be good enough, as it was the only thing she could do for now. “All right,” she said softly. “…thank you.”

[~Giselle~]

Giselle pulled out the cell phone Robert had gotten for her and dialed his office, while glancing at the green eyed girl beside her. The poor thing must be so frightened. Giselle knew exactly how she felt. Once she got her inside and relatively calm, the former Andalasian would explain everything.

"Hi, Sam, it's Giselle." Giselle greeted into the phone when the secretary answered. "I'm alright, and you? Good... Is Robert busy? I need to speak with him... could you let him know it's urgent?"

As Giselle waited for Robert to pick up, she turned back toward Rapunzel.

"It's called a cell phone." Giselle explained, gesturing to the pink device she held to her ear. "It helps you contact most anyone you want to talk to... as long as they have one too."

Giselle smiled as she heard the concern in Robert's voice when he picked up. He was so sweet to her...

"Hi Robert... No, I'm alright, it's just that... You remember how I got here? Well, it's happened to someone else... I found her in the park, and she's lost, and scared, and..."

Giselle's smile widened as Robert told her to bring her to the apartment without hesitation. He had such a big heart, and she absolutely loved him for it.

"I knew you'd understand... I love you, too. Bye."

Giselle hung up the phone, her attention once more on the young princess.

"That was my boyfriend... he and I live together, along with his daughter, Morgan. He says you're more than welcome to stay with us until we can figure out how to get you home. Follow me."

Giselle led the way though the park, deciding to keep conversation going to keep Rapunzel calm and not entirely focused on what had happened to her.

"My name is Giselle, by the way. It's nice to make your acquaintance, your highness."

Giselle kept her tone respectful, calling Rapunzel by her title. She was a princess, after all.

[Rapunzel]

Rapunzel watched in fascination as the other woman took something out and began to talk into it. Her fear and sadness subsided a little as she gazed at the little device, wondering what on earth it was and why her new friend was talking into it. It must be magical! Without realizing it, her mouth fell open a little, though she closed it again when Giselle turned back to her.

She had heard the words Sam and Robert… who were they? And this was? A… cell phone? She was going to ask how it worked, but then suddenly Giselle was talking into it again, to Robert this time instead of Sam. My goodness, it was going to be hard to learn about this!

The one thing she did understand, quite clearly, was the “I love you” at the end of the call. Her sadness about missing the man she loved did not keep her from being happy for Giselle about her Robert.

“You get to live with your boyfriend, too?” she asked, and then added, almost wistfully, “Do your parents keep you from staying in his room, too?” She had never quite understood why.

“Oh, that’s so very nice of him! And he has a daughter!” Since she was still something of a child herself, Rapunzel brightened slightly at the thought of a little girl, for she loved them and spent a great deal of time with the children in the village. They always helped her decorate her hair, though it was not as exciting as it had once been since they could no longer braid it. It was almost long enough now. She snapped back to the conversation and smiled at Giselle, now that she knew her name.

“Thank you,” she said. “You can just call me Rapunzel, though. Sorry it’s a bit of a mouthful.” She still wasn’t quite used to being called ‘your highness’.

She played with the edges of her short hair as they walked, thinking. "Are you and Robert going to get married?" she asked, not really thinking about whether or not it was rude to do so. She was mostly thinking about herself and Eugene.

[~Giselle~]

Giselle smiled as Rapunzel's spirits lifted slightly. It was amazing what meeting a kind person could do for someone who was feeling so alone and sad.

"I haven't seen my parents in a very long time, actually." Giselle admitted. "Not since I was a little girl."

It wasn't something she dwelled on too often for the simple reason that she didn't know what happened to them. They got separated one day during a violent storm, and Giselle had been so frightened she ran deep into the forest. She found Pip the next morning, and the little chipmunk took care of her as Giselle remained convinced her parents would come for her. Sadly, they never did. Giselle never knew if it was because they didn't survive the storm, or if they'd just given up on her. Either way, it was too sad for Giselle to bear, so she just didn't think about it.

Besides, she had Robert and Morgan now. They were her family.

"Someday." Giselle said in answer to Rapunzel's question of whether or not they'd get married. The truth was Robert still hadn't asked her. While a large part of her still didn't quite understand the reason behind waiting so long to get married when you loved someone, she didn't want to rush him, especially after she learned the truth about how Morgan's mother had just walked away from them both. That was truly something Giselle didn't understand, and one of the things she still hated about this world. Divorce was such a terrible thing, and she couldn't bear the thought of it happening to her and Robert if they went too fast. She knew that he loved her, and that was enough for her.

Giselle offered a smile as they reached her building. She pointed up several stories the window on the corner.

"That's the one I live in." Giselle said as she led the way inside.

She smiled and waved at the bellhops and pushed the button for the elevator, stepping inside and holding it open for Rapunzel to follow.

"This will take us to my floor." She explained.

[Rapunzel]

“That’s so sad,” Rapunzel said, looking genuinely sorrowful. “I didn’t see my parents for a long time, either. But I’m lucky, because I get to see them now.” Realizing that probably wasn’t the right thing to say, since it might seem like rubbing it in that she got to see her parents and Giselle didn’t get to see hers, she bit her lip and was quiet. Should she apologize, or would that just make it worse?

