DISCLAIMER: You know the drill.
Author's Note: Thank you to all of my wonderful reviewers! You rock my world! By the way, there was a question asked about rampion, yes it is a real vegetable. In fact, you may have noticed this in the fanfic, ch 2, but when the witch looks at her few remaining plants that are wilting and notices that the stalks have split and the leaves look like a woman's braids...rampion really does that. When it has not been pollinated rampion splits down the stalk for asexual reproduction and the leaves coil up to look like a woman's plait. Cool huh?
~~Chapter Three~~
**Demeter's POV**
The birth had been a smooth one, strangely better than most, or so my midwife told me. She said it was unusual for a birthing to be as easy as mine was, and told me that I must have been eating well before hand. I agreed. The rampion Fritjof had given to me had tasted sweeter than honey and had given me energy beyond what I had ever known. In the past few months I had felt more healthy, and happy than I ever had in my entire life. There was something about it that agreed with me.
It seemed to agree with my baby girl even more. When the midwife had her she was dumb for a few minutes until she finally stammered, "She's the most beautiful baby I have ever seen!" And she was, my child had eyes the color of the sky on a summer's day, and already had sprouted golden curls from her perfect head.
The first days with her were pure bliss. Fritjof and I played with her out in the sunshine and marveled at how lucky we were to have had a baby, and such a perfect one as that. At night Fritjof placed her in a bassinet at the foot of our bed, but it wasn't ten minutes before I had risen and brought her into bed with us. And there we slept, our little one, so delicate, protected by her parents, in a sea of quilts. Safe, secure. At one point during the night I awoke out of instinct to check on my baby, and watching her, perfect form outlined in the moonlight, I stroked her fine hair and vowed to myself that I would never let any harm come to her.
Then next morning when we awakened I made a luxurious breakfast and as I was washing up the pans there came a knock at the door.
Wiping my hands on my apron I opened the oak door to find a messenger on the step.
"'allo ma'am."
"Hello lad, do you bring me news?"
The young boy's chest puffed out with pride as he announced, "The Queen Rhainnon gave birth to a prince two days ago. Every one in the kingdom is invited to celebrate with a national holiday."
I clapped my hands with delight, "How wonderful! And so interesting, I have just given birth two days ago myself, to a baby girl!"
The lad smiled, "That's wonderful ma'am! May I ask 'er name?"
"I'm not sure yet," I replied, though this was not the truth. There was a name lurking in the dark depths of my imagination. But I was frightened of it, as the name seemed to represent the sin my husband and I had committed, stealing the...rapunzel. "What is the name of our future king?"
"Prince Christian."
"Oh that's lovely!" I exclaimed, "I will pray that he grows into a fine man."
"Good day to you ma'am."
"Good day," I shut the door and danced with delight. The Queen was such a delicate creature, I had feared that she might never give our nation an heir, and then where would we be?
That evening, as the twilight was falling, Fritjof took a book of fables off the bookshelf and read to us as I nursed my little girl. We read for nearly an hour, until my baby finished her supper and Fritjof finished the fable. Then I began to sing, slowly and quietly at first, then louder and with more passion as I observed my wonderful family and thanked God for providing for us with this love. Fritjof stood to put his arms around me.
But just as I reached out to take his hand, our front door burst open and a wind, cold as ice, shot through the house. I stopped singing and my child began to cry. It was the elderly woman who lived next door that stood in our doorway, eyes afire with anger. She threw a basket at us and silver coins scattered all over the parlor.
"Where is it?!" she cried. I would have sword that her eyes began to glow a horrible green hue. "Where is my rampion?!"
Fritjof crossed between the woman and myself. "I'm sorry, we did not know you had returned ma'am..."
"My name is Agrona!" she shrieked, "I am a witch more powerful than you could ever dream and you have had the gall to steal my rapunzel! Tell me where it is before I turn you to stone and look for it myself!"
