Let down your dark hair

44.

Destiny waited for William in the forest like she always did. They met everyday at the same time but today the prince was running late.

"Hey, where have you been?" She asked as she spotted him. William sighed. He knew he couldn't tell her about Rapunzel. It was too dangerous.

"Sorry, I'm late. I had a meeting. " he lied and Destiny sensed he was keeping something from her.

"A meeting? With whom? You never told me what you are doing if you aren't with me." Destiny was curious. Maybe there was another girl. Maybe he was just doing his duty as prince. She just wanted to know what was going on inside his head. She wanted to know everything about him. She loved him, however she was afraid to tell him about her feelings.

"Well, I can't tell you. It's a secret. " he smirked but Destiny wasn't satisfied. She wanted to know.

"Another girl?"

"Are you jealous? I thought we were just friends. You don't even like me." He was confused. He looked at her carefully and noticed that she was nervous. What was going on.

"I love you. " she blurred out and William looked stunned. He wasn't expecting that.

"Destiny, I really like you as a friend, a sister even but my heart belongs to someone else. She lives in Wonderland in a tower and I love her with all my heart. Please forgive me for giving you false hope." A girl in a tower? In Wonderland? No, it couldn't be. Was he in love with her sister?

"A girl in a tower? What's her name?" The young princess asked. She needed to know if it was really her sister.

"Rapunzel. " she gaspsed and he looked at her confused. "What is it? Do you know her?"

"She is my sister. My twin sister."

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"Oh my god. It's really her?" Regina asked hopeful with tears in her eyes. After so many years she had finally found her daughter. It was so unreal.

"It has to be, Mom. Do you remember my visions as a child. She was in a tower in foreign land. And William told me Cora is now the Queen in Wonderland. He saw her climbing Rapunzel's hair. It has to be. Unless Cora kidnapped another child named Rapunzel. It has to be Hope. " Destiny explained to her family as they had all gathered in her grand father's study. Robin rubbed soothing circles over his wife ' s back as the woman silently wept. They had finally found their little girl.

"But how are we going to save her? Cora has powerful magic and she is dangerous because she doesn't have a heart." Leopold asked and Regina looked shocked. Why had no one ever told her about this.

"Mother doesn't have her heart? Why didn't you tell me? Who else knows? " She asked, feeling betrayed.

"Sweetheart, she ripped her heart out before she left me. She must have known she was pregnant and ripped it out because she thought love was weakness and loving me made her weak. We wanted to run away but she chose power over love." Rumple explained to his daughter and sighed. He should have told her sooner but he thought it was too much for her to handle and wanted to protect her.

"She never loved me because she didn't have her heart? We need to find her heart. This is the only way to defeat her." Regina was stubborn and she wanted to be loved so desperately by Cora that she would do anything and she needed to rescue her daughter.

"Regina, you are right, but it's not that easy. Her heart is in her vault and I'm sure it's quite protected. " her father explained.

"Well, you are the Dark One if someone can get it it's you. "

He used his magic, thinking hard about Cora's heart. About the moment she had left him, showing the red, glowing organ. Suddenly it appeared in his hand and Regina gaspsed. The heart was almost completely black, only a few red spots left.

"Let's get our daughter back."

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William went to the tower like always but he didn't tell Rapunzel about the escape plan. He wasn't sure if Rapunzel knew that Cora kidnapped her.

"You are so beautiful. " he smiled and kissed her passionately.

"Beautiful indeed. " Rapunzel gaspsed as she saw her grandmother standing in the tower. She knew this wouldn't end well.

"Grandmother, I can explain."

"I don't want to hear your excuses. You are just like your mother and you will be punished just like your mother. " she waved a hand and a pair of scissors appeared in her hands. Rapunzel tried to get away but Cora grabbed her braid and pulled her towards her.

"Stop it." A new voice said. Cora turned around to see her daughter standing in front of her. She was too shocked to notice the heart in Regina's hands. Regina pulled her mother close and put the heart back in. Cora was overwhelmed by all the emotions coming back to her while Rapunzel looked confused to Regina.

"Mama?" She asked unsure if it was all just a dream or not. Regina smiled and hugged her daughter tightly with tears of happiness running down her face.

"Yes, it's me, my love. I'm so sorry. I thought I would never see you again. " Regina sobbed. She pulled away and took in her daughter. She was beautiful in every way. "We need to go home." She waved her hand and they all appeared at the castle.

Cora was so shocked to have her heart back and seeing her daughter again. She loved her daughter so much, but she was too power hungry to show it.

"Regina, I'm sorry for everything. I was stupid to chose power over love. I want to redeem myself for you and your family if you let me try." She sobbed and Regina wasn't sure about all this. She wanted to believe her mother could change but it would be a long way.

"I want to forgive you, mother. But I'm not sure I can. There is so much hate between us. You almost killed me, you took Robin away from me and you took my daughter. You never loved me and you lied to me for years. I want to forgive you but can you forgive yourself? Can you look at me and Rapunzel and everyone else and just forget that you ruined everything for us? Robin and I never got married because I wanted Rapunzel to be there. We never got to see her grow, Snow never got to see Emma grow. You took everything from us." She sobbed and Cora didn't know what to do. She wasn't good at this. She couldn't even comfort her own daughter.

"She needs to be locked up until we can be sure she is not going to harm us anymore. " Robin said and Regina nodded. Guards grabbed the old woman by the arm and led her to a special cell, where her magic wouldn't work.

" Rapunzel, I want you to meet your family. This is your father Robin, your sister Destiny and your little brother Roland." Rapunzel had tears in her eyes as she saw her father for the first time.