Gothel's Greatest Gift

Chapter 3: Oh, The Misery!

I hope you all are enjoying the story so far! Please give me suggestions on what I should write about next (both in this story and in stories to come). Thank you all for all the love and support!
The drawing, as always, is by my little sister 😊

Chapter 3: Oh, The Misery!

Princess Rapunzel continued her sweeping while Mother Gothel was out buying her new groceries. Rapunzel's parents mostly kept to themselves during the day, as Gothel insisted they didn't need to worry about their precious daughter, who was in perfectly capable hands, so they took Gothel's advice and chose not to worry about Rapunzel most of the time.

Rapunzel, however, felt she needed the help of a willing hand. Her Mother Gothel taught her that affection spoils a child, so she didn't receive a lot of tender loving care in her short life on Earth, nor any help when she occasionally asked for it. She spent her life waiting for someone, anyone, to show her the unconditional, unending love that a parent should, and the support she craved on the harder days. Sure, she had Cassandra, her parents, and Mother Gothel, but she still kept waiting for something more.

As she was tidying up, the young princess began to sing softly to herself, as she often did when feeling overwhelmed.

Guess by now I ought to know my place

Do your humble duty with a smile on your face

Mother knows how much I love her,

but she's always doing other things

So I'll keep waiting in the wings

In the other room, Cassandra was busying herself with tears, feeling miserable. She couldn't believe she had upset her mother so greatly, but at the same time, couldn't understand how she was completely at fault. True, she could've been more careful climbing up the steps with the six bags of groceries, so maybe the slap across the face was justified, but the pushing and shoving? She wasn't so sure. She, too, felt she was waiting for something more with her life, and for love and guidance that her mother never gave her.

Like her sister, she quietly sang to herself, as she often did when feeling overwhelmed.

I craved so much

And yet I kept on waiting

One glance, one-touch

And I just kept on waiting

Unbeknownst to the other, the two began singing together, with Rapunzel singing a perfect melody, and Cassandra a perfect harmony.

And when it came, it came with strings

So I kept waiting in the wings

"Rapunzel? Rapunzel! I'm so glad to see you, my dear!"

King Frederic had finished his royal duties early that day and decided to pay a visit to his beloved daughter.

"Daddy!" the young girl cried while jumping into her father's arms.

"What are you doing here? It's not dinnertime yet!" Rapunzel sweetly asked her father.

Per Gothel's request, Rapunzel only saw her parents during mealtimes. Gothel explained how she was a child development major in a past life, and spending much of the day away from one's parents helps kids develop independence and responsibility. The only exception to this rule was birthdays, in which Rapunzel could spend as much time with her parents as she liked.