Tangled!

Rapunzel sat cross-legged on the floor of her tower, a paintbrush held delicately between her fingers. The soft glow of the afternoon sunlight streamed through the window, bathing the room in golden hues. She dipped her brush into a swirl of paint, her mind lost in thought as she added another lantern to the vast night sky she was creating on the wall.

She had painted this scene more times than she could count. A deep purple sky, stars scattered like tiny diamonds, and hundreds of glowing lanterns floating toward an unseen horizon.

Her eyes flicked up toward the real sky outside her window.

The lanterns would appear again soon.

She sighed, lowering her brush. Every year, on the night of her birthday, the sky was set ablaze with those mysterious lights. No matter how many times Mother Gothel dismissed them as a meaningless tradition, Rapunzel couldn't shake the feeling that they were important. That they meant something.

But why?

A soft chittering noise broke her thoughts.

Rapunzel glanced over at Pascal, her tiny chameleon companion, who was perched on the windowsill. His round eyes were fixed on something outside, his tiny body tense.

"What is it, Pascal?" she asked, setting her brush down.

The little creature flicked his tail and let out another urgent squeak, tilting his head toward the window as if telling her to listen.

At first, she heard nothing.

Then—thud.

A dull, heavy sound echoed through the tower.

Rapunzel froze.

She had lived in this tower her entire life. Nothing ever made noises like that. The only sounds she ever heard were the rustling of the wind, the distant chirping of birds, or Mother Gothel's voice.

Her pulse quickened. Slowly, she turned her gaze toward the large wooden wardrobe at the far side of the room.

Nothing seemed out of place, but she could have sworn—

Thud.

She jolted upright, clutching the fabric of her dress.

Pascal's skin flickered to a nervous shade of deep blue. He scurried onto her shoulder, his tiny claws gripping her tightly.

Rapunzel took a cautious step forward, her bare feet silent against the floor. She grabbed the nearest object she could find, a cast-iron frying pan. Her fingers tightened around the handle, her heart hammering in her chest.

Someone, or something, was in her tower.

She took a deep breath, forcing herself to stay calm. She had never encountered danger before, but she had read enough books to know what to do. First, she had to investigate. If it was a monster, though she wasn't entirely sure what kind, it was probably best to hide. But if it was a person...

No. That wasn't possible. The tower had no door, no way in or out.

Right?

Pascal let out a tiny chirp.

She swallowed. No turning back now.

Raising the frying pan high above her head, she crept toward the wardrobe, inch by inch, her breath caught in her throat.

She placed a shaky hand on the wooden handle, squeezed her eyes shut for just a second, then—

In one swift motion, she flung the doors open .

And screamed.

There, sprawled across her neatly folded blankets, was a man.

A man.

Rapunzel's entire body locked up in shock. She had never seen anyone besides Mother Gothel before, and certainly not someone like this.

He was tall, with dark brown hair that fell slightly over his forehead. A thin goatee framed his smirking lips, though, at the moment, he wasn't smirking at all. His clothes were strange, nothing like the flowing robes Mother Gothel wore. His boots were caked with dirt, and his arms were sprawled out as if he had simply fallen into her wardrobe and passed out.

Her grip on the frying pan tightened.

How had he gotten inside?

Was he dangerous?

Should she scream again?

Her mind was racing too fast to process. Pascal, perched on her shoulder, flicked his tongue out in an unimpressed manner, his tiny eyes narrowing as if judging the intruder.

Rapunzel hesitated.

He wasn't moving. Was he... dead?

She took a step closer, cautiously peering down at him. His chest rose and fell steadily. No, not dead. Just—

Whack.

Her frying pan met his head with a loud, solid clang.

The man let out a muffled groan before slumping back into unconsciousness.

Rapunzel exhaled sharply, lowering the pan. She hadn't meant to hit him so hard, but, well, better safe than sorry.

For a long moment, she just stood there, staring at the man she had just knocked out.

What now?

Pascal let out an approving squeak.

Rapunzel's thoughts were spinning. For the first time in her life, something unexpected had happened. Something that Mother Gothel had never warned her about.

And deep down, beneath the initial panic, a new feeling stirred.

Curiosity.

This was it, the beginning of something different. Something big.

She just didn't know it yet.

But soon, she would.

And her world would never be the same again.