“Because you asked about the sixes, we’ll begin with that,” she began. “Six has always been my lucky number. I was six years old the first time my mother taught me how much more important it is to live a strict, disciplined life. Prior to that I had been too carefree. I was careless. At age six I learned that the world is a harsh place and can only be controlled by self-discipline.”
“How did she teach you that?” Rapunzel asked, confused.
Gothel looked away from Rapunzel into the darkness. “I’d been playing by the canal near our home even though I’d been warned against it. I fell in and nearly drowned. She pulled me out before it was too late and gave me six lashings for my disobedience, one for each year of my age.”
Rapunzel gasped at the idea of hitting a child, let alone one who had just nearly drowned. “That’s terrible.”
Gothel’s sharp gaze came back to her. “No, it isn’t. It taught me that there was a reason for rules. They were to protect me. Those six lashings may have saved my life countless times.”
Rapunzel’s mouth dropped at the warped reasoning.
“After that, each time I stepped out of line, she or my father gave me six lashings to remind me. Or they’d make me miss six meals. One time they locked me in the closet for six days for a particularly bad infraction. So you see, I learned. I learned to discipline myself and that has made me the woman I am today.”
Rapunzel was holding her hands to the sides of her cheeks, stunned at the revelation. Her heart broke for the little girl Gothel who’d been treated so poorly by her parents. No wonder Gothel didn’t understand true affection.
“My parents died on December twelfth. I thought it ironic when I later had time to examine what that meant. It was the sixes again. And then my beautiful baby girl was born on June sixth.” Rapunzel was astonished again. Gothel’s first baby was born on the same date as she had been? “When I met Vedmak, he explained to me the importance of the number six, and that it wasn’t coincidence that when I found you it was the sixth day of the sixth month when you were six months old.” She leaned forward enthusiastically. “The six is a hook.” She pointed to one of the sixes drawn on the wall near her. “It holds all things together. It’s about balance and order.”
“And you found me on the sixth day of the sixth month.”
“Yes!” Gothel’s enthusiastic response indicated that she hadn’t heard the despondency in Rapunzel’s tone. “So now you begin to see. It’s been a guiding force in my life. And soon, on your birthday, when you’ve lived three cycles, she can come back to me.”
“She?”
Gothel stood, ignoring her question. “That’s enough for today. I brought you some things to read. If you manage to educate yourself on them by tomorrow, I’ll bring you a pillow.”
Gothel replaced the trays with the papers and her lantern and exited the room. Rapunzel wanted to ignore the papers. She didn’t want to know anything else Gothel wanted to “teach” her, but the hard cement wasn’t comforting to her head that still ached from where it’d hit the stairs when she was dragged down, and a pillow sounded almost better than water now.
She reluctantly picked up the papers, grateful for the lantern. They were all pages on the various meanings and significance of the number six. Some of them referred to Christianity, some to numerology, a few regarding demonology, and several referring to the number six in witchcraft. Rapunzel shuddered. She read through a few of them before deciding she didn’t want a pillow badly enough to continue reading these papers. Not because of anything in the papers, but because she could only see lines that fed Gothel’s craziness.
She put the papers to the side, then decided to exercise. She felt much better doing it with the small amount of light provided by the lantern. She jogged around the room a few times, tiring quickly. She did a few sit-ups, but the motion made her head spin. She decided it was too soon for that. She’d have to take it slowly.
She lay down on the cement, keeping the lantern near, grateful for it. She wrapped the blanket around herself and let sleep take her once again.
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36
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Gothel paced agitatedly in front of her. Rapunzel kept her eyes on Gothel while she ate her breakfast. She’d asked Rapunzel if she’d read the papers and when she nodded, Gothel accepted her answer and didn’t press any further. Gothel’s strange mood kept her from asking any further questions though she definitely wanted to ask how exactly she was a vessel.
