”Rapunzel!” Flynn yelled as he jumped off Maximus’s back. No answer. “Rapunzel, let down your hair!” he yelled again, desperately hoping she was safe.
Swoosh! Rapunzel’s long blond hair glided out of the window and down the tower. She was alive! Grasping her hair, Flynn climbed up the tower as fast as he could. At last, he made it to the window and hauled himself inside.
“Rapunzel, I thought I’d never see you again!” Flynn exclaimed. Then he stopped short and gasped. In the darkness, he saw the shards of a broken mirror on the floor — and heard the muffled sound of Rapunzel’s voice. She was kneeling on the floor across from him. Mother Gothel had chained her to the wall and gagged her. Rapunzel’s eyes were wide with fear as she struggled to warn him. ... Then Flynn felt the sharp point of Mother Gothel’s dagger against his back. He crumpled to the floor in pain.
Rapunzel cried out through the rags stuffed in her mouth. But Mother Gothel stared at her coldly and said, “Now look what you’ve done, Rapunzel. Oh, don’t you worry, dear. Our secret will die with him.”
Rapunzel could not speak, but now she understood: Mother Gothel intended to leave Flynn here to die!
Rapunzel needed to save him with her hair!
Mother Gothel unfastened Rapunzel’s chains and dragged her toward the secret trapdoor in the floor. “And as for us, we are going where no one will ever find you.” Mother Gothel yanked Rapunzel, who was struggling against her with all her might.
“Rapunzel! Really!” Mother Gothel shouted. “Enough already! STOP FIGHTING ME!”
But Rapunzel did fight — as hard as she could — until the rags fell from her mouth.
“No!” Rapunzel cried out in defiance. “I won’t stop! For every minute, for the rest of my life, I will fight!” Rapunzel was stronger now, stronger than she ever had been. At last she knew the truth. She knew everything, and she understood everything clearly. “I will never stop trying to get away from you.” She drew a deep breath, refusing to take her eyes off Mother Gothel. And she made her choice. “If you let me save him, I will go with you.”
“No!” Flynn cried out. Rapunzel needed to be free from this woman. “No, Rapunzel!”
But Rapunzel kept her gaze on Mother Gothel. “I’ll never run,” Rapunzel promised. “I’ll never try to escape. Just let me heal him. And you and I will be together. Forever. Just like you want.” Rapunzel knew that her promise meant she would never see Flynn again, but at least she would know that he was alive, living outside in the beautiful world filled with wonderful, kind people. Her voice barely a whisper, she repeated, “Just let me heal him.”
Mother Gothel’s eyes narrowed for a moment before she let Rapunzel go.
Rapunzel ran to Flynn. He was still lying on the floor, doubled over in pain.
“Rapunzel, no!” he said weakly. “I can’t let you. ...” His voice faded as he clutched a shard of the broken mirror. He would rather die than have the lovely, spirited Rapunzel live the rest of her life imprisoned in some secret tower with Mother Gothel. Using his last ounce of strength, Flynn reached up and, in one swift motion, cut off Rapunzel’s hair.
The long golden locks fell to the floor and turned brown, depleted of their magic. The short tufts of hair on Rapunzel’s head also darkened.
“No! What have you done? NO!” Mother Gothel was clutching the brown hair that lay on the floor. The hair on her head turned white; her skin shriveled. Stumbling, she staggered across the room. She was aging rapidly, and quickly disintegrated into nothing more than a pile of dust. The evil woman was gone forever.
But Rapunzel was looking at Flynn. He was dying, and there was no magic left in her hair to save him! “Oh, no! Eugene! Don’t go. Stay with me!” she sobbed. “Don’t leave me. I can’t do this without you.”
“Hey,” Flynn whispered with his last breaths. “You were my new dream.”
“And you were mine, too.” Rapunzel leaned toward Flynn as he closed his eyes.
Desperately, she began to sing. She wanted to bring forth some bit of magic from her shorn hair to save him. But the magic was gone with her hair.
Distraught, Rapunzel could not hold back her grief. She wept, cradling Flynn’s limp body.
A single golden tear fell on his cheek.
Flynn stirred. Though she didn’t know it, Rapunzel did have one last bit of magic left deep inside her, and it was contained in that single golden tear. Flynn’s eyes fluttered open.
“Rapunzel!” he whispered.
“Eugene!”
Flynn was alive!
