Chapter 5: When Will My Life Begin?
Deep within the forest outside Corona
The sun illuminated the old tower sitting in the hidden valley deep within the forest. The shutters to its one large window were slightly ajar, allowing light into the room within. A few colorfully painted flower pots, each full of beautiful flowers sat on the windowsil. Suddenly, a small chameleon scurried through the opening onto the window. Looking around in a panic, he darted over to one of the flower pots before blending in with the multicolored surface. A second later, the blond girl with extremely long hair flung open the shutters.
"Aha!" she shouted with a smile on her face, but it fell slightly when she saw no chameleon.
"Hmm," she hummed as she looked over at the flower pot the chameleon was hiding behind.
"Well I guess Pascal isn't hiding out here," she mused as she began to walk away, keeping her eye on the pot.
Pascal chuckled to himself as she left. Suddenly, a strand of hair shot out from above him and wrapped around his tail. Pascal was yanked up into the air, coming face to face with the girl, who was hanging upside down in the windowsill, grasping the locks of her hair leading to the strand wrapped around his tail.
"Gotcha!" she shouted, causing Pascal to scream and revert to his natural, green color.
"That's twenty two for me," she said as she hopped to the ground and lowered Pascal down, "How about twenty three out of forty five?"
Pascal's face fell at the thought.
"Ok," she sighed as she sat on the windowsill, "Well, what do you want to do?"
Pascal chirped with happiness before using his tail to indicate the outside.
"Yeah," the girl replied as she swung her legs over the windowsill, picking up Pascal and sitting him on her knee "I don't think so. I like it in here, and so do you."
The blank look Pascal gave her spoke volumes.
"Oh come on Pascal, it's not so bad in there," she said, picking him up in her hands before rolling over the windowsill back into the tower. Hopping to her feet, she now stood in what seemed like a living room, with a few chairs and other pieces of furniture scattered about. A fireplace sat in the wall opposite her. To one side was a small kitchen, while to her other was a staircase leading to the next floor. In addition, paintings covered every inch of wall space in the room, all depicting different scenes. Some were of forests. Others cities. Others renditions of the night sky. Many also contained depictions of the girl herself.
"Seven A.M., the usual morning line up" she sung as she picked up a broom and began sweeping the floor, "Start on the chores and sweep until the floors all clean."
"Polish and wax, do laundry and mop and shine up," she sang as she ran around doing chores, "sweep again, and by then it's like seven fifteen."
"And so I'll read a book , or maybe two or three," she sang as she ran up to her room and too her bookshelf where she grabbed the only three books on it.
"I'll add a few new paintings to my gallery," she continued as she hung from the ceiling by her hair, painting the walls with another pictures.
"I'll play guitar and knit, and cook and basically, just wonder when will my life begin?" she sang as she pulled a pie out of the oven in her kitchen. As she did, she looked over at the fireplace, where, on the mantel, a door-like decoration sat. She and Pascal quickly sized the area up before she ran off and grabbed her paint supplies again. Hopping up onto the mantel with graceful ease and moved the object aside, revealing a blank wall behind it and began painting it.
"Then after lunch it's puzzles and darts and baking. Paper mache, a bit of ballet and chess," she continued as she played chess with Pascal.
"Pottery and ventriloquis, candle making. Then I'll stretch, maybe sketch, take a climb, sow a dress," she sang as she continued on her painting above the mantle.
"Maybe reread the books, if I've got time to spare," she sang as she grabbed the three books and read them on her bed, her extremely long hair pooled around her.
"I'll paint the walls some more, I'm sure there's room somewhere. And then I'll brush and brush, and brush and brush my hair," she sang as she ran around, brushing her incredible length of hair, "Stuck in the same place I've always been."
"And I'll keep wondering, and wondering, and wondering, and wondering when will my life begin?" she sang before she ran up to the window and looked out, "Tomorrow night, the lights will appear, just like they do on my birthday each year."
Turning to the fireplace, she looked up at the space above the mantel, where she had painted a picture of herself watching the lights in the night sky from the top of a tree.
"What is it like, out there where they glow? Now that I'm older, Mother might just let me go."
"This is it," she said excitedly as she put away her paints, "This is a very big day, Pascal. I'm finally going to do it. I'm gonna ask her."
"Rapunzel!" a voice cried from outside the tower, causing the girl to gasp excitedly, "Let down your hair!"
