Rapunzel and Rampion

Once upon a time, there was a wicked man who stole away two daughters from a husband and his wife. The daughters’ names were Rapunzel and Rampion.

As they grew up, they became incredibly beautiful. So beautiful and so precious that the wicked man had to hide away the girls. He told the girls that he was their father and they believed him. They became his prized possessions.

Rapunzel and Rampion both had fair skin and long, blonde, uncut hair. Rapunzel had eyes colored by morning meadows and Rampion had eyes colored by roaring rivers. Together they lived with the wicked man in a small cottage deep in the forest. The girls would tend the garden together and braid their hair together. They would eat together and sleep together and sing together and read together. They would do everything together.

One afternoon, the girls had traveled to the stream near the cottage to collect water for their nightly stew. The girls were being overly rambunctious together. They rolled down a hill that meets with the river. Grass stained their dresses and skin while leaves and twigs bundled in their hair. They proceeded to tackle each other and tussle with each other. Rampion ended up with a black eye and scraped up arms while Rapunzel had bruised knees along with a bloody nose. This just made them laugh as for they were carefree girls. When they went to fill up their buckets with water, a knight approached them right there by the stream.

“Hello,” the knight said. The knight wore glistening armour and a bright smile. No brown hair was out of place. She was handsome and collected. A horse the color of the night stood by her side. He appeared rough around the edges.

“Who are you?” asked Rampion. Rapunzel stood behind Rampion, silently watching and clutching her hand.

“My name is Evette and my horse’s name is Elis. What are you two doing out here?”

“We are fetching water for dinner,” Rampion responded.

“Why are you both so battered and bruised?”

“Do you know any other way to have fun?” Rampion stared at Evette. A silence grew until a gust of wind blew fall leaves around them.

“We must hurry and get water before Papa gets mad,” Rapunzel whispered. Rapunzel and Evette exchanged glances. Rapunzel blew a leaf out of her mouth while Evette pushed her hair out of her face. The glance was intense; it sent shivers down both their spines.

“We must go,” Rampion said to Evette.

“Will you both be here tomorrow? I would like to see you again,” Evette said.

“Perhaps,” Rapunzel replied slyly.

The girls filled their buckets with water and rushed back to the cottage.

The bruises and blood on the two girls angered the wicked man. “How dare you ruin your precious skin and hair!” He screamed. He was so angry and so upset that he dragged the two girls deep into the forest as punishment. “Maybe this will teach you to behave,” he said sternly.

When he stumbled upon a mushroom, he picked it up and grew it into a very, very, very tall tower where he trapped Rapunzel. Then, he dragged Rampion to another mushroom not too far away. He made this tower equally as tall as Rapunzel’s. The two towers had windows facing each other and no stairs to let them down or anyone up.

“Rapunzel!” the wicked man yelled. “Let down your hair to me!” She did exactly that while crying in the process. He tugged at the hair to make sure it was sturdy and then climbed right up. When he made it to the top, Rapunzel fell to her knees.

“Papa!” Rapunzel cried. “How far must this go?” She sobbed and sobbed and snot dripped from her nose. “We were just having fun! Do not punish us for our fun!” Her frown was the biggest he had ever seen on her.

“You two were too rough. This will teach you to play gentler.”

“But I miss her!”

“But you have ruined your nose and your knees. Have you even looked at your dress?” The wicked man shook his head. “This is how it must be.” He then took Rapunzel’s hair in his hands and climbed back down the tower.

“Papa!” Rampion cried out.

“Let down your hair to me!” he called back. Rampion let down her hair and the wicked man climbed up.

“Why are you doing this?” Rampion sourly questioned. Her tears had dried on her face and all she felt now was anger.

“Until you two learn how to behave, you will stay locked in these towers. Alone. Separated.”

“What will we do in these empty towers to pass time?” No blanket or book inhabited the towers. The night would be cold for both Rampion and Rapunzel.

“Tonight you will starve. Tomorrow you shall each have a book and some food.”

The wicked man left and the girls cried themselves to sleep. Everyday thereafter the wicked man would bring lunch and leave bread for dinner. Sometimes he would bring a new book for each of them. Days passed and seasons changed. From fall to winter and then to spring. The girls spent their hours singing together from across their towers. They could be heard miles away. Come rain or shine, they counted on their singing to stay connected.

Evette returned to the stream everyday and persistently looked for the girls. Fall chills did not stop her. Winter freezes did not stop her. Spring blooms only helped her. One day, when she was by the stream and enjoying the cool river upon her feet, she heard beautiful singing not too far away. A familiar feeling ran through her spine. She jumped on her horse and rushed to hear where it was coming from. The singing was hypnotising and enticing. She stopped when she came to the towers where the wicked man stood.

“Rampion, let down your hair to me!” the wicked man yelled. Down came long, blonde hair that was bunched up and knotted. Evette hid and watched as the wicked man climbed the hair. She looked over and saw Rapunzel looking out of her tower, watching Rampion and the wicked man interact. Rapunzel hummed as she waited for the wicked man to visit her. Evette was in love with Rapunzel’s voice and the softness of her qualities. Evette waited until the wicked man had left for the night.

When he was gone, it was time for her to pounce. “Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let your hair down to me!”

Rapunzel rushed to the window. “Who are you?” she called down.

“It is I, Evette, from the stream!” That is when Rapunzel dropped down her silky smooth hair. Evette climbed for what felt like hours. When she finally made it to the top, she fell to the floor, face down.

“Why are you here?” asked Rapunzel. She stood with her arms crossed.

Evette rolled over onto her back. “I have been looking for you two forever. Fall, winter, spring,” Evette caught her breath. “Why did you not come back?”

Rapunzel sat down next to Evette. “We have been trapped in these towers since that day,” she said. She pointed over to the adjacent tower. “I have not touched my sister since that day.”

“Why?”

“Because Papa said we must learn to behave.” Rapunzel stared down at her hands. “Oh how I miss my sister.”

Evette sat up and grabbed Rapunzel’s hands. “I will reunite you two.”

“I do not think Papa will like that.”

“Are you happy being alone?”

Rapunzel stared at Evette and a tear rolled down her cheek. “I miss Rampion.”

“Then let me do this for you. You two are being tortured here. You can come back to my castle and never again be separated from your sister.”

“I do not know,” Rapunzel whispered. She was fearful of what the wicked man would do if they disappointed him again.

“How about I ask Rampion then? Let me see what she wants to do.” With a nod of Rapunzel’s head, Evette climbed back down and called up to Rampion. Without a question, the long, knotted, blonde hair came down.

“When are you going to help us out?” Rampion asked once Evette made it to the top. She anxiously tapped her foot as she waited for Evette to catch her breath.

“Right… away…” Evette said, huffing and puffing.

“What we will do is cut off our hair, secure it so we can climb down it, and then run away with you.”

“Are you sure you want to cut off all your hair?” Evette questioned.

“I choose freedom over my hair,” Rampion said confidently.

As Evette climbed down Rampion’s hair, the sun began to rise. Evette went over to Rapunzel to tell her the plan and Rampion began to cut off her own hair right away. Rapunzel cried but followed along. With Evette at the bottom to supervise, the girls climbed down their hair. Everyone was scared and panicked. The girls were slow climbers and they feared the wicked man’s arrival. Once at the bottom, the twins embraced.

“I missed you so much.” Rapunzel said muffled in Rampion’s shoulder.

“I missed you too. We must go, though. He could be here any second.”

Everyone jumped on the horse and off they went. They lived happily ever after in Evette’s giant castle. Never separated again.