What Kills Fear?

Chapter 1

Gothel always hid in plain sight. She could easily blend in with the crowd. And that reason was her youthful appearance. If she looked as old as she actually was then she would be obviously stick out. But the way she avoided that was a flower. A flower that had fallen as a droplet from the sun. The flower was so powerful most of its uses were unknown. Centuries ago the flower was a rumor, a myth. And only one person knew of its existence, Gothel. But Gothel only knew it could maintain her gorgeous looks. She had no other use for it.

One night the queen of corona was giving birth but she wasn't going to survive it. The king, devastated tried everything he could but it was almost too late. In a last effort he sent his guards out to look for the flower that has only been talked about in whispers for centuries. Hours were spent searching for the plant, they could have easily passed it considering no one seen it. But luckily a group of guards found it, due to its bright, glowing appearance.
They quickly brought it to the palace chefs which turned it into a broth for soup so the queen could easily consume it.
Soon, a bouncing baby girl was born. Her hair took on the golden color of the flower. But that's not all she inherited, the powers also transferred into the infant. Something no one was aware of.
But Gothel had a theory and that theory was her only hope of getting her immortality back.
At night Gothel fashioned a rope and used it to climb into the King and Queen's room to take their newborn.
When Gothel got the child back to her tower she learned her theory was correct. After singing the special song Gothel began to look like her younger self.

She was able to keep Rapunzel hidden for almost a month before she got the feeling she was being watched. She was in a locked tower hidden away from the world. How could anyone possibly know where she is. That's what Gothel would think to remove her doubts. But one day, in the corner of her kitchen a shadow towards the back wall of the room started growing. It got bigger and bigger until it slowly engulfed Gothel.
With the blink of her eyes she was in a completely different space. It was dark and ominous.
"Hello," A voice said from the shadows, it sounded like the person speaking was everywhere in the room at once, "Gothel." The voice finished.
"Who are you?" Gothel said putting up a front trying to hide her fear, because even being a witch as long as she was, she had never seen anything like this. "How do you know my name?" She asked after the voice didn't respond to her first question.
"My name is not important. But I know many things, Gothel. Like about that little girl you've recently kidnapped for your own selfish gain. And I know you're afraid of losing her and getting caught." The voice said, with a small chuckle after he finished his sentence.
"What do you want?" Gothel asked aggressively looking in all directions of the area she was recently put in.
"What I want is simple," the voice added, "I want her."
Gothel shook her head, "No." She yelled.
The voice was getting closer but everything in the room stayed the same, "Gothel, don't think so poorly of me, I am willing to make a trade."
Gothel's ear perked up, "Oh, do you think you can give me something better than a girl with powers?" She said continuing to look around.
The voice laughed, "Maybe not, but I can give you what you're after." The voice seen the curiosity in her eyes, "I can give you eternal youth and with it immortality. And you wouldn't have to rely on a child to sing you a song once a week. You'd have no one to look after but yourself."
Gothel didn't hesitate, "Then, it's a deal. But tell me, why do you want this annoying child so badly?" She asked.
The voice chuckled, "I have my reasons, as you had yours." The voice was now directly beside Gothel's ear but no one was near her, "leave the girl outside of the tower at midnight. Make sure to go back into your home and don't look back at the child."
Gothel nodded as the shadows consumed her and she reappeared back into her tower.
The baby was crying, "Ugh, do you ever shut up?" Gothel asked the whining child. "Luckily, I won't have to deal with you much longer." She said throwing a bottle of formula into the bassinet. The baby picked it up, and though it took numerous attempts the child was able to drink out of it. Gothel looked at her and shook her head, "Well, you're a fast learner you little rodent, I'll give you that."

Gothel did just as the voice had said and left the child outside the tower without looking back. But she could see the sky get surrounded by black clouds as a thunder storm rolled in. And dark fog arose from the ground. The baby was crying making Gothel want to turn around and make sure she was okay, it was a defenseless child after all. But she fought the urge and as soon as the sounds from the baby stopped, the sky and ground cleared, showing back the full moon.

Pitch, the voice from eariler, had made a sectioned off part of the lair. The entrance was a hole in the rock wall and he had made it look as if it remained the same with an illusion. He put the child in the hole and had began turning it into a proper home. The baby would never realize what it actually was. Especially if she was to be raised knowing only what Pitch would allow her too.
When Queen Arianna gave birth to the child, the main thing she craved was lettuce. The kingdom ended up stocking on the vegetable and now have a good years supply. But this inconvenience helped Pitch pick out the name he thought would best suit the child, Rapunzel.
She was to be kept hidden from the world. Something so rare and so precious must be protected.