"It's time!" she said excitedly. Pascal responded by buffing his little chest out, urging her to be brave.
"I know, I know," she said with a chuckle, before taking him into her hand and putting him down, "Now come on, don't let her see you.
"Rapunzel!" the voice cried again, "I'm not getting any younger down here!"
"Coming Mother!" she called back before stepping up onto the windowsill and placing her hair over a hook sticking out from the top. Once it was secured, she tossed the rest of her hair out the window, where it fell all the way to the bottom like a rope. Feeling it grow taut, she quickly began to pull her hair up until a woman appeared in the window holding the hair.
The woman appeared to be somewhere in her forties, with curly black hair with a few grey hairs and brown eyes. She wore a red dress with yellow lining and a plunging neckline that displayed her fine curves along with a black, hooded cape and gold hoop earrings. She carried with her a small woven basket filled with food.
"Hi," Rapunzel greeted her breathlessly as she pulled all of her hair in, "Welcome home, Mother."
"Oh Rapunzel," her mother sighed as she stepped fully into the room, and up to Rapunzel, "How you manage to do that every single day without fail. It looks absolutely exhausting, darling."
"Oh, it's nothing," Rapunzel replied with a chuckle as she still tried to catch her breath.
"Then I don't know why it takes you so long," her mother stated in a sing-song voice. Seeing Rapunzel's face fall she let out a laugh, "Oh darling, I'm just teasing."
"Alright," Rapunzel replied, laughing awkwardly, turning to her mother as she walked over to a mirror and began examining herself, "So, mother, as you know, tomorrow is a very big day."
"Rapunzel," she said, grabbing her and pulling her close, "Look in that mirror. You know what I see? I see a strong, confident, beautiful young lady."
Rapunzel smiled at the perceived compliment.
"Oh look, you're here too," her mother said with a laugh, "I'm just teasing, stop taking everything so seriously."
"Okay," Rapunzel sighed, "So Mother, as I was saying, tomorrow is-"
"Rapunzel," her mother said, interrupting her again, "Mother is feeling a little run down. Could you sing for me, dear? Then we'll talk."
"Oh, of course, Mother!" Rapunzel explained before turning and running off. She quickly grabbed a comfortable chair and set it up by the fireplace as her mother walked over to it. Rapunzel then quickly pulled over a stool before pulling her mother into the chair, handing her a brush and a length of her hair.
"Flowergleamandglow. Letyourpowershine. Maketheclockreverse. Bringbackwhatwasoncewasmine," she sang quickly, causing her hair to glow brightly. Her mother looked in surprise as she quickly began to brush it, "Healwhathasbeenhurt. ChangetheFates'design. Savewhathasbeenlost. Bringbackwhatoncewasmine."
As Rapunzel finished, a few wrinkles disappeared from her mother's skin and her few grey hairs became black again.
"So Mother," Rapunzel began, running over to her mother's side and leaning against the arm of the chair, sticking her face right in her mothers, "earlier I was saying tomorrow is a pretty big day and you didn't respond, so I'm just going to tell you, it's my birthday! Tada!"
"No, no, no," her mother responded, pushing her off gently, "Can't be. I distinctly remember. Your birthday was last year."
"That's the funny thing about birthdays. They're kind of an annual thing," Rapunzel said with a smile before she sat back down on the stool with a sigh, "I'm turning eighteen and I wanted to ask…what I really wanted for this birthday…actually what I really wanted for a quite a few birthdays."
"Rapunzel, please stop with the mumbling. You know how I feel about the mumbling. It's very annoying," her mother replied, before she saw Rapunzel's face fall again, "I'm just teasing. You're adorable. I love you so much."
As her mother got up from her chair, Rapunzel looked down nervously. Hearing a squeaking noise, she looked to the side, she saw Pascal hiding behind a piece of furniture, poking his head out and urging her on.
"I want to see the floating lights!" she finally blurted out.
"What?" her mother asked from across the room.
"Oh, well I was hoping you could take me to see the floating lights," Rapunzel explained as she stepped up on a stool and pulled the curtain away from above the mantel, revealing the painting she had done.
"Oh," her mother replied, "You mean the stars."
