The Lost Princess - A Once Upon A Time Fanfic

The Fiddler // The Land of Untold Stories

*many years ago*

Rapunzel awoke to the sun piercing through the windows of her small hut. The Dark One had procured the shelter for her, yet left her each night with no protection from the creatures that lived in the mysterious land. She was beginning to miss the routine of her old life in the village. Everything had been fine before Rumplestiltskin came and turned her world upside down. 

In this land, however, she was allowed to let her hair flow freely throughout the town. No one gave her strange looks, no one feared her stature or ability. They were all too concerned with their own stories to be troubled by hers. 

She did her chores as she normally would: make the bed, sweep the floor, polish the bland decor the Dark One brought in an attempt to make the place feel more like home, fold her clothes from the previous days, and put anything out of order back in its place. Though Rumple never asked her to, he always seemed pleased when he'd come back to a clean space. 

And as his student, she just wanted to impress him. 

However, Rumplestiltskin didn't show. 

Rapunzel's heart quickened as she waited. If something happened to him, she'd be stuck in the strange land forever. 

The land wasn't horrible. Rumple warned her of the dangerous creatures that lived there, but everyone she met had been kind. They were so focused on their own lives that Rapunzel could practice her magic in the open and no one minded her. 

She thought, maybe, she could build a life there. 

Rapunzel was getting used to the feeling of fear. As she learned to control her powers, she recognized that with every new citizen of the land, there was more fear encompassing her. She wished she could focus on other feelings, happier feelings, but no one in the land was happy. 

All she wanted to do was help. 

After anxiously waiting, she decided enough was enough. She stepped out into the daylight alone without her mentor. 

The air was cool and she smiled at the sun that shone down on her. Her hair buzzed, light flickering from the freedom her magic felt. How could anyone want to inhibit her power? It was beautiful. 

She looked left and right outside her hut, frowning slightly. Hands on her hips, she sighed. "Rumple should be here soon," she said to herself, shrugging off the disappointment and heading into the trees. 

The Dark One wasn't fond of Rapunzel wandering outside of the hut when he wasn't around. She felt, however, she was old enough and strong enough to make her own decisions. If Rumple wasn't going to show up, she'd spend the day how she wanted to. 

A soft, beautiful melody played in her head as she walked. She was so mesmerized by it that she didn't notice that she had missed the trail to town. Instead, she moved further into the woods, away from the hustle and bustle of life in the land. 

She found herself humming to the hauntingly beautiful song she heard. The light strings of a violin played the melody. As she grew further into the trees, the sound became louder, more prominent. It was as if she could hear the song in the trees, not in her head. 

Looking beyond the path, she saw a figure standing by an enormous tree. Curious, she continued, noticing the music was coming from him. 

"Don't," the low hum of a voice echoed in her head. She paused, fear coursing through her. 

"Hello?" She whispered into the wind. There was no answer other than the sweet melody. She was drawn to the tallest tree in the forest. A man stood there with the violin. He held part of it under his chin with his left hand. His right carried a bow that moved back and forth on the strings of the object, creating the melody she had fallen in love with.