A Very Amis Christmas:

A Short Story Along Rapunzel’s Journey

To be read directly after Within the Spell

and before Under the Curse

All at once, Amis realized he was juggling, which was not unusual. He often juggled when his mind needed to think. But as he walked around his tiny room in the Fisher King’s castle, he realized the juggling wasn’t helping. So he tucked the balls into the voluminous dark blue tunic he wore and stretched high and then low. He arched his back into a backbend and flipped back over.

Well, that didn’t help either. He needed to get the thoughts flowing to his brain, so he took off his jester’s cap and then bent towards the ground. He made a triangle with the crown of his head directly on the floor and the palms of his hands flat on the ground to support him as he raised his feet up into the air. Ah, yes! Now the blood was flowing into his brain. The thoughts would surely come.

A knock sounded, and he grunted, “Come in!” He could hear the door open, but could not see the feet that approached him from behind.

“There you are, Amis.” The feet came around, dark brown leather boots covered them, the prince’s riding boots if he was not mistaken. “Is your face supposed to be that red?”

“I’m thinking,” he replied to Prince Paul.

“Well, you’ll have to think later, my friend. The king has called for you.”

“So early?”

“It seems he couldn’t sleep. I’m beginning to wonder if anyone in this blessed castle sleeps.”

“The babe still not resting?”

“No, and her moth-I mean Rapunzel has begun to bring her to bed.”

“Ah, so she can soothe her to sleep with a song.”

“If only that were the case. My wife is wonderful with her, but the babe simply will not be soothed unless we walk her to and fro. I don’t know how much longer we can keep this up. The two finally fell asleep a little while ago, but I can’t rest, so I might as well be up. But a servant was searching for you, so I suppose it is time you serve your king.”

Amis flipped right side up. “The king commands my presence and I shall go.”

Paul laughed while he shook his head. “I’d have a hard time steadying myself after that if I were you. Don’t you get dizzy?”

Amis shrugged. “I’m a jester and a fool. Being dizzy is part of my charm.” He waggled his brows and put his jester’s cap back on top of his head.

“That it is.”

“Are you off to hunt, your Highness?”

“I am. Resting from our travels has suited me for only so long.”

Amis smacked his lips together. “I await your return with anticipation.”

Paul gave him a broad smile that crinkled the corners of his hazel eyes before walking away.

***

“Amis!” The king’s voice was more vibrant than it had been for many months past. “We are glad you have come to attend Us. Today is the day We will leave Our bedchambers. All We need is a walking staff and an amiable companion to help Us as We make Our way to break Our fast.”

Amis noted that the young maid serving the king was shaking her head.

The king gave a feeble laugh, “There are those who think We are foolish to attempt such a thing, but Our curse broke some time ago. We decreed Our kingdom will celebrate the Christ Mass tomorrow now We are better, though it is a bit late. It is time for Us to be up and about!” The king laughed, but it ended in a cough. His devoted maidservant handed the king his goblet, and he drank a little and then waved the maid out of the room.

As soon as she had left, the king beckoned Amis near and the fool came to give him a helping hand.

“We knew you would be of aid. The apothecary was no help at all and Our manservant has taken his view of things. They have made Us stay in this room for far too long. It needs to be aired.”

Amis chuckled at that. “It does indeed! Your Majesty never need bow to someone else’s commands, but you could insist that you must get up so that they might change your bedclothes and make a bath ready for you.” Amis was not fool enough to tell the king that his odor was unpleasant, but . . .

“We will prove you right, Your Majesty.” He placed slippers on the king’s feet and then a thick robe of deep velvet blue, lined in the wolf’s fur, around the king’s stooped shoulders. “We will get you out and about.”

Amis knew the man wouldn’t be able to go far on this first outing, but as the king issued instructions on and that he would be taking his meal in the Great Hall, Amis smiled. The king was only a man after all, and a man still recovering from a hideous and draining curse. Amis would help him and perhaps while he did so, the solution he was searching for would occur to him.

***

Rapunzel’s eyelids creaked open. They felt sticky. She rubbed at them and then blinked at the late morning sun streaming into her bedchambers. The lump beside her murmured some babyish garble and, for a moment, Rapunzel’s heart turned over. Would little Helena smile? But the babe only rolled over and yawned. Her blue eyes—they were blue, not violet like Paul thought—blinked at Rapunzel. But there seemed no pleasure in them, no joy in waking.

Rapunzel knew she had precious little experience with babies, but she had sought out other young mothers among the servants in the Fisher King’s castle. When she noted what those little ones could do and how seldom Helena seemed to react to anything but fear of being laid down to sleep, all of Rapunzel’s nightmares felt as though they were coming true.

Yes, they had defeated the sorceress Ute and saved little Eng and Helena from her, but for what purpose? Was her little girl actually saved if she went through life without smiling, laughing, or playing?

And, just as troubling, shouldn’t Helena be crawling by now? The midwife thought so. Rapunzel refused to see the woman anymore after that pronouncement, and relied solely on her mother’s advice. After all, Katterina had trained to be a midwife herself.

The bedchamber door burst open and her mother sauntered in.

“Good morning, daughter!” However, she didn’t spare a look for Rapunzel, but bounced onto the bed and nuzzled Helena’s neck. It wasn’t a chubby neck, but it wasn’t scrawny like it had been when they first saved her. Helena didn’t coo or gurgle happily, but she garbled some sound. That was more than when she first came home with them.

Rapunzel should be happy at her progress, but she still felt it wasn’t enough.

