Rapunzel

“	Princess Rapunzel of Floralia. Her enchanting voice warms our hearts and souls.	”
—Rapunzel plaque, Ballad of Rapunzel

Rapunzel is a major character who first appeared in the seventh Dark Parables game, Ballad of Rapunzel, and made a brief reappearance in the ninth Dark Parables game, Queen of Sands.

The Guardian of the Lilac Bellflower, Rapunzel is the eldest Princess of Floralia and the elder sister of Belladonna.

Rapunzel is based on the namesake of the German fairy tale, Rapunzel.

Appearance and Personality[]

Rapunzel is a beautiful woman with floor-length golden blonde hair, blue eyes, and fair skin. She wears a long cream dress edged with gold over a purple slip dress. During the events of Ballad of Rapunzel, she wore the Tiara of Reverie, a crown of yellow and purple flowers, but after it was burned by Ross Red she preferred to go bare-headed.

Rapunzel is a kind and compassionate girl, with the power to heal others with her singing. She loves her younger half-sister, Belladonna, dearly. However, under Belladonna's mind control, Rapunzel ceased to be herself, instead becoming a blank puppet for her sister to control. Without the crown, Rapunzel is a bright and lively young woman.

History[]

Rapunzel is the daughter of King Crisanto of Floralia and Queen Violante. The Queen was beloved by her people but her health was fragile; so when she became pregnant, she would daily consume a potion made of Lilac Bellflowers to help ensure that her baby would be healthy. Thankfully, the child was born in excellent health, but Queen Violante died soon after from the strain of childbirth. The Kingdom of Floralia grieved the loss of their Queen and begged the Goddess Flora for her mercy. As a result of the potions, and in appreciation of the Kingdom's devotion to her, the Goddess Flora bestowed the title of 'Guardian of the Lilac Bellflower' onto the young infant. As a Guardian, Rapunzel was gifted with immortality, as well as the power of restoration and healing through the use of her singing voice.

A few years later, Rapunzel's father remarried and it is implied that Rapunzel and her stepmother, Queen Melanie, were close. Eventually, the new Queen gave birth to a daughter of her own - Rapunzel's half-sister, Belladonna. However, this baby was not blessed by Flora's hand as Rapunzel had been; thanks to the wicked Mother Gothel, the infant Belladonna became the Guardian of the Nightbloom, a flower of death and suffering.

Ravaged by guilt and anger over what Mother Gothel had done to her child, Queen Melanie passed away shortly after the baby was born. Out of fear of what harm the child could do to others, the King ordered that Belladonna be locked away inside a tall tower until a cure for her condition could be found. It was strictly forbidden for anyone to enter the tower, but Rapunzel, whom powers of life could counter Belladonna's powers of death, would use a magical beanstalk to sneak in and visit her sister. As a result, the sisters were drawn to each other and found completeness in each other's company.

As a young woman, Rapunzel met the handsome Fire Prince, Ross Red, when his adventures took him to Floralia. The two fell in love and were soon engaged to be married. However, before that could come to pass, Rapunzel accepted a gift from her half-sister: a beautiful crown of flowers made by Belladonna's nurse, Mother Gothel. Belladonna seemed oddly reluctant to have Rapunzel wear it, but the girl put it right on anyway.

Unbeknownst to Rapunzel, this would be the last act she would commit willingly for quite some time. The crown was imbued with Mother Gothel's mind control magic and made Rapunzel all but a slave to Belladonna's whims. Under her half-sister's control, Rapunzel sang to make the Nightbloom flowers bloom, spreading their deadly pollen throughout the kingdom.

In time, the entire Kingdom fell from the onslaught of Nightblooms. The people of Floralia fled, while the King remained alone in his palace until even he succumbed to the deadly poison in the air. Belladonna used Mother Gothel's work and her own sister's magical singing voice to cultivate a whole army of plant monsters at her beck and call, including an enormous Nightbloom flower on the roof of her tower.

Belladonna planned to use this flower to spread her deadly pollen out from Floralia to the rest of the world, but she was stopped by Ross Red and the Fairytale Detective. They destroyed the giant Nightbloom and freed Rapunzel from the control of the floral crown she'd been wearing.

In the ruckus, Ross Red was scratched by Belladonna's deadly nails and he succumbed to his wounds. Tears fell from Rapunzel's cheeks for all of the lives lost, all of the pain caused by her own beloved sister and committed with her own voice. Her tears fell on Ross, resurrecting him. Rapunzel made peace with her sister, forgiving her for all she'd done and all she'd made Rapunzel do. With Ross at her side, Rapunzel swore to take her sister somewhere secluded and help her learn to master her powers so that such a thing would never happen again.

The absence of both Princesses from the fallen Kingdom of Floralia was the final straw in the weakening of the Goddess Flora, rendering her into a child's form. This allowed Mother Gothel to curse her and attempt to imprison her but this plot was fortunately foiled by Gerda, Kai and Prince Gwyn.

