Twisted: A Rapunzel Story

Loyalty

Velma woke up in a cold sweat from her nightmare. The sun hadn't come up yet, so she just laid in bed and stared at the ceiling, letting her eyes adjust to the darkness.
Velma waited until her daughter woke before getting up. She sat up, stretched and went towards the stairs that led down from the loft when Rapunzel interrupted her.
"Mommy, I'm ready for Daddy's story now."
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One year before Rapunzel was born, Gunther and Velma were living happily, in peace. The cottage they lived in was the very same that Velma collapsed at all that time ago. Velma made a living as a midwife and a healer, although some doubted her sanity and race, calling her a worshiper of the Devil and even a demon herself.
Gunther was a blacksmith, a career that was becoming much more in demand than usual what with the queen marching off to battle with any kingdom that looked at her wrong.
Then (you know), the birds and the bees happened and there was a growing lump on Velma's abdomen.
Not much long after, another kingdom invaded before they could be invaded themselves. The queen's army held them at bay for a little bit, but then they soon discovered they were grossly outnumbered.
The queen drafted all the men of the kingdom into the army. While Gunther marched off to war in his chain mail and sword, Velma was put in an underground shelter.
For three months, the fighting continued with countless unnamed deaths and no definite winner. Many in the underground shelter died of starvation because of the rations and if they were prioritized or not. A pregnant woman (such as Velma) would be prioritized over a non pregnant woman.
The tables turned, and suddenly the kingdom Velma was in was winning the war. Savagery that no one saw but the soldiers happened for a while. Houses burned down, monuments knocked down and even the queen was killed.
While Gunther was still in service to the queen, the people rose up against the kingdom. They were led by a female warrior in red armor and a prince of a neighboring kingdom supported it as well. Rumor had it that he was in love with the murdered queen.
Since they were weak from the war, defeating the queen's army was no difficult task. Included in the army was Gunther, who was slaughtered defending the queen.
Velma learned of this a week later, on the day the queen's execution was scheduled. She was in shock, but she couldn't cry. Wouldn't.
Velma was in the front of the crowd at the execution. When three chimes from the church bells rung, the blade was let go and sliced through the queen's neck. Her head lolled into the basket in front of her now dead body.
There was one hooded figure near Velma who seemed to be silently sobbing. The person turned to leave, and Velma saw the strong resemblance between her and the queen. This was no doubt a girl, she definitely sounded like one. But the queen's twin was a little boy, Velma thought. Then she suddenly realized: the queen on the stage was not the real queen. Her twin brother sacrificed himself for his sister. I won't sell her out. She merely walked away.