Rapunzel: A Twisted Fate

"Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair!" shouted Gothel towards the tall, stone tower that stood in a seclusive forest. Not long after she uttered the command, a long trail of blonde hair, like a golden waterfall, came falling fifty feet from the tower balcony at the old woman's feet. She roughly snatched a handful of the beautiful locks and began to climb up it as if she were scaling a high mountain.

"Ouch! Be careful, you're hurting me!" cried a soft voice from the top of the tower. Gothel ignored it and continued to climb. When she finally reached the top, she was met by the most beautiful girl that anyone had ever seen.

Her features were soft and fair, complemented by her gorgeous green eyes. Even more beautiful than her eyes was her long, blonde hair. Her hair had never been cut, leaving it trailing far, far behind her.

"Dame Gothel, why is it that you use so much force on my hair?" she asked the older woman as she stroked her hair.

"Rapunzel, you try climbing a rope of hair and tell me!" she snapped. Her demeanor, however, softened at the sight of Rapunzel's sad eyes. "I'm sorry, my dear. I didn't mean to shout," she said, her voice now soft. "I'm just a little tired from being out all night." Gothel produced from under her robes a small leather pouch. She opened the pouch and took out a couple of lovely earrings. "For you, Rapunzel." She handed the earrings to the younger woman and Rapunzel took them with eagerness. She studied the gold earrings with two, small rubies in the center and smiled.

"Thank you so much," said Rapunzel. "These must have been hard to get."

"Yes, a whole night's work," she agreed. "But it was worth it. Happy Birthday, my child." Rapunzel bent down and kissed Gothel on the cheek in return for the present. Gothel yawned and started to leave the room. "Now I must sleep," she told Rapunzel.

"Goodnight," Rapunzel said as Gothel strode down the stairs to her chamber. Rapunzel sighed. She walked over to her tall, brass mirror and fixed the earrings in her ears. They sparkled in the morning sunlight, but were not as beautiful as her. She sighed again and went and stood on the balcony. She gazed at the world around her; a world she had yet to see. For as far as her eyes could see, she could see nothing but trees swaying in the wind. The noise and song of the woodland animals resounded in chorus as they woke from their peaceful slumber.

Rapunzel liked watching the animals play and gather food. She liked listening to the conversations they had with one another and how they always seemed to be running to and fro, busy to get their day started. But another part of her envied those animals.

"When will my freedom be granted?" she sighed. "When will my life begin?" As much as she loved Gothel, a secret part of her hated the woman. When she was twelve years old, she shut Rapunzel up in a tower in the middle of nowhere. The tower was extremely tall and made of solid stone. There were no doors or windows save for the small balcony that she stood on now.

There were many times where she thought of escaping, but it was futile. She couldn't climb down using her hair like Gothel, and she did not have any rope either. She tried as hard as she could to tolerate the woman for deep down she knew she loved her.

Rapunzel looked down towards the forest floor and saw a band of animals had gathered. She couldn't help but smile. Every morning, the woodland animals gathered around the tower to hear her sing. And she never disappointed them. Taking a deep breath, she sang out, quietly at first, then stronger and louder as she threw out what was in her heart. Her voice was so lovely to hear. Its melodious and enchanting sound could lift even the saddest of souls. Or the complete opposite.

Today it was the later. That day was Rapunzel's fifteenth birthday. More than the beautiful earrings, she longed for her freedom. But as long as Dame Gothel was around, she knew it would never be. By the end of her song, her eyes were wet with tears, as were the animals. After a few moments of weeping, the animals turned to leave.