AN: So, as some have probably noted, I did have to change a couple of minor things. I did have reasons for this which I'm not going to reveal just yet. Though by now, you've might have guessed what the twist to this story is.
Cashat: Thank you for the review. I'm glad you do like this story. It was fun to write.
Rapunzel hurriedly packed away her paints. "This is it. This is a very big day, Pascal." She said as she set the cups of pink and red paints back into the little chest she used to store them in. Pascal perched on the edge of the box and was helping by using his flexible tail to put away Rapunzel's brushes. Finished, he hopped onto her arm as she shut the lid. She chuckled as she continued, "I'm finally going to do it. I'm going to ask her!"
As if right on cue, a very familiar voice rang out from below the main window of the tower. "Rapunzel! Let down your hair!"
The girl gasped softly. Now that the moment was here, butterflies were erupting in her stomach. Asking Mother anything always made her nervous. She took a deep breath and looked at her friend who had moved up her arm and onto her shoulder. "It's time."
Pascal puffed out his chest and gave her a look that said, You can do this. I know you totally can. No sweat. The confidence the little chameleon showed he had in her made Rapunzel smile. It felt nice that he believed in her.
"I know, I know." She replied, holding up her hand for him. Pascal hopped onto it and she lifted him to the painting. "Come on. Don't let her see you." Mother didn't know about Pascal and neither he nor Rapunzel wanted her to find him. Rapunzel just knew that Pascal would be forced to leave if she did. The chameleon clung to the wall as she closed the drapes over her painting. She gave him a quick smile as he shifted to a darker green to match one of the trees.
"Rapunzel!" Mother called again, this time with impatience in her voice. "I'm not getting any younger down here!"
Rapunzel hurried to the window. "Coming Mother." She called back. Quickly, since it was never good to keep her mother waiting, Rapunzel gathered up all her long hair, looped part over a hook that was just above the top of the window, and tossed the rest out. It tumbled down to where Mother was waiting in a long shimmering golden train.
Down below, Mother took a hold on the end and made a loop to stand on. That was Rapunzel's cue to start the laborious process of pulling Mother all the way to the top of their tower. For the most part, Rapunzel was used to the effort that was needed for such a feat. She had been doing this every day, sometimes more than once, ever since she was thirteen. That was when her hair was finally long enough to replace the rope ladder Mother had been using. Sometimes Rapunzel wished her Mother would still use that ladder though.
Finally she had hauled her mother up to the window and the older woman stepped neatly onto the sill. Mother turned slightly to slip the remaining length of Rapunzel's hair off the hook.
"Hi." Rapunzel greeted her, a little breathlessly, "Welcome home, Mother."
Mother threw back the hood of her black cloak and slid the cone-basket off her shoulder as she stepped down to the floor. She also dropped the smaller basket beside the first "Ugh, Rapunzel, How you manage to do that every single day without fail. It looks absolutely exhausting." She cupped Rapunzel's chin as she gave a little pout of sympathy.
Rapunzel smiled. Truly she didn't mind doing all that work for Mother's sake. She chuckled lightly as she answered, "Oh, it's nothing."
"Then I don't know why it takes so long." Mother said, tapping one red painted fingernail on Rapunzel's nose. She then threw her head back and laughed. "Oh, darling, I'm just teasing."
As Mother walked away, Rapunzel gave a hesitant chuckle as well. Mother was always doing things like that. First she would complement something then she would make a criticism before just laughing it off as teasing. Rapunzel tried to not let it bother her too much, but those criticisms sometimes cut deeply. This was one of those times. "All right." she said softly and turned to follow.
Mother dropped her cloak across the back of a chair as she walked over to the standing mirror. It was always the first thing she went for after returning home. Rapunzel came up behind her as she examined herself in that mirror. It was time to plead her case. "So, Mother, as you know tomorrow is a very big day…"
"Rapunzel, look in that mirror." Mother interrupted, taking one of Rapunzel's arms and pulling her up to her side. Reflexively, Rapunzel did. What she saw was her mother, regal and elegant looking in her favourite scarlet dress, with large silver-grey eyes and dark curly hair. Even standing next to her, Rapunzel felt out of place. In fact nearly every time she looked in a mirror, Rapunzel felt that way. Like what she was seeing wasn't really who she was. Not noticing anything odd, Mother continued, "You know what I see? I see a strong, confidant, beautiful young lady."