Gothel didn’t stay long, not even waiting for Rapunzel to finish eating before stalking from the room. Rapunzel wasn’t sure if she was relieved or upset by Gothel’s strange behavior. As she sat contemplating, the lantern began to dim, drawing her attention. She picked it up and examined it. It was hot, the little bags within glowing. As she watched, they continued to dim and after a few minutes, the lantern went dark.
Rapunzel cringed in the darkness. She’d been so happy to have the light and had assumed it would stay. Now it was gone. The darkness seemed even more pressing now that she’d had the brief reprieve. She wished for her computer so she could Google to understand why it went out and how to make it come back on.
She wished for her computer so that she could talk to Fane.
Pushing past her disdain for the darkness, she stood and began jogging lightly in place. She didn’t dare move around too much without the light. She did a few sit-ups, noticing she didn’t tire as easily as she had the night before, though she still had a pounding headache when she finished.
Boredom ruled her day more than the fear of the dark. She knew now that Gothel would come, with food and water, and that agitated or not she didn’t seem interested in hurting Rapunzel any further. Not that Rapunzel doubted she would, just that she didn’t think she would if not provoked. And Rapunzel didn’t plan to provoke her sooner than she felt necessary.
When Gothel came in, she seemed surprised by the darkness.
“Why do you sit in the dark, Rapunzel?”
“The lantern went out.”
Gothel clucked her tongue as she crossed the room to retrieve the lantern. She bent right next to Rapunzel, close enough to touch, placing the tray on the floor. Rapunzel glanced past her at the open door. It was too soon. She wasn’t strong enough.
Gothel left, closing her into the darkness. Rapunzel waited for her return before touching the tray. She came back in with the lantern relit.
“You can’t keep it on all the time. It runs out of gas. You need to turn it off when you’re not using it.”
“How do I turn it back on?” she asked.
Gothel came near once again, squatting to show Rapunzel how to turn it on and off, and the sparking button to push to light it. Suddenly she lifted her gaze to Rapunzel as if realizing what a vulnerable position she put herself in. Rapunzel forced a smile on her face, which was not returned by Gothel, who stood and moved away. Rapunzel began eating, trying to look as benign as possible.
“We may have to move the procedure up,” Gothel announced.
Rapunzel put her fork down. “What procedure?”
“The transformation. We’d planned to do it on your birthday, but Vedmak thinks it may work just as well on December twelfth. At least, we’re going to have to try since you sliced your hair. Who knows what magic you’ve drained from it by doing so. Hopefully enough remains to complete the transformation.”
Rapunzel suddenly regretted eating the food. It threatened to leave as her stomach churned.
“What transformation?” she whispered.
“Have you been paying attention to anything, Rapunzel? Your transformation—the procedure to bring my daughter back using your body.”
Dread filled Rapunzel at the implication. Bring her daughter back? Rapunzel knew she wasn’t Gothel’s daughter, of course, but she also knew Gothel’s daughter had died. Many years ago.
“I don’t understand,” she said.
Gothel smiled as if she were speaking to someone simple. “It
doesn’t really matter if you understand this part. This part isn’t essential to who you will become.” She tilted her head. “However, I suppose it can’t hurt to tell you.
“You were brought to me to be the vessel for the return of my baby girl. Vedmak began the procedure as soon as you came. He knows magic, the kind of magic that others can only dream of. Why do you suppose your hair grows so fast?” Rapunzel fingered her braid, terror shaking her fingers. “Vedmak did that. He’s the one who taught me how to prepare you. And when the time comes, he’ll be the one to perform the procedure.”
A tremor began in Rapunzel’s hands, quickly spreading up her arms and down her back into her legs. “What is the procedure? What’s going to happen to me?”
“Why, you’ll go away, Rapunzel, and your soul will be replaced with the spirit of my true daughter.”
