Rapunzel immediately went out after her baby. With just a candle - nothing more, nothing less - she raced across the cobblestone in her bare feet. Through the town square, past numerous houses. The people who were awake at this ungodly hour stared out of their windows as the Princess ran past. Rumors would quickly spread as to why the pretty girl was out so late and in such a rush, but for now, most just blinked and went back to what they were doing beforehand.
Rapunzel was terrified and furious all at the same time. What business did those dreadful people have with her daughter? Why hadn't the guards just listened to her in the first place? What were they doing to her? Would she go missing forever? Would they keep her locked up as some cruel reprisal of what Gothel had done to Rapunzel? Or would they...
Rapunzel got to the bridge before she saw her daughter, lying on the stone bridge and wailing.
"Oh, my poor baby girl," Rapunzel cooed, her frantic thoughts calming and focusing on her daughter. "Are you okay?"
Her whimpers quieted for the most part as Rapunzel knelt beside her, setting the candle down and scooping her into her arms. She cuddled her to her chest and whispered to her until she quieted to little sobs. Her whole little body was shaking. "We'll get you home, baby girl. C'mon," she let Johanna bury her little face in the crook of her neck, but before she could reach for the candle, everything went dark.
Eugene and several guards had set out soon after Rapunzel - and Eugene was planning on reaming his wife out as soon as this was all over with. Her actions were completely foolish, especially with the threat hanging over their heads! He knew most of the people presumed to be in cahoots with Heather, and they weren't to be messed with.
They found little Jo, crying once more, on the bridge, next to a candle that had been toppled over and snuffed out.
He immediately ran over and picked her up, not noticing the candle until he kicked it with his foot.
"This is the candle from our room. See the metal holder it's in?"
"You don't think-" Conli cleared his throat.
Eugene paled. "It's a diversion. They kidnapped Jo and probably left her somewhere, poor baby, and then waited in the dead of the night for Rapunzel or I to come. They took her."
Rapunzel was kept unconscious. When she finally awoke, she was alone.
Her ears rang. Her head ached - was this what Eugene had felt like when she knocked him out on the day they met? Her body was sore. She struggled to her feet and looked around. She was in an all-too-familiar place and in an all-too-memorable position. Her hands were bound behind her back by heavy shackles. The old tower was mostly dark, and a thick layer of dust covered everything. Her old paintings were nearly covered over in the scum.
She gulped before calling out, "I know who you are, and..I'm not a-afraid of you, or what you plan to do to me."
"Oh, but you don't know what I plan to do, darling." A candle lit, and the woman carrying it motioned to someone in the rafters of the tower, who opened the center door, letting light stream in from the roof.
Rapunzel swallowed a gasp. The slender woman had raven-black hair and piercing gray eyes, just like her ancestor. Her hair was stick-straight, though, and kept in a tight French braid. Her crimson dress was covered by a black cloak. She fingered an ancient dagger.
"You're Gothel's-"
"Good guess, deary! I'm Priscilla." Her gaze dropped to the weapon in her hand and a smile curled the edges of her darkly-stained lips. "Do you remember this?"
The blood stains were still coating the dagger.
"Eugene, look out!" I screamed, but the gag prevented it from coming out clearly. Mother Gothel stepped from the shadows and drove the point into his vest. I saw it go the whole way through him, and he gasped in pain. When she yanked it from him, blood rushed to darken the tear in his vest and drip on the floor. His hands moved to cover it. I cried out in horror, yanking against my shackles and trying to get to him. I couldn't. This was all my fault. He was going to die if I didn't get to him-
"Yes," Rapunzel nodded, fighting to keep her composure. "The blade's worthless, I'm sure. It's gone quite some time without getting that cleaned off - it's rusted and dirty."
"Mm, but I have others. And besides," she tapped the dull tip thoughtfully. "If I cut you with this, you might get that awful ailment that destroys your muscles."
Clostridium tetani. A newly found bacteria that would destroy you; later on it would be called tetanus.
Rapunzel nodded. "Why do you want me? What did you do with Jo?"
"Oh, she's okay - someone will find her. We left her right where you found her. And we want you for quite a few reasons." Priscilla went on to list some of these reasons.
"So you'll not touch my family as long as you have me in captivity?"
"Well...the Stabbingtons sure would like a whack at Eugene."
"But I'm the reason he's prince consort. Without me, he can't be. He'd be right back to where he started," Rapunzel said. "My..my parents hate him. They'd take the kids and kick him out." Yes, she was blatantly lying. But it was for her family's safety.
"That is true," she nodded.
"What do you plan on doing to me?"
She laughed. "You really want to know that? Brave. Well, I'm going to beat you, cut you, starve you...destroy you. It's only what you deserve after what you did to Mother Gothel. What that flower did to her. And if you let the Stabbingtons and I do whatever we please with you, I'll promise not to touch your family. The brothers want to ask for a ransom and then kill you, but we'll see. You'll either die from dehydration or from other means - either way," she shrugged as if it didn't matter. "If you try to escape, they'll be as good as dead. Your whole family. I will promise you that."
Rapunzel nodded, licking her lips and trying to keep her fear under control. "If you promise, and if I can trust you..you can do whatever you want to me. I don't care. As long as you promise not to touch my family. Any of them. Not my parents, not Eugene, and certainly not the kids."
Priscilla nodded, tapping her cheek for a moment. "It's a deal, Flower. I'd ask to shake your hand, but it looks like you're a little tied up right now."
Rapunzel ignored the terrible pun, her mind flooding with Gothel's voice - how many times she'd called her 'Flower'.
You must stay here, where you're safe. You understand, Flower? You mustn't keep a chameleon in here. It would die, Flower, and you wouldn't want that. The outside world is terrible and would eat you alive, Flower - you must stay here. You must not read these books. They're filling your head with terrible things. You understand, Flower?...
