Rapunzel's Escape

Word Count: 3420

Rapunzel

Come, young ones, sit down beside me. I’m going to tell you a bed-time story. Yes, that’s right. Gather around. Everyone comfortable? All right.

This is the story of Rapunzel. No, no. Don’t groan. For tonight, I’m not going to tell you the tale of Rapunzel as it is known. I’m going to tell you the true tale of Rapunzel. Ah, I see many curious faces. Fear not, for I will reveal all in good time.

Now, young ones, all of you are familiar with the tale, yes? Good, good. Rapunzel met her Prince, did she not? Every evening, he would bring her fine silk, and she would set about weaving a ladder for her escape, is that not correct? Well, the fairy tale has it that Dame Gothel caught her and threw her in the desert to fend for herself. That is erroneous. Rapunzel did manage to escape from the tower. No, don’t look at me like that. I told you, I’m telling you the story of Rapunzel as no one has ever heard it before. So, shush, and listen.

The day when Rapunzel would finish spinning her ladder finally arrived. The Prince eagerly waited at the bottom of the tower in the evening, as they had planned. He took a deep breath, and with a strong voice that held only a tremor of excitement, he cried:

“Rapunzel, Rapunzel,
Let down your hair to me!”

To his utmost delight, the usual rope of hair did not tumble down. Instead, a beautifully woven white silk ladder dropped from the tower’s only window. From below, he could see Rapunzel’s silhouette, escaping from the tower that had locked her away from the world for the past half a decade. At long last, he thought, they would be together! At long last, she would be free from Dame Gothel.

Rapunzel eventually landed on the matted grass, for it was a long climb down from the top of the tower. There was something amiss, he thought as Rapunzel turned to face him, but he couldn’t quite place it. Then he realized what it was. “Rapunzel, Rapunzel,” he exclaimed, “Your hair! It is gone!” You see, Rapunzel had snipped off her beautiful, fine golden hair to chin level.

“My dear Prince, I have cut it so that it will not be a burden during our escape,” Rapunzel explained in her melodious voice. “My hair is terribly heavy. It will only slow us down.”

The Prince’s face lit up with understanding. “You are indeed wise, my dear bride-to-be.” He embraced her and kissed her ever so tenderly.

“Let us leave at once,” Rapunzel whispered, glancing around as if Dame Gothel would step out with an "aha! I've got you now!". “I do not wish to be caught by Dame Gothel. In a few hours, she will be back. We must make haste.” She stopped abruptly. “But before we leave, we must destroy the ladder.”

The Prince bestowed upon her his most charming smile. Yes, Princes’ smiles are charming indeed. Don’t ask me “in what way”! You just have to take my word for it. Shush now, let me proceed. How can I finish the story if you disrupt my story with questions?

Now, where was I? Oh yes. “Do not worry, Rapunzel,” the Prince assured her. “I have just the thing.” He produced from his pocket steel and flint. With an ease that could only be acquired through experience, he lit the bottom of the ladder.

“But, Prince!” cried Rapunzel, who was too late to stop him. “This will lead to a huge fire, and it will burn down the tower.”

“Rapunzel, my love, this tower has kept you away from me for endless days and nights. It has kept you in isolation for far too long. Do not worry, it is only the tower that we are burning, and not a living creature,” he comforted her.

“It was my home for such a long time!” Rapunzel wailed.

“My love, my darling, my sweetheart, please do not cry.” He kissed her cheeks gently. “When we get back to my Palace, I will convince my father, the King, to let us marry. The Palace will be your new home. You’ll like it, you’ll see!” Smoke soon surrounded the area, causing the two of them to choke.

“Come,” the Prince offered his hand. “It is unwise to tarry. We must be on our way. My trusty white steed will run like the wind, and soon, we will be out of this wretched place, headed for home. Our home,” he took care to emphasize. Rapunzel took the proffered hand reluctantly. With one last glance at the now burning tower, she let her husband-to-be help her up the horse. The Prince mounted behind her and they were off, bounded for their new life.

True to his word, in a flash, they were out of the Enchanted Forest. They reached the Prince’s Kingdom in a short while. You see, the Kingdom was relatively near the Enchanted Forest, else, how could the Prince come by the tower every day?

