New chappie! That was quick! It's kinda short, and more than a little depressing, but bear with me! Things will get better. 40 followers? 24 favs? Whaaat? *Explodes with happiness*. And concerning the new cover art, Sylva is at the top, Summa/Gothel is at the bottom left, with Teresa/Primrose at bottom right. I should have the picture up on my deviantart soon, with full individual drawings of the three as well. I'll leave links on my profile and in the next chapter.
Tangled is not mine. If it was, there would be a sequel all about Mother Gothel's earlier life in cinemas by now. I'd call it Godmother. Ratings would go through the roof. Jks, jks.
But seriously, I don't own it okay?
Rapunzel was all tangled up inside. Her hair, matted and filthy, was her only source of warmth. How long she had sat in her cell, alone and guilt ridden, she didn't know.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry." But he wasn't there. No-one was.
Her muttering was broken by the sound of footsteps, the click of heels on the prison floor. Gothel looked at the broken girl, trembling on the ground.
"Hello my dear."
"What do you want?"
"I've come for your hair, Rapunzel." Rapunzel looked up into the woman's face. Her eyes were cold and blank, hiding her thoughts.
"My, my, Flower, you really are the spitting image of your mother, aren't you? Especially with those big, innocent green eyes."
"What are you talking about? My mother and I look nothing alike." Gothel laughed. She pulled a hairpin from her hair and expertly picked the lock of Rapunzel's cell. She made a run for it, but Gothel grabbed her by the arm with one hand, using the other to run her fingers through Rapunzel's hair.
"Has anyone ever told you how beautiful your hair is, Rapunzel? Like… how does one put it… sunlight?"
"Let go!"
"I don't think so. Come come, dear, time stops for no woman." Rapunzel felt herself slam against the floor. She struggled to stay conscious as the world around her spun and darkened. Eventually, she gave in. A/N There sure seems to be a lot of blacking out in this story…
When her eyes snapped open, she found herself looking at familiar rounded walls covered in song lyrics.
"Eugene?" she whispered. But she was alone. Or so it seemed.
"Rise and shine, flower." She jerked her head and found Gothel calmly brushing her hair in the corner of the room.
"Don't you touch my hair, you monster!" Gothel laughed, slowly walking towards Rapunzel. She pressed a sharpened nail against the girl's throat.
"Oh, I'm going to do much more than just touch it, sweetheart. I'm going to take the most utmost care of your gorgeous hair, all seventy feet of it. And every night, you will sing for me. I'm sure you know which song I mean."
"I would never-" Gothel pressed her nail harder. It dug into Rapunzel's skin, cutting off her words.
"Oh, I'm sure you will. Because if you don't, there will be harsh consequences."
"You can't kill me. If you do, my hair will die with me."
"Of course I'm not going to kill you, darling. But, I can certainly harm you." Gothel removed the nail. Rapunzel had crimson beads on her skin. She felt dizzy.
"It was always meant to be you and me, Rapunzel. From that day, when I mistook that little scumbag for you, to just yesterday, I have been filled with regret. I never stopped searching for my flower. Do you know what it's been like? Living off brews and herbs and witchcraft to keep me alive, slowly getting older, and slowly dying? All I had was Eugene, a useless, weak, ordinary boy. Not surprising really, seeing as he's the offspring of Sylva and some gypsy."
"Sylva? My mother? Eugene is my brother?"
"Oh no dear. Haven't you figured it out? You're the lost princess. You are royalty. The night you were born, I stole into the castle, snatched up the child in the cradle, and ran, thinking I had gotten my flower. But someone had already beaten me to it, leaving a worthless gypsy boy in your place. That was who I grabbed. That was who I stole. While you were being trained as a filthy gypsy criminal, I raised the boy as Eugene, meaning noble blood, as a sarcastic joke only I would understand. He'll never know his real name, I expect. Sylva is dead now, isn't she?"
Rapunzel couldn't breathe. She blinked at Gothel in disbelief.
"Eugene?" she managed to croak out, "Where is he?"
"Oh sweetheart." Gothel absent mindedly plaited a small section of golden hair, "Eugene is dead and gone. I should know. It was my knife in his side."
Rapunzel felt as if her whole world had shattered, the pieces raining down around her, shredding her skin and tearing through her heart.
"There's really no reason for you to be so upset. He really was worthless, don't you see? Nothing but scum."
"How dare you! Eugene is sweet, caring, loyal, brave and warm, with a voice that could light up the night. He was better than me, and so, so much better than you. You're the scum! You're worthless! You're, you're-"
Gothel laughed. It was cold and empty, echoing off the walls. With a swipe of her hand, Gothel opened a trap door and jumped elegantly through. There was a click as the trap door moulded into the floor. Rapunzel started after, only to find she was shackled to the wall by the ankles and wrists. She couldn't reach the trap door. Desperate, she looked to the window, but it was paved over with stone. She struggled, but the shackles were not about to weaken. She gave up, staring at the words on the walls. They blurred and swirled and tears formed.
Eugene is dead and gone
She wept and wept till she had no tears, and when she ran out of tears she screamed in anger, and when she had poured out all her grief and fury, she simply stood, trembling.
"I have nothing left."
She slumped to the ground, exhausted, and fell asleep with a broken heart.
Gothel is so patronising and downright evil in this chapter! Gothel was definitely my favourite character in Tangled, even though she's the villain. I so enjoyed writing her backstory. Do you think I should have her reformed, or give her a classic Disney villain ending? Let me know in the reviews! Oh, and six reviews on chapters seven and eight? You guys are amazing! I forgive you! I'd love it if I could get three more reviews at least on this here chapter. Then I'd have thirty. That'd be awesome!