When the baby girl was born, the witch appeared immediately, took the child, and named her Rapunzel. She raised the girl in secret, and as Rapunzel grew, her long golden hair shone like strands of pure gold. When Rapunzel turned twelve, the witch locked her inside a tall tower deep in the forest. The tower had no door and no stairs, only a high window. Whenever the witch wanted to enter, she called out, “Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair,” and Rapunzel lowered her long braids for the witch to climb.
Years later, a prince passed through the forest and heard Rapunzel’s beautiful singing echoing from the tower. Captivated, he returned each day just to listen. One evening, he saw the witch call for Rapunzel to let down her hair and climb up the golden rope. Realizing the secret, the prince decided to try the same. When he called out, Rapunzel let her hair fall, expecting the witch. Instead she saw a young man appear in her window. She was frightened at first, but the prince gently explained how her singing had touched his heart. It was the first time Rapunzel had ever met another person besides the witch, and she quickly grew fond of him.
The prince asked if she would leave with him someday, and Rapunzel agreed but did not know how to escape. She told him to bring silk each time he visited so she could braid a rope. Once the rope was long enough, she would climb down and they would leave together. Their secret meetings continued at dusk, but one day Rapunzel carelessly mentioned that the witch felt heavier to pull up than the prince. The witch instantly realized she had been deceived. In a burst of rage, she cut off Rapunzel’s beautiful hair and exiled her to a barren wilderness where she would struggle to survive.
Back at the tower, the witch tied Rapunzel’s severed braids to the window hook and waited. When the prince arrived and called to Rapunzel, the witch let the hair fall. He climbed up only to find the witch waiting for him. She mocked him and revealed that Rapunzel was gone forever. Horrified, the prince fell from the tower into a thorny bush that blinded him. He wandered for years through forests and deserts, surviving on roots and berries, searching for the girl he loved and weeping endlessly.
One day, he reached the desolate place where Rapunzel now lived with the twin children she had given birth to. When he heard her voice calling to them, he recognized it instantly. Rapunzel ran to him and held him tightly as she cried. Her tears fell into his eyes and miraculously restored his sight. Overwhelmed with joy, the prince led Rapunzel and their children back to his kingdom, where they were welcomed with celebration. At last, they began a new life filled with peace, safety, and happiness.