Roparker (AU, M/L, Teen) 1/1
Author: Zanity
Summary: A Dreamer version of Rapunzel
Rating: Teen
Disclaimer: I don’t own anything.
Once upon a time there was a couple, Jeff and Nancy Parker, who had always wanted a child, but for many years it was to no avail. Until finally, Nancy came to be with child.
Through the small rear window of their house they could see into a splendid garden that was filled with the most beautiful flowers and herbs. It was surrounded by a high wall, and no one dared enter, because it belonged to a sorceress named Tess who possessed great power and was feared by everyone. But she could see a bed planted with the most beautiful vegetables and in her present condition she began to crave them desperately.
It was her greatest desire to eat some of the vegetables. This desire increased with every day, and not knowing how to get any, she became miserably ill. Jeff was frightened, and asked her why she was doing so poorly. “Oh,” she answered, “if I do not get some of the vegetables from the garden behind our house, I shall surely die.”
Jeff loved his wife dearly, so decided to get her some, whatever the cost. So, just as it was getting dark he climbed over the high wall into the sorceress's garden, hastily dug up a handful of each of the vegetables, and took them to his wife.
Nancy immediately made a salad from it, which she devoured eagerly. It tasted so very good to her that by the next day her desire for more had grown threefold. If she were to have any peace, Jeff would have to climb into the garden once again.
Thus he set forth once again just as it was getting dark. But no sooner had he climbed over the wall than, to his horror, he saw Tess standing there before him.
“How dare you,” she asked with an angry look, “climb into my garden like a thief to steal my produce? You will pay for this.”
Jeff begged, “Please have mercy on me, my pregnant wife saw your vegetables from our window, and her cravings were so strong that we feared she would die, if she did not get some to eat.”
The sorceress's anger abated somewhat, and she said, “If things are as you say, I will allow you to take as much as you want, but under one condition: You must give me the child that your wife is now carrying. It will do well, and I will take care of it like my own.”
In his fear Jeff agreed to everything and when Nancy gave birth to a little girl, Tess appeared. Because she had been robbed by the Parkers, she named the little girl Roparker, and took her away.
Roparker became the most beautiful child under the sun. When she was twelve years old, Tess locked her in a tower that stood in a forest and that had neither a door nor a stairway, but only a tiny little window at the very top.
When Tess wanted to enter, she stood below and called out, “Roparker, Roparker, Let down your hair.”
Roparker had splendid long chocolate colored hair, as strong as silk. And when she heard Tess’s voice, she untied her braids, wound them around a window hook, let her hair fall twenty yards to the ground, and the sorceress climbed up.
A few years later it happened that the king's son was riding through the forest. Max saw the beautiful Roparker standing at her window, heard her sing with her sweet voice, and fell in love with her.
The prince wanted to climb up to her, and looked for a door into the tower, but none was to be found and no ladder was tall enough to reach her. He tried using his powers to create hand and foot holds but another force prevented it. So with no way to reach her he fell into despair.
He rode home, but the beautiful damsel had so touched his heart that he returned to the forest every day that he may gaze up at her and listen to her voice. One time, as he was standing behind a tree, he saw Tess approach and heard her cry, “Roparker, Roparker, Let down your hair.”
Then Roparker let down her strands of hair, and the sorceress climbed up them to her. Max saw this and became determined, “If that is the ladder into the tower, then sometime I will try my luck.”
And the next day, just as it was beginning to get dark, he went to the tower and called out, “Roparker, Roparker, Let down your hair.”
The hair fell down, and Max climbed up.
At first Roparker was terribly frightened when a man such as she had never seen before came up to her. However, Max began talking to her so kindly, telling her that his heart had been so touched by her singing and her beauty that he could have no peace until he had seen her in person. He even connected with her and showed her his heart and soul.
Then Roparker lost her fear, and when he asked her if she would take him as her husband, she thought, “I would rather be his than Tess’s.” She said yes and placed her hand into his and they swore their love as an oath before God.
When he enquired about her unusual name, Roparker told him the story of how she came to be there. Max stated, “You are too beautiful for such a name. Since Tess named you for how you came to be hers, I shall do the same. You shall be my Elizabeth for the name comes from two ancient words meaning oath and God.”
They plotted away to get her away from the tower for good. Max dared not bring an army into the sorceress’ land. And he dared not leave anything of bulk behind that she might spot. Elizabeth suggested, “Every time that you come, bring a silk scarf, from which I will make a cord. When it is finished we can climb down, and you can take me away on your horse.” But the distance down was twenty yards and each silken scarf would only add six inches to the cord. It would take four months to make their escape, but it was the best plan they had.
They arranged that Max would come to her every evening calling for Elizabeth, while Tess came by day calling for Roparker. For nearly three months Tess did not discover what was happening until one day Elizabeth, having been sheltered all her life and naive in certain matters asked her, “Tess, can you tell me why my clothes are all too tight? Why do they no longer fit me?”
“You godless child,” cried Tess. “I can’t believe you? I thought I had removed you from the whole world, but you have deceived me.”
In her anger she grabbed Elizabeth's beautiful hair, wrapped it a few times around her left hand, grabbed a pair of scissors with her right hand cut it off. Then she sent Elizabeth into a wilderness where she suffered greatly before she learned to live off the land.
But soon memories from the many times she had connected with her beloved Max surfaced and to her great relief, she could use his knowledge of the use of power to create a cave to shelter her. She was miserable, her only reason to live being the life growing inside of her, an ever present reminder of Max. She prayed daily that he would find her. After a time, she gave birth to twins, a boy, Uziah meaning strength, and a girl, Nadia meaning hope.
On the evening of the same day that Tess sent Roparker away, the she tied the cut-off hair to the hook at the top of the tower, and when the prince called out, “Elizabeth, Elizabeth! Let down your hair!” she let down the hair.
The prince climbed up, but instead of his beloved Elizabeth, he found Tess, who peered at him with poisonous and evil looks. She taunted him scornfully, “You have come for your mistress, but that beautiful bird is no longer sitting in her nest, nor is she singing any more. The cat got her, and will scratch your eyes out as well. You have lost Roparker. You will never see her again.”
Max was overcome with grief, and in his despair he threw himself from the tower. He survived the fall but the thorns into which he fell robbed him of his sight.
He knew he could heal his sight but without Elizabeth to look upon he found no reason to. So, he wandered aimlessly about in the forest, eating nothing but leaves and berries. He cursed himself for without Elizabeth he had no desire to live, yet he could not find the strength to deny his body’s cravings and let himself die.
He did nothing but weep and wail over the loss of his beloved wife. He prayed that without his sight he might eat poisonous leaves or berries that he might fall sick and die. And though through the many months of wandering he fell sick many times death still eluded him.
Finally by chance Max happened into the wilderness where Elizabeth lived miserably with their twins and he heard her voice and thought it was familiar. Hope began to surge within him for the first time in nearly a year as he advanced toward it.
When Elizabeth saw him she recognized him immediately, and crying tears of joy she threw her arms around his neck. She gazed into his sightless eyes and became one with him once again. Deep in their connection she used their combined powers to restore his sight as well as to heal the cuts, scrapes, and bruises he had left untreated.
Max led his family back to his kingdom, where they were received with joy, and lived happily ever after.
The End