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37
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Rapunzel had dimmed the lantern but couldn’t bring herself to bring back the utter darkness. She hadn’t stopped shaking since Gothel had left. The idea that she’d been taken from her family in order to fulfill some crazy fantasy of Gothel’s to bring her dead daughter’s spirit back by using Rapunzel’s body as the “vessel” filled her with uncontrollable terror. Gothel hadn’t given her details as to what they planned to do with her, only saying Rapunzel would “go away.”
Her mind kept spinning with those words. Go where? She tried to imagine any number of scenarios where she might go, but nothing made any sense. She clenched her eyes shut and pictured Fane.
“Where are you, Fane? Help me, please,” she pleaded quietly.
By the time Gothel returned with her breakfast, she was exhausted. She hadn’t slept much, and what little she’d managed was pervaded by nightmares of the room of sixes and the chanting, hooded figures. Gothel, as if aware of Rapunzel’s panic, placed the tray in the middle of the floor and retreated. Rapunzel glanced at the tray and then closed her eyes. She couldn’t even muster the energy to crawl to the tray to get it.
“You must eat, Rapunzel.”
“I’m not hungry,” she said listlessly.
“That doesn’t matter. You must keep your body healthy.”
“I don’t care.” She turned away from Gothel, facing the wall and pulling the blanket closely around her.
She spluttered as cold water doused her head. She sat up quickly, tangling in the blanket in her haste. The tray clattered to the floor behind her. She looked at Gothel, who’d retreated and stood near the door, stunned.
“Why did you do that?” she demanded.
“You must eat,” she repeated.
Rapunzel looked at the bowl of oatmeal sitting on the tray. Alone. Her gaze shot back to Gothel. One item? There were always six. She might have refused to eat if she wasn’t afraid Gothel might take her lantern away.
Picking up the spoon, she took a bite. It was overly sweet, as if Gothel had filled it with as much sugar as oats. She grimaced as she swallowed it.
“It’s too sweet,” she said.
“Eat,” Gothel commanded.
Rapunzel took another bite of the sugary concoction, swallowing with difficulty. “At least give me some water or something to drink with it.”
“Four more bites,” Gothel said, “then I’ll get you the water.”
Rapunzel took the required amount of spoonfuls, though she took as small bites as possible. On the fourth bite, as she slid the spoon from her mouth, she felt it. A warm dizziness swept through her. She swayed a little, thinking she must be more tired than she’d thought. Until she saw Gothel watching her intently. She looked down at the oatmeal, then back at Gothel.
“What did you do?” she exclaimed, though the words came out garbled, barely understandable past her swollen tongue.
The room began to spin, and she was forced to lie down. She watched blearily as Gothel opened the door. But she didn’t leave. Instead, a man entered. Rapunzel’s eyes widened as she recognized the man from her nightmare. She tried to scream but was unable to. The room swirled down into the inky darkness she’d tried to avoid.
* * *
Rapunzel was cold again. She opened her eyes, confused why that should be. She realized she was lying on the cement floor again, only this time she had no blanket. She pushed herself upright, taking deep breaths to combat the dizziness.
She remembered Gothel bringing her the oatmeal, and then . . . what? She scrubbed her face with her hands, her sleeves falling down to her elbows. Wait, that wasn’t right. She looked down at herself and saw that she was now wearing a long, white robe. But how—
And suddenly it came back to her. The dizziness after the oatmeal, the man entering the room as she passed out. Her breathing picked up as she tried desperately to remember what had happened between then and now. There was nothing, no memory to be found.
Tears spilled as she pulled the strange garment closer, trying to retain some kind of heat. The robe was made of some type of nylon material, thin and flimsy and no protection against the cold air. Why was this happening to her?
It wasn’t long before Gothel returned with another tray of food. She brought it directly to Rapunzel, not noticing or caring about the tears that continued to flow.
“Eat,” she commanded. Fat chance of that, Rapunzel thought. “I’ll not give you any further lessons in this incarnation. Once the transformation is complete, I’ll help my daughter to understand anything she needs to know.”