Rapunzel felt her heart lift. Maybe she was wrong. Maybe Mother was seeing something she wasn't if she was saying such good things about her. Rapunzel's lips started to curl up in a smile. Then, Mother's gaze switched to Rapunzel's reflection, as if she had only just noticed her daughter standing next to her. "Oh, look, you're here too." She added, pointing. With that, she threw her head back and laughed gaily at the 'joke'. And just like that, Rapunzel felt a wave of bitter disappointment.
"I'm just teasing. Stop taking everything so seriously." Mother continued, nudging Rapunzel with her elbow. She returned to her primping.
Rapunzel decided to just brush it off and try again to tell her mother her big news. "Okay. So, Mother, as I was saying, tomorrow is…"
Again Mother interrupted, having noticed something in the mirror. She looked over her shoulder at Rapunzel as she spoke. "Rapunzel, Mother's feeling a little run-down. Would you sing for me, dear? Then we'll talk."
"Oh! Of course, Mother!" Rapunzel responded with enthusiasm. At least this time Mother had actually agreed that they would talk. She rushed off to get everything set up, Mother following at a slower pace. She picked up Mother's chair and brought it over in front of the fireplace. Darting off, she found her little foot-stool. After dropping it in front of the chair, she took Mother's arm and thrust her into her seat before going to look for her hair-brush. Mother always wanted to brush Rapunzel's hair when she sang for her.
Returning to Mother's side, she shoved the brush into her hand, scooped up some of her hair, and placed it into Mother's lap as she dropped down onto the stool. Rapunzel closed her eyes and launched into the special song Mother always wanted to hear.
"Flower, gleam and glow. Let your power shine. Make the clock reverse. Bring back what once was mine." She sang as fast as she could. The sooner she got through this, the sooner she could talk to her mother.
"Wait! Hey – wait!" This time, when Mother tried to interrupt, Rapunzel just sang right over top of her protest.
"Heal what has been hurt. Change the fate's design. Save what has been lost. Bring back what once was mine!" Rapunzel finished in a rush.
"Rapunzel!" Mother started to scold, throwing down the brush.
Rapunzel didn't give her a chance to continue, however. She leapt up from the stool and leaned over the arm of Mother's chair. "So, Mother, earlier I was saying tomorrow was a pretty big day and you didn't really respond. So I'm just going to tell you, it's my birthday!" She hugged Mother's arm gleefully and added with a laugh, "Ta-dah!"
"No, no, no." Mother replied, gently pushing Rapunzel back. "Can't be. I distinctly remember. Your birthday was last year."
Rapunzel forced herself to keep her smile up. "That's the funny thing about birthdays. They're kind of an annual thing." Then Rapunzel sighed and sat back down. "Mother, I'm turning eighteen and I wanted to ask…" At Mother's bland expression, Rapunzel felt her resolve wilt a little. She sighed again. "What I really want for this birthday… Actually what I've wanted for quite a few birthdays now…" she mumbled, tugging on a piece of her hair nervously.
Mother rolled her eyes and said, "Rapunzel, please. Stop with the mumbling. You know how I feel about the mumbling. Blah-blah-blah-blah." She made speaking motions with one hand. "It's very annoying! I'm just teasing. You're adorable. I love you so much, darling." Mother pinched one of Rapunzel's cheeks as she stood up.
Rapunzel watched dejectedly as Mother walked over to the table at the bottom of the stairs that lead up to Rapunzel's room. This was not going how she had hoped it would. It seemed like Mother wasn't even paying attention to what Rapunzel wanted to tell her. There was a soft chirrup and Rapunzel glanced down to see Pascal peeking out from under the wardrobe. Keep going. Don't give up. He motioned, squeaking for emphasis.
She tightened her hold on her hair for a moment, building up her courage. Finally she blurted out, "I want to see the floating lights!"
Mother paused in the middle transferring an apple from her carry-basket to the one on the table. Slowly she put it down and turned towards Rapunzel. "What?" she asked with an odd chuckle in her voice.
