Siren Song

Mother Knows Best

Once Upon A Time, 

In a Kingdom across the sea, there was a Beast. He wasn't always a Beast, at one point he was beautiful. His beauty got the better of him, and he thought he was the most decorated Bachelor in all the land. A witch by the name of Enchantress disguised herself as an old ugly women, and tricked the beast. She begged to be let into his home on a stormy night, and when he denied her, he was cursed to live a life as an ugly, terrifying beast. 

The Enchantress noticed the beautiful rose bushes King Adam took great care of his rose garden. Enchantress plucked a rose from a bush and cursed it. She told the king that the rose acts as a clock. When the last petal is plucked or falls off, the king shall stay a beast for his life. If the Beast opens his heart and finds true love, someone who will truly love him, not just for his looks, but his heart, the curse will be broken and he will return back to his old handsome self. 

Many of the workers inside the castle that day were also stuck. Being turned into pots, dressers, spoons, bowels and more. They too were under the same spell, since none of the maids decided to help her either. 

It was years later when Belle of France arrived to the castle after her father went missing and the Beast kidnapped him. Belle told the beast that he will set her father free and take Belle instead. The Beast agreed. Belle's father went back to the tiny village and gathered a group of people who were all afraid of the Beast. They fought, but with the protection of the Beast, Belle was saved from the angry villagers. The Beast protected Belle from all harm just as the last petal fell. This insane act of love set King Adam free from the curse, as well as all the other maids and workers.

Belle and Adam were able to love each other. This whole boring story made King Adam decide to lock all the really cool evil people away onto a tiny island in the middle of the sea and never look back on them. The exact opposite of what that evil witch wanted from him! Adam brought all the other kingdom's together and created Auradon. 

With the creation of Auradon, Merlin Academy. The school was made bigger, dorms were added, and all Princes, Princesses' and other royal folk were administered into the school. Unfortunately, for the people of the island, there wasn't enough space for us to get a whole new school, so an old abandoned clothing factory was what we worked with. 

The most evil and cruel villains were locked away here. Of course, there were some stuck in Wonderland, and then there was a whole bunch of other people in Neverland. But those were worlds away. Some villains believe that the Enchantress is out there somewhere, since she wasn't accounted for when all the villains were caught. We all seem to believe that one day she'll take over Auradon and let the villains free. 

Not me though. My mother would never let me leave the tower. My mother was Mother Gothel, and she was... Super protective. Of course I heard the stories, it's all they talk about at school. Of course, I never get to go. I watch a recording of all my classes on a broken TV Jafar sold to us, well my mother. 

My devil little mother kidnapped a little girl, hid her in a tower, and then used her magic hair to keep her young forever. I'd love to be young forever. Sometimes I feel like no matter how much I model my life after stupid little Rapunzel, I'm never good enough for my mother. 

I sit in the windowsill, it's covered with red and black silk. I know I'm hidden from everyone below. I'm not even sure how many people even know I exist. Not much, since my mother was supposed to be dead. Pushed out a tower. Not a good way to go. 

"You're growing tired of me, you love me so hard and I still can't sleep," I sang. "You're growing tired of me and all the thing's I don't talk about." 

The breath gets caught in my throat as I hear the door unlock and my mother walks through. "Oh little flower, where are you?" I peak out of the curtains and my devil of  a mother stares back at me. "Hello darling, come come! You've got mail!" I tilt my head to the side and slide out of my hiding spot. "What is it?" I asked as I curiously opened the letter, signed to me.

"It's a letter for all the remaining children of the Isle to make their way to Auradon. It's a demand, not a request." My mother hisses as she drops off some foods in the cabinets. "I didn't think anyone knew who I was."

"Oh they don't, and you won't be going." My mother shakes her head knowingly. Mother knows best after all. "Right." I nodded. "I need you safe and sound. Everyone knows that with all those villains running around Auradon is... Not safe." My mother tsked. "But here in the tower, where you can't leave, it's safe and sound here darling. You have everything you need! Your paints, your bedroom, your books, your crochet, a wonderful kitchen!" My mother raves. "There's nothing for you out there," she continues, more monotonously. "So don't try and leave." I nodded in agreement. 

A while after Belle and Adam united the kingdoms, they had a son, Ben. Ben and I are around the same age. But when he was sixteen, he picked the worst villains and chose their children as a test drive to the Auradon Prep life. I had always wished to be picked. I wished to escape this dreadful tower, but I never wanted to tell my mother. I learned that very on, you never ask to leave. Not even for a breath of fresh air. Ben's trial went, almost smoothly. Maleficent was released but turned into a lizard. Hades was also almost released about a year ago. And then slowly, with the promise of goodness, the other VK's were also released. A few decided they'd stay on the Isle of the Lost, they had felt it was their home for years now. No one bothered to force anyone to leave the Isle either. Until now apparently. 

There were even rumors on TV they'd release the people from Wonderland. I shiver at the thought. They are tricky, they spend their whole life upside down, how?

"Speaking of paints I was wondering if I could try spray paint? I'm sure there's room somewhere." I shrugged and avoided another unnecessary argument. Mother smiles. "I'm glad you have no drive for Auradon. No one needs to know who you are darling." My mother kisses the top of my head. "And for paints, I'm sure Jafar has some left over from when those wretched children of theirs left. Who'd ever want to leave this paradise?" My mother asked as she collects her belongings and leaves the tower, locking the door briskly behind her. 

"Sorry, I don't want your touch, it's not that I don't want you. Sorry, I can't take your touch, it's just that I fell in love with war." 

I walk over to where I had been sitting moments before. I watched as my mother rushes along through the crowed of people who chose to stay. I wait until she disappears and walk back over to the table where the letter was. It had a full list of everything I needed, the dorm room I'd be staying in, as well as my schedule. 

"Nobody told me it ended, and it left a pearl in my head. And I rolled it around every night just to watch it glow. Every night, baby, that's where I go."

It was like a switch went off in my head and I dashed back to my bedroom to pack my bag. Tonight, after my mother fell asleep, I'm going to sneak off to Auradon. Mother doesn't know better than me.  I packed some of my clothes, my Auradon Prep letter, and a few other random thing's I'd need over there. And then I pushed it under my bed. My heart was pounding in my chest, could I really do this? I mean I'd be no better than Rapunzel herself. 

"Sorry, I don't want your touch, it's not that I don't want you. Sorry, I can't take your touch. There's a hole that you fill, you fill, you fill." 

I sang as I worked. I then started on dinner. I decided on making us some soup to watch. I smiled when my mother came back from getting my new paints. Paints I'll never use. I painted on the ceiling some more, I sang to her. Mother was older now than she was when she took care of that ungrateful Rapunzel. 

That night I too wondered if I was ungrateful. Did my mother know better? Was leaving the tower a good idea? I'm sure Auradon is better than the tower. The tower only consisted of four rooms. My room, my mothers room, the bathroom, and then the living room and kitchen were connected. I hardly ever went into my mothers room anymore unless she wanted me to paint for her. I was grateful, really, truly. I've seen how Mal and Evie and Jay and Carlos talked about their parents on TV and their relationships weren't as good as mother and I's. 

"But it's just that I fell in love with a war, and nobody told me it ended. And it left a pearl in my head, and it rolled around every night just to watch it glow. Every night, baby, that's where I go. Just to watch it glow."

I sang from the kitchen window as I washed dishes. I had to leave. I needed to touch grass for the first time, use a warm shower, maybe even meet a boy. I've never ever talked to anyone else who wasn't my mother. I was a seventeen year old girl with no social skills.

I had to leave. Tonight was the best time.