My Daughter, Rapunzel
A retelling of Rapunzel from the witch's point of view. A story of grief, disappointment, and overwhelming sadness.
Disclaimer: I don't own Rapunzel.
Yes, well, my second fairy tale, my first retelling; please tell me what you think. R&R
Once upon a time, there lived a woman.
She was hideous, to be sure, and the townsfolk cowered away in fright whenever she approached them. Indeed, she was sad, for she had no one to speak with, nothing to care for, but it did not mean she was evil. She did not know magic at all, and they spoke of her as if she was a witch! The mere idea of it was ridiculous! However, no often how many times she tried to correct them, they were not easily swayed.
At long last, she had given up and did not speak for ten years. She remained home, working in her vegetable garden, taking great care of it, for she had no child to dedicate the care to. At long last, on the last day of the ten years, she had caught a neighbor whose wife was pregnant thieving her rapunzel.
Her voice was hoarse, from lack of use, barely over than a choked whisper. "What are you doing?" she wheezed. "Why are you invading my property, thieving my rapunzel that I have worked tirelessly over?"
"My wife is expecting, three months in labor," he said hastily, quivering as he spoke, "and she has been craving for your lovely greens."
A small smile crossed the woman's face, but turned out to be a crooked grin. She thought, at last! Perhaps I shall be able to receive a child to care for, a child to bring joy to. If this man was a good parent, then she would not steal away the child, but if he was a poor parent, she would take his child for her own. "If you are to give me the child you are expecting," she said, "I will let you go without harm."
Had he refused, she would have let him go with some of her homegrown tomatoes to go with it before he left, but he had hastily agreed and went home with the rapunzel.
Six months later, the woman knocked on the man's door. She was given the child before she returned home and named her Rapunzel.
She cared for the child with more care than any parent could ever give. She loved the child like no one had loved another before. She would hum to the baby girl at night and tell stories to her in the morning. She fetched the best and ripest foods from her garden and fixed her the best dishes to eat. As the child grew, the more beautiful she became, her hair as golden as the sun, shimmering in all its beauty. The hideous woman would comb her hair gently before the little girl went to bed, dressing her in the finest night gown she could afford.
When it was time for her to go to school, the old woman would always tie her hair back and say, "Come back once school is over, or else I shall worry and my heart shall break," for she was always worried that someone might take the beautiful girl that she had loved so away from her without her knowing at all.
And the girl would always reply, "I will hasten to your side, Mother, so do not fret; I will return once the school bell rings." The ugly woman would only then let her child go to school, comfort in her heart.
Though the woman was terribly ugly, the girl always kept her word, for she was honest and she had loved her mother and was grateful to receive such an excellent person to watch over her. At night, she would thank the heavens that God had blessed her with such a perfect mother, and the old woman was thankful for such a sweet girl to care for.
Finally, the time came when Rapunzel needed to venture out into the world and find a suitable husband. Everyday, the old woman would tell her, "Return to me before the sun sets, or else I shall worry and my heart shall break."
Once more, the girl would reply, "I will hasten to your side by then, Mother, so do not fret; I will return once I have searched my fill." Only then would the old woman's heart be comforted and would she allow her to go out to search for a husband.
Many suitors were found for Rapunzel, for she was intelligent as she was beautiful, and kind above all. However, they would take one glance at her mother and laugh. Rapunzel would then reject them.
She noticed how hurt her mother was after all these comments, and for the love of her, she said, "This place does not have any men that suit my fancy. Let us try our luck elsewhere."
Again and again they moved, but not one place did they find a man who took the hideous woman kindly, not even those as hideous as herself. At last, the ugly woman said warily, "I have given up hope, my dear child. We must buy a tower, where I will lock you in. You will cry and a noble man riding his horse will hear you weep, and you will let your beautiful long hair down and allow him to climb. You will meet him there, and you will love him. However, on the third day, I will cut your beautiful locks and act as a witch who has captured you, and he will find you sitting on a rock by a pond and he will take you onto his horse and you will be wed."
