Enchanted Forest, many years ago:
Rapunzel was now twelve years old and was still stuck in the tower. She was overall a happy young girl but she was also very lonely. As any girl her age she longed to have friends but her mother would never allow it. The young girl got dressed for the day with Johanna's help and sighed. She wished she could be like other girls her age.
Meanwhile at the palace, Regina had just buried her husband and send Snow White away with the huntsman.
"What is your plan now? Leopold is gone, so are you going to bring Rapunzel here?" Henry Sr asked as he watched his daughter. He still thought what Regina was planning to do with Snow White was wrong and he didn't like that Rapunzel was still stuck in the tower. She deserved better than that.
Regina turned to look at him and shoke her head. "It's still not save. Mother is still out there and as long as she and the Dark One are around I can't let Rapunzel out. It's too dangerous." She told him. She couldn't risk her enemies finding out about Rapunzel. It just couldn't happen. She needed to protect her.
Henry didn't like this but he knew he couldn't change Regina's mind.
"I'll go visit her now." Regina added and got up. She waved her hand and disappeared in a puff of purple smoke, reappearing outside the tower.
She looked up and smiled. "Rapunzel, let down your hair!" She called out and waited for her daughter to let her hair down. Only moments later, the long braid was lowered down for her and Regina started to climb up. Her daughter's hair had always been special. It was very strong and grew a lot faster than normal. Regina had enchanted it so it wouldn't hurt her daughter if she used it as a latter. It was now the only way in and out of the tower to keep strangers away.
She smiled as she reached the top and got in, being greeted by her young daughter. "Hello, my little love." The young queen said softly and pulled her into a tight hug.
Rapunzel smiled but her smile faded slightly as she noticed her mother's black attire. It was unusual. "Hello, Mother. I've missed you. Did something happen?" She asked as she looked up to her.
Regina cupped her daughter's cheek and sighed deeply. She faked some tears. "Yes, my dear. Your father sadly passed away. The whole kingdom is in mourning." She explained to her daughter and glanced over to Johanna who was shocked.
The little blonde frowned. She had never really met her father, he never came to see her. But her mother had told her about him and her sister Snow White and she sometimes brought gifts from Leopold to her. "Oh, I'm sorry, Mother. That's awful. Snow must be terribly sad." She said softly as tears gathered in her own eyes. Even though she had no connection to her father, she still felt bad over his death.
Regina held Rapunzel close and stroked her hair gently. She sighed as Rapunzel mentioned Snow White but her daughter didn't know any better and she wanted to keep it that away. Rapunzel could never know the truth. "Yes, she was devastated. She decided to run away sadly. There was no stopping her." She explained to her and still held her.
Johanna frowned. It wasn't like Snow White to run off after such a thing. Something was off. "Your majesty, I'm sorry for your loss. Would you like your afternoon tea now?" She asked and bowed slightly.
"Yes, thank you, Johanna. And after that I need you to pack your things. Your services are needed at the castle." The queen explained. She knew Johanna was suspicious of her and she could risk Rapunzel finding out. She deemed her daughter old enough to stay in the tower on her own.
Rapunzel shoke her head as she heard this. "No, please. Let Johanna stay, Mother." The young girl pleaded with her. She couldn't lose Johanna. She didn't want to be in the tower all by herself.
Johanna didn't like this either but if the queen decided it, she had no other choice. She looked at the young princess. "It's alright, princess. Your mother is right. My services are needed at the castle now." She told her and went to pack.
Regina knew her daughter was very attached to Johanna and she needed to stop it. "It's going to be fine, sweetheart. Johanna has other duties and you are old enough to stay on your own for a few hours. " she told her daughter and wiped Rapunzel's tears away. She watched as the maid went to pack and took her daughter over to her vanity. It always calmed Rapunzel if she brushed her hair so she sat the girl down and unraveled her braid before taking her hair brush to brush through the long locks.
Rapunzel was very upset but the brushing calmed her slightly. She didn't want Johanna to go but she knew she couldn't stop it. "If I'm old enough now, can I go outside too?" She asked and met her mother's eyes in the mirror.
