The Lion and the Unicorn – Rapunzel’s story (5)

* Rapunzel’s perspective

Ah! Crazy. Absolutely crazy!

What did I do last night?

It hadn’t been a dream… right? But no, the memories of last too night were far too vivid to be just dream.

I could still remember every word Harris and I exchanged, his unexpected confession about his childhood… His voice, sweetly echoing in my ears… The way his breath quickened as he leaned in close, right to the tip of my nose… And, and the soft feel of his tongue…!

‘Oh, Rapunzel, you’ve lost it… completely!‘

I lightly thumped my head to get a grip, hoping it would calm my heart, which was pounding just recalling last night’s events with Harris.

“Good morning. Awake already?”

As I lay there, kicking the blankets in embarrassment over my memories, a low voice called to me from behind.

“H-Harris! You’re awake! I thought maybe… you’d feel awkward about last night too…”

“Awkward? I thought it was wonderful. Does that mean you feel awkward now, Rapunzel?”

Oh, there it is again! That charming face! Harris looked at me with an adorably warm gaze, his eyes fixed on me, looking all innocent and loving like a puppy, .

‘No, seriously, what am I supposed to do if he asks me that with that look on his face? I can’t even say it’s awkward, but it’s really awkward!’

Though I was practically having meltdown inside, I waved my hand casually, trying to sound unfazed.

“A-awkward? Not at all! I mean, come on, we’re not little kids to be getting all awkward over… something like that, right? Ha… haha…”

Far from looking calm, I was clearly flustered, my face probably giving everything away.

‘Did I make it seem like I disliked it?’

As I waved my hands around and loudly insisted that last night was completely fine, I noticed Harris’s face fall just a little.

“It was… really nice, actually,” I added softly. I couldn’t just leave him feeling misunderstood like that.

“Oh? Really? Nice, you say? What was? I won’t understand unless you give me specifics, Rapunzel.”.

Oh no, he got me!

When I confessed the truth, Harris leaned in, his eyes twinkled mischievously and the corners of his lips lifting up as if he couldn’t help it.

Blushing furiously, I stammered a reply, “L-like… last night! You know, what happened… between us! I liked it too, Harris!”

Oh, oh wow….I said it.

“I’m glad you liked it too, Rapunzel. You were so flustered again that I was worried you might call it a mistake. Knowing you feel the same way as I do, Rapunzel, makes me happy.”

With a gentle smile, Harris reached over and stroked my hair. My golden locks tangled under his playful touch, and my cheeks grew warm again, matching my uncontrollably racing heart.

“Ugh… what’s all the ruckus about? Yaaaawn…”

“C-Chester!”

The noise must have woken him, because Chester was now rubbing his bleary eyes, still half-asleep.

“Yaaawn… Rapunzel, Harris. You’re up already? Ribbit.”

Fiona, who had been sleeping near Chester, had been lightly nudged by Chester’s hand when he stretched, and she began to rub her heavy eyelids as she slowly woke up too.

Knock knock.

Just then, Humpty Dumpty peeked cautiously around the door before entering the room.

“Oh! You’re all awake! Great timing! Breakfast is ready, and I was just about to come up to wake you. Come down and eat before the porridge gets cold!”

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“What? Wait, what? Those wretched toads turned you into a frog? How could they do such a thing?”

At breakfast, Humpty Dumpty could barely conceal her shock as she listened to Fiona’s story about how she’d been turned into a frog.

Clang!

So surprised, in fact, that she dropped the dish she was washing, shattering it.

“And that’s not all! Harris and I may have escaped being turned into frogs, but we were captured too and went through all kinds of trouble! I think we would have been prisoners of those toads for the rest of our lives if Chester hadn’t helped us escape!”

I gathered the broken shards of the plate from the floor as I added my own part to the story.

“So then, is the reason you’re headed to the Mad Tea Party to find a magical item that can turn Fiona back into a human?”

Last night, when we’d mentioned our plan to go to the Mad Tea Party, Humpty Dumpty had asked about our goal with a curious look.

“Well, that’s the idea. Ribbit.”

“I’m sorry to say this, but I don’t think there will be any magic at the Mad Tea Party that can help Fiona. The magic there only works on humans—shrinking them, making them bigger, cheering up sad people, or making happy people sad. As far as I know, there’s no magic to turn animals into people.”

“Wh-what? Oh no! So, does that mean I’ll have to live as a frog for the rest of my life? What should I do? Hic, sob, ribbit…”

At Humpty Dumpty’s words, Fiona’s face crumpled as she started to cry softly.

“Don’t worry, Fiona, We’ll find a way. I promise, I’ll make sure you can become human again,” Chester spoke gentle words of consolation to the frog who was weeping so sadly, lifting her gently in both of his hands and bringing her close to his face while tears streamed from her eyes.

It was a bit surreal to see Chester, usually almost obsessively fastidious, holding a tearful, snot-covered frog with such tenderness. But even I, who had only known Fiona for a day, felt my heart ache while watching her sob. I could only imagine how deeply it must have affected Chester, who’d known her longer.

“Hmm, well, there… is one way.”

