A/N: Welcome to my Tangled fanfiction! n.n Glad to see you here! I actually only recently watched the movie about...oh I'll say a week ago. In that week, I've watched the movie at least 20-30 times. XD This is because it's now taken its place as one of my top Disney movies. It's been awhile since a Disney movie made me cry but yeah. Haha.

The movie is nearly perfect in every way: believable romance, great music ('I see the Light' is an amazing song), great animation, really evil villains (all willing to 'kill' and use the actual word 'kill') and then the ability to make me cry and really think they're gonna kill the cutest yet newest addition to the Disney Princes'. Eugene really is freakin awesome, btw. And I've heard rumors that Rapunzel isn't a real Disney Princess. I dunno about you reading this but that for me is COMPLETE AND UTTER B.S.

ANYWAY...moving on. Enough about me and my complete and utter obsession with this movie. I was curious to write a fanfiction so I was thinking of all kinds of different plots when my mind became curious how the plot would've been different had Mother Gothel not kidnapped Rapunzel. Not saying she's not in this fanfiction (EPIC FORESHADOWING) but yeah I wondered how I could play with the plot Disney created...just change it up a bit.

So please enjoy and review if you have a chance! Thank you!

Disclaimer: I do not own Tangled or any of its characters. However there will be a few OCs showing up now and then so if there's a character you don't recognize as canon, then they're mine. Haha. I wish I did own Tangled. It's such a cute story. 3

Chapter One – Lonely Girl

"Love is just a word until someone comes along and gives it meaning."

- Unknown

Again, all she was doing was sitting there, staring out the window at the Kingdom below her. It was a beautiful spring day. The wind was blowing and the people of the Kingdom were getting ready for another lantern festival within the week. The amethyst banners of the golden sun were hung across the streets of Corona, giving it a party feel.

It was a party – Rapunzel knew this. It was actually going to be her 18th birthday on the day of the lantern festival. Ever since she was little, her parents, the King and Queen, let off more and more lanterns to celebrate her birthday. For her birth day, they released one. As the years went by, the lantern festival gained more popularity as a day of celebration throughout the Kingdom not only for the Princess' birth but as a sign that their Kingdom had transpired through another year. Eventually lanterns were made by the people of the Kingdom but only the individual one released by the King and Queen had the symbol of the Golden Sun of the Kingdom of Corona embellished upon it.

It was said that whomever found the lantern released by them would have luck for the next year.

Secretly, for a couple of years now, Rapunzel had hoped she would be the one to find the lantern. Reason being is because of a very special gift she was born with. When her mother was pregnant with her, she got very sick. There had been a story passed down for many years of a magical golden flower that grew when a drop of sunlight fell from the heavens. The magic flower could heal any wound or sickness known to humans. Search parties had been sent out into the thick forest surrounding the Kingdom, looking for the only miracle that could save their queen and future ruler.

The flower was found on the outskirts of the Corona territory and was brought back to the castle. The doctors in the castle, alongside the researchers, created a broth and the Queen was healed.

When Rapunzel was born, she was born with blonde hair, despite the fact her parents were both brunettes. Doctors couldn't figure out why she was blonde other than the flower that healed her mother. By researching the flower, the Queen realized that Rapunzel had the ability to heal people the same way the flower did by singing a special song.

Flower gleam and glow

Let your power shine

Make the clock reverse

Bring back what once was mine

Heal what has been hurt

Change the Fates' design

Save what has been lost

Bring back what once was mine

What once was mine

By singing this special song, the Flower's ability within Rapunzel was activated through her hair. As a child, Rapunzel used her ability to heal herself when she was sick or when she hurt herself by playing. Her parents accepted the ability as a gift from the Sun. Without that flower, both she and her mother would've been dead. The King and Queen learned that if they cut their daughter's hair, the hair would lose it's ability. So the front of Rapunzel's hair was cut and brown while the back stayed growing and blonde. The hair was kept in a braid for most of the time to keep Rapunzel from stepping on it and hurting herself. The ability was kept secret from everyone except the main doctor of the castle and the King and Queen, alongside Rapunzel herself.

However, even though it was a secret, the King didn't like to let his daughter out into the Kingdom. He didn't want to risk anyone kidnapping her for her special ability. Most of Rapunzel's life was spent within the confines of her own part of the castle, a tall tower with a small garden just outside the bottom. She went to school within the castle, went to the doctor within the castle...everything she did was within the castle. Her only connection to the outside world was a small friend she made in her garden, a chameleon she called Pascal, named after the river from which direction he came into the castle walls.