"No. Rapunzel, we've been through this. It's not save for you out there. If my enemies find out about you they'll take you away from me and might hurt you. Do you want that to happen?" She asked the girl and looked at her pointly. She didn't want to be harsh with her but sometimes she needed to so Rapunzel would listen.
It wasn't fair that she couldn't go outside. Rapunzel crossed her arms slightly but she knew she couldn't fight her mother on this. She just wanted to be free. The blonde looked down and sighed. "I know, Mother. Sorry I asked." She replied quietly and looked down sadly.
Regina noticed that her daughter was sad and stopped brushing her hair. She put the brush down before bending down to her level. She lifted her chin gently to make her look at her. "I only do this to keep you save, my little love. I love you and I only want what's best for you. " she explained and wrapped her arms around her and kissed her forehead.
"I love you too, Mama." Rapunzel said softly and hugged her tightly.
After that they had tea together and then Rapunzel said goodbye to Johanna. She hugged her tightly and cried as she left.
Regina soothed her daughter and stayed with her a bit longer before she had to leave too. She was sure now that Johanna and Snow White were out of the picture, she could connect more with her daughter.
Storybrooke, present day:
After the talk with her mom, Rosalie needed some time for herself to think so she took a walk through town to clear her head. She ended up going to the beach where she and Alex used to meet. It was their favourite place. She walked around for a bit and watched the waves. It always calmed her.
The blonde thought about her past sighed deeply as images of that night in the alley flashed before her eyes. She shoke the thoughts away quickly but then she felt a hand on her shoulder and flinched away. She didn't need to turn around to know who he was. She recognised his perfume. Rosalie started shaking as she turned around to face him. "What do you want?" She demanded angrily.
He smirked. "I heard you came back. I needed to see you." He told her and reached out to stroke her hair but Rosalie slapped his hand away.
She wouldn't let him touch her again. She wasn't that helpless young girl anymore. He ruined her life and she wouldn't let him continue to do so. "Don't ever touch me again, Sydney. I'll end you." Rosalie pointed out and spat in his face before she started running as fast as she possibly could.
She almost slipped on the icy roads as she kept running until she ran into someone. She slipped and fell to the ground. "Ahh!" She cried out as she landed on her knees.
Regina gasped as Rosalie ran into her and fell. The mayor helped her daughter up. "Rosalie, is everything alright? What happened?" She asked as she looked at her daughter and studied her for any signs of injury. Her knees were scraped. "Come on, I'll take you home and then you can tell me exactly what happened while I tend to your knees." The brunette told her and helped her walk the short distance to the mansion. Rosalie was clearly in shock. Something had happened and she needed to get to the bottom of this.
Rosalie just nodded. She didn't want to talk to her mother but now she had no choice. She needed to get it off her chest. They reached the mansion and her mother took her to the living room where she sat down on the couch while her mom got the first aid kit from the bathroom.
Regina got the first aid kit and rolled up Rosalie's pants to tend to her wounds. "This might sting." She warned her as she cleaned the wounds.
Rosalie flinched but tried to be brave. She let her mother clean the wounds and then put bandages on them.
Regina finished and looked at her daughter. "This should heal with no problem but you might get bruises and feel pain for a while. Now can you tell me what happened? Why were you running?" She questioned and looked at her pointly. She needed to know the truth as she still wanted to protect her daughter.
Rosalie sighed and took a deep breath. "You remember when you found that pregnancy test? You thought it was because I slept with Alex but that isn't what happened." The young blonde started to explain and watched her mother.
With a deep frown, Regina listened to her daughter and thought about the situation. She had been so angry. Did Rosalie cheat on Alex? No, that couldn't be it. Her daughter loved that boy and had gone to such lengths to be with him that she definitely wouldn't cheat. So something else must have happened.
"One night I walked home from the diner. It was dark and I was running late again. I tried to get home quickly but then someone grabbed me and pulled me into an alley way. He...he pinned me against a wall so I couldn't get free and then he...he...he p-pulled down my pants a-and...and..." she couldn't finish the sentence. It was too much. She looked away as tears gathered in her eyes.