Rapunzel's whereabouts after leaving Floralia are unknown but at some point she met and befriended Ruth, leader of the Order of the Red Riding Hood Sisters. So when Ruth needed help in her investigation of nightmarish creatures plaguing the town of Montafleur, Rapunzel accompained her and arrived just in time to rescue the Fairytale Detective from the Queen of Sands' Nightmare Golem.

Powers and Abilities[]

Restoration: Rapunzel was chosen at birth by the Goddess Flora to become the Guardian of the Bell Flower. She has the ability to restore items and people to their original state with her singing voice, and the ability grows more powerful the longer Rapunzel's hair grows. Her voice combined with Gothel's monstrous plants can release venomous pollen into the world.
Immortality: Like all Guardians, Rapunzel could live forever in a state of eternal youth.
Vines: Rapunzel is able to use her singing voice to generate and control vines that she can use to restrain large creatures or do other tasks.
Immunity: As Guardian of the Lilac Bellflower, the flower of life, Rapunzel is immune to the effects of the Nightbloom, the flower of death.
Artistic Skills: As evident in some of her diary entries, Rapunzel is talented in drawing.

Relationships[]

King Crisanto (father, deceased)
Queen Violante (mother, deceased)
Belladonna (younger half-sister)
Queen Melanie (stepmother, deceased)
Ross Red (fiance)
Snow White (future sister-in-law, fate unclear)
Prince Gwyn (future nephew by marriage)
Gerda (future niece by marriage)
Ruth (acquaintance)
Fairytale Detective (friend)
King Edric (future father-in-law, deceased)
Rasputin (future uncle-in-law, sealed away)
Empress Brunhilda (future mother-in-law, deceased)
Evil Stepmother (future stepmother-in-law, fate unknown)
Goddess Flora (patron goddess)
First King of Floralia (ancestor, deceased)

Relevant Parables[]

Rapunzel (from Ballad of Rapunzel)

There once lived a Queen of a mountain kingdom, the beautiful Violante. She was much-beloved by her people, but fragile and of ill-health. One day, she discovered she was pregnant. Anxious for the baby's health, Violante would consume a medicinal potion every day. The baby arrived safely, a girl with beautiful golden hair. But weak from childbirth, Violante soon passed away. The Kingdom mourned for the loss of their Queen. Moved by their grief, and seeing trouble brewing within their midst, their patron Goddess blessed the small Princess with a gift. Within the Princess would be the power of restoration, enhanced as her hair grew ever longer. And this healing touch could be bestowed upon others with little more than a song. The Princess grew to be the very image of her mother, a lovely, kind-hearted girl. With the Goddess' blessing, the Princess was named Rapunzel.

The Sisters of Dark and Light (from Ballad of Rapunzel)

Once, there was a widowed King. Though he had a daughter, the King was lonely and took for himself another wife. Queen Melanie was a somber woman, yearning to win over the hearts of the people. The Queen's only trusted friend was a servant, Mother Gothel. When she became pregnant, Mother Gothel gave her a potion that, unbeknownst to Melanie, was made from a cursed dark flower. When Melanie's daughter, Belladonna, was born, she carried within her the wicked power of that flower. And those who Belladonna touched would fall deathly ill and perish. Belladonna was locked away in a tower and Melanie realized she had been deceived by the cruel servant. Guilt and despair drove her to madness and she died a bitter, angry woman. Forsaken, Belladonna's only savior was her half-sister, Rapunzel, who had been blessed with powers that could counter hers and would come to no harm with their proximity. The nature of their powers drew the two sister together. Belladonna's world centered entirely around Rapunzel, and she in turn, devoted herself to the little sister who relied solely on her.

Pop-Up Storybook (from Ballad of Rapunzel)

A brave warrior, Crowned Prince Ross Red, was opposed to his sister's marriage to the Frog Prince, believing she would never find happiness with a cursed man. They had a falling-out and never reconciled. After Snow White eloped, Ross gave up the throne and left the Kingdom as well. He traveled around the world until he came across the Kingdom of Floralia and met Rapunzel.

Quotes[]

Quotes by Rapunzel[]

"All these years, I've watched people perish before my eyes. And there was nothing I could do to stop it. But not you too ... not you ..."
"Is this what you want, Bella? All this pain and death?"
"My poor sister, I love you. I will always be by your side, you have nothing to be afraid of."
"My sister is in such a fragile state. I fear the Nightbloom will appear again if she doesn't learn how to control her powers."
"I'm free!" (from alternative ending)
"My poor sister. I wish I could have saved you, please forgive me." (from alternative ending)
"I'm so sorry, Ross. I care so much for you, but I cannot leave my sister." (from alternative ending)
"There's been too much pain and suffering already." (from alternative ending)
"I couldn't stop you from making all those mistakes. But let us atone for our wrongs, together." (from alternative ending)
"Now it's my turn to save you!"
"Even Mab's nightmare creature was no match for my serenade."
"I'm thankful I was able to repay your kindness."
"Don't worry about the nightmare. Ruth and I will keep him occupied!"