Corona, for many years, was known as the kingdom of the sun. It seemed Corona was always sunny, the harvests were plentiful, and the people were happy. What would have made them even happier was a prince or princess whom the people could shower with affection. The King and Queen of Corona tried for many years to bear a child, an heir to their throne, but to no avail.

They were about to give up, when one day an enchantress came to their castle, claiming that she knew a way which could assist them. She promised to make a potion, one that if taken once a day for one moon by the Queen would bring them a child. The king immediately insisted the enchantress move into the castle to make this potion, but she insisted that she had to stay at her cottage in the forest to make it.

"I will return at twilight every day to bring the queen her potion," she stated with a humble bow. "But I ask in return for a fee. You see, this potion will be very taxing to make, and I could use the money to grow more herbs on my land, in order to make more potions for the townspeople."

Money was no object to the king and queen, and it meant very little in comparison to the promise of a child. They King and the Enchantress agreed upon a sum of money to be delivered to her after the birth of their child. As they shook hands, the king asked, "May we have your name?"

With a tender smile, the woman pulled her hand back and brought the hood of her cloak over her head. "You may call me Mother Gothel," she answered tenderly before turning to leave.

As promised, at twilight every day Mother Gothel returned with a fresh potion for the queen to drink. It took an hour for the queen to choke down the drink, as it was distasteful. During the hour, Mother Gothel would sing lullabies or tell fairy tales, which the Queen eagerly listened to. She happily thought that she could learn these to relay to her unborn child.

At the end of the month, Mother Gothel asked the King if he had yet tried to impregnate his queen.

"Several times," he answered, gruffly. "Especially during this month."

Mother Gothel approached the queen and placed a hand on her belly. She murmured several words in a language neither King nor Queen could understand, and her hand began to glow with golden light. The royals watched in amazement, and slowly Mother Gothel began to pull an orb of light from the Queen's belly. "Sunshine," Mother Gothel stated, gently. "Your child will be born in the summer." She waved her hand and inside the orb images flashed by. A baby boy, growing into adulthood at a fast rate. "A son," Gothel stated, nodding proudly. "He will be very healthy, as well."

She let the orb go and it floated up to the ceiling then disappeared, but the King did not waste time watching it. He had gotten out of his throne and was hugging his wife, tightly. "A baby boy," he breathed, happily.

"My work is done," Mother Gothel stated, bowing to the King and Queen before turning away, but the Queen called to stop her.

"I will need someone to assist me with the birth," she pointed out, smiling. "Mother Gothel, you are very knowledgeable. Will you please stay with us, just a little longer? You are welcome to stay in the castle."

But again Mother Gothel refused, insisting that she would need to stay in her cottage in the forest. "I will assist with the birth and teach you all you need to know to take care of the child," she answered, nodding. "But again I ask for a fee so that I may work in my garden and take care of my herbs to make potions for the townspeople. I would also like to be given the placenta after the birth, if it would not be a trouble to the Queen."

Again the King agreed, though after giving Gothel a rather strange look for the last request, and they worked out a new sum which Mother Gothel would be paid only after the birth of their son.

For nine months, Mother Gothel came back to the castle once a day to assist the Queen in preparing for the baby's arrival. She taught her lullabies and many fairy tales which the child would want to hear. She taught the Queen how to breast feed and explained to her that she would know the baby's cries because she alone was its mother. She told her what would happen during the birth and what was to be done with the umbilical cord and placenta. She explained, upon request, that the placenta could be used to make potions, and would be saved and dried for her practices. She also predicted the exact day and time the baby would be born, and assured the Queen that the birth would go smoothly.

When the day finally arrived, Mother Gothel arrived just in time for the first contraction. While the King and Queen, and many servants, seemed very concerned and were rushing about trying to get things done, Mother Gothel seemed calm and even smiled and talked softly with the Queen while they waited for the doctor.

Just as Gothel predicted, the birth was quick and smooth, and after giving Mother Gothel the placenta wrapped in a white cloth everyone was rushed from the room to leave the happy parents alone with their child; a healthy baby boy.

An announcement was made and the entire kingdom celebrated the birth of their new prince. The celebration lasted a full week.

But much to Mother Gothel's dismay, she was not given the gold she had requested.

She attempted to go see the King and remind him of their deal, but was denied entrance to see him.

She waited five more years, but to no avail. Each day she came into town to attempt to see the King to receive her sum, but each day she was turned away. Finally, she unwrapped the placenta she had been given at the child's birth.

Using herbs and a spell from one of her books, she used the placenta to place a spell on the child, which she could use to her advantage if the king refused her again. She went into the kingdom one more time to see the King but again he refused her.

Late that night, after the King and Queen had gone to bed and left the prince alone, she stole into the castle, using the vines on the side to climb up and into his window. The magic which she had placed on the baby's placenta caused him to see her as his mother, and so he made no protest as she picked him up and carried him silently away in the night.

The King and Queen did not realize their child was gone until the next afternoon.

The spell Gothel had placed on the child made him see her as his mother, but not forever. Soon the spell wore off and he protested being with her, demanding that he be sent home. But Gothel refused, stating that she needed her gold before she would return him.

The prince was left with Gothel for several days before he managed to escape from her cottage. But as he ran, she placed a curse upon him, splitting his soul into three parts. He continued to run for days and days, trying to find the castle and return to his parents, but he was lost to the forest, and soon the three parts of his soul began to confuse him, and he forgot who he was.

Though the King and Queen were devastated by the loss of their only child, two years later they found they were once again with child. They did not call on Gothel to assist this time, and the birth was hard on the Queen. Her body couldn't seem to handle the child that she had within her.

Desperate to save his wife and child, the King searched and searched for a solution to the Queen's ailment. He found in a book one evening a tale about a magic golden flower which had considerable healing powers. Though he was not certain it was even real, he set out with his captain of the guard and several knights to find this flower.

In fact the flower did exist. It grew in the garden behind Mother Gothel's cottage, though the King did not know it was hers because he had never been there. When he saw the flower, he immediately ordered his knights to dig it up and return it to the castle, even though there was a fence around it with a sign requesting people not to take the plants within.

Enraged, Mother Gothel watched from the window as her golden flower was taken. In fact, this flower was the source of her powers, and without it she was unable to do magic. She followed the king and his men back to the castle, where they made the flower into a liquid that would heal the queen. That evening she went into labor.

A princess with golden hair was born from the Queen, and again the kingdom celebrated. But Gothel immediately saw that the princess had been affected by the magic of the flower. She had only survived the birth because of the flower's magic, and thus if her golden locks were ever cut, she would parish.

To save the princess, Mother Gothel again stole into the castle late at night, and took her from her crib. This time, she traveled far away with the child, so that no one would be able to take it from her.

After a month's travel, Mother Gothel found the perfect spot; a hidden grotto deep in the forest, and far away from the kingdom. With her magic she constructed a tall tower in which she and the child could live safely.

She named the girl Rapunzel.