Regina shoke her head as she listened to her daughter. No, it couldn't be true. It just couldn't be. She had tried so hard to keep her daughter away from danger but clearly she failed. She had been so busy keeping her away from Ruby and Alex that she failed to notice the real danger. "You don't need to say it. I get it." She told her and pulled her into a tight embrace, stroking her hair soothingly. She couldn't believe this had happened to her daughter.
Regina remembered her own experience with this. Images of Leopold flashed before her eyes but she quickly shoke the thoughts away. She needed to focus on Rosalie. "Who?" She simply asked her. She would end whoever did this to her little girl.
Rosalie cuddled to her mother and sighed. She knew she needed to tell her. Maybe her mother could help her to get rid of him. "Sydney" she stated and looked at her mother with fear in her eyes.
This couldn't be. Regina couldn't believe it. She had put Sydney up to spy on Rosalie. She should have seen it. It was all her fault. "I'll kill that bastard." She growled angrily. No one would hurt her daughter again. She would make sure of it. "I'll talk to the sheriff. It will all be alright. I'll make sure he never touches you again." Regina added and still held her close.
The blonde nodded quietly and sighed. She didn't want her mother to do anything drastic but she knew if people crossed her mother they usually disappeared. It scared her slightly but not as much as seeing Sydney again. "Thank you, Mother. I should get back to the inn now. Alex is probably worried." She told her as she wiped her tears away. It was getting late and she didn't want to worry Alex.
"I can drive you. The streets are still icy and I don't want you to fall again." The brunette offered and smiled slightly at her. She loved Rosalie so much and hoped to fully get her back now though it wouldn't be easy.
After a moment of hesistation, Rosalie nodded at her mother's offer. It wouldn't be wise to go out there on her own with everything that had happened that day. "Alright. Thank you." she answered and carefully got up. Her knees hurt but she tried not to think about it as she walked to the car with her mother.
Regina grabbed her car keys and got into the car with Rosalie and carefully drove her to Granny's. "Thank you for being honest with me, sweetheart. I will take care of the situation." She told her and hugged her before Rosalie got out of the car.
Rosalie nodded and got out of the car and walked into the diner where Alex was waiting for her.
Alex got up when he saw Rosalie and rushed to her side. "Are you alright? Where were you?" He asked worriedly and looked at her. He noticed she was in pain and had been crying. This wasn't good. He was terribly worried about her. Gently, he took her hand and brought her to the booth he had been sitting in and sat her down.
Rosalie sat down and cuddled to him. She loved him so much and knew he would always keep her save. "I'm okay I guess. I was at the beach and then Sydney showed up. I ran away and directly into my mother. I slipped and hurt my knees so she took me home and tended to my injuries. I had to tell her about Sydney." She explained as she looked into his piercing blue eyes.
Alex was shocked. He would make sure to protect her from Sydney. "You are save now." He reassured her and held her close.
Enchanted Forest, many years ago:
Rapunzel sighed as she looked out the window of the tower. She was now 16 and terribly lonely. The only visitors she had were her mother and her grandpa and occasionally Snow White whenever it was save enough for her to make the journey to the tower. 5865 long days stuck in that tower with no way to escape. Not that she would dare to try anyways. She loved her mother and wouldn't leave her though she knew what her mother was doing to Snow and the people in the kingdom. She was called the Evil Queen and it really scared Rapunzel.
Her mother was mostly loving and kind to her but sometimes she lashed out. Especially whenever Rapunzel asked her if she could leave the tower. It just wasn't fair that she had to be locked up all the time.
The young blonde got away from the window and sat down by the vanity to braid her extremely long hair. She began to sing to pass the time as it took her several minutes to braid her hair.
Meanwhile, in the woods, a young prince rode through the part of the woods where Rapunzel was hidden. Prince Alexis had gotten lost in the woods and tried to find his way back home when he heard the singing. He stopped his horse to listen to the wonderful tune. It was almost magical. The young man was curious who that voice belonged to and decided to follow it. After a few minutes he found himself in a meadow and in the middle of it stood a tall stone tower. He looked around but didn't find the girl.
Suddenly he heard a carriage nearby and hid quickly as he realized it was the Evil Queen's carriage. He watched as the queen made her way towards the tower and called out.
