Tower of Gold *New release!*

Rapunzel had always been adept at finding her way into the most guarded sanctums, and this time was no exception. The towering gates swung open before her, seemingly unguarded. She stepped into Queen Snow’s castle. The hallways were adorned with intricate ice sculptures, capturing the memories of her sister’s rule. 

Rapunzel found her way to Emmett’s study without a guard escort, as her audacity often demanded. His study, he’d often told her, was a sanctuary for contemplation and decision-making. But on this day, it would be a battleground for wills.

Emmett looked up from his paperwork, surprise etching across his features as he beheld Rapunzel’s presence. “How did you get in?” he asked, his voice a blend of curiosity and annoyance.

Rapunzel replied with a wry smile, “My showing up unannounced has never been a problem before.” 

“I am married now,” Emmett said, his gaze returning to the documents before him.

“Oh, I know that,” Rapunzel said dismissively. “That’s why I waited for your wife to go on her travels before coming to see you. I heard she went to visit Tristan and Aurora’s new baby.”

“There is no need to come when she is not around. I hold no secrets from my wife.”

Exploring the study, Rapunzel’s eyes wandered over the paintings adorning the walls. Among them was a portrait of Emmett, his Queen, and their newborn child. “Even so,” she mused, “my showing up would no doubt stir up all sorts of trouble, especially with your marriage being a little rocky and all.”

“My marriage is fine,” Emmett insisted, but his words rang hollow as Rapunzel sensed a flicker of doubt.

“Fine isn’t great,” she said, taking a seat on his desk. “Besides, she’s a new Queen, and with a newborn baby… I can only assume there hasn’t been much attention given to you.”

“You can exit where you entered,” Emmett retorted bitterly.

“Look around, Emmett.” Rapunzel gestured at the room, and his eyes widened as he beheld the study transformed into a nursery. Cribs crowded the space, baby paintings adorned the walls, and scattered toys littered the floor.

“What is this?” he said, rising to his feet. 

“It's a mindscape, darling,” Rapunzel explained, her voice dripping with honeyed mockery. “And all that you see… are your insecurities.”

Emmett slammed his fist on the table. “Get out of my head,” he demanded.

Rapunzel inspected her perfectly manicured nails, entirely unperturbed. “Not until I get what I came for.”

“You are not welcome here,” Emmett growled.

“Oh, please,” she waved him off. “Tell me something I don’t already know.”

“What do you want?” he hissed.

“Some food would be nice.” She touched her stomach. “I am famished.”

He slapped his desk again. “Quit wasting my time, Rapunzel.”

“As I recall, I used to be worth your while.”

“We are done here.” Emmett stormed across the room, but when he attempted to leave through the double doors, he found himself inexplicably back in the same room.

“Whatever you are doing, stop this instant!” he demanded, his patience wearing thin.

Rapunzel smiled slyly. “Give me your sword, and you’re free to go.”

Emmett’s hand instinctively reached for the hilt of his Elvin metal sword, hanging on his sheath. “My sword?”

“Yes, that exact one. I need it,” she said.

Emmett laughed incredulously. “And what could you possibly need with my sword?”

Rapunzel shrugged nonchalantly. “I have my reasons.”

“Then maybe the better question is…” He sauntered back into the room, his gaze locked onto her. “What makes you think I will give it to you.”

“Would you prefer I tell your wife about your little unfinished business with Rumple?” she said, reaching for a vial of blue liquid on his desk.

Emmett’s eyes widened, and beads of sweat formed on his forehead. “I have no idea what you're referring to.”

“Oh, but you do,” she assured him, swirling the vial in her hand. “At your brother’s wedding, Rumple told you to put this cure into your brother’s drink. And if you failed to do so, he would come to collect his debt.” 

Emmett’s composure wavered, but he refused to yield. “How did you get that?” 

Rapunzel set the vial down. “We’re inside your head, Emmett. Everything in this room holds your most precious secrets, and I have access to all of it.”

“Since when do you do Rumple’s dirty work?” he asked, his gaze darting around the room as if searching for more secrets that might have been exposed.

“I don’t work for anyone,” she said. “I’m here as a favor to you. Better me than him, wouldn't you agree?”

Emmett’s frustration was evident in his expression, but he managed to keep his voice steady. “How considerate of you.”

“Believe it or not, I hold no ill will toward you,” Rapunzel confessed. “So long as you hand over your sword.”

Emmett’s jaw clenched. “I will do no such thing. If Rumple wants to collect his debt, he’ll have to come and get it himself. As for you… leave my castle and never step into my kingdom again.”

