Rapunzel
Long ago, in an ancient city of soldiers and farmers, the crowd packed the castle courtyard, raising hoes and ladles toward the balcony where the king stood.
Majesty! We're hungry!
There are bandits!
Meanwhile, up above, the king listened without daring to poke his head out.
And what do they expect me to do? There have always been bandits.
The king grumbled, though he never left the castle. He stepped out onto the balcony and began to say:
I shall issue a law against the bandits that...
Enough hardship!
Our crops have been ruined!
Not this again.
he thought,
do they really think this is my fault... hmm... Wait... I've got it!
It's the dark tower!
he said, pointing into the distance at a slender tower outlined far away.
Once again, the tower that rises near my kingdom is wreaking havoc across your lands!
The common folk began to murmur among themselves:
It's true, the tower is terrible.
No one who has gone there has ever returned. That is why no one has dared to go.
Besides, it is always there, just like our troubles. It cannot be a coincidence.
The tower never fails, the king thought with satisfaction.
Do something about the tower!
Yes, protect us from the tower, Your Majesty!
Do something? Well, this is new, the king thought nervously.
Something...? Like what...?
Send a hero!
Yes, we want a hero!
A hero?
And where in the world am I supposed to get a hero now?
The king turned and saw his young son, who was reading peacefully. He went over to him and took him by his thin arm.
You know, my son.
he said, dragging the confused young man toward the balcony.
But... Father, wait. I only came to return this geography book.
I have always been proud of your courage. It is time for you to prove it.
The king pushed his son onto the balcony so the people could see him.
Here is your champion!
A great silence filled the courtyard, followed by a few murmurs.
The young man froze, like a trembling gazelle before the crowd, clutching the book he had been reading to his chest.
But isn't that the prince?
The king is sending his own son.
The king cares about us! Long live the king!
Long live the king!
The crowd began shouting again, but this time with joy.
From the balcony, the king smiled with satisfaction.
Well done, my son! You have reassured the people. Someday you will be a great ruler.
The young man looked, still somewhat bewildered, at the mysterious tower that rose calmly in the distance, untouched by the city's commotion.
Not long afterward, the young man saddled his horse for the beginning of his adventure, speaking to it as if it understood him.
Well, good thing I paid attention in geography class. I know the way like the back of my hand.
The horse snorted indifferently.
You're right, Plato. I know nothing.
Best I take these chemistry and natural history books with me. I'm sure they'll come in handy at some point!
And with that, he set off into the unknown.
However, mounted on his horse, he soon discovered how different real geography was from the geography in his books.
Has this river always been this full?
It'll take me ages to cross it!
he thought as he boarded the barge that would take him to the other side of the "Swift Current River."
These mountains looked smaller from the palace.
he said as he climbed through the "High Wind" pass.
Is this forest ever going to end?
It did not look so huge on the map!
he despaired as he crossed the "Deep Green" forest.
Do you think I should have brought a survival manual, Plato?
At last he emerged from the forest. Before him stood the imposing stone tower.
Beyond it, the land turned barren and dry, as if marking the edge of the kingdom.
At last... I've... arrived...
he said, swallowing hard.
Does the tower look taller from here, or has it grown while I was on my way?
Just then he saw a hooded person wrapped in old clothes approaching the tower.
Hidden among the trees, he heard her say:
Rapunzel, let down your hair!
An enormously long strand of golden hair slid gently through the air until it reached the base of the tower.
The end of the golden hair hung right beside the hooded figure. She grabbed it and began climbing the tower with it.
At last she reached the very top and slipped through a large open window.
Rapunzel... Hmm.
What kind of creature can have hair that long, Plato?
he said to his horse while rummaging through his books.
A lion? No, their tails are far too short. A terrible golden unicorn?
What on earth would a unicorn be doing up there? It makes no sense.
It must be some kind of wild feline...
Soon the hair slid all the way down, and at the same time, the hooded figure descended to the ground.
Then she went down another path into the forest and disappeared.
I forgot to pack my sword!
he said, rummaging through his bags.
Finally, he sighed.
Well, my friend, if I don't come back, I know you'll miss our conversations.
he said to his horse, who was grazing peacefully.
Here we go.
He took a deep breath and went toward the tower.
Rapun... Rapunzel.
he said, reading from a note where he had written down the name.
He cleared his throat and spoke firmly:
Rapunzel. Let down your hair.
The hair fell, hitting him in the face.
Aha!
With great effort, he began climbing the soft hair.
A while later, he reached the open window.
Silently, he slipped inside, brandishing as a weapon the only thing he had found among his things: a quill.
The hair led into a simple room, though the walls were covered with books and maps.
The trail of hair disappeared just behind a dressing screen.
With his heart pounding a mile a minute, he slowly followed the hair, armed only with his quill.
With every step, a drop of sweat slid down his forehead, and the terrible beast he imagined grew more dangerous.
When he reached the dressing table, trembling from head to toe, he leapt after it.
Die, evil unicorn!
Ahh!
cried a young woman seated at the dressing table.
Ahh!
cried the young prince.
What are you doing?!
There was no monster. Only a young woman seated at a dressing table.
The prince immediately realized the situation and tried to compose himself.
I, uh... I came to check that you were all right...
By attacking me with a quill?
Yes... uh, I mean, no!
I wanted to check the condition of the tower... I'm not entirely sure it meets building regulations. Yes, regulation 12/98.