"Rapunzel, let down your hair!" Regina called out to her daughter and waited for her to let her hair down.
The singing stopped and Alexis realized that the voice was coming from the tower. He watched as a young girl opened the window and let down her long braid. It was marvelous. He was in awe with her beauty and her hair. However he wondered who she was and why she was locked in that tower and why the queen visited her. He had so many questions.
Regina was unaware that someone had been watching her as she climbed up Rapunzel's hair and entered the tower. She smiled happily when she saw her daughter. "Hello, sweetheart. It's so good to see you." She said with a warm smile and pulled her daughter close.
Rapunzel hugged her mother and smiled softly though she was still sad that she couldn't leave. "Hello, Mother." She replied and went to prepare tea.
The queen smiled as she watched Rapunzel. Her daughter was so beautiful, really the most beautiful girl under the sun. The fairest of them all. She was so proud of her. "What have you been up to while I was gone?" She asked as she took a seat by the fire place to warm herself up.
Rapunzel prepared tea and put it on the stove to boil. "Not much I've been reading that new book grandpa got me and I've done some painting." She explained and shrugged her shoulders. There wasn't much else to do for her anyway so she mostly spend her time reading and painting. Sometimes she also practised the violin.
"That's lovely, my dear." Regina replied and smiled at her daughter. She didn't smile often nowadays but with her daughter she could forget about everything that was going on for once. Rapunzel truly was her weakness and therefore she could never let her out.
When the tea was ready, Rapunzel poured it into two cups and served it with sugar and milk, bringing it over to the tea table before she sat next to her mother in front of the fireplace. "How is grandpa? I haven't seen him in a while." She questioned and carefully sipped the tea.
Regina also took a sip of the tea before she looked at her daughter. "He is good, sweetheart. I'm sure he will come to visit you very soon." She answered and stroked Rapunzel's hair carefully.
They talked for a while until Regina had to go again.
After she left Alexis waited a bit to make sure she was really gone before he walked towards the tower. He looked around for a door but there was none. The girl was truly trapped. He looked up and then called out the words he had heard Regina say. "Rapunzel, let down your hair!" He called out, mimicing Regina's voice.
Rapunzel frowned. Maybe her mother had forgotten something. She went to the window again and let down her hair, pulling her up as usual. However, something was different. Her mother seemed heavier now than usual. As a stranger entered the tower instead of her mother, Rapunzel gasped and took a few steps back.
The stranger was a young man, probably a bit older than her but not much. He had shoulder length dark hair and piercing blue eyes and was well build. He was overall quite handsome though Rapunzel wasn't sure since she could only really compare him to her grandpa as she never met another man before. The young princess wondered how he managed to find the tower. She was unsure what to say so she stayed silent.
Alexis looked at Rapunzel and smiled. She was even more beautiful up close than from a distance. The young girl was slightly younger than him and she truly looked like a princess with her beautiful blue dress. What was she doing in the tower? "Hello, my lady. I'm Prince Alexis. I'm sorry if I frightend you. I got lost in the woods and heard you singing and followed your voice until I found the tower. Then I saw the queen and heard her call up to you. I had to try it too." He explained to her calmly and hoped she wasn't scared of him.
Nodding, the blonde kept looking at him as she listened to his words. He had a calming voice. "I'm Rapunzel. Princess Rapunzel. My mother, the queen, brought me hear after I was born to protect me from her enemies." She explained to him and sighed slightly. She wasn't supposed to talk to strangers but he didn't seem dangerous.
Alexis frowned. Queen Regina had a daughter? He never knew. But what she told him made him sad for her. Being locked up in a tower all her life surely wasn't nice. Sometimes he felt trapped as a prince with all the rules and expectations set for him but Rapunzel's life seemed worse. "You've never been outside?" He asked shocked and looked into her beautiful brown eyes.
Rapunzel shoke her head and played slightly with her braid. "No, I haven't. My mother says it's too dangerous out there for me." She replied and sighed. She watched him and thought that maybe they could be friends. She really craved human contact and wanted more than just her mother and her grandpa.
