Rescuing Rapunzel

Chapter 1

My Last Memory of Rapunzel

We were playing in our usual spot in the closet under the stairs behind the kitchen. We had a stack of blankets we used to make a tent and a pile of confiscated books from the library in our laps. Both of us were 6 years old and only barely learning to read, but we loved holding the large leather bound books while looking at them from a small lit candle. My tiny finger would trace along the printed words and I would visualize the magic of each story in my head.

As we were hidden among the blankets and books, one of the kitchen maids opened the door and found us. She didn't scold us but rather giggled as we attempted to hide the big pile of books under one of the blankets.

"Princesses, you better get back to your lessons upstairs before one of your fathers find you down here," she said.

I remembered the maid as the one who had helped me a week ago when I had fallen and skinned my knee. I think her name was Theresa.

"Hurry, Princess Rapunzel and Snow," she reached for my hand and began to pull me out of the closet. "If you attend your lessons, you'll be able to read all of the hard words in those books. You'll never know how the stories end unless you learn how to read them."

She created the motivation we needed to scurry down the hall and up the stairs to finish our lessons with the daunting tutor. My young heart beamed at the thought of being able to discover the magic in the words of all those books, and my cousin shared the same excitement.

Even though I continued my lessons after that fateful day and extended my education, I rarely had time to discover the magic in those books. The magic had sort of disappeared – as it seems so many other things had too.

10 Years Later –

When the Rescue Mission Began

Snow White...

Being a princess was a lot harder than the usual peasant would imagine. With the endless primping in the mornings, the boring etiquette classes, the demand to always act politely, and having absolutely no private time, a normal person would probably go crazy.

Every breath of my waking moments was counted and calculated into what was purposeful to being a princess. If it was deemed unnecessary, it was deleted from my busy schedule.

The only time I had to myself was the last few moments before bedtime. My loyal but pestering lady's maid was finally absent, and no one was bothering me about what was next on my schedule. I was alone to take a few deep breaths and relish in the tranquility.

So, it was on this night, like many other nights, I lay in my bed staring up at the vaulted ceiling in my room. Even though I was exhausted and desperately needed the rest, I always prolonged essentially going to sleep. Memories of my cousin, my best friend, caused me to suffer many haunted dreams. I knew as soon as I'd close my eyes to sleep, I would be guaranteed a lingering image of my lost cousin.

The entire kingdom, including the royal family, believed she was gone forever – killed actually. But the ache in my heart made me believe otherwise. My mother said I was holding onto false hope, but I couldn't stop believing she was still alive.

Rapunzel was her name, but I called her Punz. When I was little, I had a hard time saying my r's. Punz was all that I was able to say, and it stuck ever since. We were inseparable as kids. Our fathers were brothers, but our similarities ended there. Her blonde hair was wavy and long, while mine was black and short. She was tall and elegant, and I had to stretch on my toes to match her height. Our temperaments were even opposite – she was calm while I was hot-headed. However, even with our differences, we were the best of friends. No matter the time of day, we were always together.