Prologue

Once, long ago, a single drop of sunlight fell from the heavens, and from this single drop of sunlight, grew a magical , golden flower. The flower had the power to heal the sick and injured. Not far from this flower, there was a kingdom, and the queen of this kingdom was about to have a chills; however, she grew dangerously ill. The whole kingdom searched for the flower, and when they found it, they uprooted it and made it into a remedy to heal the queen. She gave birth to a healthy baby girl, a princess, with beautiful golden hair. She named her Rapunzel. The king and queen launched a flying lantern to celebrate her birth. But that night, an old woman who had been hording the golden flower for herself broke into the castle to take revenge.

She discovered the flower's magic had been transferred to the princess's hair, and would retain it's magic if the hair was never cut. So the old woman, whose name was Gothel, kidnapped the princess and hid her in a tower deep in the forest. She raised the child as her own, but she never let the little princess leave the tower. Every year on Rapunzel's birthday, the kingdom would launch thousands of lanterns in hope that their lost princess might one day be found.

Rapunzel, upon seeing these, wished to see them up close. Years later, right before her eighteenth birthday, she asked her "mother" if she could see them up close. Gothel steadfastly refused to let her leave the tower. Therefore, when a certain thief by the name of Flynn Rider sought refuge in her tower, she seized her chance. She hid the thief's satchel , and if he took her to see the floating lights, she would return it to him. Flynn reluctantly agreed. For the first time ever, Rapunzel had the feeling of freedom. As they traveled to the kingdom to see the lights, Flynn slowly began to see the world through Rapunzel's eyes. Perhaps he didn't need to be a thief to get what he wanted. Really the whole time, what he looking for was standing right in front of him.

Flynn and Rapunzel fell in love as they watched the lanterns rise in the sky. The crown he had stolen didn't matter anymore. Rapunzel was his new dream. After the lanterns descended, he took the satchel with him in attempt to give it to the other thieves, the Stabbington brothers, he had cheated; however, the Stabbingtons had discovered Rapunzel's magic powers and wanted her instead. They knocked Flynn out and tied him to a boat, sending him across the lake to his doom: prison and the gallows. Rapunzel thought Flynn had left her. Heartbroken, she ran to Gothel, and they traveled back home to the tower.

Meanwhile, friendly thugs whom Flynn and Rapunzel had met on their journey, helped the thief to escape. He jumped on a horse named Maximus and sped to the tower. He climbed up Rapunzel's long hair into the tower. But Rapunzel had found out the truth about herself: she was the lost princess. Gothel was furious, and she stabbed Flynn with her dagger. Rapunzel vowed she would stay with Gothel forever if she was allowed to heal Flynn. Flynn, however, did not wish for Rapunzel to stay in captivity forever, so he did the one last thing that could free her. He cut her hair. Instantly, Rapunzel's hair lost its power and turned brown. Gothel turned hundreds of years old and withered away. Rapunzel was free at last, but at the cost of Flynn's life. Without her magic hair, she couldn't heal him. Flynn breathed his last breath. Rapunzel cried, and a tiny golden tear slipped down her cheek onto Flynn. The magic healed him, and Rapunzel could not have been happier. She was reunited with her parents, the king and queen, and Flynn ( whose real name was Eugene Fitzerbert) stopped thieving and basically turned it all around.
Time passed and Rapunzel and Flynn were married, and they were living happily ever after. Or so they thought…