"Rapunzel!" Mother Gothel called. "Come help Mommy!"

Four year old Rapunzel trotted in from the hall where she'd been playing. She smiled up at her mother. "Yes, Mommy?"

"I need your help, dear," said Mother Gothel. "I need you to help me wash these vegetables.

Obediently, Rapunzel ran to the sink and got the two little brushes her mother used to scrub dirt off vegetables. She sat down beside Gothel and began to brush. Her little hands could clean all the crevices of beans, peppers and squash that even a brush couldn't.

"Can I help cook, Mommy?" she asked. "Just put the beta-bles in the bowl?"

"Vegetables, flower," Gothel corrected. "And yes. You can put them in the bowl."

Rapunzel beamed proudly.

After the vegetables were washed, Gothel began to chop them up. Rapunzel wasn't allowed to help with that part. She was allowed to tear up the spinach, though. Her mommy said only grown-ups were allowed to use knives. But after the cutting board was full, she would stop and Rapunzel would carefully place each item in a large bowl. After all the vegetables were chopped up, Gothel poured some oil over them and stirred them up with a big wooden spoon. Rapunzel watched as everything was mixed together.

"Mommy?" she said. "Can I stir?"

Gothel sighed inwardly. Children always wanted to help but made things take forever when they did. But she lifted Rapunzel onto a chair and let her stir a few times./p

"That's good, flower. Now we just have to let it cook."

Rapunzel watched her mother spread the vegetables on two baking trays and slide them into the oven. "About thirty minutes until dinner's ready," Gothel said. "Why don't you sing for me while we wait? Mommy's tired from working outside all day."

Rapunzel sat on her stool and Gothel in her chair behind her. She took the the golden hair in her hands while Rapunzel sang.

"Flower gleam and glow.
Bring back what once was mine."

Years melted off Gothel's hands as the hair glowed. The gray disappeared from her hair and the lines on her face smoothed out. Rapunzel turned around and smiled innocently up at her mother. Gothel tousled Rapunzel's hair and smiled back. "

"Thank you, sweetie. Now go pick up your toys in the hallway, please."

"Yes, Mommy," Rapunzel said and obediently ran off to clean up her toys. Her hair trailed behind her to her knees like a cape.

Gothel stood up and stretched. She felt thirty years younger.

Smirking, she laid out two plates, forks and cups on the table. She set a loaf of bread down and cut several slices off. There was a loud crash from the hall.

"Rapunzel!" Gothel shouted as she ran into the hallway. "What was that?"

" Rapunzel lay on the floor whimpering. She looked up with tear-filled green eyes. "I'm sorry, Mommy. I got all tangled up and dizzy while I was putting my toys away."/p

Gothel crouched down and inspected her daughter. Other than being shaken up, she was fine.

"What did you get tangled up in?" she asked as she helped the little girl up.

"My hair," Rapunzel said as she wiped her nose. "It got in my eyes and then I tripped over something."

"Well," said Gothel, as she looked around at the rest of the toys Rapunzel had yet to pick up, "if you picked up your things more than once a week this wouldn't happen. Be more careful. I will trim the ends of your hair tomorrow. Now finish cleaning up and we will eat."

She went back into the kitchen and Rapunzel stood there, trying not to cry. She picked up the rest of her toys, then went into the bathroom.

"Rapunzel!" Gothel called. "Dinner's ready!"

" Rapunzel came back in carrying her hairbrush. "Mommy?" she said tentatively. "Will you brush my hair after dinner? It got messy when I was cleaning up."

Gothel rolled her eyes as she had her back to the child, but turned around and smiled. "Yes, flower. But let's eat first."

After they ate and cleaned up, Gothel set Rapunzel on the couch in the living room area and began to brush the golden hair. A few loose strands got stuck in the brush and turned brown, but the rest of Rapunzel's hair stayed blond. Gothel picked a several more loose hairs out of the mass of hair. Those also turned brown, but not the rest of Rapunzel's hair.

I wonder... Gothel thought. It would be so much easier on both of them if Rapunzel's hair was a manageable length. No hours of brushing. Not needing so much soap to keep it clean. "Flower, hold still. Mommy needs to see something." Gothel grabbed a pair of scissors and cut about half an inch of hair off the ends of Rapunzel's locks. The cut hair in her hand instantly turned brown. But the hair on the Rapunzel's head stayed blond.

"Sing the song," Gothel ordered.

"But I already sang," Rapunzel protested.

"Sing!" Gothel ordered sternly.

Rapunzel let out a little huff. But she sang,

"Flower, gleam and glow.

Bring back what once was mine."

Her hair glowed. Gothel felt more years melt away from her. She looked at herself in the mirror. She was indeed younger.

So only the cut hair lost its power! Not the hair still attached to Rapunzel's head! That made sense. The magical power was inside Rapunzel's body. Hair growing on any part of her body would be magical, Gothel smirked. Including hair she was still too young to have.