Anyhow, the Prince introduced Rapunzel to his parents the very next morning and declared his intentions to marry her. The King and Queen were not in the least pleased with his announcement, as all blue-blooded mothers and fathers would not be if they were in the royal couple’s position. After all, a girl of unknown origins marrying into the royal family was scandalous, to say the least! Princes only married Princesses. That was only acceptable. Huh? Yes, yes, Ida, that means you can't marry a Prince either. At least not without difficulties. Prince William? I don't think you're being realistic, Ida - Look, children, it's getting late, so do you want me to finish this story or not? Stop interrupting!

Hmph! So, they had an intense, roaring argument that cool morning, I must say, while Rapunzel sat close by, wringing her hands. Eventually, the parents relented. They understood their son well enough to know that once he had decided on something, it was close to impossible to dislodge the idea. Arrangements were made for the wedding to be held the very next day, for the Prince did not want his parents to have second thoughts about the marriage.

The Prince made sure to invite Rapunzel’s real parents to the wedding. “I want,” he had said firmly, “your parents to be there to witness the most important day of your life. I want them to be well assured that you are marrying someone who loves you deeply.” His tone brooked no arguments, and that night, Rapunzel’s parents were whisked from their tiny cottage to the Palace. It was a secret operation, of course. No one wanted Dame Gothel, who lived just next to them, to get wind of the news and wreck the wedding.

On the day of the wedding, the entire square, every nook and cranny, was crammed with people. A platform had been set up, just in front of the square’s fountain, so that the residents of the Kingdom were able to see their new princess up close.

The moment Rapunzel stepped out of the carriage, a collective gasp spread through the crowd. “She’s beautiful, is she not?” “Just simply marvellous!” “And so gentle and kind, I heard.” Rapunzel’s father guided her up the steep steps to where the Priest stood waiting, pride filling his chest until it almost burst his shirt buttons. I know, young ones, I know. Funny, isn’t it? For the man, who had never been part of her life at all, to be so proud of her. Nonetheless, we must keep in mind that she was still, after all, his daughter.

So, anyway, when the Prince, decked out in his finest, came forward to meet his bride at the altar, the Priest cleared his throat. “We are gathered here today in this company to witness the marriage of this man and woman. If there is anyone who finds any reason to oppose this marriage, please speak now, or forever hold your peace.”

There was silence. After all, who would dream of opposing the holy matrimony between the courageous Prince and the beautiful Rapunzel? As there were no objections, the Priest turned to the Prince. “Do you -” he had just started when from the crowd a voice croaked, “I oppose. I oppose this marriage.”

Another gasp rippled through the crowd. The audacity of this person! They buzzed with anger on behalf of the royal couple-to-be. How dare he… Or she? They couldn’t tell, you see, from the low, deep voice, if it was a man or a woman who had spoken.

The Priest squinted and searched the sea of people for the owner of the voice. “Step forward, if you will, and explain why you oppose this marriage,” he demanded. A figure shrouded in a cloak weaved its way through the throng of people, not that it needed much weaving because once the Kingdom’s residents knew of the figure’s intent, the horde parted like the Red Sea parted for Moses.

The Priest repeated his question when the figure reached the platform, and the entire square, nay, the entire city, waited with bated breath to hear what the figure had to say.

The figure threw back the hood of the cloak, revealing a wrinkled face. The Prince took in a sharp breath. The Enchantress! But how – But why –  His mind raced with questions, as yours must be, right now. But what she said next was even more shocking.

“I am the real Rapunzel. She is Dame Gothel!”

The Rapunzel in the wedding gown rushed the Priest. “Do not bother with this doodling old fool. Let us carry on. She is mentally diseased.” The Priest looked towards the Prince for guidance, but even he looked utterly incapable of action, despite having been trained as a knight to deal with all emergencies. Well, all emergencies except ones concerning marriages, I suppose.

Behind the Priest, the Queen collapsed into a dead faint and had to be escorted back to the Palace. The King rubbed the sides of his cheeks furiously, the only refrain in his mind was: “This is bound to ruin our Kingdom’s reputation!”

