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storypaint) wrote2010-11-27 07:10 pm
storypaint) wrote2010-11-27 07:10 pm
Entry tags:
[Tangled] four-footed friend (Rapunzel gen)
Title: four-footed friend
Fandom: Tangled
Length: 977 words
Prompt: Why does Pascal have to hide from Mother Gothel? for![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
esotaria
Pairing: Rapunzel, Gothel, Pascal gen
Other: Pre-film.
Excerpt: But this was too big to be a spider. Whatever it was, it had settled onto a shelf at about waist-level, and it was glaring at her fiercely. It was small and green and rather cute, now that it wasn't trying to surprise her.
Mother Gothel had a lot of rules. She told Rapunzel that rules created structure, and every good child needed structure in her life. So Rapunzel did the chores, and that built skill and character. She brushed her hair and took care of her clothes, because appearance was very important. And she never ever tried to leave the tower, even when she ached to touch the grass just once, because she was an obedient child who wanted to be safe.
The problem was that Mother Gothel also had a rule about education. Rapunzel loved reading, loved these glimpses of the world beyond her own. There were all these normal men and women who didn't have to worry about being kidnapped - though sometimes they were, but they always escaped and had more adventures. They met and talked and laughed and loved. And many of them had pets.
Rapunzel thought about it for a really long time before she asked. She thought about all the pros and cons. She didn't want a pet that would be big or loud or hard to take care of. She just wanted someone to share with when her mother was away. If she couldn't have friends, why couldn't she have a pretty cat to sit with or a little mouse to tease? Even if they escaped, they wouldn't be able to tell anyone where she was. And she would take care of it herself, cleaning up after it and feeding it and everything.
She made a little chart, in fact, writing with her best penmanship, and when her mother came back to the tower, she was overcome with excitement and hope. Mother even noticed, telling her to calm down and help with the groceries.
So Rapunzel tried to be patient. She listened to Mother's stories about her trip to the village, she let her mother brush her hair, and she sang for her as sweetly as she could. Then she leaned her head back in her mother's lap and looked at her upside-down. Mother looked very refreshed, relaxed, and happy. She also looked very strange from this angle.
"Mother," Rapunzel said, "I was wondering if I could have a pet."
She leaped up from the stool and grabbed her chart from the vanity table. She turned to show it, but her mother was already shaking her head dismissively.
"Rapunzel, you couldn't keep an animal in here. Animals are noisy and make messes. They're awful little things. You can't believe what you read in books." She shuddered and wiped her hands together before she got up from her chair and headed for the stove. "I'm going to make dinner, now, and I don't want to hear any more about it. Would you get the carrots out of Mother's basket, please?"
"Yes, Mother," Rapunzel said, trying to hold back her disappointment. She put her chart down again, gently, although she wanted to throw it away. That would accomplish the same thing in the end. Then she went into the pantry to find the food.
Something jumped at her. She shrieked in surprise, thinking it was a spider, one of the few creatures who did make it up into her tower (she'd thought about making one of them into a pet, but all of the legs they had creeped her out too much).
But this was too big to be a spider. Whatever it was, it had settled onto a shelf at about waist-level, and it was glaring at her fiercely. It was small and green and rather cute, now that it wasn't trying to surprise her.
"Are you all right, daughter?" Mother called from the other room.
"I, uh - it was just a spider, Mother," Rapunzel called back, still staring at the creature. She hated lying to her mother and almost never did, but the fact hardly registered. There was a living animal in her pantry. Where had it come from? Had it stowed away in her mother's basket, perhaps?
The creature stared back. It was very good at it because it was mostly big goggly eyes. When she leaned down onto her knees to examine it more closely, it backed away quickly and disappeared. She blinked twice in confusion.
And then the shelf moved. But it wasn't the shelf, it was the creature - it had made its skin blend in with the background so well that she hadn't seen it at first glance. Rapunzel laughed, then - wouldn't this be the perfect pet? One that she could so easily hide? If only Mother would let her -
Well, perhaps Mother didn't need to know. Rapunzel's heart thumped quickly. Did she dare lie to her mother again? Would it hurt her in the end?
She thought of the chart, of the full pros column and the nearly empty cons column, and she made a decision.
"I'm Rapunzel," she whispered to the creature. "Don't worry. I won't hurt you."
"Rapunzel, where are those carrots? Are you getting slower in your old age?" Mother called from the next room, and cackled at her own joke. Her voice was impatient. Rapunzel's eyes widened. She held her forefinger to her lips solemnly and spoke to the animal - to her pet - again.
"Stay here for a while. I'll bring you some dinner later, okay?"
She smiled at the chameleon (she'd find his species two weeks later, paging through the reptile section of the encyclopedia with Pascal on her shoulder, chirruping his encouragement as she turned the pages). He nodded.
"Coming, Mother!" Rapunzel called loudly, getting to her feet and grabbing carrots hurriedly. She shut the pantry door on her secret and hummed as she went back to the other room.