She exited without another word. Rapunzel shuddered. They’d already begun the transformation. What did that mean for her? She couldn’t fight it if she couldn’t even remember what they’d done to her. She looked at the tray of food and kicked it away from her. It clattered across the floor, the glass of water shattering. A large chuck of the glass bounced next to her. She picked it up, examining the sharp edges. Forcing the consequences from her mind, she pushed the piece of glass against the corner of the wall behind her where it wouldn’t be obvious from the door.
Sometime later, Gothel returned. She saw the overturned tray and the spilled food. Rapunzel waited for the explosion, panic suffocating her. She was sure the piece of glass behind her was as visible as she was, and that Gothel would see she’d hidden it.
Gothel walked over to the mess and picked up the bottom of the broken glass. She turned to Rapunzel and stared at her for long, tense moments. Rapunzel swallowed over the dry lump lodged in her throat. Then Gothel turned back to the tray, picking up the items that had been spilled, including the broken pieces of glass. Without a word, she walked to the door and exited, not so much as glancing back at Rapunzel.
Rapunzel let out the breath she’d been holding. She pulled her knees up beneath the robe against her chest, trying to warm up. She felt like crying again but decided it wasn’t accomplishing anything. She grieved the loss of the woman who she’d thought was her mother. She wanted to reverse time and go back to when she was in her tower, Gothel brushing her hair, not exactly loving but at least a caring companion.
Gothel returned hours later, during which time Rapunzel slept lightly. She was afraid of what might happen to her if she fell asleep too deeply. Gothel brought in another tray and placed it in the center of the floor.
“You will eat, Rapunzel. If you don’t, we’ll put a tube down your throat and force-feed you. Do you understand?”
Rapunzel nodded, having no doubt she meant what she said.
“The time nears,” Gothel continued. “We need your body strong.”
As she left, Rapunzel tried to calculate the time to know just how long she did have. She wasn’t sure since the passage of time was fluid in this room. She had no outside lighting to determine days. The sporadic meals brought in from Gothel might indicate a new day each time she brought in a breakfast meal—or not. She couldn’t count on anything normal with Gothel anymore.
She walked over to the tray, her legs shaky with weakness. She wasn’t going to eat or drink anything provided by Gothel, she knew that. She couldn
’t subject herself to that blankness again. She also didn’t want a tube down her throat.
She picked up the tray and walked to the furthest, darkest corner where she proceeded to dump the food and water. She placed the tray back in the center of the room and lay down once again. She couldn’t afford to exercise now that she wasn’t going to be eating or drinking anything.
When Gothel returned, she examined the tray with satisfaction. Rapunzel made certain to keep the lantern where the light would not reach the corner where she’d dumped the food.
“Good girl,” she said, leaving once again.
This pattern repeated several times. Rapunzel was getting weaker, afraid that it wouldn’t be long before she gave in and drank the water that she craved stronger than ever, or ate food to calm her rioting stomach. Most of her time now was spent talking to Fane, hoping that somehow he heard her.
chapter
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38
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Rapunzel shivered. It was a nearly constant thing now, shivering. Gothel had finally relented and given her a blanket, but only when Rapunzel told her she thought she might be getting a cold again. She’d hoped Gothel would bring Dr. Henreich. Of course, it would be hard to explain why she kept Rapunzel in the dungeon. At least, that was what Gothel called it.
She fingered the shard of glass that sat next to her on the stone floor. The quality of the meals had depleted steadily, and Rapunzel wondered if Gothel made them herself, rather than having Cook prepare them. The broken glass rested beneath her fingers, taunting her, tempting her. Did she have the courage to try to fight for her freedom? For that matter, did she have the strength? She wasn’t sure about either one. She wanted to stand as a warrior, to command her destiny rather than having it thrust upon her. She removed her fingers from the piece of glass and sighed dejectedly. She doubted even now, that she knew Gothel had kidnapped her as a baby and had been holding her a willing prisoner all this time—that she could cause harm to the woman who she had always known as her mother.