Another lonely day in the tower. Another day of Gothel making another braid in her hair.
Rapunzel counted by the still visible marks on the wall above the fireplace. Gothel counts with braids.
Until she hears something. The sound of something being softly banged against the walls of her prison.
She stands and hides behind the curtain. Keeping her magic ready, she looks at the window.
A young man appears, panting, and sits at the windowsill to catch his breath. She can see his blonde hair stick to his forehead with sweat. He's carrying a small dagger on his belt.
She lowers her hands and they rustle the curtain, catching the man's attention.
"Who's there?" he says, standing up. He pulls out his dagger and clenches his free hand into a fist.
Gothel reveals herself. She talks- lies, and he listens. He believes her.
He confesses he came here to hide from guards wanting to arrest him for murder. She lets him stay and they talk, and he can't get his eyes off her.
They end up holding each other close in front of the fire. Perhaps it's the cold. Perhaps it's not.
Perhaps she finally has a chance.
"So that witch imprisoned you, and there's no way out?"
"There is one. If someone in my bloodline stays here in my place."
"You don't have any family that could help? Take shifts and all that?"
"Not by blood. But I can make one." She looks up at him, placing her hand on his chest. She feels him tense.
"What do you mean?" he says carefully.
"You know exactly what I mean." She smiles.
He moves away. "No."
"No? What, it's too horrible for a wretched murderer like yourself?"
"It's- it's different! Will you at least care for the… the baby?" he says and cringes, as if he can barely say the word out loud.
She scoffs. "Can't take care of someone if I'm far away from them," she says.
His face is one of pure horror. He runs to the window, preparing to descend, but with a slight movement of her wrist, vines appear from the flowers on the windowsill and hold him in place mid-air.
"Let me go, witch!"
"Not until you've given me what I want."
"You can't make me! I'd rather die!" he shouts.
She raises her eyebrows. "You'd die for a baby that's not even concieved yet? How chivalrous of you. But now that's not your choice to make." She moves her hand to bring the vines closer, but then an arrow runs through the man's chest and flies to the ceiling.
The man looks in shock at his gaping wound, but has no time to look up. Blood drips from his mouth and he gurgles a whimper before he collapses against the vines.
"No, no!" Gothel shouts and runs to the window to see mounted guards with their bows tight.
"Fire at her!" she hears but moves before any of the arrows can reach her.
She looks at the still bleeding corpse of the man, the one hope she might have had. She drags him back in. Perhaps that'll lure the guards… but to her surprise, they ride their horses away.
She's even more disappointed, and angrier with herself when days, weeks pass and none of the guards come to collect their criminal's corpse. She eventually tosses his still-preserved body out the window in fury. She shouldn't have said anything.
There will come a next time. Someone will climb her tower again.
She'll need a disguise. The guards saw her, she can't afford anyone to climb only to attack her.
And she'll never voice her reasons again.
Damn this world and its good people.
Author's Note: Originally posted on Tumblr on April 11th, 2018