Rapunzel

Rapunzel is a major character first seen in the seventh Dark Parables game, Ballad of Rapunzel. She is the eldest Princess of Floralia and the Guardian of the Lilac Bellflower.

This character is based on the German fairy tale Rapunzel.

Appearance and Personality

Rapunzel has floor-length blonde hair, blue eyes, and fair skin. She wears a long cream and gold dress over a purple slip dress. On her head she wears the Tiara of Reverie, and has a vacant look in her eyes. Without the crown, Rapunzel is a bright and lively young woman.

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 ceases to be herself any longer. She is blank and empty, simply doing whatever Belladonna tells her to do.

History

While pregnant with Rapunzel, Queen Violante, her mother, drank a potion made of Lilac Bellflowers every day to help ensure that her baby would be healthy. Thankfully, the child was born in excellent health, but the Queen died from the strain of childbirth. The Kingdom of Floralia grieved the loss of their Queen, and begged 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.

After a few years, Rapunzel's father remarried and a baby came soon after. 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, Belladonna's mother died shortly after the baby was born. Out of fear of what harm the child could do to others, Belladonna was locked away inside a tall tower until a cure for her condition could be found.

Growing up, Rapunzel grew to be adept at sneaking into the tower her sister was locked away in. She would visit and play with her sister, immune to Belladonna's deadly powers. The two sisters were drawn to each other, finding a completeness in each other's company due to the opposing nature of their magical powers.

When Rapunzel was fully grown, she met the handsome Prince, Ross Red, when his adventures took him to Floralia. The two fell in love and were 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 in the Kingdom bloom, spread and shower their deadly pollen into the air.

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. Thankfully, this plot was foiled, but Rapunzel's return to Floralia is likely needed in order for Flora to regain her power and memory.

Rapunzel made the journey to Montafleur in order to assist the Fairytale Detective and the Red Riding Hood Sisters in their investigation of the nightmarish creatures taking over the town. She arrived just in time to rescue the Fairytale Detective from the Queen of Sands' Nightmare Golem.

Relevant Parables

Rapunzel (fromBallad 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 (fromBallad 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.

Powers and Abilities

Restoration: Rapunzel is chosen by the Goddess Flora at birth 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, she could live for ever 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.

Relationships

King Crisanto (father, deceased)
Queen Violante (mother, deceased)
Belladonna (half-sister)
Queen Melanie (stepmother, deceased)
Ross Red (fiance)
Snow White (future sister-in-law)
Gwyn (future nephew)
Gerda (future niece)

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!"