That's it. I came to check that the tower was all right.
Did Godmother send you?
Who?
Godmother. She looks after me and looks after the tower. Well, and I help her.
I cannot allow anyone to go near it.
And of course, no one comes in without our permission. NO ONE.
said the girl, moving toward the window.
Oh really?
said the young man, following her, slightly confused.
Yes, I watch day and night. It's very boring, you know?
she added wearily.
With effort, she took a bulky book and opened it at random on the desk in front of the window.
She makes me write down eeeverything that happens.
The prince read:
Year Thirteen, February 9. A deer slipped in the mud.
But... how long have you lived here?
Well... always.
And... you've never gone out?
Go out? I can't. I have to watch the tower.
Don't you want to see what's outside?
Godmother says everything looks better from here, but...
Look!
The young woman took him by the arm and dragged him in front of a wall. It was full of drawings of mountains, forests...
They were full of colors, and the proportions were all wrong: there was a huge horse carrying at least twenty people, as tall as a castle.
Wow, it is very... nice.
I have always wanted to know the world as it really is, and not only through books.
And look up!
Rapunzel added, pointing overhead.
The ceiling was completely covered with star maps, painted with great care and skill.
They are the stars. Godmother doesn't ask me to record them; I do it because I want to. I read that people use them to find their way.
Wow.
The prince was genuinely impressed.
They move depending on the time of year. Someday I will follow them to the ends of the world.
The young man did not know what to say. From the start, he had only wanted to finish his mission and return to his manuals. But something about that girl moved him inside.
Why don't you come with me?
The world is more exciting out there.
Go... outside...?
Just then, a voice came from below.
Rapunzel! Let down your hair!
The young man saw Rapunzel's frozen face and understood that he should not be there.
Rapunzel!
Quick, hide!
The boy hid behind the dressing table while Rapunzel let down her hair once more.
Why did you take so long, my child?
the young man heard from his hiding place.
Sorry, Godmother... I was finishing some notes for today.
Godmother began pacing slowly around the room.
Hmmm... Did many things happen today?
The boy heard Godmother's footsteps drawing closer and closer.
No... well... the usual.
Does this look like the usual to you?!
A hand shot out from behind the dressing screen, grabbed the young man, and dragged him out.
Ow!
Well, well... what do we have here?
Don't hurt him! It was my fault; he did not do anything.
Rapunzel pleaded.
Of course he did something. He entered this tower like a thief without being invited.
Excuse me, ma'am...!
the boy began to say, trying to free himself.
I have told you a thousand times that people from outside are wicked and dangerous!
Do you like the view? Then forget about it!
I will make sure no one ever visits you again.
And you... you'll see now!
The witch dragged the young man by the arm to the window.
She hurled him out of the window with great force.
Rapunzel screamed as the young man plunged into the void.
However, miraculously, he managed to cling to the girl's hair, which was still hanging there.
Phew, by a hair.
he said to himself, still shaken.
However, he felt a slight vibration in Rapunzel's blond hair.
Above, the witch, holding a knife, was busily cutting the girl's hair while watching him with a wicked smile.
Oh no, no, no.
This lady is insane!
He began to climb down as fast as he could while severed strands fell around him, and the improvised rope grew thinner.
Finally, with one last decisive stroke of the knife, the witch cut through the hair.
The young man fell, but by then he was almost at the ground.
He ran as fast as he could, until he reached the first trees of the forest, where his horse was.
Quick, Plato! She's a witch!
And she has that poor girl...!
I have to get back to the palace. I will find a way to defeat her.
The young prince galloped all the way back to the city, deeply troubled by Rapunzel's situation.
It's the prince! He's returned!
Quick, open the gates!
He rode swiftly through the castle gates under cover of night.
Then, once in the palace, he entered the library and searched through every book he could.
However, he found nothing, and at last, he gave up.
He woke the next day on the floor, leaning against a shelf with a book on top of him. His father was looking at him, radiant.
Well, my son! You're here, you did it!
We must tell the people. This is great news.
Huh? No, Father, there was a witch... We have to defeat her!
You defeated a witch! What a great deed!
We shall announce it to the rabble. They love these stories. The king and his son, witch hunters!
But Father...!
Say no more. This will give the people what they want.
The king left the library, exultant.
The prince rose, determined, went to the stables, saddled his horse Plato, and set off toward the tower.
After the long journey, he finally arrived.
Rapunzel!
he called.
But no one answered.
Desolate, he realized the witch had taken her somewhere else.
But where?
Suddenly, he remembered the witch's words:
I will make sure no one ever visits you again.
At that moment, he looked toward the barren lands that opened beyond the tower.
Of course. No one goes into those wastelands. The witch must have taken her there.
Without much more thought, he spurred Plato on and rode into the wasteland, leaving the forest and the tower behind.
The young man spent a long time wandering through that inhospitable place.
Those vast lands seemed endless, so he began drawing maps of the whole region.
He crossed mountains, valleys, and dark caves, and spoke with the few nomads he found.
A blond girl named Rapunzel? Doesn't ring a bell. Sorry, friend.
Still, he did not give up.
One day, at dusk, he saw the silhouette of a cabin outlined on the horizon.
As he drew closer, he could make out the figure of a girl sitting beside it, looking at the stars through a telescope.
It was Rapunzel.
And that is all... for the moment.
Till the next tale.