Not to be deterred this time, now that she had Mother's attention, Rapunzel climbed up on a taller stool. She reached up and pulled back the drapes to reveal her painting. "Oh, well, I was hoping you would take me to see the floating lights." she explained.
"Oh!" Mother smiled and turned back to the fruit basket. "You mean the stars."
"That's the thing." Rapunzel said. She tossed part of her hair up to open the skylight. The sunlight shone across another painting she had made several years ago. This one was a star-chart. She had spent nearly a year staying up late at night just to make sure it was accurate. It was because of all that that she knew the floating lights weren't stars. "I've charted stars and they're always constant, but these…" She raised a hand to indicate the new painting. "They appear every year on my birthday, Mother. Only on my birthday. And I can't help but feel that they're… they're meant for me."
She turned to see her mother was no longer at the table and was walking across the room. Fearing that Mother was no longer listening, she continued gamely, putting passion into her voice. "I need to see them, Mother. And not just from my window, in person. I have to know what they are."
"You want to go outside?" Mother scoffed as she firmly shut the shutters. "Why Rapunzel… Look at you, as fragile as a flower." Rapunzel climbed down from the stool as Mother came over and took her hands. Mother spun her around and then patted the top of her head. "Still a little sapling, just a sprout. You know why we stay up here in this tower."
"I know, but…" Rapunzel tried to interject.
"That's right. To keep you safe and sound, dear." She slipped behind Rapunzel and picked up her hair to run her cheek along it. Rapunzel looked over her shoulder at her mother, a part of her thinking that Mother was actual talking more about her hair than her.
Mother let go of Rapunzel's hair and went to the bay window. She grabbed the edge of the curtain and placed her free hand against her forehead in a dramatic pose. "Guess I always knew this day was coming. Knew that soon you'd want to leave the nest." She jerked the curtain closed, cutting off most of the light. She traipsed over to the stairs. Rapunzel followed her. "Soon but not yet."
Rapunzel opened her mouth to protest, but she only got out a "But…" before Mother placed a finger over her lips.
"Shh! Trust me, pet. Mother knows best!" With that, Mother bumped her hip against the wall. That caused the sky-light hatch to slam shut, plunging the inside of the tower into darkness. Rapunzel fumbled with the candlestick on the table for a moment before managing to light it. She carefully turned around, trying to see Mother in the gloom.
"Mother knows best. Listen to your mother. It's a scary world out there." She could hear her mother sing from somewhere in the room. Then all of a sudden there she was, standing with her hands up like claws. Rapunzel jumped back in surprise with a yelp. Mother vanished into the darkness and Rapunzel tried to peer after her. Just then something pulled on her hair. Rapunzel dropped the candlestick and tried to pull her hair free. Whatever had it let go and she went stumbling back. Just as she was about to fall backwards a pair of hands caught her under the arms.
She looked up to see that it was her mother. "Mother knows best. One way or another, something will go wrong, I swear!" Mother let go and Rapunzel fell onto her rump. She spun around on the floor as Mother vanished again. "Ruffians, thugs, Poison ivy, quicksand! Cannibals and snakes!"
Rapunzel, frightened by all the terrible things Mother was telling her, jumped to her feet. She turned in time to see Mother standing just behind her holding one of her green-glass lanterns. The eerie light from it cast sinister shadows across Mother's face. "The Plague!" she intoned solemnly.
"No!" cried Rapunzel.
"Yes!" Mother answered with a creepy grin.
Rapunzel held up a hand and asked timidly, "But…" Then the lantern went out and Mother disappeared yet again. Suddenly, something stringy and a little damp nudged the back of Rapunzel's head. She yelped and fell forward.
"Also large bugs. Men with pointy teeth." Rapunzel found herself staring at a crude red painting of just such a man. She jumped back as Mother appeared sitting next to her, one hand with a paintbrush once more pressed to her forehead. "And stop! No more, you'll just upset me!"
