Work Text:
“Here.”
Rapunzel looked away from the flower crown she was making and up at Jack, who was holding out a hastily wrapped box-shaped object. She smiled, remembering when Jack gifted her Prince Frog all that time ago.
“What’s this?” she asked, placing the half-finished crown in her lap and taking the object from Jack.
“A gift.”
Rapunzel turned over the object, and caught a glance of the object through a hole in the wrapping paper. It was a book. A medium-sized, surprisingly light book. “It’s not my birthday yet.”
“Gifts don’t need an occasion.” Jack plopped down beside her and looked at her with anticipation. Rapunzel took this as her cue to tear into the feeble wrapping. It gave away easily, and she placed the paper in a pile on her right. The book’s cover was a light purple with a gold, winding border. The title and authors were written in that same gold, in pretty, curling handwriting. The whole book shimmered with a certain quality that she had come to to associate with magic. “What’s it about?”
“This, Rapunzel,” Jack said, sliding his finger across the title, “is a dictionary.”
“What’s a dictionary?”
Jack smirked. “Define dictionary.”
Rapunzel arched an eyebrow, and was about to retort that she wouldn’t have asked if she already knew what it was, but the words never left her throat. She stared in wonder as the “dictionary” flipped open without interference, its pages passing by at an impressive speed. Finally, the pages settled down.
She looked at the left page and was surprised to see the word “dictionary” capitalized and bolded. Underneath was a small entry:
Noun. a reference work containing an alphabetical list of words, with information given for each word, usually including meaning, pronunciation, and etymology
Synonyms: lexicon, vocabulary
Antonyms: N/A
On the right page were two drawings: one of a thick, leatherbound book with the “DICTIONARY” emblazoned on the cover, and the other a rendition of this very book’s cover.
She glanced at Jack, who looked very pleased with himself. “Magical dictionaries that listen to voice commands are very expensive, especially ones with pictures. Luckily, this one was on sale. Still, I had to haggle with the seller so I could get it down to a more reasonable price.”
Rapunzel was only half-listening, too busy defining other words. “Define etymology. Define. . .tree. Define playing jacks. Define ATC. Define Yellow Country. Define. . .hmm. Jack? Can it define people?”
He shook his head. “No. And it doesn’t define slang, either. For that, you’d need to find more localized dictionaries, or just ask someone. You know what’s really cool? Some magical dictionaries allow you to add words!”
Rapunzel nodded, then held up the book to eye-level with its sides facing her. Her brows furrowed. “This book looks a bit thin for all the pages it was flipping through earlier.”
“That’s another cool thing about magical dictionaries; you don’t have to worry about the weight or size because it’s got an expansion charm on it. I got it for you so if you don’t know something, you could have an easy way to define it.”
She nodded again, then smiled sweetly at him. “Thank you, Jack. That’s very thoughtful.”
A light blush coated Jack’s cheeks. He mumbled something about gathering wood and walked off. Rapunzel spent the following afternoon defining things, most of which she already knew.
Rapunzel was locked in a staring contest with a dog.
She hadn’t seen many dogs before, but this one was especially interesting. It was white with black spots and seemed very excitable, with its tail wagging and tongue hanging out of its mouth. Its owner, a middle-aged plump woman dressed in fashionable clothing, seemed to notice her staring. She steered her dog towards Rapunzel and Jack, where they sat resting on a bench. The former was entertaining herself with her newly-acquired dictionary while the latter rummaged through his knapsack for their map.
“Taken a liking to my dog, haven’t you?” the lady asked conversationally.
Rapunzel shrugged. “He looks interesting. Do you like dogs?”
She smiled, revealing two dimples. “Yes, and I’ve got three more. This one’s my only precious dalmatian, however.”
“Dahl-mashon? That’s a funny word.”
The woman chuckled. “Yes, I suppose it is!”
She and her dog walked away merrily. Intrigued, Rapunzel looked to her dictionary and said, “Define ‘dahl-mashon’.”
