Hello people and welcome to my fanfic! A few things before you can read it:

First of all I have written this mostly for the background of my roleplaying account mothergothell (if you are curious search me on tumblr!).

Second, this does not excuse behavior, it only explains. We all know and agree that what Gothel did to Rapunzel was terrible and should not be forgiven.

Anyways, enjoy!

Becoming Evil

A Fanfic by Cam L.

Prologue

Gothel was running, or at least attempting to.

It was late in the night. She could hear the mob behind her, their torches filling the air with a smoke scent. If she looked back, she could see the lights getting closer and closer. Gothel needed to run faster. The forest wouldn't allow her, though. At every step that she took some branch or root would slow her down, making her ankle hurt even more and her face get quite a few scratches. It was almost as if not even the woods wanted Gothel to escape her fate.

She didn't know where she was going. All she knew was that she needed to go as far as possible from the village she was born and lived in for thirteen years of her life. And so, she kept running.

The week started just like any other: Gothel had woken up early to help her mother, Catharina, with the house choirs while she attended her morning patients. Catharina, unlike most of the women from the fourteenth century, had a job. She was a physician, very well known between the peasants but completely ignored by the nobles. Most of her patients used to say she had a magical touch, that she could heal almost every sickness they had.

That was, of course, before the plague hit the kingdom.

After the Black Death arrived, Catharina's clients only grew. She would later find out, in a terrible way, that such disease was beyond her knowledge. She lost many patients those first years, including Gothel's father, Friedrich.

Gothel couldn't remember much of her old man. She was only six when he died. One of the few things she did remember from her childhood was a tale of a magical flower that could heal every injury and bring years to those who lost. It was Catharina who told her the story, just before her father got sick. He hated that tale – or at least it was what Gothel thought. Friedrich would often enter her room and ask her if she truly believed such blossom existed, concern in his grayish blue eyes. Gothel didn't know back then that what he felt wasn't hate, but fear.

"You're leaving already, dear?" Catharina asked, pulling Gothel out of her reverie. Her black, wavy hair was tied in a bun, like she usually did whenever she was working. Her mother's waves were better behaved and way more beautiful than Gothel's messy curls that she earned from her father.

"Yeah mom."

"Well then, I want you to bring me these herbs." She stepped away from her patient, Thomas, and handed Gothel a list with no more than five names.

She folded the list, put it on her dress' pocket, left her house and closed the door behind her, saying goodbye to both her mother and Thomas, a handsome, red headed, thirty year old man that constantly went to the physician asking her to do a check up, even though everything seemed fine with him. Gothel imagined his true intentions were to spend some time with Catharina. She couldn't judge him. Her mother was a gorgeous widow. Any man would be lucky to have her.

Gothel headed towards the market, a place in which she loved to be. It was where people who had been in far off lands would tell their stories, where royals could be seen amongst commoners and, more importantly, it was right next to the Palace's main gates.

She liked to look through the metal bars, watching the movement in the garden. She often imagined what would be like to live in the castle, with maids and knights, tons of dresses and jewels beyond anyone's dreams. Gothel knew it wasn't going to happen, but she liked to think she was the princess whenever she stared at the Palace.

"Good morning, Madge." She said to the woman behind a stall filled with plants.

"Good morning, Gothel. Do I get you the usual?"

"No, not this time." Gothel picked the list and gave it to the smiley forty year old woman.

"I'll get right to it." Madge said and turned around, searching for the unique herbs her mother had requested this time.

Margery – or, as she preferred to be called, Madge – was quite a unique woman. She was married to a fat and rude swordsman, Bernard. No one could tell why such a sweet person would marry someone like him. She wasn't what most considered beautiful: overweigh, incredibly pale, short and messy blond hair… But for Gothel, Madge still had her charm. For instance, she had the most beautiful smile the girl had ever seen. She also had unbelievably yellow eyes. Most of the people had blue, green, even brown eyes. However, Gothel could never find another person to have Madge's golden hues.

Besides all that, there was also the woman's personality. Madge would always help, no matter who it was, and without charging anything. Bernard did not deserve such woman, and yet they were married. There was a time some villagers said the swordsman used to hit Madge when she arrived home with less than the needed for a good meal. Of course, no one had ever asked her if the rumors were true, but it was clear that she knew what people were talking behind her back.

"There you go, sweetie." Madge handed her a small bag filled with plants Gothel had given up on memorizing.

"Thanks Madge. I'll see you later." She started to turn back home when she was stopped by a tall Palace guard with black hair and dark eyes. Even though he had young and strong features, something about the way he stood, the way he talked and the expression in his eyes said he wasn't like the others. Most of the knights were serious and cruel. Gothel had seen several times, on that same place, many of those men hit peasants without any compassion, and some of them usually laughed at the scenario, taking pleasure on mistreating those who weren't high born. However, the guard that stood right in front of her seemed to be, against all odds, a nice person.

"Excuse me…" He began, kneeling in order to be on the same height as Gothel. "Are you the physician's daughter?"

"I- I…" Gothel was scared but also stunned with the fact that an actual guard stopped to talk to her. And that he had knelt to her. "Hm. Yes. Yes I am, why?" She didn't need to ask him what physician was he talking about, seen that there was only one amongst the peasants.