Backing away, Rapunzel found her candlestick again. Scared now of whatever else Mother would have pop out at her, she wrapped her long hair around her like a protective blanket and huddled next to her lit candle. Just then, Mother came up beside her, now wearing her black cloak, and took her hand. "Mother's right here. Mother will protect you. Darling, here's what I suggest…" Rapunzel was lifted to her feet and she threw her arms around her mother. Except something was wrong. Mother didn't embrace her back. Rapunzel pulled away to find that it was her dressmaker's judy with Mother's clock draped over it.
Mother appeared on the stairway, several candles lit around her. "Skip the drama, stay with Mama. Mother knows best!" She gave a chilling laugh and spun around quickly, causing the candle flames to blow out.
Once again in the dark, Rapunzel found a match and started lighting candles again. She didn't even realize that Mother was going along right behind her, snuffing them out. "Mother knows best. Take it from your mumsy. On your own, you won't survive."
Rapunzel turned to find herself looking in Mother's mirror. She jumped in surprise as Mother peered around the side. Mother smirked and tilted the mirror to reveal Rapunzel's bare feet. "Sloppy, underdressed, immature, clumsy." Rapunzel crouched, pulling down the hem of her dress to cover her feet. Just then, the rug she was standing on jerked out from under her. Rapunzel fell to the floor with a yelp. Mother was at her side, but instead of helping her up, Mother rolled her across the floor, getting her tangled up in her hair. "Please, they'll eat you up alive!"
"Gullible, naïve," Mother set Rapunzel up on her feet. Before she could say anything, Mother took a hold of the ends of her hair and pulled, sending Rapunzel into a spin. "Positively grubby, ditz, and a bit, well, hmm, vague! Plus I believe, getting kind of chubby." Her head spinning, Rapunzel staggered for a moment as Mother put a finger under her chin. Then her mother lightly patted the underside of her chin before taking Rapunzel's face in her hands. "I'm just saying 'cause I wuv you." She pressed her cheek against Rapunzel's for a moment before letting go and vanishing once more.
"Mother understands. Mother's here to help you. All I have is one request!" Rapunzel found she was alone in the dark again. She put out her hands to try to feel her way to something familiar. Suddenly, light appeared behind her and she turned to find her mother standing in the center of it, arms spread wide. Rapunzel breathed a sigh of relief and ran into her mother's arms. This time Mother didn't disappear and actually hugged her back. Mother ran a hand over Rapunzel's hair. "Rapunzel?" she asked slowly.
Rapunzel pulled back to look up at Mother's face hopefully. "Yes?"
Mother's expression turned hard and unforgiving. "Don't ever ask to leave this tower again." There was finality to those words that filled Rapunzel's heart with disappointment.
"Yes, Mother." She answered with a heavy sigh.
"Oh." Mother cooed, lifting Rapunzel's chin gently. "I love you very much, dear."
Rapunzel couldn't help but give a little smile. "I love you more." She replied. She couldn't be angry at Mother for denying her request. She was, after all, only looking out for her and this just proved that Mother really did love her.
"I love you most." Mother finished and kissed the top of her head. She then tapped Rapunzel's nose and patted her head again. "Don't forget it. You'll regret it. Mother knows best!" With that, Mother picked up two locks of Rapunzel's hair in both hands, letting it run through her fingers as she backed away. She dropped Rapunzel's hair finally and turned to the table to pick up her gathering basket. "Now, I just remembered. I have another errand to run, so if you wouldn't mind letting your hair down for me."
"Of course not, Mother." Rapunzel responded. She went over to the window and opened it again. The bright sunlight outside was a stark contrast to the depression she was feeling due to her disappointment. Still she hid it from her mother as she looped her hair over the hook and sent to long end tumbling down to the ground far below. She braced herself as Mother stepped up onto the windowsill and took a hold of the golden hair.
"Ta-ta!" she called as she slid easily down the long length. "I'll see you in a bit, my flower!"
Rapunzel remained silent instead of answering right away. As soon as Mother reached the bottom and disappearing into the tunnel leading from the tiny valley, she slipped her hair off the hook. "I'll be here." She muttered to herself. It's not like I'm allowed to go anywhere. She sighed and leaned across the windowsill, folding her arms and resting her chin on them. Pascal came up beside her and chirruped in an attempt to make her feel better. Rapunzel just ignored him.
It's just not fair. She thought sadly as far below her hair fluttered and swayed in the breeze.