Rapunzel, eight years old, was crying.

"Oh, for heavens sakes, stop that whining!" complained her mother. "How do you expect me to stay up here and keep you company when all you do is cry, cry, cry?"

Rapunzel stuck out her bottom lip. "But Mommy, I'm sad!"

Mother Gothel looked at her. "Why are you sad? There's no reason to be. I just bought you paints last week!"

Rapunzel walked over to her mother. "I can't find Sunflower!"

"What? Who is Sunflower?" asked Mother Gothel.

"My butterfly!" Rapunzel cried.

Mother Gothel's eyebrows rose. "What butterfly?"

Rapunzel suddenly realized that she might be in trouble. Sunflower had flown into the tower one day while Mother was away, and Rapunzel had hidden the butterfly from her mother. She didn't know if she was allowed to have a pet, and she was now worried what Mother would say.

"I'm sorry," Rapunzel said. "It flew in one day and I didn't show you because I thought you would be mad."

Mother Gothel smiled. "I'm not mad," she said. "But if anything else comes into the tower, you need to tell me right away."

Rapunzel was relieved. She climbed into Mother Gothel's lap. "I will," she said.

Mother Gothel stroked her hair. "Good Flower."

Rapunzel smiled. But then she remembered that her pet was still missing. "What are we going to do about Sunflower?" she asked, bursting into tears again.

"Oh, Rapunzel," said Mother Gothel. "Sometimes… someone or something we love won't be there one day, and they might not come back. We just have to move on, and not dwell on the past."

Rapunzel frowned. "Does that mean I won't find Sunflower?"

Mother Gothel wrapped her arms around Rapunzel. "You probably won't," she said.

Rapunzel began to cry harder. She thought about what her mother had said. Suddenly a thought sprang to her mind. "Mother?" she said, looking up at Mother Gothel with tearful eyes.

"Yes, Flower?" answered Mother.

"Will you ever go away forever?" asked Rapunzel.

Mother Gothel held Rapunzel more tightly. "No, Flower. I'll always be here to comfort you. I can't live without you, you know."

Rapunzel nodded and closed her eyes, comfortable in her mother's lap.

Rapunzel was laying on her bed, tears streaming down her face. She touched her short brown hair. "But you aren't here when I need you most," she whispered.

Memories were hard. Most of Rapunzel's childhood memories were with Gothel. She knew Gothel wasn't her real mother now, and that she had done a terrible thing. But she had been her mother for eighteen years, and Rapunzel missed her terribly.

Pascal made a sound, and Rapunzel stroked his head. "I know, I shouldn't miss her," she said. "But I do."

The brown-haired princess burst into tears again, wishing Mother Gothel could comfort her as she had so many times before when she was sad. But that would never happen again. That realization made her cry even harder, and she wrapped her arms around her legs.


The queen entered Rapunzel's room, and was surprised to see her crying. "What's wrong, my dear?" she asked.

"I'm… sad," said Rapunzel. She didn't want to say why. She knew her real mother didn't like it when Rapunzel thought about Mother Gothel.

The queen sat down beside Rapunzel. "Would you like to talk about it?"

Rapunzel shook her head and buried her face in her dress.

"That's okay," said the queen. She put an arm around Rapunzel. Rapunzel didn't respond, and they sat there silently until the queen said, "I love you."

"I love you more," Rapunzel said automatically.

The queen kissed Rapunzel on the forehead, then said, "I'll leave you alone." She left the room and closed the door.

Rapunzel frowned, and a few tears rolled out of her eyes. She didn't finish it, thought the princess. Rapunzel hugged her arms. Her real mother loved her, and she loved her real mother more, but… A sob shook Rapunzel's body. The one who loved her most, the one who had cared for her since she was a baby, wasn't there anymore. And she wouldn't ever be there again.