You were right.

[7x11] : Drabble. "At that moment, as she was dying, Rapunzel Tremaine realized that Rumplestiltskin had been right. About everything." Rapunzel's reflections before and during her sacrifice.

Rapunzel always knew that Gothel was a monster.

She understood that day where the witch made this terrible day with her.

She really realized it just after Anastasia almost died, when this monster almost took her daughter from her, and almost locked up her in this tower where Rapunzel was, and she swore no one she loved or cared about would ever be sent there.

And now, she really knew it, as she was going to take her other daughter from her.

And she realized something she didn't understand before.

At that moment, as she was dying, Rapunzel Tremaine realized that Rumplestiltskin had been right.

About everything.

When he told her that she had been wrong, that she shouldn't do all these things she was doing for Anastasia, that it was useless, that she had another daughter to care about.

She had been a terrible mother.

She saw Drizella walk away from her, in the past, when they were still a family, and she had been not able to fix it, to find a way to build again a true and real relationship with her daughter.

So, she get focused on her first daughter, who remembered so much of her, and who seemed to love her so much, and it had been so easier to be Anastasia' mother, than being Drizella's.

Then, Anastasia' died (or almost), and her heart broke into pieces.

Something definitely broke in her that day, something that would never be able to exist again.

She would never be a mother anymore.

Not again.

It hurt too much, not after she lost Anastasia. She would never never be able to be a mother for Drizella or Ella.

She couldn't love, or at least, she couldn't love someone who wasn't Anastasia, her dear precious and lost daughter, for who she was ready to do everything.

Even kill innocents.

Even kill Marcus.

Her heart became cold, and she realized it just right now, she spoiled and failed everything.

Not only she destroyed Ella and forced her to live a horrible life, she tried to hurt Henry Mills, and in a way, everyone's pain caused by the curse arrived because of her, if you thought about it.

There was what she did to Drizella, the way she treated her, the way she denied always her love, while the little girl, and then the young woman, just wanted to be recognized as her daughter, and be loved by someone.

Anyone.

That was why she chose Gothel in the end.

Her mind was so occupied by this other daughter she idealized in her mind that she never saw Drizella, even though she was there.

She never recognized that she could be good, and always denied her everything.

Especially the things she deserved to have.

There was an emptiness in Drizella's heart, which happened just because of her.

This same emptiness that she herself had in her heart since the day where she lost Anastasia.

They were the same, in the end.

Mother and daughter.

Hurt and broken.

Ready to do everything to get what they wanted, whatever the price, in order to succeed to heal the pain in their heart.

And by the way, they were both alone, so alone.

Rumplestiltskin was right.

And her, everything was gone for her, she understood it before she put herself in the pentacle.

And as, she understood she had been wrong, she realized too that it may be not over for her daughter.

She still could save herself, or be saved, if someone helped her.

So, she didn't hesitate.

It was her daughter, the one she always rejected since she lost Anastasia.

She owed her.

She apologized, even though she knew it would certainly not be enough.

All these things she did… the thing wasn't that she couldn't redeem herself, other people worst than her did it (Regina did it. Even Rumplestiltskin succeeded), but it was not the time any more.

It wasn't her time.

It was too late for her.

And she still did have a daughter to save.

A thing she did then.

And she hoped.

Please Drizella, don't blame me too much.

And don't let yourself be taken by your pain and your anger, just as I did.

You're so much better than me.

And she died.