"I am very ill," the witch moaned.
Rapunzel scowled.
"You are sick from using too much magic!"
The witch tried to sit up.
"That rotten prince ruined everything!"
"No," Rapunzel said. "You ruined everything.
You hurt the prince with your awful spell.
And you stole me from my family."
The witch looked away. "I had a daughter.
But she died when she was ten.
I was sad and lonely.
I wanted a family again."
The witch sniffed.
"I thought you could be my daughter.
I was going to keep you with me forever.
But then that prince found you!"
The witch lay back down.
"Please, Rapunzel, help me," she begged.
Rapunzel thought for a moment.
"I will heal you," she said.
"But you must make me a promise."
"What?" the witch croaked.
"You must let me go home," Rapunzel said.
The witch was silent.
Rapunzel spun around. "Good-bye!"
"Fine," the witch said. "You may go home!"
"Good." Rapunzel came back.
She took out her healing potions.
She dripped drops into the witch's mouth.
She rubbed lotion onto the witch's skin.
Slowly the witch sat up.
"You are free now, so go home."
Rapunzel quickly spun away from the witch.
She never wanted to see the evil woman again!
Rapunzel ran off into the forest.
She heard the witch laugh loudly.
"Good luck finding the prince . . .
If he's still alive!"
Rapunzel gasped. "I must hurry!"
She called for the prince.
But no one answered.
She searched the woods for hours.
The prince was nowhere to be found.
Rapunzel's legs and feet ached.
She wanted to keep searching.
But she was too tired to move further.