“When I was twelve, Dame Gothel whisked me to the forest and locked me up in a tower. She wanted a young body and I was a convenient vessel. So, employing the dark arts, she exchanged bodies with me – ” the hag directed her words to the Prince, but the first few rows of people around the platform heard them quite clearly too and the message that the bride wasn't who they thought she was spread like wildfire through the horde.

“She lies!” Rapunzel-Dame-Gothel, as I will call Bride Rapunzel to avoid confusion, raged. “Do not listen to her!”

“I lie not! She is the true witch, not I! The woman you're marrying now is a scheming old hag who only wants power and control over your kingdom, sire! Please, Your Highness, believe me, for your own good!”

The Prince took a step backwards, unable to make a decision. What was he to do, when suddenly confronted with the possibility that his bride was an imposter? That he'd fallen in love with a century-year-old (possibly) witch? He wasn't the only one struggling with discerning reality from the tangled web of lies. The entire city was in a state of confusion. Who to believe? I tell you, children, if I were there, I'd have been confounded too.

Rapunzel-Dame-Gothel appealed to the Prince, “Don't listen to her! I am Rapunzel, the woman you fell in love with in the forest. She's just jealous that I have you! That I will have this all, and that she won't. You are my all, my darling. Please, believe me!” The Prince backed away, still.

“I don't know who to trust anymore,” he moaned, head gripped between his calloused hands. “Don't come near me! Don't come near me!”

Rapunzel-Dame-Gothel's head swivelled around to face the old crone. “You! You came here and destroyed the wedding that I'd planned so long for! You ought to pay!” At which point, she rushed up to the old woman standing at the steps and produced a knife from somewhere in the folds of her wedding dress. For someone so ancient, the crone was surprisingly dexterous. She side-stepped the attack. Hold on, hold on! Older children, cover the younger children's ears. Stick your fingers in their ears if necessary. I don't want them to hear  this part of the story. It's too violent for their sensitive ears. If the younger ones struggle, pin them down! All done? Joshua! Stop wiggling about. When you're older, I'll tell you the complete story! Right. Let me proceed then.

Rapunzel-Dame-Gothel lost balance and she fell, tumbling down the steps. Unfortunately for her, during the fall, she somehow managed to stick the knife into her belly. So, when she eventually came to rest at the bottom of the steps, blood was gushing from the gash in her stomach.

“You ungrateful child!” Rapunzel-Dame-Gothel's voice grew dark, more sinister as she lay on the ground, unable to pull herself up. The witch wiped one bloody hand across her face, smearing the red liquid all over her cheeks. “If I hadn't lost my powers, I would be able to heal myself and kill you instantly.”

The old woman gave a shout of laughter as she hobbled down the steps. “It's too late, Dame Gothel,” she gloated. “You have already exchanged your powers – the powers you'd gotten by giving away your soul –  for beauty and youth. It's time for me to exact my revenge. I've plotted for five years for this day and will not be deterred from my sweet revenge!” Despite the potential injury to her innards, Rapunzel-Dame-Gothel pulled the knife savagely out of her body. “Come any closer and I'll slash you!” she threatened, her knife trembling in the air.

The old woman produced her own jewel-hilted dagger. “Kill me? Dame Gothel, you have no idea how laughable that idea is now.”

She raised the dagger high, the rubies studding the hilt flashed in the sunlight.

Rapunzel-Dame-Gothel gave a spurt of laughter, mixed with pain. The jewelled dagger stalled. “You think that you have defeated me? Never! I will have the last laugh! Before my soul goes to the Dark One, I will destroy your lives! Rapunzel, oh Rapunzel. It was not I, never I, who wanted you at first. It was your mother! You asked me which mother would harm her own child a long time ago. Well, there she is!” She pointed to Rapunzel’s mother, who paled under the accusing finger. She persisted gleefully, despite the terrible bleeding, knowing the more she revealed, the greater the destruction. “She had an illicit affair with John the Butcher, and was impregnated with his child. It was impossible to hide your parentage, that much she was sure. Once you grew up, she reasoned, you wouldn’t resemble her husband, your father in name, at all! So, she got me to concoct that silly plan to take you away, in exchange for rampion. Have you heard of anything so utterly senseless? As if I’m so selfish as to not share my rampion.” At this point, I must pause to let you all know that in the village where she came from, she was known as the Selfish Enchantress. But, young ones, know that people have a habit of portraying themselves to be more angelic than they really are. It is only human nature. The Selfish Enchantress was human too, even though she was a witch.

