The eight year old blonde waited for her mother's return. She played with her abnormally long hair, tangling her delicate fingers within it. She could feel its power on her skin, soft with a faint buzzing with the magical energy it carried. She smiled faintly, only it was a sad smile. Why did she have to have a power? It was what put her in danger. She thought of the horrors she would have to face out there, if she left alone. Mother knows best.
Rapunzel had been planning on asking her mother to go apple picking with her, just to get a little bit of a feel. She wouldn't be alone, so what danger would she face? She would be perfectly safe with her mother. She sighed, waiting, waiting, and more waiting. Until finally, she heard her humming down on the ground. I squeaked with joy, dashing over to the window and leaning out, her eyes latching onto her black haired mother, her smile implanted on her perfect, too perfect, face. She looked up at the little girl and waved.
"Mother! Can you wait a minute? I want to ask something of you!" the child called, voice high and sweet, almost on the verge of singing. Her mother looked confused, placing a hand on her hip and raising an eyebrow. Rapunzel could only just make out her feature from her tower.
"What is it, darling?" she called up to the girl.
"Um, can I come apple picking with you?" her mother began to protest. "Wait! I wont wonder off, I'll stay with you, I promise! You know I don't break promises!"
"I don't know, flower…" she said loud enough for her daughter to here, brushing a hand nervously in her hair.
"Please mother! I'll be careful, I promise!" Rapunzel promised again, trying her hardest to convince her protect mother. Then, to her utmost joy, her mother sighed in defeat before looking back up to the innocent child.
"Alright. But no wandering off!" she warned. Rapunzel cried out with joys, sprinting away from the tower and grabbing the picnic basket, careful not to trip over her long hair, which slid along the ground a few feet behind her elegant frame. She then got onto the windowsill, mimicking her mother's past routines, and grabbed the rope she used to get down. She tied a secure knot after flinging the rope to the ground, and then she clung to it, basket dangling on her arm, and slowly climbing down. Her small, lively heart pounded in her chest, the excitement racing through her blood, warming her inside and out. She was getting out. She was about to go into the woods with her mother for the first time. She was about to feel grass beneath her tiny feet, about to feel the breeze in her face, the cool air soon to kiss her cheeks in welcome. She had finally earned her mother's trust!
The grass was soft and damp beneath her feet, curling between her toes as if hugged her after a long awaited arrival. It felt so good on her skin. The air danced around her, singing in her ears. It was how she always imagined it. She grinned widely at her waiting mother, taking a deep breath before skipping towards her, linking her arm with hers. She was kissed on her head before led into the woods that had watched over her all her life, holding the things that would hurt her in the dark, and keeping herself in the light. Now she could appreciate it, the nature that protected her.
"Thank you, mother." she murmured, her large, curious eyes looking above, watching birds fly and the tree branches sway. It was like a dream, only not as good as the dream she had had all her life. To see the lights. No matter. This was the first step to getting there.
"I trust you, my flower." was her reply. Rapunzel walked with her mother for a few minutes until they reached a grand tree, filled with luscious red apples, shining in the sunlight and just begging to be picked. There were many low branched that Rapunzel could pick from, and many more on the ground, making the green forest floor to change to red. It delighted her to see such a radiant colour.
"Go and start picking. I shan't be long. I am just going to make sure everything is safe." her mother suddenly spoke.
"What? You're leaving?" gasped Rapunzel, her already large eyes growing bigger. She was going to be left alone? Here? But, but…
"Just stay here and pick some apples. Do not leave this area. Do you understand me?" her mother's voice became harsh, a waning. She froze, the harshness frightening her, and nodded stiffly. Another kiss was planted on her cheek before her mother disappeared into the trees, left alone by the tree.
"Hmm." she hummed, looking around, thinking on where to start. The floor of the branches. She decided the floor as they were easier to get at. I piled one by one into the basket, humming softly, holding each apple up to check for anything bad. She may have been eight, but she had learned a lot from her mother and even taught herself some things, such as cooking. She knew what was right and what was wrong. Each apple shimmered in the light, the shine smiling at her. As she picked, to took a bite out of one, fresh and juicy in her mouth. Devine!
She then walked around the massive tree, seeking more apples on the other side, only to get the shock of her life. The basket dropped from her hands, a few apples bouncing out of it and rolling away. There, stood a boy. He held an apple to his mouth, mid bite, frozen at the sight of the girl before him. He looked a little older than her, maybe twelve years old. His hair was brunette, made tidy upon his head and out of his eyes, his eyes the same shade. His eyes locked with hers, not shifting as the basket fell. Both children, each with an apple in hand, stared each other down, testing each other. He lost, however, as he began to catch sight of her long, golden hair trailing behind her. He raised an eyebrow in disbelief. She gulped, her heart beginning to race in her chest, the thuds loud in her ears. Her mother had always told her that most people were bad and wanted to take her hair, to keep its power for themselves. That was why she was panicking, because this boy seemed very interested in her hair. It may have been the first time she had seen another person, but she was extremely afraid.
The boy finished his bite, chewing casually, and swallowed with a loud gulp. He then let his wrist loose beneath his chin, smiling mischievously. She wanted to run, but she couldn't. Her body refused to move.
"That's quite a lot of hair." he said, voice not high but also not low. It was a teasing tone. "Did it never occur to you to cut it?" her stomach did a nervous flip. She took a step away from him, apple falling from her hand and then she slowly reached for the basket. Her eyes never left his face. "Scared?" he mocked, about to take a step towards her. She glared at him fiercely. He laughed. "Not much of a talker, has ridiculously long hair and is scared. Hmm, that's pretty sad."
"I do talk." Rapunzel growled bravely, grasping the handles of the basket and lifting it up.
"And the Blondie speaks!" he laughed, taking another bite of his apple and advancing on her again, attempting to frighten her further. Such a cold boy. She officially disliked him.
"Go away." she spat, turning her back and ready to leave for her mother, or just go back home. She never saw the boy jump for her, grabbing her arm, and attempt to the grab the basket of apples for his taking. On instinct, she screamed, gripping her basket tightly. She may have been small and young, but she began to put up a fight. She wrapped her leg around his own behind her and pulled, knocking him off of his feet. She squeaked in shock at her advance before leaping away from him, staring at his groaning on the floor. She grinned.
"Ha!" she cried.
"Flower!" screamed her mother behind her, who had returned just moment after her attack. Rapunzel sun around, back facing the boy, eyes wide with shock.
"Mother!" she gasped. The boy saw the woman and scrambled to his feet, confidence soon replaced with fear, as he sprinted away from the apple tree. He was gone within seconds, as if he had never confronted Rapunzel.
"Come on! You're going home! You shall never leave there again!" her mother yelled, voice filled with anger, sending Rapunzel into tears. She had tried to explain what had happened, that she tried to get away from the boy, that he had tried to steal her basket. But she wouldn't listen. She never listened.
As the years went by, both children forgot about each other, due to the many other things that happened in their lives. The boy had focused more on his life of crime, so the face of Rapunzel and her long hair vanished from his mind as if it never happened. Rapunzel forced it out of her head to forget about the yelling that followed, forget the promise the she would never leave again. So she flooded her mind with thousands of other things, like cooking, reading, drawing, singing… and the instant soon dissolved away, but there was much more to it. Even her mother seemed to have forgotten, but not completely. Rapunzel never remembered leaving the tower.
If only the two children knew that they would meet again, unrecognizable to each other, and begin the journey of a lifetime. Yes. They had met before, and yet neither remembered. They never did remember.