"Flower, how would you like a haircut?" she asked. "I think it would be easier on both of us if your hair was shorter."

"How short, Mommy?" Rapunzel asked. She turned around and looked inquiringly at Gothel.

"Not too short," Gothel assured her. "But not so long you trip over it. Maybe to about here." She held her hand at Rapunzel's mid-back.

Rapunzel nodded solemnly. "Okay, Mommy."

Gothel cut Rapunzel's hair slowly, making sure the magic really did stay in the attached hair. It did. Soon there was a heap of brown hair on the floor. Gothel was about to tell Rapunzel to go get the broom and sweep it up when she caught herself. Rapunzel would want to know why the hair on the floor was brown while the hair on her head was blond. Gothel wouldn't be able to explain that.

"There, flower," she said as ran her finger's through her daughter's blond tresses. "Much better. Why don't you go pick out your bedtime story while I sweep up?"

Rapunzel eagerly ran up to her room to retrieve her favorite book while her mother quickly retrieved a broom and dustpan and swept Rapunzel's pile of cut brown hair.

"Here, Mommy!" Rapunzel cried happily as she bounded down the stairs. "I got the one about the Bean salt!"

"Beanstalk, Gothel corrected as she sat down on the couch. Rapunzel climbed into her lap and quietly listened to the story. She was so quiet Gothel thought she had fallen asleep.

"Mommy? Rapunzel said quietly. She looked up at her mother with serious green eyes.

"Yes, Rapunzel?"

"Tomorrow….tomorrow I want to help you with the beta-bles in the garden!" Rapunzel said forcefully.

"Vegetables, dear. Why do you want to help me? It's hot, hard work. I'd rather my flower not overexert herself."

Rapunzel wasn't sure what "overexert" meant, but she was determined. She put her small hand on her mother's. "Because I want to help you, Mommy. You always tell me I should help. I want to make sure we have enough food so we don't get eaten by giants!"

Rapunzel had the story a little mixed up but Gothel knew what she meant. She was about to say no and launch into the dangers of the world when she caught herself. Rapunzel wanted so badly to go outside and Gothel knew eventually she would. Her wonder about the outside world couldn't be suppressed forever. The tower was very isolated. A fence of thorns around a five mile perimeter radius made sure they would not have visitors. And Rapunzel was so eager to help. Her little hands could get into crevices of the garden Gothel's could not. When she was older, she'd be able to climb trees and get fruit at the top. It would be better to let Rapunzel outside now, while should could be closely monitored and supervised, and still warn her of the dangers of the world. She looked down into Rapunzel's hopeful green eyes and smiled.

"Yes, flower. Tomorrow you can help me in the garden."

A radiant smile broke across Rapunzel's face. She bounced up and down in her mother's lap. "Thank you, Mommy!"

Gothel put her hand on Rapunzel's head and cupped her cheek. Her steel blue eyes meet Rapunzel's grass green. "But," she warned. "you have to stay by Mommy. You cannot go where Mommy can't see you. And if you don't listen to Mommy, you will have to stay inside. Do you understand, Rapunzel?"

Rapunzel nodded solemnly. "Yes, Mommy."

Gothel smiled. "Good. Time for bed now."

Rapunzel didn't slide off her lap like sure usually did. "Mommy?" she asked softly.

"Can-can I sleep with you tonight?" Gothel stifled a sigh. "Why, dear?"

Rapunzel threw her little arms around Gothel's neck. "Because I love you, Mommy! I like being near you. You keep the monsters away."

Gothel laughed. "How can I say no to that? Yes, you can sleep with me."

Rapunzel ran upstairs to get her teddy bear. Gothel went into her room. She looked at herself in the mirror. "Getting soft, old girl," she said to her reflection. "You took her for her hair and to settle a debt. You don't love her."

Of course, Gothel knew that wasn't true. She had been taking care of Rapunzel since she was born. Her idiot father stole from her garden and in return, had to give up the child he and his wife so longed for. Gothel knew this baby was going to be magical, because she'd craved a witch's rampion. Only magical children craved food grown by witches. Gothel thought back to baby Rapunzel. She'd fed her at all hours of the night, rocked her to sleep, changed her diapers. She smiled at the thought of Rapunzel crawling to her and saying "up, up!" Her first word was "mama". So how could Gothel not love her, just a little?

Rapunzel ran into her room and happily bounded up on the bed. She curled up into her mother. Gothel rested one hand around her waist and the other on her head. It was strange to see Rapunzel with hair that didn't touch her knees. Rapunzel kissed the crook of Gothel's elbow. She smiled innocently up at her mother's face. "I love you, Mommy!"

Gothel smiled down at her daughter and stroked her hair. "I love you too, sweetheart. Now go to sleep. You have a big day tomorrow."

Rapunzel was so excited it was hard for her to fall asleep. Gothel gently rubbed her back and stroked her hair until she finally drifted off in her mother's arms.