Happily Ever After

by Noel Skye

The story of Rapunzel has spread throughout the land. However, behind the happiness and joy, lies a soul victim of the story. Abella has never been free to make her own choices. Perhaps she would have been better off locked in a tower. All legends are based in falsehoods, and in time the daughter of a fairytale will prove that not everyone wants the same happily ever after.

1. Chapter 1

Once upon a time a child was born to a lonely couple. At birth the child was taken by an enchantress as payment for her father's mistake. The enchantress raised the babe as her own and on the child's twentieth birthday the enchantress locked her away in a tower. The tower had no doors or staircase. The only way into the tower was through a window reached by scaling the wall with the help of a long, golden braid. The enchantress visited the child, calling out to her whenever she rested below the tower.

"Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair, so that I may climb the golden stair."

The enchantress could not keep the girl to herself forever though. One day a Prince rode by the hidden tower and heard the sweet singing of Rapunzel. Entranced, he searched and searched, only stopping when he finally found her. Unable to reach her, the Prince simply sat and listened. He visited the tower often to hear the beautiful girl's voice. On one of his visits he saw the enchantress. He watched as she called to Rapunzel.

Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair, so that I may climb the golden stair."

Only when the enchantress was gone, did the Prince do the same.

"Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair, so that I may climb the golden stair."

Rapunzel wrapped her long hair around a hook beside the window and let her locks fall down the tower's side. She was surprised to see who climbed up. The Prince was far from the enchantress she expected to see. The Prince continued to visit Rapunzel and the two fell in love.

It was not to last, however. During a visit from the enchantress, Rapunzel mentioned her clothes were a bit tight fitting. The enchantress -knowing full well what that meant- chopped off Rapunzel's hair and cast her out into the wilderness. The enchantress then waited for the Prince. The call came as she expected.

"Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair, so that I may climb the golden stair."

The golden locks fell from the tower and the Prince climbed up. When he reached the top, however, it was not his beloved he saw. The enchantress swore that he would never see Rapunzel again and in anguish he jumped from the tower. Blinded by the thorns below, the Prince wandered about the wilderness for months.

One day a familiar singing reached the Prince's ears. He followed the sound, finding his beloved Rapunzel living contently in the forest. Rapunzel embraced him, her tears restoring his sight. Together they made their way back to the Prince' kingdom. It is there that they remain today, alongside their forest-born twins.