“I’m sorry you don’t get to see your parents much, but I’m glad that you have a new family now,” she said tentatively, hoping that was a good compromise. After all, even if she hadn’t found her parents, at least she would have had Eugene. It would not have been quite the same, but it would have been some comfort, at least.

And maybe Giselle just didn’t really know what she was missing. She was grown up, anyway, and Rapunzel was pretty much grown up, but she had all sorts of childhood issues that still needed to get worked out before she could really be mature and independent.

She was distracted from her thoughts when Giselle gestured at a building. “Oh my gosh,” Rapunzel said, in awe as she looked up. The building was so tall that she had to crane her head back to see up it. “It’s huuuge! I can’t even imagine how long it would take my hair to grow back before I could climb down it…” She trailed off with a sheepish grin. Okay, that had been weird to say.

“Sooo… how do you get up and down?” When there was a little room, she followed Giselle inside, though a bit nervously. “What… what is this thing?” she asked, swallowing – she hated small spaces now, and was afraid she’d never get out of them.

[~Giselle~]

"Don't be afraid." Giselle said gently, holding her arm out so the elevator door wouldn't close. "It's actually quite magical. All you have to do is press a button, and the elevator takes you to whatever floor you want."

Upon reconsideration, Giselle realized that this might be a bit too much for Rapunzel. She hadn't been too frightened to come inside when she'd first came here, but clearly the young princess was.

"If you'd rather not try it just yet," Giselle said, stepping out of the elevator and allowing it to shut. "There are some stairs just down the hall."

It would take longer to climb the six flights of stairs, but Giselle hoped this would be less nerve wracking for Rapunzel.

[Rapunzel]

Rapunzel bit her lip a little. "I'm not afraid," she said, not very convincingly, and she followed Giselle out of the elevator with something like relief when they exited. "I... just... don't like small spaces," she said lamely. This was true, but it was also true that she needed to do this. She didn't know why, but after a moment's hesitation, she knew that this was going to be something of a defining moment before. She had never backed down from a challenge before. She hadn't experienced many in her first eighteen years, but since then, she'd had a lot, and she'd faced them all head-on. Was she going to change that pattern now?

"No... I can do this," Rapunzel said, more confidently, her little button nose scrunching up in determination as she stood in front of the elevator doors which were now closed and she pressed the button to open them, as she had seen Giselle do, resolutely. Then she stepped in and looked at Giselle, mentally telling herself that it would be alright. She needed to do this - she needed to grow up. After all, she'd learned a lot of new things since being released from captivity; what was one more thing in this strange place?

[~Giselle~]

"I see." Giselle said when Rapunzel admitted to not liking small places. "Well, we won't be in here for long, it only takes a few seconds."

She smiled as Rapunzel overcame her initial fears and stepped back into the elevator. Giselle pressed the button for the sixth floor as they began their ascent. A small chime sounded off before the doors slid open and Giselle stepped out of the elevator.

"Follow me." She said, leading the way down the hall to her apartment. Morgan wouldn't be there tonight, as she was spending the night with a friend. But she would be home in the morning. Giselle wasn't too concerned with the young girl meeting Rapunzel. Morgan was very kind to her when she first arrived, and she had no doubt that she would love meeting Rapunzel tomorrow.

Giselle unlocked the door and held it open for Rapunzel.

"This is where we live." She explained as she set her purse down on the table and locked the door behind them. "Morgan is with a friend for the night, and Robert probably won't be home for a few hours, so it's just the two of us for now...

"Can I get you anything to eat or drink?" Giselle asked, leading the way into the living room.

[Rapunzel]

As she got used to the elevator, Rapunzel calmed down, and realized how neat it was. Giselle was right, it went really fast! Before she even had time to get used to the whooshing feeling, it stopped somewhat abruptly, and Rapunzel put her hand against the wall to steady herself, feeling a bit dizzy. But she grinned at her new friend.

“That was so amazing!” she gushed. “So fast. And way easier than using my hair!” Not realizing that was out of the norm for most people, she said nothing more about it as she followed Giselle down the hall as instructed.

The room was pretty small for a house, but it was bigger than the tower, at least, and Rapunzel wondered for a second if it was normal after all for people to live up high in limited spaces. She wondered why Giselle seemed so happy about it, but she realized that at least Giselle got to go outside as much as she wanted (a concept she was not used to yet, especially since she spent a lot of time in royal meetings or with her tutor), and Giselle had met the love of her life, so that was a pretty good reason to be happy, Rapunzel thought.

“No, I’m fine, thank you,” she said politely. The furniture was so interesting, a lot simpler than what was in the castle, and everything looked different. She looked at Giselle for a minute, wondering how she seemed to know so much about everything in this strange world.

“So… do you know anything about Corona? Or how I could get back there?” she asked, hoping for the best. Maybe it was rude to act like she wanted to leave, and she did like Giselle a lot, but she did want to go home.