There was one day that the King made an exception and that was on Rapunzel's birthday. It was for that one day only she was allowed to go out into the Kingdom's city and join in the celebration of her birthday. Rapunzel was hoping that this year, her father would know she was old enough to go where she wanted, whenever she wanted. The time of her birth was long past and all talk of the golden flower had all but diminished. No one knew about her ability and no one would. Rapunzel hoped her father would understand and allow her to do this. To live completely free...

Not that Rapunzel would trade her life for anything else. She had loving parents and a great home. She was free to be herself – paint her walls like she always loved to do, create any kind of recipe that came to her mind...she just wanted to be allowed to leave the palace walls and see the Kingdom she was a Princess of. She had only been out into the town of Corona itself, not necessarily the whole forest and grassland area that surrounded it.

She walked into her room from the balcony, her long flowing blond hair following behind her. She had been so lazy today she hadn't even called the maid to braid her hair. Maybe she'd go into the town and have the young girls of the Scouts do it. They were always braiding each others' hair when she saw them at the fountain. Her father would at least let her do that. Rapunzel glanced in the mirror, looking at her brown bangs, wondering why her parents allowed her hair to grow. In case of mass disease, possibly? Or a calamity which required a lot of medicine that was unavailable?

Either way, Rapunzel didn't mind. Knowing she had the ability to heal others was good enough for her. She could make someone elses' life easier.

Rapunzel fitted herself into a day gown; a form fitted purple dress showing off her shape just right. She slipped on her sandals and pulled her hair as best as she could into a large bun behind her head so it wouldn't drag the ground as she walked. She walked over to the bedroom door and slipped out, shutting the door behind her softly.

I'm not sneaking out.

Father hasn't ever forbade me from going into the town before. Sure, I've always asked before, but he's never said no. Neither has Mother. They're always letting me so if I go without asking, it's okay to assume that it's okay...

Right?

Yeah, of course...

It'll be fine.

*0*0*0*

Rapunzel slipped out the front of the Castle Gates. She felt a sudden touch on her back; she almost began to flip out before she recognized the touch.

"Pascal...you need to warn me next time..." Rapunzel's tone was almost stern. It was as if she was scolding herself will scolding the small chameleon.

The green creature sighed and then grinned big as he looked towards the city. He was excited; Rapunzel could read it in his eyes. She began her path through the bustling city; her appearance gaining a double look from villagers. Some of them couldn't help but notice she was the Princess. Rapunzel did her best to stay off the busiest streets until she arrived at the fountain.

The four little girls were sure enough sitting there, braiding each others hair in what looked like mini french braids. She whistled a small tune, and the girls looked directly in her direction, getting up almost instantaneously. The smallest girl arrived first, hugging Rapunzel tightly.

"Hello again, Rachel. You and your friends ready to help me again?" Rapunzel asked.

"Yes, my Lady. We're always happy to make your hair easier for you." Rachel smiled. She turned to her friends, "Anita, Yui, Mika...let's do it."

The girls went to work, carefully braiding the hair gently as to not ruin the beauty of the hair itself. She even parted her bangs and made the flow of them match the long blonde behind. After about 10 minutes, the girls were done. The center of her hair in the back was one large braid with the other parts of her hair wrapped around as they were so long.

"Yay! It looks so great today, My Lady!" said the tallest girl, Anita. "Oh, Yui had a great idea!"

Rapunzel smiled as she admired her hair in a nearby window reflection and then turned to Yui. The shy girl hid behind Anita before peeping out. "I just thought for your birthday we could...I don't know...maybe put flowers or something in your hair to make it real nice looking..." She stammered over her words a bit but Rapunzel got the gist of it.

She bent down to Yui and grinned. "That's sounds good. Let's meet right here in a week; the day before. I'm sure you girls will do such an amazing job that it'll last me all through my birthday."

The girls were elated and hugged Rapunzel all at once. She released them and waved bye as she walked back to the hidden street and them to the fountain.

It was then that Rapunzel's sight went black as the darkness night, and she became unaware of her surroundings.

Her mind was drawing a blank. What had she been doing?

She suddenly became very light headed and the thought of her parents and the little girls were the last things to pass through her mind as she slipped into unconsciousness.

A/N: Oh boy...it now begins! I'm really excited about this story. I can't wait to write more. Oh yeah and every time I work on this story...I'm usually watching the movie. Hahaha. Watched it twice during this last run...geez the ending gets me every time.

But alas, I am rambling again! Please review and let me know what you think!