Humpty Dumpty’s cautious voice broke the silence as she watched Fiona cry.

“What? There’s a way? What is it? Please, tell us! We’re ready to do whatever it takes!” Chester’s voice was filled with surprise at Humpty Dumpty’s words.

‘Tch, why’s he getting all worked up?’ I thought, slightly annoyed. Chester had known me for years, and he’d never been this riled up when I was in trouble, even when I had shrunk to a tiny size. And I didn’t feel great about how now, here he was, enthusiastically willing to do anything for Fiona, whom he had met less than a week ago.

“There’s a pair of barons who suddenly appeared one day in the forest nearby. They used to be human, but after fighting over a crown that was found there, they were transformed into beasts. Every morning, they turn into a lion and a unicorn to battle for the crown. At night, they turn back into humans and sleep, only to resume their beastly forms and their battle the next morning as soon as the sun rises. They might have an antidote that could return Fiona to her original human form.”

Having heard Humpty Dumpty’s story, Fiona wiped her tears with her little green froggy foot and looked at us and asked, “Well, I think that sounds promising. What do you think, everyone? Rapunzel, Harris, I know you’re in a hurry, so I don’t want to hold you up. Ribbit. I could go on alone…”

“What do you mean ‘go alone’?” Chester said angrily, “No way I’m leaving you by yourself! Let’s go together to meet with this lion and unicorn. Once we get the antidote, we’ll catch up with Rapunzel and Harris.”

“That sounds reasonable. So, Chester, you and Fiona can get the antidote and join us after…” Harris began.

“What are you saying, Harris?! Since we’re all here together, Fiona and Chester are our staunch allies, and we’re going to help her too!” I cut Harris off, making it clear that I was not going to let Fiona and Chester be left alone together.

‘I can’t leave Fiona and Chester alone.’

Huh? But… why?

Why couldn’t Fiona and Chester be alone?

That strange and unpleasant feeling that had been digging into my chest every time I’d seen Fiona and Chester together since earlier had begun to creep back in. This prickly feeling…

‘Wait, could this be… jealousy?’

Jealousy? What kind of nonsense is that?

And of all things, jealous of a…frog? Absolutely ridiculous!

‘When your childhood friend suddenly has a new friend, it’s normal to feel this way. It’s a situation that comes up often in books, isn’t it? Like that scene where a twin befriended someone from a neighboring kingdom, and her sister got jealous. That’s what this is. Just simple… friendship jealousy. Right. That’s all it is.’

“Oh, Rapunzel! I never imagined you’d care so much for me after just one day! I’m so touched! Ribbit!” Fiona’s eyes glistened again with fresh unshed tears as she gazed at me, deeply touched by my words.

“Oh, hahahha… of course!” I replied with a nervous laugh.

‘That’s not quite what I meant…oh this is getting embarrassing.’

I tried to smile at Fiona, twisting a lock of my hair with my fingers.

‘!’

Suddenly, I felt a stinging gaze on the back of my head.

I turned around to find it belong to Harris, who staring at me, but after our eyes locked, he hurriedly looked away.

‘Wait… does he think I’m jealous right now?’

I couldn’t let him misunderstand like that. I couldn’t have the person I shared my first kiss with mistakenly believe I was jealous over a frog!

No, to be honest, jealousy wasn’t even the right word. Well, I mean, it might be jealousy, yes, but it was just friendship jealousy felt between friends…that kind of romantic, childish jealousy between a man and woman? Definitely not!

I had to correct the misunderstanding.

“Harris! I just had a great idea. Since you’re a hatter, maybe you could make a beautiful crown just like the one they’re fighting over? Maybe then they’d stop fighting and give us the antidote for Fiona out of gratitude. So, you and I must go with them, for Fiona’s sake!”

‘There, that should clear up Harris’ misunderstanding, right?’

I leaned in close, smiling sweetly as I looped my arm through his and rested my head on his shoulder.

“Tch.” Chester frowned as if he didn’t approve.

‘What do you think of that, huh, Chester? Now you know what it feels like! When someone you’re close to suddenly finds a new friend, jealousy is only natural! Just good ol’ healthy, normal friendship jealousy, that’s all!’

Yet, despite my attempt to reassure him, Harris still had a dark expression on his face.

‘Does he still think I’m jealous of Fiona and Chester? Or is something else bothering him? Come to think of it, someone called Harris last night…is this because of that call?

Thinking back, he’d seemed somewhat unwell since this morning. Normally, there was never a moment where he was without a playful look on his face…

“Oh! I’m so moved! Yay! So let’s go meet those barons who turn into the lion and the unicorn! Humpty Dumpty, please lead the way, ribbit!”

Fiona seemed to be the only bright and positive one among us.

‘How does she stay so optimistic and cheerful, even after getting turned into a frog?’

On one hand, I was secretly a little envious of her positive personality.

“Wait up, Fiona!” Chester called, jumping up and chasing after her as she bounded along behind Ms. Humpty Dumpty.

…And on the other hand, I was envious of her for having Chester’s attention.

‘Oh, stop it! I have Harris… What am I even thinking?!’