Jack glanced at her and chuckled under his breath. Wow. She sure is using it a lot.
“–the man tried again and again and again, but alas, it was all in vain. The rock always tumbled back down again, and–”
While the narrator of the shadow puppet show continued telling her tale to the audience (a mix of the village's children and adults), Rapunzel dug through her knapsack and pulled out her dictionary. “Define vain.”
As she waited for the pages to finish turning, Jack turned to look at her incredulously. “What are you doing?” he whispered out of the corner of his mouth, eyes flickering from her to the storyteller and back.
“What does it look like?” she whispered back, still looking at the book.
“We’re in the middle of a show.”
Rapunzel arched an eyebrow. “What’s the point if I can’t understand what's going on?”
Jack seemed a bit flustered. “Well, couldn't you just ask me?”
Rapunzel looked back at her book. “I didn't want to bother you.”
Under his breath, Jack muttered, “It wouldn't bother me”, but Rapunzel was too busy reading to notice.
“Um, excuse me, what’s this?” Jack pointed at the sandwich he ordered, which was just two pieces of raw bread encasing a squishy, brownish mush.
The bartender-slash-innkeeper leaned over and smiled, his teeth a dull yellow. “Tha’s our Monday Meat Special ‘cause I get the meat on sale.”
Jack pursed his lips together with distaste. Beside him, Rapunzel smirked as she bit into her dandelion sandwich.
“I still can’t believe those are actual dandelions,” he muttered.
The bartender, who seemed intent on talking to them, said, “Y’all seem like a nice couple a’ travelers, so youse best be leaving before he tries ta collect from ya.” His voice dropped an octave lower on that last part.
Jack’s face scrunched up in confusion and mild worry. “Who?” He also whispered, but he wasn’t quite sure why.
The man’s eyes widened with barely-hidden fear. “The tax collector. . .But don’ worry, we’s got a cool underground tunnel y’all can go through.”
Rapunzel, only half-listening, turned to her dictionary which lay next to her plate. “Define tax.”
Jack’s eyelid twitched. Suppressing a surge of annoyance, he forced himself to pick up his sandwich.
“Jack, are you sure you know where we are?” Rapunzel sat on a log in front of a fire Jack had started, flipping through her dictionary with boredom. They had been walking in the same forest for the past five hours, but no matter how far they went or which direction they took it seemed like a never-ending maze. They were tired and hungry, so they decided to set up camp.
He nodded, but the glare he was giving the map said otherwise. “Yup, pretty sure. I mean, unless that merchant gave us the wrong map, haha. . .ha.”
Jack’s laughter petered off. He paused, then slowly flipped the map over. As he read what was on the back, his eyes grew blank. Then, his hand – the one still holding the map – fell to his side, and his other one went up to pinch the bridge of his nose.
Rapunzel stood up, walked around the fire and plucked the map from his hand. As she looked it over, her brows furrowed. “‘Northen Blue’? Didn’t we want one for Southern Grey?”
“Yup.” His voice came out strained, like he was holding back a scream. Some frustration and annoyance leaked into his voice as he continued, “Should’ve never trusted that guy. He’s blind in one eye and wears an eyepatch over the other, of course he gave us the wrong map!”
Rapunzel nodded and patted him on the back. “He brewed some really nice tea, though.”
“Yeah. . .” Jack huffed out a breath. “Now what are we gonna do? Grey is known for its huge forests that go on virtually forever, unless you have a map or clear directions. It’s like as soon as the forest knows that you know what to do, it clears a path. Otherwise, it just keeps you trapped. Maybe even eats you.” He unwillingly shuddered, shooting one of the trees a wary look.
Rapunzel agreed with the sentiment; she wasn’t exactly keen on being eaten by a tree again. Her eyes trailed upward. “Ok. . .maybe that sign over there can help?”
Jack’s head whipped up to look at a sign dangling from one of the tree’s branches. “Wait, that was there the whole time?? ”
“Yeah.”
Jack looked at her pointedly. “Why didn’t you say anything?”