“Hand over the sword, Emmett,” she demanded with a more commanding voice. She was done playing nice. “Don’t make me come after your family.”

Emmett’s breath caught, and he steeled himself.

Rapunzel’s patience was wearing thin. “Hand over your sword, and you'll never have to see my face again.”

Emmett marched across the room and grabbed her by the arms, pinning her against his desk. His eyes blazed with fury. “Threaten my family again, and I will end you,” he hissed.

A twisted smile played on her lips. “Nice and rough. Just like old times.”

“I mean it,” he said firmly, his grip tightening.

“So protective,” she mused. “I always knew you would become twice the man your father ever was.”

“What do you know about my father?” Emmett’s voice came with a dangerous growl.

“I know he gave you that sword,” Rapunzel said. “I also know the reason he gave it to you was out of pity. He knew he was going to give the throne to your brother, and he didn't want you to feel bad. What a trade, huh? Shows how little he thought of you.”

Her words struck a chord, and she knew it. 

“My father gave me this sword as a reward for all the battles I won.”

She pushed herself toward him, making his grip tighten. “Then look me in the eyes and tell me it didn't feel like a slap in the face.”

His brows furrowed, but his grip began to soften. “How could you possibly know how it made me feel?”

“Oh, Emmett.” She rolled her eyes. “I have been inside your head more times than I could count. I know everything. And I must say, it’s pathetic that you’ve attached such sentimentality to that sword when the man who gave it to you has done nothing but caused you pain, and made you feel less than your own twin. Give me the sword and be rid of the one thing in your life that keeps reminding you that you're not good enough.”

“I am good enough…” Emmett declared, his voice rising with conviction. “For my wife and child. That is all that matters.”

“You mean the wife whom you serve?” Rapunzel taunted.

“My wife deserves where she stands,” he hissed.

“But do you?” she challenged.

“I am honored to serve my Queen. Now, get out of my head!” he barked, his patience at its breaking point.

“As you wish.” 

With a wave of her hand, the surroundings shifted, and they were no longer inside Emmett’s study. They stood outside, the biting cold gnawing at their senses, and instead of having her pinned against his desk, Emmett had her pressed against a gnarled tree.

Emmett, reeling from the abrupt shift, cast a bewildered gaze around. “Where are we...?”

Rapunzel’s voice cut through the icy air. “You see, while we were having our little conversation in your head, I lured you out.” 

His brows furrowed in confusion. “Why?”

“So I could have that done.” Rapunzel pointed a slender finger toward his castle, and when Emmett turned, his eyes bulged at the sight. Towering flames devoured the grandeur of his castle, roaring with unrestrained fury. The crimson inferno licked at the sky, casting long shadows that danced in the night.

“What... what did you do?” Emmett’s voice quivered. “How…?”

“It wasn’t nearly as hard as I thought it would be,” she replied, her voice as cold as the night air. “Did you know some men are still very bitter with the Queen for no longer allowing hunting in her kingdom?” 

Emmet’s glare bore through her. “And you aided them in setting our castle ablaze?” 

“I tried asking nicely,” she said, picking at her cuticles. “You refused.”

Emmett’s hand instinctively went to the hilt of his sword, his fingers curling around the worn leather grip. And with a swift move, he brought the weapon to bear, pressing the gleaming blade against Rapunzel’s throat. His gaze bore into hers, the flames of the castle reflecting in his eyes.

She didn’t flinch. “Tsk tsk. Haven’t you been taught that the safest way to hand over a sword is by the hilt?”

Emmett’s grip tightened, the sharp edge of the blade grazing her skin. “My maids and servants were in there, you monster.”

“No need to worry, darling. I used my mindscape to have your wife order them all to return to their families at once. Your castle was already empty by the time I found you.” 

“You impersonated my wife?” His anger surged, and he growled through gritted teeth, “Give me one good reason I shouldn't just end you right here, right now.”

“That's not the example you want to set for your child, is it?” With a deliberate movement, she pushed the blade down and away from her throat. She extended her hand toward him, palm upturned. “By the hilt, please?”

Emmett’s defiance wavered, and his fingers went slack. The sword dropped from his grip, landing on the ground with a resounding thud. 

“Don't ever show your face here again,” he spat bitterly. 

Without another word, he turned on his heel and began to walk away, his silhouette fading into the night. Rapunzel watched him go as the flames continued to consume the castle. The weight of her actions pressed down on her, a heavy burden she had chosen to bear.

She bent down and retrieved the sword, the Elvin metal gleaming in the dim light. As she held it in her hand, a whisper escaped her lips, almost lost in the crackling of the inferno in the distance. “You’ll thank me one day.”