"The outside world can be dangerous but not if you are careful. Being trapped here seems awfully dull. Surely your mother can't keep you here forever." He told her and looked around the tower. It was beautifully decorated, fit for a young girl but still just a prison. He decided right then and there that he would help her to not feel so lonely anymore.
"I would love to explore and see the world but it will never happen. There is no way out." She told him sadly and sighed. It was nice talking to him but she was sure he would get bored with her and leave. She wished she could be out there, however she never would.
He sighed as he tried to think of ways to help her. "Hey, don't be sad. I could tell you about the outside world and could bring you things to explore. You wouldn't have to be so lonely. And maybe I could get a rope long enough to get you out." He told her and took her hand gently, giving it a comforting squeeze. Alexis felt bad for her and wanted to see her happy.
Rapunzel was surprised. They had only just met and he was willing to help her. "You would really do that for me?" She questioned and smiled softly as he held her hand. She felt a slight spark from his touch. Her eyes sparkled as she looked at him.
"Yes. I want to make you happy. I thought my life was bad but you deserve some happiness." He told her and smiled. He also felt the spark. Rapunzel was lovely and he couldn't wait to spend more time with her.
She was so happy right now. She hadn't felt like this in a long time. "Thank you. That really means a lot to me. Would you like anything to eat or drink?" She questioned and offered him a seat at the table.
The prince smiled and sat down before nodding. "Yes, thank you. I could eat something." He answered and watched her go to the little kitchen area before he looked around some more. He noticed the many pictures all around the room.
Rapunzel prepared a quick dinner for them both and got some water for them too before she sat down across from him. After taking a sip of her water she noticed what he was looking at. "I painted those." She explained to him with a warm smile.
Nodding he smiled and thanked her for the dinner. "They are lovely. You are very talented." He told her and also took a sip of the water before he started to eat. He really liked her already and couldn't wait to get to know her some more. "So what do you do besides painting to pass the time?" He asked her and smiled as he noticed a slight blush around her cheeks. He too couldn't help but blush when she looked at him. He was smitten.
Rapunzel blushed at his compliment. "I read a lot. My grandfather often brings me new books to pass the time. Wirh reading I can escape the tower and venture to different worlds for at least a little while. My mother thinks I shouldn't read so many adventure and romance books. She says they put too many ideas in my head." She explained to him and sighed a little as she thought about her mother again.
Alex noticed that the thought of her mother made her slightly sad so he reached out his hand to take hers and rubbed his thumb over it comfortingly. "I read a lot too whenever I have the time. My parents have me in court meetings and balls most of the time. They want me to chose a bride soon." He explained and sighed. The prince didn't want to marry for politics and status. He wanted to marry for love and hoped his parents would stop pressuring him to chose a bride.
The blonde nodded and looked down. "So you are going to marry soon." She said slightly disappointed. It seemed selfish for her to think he would stay with her to get her out but she couldn't help but feel sad that he would get married to someone else. She never felt like this before.
"No, not if I can stop it. I don't want to marry for politics. My uncle King George wants me to marry a princess from a rich kingdom. My parents want that too but I want to marry for love." He explained to her and stroked some hair away from her face gently.
That gave Rapunzel slight hope. "I want to find love too but my mother would never allow it." She told him and sighed again. Her mother would totally freak out if she found out she had let Alex into the tower.
"I'm sure you'll find love. For now I will keep you company whenever I can get away. I'm not letting rot away in here." Alex told her and smiled.
They spend the whole night talking to eachother, both of them completely forgetting everything going on around them. As the sun began to rise, Rapunzel looked at him and frowned. "You need to go now. My mother will be here soon and she can't see you. I'm sure you also need to go home to your parents." She told him. She didn't want him to go but she knew he couldn't stay.
The prince nodded. He didn't want to leave her but he also didn't want to run into the queen and he had to get home before anyone noticed his absence. "Alright. But I will be back in the evening." He told her and smiled. As they said goodbye, Alex leaned in and kissed her cheek lovingly before he climbed down her long braid and rode home.
Rapunzel watched him from her window as he left. She blushed even more after he kissed her cheek. He was so lovely and the young princess couldn't wait to see him again. They just needed to be extremely careful so no one would find out.