The Darkness Within

Prologue

Once upon a time, in a land far, far, away, there lived the kingdom of Corona. And in the kingdom of Corona, a king and a queen had a beautiful baby girl. A princess to be exact! And on this particular day, the king and queen would launch lanterns into the sky, celebrating the princess's birthday. Everything was just how it should've been.

As the years passed, Rapunzel grew up to become kind, smart, and beautiful. She had everything! She had the king and queen, her kingdom, and her loyal subjects. She treated everyone with love and respect. Especially a certain someone named Jackson Overland.

It was the middle winter. The pond just outside of Jack's home was frozen solid. Perfect for skating. "Come on, Jack! We don't have all day!" Rapunzel said as she pulled Jack towards the frozen pond. "Okay, okay, Punzie! Take it easy!" She smiled at the way he called her Punzie. She always loved it.

Hours later...

"Jack... I'm scared." Looking down, the princess watched as the ice beneath her skates began to crack. "It's okay! It's okay! It's gonna be okay.." Jack had thrown his skates off and crouched there for a moment, thinking of a way to save his closest friend before it was too late. Suddenly, an idea popped into his mind.

"Hey! How 'bout we have a little fun instead?" Jack said, still smiling. "Yeah... Lets play hopscotch! Like we always do." He suggested. "Hopscotch? Jack I'm gonna fall!" Rapunzel whined. "No you're not. Would I trick you?" "Yes! You always play tricks!" "Well... Not this time. I'll go first, alright." His eyes fell to the ice. If he made a mistake, everything would be lost. Taking a deep breath, Jack started.

"One.." He stepped to his right, feeling the ice crack beneath his bare foot. Knowing that Rapunzel was still afraid, he pretended to lose his balance. "Woah!" It made the princess chuckle. "Two..." He stepped closer and quicker towards his staff, taking a huge leap away from the crack in the ice. "Three." As he took his third leap, Jack was able to reach his staff. He remained in his crouched position as he aimed the hook in Rapunzel's direction. "Now it's your turn." Jack said.

She looked down at her feet; her fear returning back to her. But she moved as Jack counted. "One..." She took a small baby step towards him. "Two..." Another baby step. "Three!" He hooked his staff around Rapunzel's waist, yanking her towards him as he fell in her place. "Jack, you did it!" The princess smiled at her savior, tucking a strand of long brown hair behind her ear. Jack smiled brightly. "See! I told you!" Suddenly, just as he was about to step towards her, the ice beneath his feet cracked even more. It gave in, forcing Jack to fall into the freezing cold waters of the pond. "Jack!" Rapunzel called out. She threw the skates off of her feet and ran to the hole in the ice, watching and waiting. Waiting for Jack to crawl out of the water and be okay. But it never happened.

Later that day...

Hours passed, and there was no sign of him. Of Jack. The princess gave up hope and scooped up her skates, heading back home to the castle. Jack was gone for good. Her heart broke into a million pieces.

The sun felt bad for Rapunzel. She had lost someone nearest and dearest to her heart.

Knowing what was to become of Jack's fate, she allowed a tiny droplet of herself to fall to the Earth below. And from that drop of sun, grew a magic golden flower. The sun called out to the princess, hoping that she would see the flower.

"Rapunzel... Rapunzel..." She whispered.

"Huh?" Rapunzel turned, looking for the source of the voice. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a golden light shining behind a bush.

With her curiousities peaked, she went towards the bush. Pushing the leaves out of the way, she saw the magic golden flower. Rapunzel reached out to touch it. And as she did, the flower faded away into gold dust. Her hair became golden blonde and grew to be about 70 feet long. "W-what's happening?"

"Rapunzel..." The sun whispered.

Rapunzel looked up to find the source of the voice. "Sonya... The sun? Like in my books?"

"That's right, Rapunzel."

"What's happened to me?" The princess asked.

The sun explained that she had given the golden flower to Rapunzel as a gift. And since she touched it, she was given immortality and the gift of healing. But instead of being overjoyed, Rapunzel was horror struck. She would never be able to see Jack again. Not in the afterlife, at least. He was gone forever.

Because her heart was still darkened by his loss, her hair became black and her dress became a light purple. "What have you done?!" Rapunzel was sure the sun had done this, but it was not her doing. As she looked at the grass beneath her feet, it became grey, dying in almost an instant. As she looked back, she saw that her long hair was having the same affect. "No, no, no!"

Realizing that she was too dangerous for her kingdom and that they would never accept her, Rapunzel ran deep into the forest, never to be seen again. She lived in the forest for three hundred years, trying her hardest to forget her old past, for it would only cause her pain. And it worked. She forgot everything. Until one day...

The Guardians needed her.