AN: For all of you who reviewed positively and begged me to continue, thank you! And since I've had a busy week, I decided to go ahead and do a double update. So read on, and don't forget to review!

The Queen watched the exchange from the shadows, upset and hurt that her daughter didn't love her like she loved that witch. It wasn't fair, she had been taken from her when she was barely a week old! Of course she didn't know what she liked or disliked, but she was trying. If she had her way that woman would be executed. But she couldn't do that to her daughter, not when she had pleaded for her to live.

And she so obviously still cared about her, she couldn't crush her like that. She sighed and exited the dungeons, making sure to signal the guards and demand they check on the girl before long. She intended to have a chat with her husband to see what they could do about convincing their daughter of Gothel's wickedness. Rapunzel was reluctant to move from the comfortable position. Gothel wasn't trying to force her away, rather was continuously touching her, almost as if she were the only thing keeping her from drowning in her memories.

She felt a bit guilty for causing them both so much emotional pain, but they were questions she needed answered. Besides, she was more comfortable in the cell than she was with her parents, which was a horrible thing to say, but was true. She knew she should get up and go back to her duties, but she couldn't bring herself to do it, choosing instead to bask in the comfort that was her mother. Footsteps were what caused her to break away. The guards were coming back to check on her and it wouldn't look good for them to be in that position.

She quickly stood and moved around the small cell, acting as if she were arranging its meager possessions. The guards continued passed the cell, acting as if they were simply walking down the hall. The Princess sighed heavily and pulled a thick woolen blanket from a shelf. It was thicker, warmer, and overall better quality than what most prisoners received, but this was her mother. And she still hadn't stopped trembling from her time underground.

She turned and handed it to her, and she immediately wrapped it around her shoulders. Rapunzel smiled and went over to the door.

"I'll come back later, Mother."

"Goodbye, dear."

The oddity of the situation didn't escape them. Usually it was Gothel who came and went, but now the tables were turned. Rapunzel grinned as she headed through the palace to meet Flynn. He was supposed to teach her how to swim, a pastime she had longed for in the tower. It was a good thing her parents had pardoned him of all his crimes, otherwise she would've been sneaking out to meet him.

"Hey, blondie!" he called when she rounded the corner.

She smiled and ran to him. They met in a passionate embrace and kissed. When they pulled apart she couldn't help but blush, sometimes still unbelieving that he was her new dream.

"Woah, miss me much?" he teased as they began walking. She smacked his shoulder lightly, and grinned. "So, about this swimming thing, why do you want to learn?"

"Well, I read about it when I was little, but Mother would never let me go down to the stream to try. She said she was afraid I'd drown."

Her face crinkled as she recalled the memory.

"But Mommy, why can't I go to the stream? You could see me from the window. Or you could come with me! Please?"

Big green eyes gazed up at her mother hopefully. The woman sighed, wondering how to best explain her reasoning to a four year old.

"Rapunzel, listen to me carefully. Water is a good thing. It helps you when you're thirsty and keeps you clean. But it's also very dangerous. You can't breathe if you fall in and sink.

"This is called drowning. I don't want you to go to the stream because I'm afraid you'll drown. Do you understand, flower?"

"Yes, Mommy."

She had thought at first, after she discovered who she really was and began to question every interaction she'd ever had with the woman, that she had been lying and had only wanted to keep her locked away. But looking back on it now and knowing what she knew, she could clearly see the love and worry in those silver pools. She really had been worried something would have happened.

"Blondie? Rapunzel? Hello?"

She heard Flynn calling and blushed, embarrassed that she had zoned out for so long.

"Sorry, just thinking."

"About what?"

"About Mother."

He fell silent, and she knew not to continue. He hated Gothel almost as much as the rest of the kingdom, if not more. She had almost killed him after all. It wasn't long before they got to the river. He paced along the banks until he found a spot that the river was moving slower than the other currents.

"Okay, it's very simple. Once you're in the water kick with your legs and use your arms to pull yourself forward." She stepped to the edge, bouncing with excitement, but that memory of Gothel explaining what drowning was still lingered. She bit her lip and stood still. "What's wrong? Go ahead, I'm here and nothing bad will happen," Flynn said in a soothing tone.

Taking a deep breath, she trusted him and jumped. Water covered her body, causing her dress to cling to her. She opened her eyes and desperately wanted to gasp. It was beautiful underwater with the way the light refracted and bent. Realizing she needed to breathe, she pushed up to the surface and took a big breath.

Grinning happily, she began to swim as Flynn showed her. He sat under a tree on the bank and cheered her on, proud of how well she was doing. They stayed out until sunset, and probably would have stayed longer if a royal guard hadn't come to fetch her. Upset at having her fun ruined, she sulkily followed him back to the palace, but not before giving Flynn a kiss goodbye. Her parents were waiting at the gate when she returned, and she was engulfed in one of her mother's hugs.