“樂佩!”費林大叫著從捍馬的背上跳下來。沒人回答。“樂佩,放下你的頭發(fā)!”他又叫道,非常希望她平安無事。
嘩!樂佩的金色長發(fā)從窗口放下,一直滑到高塔下。她還活著!費林抓住頭發(fā),盡最大努力迅速爬上高塔。他終于爬到窗口,翻身進去。
“樂佩!我以為我再也見不到你了!”費林興奮地大叫。然后他突然停了下來,倒抽一口冷氣。黑暗中,他見到地上的鏡子碎片——他聽到被捂住嘴巴的樂佩發(fā)出嗚嗚聲。她正跪在他對面的地板上。高瑟媽媽用鏈條把她鎖在墻上,堵住了她的嘴巴。樂佩的眼睛因為恐懼而睜得很大,她掙扎著想提醒他……就在這時,費林覺察到高瑟媽媽的匕首尖刺進了他的背脊。他痛得癱倒在地。
樂佩哭喊起來,聲音透過堵住嘴巴的破布傳出來。但是高瑟媽媽冷冷地瞪著她,開口道:“現在看看你做了什么,樂佩。哦,不要擔心,親愛的。我們的秘密會隨他而去。”
樂佩無法說話,但是她現在明白了: 高瑟媽媽打算任由費林死在這兒!
樂佩要用自己的頭發(fā)來救他!
高瑟媽媽解開樂佩的鎖鏈,把她拖向地板下隱蔽的地板門?!爸劣谖覀?,我們要去沒人能找到你的地方。”高瑟媽媽猛拉樂佩,樂佩正用自己所有的力量對抗她。
“樂佩!真的!”高瑟媽媽喊道,“夠了!別再跟我反抗!”
但是樂佩仍在反抗——用盡全身力氣——直到塞在嘴里的布掉了下來。
“不!”樂佩反抗大叫,“我不會停止!余生的每一分鐘,我都會反抗!”樂佩現在很堅強,比過去任何時候都堅強。她終于知道了真相。她什么都知道了,她對一切一清二楚?!拔視﹄x開你,永遠也不會放棄?!彼钗豢跉?,眼睛牢牢地盯著高瑟媽媽。她做了選擇,“除非你讓我救他,我就跟 你走?!?
“不!”費林大叫。樂佩必須擺脫這個女人,“不,樂佩!”
但是樂佩緊緊盯著高瑟媽媽?!拔也粫?,”樂佩承諾,“我永遠不會試圖逃走。只要讓我治好他。我就跟你一起。永遠。如你所愿?!睒放逯雷约旱某兄Z意味著再也見不到費林,但至少她知道他還活著,在外面滿是善良的好人的美妙世界里活下去。她的聲音近乎低語,她重復著:“只要讓我治好他。”
高瑟媽媽瞇縫起眼,過了一會兒,她放開了樂佩。
樂佩跑向費林。他仍然倒在地上,身體因為疼痛而蜷縮起來。
“樂佩,不!”他虛弱地說,“我不能讓你……”他抓住一塊鏡子碎片,聲音輕了下去。他寧愿死,也不愿讓活潑可愛的樂佩余生都被高瑟媽媽囚禁在秘密高塔里。費林用盡最后一絲力氣,抬起手臂,只迅速一劃,便割斷了樂佩的長發(fā)。
長長的金色頭發(fā)落到地板上,變成了棕色,失去了魔力。留在樂佩頭上的頭發(fā)顏色也變深了。
“不!你做了什么?不!”高瑟媽媽抓起地上的棕色長發(fā)。頭發(fā)在她的手上變成了白色。她的皮膚迅速皺縮。她踉踉蹌蹌地穿過房間。她在迅速衰老,很快便化成一堆塵土。這個邪惡的女人永遠消失了。
但是樂佩看著費林。他快死了,她的頭發(fā)失去了魔力,再也不能救他了!“哦,不,尤金!不要走。跟我在一起!”她嗚咽著,“不要離開我。沒有你我做不到這些。”
“嘿,”費林用最后一口氣低語道,“你是我的新夢想?!?
“你也是我的新夢想。”費林閉上眼睛,樂佩靠在了他身上。
她絕望地開始歌唱。她想從她的短發(fā)中汲取一些魔力拯救他。但是魔力和頭發(fā)一起消失了。
樂佩悲痛欲絕,無法抑制悲傷。她抱著費林無力的身體痛哭起來。
一滴金色的淚珠從她的臉頰滑落。
費林動了一下。樂佩不知道,她的體內的確還有最后一點魔力存在,就在那滴金色的淚珠里。費林的眼睛顫抖著睜開了。
“樂佩!”他小聲說。
“尤金!”
費林活過來了!