Tangled - Surprises
Author's Note: Ah, the fun you could have with magic healing hair.
Gothel enjoyed being young very much, being able to move easily, to hear her warm throaty voice, but there was one part of being a young woman again that was annoying that the hair couldn't cure, that it caused actually, and she was suffering through the cramps with less then good grace today.
Gothel did appreciate the many little paintings that Rapunzel had made on the bathroom walls, it made the time go easier as she thought of stories that might go with them. They distracted her from the pain.
Teaching Rapunzel to read had been a risk, but she was asking so many questions and needed so many activities, she had finally taught her just to get so respite from all the talking, talking, talking.
Rapunzel had taken hold of the stories and painted little scenes everywhere. Now she was working on a mural that spanned the whole lower level of the tower.
Gothel had let Rapunzel draw on the walls, the tower wasn't really hers and so she didn't really care what Rapunzel did to it, and it kept her entertained and quiet. And they really did brighten up the place. It had been 12 years since she had taken Rapunzel and she was doing wonderful things to the tower to make it nicer. Gothel did like the paintings and used the paints as rewards and punishments to keep Rapunzel in line.
Gothel was wondering what Rapunzel would do, she had just finished up in the last area she could reach and was gazing intently around the room, as Gothel went into the bathroom, "I wonder if she'll paint over what she'd done before."
Gothel walked out of the bathroom and looked around, the painting looked done. The level of detail Rapunzel put into them was amazing, something Gothel had never seen in all her centuries of life.
But where was Rapunzel. Gothel hated it when she was out of sight, she had to protect her flower.
She heard a scratching sound above her. She looked up and her heart leaped to her throat.
Rapunzel was hanging wildly over the side of a rafter painting a flower! Wrapping her precious hair around another rafter and holding it in her other hand to keep herself from falling. She was leaning way over, intently painting a flower on the wall.
"Rapunzel, What are you doing?" Gothel shrieked.
"Eek." Rapunzel jumped, and accidentally let go of her hair. Without her holding her hair she fell straight down and bellyflopped into the floor with a dull thud. The Only sound was the hair slithering through the rafters and down, landing in a loose pile on top of its owner, covering her body completely.
Gothel let out a tiny whimper like a stepped-on mouse. "I'm dead, I'm dead, I'm dead," thought Gothel, "I'm dead because a foolish flower ran out of space to paint. I'm dead, dead, dead." she stood there frozen her mouth open in shock.
There was a low moan and then faintly she heard in thick, labored tones a very familiar song, "Flower, gleam and glow…" The pile of hair lit up like the sun, the voice got stronger and became normal as the incantation finished.
Rapunzel rolled over and sat up, looked up at Mother and quailed under that look.
"Please don't freak out, I'm sorry Mother, but you surprised me." young Rapunzel begged.
"I surprised you, how dare you endanger yourself that way, you were hurt, you could have died!" screeched Gothel. On the mountain behind the tower a pack of wolves began to twitch in pain.
"I'm okay, Mother, please, everything is fine, just the way it should be. Please, don't be angry. I was just trying to make you happy by 'brightening up the place'. You like my paintings don't you, Mother, please." young Rapunzel begged from the floor.
Gothel looked up from her pet's prostrate form and saw the outline of another beautiful scene emerging on the wall. She calmed somewhat. She knew she could make Rapunzel promise not to paint any more, but that wouldn't prevent her from doing something else dangerous in it's place, she'd learned that the hard way. Not that Rapunzel was trying to do dangerous things they just turned out that way sometimes. Having to release Rapunzel from a hastily made promise undermined her power over her.
Gothel sighed.
"You must learn to be more careful, pet. You are going to have to be punished."
"Yes, Mother." Said young Rapunzel who was kneeling now.
"Your window is to be locked for two days."
"Two days, Mother. I understand."
" I love you very much," lifting young Rapunzel up and giving her a hug.
"I love you more."
"I love you most."