"The King requires her assistance." The guard said, standing up. Gothel didn't notice how tall he was before. Now that she stopped to think about it, she imagined he should be almost two meters, if not taller.

"The… the King?!" She was surprised that King Rupert had asked for her mother. He'd never paid attention to her, not even once. Not even when he needed a new physician. He just imported another person instead of asking for Catharina. So that was, besides terribly strange and suspicious, incredible.

"Tell her to head to the Palace by dawn. It is a subject that needs to be discussed with urgency. Do you understand me, child?"

"Ye- yes Sir." She bowed to him and was going to run towards her place when a question occurred to her. Gothel spun on her feet and screamed.

"Wait!"

The guard turned around, looking down at her.

"I didn't catch your name."

"Why do you want to know my name?" He asked, clearly confused by her question. No one ever asked a guard his name before. No one of her kind, at least.

"Well… You're the first knight I have ever met." She confessed. "Now, with all due respect Sir, will you tell me your name once and for all?"

The guard smiled before answering her question. "It's Brandon, child. But you can call me Bran."

"Bran…" She smiled at the sound of his name. "Bran, the nice knight."

"What did you say?"

"What? It suits you." A smirk grew on her face.

"You must be joking, child." Bran's smile widened.

"I'm not." Gothel started to slowly walk away from her new friend, but never tuning her back. "And stop calling me child!" She screamed, watching Bran stand still where she left him, his smile only growing. "I'm thirteen already!" And with that, Gothel turned away and ran home to tell her mother the good news.

She missed Bran. Gothel had only known him for a week, but he was the best friend she ever had. Back into the woods, running through the moonless night, one of the things she wanted the most was to have Bran, the nice knight, there to protect her. But, of course, he and all the other things of her life in that village were gone. Gothel was all alone now.

By the sunset, both Gothel and her mother went to the Palace's main gates. There they were escorted by two guards who, unlike Bran, weren't at all that friendly. Whenever Gothel asked something none of them would answer. She was starting to dislike the idea of living surrounded by knights.

The two men lead them straight to the throne room, where King Rupert, a rather fat and old man, awaited sitting in the huge chair in the center of the room, his right hand on his head, fingers curled up with his sparse black hair, the crown almost falling.

"You requested me, Your Grace?" Catharina asked, taking a step forward.

"Why, yes, yes. You are Catharina, the peasants' physician, right?" King Rupert rose from the throne and fixed the crown, concern in his tone. Both Gothel and her mother knew very well what that tone meant.

"I would prefer you did not call my clients peasants, Your Grace."

"Of course… I am sorry." He made a gesture with his hands and in the next moment the guards were gone. "Shall we start our business?"

Catharina listened carefully to what the King had to say, not even once changing her expression. His son, the prince, was sick and the royal physician said it seemed to be the Black Death. He said that, since Catharina had more experience with the Black Death scenario, maybe she could cure his first born. When her mother started explaining that the plague was beyond her expertise, the King stopped her mid-sentence.

"But you do know other ways, don't you?"

"Other ways? I don't…" While Catharina had a hard time figuring out what the King meant with that, Gothel took a step forward.

"You mean magic?" She asked, her grayish blue eyes sparkling with hope.

"Oh, hm…" King Rupert seemed confused for a second, as if he had just noticed Gothel's presence. "You can put it that way."

"Magic?" Catharina had her arm around Gothel, already pushing her back. "But… It's forbidden, Your Grace."

"Not if it comes from an object." He smiled. "I've heard you know of a blossom that could cure my son."

"Does he mean the sun flo-" Gothel's mother covered her mouth before she could finish.

"What did your daughter say?"

"It's just a myth, of course, nothing more. I'm afraid we cannot help you. Your Grace." Catharina bowed and was ready to leave when King Rupert made a proposal she couldn't refuse.

"I'll let you use magic." He began, loud and clear. Catharina, who had given him her back, turned around. "If you help me find the flower, you shall be able to use magic on your costumers. You must not tell anyone, of course. And your daughter…" He turned to Gothel, "… she will never have to worry about being hungry ever again."

There was a silence for a moment. Gothel could see in her mother's green hues that her mind was working, trying to find a way out. She didn't know why Catharina was trying to refuse the offer, but it was noticeable that she didn't want to accept.

"All I need to do… is find the flower? Nothing more?"

"Find it and bring it to me, of course." King Rupert raised his hand. "Do we have a deal?"

"Yes… Your Grace." Catharina then shook hands with him and left the castle.

Just to imagine that all the mess she was in started that day… Just to think it was all King Rupert's fault… Gothel regretted talking too much. She should've said nothing. In fact, she should've listened to Catharina and stayed home. If she had obeyed her mother none of those things would be happening. But Gothel was a stupid child and just had to go see the Palace with her own eyes. A stupid girl with stupid dreams. She'd learnt her lesson now…

Aaaaaaand cliffhanger. I'm so not sorry for doing a cliffhanger already, but this chapter was mostly to introduce all the other characters none of you ever heard of. Anyways, real action starts on chapter one! Why is she running? Why is she all alone? Where is her mother? And Bran? What did the King do? Just stay tuned to figure it out!

© Cam L.

This story can only be posted on other websites with Cam's permission. Gothel and all Tangled characters are owned by Disney. All original characters belong to Cam L.