Rapunzel, however, was a sweet child and refused her mother's plan. "You will never be able to attend the wedding, and I shall never be able to see you again. Let us try one more town!"
"That one town will be no different from the other towns, but I will allow you to try your luck one last time before we resort to my offer," she said, shaking her head sadly. "You are young and you need to be engaged into matrimony. I cannot hold you back."
Thus, they moved to another town, but as predicted, no man could hold their laughter when they greeted Rapunzel's mother. So at last, they sold their home one final time and bought a land in the middle of nowhere. Being an expert at growing vegetable gardens, the homely woman was able to grow food all the same and they drank from the pond by the large stone.
At long last, a noble knight crossed the territory. He drank their water and ate their food, not knowing that he was on bought property. However, he heard a weeping come from the tower and cried out for her name.
"It is Rapunzel," she replied.
"So it is. Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your long hair, so that I may climb and see you."
And thus, Rapunzel did, and the knight climbed. He gasped when he saw her profound beauty and fell in love with her instantly. However, by the time night fell, Rapunzel would always say worriedly, "You must go, for there is a treacherous witch that will find you here." And she would let her long hair down once more and he would climb down.
On the third day, he called out once more, "Rapunzel! Rapunzel! Let down your long hair!" And the woman let down Rapunzel's beautiful golden hair, and he climbed. When he reached the top, however, he found the hideous woman and said, "You! You are the one who had held my love captive!"
"And so yes, it is true," the woman said, her voice as hoarse ever due to her tears, but they looked like tears of laughter and her voice sounded more of a cackle. "It is I who have taken Rapunzel captive! And now she has been banished; you will see her no more here."
And so it began; the knight searched far and wide for Rapunzel, not knowing that she was at the bottom of the tower, behind the hidden door. When the knight was gone, they destroyed the old tower, so that the knight would not recognize the land. Instead, they built a small house to live in. When they heard the beating of the hooves, however, Rapunzel would rush outside and sit on her rock, sprinkling red dirt onto her eyes to look as though she had been crying, watching her reflection to see if she had smeared enough on, or if she had smeared too much.
He took her home, but Rapunzel had rushed so to pose on her rock that she had not been given the chance to say good-bye before they were parted. She lived a happy life, however, and she was dressed in the finest gowns there were and she had a child. She cared for the child greatly, as her mother cared for her, singing to her at night and telling her stories in the morning.
But the old woman was left in her small cottage that they had built together. She should be thankful for having ever been blessed to care for such a child. She had been the child's mother, but she couldn't ever be, for a child's mother should be able to see her daughter after she is wed away.
She had grown to love her, and she was glad that Rapunzel was given a happy life.
But the partings were always the hardest.
The knight had later told his friends of the story when they asked how he met the fair maiden. They told their friends of the fabulous story of how the knight rescued Rapunzel, but they never knew the truth of it. Every time the tale reached Rapunzel's ears, she would cry, for she never told the truth to anyone, not even her own daughter.
Indeed, the old woman had overheard the tale as well. At least she is wed, she had thought, but she went home and cried. How dearly she wanted to see her daughter again!
She was granted her wish—she was able to see her daughter one more time. In her dreams, she saw Rapunzel smiling at her, holding her own baby girl within her arms, caring for the child as the old woman did to Rapunzel. The hideous woman smiled, glad that Rapunzel remained such a sweet girl.
The week after, the old witch was found in her bed, no longer breathing. The people rejoiced after the death of the treacherous witch, but the witch had died happy, for she dreamt of her daughter after so many years of loneliness.
Rapunzel, however, cried hard, and mourned for one week. She dressed in black, her eyes red, weeping over the loss. Suspecting that she had lost her sanity, they stole her daughter away and banished her. She wandered forever, weeping, unable to die, for she never lived her life complete. They called her a banshee, who would appear if one was to meet wretched fortune, but she had met wretched fortune herself.
As for her daughter, who grew to be as kind as her mother as well as beautiful, suffered greatly. Her father had married another beautiful woman, though cruel, and because he was often away on duty, her step-mother and two step-sisters were often cruel to her.
Her name was Cinderella.