“Harris, shall we go help Fiona too?” I asked with my friendliest smile.

“Yes, let’s go…”

But even as he agreed, Harris’ expression remained stiff.

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Thump, thump, thump!
Grrroar!
Whinny!

The sounds of the roars and whinnies of the barons who had transformed into a lion and a unicorn grew louder as we drew closer.

“Oh, they’re over there!” Fiona exclaimed.

“Where? I don’t see anything yet, Fiona.”

“Jump a little higher, ribbit! If you hop up a bit, you’ll be able to see them too, ribbit!” Fiona’s hops became faster as she caught sight of them.

By the time we crossed a large lake and entered the yellow brick path, we finally spotted them: a lion and a unicorn, fiercely battling over a large, golden crown set on the ground between them.

“Huff… huff… Sir Barons! You’re here today too!” Humpty Dumpty called out as she hurried over to the combatants once they were in sight.

“Oh, who is this? Isn’t that Ms. Humpty Dumpty?” the lion remarked.

“Yes, indeed! Yesterday, today, and every day until the true owner of this crown is decided, we’ll meet here and fight!” the unicorn replied.

“Hm, but what if we could make a crown exactly like that one?” Humpty Dumpty offered.

“W-what? That’s possible?” the lion asked, surprised.

“Even if it were possible, one of us would end up with a fake crown! Maybe Sir Baron of the Lion family wouldn’t mind, but as a noble unicorn, I should have the real crown to uphold the family’s dignity. I could never be satisfied with a counterfeit! Of course, a crown empty of worth might suit one as empty of character as Sir Baron of the Lion family just fine!” the unicorn scoffed.

“W-what did you say?”

Crash! Bang! Slam!

The lion, falling for the unicorn’s provocation, charged forward with even more violent fury than before.

“Whinny!”

The unicorn, undeterred, braced itself, snorting loudly as it lowered its sharp horn, ready to clash with the pouncing lion.

“Wait, hold on! I have an idea!” I shouted, trying to stop them before they could harm each other.

“Hm?”

“Where’s that sound coming from?”

Hearing my tiny voice, the lion and unicorn paused, swinging their heads to and fro in confusion as they tried to find who had spoken — me, that is.

‘Right… I forgot that I’m still tiny. I’ve gotten so used to this size that I almost forgot I’d shrunk!’

Seeing my predicament, Ms. Humpty Dumpty kindly picked me up and placed me on top of her hat, where I could be more visible.

“Over here! Here I am!”

Standing on tiptoe atop Humpty Dumpty’s hat, I waved my arms as wildly as I could to get the lion and unicorn’s attention.

“Oh! It’s a girl the size of human thumb!”

“What a bizarre creature! I’ve never seen anything like it, so… weird and strange!”

‘Excuse me!? Who are they calling weird and strange? I only came here because of Fiona, and now this! That frog, Fiona….I had a bad feeling from the start!’

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Translator comments:

Something I appreciate about this story is that it doesn’t shy away from letting the protagonists experience emotions that might feel a little muddled/petty/selfish/ridiculous – but it also doesn’t shy away from letting them experience the consequences of acting on those emotions, putting both positive (ex, Humpty & her son) and poor examples (Toad mama and her son) in their paths as well as putting them in positions to experience and figure it out through trial and error. You can kind of see the foundation for them all to mess up and grow up a little from the experience.

Except Fiona. Fiona is a gem as she is and everyone else can learn from her. (Ribbit)

Translator notes:

• 닭똥 같은 눈물을 The actual description of Fiona’s tears translates literally to something like ‘tears like chicken poop’ (as opposed to cow dung/droppings, which we’ve seen in two prior chapters)
• 모조품 따위로는 만족할 수 없어! 물론, 껍데기밖에 없는 사자 가문의 남작님에게는 껍데기만 왕관인 모조품이 아주 훌륭하게 어울리겠지만 말이야. Literally this is something like, “Of course, for Sir Baron of the Lion Family who is nothing but a shell, a fake crown that is only a shell would suit him very well.” This relies on the double meaning of 껍데기 (which can mean “shell” or “hollow”) to imply both the emptiness of the crown and the lack of substance in the baron’s character. I almost went with ‘a bogus crown might suit a blowhard clown’ but figured ’empty of substance/empty of character’ was closer.

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Mimetic words / onomatopoeias / sound effects:

• 쿵쿵쿵! (kungkungkung) crash, thud, thump – sound of something heavy hitting
• 으르렁! (eureurong) growling sound
• 이히히히힝! (ihihihihing) horse sound, like a neigh or a whinny
• 헉… 헉… 헉 (hok hok hok) could be ‘oh my’ or gasping/panting/breathing sounds, like huff-puff
• 쿠당탕탕탕탕 (kudangtangtangtangtang) the sounds of a ruckus? Bang, crash, thump, the sound made when a hard, big object falls, hits the floor, or hits another large, hard object.
• 개굴 (gaegul) sound of a frog (could be ‘ribbit’ or ‘croak’ for American English)
• 흑흑/흐흑 (heukeuk/heuheuk) sobbing