Twisted Webs | Once Upon a Time

vii. The Curse

Enchanted Forest. Before the First Curse

MAGIC HUNG IN the air, thick and heavy and it left the hair on the back of Rapunzel's neck sticking up. A scarf covered the bottom of Rapunzel's face but it didn't do much as  the wind was bitter in the air mixing with the magic and leaving the air muggy

Tiredness clung to her skin like a lover's ghost still and not for the first time Rapunzel wished to be back in Eugene's arms. Warm and safe. But he wasn't here, it was just her and the wind that wrapped around her. If she closed her eyes, she could imagine that Eugene was holding her and that she was no longer in the cold weather. 

It was dark and desolate, as the two blondes walked side-by-side, huddling into one another for both safety and warmth. Rapunzel's clothes stuck to her like a second skin as the wind crept it the small gaps that her shirt didn't cover, chilling her to the bone and acting as a tell for even darker things

"You two should get out of here while you can. It is no longer safe here, see in just a few hours the Evil Queen will cast her curse and it'll be damnation for us all" A teller exclaimed, trying to reach out to grab the back of Rapunzel's trousers but Rapunzel managed to twist out of his grasp and shield Alice, ushering the blonde onwards

Alice stumbled a few steps, the oil lanterns that were out doing little to light the track that they need to follow. Curses flew out of Alice's mouth as she struggled to get back on her feet. Rapunzel grasped onto her shoulders, keeping her straight before gently pulling her along. 

The closer they got to the Tower, the more anxiety creeps up on Rapunzel. The anxiety that she had tried to so hard to keep at bay worms inside of her. The last time she had been in that cursed tower Eugene had died in her arms and it was only by somekind of miracle that Eugene had been brought back to her (apparently her hair didn't just bring back youth, it brought people back from the dead)

Hollow was the sinking feeling she had in her gut every time she took a step. Stones filled her stomach every time she tried to take a breath to clear her mind or get rid of the feeling -- but it was completely useless, with every step Rapunzel fought the urge to flee. 

But Rapunzel was firm in her stance. She had to do this.

The magic in the air became thicker with every hour that passed. Soon it became so thick that it became hard to breathe and both blondes began coughing. It was Alice that suggested that it might be a good idea to head back while they still could and the once lost princess just shook her head "No. I've come this far, I can't go back now. Not when I'm so desperately close to the closure I've craved for years"

Alice rolled her eyes and folded her arms, a scolding look on her face and Rapunzel nearly flinched back but she held her ground, as hard as that was for her right now with magic seeping under the dermis of her skin and making Rapunzel's stomach twist almost painfully  "Maybe the teller was right--Maybe we should get out here while we can. I don't like the look of this place. It looks miserable and fucking dark"

"Look you can go if you want--"

"Maybe I will"

"Fine"

"Fine" Rapunzel huffed, her chest heaving with frustration. Why was she the one to look after this teenager when she clearly didn't want the help? It seemed as though she didn't want to be around Rapunzel but she also didn't want to be alone. Rapunzel let out a long sigh and tilted her head back, pinching the bridge of her nose as she tried to summon every last patient strand she had in her body 

Noticing this Alice stuck her nose in the air and whirled around on the spot, and began to walk away. Rapunzel considered calling out after her but decided against it. She didn't have time to deal with this and even if she did, she wouldn't because Alice had been nothing but annoying since they set off from that tavern a few days ago

Or maybe it had been weeks? Rapunzel shook her head, they had been riding and walking for so long that everything had just blurred into one long, miserable day. When she had insisted on going to the tower herself, she hadn't anticipated on how hard it would be. 

Eugene had of course offered to come with her but each time he broached the topic, she would brush it off and tell him that this was something that she had to do on her own. Needed to do on her own and now she wished hope against hope that Eugene was here. Wrapping Rapunzel in his arms and telling her that everything was going to be fine 

She could really use that right now. 

 The air around them got colder and the wind picked up and before Rapunzel even knew what was happening, a black figure came down and swooped Alice up, lifting her up off of the ground. A terrified shriek left her mouth and that was enough for Rapunzel to turn around, no matter how mad she was at Alice, she couldn't let her get hurt 

"Alice!" She yelled as she tried to run after both her and the figure but no matter how hard she tried to catch up and how hard Alice kicked, she couldn't get free as the black figure continued to take her up in the air and towards the second star to the right

With her heart lodged deep in her throat, Rapunzel couldn't breathe and her hands started to get all pins and needles and suddenly she couldn't see straight. She was stuck to the ground for so long that even if she had the energy to at least try to move out of the way of the magic encasing her, she couldn't because by the time she even realised...

....It was already too late.

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a/n: and that concludes part I of Twisted Webs, I know the chapters were short and they will be longer in the parts coming after this was just to quickly give you an idea of Rapunzel and who she was before the curse (and how she alone got caught in it) and where later plot points may come in but I hope you enjoyed it anyway