Rapunzel
Once upon a time, there lived a husband and wife. They happened to live next to a witch. It wasn't the best place for a married couple to live, but they had gotten a good deal on their home.
The witch was a cruel woman, with dark hair and dark eyes. Her name was Cassandra and she was very proud of her garden.
The wife of the married couple grew pregnant. And with her pregnancy came cravings. She begged her husband to bring her rapunzel, a vegetable that was good in salads. It just so happened that there was row after row of rapunzel in the witch's garden.
The husband snuck into Cassandra's garden and snatched some of her rapunzel. And the wife ate it and enjoyed it a great deal. So much so that she asked her husband to go back to the garden again and again.
Eventually the witch caught the husband. "You fool!" she cried, her hand gripping his wrist. "Since you and your wife are so fond of my vegetables, I will take something of yours! Your wife is pregnant, is she not?"
The husband nodded.
"Very well! I will take your first born and raise it myself!"
The husband returned home and told his wife of what had happened. There was nothing they could do, and when their son was born, Cassandra came and took him away. "I shall call him Duncan," she told the parents. "For his parents were such dunces!"
The witch raised Duncan as if he was her own. But when he reached the age of sixteen, Cassandra proclaimed, "You've become the most handsome man in the world! I can't bear to look at you!"
She imprisoned Duncan in a tall, isolated tower with only one way in. When Cassandra wanted to see Duncan, she stood at the base of the tower and called out, "Duncan! Duncan! Let down your hair!"
And he would walk over to the window and let his long, lustrous raven-coloured locks of hair. The witch would climb up using his hair and check on Duncan. Satisfied that he continued to live his life of solitude, she would leave.
Having very little to do to pass the time, Duncan taught himself the art of swordfighting.
One day, a handsome prince named Methos happened to pass by. He heard the sounds of clanking metal and grunting coming from the tower and he was intrigued. But he saw no way to get up into the tower.
Prince Methos hid out in a nearby bush to see if he could figure out what was going on. He lucked out, as Cassandra soon appeared. "Duncan! Duncan!" she called. "Let down your hair!"
Methos's eyes widened as he watched the witch climb up the hair that dangled from the window. He vowed to try it himself. Soon after the witch left, Methos went to the base of the tower and called out, "Duncan! Duncan! Let down your hair!"
Methos climbed up and was surprised to discover that it was a man in the tower room. Albeit a very handsome man. Duncan was quite frightened. But he soon got over that.
Duncan and the prince fell in love and Methos began to visit every night.
And when the witch visited next, she caught on to what was going on, for Duncan was still na?ve.
"I don't understand it," he said. "Why does it hurt when I sit down?"
Cassandra was furious. "You fool! I thought you were safe up here but I was wrong!"
She conjured up a pair of shears and cut Duncan's hair off, leaving him with a very short hairdo. It was surprisingly flattering on him.
The witch shoved Duncan out of the window, but unbeknownst to both of them, Duncan was an Immortal. He was grievously injured by the fall, and died. While he was dead, Methos returned.
Once again he called out, "Duncan! Duncan! Let down your hair!"
The witch let down Duncan's hair, and when Methos climbed up into the tower, Cassandra was waiting for him. "I know you like to watch my Duncan practice with his sword. I'm not bad with a blade myself!" Saying this, she challenged the prince to a duel.
Prince Methos quickly killed the witch by cutting off her head. One couldn't be too careful.
Methos looked around the room of the tower and wept, for Duncan could not be found. Some of Methos's tears fell from the tower and onto Duncan's body as he came back to life.
Duncan called out Methos's name. The prince blinked, not believing his ears. He looked out of the window of the tower and saw Duncan, alive, below.
The two lovers were joyously reunited. Prince Methos returned to his kingdom with Duncan, where they were wed and the two of them lived forever happily ever after.