She seemed like some sort of goddess. Her wet hair was golden in the sunshine. It spilt out into the crystal clear waters. I held her close. She was tense in my arms.
"The stroke you want to accomplish is something like this," I held her hands in mine and pushed them smoothly through the water.
"Seems easy enough," she said nervously. I smiled.
"I want you to do the stroke yourself, but I'll still hold onto you." I said. I held her around her waist as she kicked and moved her hands softly through the water. Before she knew it, I let go of her waist and she started swimming by herself.
"You can do it Rapunzel!" I said throwing a fist into the air. She reached the edge and gripped the earth between her fingers.
"I did it!" she shrieked. She jumped up in the air and grinned. She swam back to me and I smiled. I sloshed through the waters closer to her. She wrapped her arms around my neck and I wrapped mine around her waist.
"I never did truly repay you for freeing me," she whispered. I felt the static run through me. It seemed sudden, but I had never met anyone like her. I moved in closer so our noses were touching. She glanced into my eyes and our lips touched. My eyes instantly closed. We had just met, but it felt as if I had known her forever. Like she wasn't the long lost Rapunzel, she was the sweetheart who had lived next door to me my whole life.
Her fingers ran through my hair and I twirled a blonde strand between my fingers. She tried to take a step closer, but she tripped and we fell into the waters. I squinted at her and saw her laughing, bubbles rising up to the surface. I laughed at her as she covered her mouth. She swam over me as I lay on the bottom of the lake and she laid on top of me and we started to kiss once more.
"Will you brush my hair for me?" I asked. Alexander nodded and combed through my freshly washed hair.
"It's getting dark outside," Alexander said. "I'll have to leave soon." I turned my head to look at him.
"Do you have a place to stay tonight?" I asked.
"To be honest, no." he said.
"Then stay here with me!" I said jumping up. "I could really use the company." I bowed my head sadly. He tilted my head up with his fingers.
"Don't worry," he said. "I'll stay here with you tonight. I'll take the couch downstairs and-" I shook my head.
"I'm sixteen Alexander," I smiled. "I'm mature enough to sleep with someone I love." he smiled.
"Alright," he said. "If you truly insist." I jumped up on the bed and curled beneath the covers. I felt Alexander lay next to me. I turned over and rested my head in his chest and ran my hand on his arm.
"If we ever got separated, what would you do?" I asked.
"I'd search the whole Realm to find you." he said. I smiled.
"I'd be at that lake," I said. "Where you taught me to swim at." Alexander chuckled.
"Then now we can never be separated," he said. "No matter what."
"Goodnight," I whispered. Alexander wrapped his arm around mine.
"Goodnight my princess Rapunzel."
As I started to wake, I realized Rapunzel wasn't next to me. My eyes slowly started to open and I saw her sitting on her stool.
"Good morning," I smiled. She didn't respond. I slid out of bed, and spun the stool around to see Rapunzel bound and gagged. I jumped back in shock then a cloaked figure came to sight. She clasped her hands around my throat and pulled me forward. I coughed as my air supply slowly left my body.
"You will never see my daughter again!" she cried. She grabbed my hair and hit my head against the wall. A sharp pain was sent into my brain.
"Your "friend" Scorpios told me all about you," her hoarse voice choked in my ear. "I paid him for his services, and he ran." she forced me to look out the open window then shoved my head down. "I hope your vision won't get messed up by the thorns below." Then, she kneed me in the back and I fell over into the depth below.
Mother slapped me across the face.
"How could you do that to me?" she shrieked. She tore the handkerchief from my mouth and allowed me to wheeze on the air.
"You can pull your hood down," I grumbled. "I know why you make me sing for you. It makes you younger; everyone already knows!" she growled, but didn't pull down her hood.
"I've taken care of you since birth, and this is how you treat me?" she slapped me again. I felt my cheek stinging.
"You can't kill me," I said. "You need me. You'll die soon without me, you know how old you are."
"I'll unbind you," mother said desperately. "And I'll let you go outside- but not into town! I want to keep you all to myself!" she cupped my face in her wrinkled hands. "Your my sunshine only! Your powers are only strong enough for me!" I tore my head away. I knew this was a lie. She had lied to me all my life.
"Fine," I said. "I agree to it," she untied me and let me up.
"Darling!" she cried and tried to hug me, but I pushed her out of the way then punched her. She fell to the ground in a weak lump. I quickly tried to step over her, but she grabbed my ankle and I fell over and out of the open window.
The impact hit me in the stomach and I heaved in my lost air.
"Rapunzel!" mother screamed. I jumped up and saw her groping the window's sides. I raced to the front of the house and locked her inside. I heard her cry of dismay from inside and she yanked hard on the doorknob.
"How does it feel to be locked inside now mother?" I screamed then ran from the house as I picked the thorns from my arms. One was stuck deep and when I yanked it out, I started to bleed. I cried out in dismay and fell and tripped. I cried into the dirt.
"Alexander," I cried curling up into a ball. "Alexander, where are you?"