"That's the thing," Repunzel said as she flung a strand of hair at a hatch in the roof, wrapping around the handle and pulling it open, allowing a ray of sunlight to come in and illuminate a star chart on the wall, "I've charted stars and they are always constant. But these? They appear every year on my birthday, Mother. Only on my birthday. And I can't help but feel…they're meant for me. I need to see them, Mother and not just from my window. In person. I have to know what they are."
"You want to go outside?" her mother asked as she walked up to the main window and closed it, "Oh, Rapunzel."
"Look at yo,u as fragile as a flower" her mother sang, walking over to Rapunzel and taking her hands in hers, "Still a little sapling, just a sprout. You know why we stay up in this tower."
"I know but," Rapunzel began to argue.
"That's right," her mother continued as she ran her hands and face in Rapunzel's long hair, "To keep you safe and sound."
"I guess I always knew this day was coming," her mother sang as she moved over to another window before pulling its curtain closed, "Knew that someday you'd want to leave the nest."
"Soon but not yet," she continued as she walked over to the stairs.
"But," Rapunzel began to argue, but her mother silenced her by putting a finger to Rapunzel's lips.
"Trust me pet. Mother knows best!" she sang as she hit her hip against a wall, causing the latch in the ceiling to close and the room fell into darkness. Quickly picking up a candle, Rapunzel lit it, illuminating the darkness slightly.
"Mother knows best, listen to your mother, it's a scary world out there," Rapunzel's mother sang as Rapunzel turned around with the candle, finding her mother looming over her with a frightening look on her face, causing Rapunzel to jump in fright.
"Mother knows best, one way or the other, something will go wrong I swear!" her mother sung as she caught Rapunzel as she tripped over her hair in the dark.
"Ruffians, thugs, poison ivy, quicksand, cannibals, and snakes," Rapunzel's mother listed off, before appearing behind her daughter with a pale green lantern, "the plague"
"No!" Rapunzel exclaimed in fright.
"Yes!" her mother replied before continuing, "Also large bugs, men with pointy teeth. Stop, no more, you'll just upset me!"
As her mother continued to sing, Rapunzel cocooned herself in her hair in a vain attempt to protect herself. Suddenly, her mother appeared behind her.
"Mother's right here, mother will protect you, darling here's what I suggest!" she sang as she pulled Rapunzel to her feet and enveloped herin a hug, "Skip the drama, stay with mama, mother knows best."
"Mother knows best, take it from your mumsie, on your own, you won't survive," Rapunzel's mother continued, pulling her up to a mirror and stepping behind it, "Sloppy, underdressed, immature, clumsy, please they'll eat you up alive!"
Grabbing Rapunzel, she twirled her around, wrapping her up in her own hair.
"Gullible, naïve, positively grubby, and a bit, well, vague," she continued, unwrapping Rapunzel and cupping her chin with her hand, "Plus I believe, getting kind of chubby. I'm just saying cause I wuv you."
"Mother understands, mother's here to help you, all I have is one request" her mother continued to sing as she turned Rapunzel around and pulled her into a hug.
"Rapunzel," her mother said pulling away slightly.
"Yes, Mother?" Rapunzel asked.
"Don't ever ask to leave this tower again," she said with a serious look on her face.
"Yes, Mother," Rapunzel agreed, her face falling.
"I love you very much dear," her mother said with a sign cupping her chin with her hand.
"I love you more," Rapunzel replied lovingly.
"I love you most," her mother finished, kissing her on the forehead, "Don't forget it, you'll regret it, Mother knows best!"
A few minutes later, and Rapunzel was lowering her mother back outside the tower.
"Tata!" her mother called as she was lowered, "I'll see you in a bit my flower!"
"I'll be here," Rapunzel replied softly as she looked forlornly out the window, her hair blowing softly in the breeze.
Meanwhile, in Corona
Phoebus sat on his trusty horse Maximus as they made it through the poor section of the city. All around him were the poor and the homeless, trying to carve out a living in the squalor and filth they were forced to live in. He also couldn't help but notice the people moving out of his way and looking at him with fear.
"Please don't!" he heard a voice cry. Looking down the street, he saw a man standing outside a fruit shop, as two guards were ransacking it.
"Please, stop!" the man cried again as one of the guard's smashed some fruit on the ground.
"You see, friend," one of the guards sneered, "This is why you need protection. Things like this happen. But if you pay us, they'll certainly stop."
"Please, I pay my taxes, isn't that enough?" the shop owner pleaded.
"The taxes go to the king, you have to pay special to get protection from the guard," the guard sneered.
