"Alright but if you lose, you brush my hair." The girl looked at her friend, who sat on the simple sofa right in front of her.

"But your hair is about 33 feet long, it'll cost me two days if not three!"

"That's the bet." The girl grinned.

"All right but if your mother comes in I'm out, do you understand?"

A sparkle could be seen in her eyes.

"You are a weird girl, Rapunzel. But maybe that's what I like about you."

The girls laughed and started their bet. As fast as they could the run up the stairs of the tower to Rapunzel's bedroom.

"Ready Ruby?"

"As can be!" Ruby nearly shouted.

They counted from three to one and both jumped to the ceiling.

Ruby grabbed a couple of wooden beams and climbed on top of them. Rapunzel used her hair as a whip to reach the same beams. Ruby had a rope around her shoulder she grabbed it and putted it around one of the beams she was standing on.

Rapunzel was already down on the floor, she has used her hair as a bungee-cable.

She was dancing on the wooden floor, while Ruby came down.

"You cheated!" Shouted Ruby.

"Did not!" Rapunzel responded.

"Did too!"

"Stop that's just stupid. I'm turning eighteen this week, so I am going to be an adult and adults don't play silly games like that. You've lost, so you've got to brush my hair."

Ruby sighed irritated, she hates it when Rapunzel turns in the 'all grown up woman' she thinks she is.

Ruby heard a voice sing-shouting something at the tower.

"Rapunzel! Let down your hair!"

Rapunzel ran to the window and looked down.

"Quick Ruby, hide!" She hissed. "Don't forget your cloak."

As quick as a fifteen year old girl could be, grabbed Ruby her red cloak from the sofa and climbed via the beams up to the highest top of the tower, were Gothel never came. Here she had build herself a little room, not much more than a bed and some clothes. But for her other needs she shared with Rapunzel.

Underneath her she heard the voices of Gothel and Rapunzel in a deep conversation about food and floating lights. Ruby could hear on Gothel's voice that she was not in the mood to be talked to. Maybe it's still not the right moment, Ruby thought. We should tell her some other day that I live her too. Underneath her Ruby heard Gothel screaming against Rapunzel. And she crossed the line, again. It's the fifth time this week, that Rapunzel made Gothel lose her self-control. Ruby was getting used to the shouting and the screaming, so she decided to go to sleep. She changed into her pajamas and lied down on her bed.

"Night, night..." She whispered.

"How many times do I have to make myself clear?!" Gothel jelled.

Rapunzel took a nervous step back from her mother. Maybe she pushed the limit a little to far today.

"I'm sorry, mother. But I.." Gothel putted her hand on Rapunzel's mouth.

"I don't want to hear another excuse or word from you, do you understand?"

Rapunzel nodded nervously. Gothel took her hand of Rapunzel's mouth.

"And now, go to bed."

Rapunzel bended her head and walked slowly up to her bedroom, her hair right behind her. She stepped into her bed and lay down.

"Don't let the bugs bite." She whispered to her friend in the top of the tower.

Rapunzel woke up of a scream and ran to the living room. She panicked right away. Doom scenario's flew in and out her head. What if Gothel had found...

"Ruby!" she jelled.

Gothel turned around to face Rapunzel.

"You know her?" She asked surprised.

Rapunzel started mumbling about yes and not exactly, so Gothel picked Ruby up of the ground.

"Do you know her or not?" Her voice became deep and slow it was even more dangerous than her normal voice.

Rapunzel nodded, "yes, mother."

Gothel looked from Rapunzel to Ruby and back. "How long?"

"A year, I think." Rapunzel said, looking at her toes.

"And when were you going to tell me about her? Or was the idea that I would found her and throw her out of the tower?!" Gothel started yelling and Ruby tried to pull her arm out the steel grip, but it was no use. "Don't you even dare." Gothel snarled .

"Please, mother. Leave her alone, I just wanted someone to hold me company. She is good. I..I"

"You what?"

"I just know."

"Aaargh, Rapunzel. You don't know a thing of the outside world. Did you hear me? Not a thing!"

"I know, but she was nice and held me company when you were months away."

"To buy stuff for you!"

Ruby tried to free herself but it failed miserably.

"She goes away, do you hear me?" Gothel yelled, ignoring Ruby.

Rapunzel became furious.

Ruby never saw her that way before.

