Dark Mer

3

Rapunzel couldn't sleep. She tossed and turned on her bed and finally just gave up and snuck past where Cassandra was sleeping to--

"Raps. Where are you going?"

Okay. Not sleeping. "Just for some fresh air." She turned to her. "I really can't sleep with all this, uh, magic coursing through my system. Thought I'd get out my paints and paint the night sky."

"Alright." Cassandra got up. "I'll go with you."

"I kind of wanted to...okay." Rapunzel sighed and went to grab her paints and easel.

They stepped out on deck and Rapunzel set up her easel before stretching. "Wow, look at that beautiful sky."

"Yeah. And look at the beautiful glowing boy over there." Cassandra pointed to the side.

"Huh?" Rapunzel looked over.

Varian was sitting on another rock not too far from the boat, singing again but not attacking them this time. Rapunzel went to a lifeboat and got in and Cassandra walked over to join her. "Cass, no. I'm not affected by his powers as much as you are. Trust me?" She looked up at her pleadingly.

Cassandra looked over at Varian, then at her, then sighed. "Alright. But, I'll be watching closely."

"Thanks, Cass." She started to lower herself down and, once down, rowed her boat over.

Cass looked out at her worriedly as she got closer and closer to the singing boy, gripping the railing. "Be safe, Raps..."

--

"Take what has been hurt,
Grant them no mercy.
Bend and break the reins,
And set the spirit free.
The spirit free..."

"You have grown so much stronger, my student. Soon, it will be time to teach you a new power." Madam Tiri praised him as Varian's streaks stopped glowing.

"Thank you, Madam Tiri." Varian smiled.

"Yoo-hoo! Varian!"

Varian tensed up and looked over at Rapunzel as Madam Tiri vanished. "Rapunzel?!"

She giggled as she "docked" at the dock he was on and used her hair to hold the boat in place while she sat next to the merboy. "I couldn't sleep. I guess you couldn't, either?"

He shook his head. "Why couldn't you sleep?"

"Oh, various reasons. Like my hair magically growing and becoming magical after I cut it short and removed the magic and now it can't be cut anymore, haha, isn't that funny?" She played with a strand of her hair.

Varian blinked slowly. "Is it supposed to be?"

"No, no it's not." Rapunzel groaned. "I'm freaking out because if I'm still like this when I go home in three—no, two days, I'm going to get locked up in the castle for my protection and I'll never be allowed outside again! And I just escaped a tower I've been living in for eighteen years!"

He frowned. "That sounds terrible."

"It IS terrible!" She grabbed her hair anxiously. "So, uh, any idea why it became like this? All glowy and magical and indestructible?"

Varian shook his head. "All I know is that I was singing the life-drain spell, you showed up, you started to die, and then your hair glowed and grew longer and you were no longer dying."

"So...it wasn't anything you did?" Rapunzel's shoulders slumped.

"No." He shook his head. "It must've been your magic reactivating to save your life."