Beneath the Golden Braid: A Medieval Tale of Forbidden Love, Stolen Innocence, and a Mother's Reckoning (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9798286934027)

In a time of kings and ancient rites, Eleanor, a woman renowned for her beauty, finds joy in her new marriage and impending motherhood. But the King's ancient claim of prima nocta shatters her world, leaving her husband grappling with an unbearable humiliation. When the barren Queen, desperate for an heir, orchestrates the unthinkable, Eleanor's newborn is stolen, destined to be raised as a princess within the castle walls.

Plunged into the depths of despair by the loss of both her child and her beloved husband, Eleanor's once-famed beauty fades, replaced by a consuming grief. Yet, from this darkness, a fierce determination sparks. She will reclaim what is hers. So begins a perilous life in hiding, a mother's desperate love pitting her against a kingdom-wide hunt, as whispers of a witch and a stolen princess echo through the land.

Years pass, and a magnificent tower rises, a testament to a mother's longing to grant her daughter a glimpse of the world. From its window, a forbidden love blossoms between a girl and a boy below. But when word of the golden-haired beauty reaches the King, the past comes crashing down. In a climactic struggle for her daughter's freedom, Eleanor makes the ultimate sacrifice.

Now, returned to the opulent world of her supposed royal father, Rapunzel grapples with a truth only she knows: the woman who raised her was no witch, but a mother who found her happiness again in their precious, stolen years. Forced to choose between duty to a kingdom and the defiant call of her heart, Rapunzel stands on the precipice of a decision that will shape her destiny forever.