"You never give me something, you barely even speak to me about anything! The only reason I didn't jumped out the tower myself, was Ruby! Most of the time you are away or asleep. With her I can play, paint and have fun!"

Gothel was even more furious than her daughter. She knew she had underestimated her, when she heard that this Ruby lived here for at least a year. Rapunzel has become a clever woman, maybe a little to clever.

"Rapunzel I don't want a fight and you know that. But she is a dangerous girl in the outside world. You are giving sanctuary to a thief for over a year!"

"She isn't a thief! She never even touched my hair!"

Gothel grinned to Ruby. She had formed a plan in her head.

"How do you know that? I mean don't you sleep at night?" Gothel's voice became calm but was still low and deep.

Ruby didn't like were this was going.

Rapunzel nodded, of course she goes to sleep, what a stupid question.

"When you're asleep you don't feel a thing. Maybe this sneaky thief sneaks out at night and sings you song and makes herself look fifteen while she is actually thirty years or older."

Rapunzel looked disgusted at her mother. How could she say that about Ruby. Her furiousness came back.

"She doesn't even know the words!" In a pulse of anger Rapunzel pushed her mother away.

Gothel tripped over a lose tile and fell on the ground. Ruby pulled her arm out of Gothel's grip and hid behind Rapunzel, who stand tall between her mother and Ruby.

"Maybe we should go." Said Ruby.

Rapunzel shakes her head. "I can't leave mother!"

"Do you want to she those floating lights or not?" Ruby's voice was loud and panicking.

Gothel's eyes were full of horror because of those words.

That little brat is not going to take her flower away! She stood op, gripped again Ruby's wrist and pulled her to the window. Rapunzel threw a straw of her hair around Ruby's other wrist to prevent Gothel from throwing her outside.

"No!" She yelled. "You aren't throwing Ruby out of this tower for so long I'm living here!"

"Rapunzel, your head is full of lies from this little street rat." Gothel had problems controlling her voice.

Ruby tried to free both of her wrists from the two but both, the hand and the hair were to strong.

"Rapunzel!" Yelled Gothel. "Let go!"

"No!" Yelled Rapunzel back. "She is my friend and you are not taking her away!" Rapunzel pulled harder on her hair so Gothel needed to let go of Ruby.

"Rapunzel!" Gothel tried to catch a stroke of hair but Rapunzel pulled it all away.

"No, I'm going to see those floating lights with Ruby!'

Rapunzel grabbed Ruby by her hand and let her to the window. She threw her hair on the hook en together they slide down on her golden hair.

Gothel wanted to follow the two, but Rapunzel pulled her hair down on the grass. Gothel stood alone in the tower, thinking by herself. How could she not see this coming? How did that little brad hide from her all this time? A vague memory crossed her mind, the plateau in the cam of the tower. Gothel climbed up via the beams Ruby has used for a year and reached the top. There she saw a small bed and a pile of clothes with on top a red cloak.

That cloak did remind Gothel of something from a long time ago, when she was really young and not just looked young. A time were she was an another person a baroness of an important hold in a kingdom forgotten long ago. She grabbed the cloak from the pile and had a close look on it, some symbols she recognized from her younger years. On the back she saw three rings combined in a triangle. Gothel's eyes became wider by this discovering. This cloak was part of her wardrobe ages ago, when she was that baroness. How is it possible that this old thing is still around the family. Family? She froze. I've never given Rapunzel a cloak, but that means that that Ruby is part of my bloodline! Gothel felt dizzy and decide to sit on the bed. Her head rested in her hands.

What the hell just happened? Rapunzel took of with that little brat of a Ruby and I'm here discovering that she is heir to my hold. I've got to find both of them before my magic runs of. The last time Rapunzel healed me was five days ago. Oh no, I only have one week before the magic disappears from my body!

Gothel jumped up, threw the cloak around her shoulders and climbed down to the living room of the tower.

She pulled out the lose tile she tripped on with her fight against Rapunzel. A secret stairway became visible. Gothel ran down the stairs to a small wall of rocks, stones and smalls builders, she pushed the bigger ones away so the others felt to the floor. Gothel was out of the tower and saw a couple of meters before her straws of grass which were flattened by two pair of footsteps and a lot of hair. Gothel started to follow the tracks and started so her search for her flower and her heir.