Tangled in Knots

Happens Suddenly

Rapunzel comes down from her ladder, setting her paintbrush down and looking up at her mural with a critical eye. It seems off to her, maybe the people are slanted, maybe the lanterns in the sky are too big...

After making a noise of frustration which earns her a deadpan look from Pascal, she holds up her thumb to the painting. She sighs when she realizes it's symmetrical. If Varian were here he'd make some comment about how it always is. She never quite sees whatever he does. But she shrugs at Pascal and settles for the image. She doesn't mind whatever imperfections it might have.

And this is one of the paintings that took some time and effort, Rapunzel had been at this for a few hours at least. Since her mother left at dawn, and from what the clock says (if it even still works after Varian tried to 'improve' it) it's been about 4 hours. Pascal looks at her mural, then back to her, and points at it. He is clearly asking her the same question he asks consistently.

Rapunzel gestures to the setting around the painted image of herself, "That's the capital, you know how I've always wanted to go." It's what she imagines it looks like; beautifully large structures surrounding a spectacular, open square. Where musicians and dancers perform entrancingly, day and night. The painted version of herself sits towards the middle, dancing along with the rest of the audience.

Pascal squints at her and squeaks in a tone that Rapunzel thinks sounds annoyed.

"Yeah, I don't think so," She moves a painted shelf to rest in front of the mural, "Mother would never let me. You know what she says." Pascal rolls his eyes. Rapunzel sighs and picks him up to look at him. When he doesn't back down in the slightest, she sighs once again, "Maybe someday." She's turning eighteen soon, she remembers. Once she's an adult, then she'll go. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rapunzel had resigned to her room hours ago, deciding in her boredom to reread the Flynnigan Rider books. If she wants to be a part of Varian's fanclub she'll need to know everything.

She chuckled to herself. She can almost hear Varian's insistent 'it's not a fanclub!' and see his red toned face.

She turns the page.

"Rapunzel!" Her mother calls from what Rapunzel thinks is just outside the front door, "I've got a surprise!" Her theory is proven correct when the door slams shut.

Gothel is in a very good mood today. It takes her mere seconds to reach the kitchen pantry when she walks in and she begins to unload the hazelnuts she had bought today. Rapunzel's favorite dinner of Gothel's was hazelnut soup, though the older woman was disgusted by it.

She turns to see Rapunzel bound through the doorway, her long hair bunched up in her arms.

Gothel hands the young woman the basket holding the remaining hazelnuts and heads to her rocking chair in the living room. When Rapunzel follows suit she sees a look on her face.

Analyzing the look and getting nothing fundamental, Gothel smiles at her daughter and requests, "Rapunzel, be a dear and fetch the brush, will you?"

"Of course, Mother!" She smiles at the older woman and disappears into her bedroom, reappearing some short seconds later.

She settles on the wooden stool in front of her mother's rocking chair, hands the woman a section of her already-neat hair, and begins to sing the incantation.

Gothel sighs contently as the golden locks in her lap begin to flow with bright light. Rapunzel also grows very entranced, as she always does when she sings. When Gothel feels her youth return to her, she taps Rapunzel's shoulder and hands back the brush. She leans back and rocks in her chair as Rapunzel returns the brush to its proper place.