She shrugged. “It doesn’t exactly look reliable. ”
He paused, then, looking the sign over once more, nodded in agreement. The sign was hanging off a single, thin rope, and a vine wrapped around it. The sign's wood was beginning to rot and the paint on it was chipping off. Luckily, it was still legible, and it read,
Crass Sassafras Grove
Jack sighed, silently judging whoever came up with that name. Walking forward, he got a better look at the sign and immediately sighed with relief. “Yup, here are some directions. . .huh. There’s a town nearby, just over there. I’ll go get some food.” He pointed, but Rapunzel was still staring at the sign.
“‘Crass Sassafras’?
“Sassafras is the name of this tree, and–”
“Define crass.”
The dictionary’s pages flipped at a rapid speed, and Rapunzel stared at it with relaxed anticipation. Next to her, Jack stood still as a wooden plank. He shot her an irritated look.
“I’m literally right here. ”
Rapunzel shrugged airily. “And the dictionary is in my hands. It’s closer.”
“Closer–” Jack cut himself off, face flushed. All at once, it was like a dam had broken. “Fine. Fine! You know what,” he threw up his arms in defeat, “since you and your dictionary get along so well, why don’t you cuddle near the fire that I started and “define words” until I come back with lunch, something of actual use.” With one last glare (that was more directed towards the dictionary than her), he strode off towards the town.
Rapunzel blinked. Looked from Jack’s retreating figure to the dictionary then back to Jack. Beside her, Prince Frog let out an amused croak.
At that moment, Rapunzel wished she could ask the dictionary why Jack was so annoyed. If “Jack” was in the dictionary, “confusing” would be one of his synonyms.
By the time Jack reached the edge of the village, his actions had caught up to him. His face was now burning, not from irritation, but embarrassment.
He was such an idiot.
What was that? Why did he say all of that?? Was he seriously jealous of a book?!
Jack buried his head in his hands, and almost collided with someone. “Sorry!” he squeaked out, then paused and took stock of his situation. First things first: food. Get food, then deal with his stupidity.
Looking around, a fun, cheerful building caught his eye. The sign, which was written in large, looping letters spelled out “MISS MUFFIN’S”. That looked like a normal restaurant that didn't have suspicious meats in its menu. Let’s check it out.
Half an hour later, Jack was leaving the establishment with a slight fear of arachnids, but all his body parts intact and two hot meals. The one saving grace of this ordeal was the complimentary muffins.
As he makes his way back to his and Rapunzel’s camp, his thoughts drift, once again, to what he said. More importantly, what he felt.
Jack knew it was stupid, he did, but he couldn’t help it. From the moment he met Rapunzel, he’d been kind of like a guide, or an interpreter, explaining terms and traditions and thoughts that she had never heard of before.
And though at first he had been annoyed at having to explain things as simple and inherent as “parents” or “the Shattering”, he had quickly grown into the job, enjoying helping Rapunzel and feeling happy – even proud – whenever her eyes lit up with understanding.
Now, however. . .as irrational as it was, Jack felt like the dictionary – that he bought himself, irony of ironies – was taking that away.
Dread pooled in his stomach.
Despite what some might assume, Rapunzel was very smart and very resourceful. What value did he add that she did not already have? Experience? Day by day, she was traveling and meeting people and learning all sorts of things.
Soon, Rapunzel wouldn't need him at all. Soon, she would realize that he was holding her back. They would go their separate ways.
At this point, Jack could see the area where they set up camp. His heart was heavy and his head was scrambling trying to process the mix of emotions he was feeling. He caught a glimpse of Rapunzel, and pushed his feelings down. If he stopped thinking about it, maybe he could delay the inevitable.
For now, he needed to focus on his stupid outburst from earlier and resolving that.
He walked into the enclosure and found Rapunzel piling some twigs next to the fire. The dictionary was nowhere in sight. When she saw him, she tilted her head and shot him a look that was both curious and concerned. Jack gave her a small, hesitant smile. When she smiled back, he felt a surge of relief.
At least she doesn't hate him.
