Author's notes: This is a submission to Hurricane Contests's Fairy Tale Pride contest. It didn't turn out very faithful to the original fairy tale, though.

Word count: 1023

~*~*~

A tale had been told all across the land of a beautiful maiden trapped in a tower by an evil sorcerer. Eventually, it had also reached the ears of Prince Riedel, who just so happened to be looking for a fitting bride to govern his late father's kingdom at his side.

It was a mystery to Dani, who had been a servant at the castle for a few years, exactly why the prince had returned empty-handed after being gone for months and then immediately set out again, this time dragging him along. But he didn't ask any questions. Riedel had taken him in after his parents had been executed as thieves, giving him the means to feed and clothe his younger brothers and sisters. Whatever he could do to assist his liege, he would.

He would have never imagined that assisting him would involve a pretty dress. But that was what the prince presented to him when they could see the sorcerer's tower in the distance.

"Rapunzel told me that the sorcerer is more powerful than anyone can imagine," Riedel explained. "Instead of throwing away the lives of my soldiers trying to kill him, it's a much better plan to steal her away without him noticing, isn't it?"

Dani had his doubts if that would work, but he knew better than to argue.

"He comes to see her every day, so I need someone to masquerade as her," Riedel continued. "You have the same color of hair that she does and are skinny enough to pass for a woman on a glance."

"But isn't my skin too dark?" Dani asked. It was true that he had blond hair like almost everyone in the kingdom, an oddity compared to his dark-haired siblings, but his entire family was bronze-skinned - something that people never seemed to tire of pointing out. "Surely someone else-"

"I thought about that and brought enough make-up to hide it." Riedel victoriously pulled a small wooden box out of the saddlebags. "I can't ask this of anyone else. Just two or three days. Then you can sneak out and remove the disguise, and he'll never know it was you."

Still, Dani hesitated. Who knew what would happen if he got caught?

"Come on! Once I'm back home with her, I'll make sure your brothers and sisters will never lack anything for the rest of their lives."

Dani took a deep breath and nodded slowly. They wouldn't need to go hungry again. They could move somewhere where people wouldn't spit on them in passing. "If I don't return, please tell them that I love them very much."

"Of course, of course. Just hurry up. I want to be far away with her before nightfall."

~*~*~

"Rapunzel! Rapunzel! Let down your hair! Your prince is here!"

Much to Dani's surprise and disbelief, a very long braid of blond hair was thrown out of the window high above them. It reached all the way to the ground.

Riedel grabbed hold of the braid, as thick and strong as any rope, and started climbing.

"Ah! My prince, I can't climb in this dress!" Dani protested before he got too far.

Riedel glared at him in an annoyed manner but dropped back to the ground. "So useless!" he muttered before throwing the young man over one shoulder and resuming the climb with him.

The maiden meeting them in the room at the top of the tower was truly beautiful. Her form seemed fragile, but there was immeasurable strength in her soft, violet eyes. She smiled as she freed her hair from the hook on the wall near the window and then exchanged a chaste kiss with the prince.

"As much as I'd love to linger here in your company forever, we must leave before that wicked sorcerer comes back," Riedel told her.

She nodded. "I know. I'm ready."

It didn't take longer than a few minutes for the prince to cut Rapunzel's long hair, attach the braid to Dani's short ponytail with sturdy clips, cover them up with a ribbon and leave through the window with his love.

Dani sighed deeply and turned away from the window as they disappeared into the horizon. Just two or three days. He could do this.

"Shall I arrange a bath for you to wash away that silly disguise?" someone asked. The voice was not as masculine as a grown man's usually, but the figure Dani found sitting calmly on the bed didn't look like a youth. He had violet eyes and long, pale silvery hair - which, although the lines at the corners of his eyes hinted of age, didn't look like an elder's either.

"Um...I..." Dani didn't know what to say. He had never expected to be caught this soon.

"Please don't be afraid." The man stood up and approached him. "My name is Mateus. I watched your entire journey through a magic mirror, so I know everything about your plan."

Dani felt his heart beat faster, but it wasn't because of fear. Nobody outside of his family had ever looked at him with such kindness. "Aren't you...angry?"

"My daughter knew what she wanted. She decided to play along with that monster to get it."

"He isn't a monster!" Dani immediately protested. His prince was kind...and noble...and...

"He chose you only because he saw you as disposable. He has no intentions of taking care of your family."

The matter-of-fact tone was enough to break Dani's heart. The prince hadn't done anything to stop his parents from being executed on false accusations, but still...

"It doesn't matter anymore." Mateus gently framed his face with one hand. "In a few days, he will perish in an unfortunate accident. His sister will be a much better ruler, with Rapunzel at her side."

"I...I don't..."

"Shh." Mateus pressed one finger against his lips. "Just let go of his lies. Stay with me. I promise, I'll show you what love really looks like." 

That was...too good to be true. But he had to go back...Because...

The sorcerer smiled softly. "All your brothers and sisters are welcome too. Your family is also my family."