- The Queen Testifies

The judge invited the queen to speak as she was one of the victims of the crime and her point of view needed to be heard as well.

The queen stood in front of Gothel sitting in her chains before the court, but there was no court for the mother, there was just the person who took her baby. The queen stood with her arms crossed in front of her, then on her hips, trying to figure out how to express what she had felt all these years, finally she just had her arms by her sides and her fists balled up.

"I hate you."

Three simple words, spoken quietly, but with great force directed at the woman in front of her. Gothel shrunk back, she knew the queen hated her with everything she had and the passion behind those words frightened her more then anything ever had. Gothel's insides clenched, her bowels felt weak, and the hair on her head tried to fluff as goosebumps ran all over her body.

"When I was young I had thought getting pregnant would be easy, but it didn't turn out that way. After a few years it was starting to become an issue. We called in midwives and doctors and witches to see if something could be done. I was poked and prodded. I drank vile potions. I read everything I could find. I lost baby after baby to miscarriage, seven sons and six daughters. Each time I became pregnant I was restricted more and more. I gave up on all my dreams I wanted to accomplish for the sake of the kingdom. Something was wrong with me, and I spent hours praying every day for an heir for this wonderful, amazing kingdom that loved us so much. The wonderful people in this fine kingdom would pray with me and for me always when I was pregnant. They would take shifts through the night so always someone prayed for me and the baby." She looked to the visitors and nodded her thanks to them. They all nodded back.

Rapunzel's real mother turned to look with loving eyes at her daughter, and walked over to her.

"Finally, I had carried my daughter longer then I ever had before. I had lain in that bed for months and somehow now I was sick and dying. I knew that even if the doctors wouldn't tell me, but there was a fairy tale of a magic golden flower that could heal anything, and out of their love for me they went out and found it. They actually found it. I was almost too weak to drink it, but I did and a miracle saved us."

The mother swept back across the courtroom to stand in front of Gothel.

"I wept for joy as I held her in my arms and she was big and pink and alive, unlike all the others. I sang songs of love and exultation to her as she suckled. I kissed her all the time. I cried for joy all the time. I did everything with her because she was my miracle baby and I loved her with my whole heart, my whole being. The only time she was out of my arms was when she was asleep in her crib and that was in the same room with me, because I wanted her safe always."

"AND I WATCHED YOU STEAL HER FROM ME!"

The mother had lunged at the kidnapper and was leaning over the railing screaming those words into Gothel's face. Gothel saw the bared teeth, felt the warm breath of this mother on her lips and the terrible, unbearable hate and pain in those eyes just inches from her own. Gothel threw herself back as far as she could, slamming her head into the back of the chair, but chained to the heavy chair, she couldn't go very far. Gothel knew fear all the way to the soles of her feet, that the queen wanted to hurt her as terribly as possible.

Guards came forward to protect Gothel as it was their duty to do. But now they were just protecting a woman from an enraged mother, and not the most wanted criminal ever from the queen.

"Everyone searched, but she was gone. The only dream I had left had been stolen from me by you. That almost destroyed me. I wailed out my soul beside her empty crib. There were no more miracles left. The love of my husband and subjects barely kept me sane."

"I poured my hate into what I would do to you if we ever caught you. I want to kill you myself!"

"I poured my love into the the orphanage and the schools, so that there might be some hope of someone finding her someday. The last bit of hope was to send up the sky lanterns so the kingdom might have hope of her return, because I knew in my heart she still lived somewhere."

"And she did, not even all that far from us." The queen gave a rueful laugh.

"You are the ward of the crown. I care for them as if they were my own, because you stole my own from me. That hurts so much on top of everything else." The queen shook her head.

"I've been getting to know my own daughter since she came home, sometimes the things she tells me of what you did to her to keep her in the tower makes me ...angry. But I have also come to realize just what a good and wonderful person she is. You taught her to read, to make music and be deeply creative in so many amazing ways."

Rapunzel's real mother moved to stand in front of her beloved daughter.

"You are a good person, a really, honestly good person, who loves and lives with your whole heart. And I love you."

Rapunzel had tears in her eyes, the love showing so easily now.

The queen turned back to Gothel. "My daughter is home and good. Which is all I really wanted. It is what I dreamed of and prayed for; all these years. For that, I am most thankful. My dream has come true. My prayers have indeed been answered and because of that ...I can forgive you." The queen's lip quivered as she came to know what she was saying really meant.

A gasp ran through the courtroom.

The king looked beyond shocked.

Rapunzel was hugging her braid.

The judge leaned back.

Gothel's mouth dropped open. It was an impossible thought. Gothel knew to her bones that the queen hated her with everything she had. The question was in her eyes. Could she have heard what she thought she heard?

Tears were leaking down the mother's face as she nodded, she hadn't really been thinking of what to say, but knew that it had been the right thing to say, the warmth around her heart told her so. "Yes Gothel, I forgive you, because I love my daughter and I know that she is good because of you."

Gothel wasn't sure how to react. She had never expected this at all. She was afraid of the queen, all the way to her bones, but the forgiveness the queen offered was astounding. Gothel had resigned herself, there was no way to escape death, not in this court, but now hope flared in her heart.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." Gothel began to sob uncontrollably.

The queen came around to Gothel and put her arms around the sobbing woman and said, "I know. There, there."

The judge called a recess as the court buzzed as a hive of bees. He could see the royal mid-wife a heavy-set woman was sobbing hard and being comforted by a tall balding gentlemen, the retired Captain of the Guard, her husband. They had testified of what the king and queen had gone through for the birth of the princess.