I spoke up, "I'm sorry Agrona, I was pregnant and needed the rampion to stay healthy. We took some from your garden. We left these silver pieces for you in payment," I babbled, picking up a coin that had fallen in my lap and holding it up for the witch to see. "I have eaten your rampion."
A look of horror overcame the witch and she flew at me! I tried to rise but she clawed at my arms and wrenched my baby from my grasp!
"Give her back!"
My little girl began to cry harder as the witch held her high for examination. She toyed with her blonde curls and a look of dawning realization crossed her face. "You ate my rampion did you say? While you were pregnant?"
"Yes," I said cautiously, reaching for my child. The witch brushed me aside and continued, "Did you notice anything strange about yourself or the child afterwards?"
Why had she asked that? What did she know about how I had been feeling? "Yes. I have simply felt more healthy and energized. But my baby," here I made another grab for her.
Fritjof interupted, "The child has been strangest. She seems, not quite...normal."
The witch and I looked at each other out of the corners of our eyes. "What do you mean?" I asked Fritjof.
"Yesterday, I had a cut on my arm. As I was holding her she started to cry and when her tears touched my wound...it healed," Fritjof confessed.
The witch lowered my baby but did not return her to me. She simply cradled her against her chest, stroking her golden hair. "I will require payment for the rampion..."
"That's what the sil..." Fritjof began, but was cut off by the witch.
"I do not need silver!" Her eyes flashed, "I am a witch. Your currency has no value to me."
"What can we give you then?" I asked, anxious to retrieve my child from this woman.
"This child."
"NO!" Fritjof and I screamed together.
Again her eyes glowed their green tint, "This is not a choice. I'm taking the child. She is all that can compensate for my loss." For a brief moment an almost maternal look crossed the witch's face and she said quietly, "Her name shall be Rapunzel."
Then, with a howl of wind and a great cry, the witch spun and disappeared into thin air.
I screamed and reached for the green haze that had been left in her wake, but to no avail. I fell to the floor and began to cry. My baby had disappeared. My Rapunzel was gone.
Author's Note: Thank you to all of my wonderful reviewers! You rock my world! By the way, there was a question asked about rampion, yes it is a real vegetable. In fact, you may have noticed this in the fanfic, ch 2, but when the witch looks at her few remaining plants that are wilting and notices that the stalks have split and the leaves look like a woman's braids...rampion really does that. When it has not been pollinated rampion splits down the stalk for asexual reproduction and the leaves coil up to look like a woman's plait. Cool huh?
~~Chapter Three~~
**Demeter's POV**
The birth had been a smooth one, strangely better than most, or so my midwife told me. She said it was unusual for a birthing to be as easy as mine was, and told me that I must have been eating well before hand. I agreed. The rampion Fritjof had given to me had tasted sweeter than honey and had given me energy beyond what I had ever known. In the past few months I had felt more healthy, and happy than I ever had in my entire life. There was something about it that agreed with me.
It seemed to agree with my baby girl even more. When the midwife had her she was dumb for a few minutes until she finally stammered, "She's the most beautiful baby I have ever seen!" And she was, my child had eyes the color of the sky on a summer's day, and already had sprouted golden curls from her perfect head.
The first days with her were pure bliss. Fritjof and I played with her out in the sunshine and marveled at how lucky we were to have had a baby, and such a perfect one as that. At night Fritjof placed her in a bassinet at the foot of our bed, but it wasn't ten minutes before I had risen and brought her into bed with us. And there we slept, our little one, so delicate, protected by her parents, in a sea of quilts. Safe, secure. At one point during the night I awoke out of instinct to check on my baby, and watching her, perfect form outlined in the moonlight, I stroked her fine hair and vowed to myself that I would never let any harm come to her.
Then next morning when we awakened I made a luxurious breakfast and as I was washing up the pans there came a knock at the door.
Wiping my hands on my apron I opened the oak door to find a messenger on the step.
"'allo ma'am."
"Hello lad, do you bring me news?"
