"Rapunzel!" Gothel called up to her adopted daughter high in their tower.

The tower had been built over seventeen years ago, and was made from gray, powder blue, and lilac stones found in the Opal Sea. Ariette was one of Atharia's most prominent seaside villages, besides the kingdoms capital, Aureros, Ariette's closest neighbor. As soon as she realized Rapunzel's odd gift she moved the two of them outside Ariette, past the outskirts of town and into the Olivine Forest. No one bothered them there in the seventeen years they'd lived there.

The tower was forty feet tall with only one large window. Below it stood a quaint little cottage and a colorful garden growing all sort strange plants. The cottage was where Gothel and Rapunzel preferred to spend their time, unless Gothel went on a trip. Which was what she happened to be just returning from.

"Hold on, Mom!" The blonde called down. "What's the magic word?"

"Rapunzel, please just go unlock the door!" Gothel exclaimed.

Zel pouted. Where was the fun in that?

"Mother, please just humor me."

Gothel rolled her eyes. "Rapunzel, let down your hair!"

A soft wave of hair rolled down the side of the tower. Platinum blonde, almost like silver in the sunlight. Gothel was getting too old for this. She sighed and grabbed ahold of the ladder of hair.

"Rapunzel, you're eighteen. You can't keep doing this." Gothel laughed as she climbed through the window.

"It's great exercise! And it's fun. Oh, Mom, won't you allow me this just a little longer?" Zel frowned, her eyes growing wide.

Gothel's prediction had been right. Zel had grown into a beautiful young woman. Her hair was of course long and wavy, platinum and shiny like ivory silk. Her eyes were cornflower blue, pale and yet still bright. A light dusting of freckles splattered her pink cheeks. Her skin was almost a ghastly white.

Unlike most beautiful young women Zel didn't really get compliments on her appearance from boys very often, if at all. Her and Gothel rarely went out into town, if ever.

Gothel knew it was important for Zel to stay hidden from people who would be after her, but she also knew too much solitude would do a number on the girl. So occasionally they would spend the day in town. These days were a rare treat for Zel, who loved meeting the townsfolk and traveling from shop to shop.

Gothel shook her head at her adopted daughter. "Oh alright. But are you quite sure you don't want to cut your hair? It's so long. Quite a pain to brush every day."

Zel tugged at a lock of platinum blonde hair. It was nearly fifty feet long when she willed it. Despite this she loved how her hair tumbled down her back and all the different styles she could do with it, although she usually just left it natural.

"It's fine the way it is, Mother! I like it this way."

Gothel chuckled. "Fine, but if you want it cut just ask me. It'll grow back easily enough, you know."

Zel rolled her eyes, before changing the subject. "How was your business trip?"

"Exhausting." Gothel flopped down in a chair. "The fairy godmother, Estelle, would not stop talking about this little elf. Apparently he's been seen causing trouble around the kingdom. I've told you enough about her-"

"Why would she care? I thought she only cared about the prince and princess." Zel rolled her eyes. The amount of times she'd heard her mom snicker at Estelle's gossip. 'Oh I heard Prince Arion upset a gnome! How dreadful!' 'I'm terribly worried about Princess Lacecila. The amount of young princesses being cursed by wicked fairies, it's absolutely dreadful.' 'Did you hear about Princess Lacecila's run in with a siren?' Estelle gossiped about the two royals like nobody's business.

"Oh you know, the lies she spews." Gothel waved her hand in dismissal. "Says the elf cursed the children when they were newborns. Just like all those other times she's hoping that one of them gets cursed so she can swoop in, save the day with some royal matchmaking, and they'll live happily ever after with her to thank. She's got her head in the clouds."

Zel giggled, sitting down on the edge of her bed. "Sounds like she's been reading too many stories."

"She wants to be a story that's her problem." Gothel sighed.

There was a tap at the window. In flew a small barn owl, holding a note in its beak. Gothel snatched it, opening the letter immediately and freeing the bird, allowing it to sit calmly on the window sill. The older woman's eyes scanned furiously as she moved down the page.

"What's wrong, Mother?" Zel's voice softened as she watched her mother's brown crinkle with worry. Her lip trembled, blue eyes shining.

"Oh drat! They're calling me back for another emergency Magic User meeting. It'll only take three days." Gothel sighed. "But I just got back to you."

Gothel placed a hand on her daughter's soft cheek. Zel reciprocated the action to her mother, smiling sadly.

"I'll be fine, Mom. I'm a big girl. It's about time you let me out into to real world." An idea popped into her head. "I can go visit Ariette if I need food or anything! Ooh trust me, Mom."

The worry increased. Gothel felt like she'd aged ten years hearing her adopted daughter say those words.

"Absolutely not! While I'm away you are to stay put. In this tower. Do you understand me, Rapunzel?" Her tone was harsher than she had meant.

Zel looked to the floor. "Yes, Mother."

Gothel frowned. She lifted Zel's chin to look at her, returning her hand to her cheek. "Listen, sweetheart, we'll talk about throwing you out into the real world after I return. If something happened to you while you were out there and I was here, at least then there would someone you could return to. At least I could do something! But if I wasn't here-"

"I know. I know." Zel stood up, walking over to the window before sitting on the sill with the owl. She looked out to the horizon of trees. "Why was I born like this? If I was normal I could just enjoy life like all the villagers. Imagine me! Having friends my own age, getting into all sorts of mischief."

The horizon didn't answer her hopes. The outside world saw no change when she uttered those words. It gave her no hope, false or otherwise. She let out a dramatic sigh.

"There's nothing wrong with you. You're simply special. Normal is terribly boring. Take it from someone who tried it once." Gothel faked a grin.

"Well so is being unique when you're stuck in tower all day. I don't want to be special. I just want to be out there." Zel tugged at a lock of hair. It glowed silver, at her anxiousness. She took a deep breath. "I want to see the world someday, Mom."

"You will, Zel. I promise you will. We'll see it together. Just one more trip and we'll do something special when I return." Gothel swore.

Zel smiled, weakly. "Okay, Mom."

Gothel smiled back, it not quite reaching her eyes. "I love you so much."

"I love you too."

Enchantments were placed on the tower. The only ones who would be able to come and go would be Zel and Gothel. The young blonde would be safe as long as she remained inside.

"I'll be back in two days, three tops. I promise." Gothel swore before she left.

That was June twenty-fourth, seven days before the birthday of Prince Arion and Princess Lacey. And seven days later Gothel still hadn't returned.