When I was younger, with bright eyes and

Smooth skin, full, healthy hair that fell in waves

Down my back, I was one of the most beautiful maidens

In my village

I had all the village men lining up everyday

To woo me, present me with gifts, take me anywhere I wished

And I had someone…

My very own Prince Charming

He was a perfect gentleman

He never rushed me, presented me with all the simple

Gifts of life, and took me to meadows

Where we would lay and watch the tall grasses

Sway

Sway

Swaying

In the wind

And at night, we’d look at the stars

And those moments, away from the village

Away from the worries of life

Away from time, those moments were ours

However, time crept up on us

Ever so slowly, inching closer and closer

Year by year

Our adolescent days grew to a close and we ourselves grew old

I was no longer the beautiful maiden the village fawned over

Instead I was now the village pariah

Always on the receiving end of taunting, pointing fingers

And pitying stares

And my darling, my Prince Charming

Was ridiculed over the years

For staying with a woman as ugly as I

Whose skin was now dry, whose hair was now thin and brittle, whose eyes had become dull

My darling was strong

But with each new insult I knew

His mask of calm was breaking

And each day at my side became bittersweet

What was he to do?

Hold on to the memories of our

Sweet summer days, when we were blinded by our adolescence

Or stop holding onto the image of the beautiful woman that he once knew?

Stealing Rapunzel away from her family was wrong I knew

But all the longing stares my sweetheart sent

To younger, more beautiful maidens

Made me grow bitter, I longed for my sweetheart once more

I used Rapunzel for the healing power of her hair

So that my darling would once more look into my eyes

With the same sweet love we once shared

Even if only for a second, to me it meant the promise of many many years