A/N: Yeah, I know I've done a version of Sleeping Beauty before, but after watching Tangled, I thought it'd be really interesting if.. I don't know, if Eugene (lol. Eugene.) and Rapunzel had a daughter who became Sleeping Beauty. It just popped into my head when the movie was over, and it's been in my mind for weeks.. I had to write it! It wouldn't go away! Anyway.. enjoy!
POV: Narrator
Everyone agreed that the newborn princess Helen was beautiful. Her mother and father invited every person in the kingdom to the baby's birthday festival, to share in the celebration of her birth. Every person except, it need not be said, Mother Gothel.
The party began with citizens bestowing gifts upon the tiny child. Her bright green eyes, so like her mother Queen Rapunzel's, were wide and staring, hungry to see all they could as quickly as possible. The child's eyes didn't remain on one person or thing for longer than a moment, to allow time to take all the world's wonders in. Rapunzel kissed her baby's forehead tenderly, glad her daughter shared her sense of wonder and awe. Eugene stroked the tiny princess' cheek, smiling widely as the girl cooed and took hold of his finger.
A couple of fairies came by to offer the child gifts of beauty, wit, and musical talent. Rapunzel and Eugene were honored, although they knew the baby would have inherited beauty and musical talent from her mother and wit from her father. Not that they would make the mistake of insulting the fairies by telling them that.
Before long, almost every citizen had given the baby some gift or another, each gift different and every gift appreciated by the child's parents. In a flash of sickeningly green light, however, the mood of the party changed from peace and celebration to fear and distrust.
Mother Gothel had appeared.
"But how? You.. I saw you! You fell from the tower and.. and you disappeared!" cried Rapunzel, reaching out to grab her baby and hold her close. Eugene said nothing. He merely growled at the witch and took his wife and child into his arms.
Mother Gothel laughed. "You thought I died, Rapunzel? Clearly your naiveté hasn't left you. Pity.. I never liked that part of you. And what is this? Back from the dead too, are we, Ryder? Well, isn't this nice? It's like a reunion!" She smiled menacingly, causing Rapunzel to gasp, terrified, and lean into her husband's embrace.
"Oh, look. A little bundle in your arms.. your baby, I presume? Adorable. Look, she has your eyes. Oh, and she has Mister Ryder over here's big mouth. What a shame. She was almost cute." Mother Gothel took a step toward the couple and their baby.
"Well, what kind of celebration would this be, if I didn't give a gift to the little.. bundle? Hmm.. doubtless, other people have given gold, and clothing, and.. whatever else. What shall I give the child?" Mother Gothel asked herself, tapping her wasted chin with a withered finger. "Ah! I know. I'll give her something no one else here could- a magic spell!" She clapped her hands in delight.
Rapunzel's grip on her baby tightened, trying to protect small Helen from the wrath of the witch. Eugene took a step toward the witch, trying to pull Rapunzel and Helen behind him. "You aren't going to touch Helen. Or Rapunzel. Get out." His voice was firm, and his eyes narrowed.
Mother Gothel simply laughed. "Really? Then how can I do this?" She held out a finger and pointed it at Eugene. A green wisp of magic blew right past him, whirled around Rapunzel and the baby, and went directly into the eyes of the child. Rapunzel screamed. Eugene whipped around to look at his family, and with a sigh of relief, saw that they were unharmed. The baby reached up for him and he stroked her dark hair back, giving her a soft kiss on her forehead.
Turning back around to face the now cackling Mother Gothel, Eugene's face contorted into an angry scowl. "What did you do to my daughter?" he demanded, his voice a growl.
Mother Gothel finally stopped her laughing and answered Eugene. "Oh, nothing.. nothing that will affect her now, anyway. Would you like to know the gritty details of the curse I put on her, or how to break it? It's your choice.. but I'll only tell you one."
Faced with a terrible decision, Eugene turned to his wife. She looked up at him with those large hazel green eyes of hers, her lip trembling. She shrugged quietly, knowing either choice would leave something they needed to know out. Was it better to know what the curse would do, or how to break it? One would tell them what would happen to their daughter, while they would have to guess how to stop it, and the other would tell them how to stop the curse before it took hold, leaving them to guess what would happen to their daughter if they didn't break it in time.
"I.. tell me.. tell me what the curse will do to her," Eugene finally said, turning back to the witch with pure misery in his eyes. Rapunzel gasped quietly- that had not been what she wanted her husband to say.
"Wait! No, tell me how to break it! I wasn't thinking correctly.." Eugene tried to tell the witch, having heard his wife gasp and knowing what she was thinking. How could he have been so stupid?
Mother Gothel cackled once more. "Too late, dearie! Looks like I get to tell you what I did to your little girl! How delightful! The curse will take hold when the little princess turns fifteen years old. She will have until she turns sixteen to prick her finger and draw blood, you got that? She must draw blood. It's symbolic. You'll understand later. After she pricks her finger, she will fall into a deep sleep, and she won't wake up until the curse breaks. Remember, I won't tell you how.
"Anyway, if the curse does not take effect while she is fifteen years old, it will never take effect. However, in that case, disaster will follow wherever she goes. A dead curse is not a broken curse. That's not how it works. Any questions?" Mother Gothel asked, relishing the look of pure horror on Eugene's face.
"I.. what if the curse isn't broken.. by sunset on her sixteenth birthday?" he asked, his voice dry and hoarse.
Mother Gothel smiled, a viper going in for the kill. "She'll die. Simple as that. You're lucky she'll only fall asleep when the curse takes effect. Bye now!" The witch disappeared in a puff of green smoke.
Ashen, Eugene turned to face his sobbing wife and cooing daughter. He took his family into his arms and cried quietly, terrified of what would become of his daughter.. and his country.