"Really?" Phoebus asked as he rode up, Maximus glaring at the guards angrily, "I must have missed that decree."
"Captain!" the guard exclaimed, turning and saluting, "We didn't see you there, sir. We were just-"
"Extorting money from this poor man?" Phoebus finished for him, glaring down at the guard.
"Sir, you don't understand," the guard explained, "These are how we keep people like this in line."
"In line?" Phoebus asked, astonished.
"These rabble, you have to show them who's boss," the guard explained, "I know being born into your position means you don't understand how everything works, so I'm trying to explain things like this."
"That sounds a lot like insubordination," Phoebus growled, "I suggest you leave now, sergeant."
"Captain, you can't just force us out of this," the guard argued, "This is how we make our money."
"It seems rank wasn't good enough for you sergeant," Phoebus growled as he drew his sword and pointed his sword at the man, while Maximus glared at the other, barring his teeth and snorting hot air into the man's face.
"Leave. Now," Phoebus ordered with a glare. The guard slowly backed away before he and his partner took off running.
"Are you alright, sir?" Phoebus asked, looking at the store owner.
"Yes, thank you," the man replied, "But I fear you've only delayed the inevitable. They'll be back tomorrow and you won't be here to protect me next time."
"Maybe I won't, but I'll see if I can't do anything about it," Phoebus said with a determined nod, "Come on, Maximus."
"May the sun always shine on you, sir!" the store owner shouted with gratitude.
"You as well," Phoebus replied with a nod before ridding off. He rode through the city, leaving the slums and coming to the center of the city. As he did, he heard someone ridding up behind him.
"Phoebus," the droll voice of Judge Frollo greeted him as he rode up besides the young captain on his black horse. Maximus eyed the other horse before giving it a snort of contempt, the other horse returning the gesture.
"Sir," Frollo greeted in surprise, "I was just coming to find you."
"I thought as much, I have already heard of your altercation with the guards in the slums," Frollo explained.
"You…You have?" Phoebus asked confused.
"Yes, I heard it from the two men themselves," Frollo replied calmly.
"Did you reprimand them?" Phoebus asked, still confused.
"For doing their jobs? How absurd," Frollo balked.
"Doing their jobs!" Phoebus exclaimed, "Sir, they were threatening a shop keeper to give them money."
"I admit their greed is unnecessary and I will keep tabs on them to stem it," Frollo admitted, "But these peasants must learn to respect and obey the law and the men who enforce it."
"Threatening the populace won't make them respect us, it will make them fear us," Phoebus pointed out.
"Is there a difference?" Frollo asked in return.
"Sir, you can't believe this is right!" Phoebus argued in shock.
"What I believe is that it is just," Frollo growled in reply, "These peasants need a strong hand to guide them, otherwise they will do as they please and chaos will descend on us all."
"You have very little trust in people," Phoebus observed.
"When you've been around as long as I have, you would understand," Frollo commented, "Your father would understand."
"My father never had guards bully the citizens of this country," Phoebus growled.
"Perhaps not. But it was under his watch as the Minister of Justice that the Princess was kidnapped as well," Frollo observed.
Phoebus merely glared at the ground as Frollo smirked.
"Yes, your father's failure is a sore spot with your family," Frollo stated, "Understandable, it is the reason he was removed from his post."
"And what if I told the king about this?" Phoebus said, glaring at Frollo.
"Do not test me, boy," Frollo growled, "Despite what the guards like to say, I do keep you around because you are good at your job. But that doesn't mean I need you. Besides, who do you think the king will listen to? The son of his disgraced former minister or his current one who has cut crime in half?"
Any argument Phoebus had died in his throat as he looked away from Frollo again. Maximus snorted in frustration, as Frollo's horse whinnied in victory.
"Now-" Frollo began but was interrupting by the sound of ringing bells coming from the castle.
"What?" Frollo questioned as he looked towards the castle. As he did, he could make out three figures moving across the rooftops with guards chasing them from below.
"Stop!" they heard the guards calling, "Thieves!"
A/N: Bit of a cliff hanger there, but I think everyone knows what's happening. As for the chapter, I realize that most of it is straight from Tangled, along with no less than songs, but I felt it was necessary to move the plot along, such as what I did with the first chapter. Anyway, it won't be happening again anymore, so no worries. Hope you guys like it! Please review!