Rapunzel may not be in a tower, but she is a prisoner - of sorts.
She is queen and a widow, and an invading army is approaching the castle. The enemy covets the mountain of gold buried under the fortress, and many of the queen's subjects have fled.
As a bitter wind sweeps over the castle walls and whispers to the queen, a stranger arrives at the gate begging to be allowed in. She's injured, but Rapunzel recognizes the woman's face from her visions and her name from ancient tales.
Irmela!
Is she a spy?
Or an enchantress?
Or both?
The queen has Irmela locked in the dungeon, but despite the danger, her majesty cannot resist the stunning woman, and she traipses into the damp freezing recesses of the castle to interrogate her.
Irmela has a dark history but she and Rapunzel are connected as though a web of invisible thread draws them together.
While burning oil, brimstone and hot sand rain down on the castle, the queen is in turmoil. She battles not only an enemy and her family's disapproval but also her own pride.
She's torn between duty and love and tells herself that giving her heart to an immortal is foolhardy.
But the ever-present wind, never willing to do Rapunzel's bidding, might - after centuries of being its own master - offer her and Irmela its support.
This novella is a complete story and the characters get their happy ever after.