As he sat down beside her, Prince Frog let out a croak as a greeting. Jack held out his hand to him and waited for him to jump on. When he did, he placed the frog on his shoulder. Despite feeling a bit embarrassed about it, Prince Frog made for good emotional support.
Said frog croaked again, and somehow it sounded teasing.
Jack cleared his throat. “Here's the food I bought. It’s a meal from a cafe.” He reached into his bag and pulled out two wrapped plates of fruit-and-nut baked oatmeal and a bottle of non-alcoholic apple cider, along with a couple Ubiquitous acorns. He cracked them and got a packet of eating utensils and two glass cups. “There’s also a couple muffins and some beef jerky left, if you’re still hungry.”
“Thanks.” Her voice was even, and Jack couldn’t discern any emotions.
For a while, they ate in silence. It wasn’t a suffocating silence, but neither was it comfortable. Jack caught his companion glancing at him a couple of times, but she didn’t speak. He washed down a dry mouthful of baked oatmeal with a sip of the apple cider. Then he took in a breath and spoke.
“I’m sorry.” She looked up at him and he met her gaze. “I shouldn’t have snapped. I was overreacting, and I’m sorry.”
She smiled. “I forgive you. Could you tell me why, though?” She huffed a laugh. “Honestly, I’m kind of confused.”
Jack chuckled awkwardly. “It was stupid. . .it’s not a big deal.”
“I want to know why.”
Ugh. She can be so stubborn. Sighing internally, Jack forced the words out. “I guess I was. . .jealous. Of the dictionary.”
Her eyes went wide. “Wow. That is stupid.”
Jack’s cheeks burned, but he guessed that he deserved it. “Yeah.”
Rapunzel’s following laughter, a bright burst of giggles, caused his blush to darken. (Prince Frog, not one to miss out, joined in with his croaks.)
Despite his growing embarrassment, Jack found himself glad she was amused. He’d rather she laugh at him than be angry with him. And she had such a nice laugh, too. . .
They sat in silence once again. It was more comfortable, but he still found himself waiting for something. He looked at Rapunzel and was met with observant, insightful eyes.
“Jack. . .you’re my closest friend. You’re more important to me than a dictionary.” She spoke steadily and with a sincerity that cemented the statement as undoubtedly true.
Though he already knew this on a subconscious level, the words were a comforting reassurance. He felt a warmth in his chest as he looked at her.. She was always so genuine and open with her emotions.
Jack smiled softly. “You're my closest friend, too.”
She returned his smile with one of her own. For a moment, it was like the rest of the world ceased to exist; it was just the two of them, eyes locked, finding peace in their companionship.
Then, her eyes flickered to the food-filled bag, and her smile grew. “Can I have your muffin?”
Jack started. “I–what?”
She shrugged. “It would really show me how sorry you are.”
“But I already apologized.”
Her brows furrowed. “Alright, then I take back my forgiveness.” With a huff, she turned away from him and crossed her arms. Prince Frog’s following croaks sounded suspiciously like laughter.
“You–ugh.” He shook his head, then reached into the bag and pulled out both of the muffins. “Fine, have them.”
Smiling, she took the muffins from him and placed them beside her. “I forgive you,” she announced cheerfully.
He rolled his eyes and with no small amount of amusement said, “Thank you, Oh Gracious Rapunzel.”
His amusement grew when she perked up, clearly enjoying the compliment despite his sarcasm.
And just like that, it was as if nothing had ever happened.
Their evening passed pleasantly; after eating and chatting about Jack’s trip to the town and their plans for the next day, they settled in for the night. As he nestled inside his Ubiquitous sleeping bag, his thoughts wandered back to earlier today.
He suppressed another surge of embarrassment at his reaction. Instead, he turned his thoughts to Rapunzel– her laugh and her smile and her words, all things he knew would stick with him for days afterwards.
Jack didn’t know what their future held, as far as travelling together was concerned, but he knew one thing:
He was very lucky to have her, and he would enjoy their adventures for however long they last.