Gothel finally reached the tower. She was exhausted. She released Rapunzel from her chest, and smiled.

"Flower, gleam and glow

Let your power shine

Make the clock reverse

Bring back what once was mine

Heal what has been hurt

Change the Fates' design

Save what has been lost

Bring back what once was mine

What once was mine."

Becoming young was a big relief, and feeling energetic again added to it. She wondered how she ran all that way from the palace to the tower. She had become old from cutting a lock of hair, and she hurried, but it felt as if she wouldn't make it.

She sat down in a cushioned chair by the fire. "My dear flower, they will never find you," she whispered in Rapunzel's ears, "you'll be taken cared for better than anyone in the world."

...

It became morning. Thomas and Primrose awoke. "Good morning, Thomas." Primrose hugged her husband from behind him as if she were a 7-year-old hanging on for dear life on a galloping horse. She loved him dearly. Thomas turned, his back resting on the bed. "Good morning, love," he cooed. The head of the guards knocked on the door. "Come in," Thomas and Primrose simultaneously commanded. The guard walked in. "Your Majesties, your daughter hasn't been yet found." 'Rapunzel?' At the mention of her they suddenly remembered what happened several hours earlier. "We will begin searching the nearby island and in the forest today," the guard concluded. "Rapunzel is still missing, Thomas," Primrose whispered, weeping over Thomas' s chest. Thomas weeped with her.

"Breakfast for the King and Queen!" exclaimed an optimistic servant. She sat the tray onto their lap, which contained two large plates full of toast and omelet eggs. "O, Highnesses. I heard about the kidnapping of our princess. She will eventually be found," she said. "We just don't know when." She walked out of the room.

...

A few days later, in the tower, Gothel sighed out of exhaustion. Greedy in heart, it was hard for Gothel to take care of Rapunzel. She was stressed, and mothering involved love. Gothel had to spend her time changing Rapunzel's diaper, feeding her, talking to her, bathing her. But the dreaded question: How would she bring Rapunzel into the kingdom to buy food without people seeing her? Rapunzel's hair was a foot long for a 9-month-old baby. And everyone knew that the princess had long golden hair and green eyes. 'I'll braid her hair into a bun and...cover her from head-to-toe with my shawl,' Gothel planned. She sighed at her wits. She would be able to keep Rapunzel with her and make herself stay young forever. But something dawned on her: 'The guards are looking into the forest, and if I go out, they'll find her if we come into each other's paths, and I'll lose my flower...forever!' "I'll think of something," she told herself. "I only need to go out for food and water, so..." She looked into the cabinets and drawers. "Whew!" she sighed. She had stacked the tower with plenty of food and water to last a month, so she needn't worry. She decided to sing the incantation:

Flower, gleam and glow

Let your power shine

Make the clock reverse

Bring back what once was mine

Heal what has been hurt

Change the Fates' design

Save what has been lost

Bring back what once was mine

What once was mine

Within a second, she felt calm and, of course, younger. "Sleep well, flower," she whispered into Rapunzel's ears. 'Now, breakfast,' she thought.

...

The King and Queen were in their room. Thomas had been walking back and forth for hours, stopping only to eat lunch and dinner. Primrose sat on a chair beside Rapunzel's empty crib. It had been a week since their baby's disappearance.

"O Thomas! How long will it be before we get our daughter back?" Primrose asked. "I don't know. It's been a week. To be honest, she should've been found by now. That old woman lives here somewhere, and the guards are searching every inch of Corona."

"Her birthday is in three months. She will be exactly 365 days old," Thomas thought aloud.

...

While the search went on, Gothel just laughed. "Ha! This tower is nearly at the end of the forest hidden from sight, and the forest extends to seven miles." Her face saddened. "Of course...with so many guards, they might find us." Rapunzel started crying. Gothel sighed as she walked over to Rapunzel. "Shush, flower. Mommy's here," Gothel cooed, rocking Rapunzel in her arms.