There were days when Rapunzel grew tired of brushing her long golden hair. The child at age fourteen had been locked in a tower for as long as she remembered, combing the strands of blonde that stretched across the floor. The girl had turned this into a routine, one her mother encouraged her to follow on a daily basis.

"Ow", she cried, pulling the brush away from her head after untangling a knot. She could feel the tears lining in her eyes from the pain and sighed.

Come on stop crying. It's not that bad, she told herself. She rubbed her head gently and turned to the window. Her mother left awhile back and hadn't returned. Though there were times Mother Gothel was gone for days, Rapunzel couldn't help but miss her. What if someone had attacked her or worse, eaten her? The blonde youth could've thought of a million reasons as to why she was still away.

Cold air breezed through the tower. Rapunzel shivered and raced to close the window. Winter was her least favorite season; it was the season when all the animals hibernated and stopped visiting her. She found it lonely without them.

Upon reaching the frame she noticed white flakes falling from the sky and curiously peered through it. The white substance covered the majority of the green plains. Her eyes fluttered at the sight.

Wow.

"Come on, Jack!"

"Alright, alright. I'm coming", a voice echoed. Rapunzel scanned the view below before spotting a pair of strangers walking around the snowy field.

"Epp!" the girl ducked. They're here! They found this place. If they find me, they'll cut my hair! Oh no, and Mother. Mother's not here!

The girl panicked and hid beneath a cloak. Her breath hitched as she contemplated on whether to run or defend herself with her mother's broom, maybe even hide in the closet.

"Hey, that's not fair! You cheated, Jack!"

"No, I didn't. You're too slow", the male exclaimed. Rapunzel shifted. They didn't sound scary. At least, not like Mother described. The girl crawled within the shadows and looked out the window again. She spotted the boy throwing snowballs at the younger girl. She laughed at him, dodging the spheres and tackled him in return. The two rolled in the snow, and Rapunzel couldn't take her eyes off them.

It looks like fun, she thought to herself, secretly wanting to join the duo in their game. Her eyes focused on the girl before settling on the older boy. He had brown hair, eyes to match and a captivating grin. His clothes were worn out, possibly handed down to him and patched up by someone in his family. For a moment, the blonde was unaware she was staring at him for the longest time.

"It's getting dark", the young girl stated as she reached for the boy's hand. "Can we go home?"

"What's wrong?"

"It's nothing"

"Come on, don't tell me you're scared of the dark. See, there's nothing scary here".

"But what about the monsters?"

Rapunzel flinched at the words, monster. Her head nodded in agreement as she watched the two talk.

"Look, do you trust me?"

"Y-yes"

"Then trust me when I say there's nothing to be afraid of. Not as long as I'm here".

A hand reached for the young girl's shoulders and he pulled her close to him. Witnessing this, Rapunzel's eyed the boy once more.

"Besides, you think there's a monster out there who can get through me? Cause I don't think I know any". Jack lifted his sibling into the air and allowed the girl to cling around his neck as he carried her on his back. She smiled, nuzzling into his neck and yawned, "Haha, I guess not".

With that, the child fell asleep. Jack grinned, making his way through the snowy woods when something caught his attention.

He glanced up at the old tower and studied it.

"What was that?"

He hesitated to find out before realizing it was nighttime. Walking back to his home he turned to face the moon and shrugged off the thought.

Nah, couldn't be.

Rapunzel exhaled. Her form sunk to the floor as she sighed. She knew the boy had seen her, but a part of her hoped so. For after that, the pair would visit the tower grounds again throughout the whole winter. Each time they did, Rapunzel watched from afar in fascination. She hoped that maybe one day, she too could join their game.

And so she continued to hope, until one day…the two siblings never came back.