Chapter 7: Completed

Rapunzel screamed in terror. Dimly, she heard Jack screaming for her to run, but she suddenly she was too angry.

"You!" she screamed. "You are DEAD!"

"No, darling flower!" The Master said. "I'm not! I never died in the first place."

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!" Rapunzel yelled. "You are not my mother!"

"I raised you, didn't I?" Gothel asked.

"No! You left me in a tower! I found my real mother!"

"Yes, and now you're queen," Gothel said blandly.

"How are you still alive?"

"You," she said simply. "When you were hurt with my knife, nobody bothered to look out the window to make sure I was dead. You fools. I'm a witch! I had just enough time to transport myself. I was afraid you would find me and hunt me down, but you all were just too happy! I suppose you and Jack were to blame for that. Peace at last, finally some time to yourselves. But it didn't matter. I waited for just the right moment to enact my revenge! And here we are." She smiled. "I'll give you one last chance, Rapunzel. Join me, and your daughters will be safe. I wish I could say the same thing for Jack, but unfortunately he has already declined."

"I will never join you!" Rapunzel said.

"Hmm, too bad," Gothel said, pursing her lips in a pouty face. "I could have used you, or particularly your hair for a good long while. Forever, even."

Rapunzel drew out a frying pan from her hair—amazing what she could store in there—and held it out threateningly. "I will NEVER let you use my hair! For Merida!" she screamed, running furiously towards Gothel.

Gothel sighed and snapped her fingers casually, disappearing in an instant. Rapunzel flailed her pan in the air, but it did nothing. She raced back to the chasm and leaned over. By this time, Jack had regained consciousness.

"Jack! Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. She broke my staff, though."

"Jack, I'm sorry for what I said back at the cabin," Rapunzel said, throwing her hair down to him. "I don't know what I was thinking."

"It's ok," Jack said, grabbing hold. "To quote Hiccup, we were all under a lot of stress."

Rapunzel smiled. "Have you found Elsa?"

"No, Gothel's magic will keep us from finding her. We need Anna to…"

Suddenly Rapunzel was jerked backwards. Gothel leaned over and pulled the remaining hair from Jack's hands.

"Well that was much easier than I thought," she said, chaining Rapunzel to the ground. "Honestly, I thought you had learned your lesson from last time."

"No!" Jack yelled.

"Oh, are you still down there, Jack? I want you to see this," she said, pulling him up into the air and pinning him against the wall so he had a clear view.

Jack struggled, but could not move. Rapunzel lay motionless on the ground, still conscious but also held in a vice-like grip of Gothel's magic.

"Flower gleam and glow," Gothel began to sing. "Let your power shine."

"No! Stop it!" Jack yelled, realizing what was happening. The wrinkles on her face began to smooth over, and black crept through her hair.

"Let your power shine, make the clock reverse, bring back what once was mine." She sighed deeply, relishing her new strength and age. "Now I am stronger than ever before. Thank you, Rapunzel. This should last several days, long enough for Hiccup, Anna, and Elsa to die."

Jack stared, uncomprehending. Then Gothel drew out a knife. Rapunzel's eyes widened, and she fought the magic restraining her, but could not escape. Jack watched in horror as Gothel cut off Rapunzel's beautiful golden hair.

Anna fell to the ground in pain, clutching her heart.

"Anna!" Hiccup called, trying to get up.

"No, stay," Anna managed.

"What happened?" Hiccup asked. "You were fine just a second ago."

"I don't know. Toothless," Anna gasped. "Come here."

Toothless came over, concerned, and helped Anna to her feet. She looked at Hiccup, confused. Then she stumbled to the door and opened it, looking out at the woods on one side and Elsa's blizzard on one side. The blizzard was slowly moving closer towards them. Anna slammed the door shut.

"Anna? What's wrong?"

She collapsed on the bed, unable to stand any longer. "Magic. There's no…magic anywhere. I can't…I can't see it."

The fire spluttered. In a sudden burst of panic, Anna tried to reenergize it, but found it impossible. She could not make any fire, or heat. All magic had been drained from her.

Rapunzel sat bolt upright. Everything was blurry, both her sight and her memory. She knew she had been unconscious, but she was not sure for how long.

Abruptly, her vision cleared. Looking around, she saw she was in a room made completely of ice.

"Elsa's ice palace," she breathed. "But how? That's not even in this time…"

Panicking, she ran to the door. Or where the door should've been, because it was not there. It was solid ice. Rapunzel turned and ran past the fountain and up the stairs to the second level. She darted across the snowflake, still as perfect as ever. Luckily, the doors to the balcony were still there, and she threw them open.

A blizzard raged around her, the same one she had been in moments before, but it was now much bigger…and stronger. Rapunzel closed the doors quickly, barely glimpsing the huge snowmen guards beneath her. They did not look as friendly as Olaf.

"So I'm definitely still in DunBroch," she said, starting to shiver a little. "Gothel must have transported the castle here magically. Great."

She began walking around the palace, trying to keep warm. Looking down, she realized she was still barefoot, her shoes tossed carelessly aside back in sunny Arendelle. Rapunzel wandered around the palace, exploring the secret rooms. She had wanted to look around Elsa's old home, but Elsa hadn't been ready to go back yet, so they hadn't been to the castle since Elsa's freeze.

Finally she found Elsa's room, and gasped in wonder. Snowflakes were suspended midair, capturing the light from the thin ice window and sending rainbows to every corner. Delicate carvings decorated the walls, everything from Olaf, the sun…and in the corner a tiny image of Rapunzel. One sliver of memory had remained in Elsa's young mind, and she had been smart enough to hide the carving from Mavis.

Smiling, Rapunzel grabbed an old, tattered blanket from the forgotten bed, and turned to go. As much as she wanted to stay, she knew she had to keep moving to stay alive. But then she stopped, staring into a mirror at Elsa's ice desk. Stunned, she walked forward and touched her reflection, not believing it.

Her hair, once long and golden, was now short, ragged, and brown.

Hiccup shivered as the fire burned lower.

"You can't make heat anymore, can you?"

"No," Anna whispered. "It must be some sort of magic spell. And we don't have any other kindling. Toothless can light a fire, but there's nothing to burn except your bed, and we can't do that."

"Any other bad news?" Hiccup asked sarcastically, rubbing his hands together to warm them.

"The blizzard is coming nearer," Anna cried. "It's almost here."

"So basically…?"

"Unless someone finds us and brings wood, we're dead meat."

AN: Gothel is BACK! Did anyone guess it before the big reveal? I know, I'm sorry about the cliffhangers. I'll try to post again soon!