8 years. At just 8 years old, the poor bastard child Rapunzel was trapped in the highest tower of the King's castle.
When Princess Eva came of age, she married Prince Leopold of the Northern Kingdom of the Enchanted Forest. In order to keep her station as a royal, she had to produce an heir with the Prince. Leopold, however, seemed keen on raising Rapunzel that he was not in such a hurry to do so. This angered Eva as she wanted to be Queen one day. Leopold's father was ill and deteriorating quickly. It was only a matter of time until they were named rulers of their Kingdom and would be expected to have a prince or princess.
Unfortunately, Rapunzel was not an heir. The rule states that a child born out of wedlock is to have no title or fortune. He or she can be claimed by their parent's significant other - as Leopold did - but they will never inherit what is their parents'.
Rapunzel, being a child, wasn't bothered. She was a curious thing. She would run through the castle at all hours of the day, meeting and greeting royals left and right. Leopold would read her stories, make her tea and put her to bed. He was thankful to have a child he could care for. All he ever wanted was to be a father.
Eva saw Rapunzel as a nuisance. Rapunzel did, in fact, almost kill her and was a threat to the throne. Leopold knew the truth of Rapunzel, but to the rest of the Kingdom, she was Eva's estranged niece. Once her parents died, custody was given to Eva...or so the story goes. No one would ever know that Rapunzel was truly Eva's daughter.
When Eva and Leopold were finally ready to conceive, Eva made the decision to lock Rapunzel away in the tower to prevent anyone from ever finding out the truth about her. But the 8 year old had a vibrant and positive personality. She was as bright as the flower that saved her mother's life.
Once they were able to produce an heir, Leopold and Eva became King and Queen of their kingdom, and their daughter would be the future queen of the castle, leaving Rapunzel with no title of her own - just an old, decrepit tower to spend the rest of her days.
Her stepfather would sneak in every night - against his wife's wishes. He would bring board games, paint sets and lots of books for the child to read. She grew to know Leopold as her own father and loved him just as much. But she was never allowed out of the tower.
As the years drug on, she heard stories from Leopold of the beautiful, pure and perfect princess Snow White. Everyone in the castle that knew about Rapunzel had swiftly forgotten about her, those that didn't never would. Her mother rarely visited her eldest daughter, but Leopold continued to visit every night. Apparently, the Queen had become fair, kind-hearted and compassionate and was raising her Snow to be the same - though Snow struggled a bit with humility. Like any 8 year old, she was in the "me" phase of life. But Eva and Leopold were teaching her to be a benevolent leader.
In the years she'd spent in the tower, her hair had grown to great lengths. For reasons unknown to her, no one was able to cut it and it grew and grew until it filled the entirety of her small room. It was almost like magic, she thought. She had learned how to get around it though. She even found ways to play with it, only wishing she could use it to escape her fate.
Rapunzel, now 16, had no desire to meet or know Snow White. Jealousy ate her up. She was growing tired of the tower. Leopold visited less and less. He would tell her about the journeys he would need to take and not come back for weeks at a time. It was bearable with him, but by herself, she couldn't handle it. She would stare out the window, praying for a miracle.
There was no realistic way out. She could never get past the guards. No one would hear her if she yelled out the window, and there was no way she could climb down the tower. Especially with the bars on the windows.
"Will someone just help me?!" She cried out to nobody.
"Quiet down, would you!" A voice came from behind her.
She yelped and turned around to find a little man with scaly skin standing by her window. Terrified, she grabbed a frying pan, left behind by Leopold, from the small table by her bed and held it out in protection.
"What are you?" She asked.
"Now that's not very nice, is it?" He said, quieter.
Rapunzel didn't move. Her eyebrows were furrowed and her lips were pursed. She tried to seem strong and assertive, but he seemed to see right through her.
He cleared his throat and bowed slightly. "Rumplestiltskin," he said with a smile. He stood straight and the smile vanished. "Otherwise known as the Dark One."
She stepped back. "The Dark One? My father has told me stories about you."
"You and I both know that Leopold is not your father."
She dropped the frying pan to her side and looked down. "He's the closest thing I have to one."
"Well he sure loves that perfect little Snow White of his."
"Don't!" She yelled. Rumplestiltskin's smile came back.
"See, this is why I'm here." He said, moving closer to her. "I sensed a bit of - um - anger coming from the tip top of this tower, dearie. I could hear your cries bouncing back and forth and back and forth in my head. I realized the only way to get you to stop," he was now in her ear, singing "was to get you out of here."
"How?" She asked. She knew better than to trust the Dark One, but if he could promise her freedom...
"I'm the Dark One!" He snapped, then smiled again, "I can do anything with a bit of dark magic. Would you be willing to use some?"
"I don't have any magic," she said with a chuckle.
"Ah, but you do. Do you ever talk with your mother?"
"She's as good as dead to me," she replied without missing a beat. He pointed at her and giggled.
"That's what I'm talking about. That anger, the hatred that you feel can be used to make something magnificent, something beautiful. Feel it." He commanded.
"I feel it everyday," she answered.
"Then hone in on it. Concentrate."
Rapunzel closed her eyes. Thinking about her mother treating her like a prisoner, a bastard, like she wished she never existed. Her heart became heavy with anger and she couldn't breathe. Her hands became hot...really, really hot.
"No," he gasped.
When Rapunzel opened her eyes, she watched as her hands became electrified and caused sparks to come from them.
She screamed and jumped back and her hands became normal again. "What was that?!"
"That...was not dark magic..." he said, obviously as shocked as she was. "That's a neutral gift."
"What does that mean?" She asked. Her breathing grew heavier.
"It means you're not the answer." He said, now sounding disappointed. He turned from her and proceeded to walk away.
"Wait!" She called, "you said you'd get me out of here!"
"Because I thought you carried dark magic. Neutral magic...that's more dangerous."
"And you don't need that?" She asked, begging now. "Please, Dark One, free me. I'll give you anything."
He turned around. "A...a deal?" He asked.
"Yes, I'll make you a deal! Whatever you want!"
He smirked. "I do love when they say that." He turned around. "Alright dearie, just remember, all magic comes with a price."
"I'll pay it."
He sauntered to her, stroking her long, golden hair. "Give me a piece of your hair."
"Seriously?" She couldn't help but laugh. "I mean, you can try. No one has ever been able to cut it off, hence it being so long."
"You'd be surprised," he said, "So do we have a deal?!" He said, jumping up and down like a child.
"As long as you'll free me? Absolutely."
"A deal!!" He exclaimed. A pair of sheers appeared in his hand and with one swift motion, a small piece of hair was sitting in his hand. It began to glow, its light blinking on and off. Rapunzel's eyes widened as she watched him put it in a small jar.
"What is happening?" She asked.
Rumplestiltskin gave her a brief explanation about her hair and its magical qualities. He left out the part that he was responsible for it.
"So how do I learn?"
He shrugged. "Trial and error?"
"Now!" He said, spinning away, "your freedom. Do you have any idea where you'd want to go? Any skills? Any way to survive?"
"No," she said, "but I'll figure it out. Anything is better than here."
"Then let's get you out of here." He said and snapped his fingers.
Rapunzel was alone, by a stream of water. Her bare feet touched the grass and she breathed in the fresh air for the first time in her life.
For the first time ever, she was free.