There once was a lost Princess who was the daughter of the Sun, with magical healing hair so bright and gold it could have been spun from the rays of the very star itself. Her story started a little something like this…
The Kingdom of Corona has always been blessed by the Sun, and it was rumoured that the people of Corona were the Sun's very own descendants.
Deep in the forests of Corona, it was said that the Sun had once cried for her children during a particularly tough famine, and a droplet of her tears fell to Corona's earth and healed the land. From that droplet, grew a rare, magical flower able to heal any and every ailment, except death.
A lady, known only as Mother Gothel, came across this flower and discovered its properties. For centuries she hogged its gifts to herself, hiding it from the world, using it to preserve her youth and beauty over time and prolong her life unnaturally. All she had to do, was sing a special song.
The Queen of Corona, Queen Primrose Solari, was having a difficult childbirth and started to grow ill. Her husband, King Thomas Solari, could not bear to see his wife in pain, and fears her death during the delivery; so he sets out with his people to scour his land for the rumoured magical flower.
Mother Gothel has grown careless and complacent throughout the years, as no one had managed to find the flower thus far besides her. Due to this, she forgot, one night, to set up the protective spells around the flower, and it was discovered by the King's search party.
Overjoyed, the King brought back the flower and fed it to his wife, who recovered from her illness and delivered a healthy baby girl with no side effects. However, the baby has a full head of golden hair, a trait the two monarchs did not have, as they had brown hair.
Regardless, the birth of the Princess Rapunzel was celebrated throughout the Kingdom of Corona as a sign of hope; she was claimed to be the daughter of the Sun, due to her beautiful golden hair and the magical circumstances of her birth. The King and Queen released a single, glowing lantern into the sky to mark the Princesses' first birthday.
Mother Gothel was furious at the loss of her flower. She could not go anywhere near Rapunzel, for she was with her mother and guarded at all times with protective magic. So she bided her time and waited for an opportunity to arise.
When Rapunzel was almost three, the war against Pitch began. Her father grew busier and busier, and was soon very much involved in the war as a defender. Her mother was up to her neck with work, as well, as the Head Healer of the Corona Hospital.
Amidst the chaos and hectic situation in the hospital, for just a short moment, Rapunzel was left unguarded. Her mother had left the room briefly to attend to a frantic nurse in need of advice. That was, unfortunately, all the time Mother Gothel needed with the child.
She snuck into the hospital room serving as Rapunzel's temporary nursery, and tried to steal a lock of Rapunzel's hair. To her dismay, once the hair was cut, it quickly loses its magical qualities. Not one to give up on her only source of eternal youth, she kidnapped the child right under everybody's nose, and hid Rapunzel away in a door-less tower where no one would find her.
The kingdom came to grieve for the kidnapped Princess. Every year on Rapunzel's birthday, they would release thousands and thousands of lanterns, the very ones that the King and Queen had set up for her first birthday, in hopes that it will call their beloved Princess back home.
When Rapunzel grew older, her hair grew longer, and Mother Gothel refused to let her cut it for fear of losing its magical properties.
As she grew older, her voice grew sweeter, and Mother Gothel let her sing her special lullaby.
As she grew older, her curiousity grew stronger, and Mother Gothel felt dread growing in the pits of her stomach; she began to anticipate the day Rapunzel asks about the lanterns in the sky on her birthday each year.
As she grew older, her other magical abilities started to appear, and Mother Gothel began to grow afraid of losing her precious flower forever.
On Rapunzel's 11th birthday, a letter came addressed to her, as was what comes for all 11 year old magical kids. Mother Gothel intercepted the letter, but more and more came, each determined to reach the child. Still, she did her best and hid them all from Rapunzel, making sure Rapunzel would never catch glimpse of the letters.
But one day, on one of Gothel's rounds outside the tower to get groceries, Rapunzel came across a tiny pocket under the stairs. To her surprise, bunches of letters were stuffed in it, and they were all addressed to her. Curiousity got a hold of her (Who would write her letters? How did it get under the stairs?), so she opened one and read its contents.
When Mother Gothel got back, it was already too late, and Rapunzel just finished reading the letter, excitement bubbling in her eyes.
"But Mother…"
"I've said no, Rapunzel. You know why we stay up in this tower?"
"Yes, but—"
"That's right, to keep you safe and sound, dear. Now, pass the potatoes."
Rapunzel sulked. It's been 3 weeks since she read her letter from Hogwarts. Hers! Not anyone else! A school for magical kids couldn't be that dangerous, could it? And if she got a letter, didn't it mean she was qualified to attend in the first place? And yet… her mother was determined that she'd still encounter ruffians, and thugs, and poison ivy, and quicksand... Surely Hogwarts would not have such danger when kids are attending every year?
"But the letter—"
"Most likely got the wrong Rapunzel."
"It's addressed to a Rapunzel in the Tower! There are hundreds and hundreds of the same letters that ended up here, addressed to a Rapunzel in the Tower! Motherrrrr," Rapunzel wheedled. "I don't ask for anything, Mother, but I want to attend this school."
Mother Gothel scowled. "That in itself is asking for a lot, Rapunzel." She snapped, crossing her arms. Rapunzel gave her best pout, and struggled to come up with a compromise. "If I go to Hogwarts, I promise I'll stop asking about the lights—I mean, the stars on my birthday?" She asked, her voice small. It was a sacrifice she could make; Rapunzel knows full well how it bugs her mother so whenever she talks about the lights every year.
Frowning, Gothel considered this. She supposed sending Rapunzel off to Hogwarts would mean moving Rapunzel further away from Corona's borders, but at the same time… She did not want to expose Rapunzel to the world. But, she could always keep an eye on her flower another way…
"Very well. But on the condition that I shall be your teacher. At Hogwarts. Where I can keep an eye on you at all times, so you will never get into trouble."
There was a resounding squeal of happiness from the little girl, who lunged into a tackle hug around Gothel's waist. Rapunzel did not think about her mother watching her at all times, or the embarrassment of having a parent as your teacher; she was too excited about Hogwarts. Away from the tower! Out into the world!
She couldn't wait!