She remained stiff, the hug uncomfortable and nothing like Gothel's. She could smell her mother's perfume, jasmine, and hated it. Deep down she knew she was being unfair. Her parents were trying so hard, but all she could do was compare them to Gothel, especially her mother.

"Did you have a good day?" the queen asked as they entered the palace.

"Yes. Flynn taught me how to swim."

"I can see that," her mother laughed. "Come on, let's get you into a dry dress."

In her room, a maid helped her change into her nightgown, a warm thing that was the first she had ever worn that hadn't been made by Gothel. She was getting ready for bed when she saw the maid carrying the dress away.

"Wait, what are you doing with my dress?"

"Throwing it away, Highness. It's the Queen's orders."

"But...but that's my dress," she spluttered, unable to think of anything else.

"You'll get a new one," the woman said in what she thought was a soothing manner.

But she didn't want a new one. It was the last dress Gothel had made her. Her eyes grew wide, but she kept quiet, already forming a plan in her mind.

Late that night, she snuck out of her room and gathered the needed items. A sewing kit, fabric, and a stool. Carefully, she made her way to the dungeons. As silently as possible, she crept through the hall, the only light the glow from her hair. When she reached the cell that contained Gothel she stopped and just looked for a moment.

The older woman was asleep on her side facing the cell door, but she looked incredibly peaceful. For a moment, she almost turned and left her be, but then she remembered her dress and opened the door. It creaked, and Gothel jerked awake. Her eyes flew around the room until she recognized the glow that only came from Rapunzel. She sighed and stood, relieved that it was only her and not a guard.

"Rapunzel, what are you doing? It's late."

"I...I know, but they took my dress." Gothel looked her up and down, for the first time realizing she was in her nightgown. "The maid, she said Mom told her to throw it away."

"The purple dress? The one I made you not a month before we left the tower? The one that's your favorite? That dress?"

"Yeah. I don't want to wear the fancy palace dresses, Mom knows that. And she knew that one was my favorite. Why would she have it thrown away?"

"Perhaps she wants all traces of me gone," Gothel voiced sleepily.

She yawned and sat back down on her cot. Rapunzel rushed over and shook her shoulder, determined to make her stay awake.

"No, no, Mother. You have to stay awake, at least for a little while."

"And why do I have to do that?"

"Because...because I want you to make me a new dress!"

"Rapunzel, it is after midnight and it is pitch black in here. I will not try to make a dress in the dark."

"But I'll sing and keep my hair glowing so you can see!" the Princess pleaded desperately.

"No, Rapunzel."

"Please, Mother?"

"No."

"But Mother, no one-"

"Rapunzel! I said no and that is my final answer!"

The Princess shrank back, the sheer volume and the way the older woman's eyes glinted enough to terrify her. Gothel seemed to realize what she had done because she slumped against the wall and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Great, now I'm the bad guy."

"I'm sorry, Mother. It was a silly idea, I shouldn't have come."

She turned to leave, trying her best not to cry. She thought she had made progress with the woman, but maybe she was wrong. Gothel lifted her head and took in the sight of the girl. She sighed, already feeling incredibly guilty for her outburst.

"No, wait, Rapunzel. How badly do you want this dress?"

The girl turned and looked at her hopefully. "Almost as badly as I wanted to see the lanterns."

"Then you had better start singing."

Shocked, the girl stumbled over with the needed items. "You're really going to make it?"

"Of course. I denied you your heart's desire once, I won't do it again."

The Princess beamed and began to sing. With a sigh, Gothel stood and began cutting out the pattern. By dawn, she was putting the final stitches in the dress. It was an exact replica of the original, and Rapunzel squealed in delight.

"Thank you sooo much, Mother!"

"You're welcome, pet. I'm sorry for yelling earlier, but you must understand, a dress is very difficult to make, and doing it in the dark is impossible."

Rapunzel blushed, fully realizing the foolishness of her request. "You did a wonderful job. Much better than I could ever hope to."

"Thank you, dear."

She yawned, her labor catching up to her. The Princess gasped and jumped up from her seat on the cot.

"I'm sorry! I didn't even think about how tired you would be! Here, let me sing to you!"

Gothel sank her fingers into the soft hair as the girl sang the song. She felt the fatigue fade and the years melt away as she sang. By the song's end she was feeling like her usual self. She sighed in pleasure.

"Thank you Rapunzel, I feel much better now."

"It was the least I could do."

She looked around for a few seconds before jumping onto the older woman. Gothel realized what she wanted and, with a smile, gave it to her.

"I love you very much, dear."

"I love you more."

"I love you most." She kissed the crown of her head as she had hundreds of times in the past before nudging her toward the cell door. "Go on, it's almost time for breakfast. We don't want to worry the king and queen, do we?"

"No."

"Well, go on then. I'll be here when you decide you want to visit."

"I'll see you later, Mother."

"Have a good day, dear."