Rapunzel-Dame-Gothel carried on her tirade, “And your father! He was a fool! Blinded by the disease called love. He believed everything I said, and willingly gave you up. If you want to blame anyone for your sorry plight,” she spat the words out, “blame your mother! At first, I didn't know what I was going to do with you. But it was your mother who suggested something like taking your beauty away and feeding it into my own body. She, of course, didn't know the technicalities of it, but it was still her suggestion. She was the one who wanted you dead. If she hadn't offered you up to me, I would never have gotten the idea to exchange bodies with you – ” Just at that moment, the Enchantress gasped as the old hag stabbed the dagger into her heart.

Storm clouds gathered and lightning flashed across the skies. The square that had just before seen sunlight, now saw only potential for a disaster as biting wind whipped across the city, announcing the arrival of an ominous presence.

The Dark One had arrived to take Dame Gothel away.

All eyes were riveted on the whirlwind above the Enchantress's body. Black smoke swilled around the two figures. Rapunzel-Dame-Gothel arched her back involuntarily as little white wisps escaped from her mouth, sucked into the whirlwind.

Then. “Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!” The entire city shook with her agonized cries that seemed only to fade after a long long while.

When the smoke cleared, the old crone's body was gone. Only Rapunzel's remained on the ground. No one moved, for they were unsure of what had really happened.

Rapunzel climbed to her feet wearily. She stared at her youthful hands and began to sob. “I'm finally myself! No more aches!” she wept.

Then, as if remembering something, she lifted her head and looked over to where her parents stood. She was having great difficulty believing what Dame Gothel had revealed. I see from your agape mouths that you too, are having a hard time with this part of the story. But, I assure you, that it's true. Rapunzel’s mother was, indeed, the mastermind behind the abduction of her own child. No one, however, could be more disbelieving than Rapunzel. In her heart of hearts, she wanted to continue trusting her mother.

Her eyes conveyed the question, “Was what Dame Gothel said true?” Rapunzel’s mother said nothing and avoided her gaze, her silence testament to her shame. “I’m sorry,” she finally whispered. “So sorry.” as her daughter fainted in front of her. Heroines, too, have their weak moments, my dear children.

Eventually, Rapunzel came to and in time, told her side of the story to the grave-looking imperial family.

When Rapunzel turned twelve, Dame Gothel had performed a special switching bodies spell.  Unbeknownst to her, the switching spell depleted her powers until there was none left. Since she'd lost all magical powers, she decided to seduce the Prince in order to secure riches. The Prince often rode at a certain hour past the forest. One day, she set a trap and timed it so that Rapunzel (in the body of the old crone) yelled loudly enough to attract the Prince's attention and to give him an idea of how to get up the tower.

Remember that on the day of the escape​, the Prince burned down the tower? Actually, all Dame Gothel had wanted was for the ladder to be burnt so that Rapunzel wouldn't be able to run away. When the Prince set the tower on fire, Dame Gothel felt slightly upset (after all, she'd lived with Rapunzel for such a long time and was bound to feel a little for her), but not enough to put the fire out to save Rapunzel. Fortunately, a kindly woodcutter passed by and saved her by letting her jump into his cart. Once the tower was burned down, Rapunzel was no longer chained to the tower by magical binds, and so she hastened to town prevent the Prince from making the biggest mistake of his life.

Was there a happy ending for them, you ask? Well, the entire episode was too traumatic for the Prince and so he went berserk and had to be locked up to prevent him from harming others and himself. Rapunzel's parents reconciled, despite the terrible revelation. And, Rapunzel? Well, she married the woodcutter who saved her, and they had ten children altogether.

So, you could say that, except for the prince, everyone else lived happily ever after.

Ah, it’s getting late, my young ones. Time for bed. What? Oh, yes, yes. I'm sorry, I forgot. Older chiildren, you may unplug your fingers from the young ones' ears now. All right, get all of your bottoms to bed! Yes, yes, Ida, I will tell you another story tomorrow. Off with you. Good night!

-End-

Reference: http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/UBooks/Rapu.shtml