Rapunzel

Once upon a time, in a faraway kingdom, there lived a husband and wife who had long desired to have a child. For years, they wished and prayed, but their hopes remained unfulfilled. They lived in a small house near a grand garden, surrounded by high walls, and owned by an enchantress. This garden was filled with the most beautiful and rare plants, herbs, and flowers, all tended to by the sorceress, known far and wide for her magical powers.

One day, the wife, standing at the window of her small home, looked longingly into the sorceress’s garden and noticed a patch of fresh, green, leafy plants—rapunzel. They gleamed under the sun and looked more delicious than anything she had ever seen before. Immediately, her heart filled with an insatiable craving to eat the rapunzel. The desire grew so strong that she began to waste away. Her husband, worried about her, asked, “What is wrong, my dear? Why do you grow so pale and weak?”

She replied, “If I do not have some of the rapunzel from the enchantress’s garden, I fear I shall die.” The husband, distressed at the thought of losing his beloved wife, promised her that he would fetch some of the plant, no matter the danger.

That very night, the husband scaled the high walls of the garden and, with trembling hands, plucked a handful of the rapunzel leaves. He hurried back home and gave them to his wife. She ate them greedily and instantly felt her strength return. Her cheeks regained their color, and for the first time in days, she smiled.

But her craving for the rapunzel did not stop there. The next day, she desired it even more, and her longing became unbearable once again. “If I don’t have more of that delicious rapunzel, I shall surely die,” she lamented to her husband.

Unable to refuse her wishes, the husband once again ventured into the garden. However, this time, as he began to pick the leaves, he was caught. The enchantress appeared before him, her eyes blazing with fury. “How dare you steal from my garden?” she demanded. “You shall pay for this with your life!”

Terrified, the man fell to his knees and begged for mercy. “Please, forgive me! My wife saw the rapunzel from our window and longed for it so deeply that she would have died without it.”

The sorceress’s anger softened slightly. “If this is true, then I will not take your life,” she said. “However, there will be a price. When your child is born, you must give it to me.”

The man, terrified and desperate to save his wife, agreed to the sorceress’s demand without truly understanding the consequences of his promise. He returned home, and not long after, his wife gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. But their joy was short-lived. The enchantress appeared, claiming the child as her own, just as they had agreed. She named the girl Rapunzel and took her away to raise her in a secluded tower hidden deep within the forest.

Rapunzel grew into the most beautiful child under the sorceress’s care. Her hair, which was golden as the sun, grew longer and longer with each passing year. By the time Rapunzel reached the age of twelve, her hair was a dazzling cascade of golden locks, stretching all the way down to the floor.

To keep her safe and hidden from the world, the sorceress locked Rapunzel in a tall, isolated tower with no stairs or doors, only a small window at the very top. The only way to reach Rapunzel was for the sorceress to call out, “Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair!” Rapunzel would then drop her long golden braid out the window, and the sorceress would climb up it to reach her.

Though the tower was comfortable, Rapunzel felt lonely. She could only see the world from her small window, and her only companion was the sorceress, who visited her every day. As the years passed, Rapunzel longed to see more of the world, to feel the grass beneath her feet, and to meet other people. Yet, she remained trapped in the tower, with only the sky and the birds to keep her company.

One day, a prince from a nearby kingdom rode through the forest. He was drawn by the sweet sound of a beautiful voice singing. Entranced, he followed the voice until he came upon the tower. Curious, he hid among the trees and watched. Soon, he saw the sorceress approach the tower and call out, “Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair!” To his astonishment, a golden braid fell from the window, and the sorceress climbed up it.

The prince was amazed. After the sorceress left, he stayed hidden and returned day after day, listening to Rapunzel’s lovely singing. He longed to speak with her, but he did not know how to reach her.

Finally, one day, after the sorceress had gone, the prince decided to try his luck. He approached the tower and called out, “Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair!” Just as before, the golden braid tumbled down from the window, and the prince climbed up.

When Rapunzel saw the prince, she was frightened at first. She had never seen another human before, and she wasn’t sure whether she should trust him. But the prince spoke kindly to her, telling her how her singing had drawn him to the tower, and how he had fallen in love with her voice even before he saw her. Slowly, Rapunzel’s fear melted away, and they began to talk.

The prince continued to visit Rapunzel every day, climbing up the golden braid after the sorceress had left. Over time, they fell deeply in love. They made plans to escape from the tower, but they knew they had to be careful not to arouse the sorceress’s suspicions. The prince promised to bring a silken rope each time he visited so that Rapunzel could use it to climb down from the tower herself.

But one day, Rapunzel, in her innocence, let slip something that made the sorceress suspicious. As the enchantress was climbing up her hair, Rapunzel absentmindedly said, “You are so much heavier than the prince.”

The sorceress froze in shock and rage. “The prince?!” she shrieked. “You deceitful child! I thought I had kept you safe from the world, but now you have betrayed me!” In her fury, the enchantress cut off Rapunzel’s golden hair and banished her to a desolate land far away, where she would be all alone.

That very night, the sorceress waited in the tower for the prince to arrive. When he called, “Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair!” she threw the severed braid out of the window. The prince eagerly climbed up, expecting to see his beloved, but instead, he found the enraged sorceress waiting for him.

“You will never see Rapunzel again!” she spat. “She is gone, and you shall pay for your treachery!” With that, she cast a powerful curse upon the prince, blinding him and causing him to stumble and fall from the tower.

The prince wandered through the forest for many years, blind and heartbroken, searching for Rapunzel. He survived by foraging and drinking from streams, never giving up hope that he would one day find her again. Though he could not see, he often imagined her face, her golden hair, and the sound of her sweet voice.

Meanwhile, Rapunzel lived in a barren desert, lonely and sorrowful. She mourned the loss of her prince and the life they had dreamed of together. She had given birth to twins, a boy, and a girl, but despite their presence, her heart remained heavy with sadness. Every day, she wandered the wasteland, hoping and praying that somehow, her prince would find her again.

Then, one fateful day, as the prince wandered through the desert, he heard a familiar voice singing. It was the same voice that had once drawn him to the tower—the voice of Rapunzel. His heart leaped with joy, and though he could not see, he followed the sound of her voice until he found her.

When Rapunzel saw the blind prince, she rushed to him and threw her arms around him, weeping tears of happiness. As her tears fell on his eyes, a miracle occurred—the curse was lifted, and the prince’s sight was restored. He gazed at Rapunzel, overjoyed to finally see her face again.

Together, Rapunzel and the prince returned to his kingdom, where they were welcomed with open arms. They were married in a grand celebration, and they lived happily ever after with their children.

The sorceress was never seen again, and the tower stood empty, a forgotten relic of a time long past. Rapunzel and the prince ruled their kingdom with kindness and wisdom, and their love endured for the rest of their days.

And so, the story of Rapunzel, the girl with the golden hair, came to a joyous end.