“Mother,” Rapunzel said when she saw Katterina had brought in the milk, “you know that’s Jehanne’s job.” Helena had never taken to the wet nurse, so Katterina had fashioned a bottle out of a ram’s horn.

Katterina shrugged, a lock of her long black hair falling over her shoulder. “It’s not your job to take the babe into your room every night to settle her down, but you do it anyway. Besides, I enjoy feeding my—Helena.”

She had been about to say “grandchild,” hadn’t she? Rapunzel sighed as she watched Katterina sit cross-legged with the babe in her arms.

“Go get dressed, we have somewhere to be.”

“What do you mean?” Rapunzel stepped behind the screen and dressed herself. She had so far avoided replacing her maidservant and would do so as long as she could. How she loathed being tended to!

“Amis says he has a surprise for you and Helena.”

Rapunzel slipped the dark blue outer surcoat over her light blue cotehardie and laughed. “That doesn’t sound mysterious at all, does it?”

“Hmph! You know our Amis, he always loves to give a good show.”

Rapunzel came out from behind the screen and saw as Katterina growled and blew raspberries into Helena’s belly. She held her breath, but the child only gurgled and waved her little fists in the air.

Katterina tilted her head with a sad smile. “I guess she just isn’t ticklish.”

“Aren’t most children?”

“Only some. Don’t worry, Rapunzel, she’s going to be fine. She just needs lots of time with you to know she is safe.” Katterina set about changing Helena’s soiled nappy.

“Will you spend the whole day with us?” the princess’s heart brightened at the thought. Since returning from their journey to defeat the sorceress, Ute, her mother was always busy learning from the apothecary or helping the midwife.

Helena sat herself up and Katterina pulled off the small chemise and exchanged it for a clean one and tugged on a dark wool gown over that to keep her warm. “Yes, it’s time I took a brief rest,” she replied, while sighing.

Rapunzel laughed, remembering the night before. “Too tired?”

Katterina straightened her spine and arched an eyebrow. “Stop mocking me. I didn’t mean to fall asleep in my soup. But yes, I think we all need a change of pace. I think it kind of the king to let us celebrate the Christ Mass tomorrow, since we missed it while traveling. I will rest today and tomorrow and no longer fall headfirst into my food.” She cooed at Helena, but the babe only blinked as Katterina picked her up.

***

Amis clapped his hands joyfully as the women approached. Yes, this would work, it had to work! First, he had helped the king outside of his chambers and now he would give Princess Rapunzel the best Christmas gift she could ever have. He jiggled his head, making the little bells on the ends of his cap dance and jingle as they approached. The dull look in Helena’s eyes shifted, just slightly. It wasn’t enough, but it was the beginning.

“Princess Rapunzel! Lady Katterina! Little Helena, I have something wonderful to show you.”

The princess looked around doubtfully, but attempted a smile. Katterina, still keeping much of her feline attitude, was more forthright. “Well, you silly fool, what would you bring us all to the stables to see? Or is it to smell?” She asked, touching her nose delicately.

The warmth from the horses also carried a scent that seemed to make the small babe wrinkle her nose, and he laughed. “Lady Katterina, you grew up the daughter of a goat herder, did you not?”

“I did.”

“Then you know the does are having the last of their kids till next summer. I thought little Helena might like to see some of them playing.”

Rapunzel seemed to shiver.

“Don’t worry, dear princess, demons do not possess these goats and won’t drive anyone to plunge off a mountain.”

He led them closer to the stall where a doe was nursing a kid.

Helena gurgled, but Rapunzel took a step back when the doe turned to look at them.

The kid finished drinking and turned away, making a strange sound that could have come from Helena. Helena turned her head and made the sound back.

Rapunzel’s eyes rounded and Amis laughed, his hat tinkling merrily. The little kid walked closer to them while the doe watched, contentedly chewing, her odd horizontal pupils staring at them.

Rapunzel made no move to get closer to the kid, but sat on the straw covered floor, sitting Helena in her lap. The kid wobbled a little closer, making that strange mewing whine and Helena reached her little hands out, bouncing a bit.

Katterina giggled and Amis smiled. It was like watching a miracle.

The kid jerked back, and then frolicked forward and Rapunzel reached out a tentative hand that the kid nuzzled.

“How can adult goats be so odd, but the baby goats be so delightfully—? Well, there’s just no other word for it. They are adorable!” The princess exclaimed.

The white fuzzy kid opened its mouth, the little pink tongue visible as it nudged closer to Helena.

“Ah!” Helena yelped when her little fist touched the furry head.

“Naah!” cried the kid.

The doe stopped chewing, and turned to regard them, her head lowered and ears twitching.

And then it happened. Helena gurgled and giggled, clapping her little hands together. The kid seemed to laugh as well, and Amis chortled. The doe resumed her chewing.

Amis looked over at the princess when he heard her hiccup.

“Princess, what’s wrong?”

“Oh, Amis, this is the best gift! My little girl has laughed! I shall treasure this moment forever.”

Helena giggled again as the kid butted her way into Rapunzel’s lap.

“Look out, Rapunzel, or you’ll have two to care for.”

Tears streamed down her radiant face. “I don’t care if I do, so long as Helena keeps smiling and laughing.”

The End (for now)

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About JacQueline

A lover of books and fairytales, JacQueline enjoys telling stories, asking God hard questions, and laughing with her family and friends. She lives in North Alabama with her amazing karate husband and three book-crazy children. She takes every opportunity to drink coffee while wearing dangly earrings and the color purple.

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