Finally she wasn't going to be alone anymore, even when her mother was gone. She didn't know when she'd ever been this excited.
Well, it wasn't every day you met your first friend.
Fandom: Tangled
Length: 977 words
Prompt: Why does Pascal have to hide from Mother Gothel? for
esotariaPairing: Rapunzel, Gothel, Pascal gen
Other: Pre-film.
Excerpt: But this was too big to be a spider. Whatever it was, it had settled onto a shelf at about waist-level, and it was glaring at her fiercely. It was small and green and rather cute, now that it wasn't trying to surprise her.
Mother Gothel had a lot of rules. She told Rapunzel that rules created structure, and every good child needed structure in her life. So Rapunzel did the chores, and that built skill and character. She brushed her hair and took care of her clothes, because appearance was very important. And she never ever tried to leave the tower, even when she ached to touch the grass just once, because she was an obedient child who wanted to be safe.
The problem was that Mother Gothel also had a rule about education. Rapunzel loved reading, loved these glimpses of the world beyond her own. There were all these normal men and women who didn't have to worry about being kidnapped - though sometimes they were, but they always escaped and had more adventures. They met and talked and laughed and loved. And many of them had pets.
Rapunzel thought about it for a really long time before she asked. She thought about all the pros and cons. She didn't want a pet that would be big or loud or hard to take care of. She just wanted someone to share with when her mother was away. If she couldn't have friends, why couldn't she have a pretty cat to sit with or a little mouse to tease? Even if they escaped, they wouldn't be able to tell anyone where she was. And she would take care of it herself, cleaning up after it and feeding it and everything.
She made a little chart, in fact, writing with her best penmanship, and when her mother came back to the tower, she was overcome with excitement and hope. Mother even noticed, telling her to calm down and help with the groceries.
So Rapunzel tried to be patient. She listened to Mother's stories about her trip to the village, she let her mother brush her hair, and she sang for her as sweetly as she could. Then she leaned her head back in her mother's lap and looked at her upside-down. Mother looked very refreshed, relaxed, and happy. She also looked very strange from this angle.
"Mother," Rapunzel said, "I was wondering if I could have a pet."
She leaped up from the stool and grabbed her chart from the vanity table. She turned to show it, but her mother was already shaking her head dismissively.
"Rapunzel, you couldn't keep an animal in here. Animals are noisy and make messes. They're awful little things. You can't believe what you read in books." She shuddered and wiped her hands together before she got up from her chair and headed for the stove. "I'm going to make dinner, now, and I don't want to hear any more about it. Would you get the carrots out of Mother's basket, please?"
"Yes, Mother," Rapunzel said, trying to hold back her disappointment. She put her chart down again, gently, although she wanted to throw it away. That would accomplish the same thing in the end. Then she went into the pantry to find the food.
Something jumped at her. She shrieked in surprise, thinking it was a spider, one of the few creatures who did make it up into her tower (she'd thought about making one of them into a pet, but all of the legs they had creeped her out too much).
But this was too big to be a spider. Whatever it was, it had settled onto a shelf at about waist-level, and it was glaring at her fiercely. It was small and green and rather cute, now that it wasn't trying to surprise her.
"Are you all right, daughter?" Mother called from the other room.
"I, uh - it was just a spider, Mother," Rapunzel called back, still staring at the creature. She hated lying to her mother and almost never did, but the fact hardly registered. There was a living animal in her pantry. Where had it come from? Had it stowed away in her mother's basket, perhaps?
The creature stared back. It was very good at it because it was mostly big goggly eyes. When she leaned down onto her knees to examine it more closely, it backed away quickly and disappeared. She blinked twice in confusion.
And then the shelf moved. But it wasn't the shelf, it was the creature - it had made its skin blend in with the background so well that she hadn't seen it at first glance. Rapunzel laughed, then - wouldn't this be the perfect pet? One that she could so easily hide? If only Mother would let her -
Well, perhaps Mother didn't need to know. Rapunzel's heart thumped quickly. Did she dare lie to her mother again? Would it hurt her in the end?
She thought of the chart, of the full pros column and the nearly empty cons column, and she made a decision.
"I'm Rapunzel," she whispered to the creature. "Don't worry. I won't hurt you."
"Rapunzel, where are those carrots? Are you getting slower in your old age?" Mother called from the next room, and cackled at her own joke. Her voice was impatient. Rapunzel's eyes widened. She held her forefinger to her lips solemnly and spoke to the animal - to her pet - again.
"Stay here for a while. I'll bring you some dinner later, okay?"
She smiled at the chameleon (she'd find his species two weeks later, paging through the reptile section of the encyclopedia with Pascal on her shoulder, chirruping his encouragement as she turned the pages). He nodded.
"Coming, Mother!" Rapunzel called loudly, getting to her feet and grabbing carrots hurriedly. She shut the pantry door on her secret and hummed as she went back to the other room.
Finally she wasn't going to be alone anymore, even when her mother was gone. She didn't know when she'd ever been this excited.
Well, it wasn't every day you met your first friend.
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