The young boy's chest puffed out with pride as he announced, "The Queen Rhainnon gave birth to a prince two days ago. Every one in the kingdom is invited to celebrate with a national holiday."
I clapped my hands with delight, "How wonderful! And so interesting, I have just given birth two days ago myself, to a baby girl!"
The lad smiled, "That's wonderful ma'am! May I ask 'er name?"
"I'm not sure yet," I replied, though this was not the truth. There was a name lurking in the dark depths of my imagination. But I was frightened of it, as the name seemed to represent the sin my husband and I had committed, stealing the...rapunzel. "What is the name of our future king?"
"Prince Christian."
"Oh that's lovely!" I exclaimed, "I will pray that he grows into a fine man."
"Good day to you ma'am."
"Good day," I shut the door and danced with delight. The Queen was such a delicate creature, I had feared that she might never give our nation an heir, and then where would we be?
That evening, as the twilight was falling, Fritjof took a book of fables off the bookshelf and read to us as I nursed my little girl. We read for nearly an hour, until my baby finished her supper and Fritjof finished the fable. Then I began to sing, slowly and quietly at first, then louder and with more passion as I observed my wonderful family and thanked God for providing for us with this love. Fritjof stood to put his arms around me.
But just as I reached out to take his hand, our front door burst open and a wind, cold as ice, shot through the house. I stopped singing and my child began to cry. It was the elderly woman who lived next door that stood in our doorway, eyes afire with anger. She threw a basket at us and silver coins scattered all over the parlor.
"Where is it?!" she cried. I would have sword that her eyes began to glow a horrible green hue. "Where is my rampion?!"
Fritjof crossed between the woman and myself. "I'm sorry, we did not know you had returned ma'am..."
"My name is Agrona!" she shrieked, "I am a witch more powerful than you could ever dream and you have had the gall to steal my rapunzel! Tell me where it is before I turn you to stone and look for it myself!"
I spoke up, "I'm sorry Agrona, I was pregnant and needed the rampion to stay healthy. We took some from your garden. We left these silver pieces for you in payment," I babbled, picking up a coin that had fallen in my lap and holding it up for the witch to see. "I have eaten your rampion."
A look of horror overcame the witch and she flew at me! I tried to rise but she clawed at my arms and wrenched my baby from my grasp!
"Give her back!"
My little girl began to cry harder as the witch held her high for examination. She toyed with her blonde curls and a look of dawning realization crossed her face. "You ate my rampion did you say? While you were pregnant?"
"Yes," I said cautiously, reaching for my child. The witch brushed me aside and continued, "Did you notice anything strange about yourself or the child afterwards?"
Why had she asked that? What did she know about how I had been feeling? "Yes. I have simply felt more healthy and energized. But my baby," here I made another grab for her.
Fritjof interupted, "The child has been strangest. She seems, not quite...normal."
The witch and I looked at each other out of the corners of our eyes. "What do you mean?" I asked Fritjof.
"Yesterday, I had a cut on my arm. As I was holding her she started to cry and when her tears touched my wound...it healed," Fritjof confessed.
The witch lowered my baby but did not return her to me. She simply cradled her against her chest, stroking her golden hair. "I will require payment for the rampion..."
"That's what the sil..." Fritjof began, but was cut off by the witch.
"I do not need silver!" Her eyes flashed, "I am a witch. Your currency has no value to me."
"What can we give you then?" I asked, anxious to retrieve my child from this woman.
"This child."
"NO!" Fritjof and I screamed together.
Again her eyes glowed their green tint, "This is not a choice. I'm taking the child. She is all that can compensate for my loss." For a brief moment an almost maternal look crossed the witch's face and she said quietly, "Her name shall be Rapunzel."
Then, with a howl of wind and a great cry, the witch spun and disappeared into thin air.
I screamed and reached for the green haze that had been left in her wake, but to no avail. I fell to the floor and began to cry. My baby had disappeared. My Rapunzel was gone.