However, Gothel's pet ferret Otto, who had followed Rapunzel, informs his mistress of Rapunzel meeting a man. Rapunzel hurries off without learning Stefan's name to avoid Gothel discovering her disappearance.
He tells her the trap was set by King Wilhelm, the ruler of an opposing kingdom who has an ongoing feud with Stefan's father, King Frederick. Outside the castle Rapunzel saves Princess Katrina from a pit trap with the help of her older brother, Prince Stefan. Rapunzel follows it, leading to the kingdom outside. Penelope also discovers a tunnel underneath the floor. One day, Rapunzel and her friends inadvertently open a secret passage to the basement where Rapunzel finds a gift from her birth-parents: a silver hairbrush engraved with a message affirming their love for Rapunzel this leads Rapunzel to question Gothel's claims of her abandonment.
She spends her time painting pictures of places she dreams of going when she is free one day Gothel disapproves of this, accusing Rapunzel of being ungrateful to the witch for supposedly saving her from abandonment as a baby. She finds companionship in Penelope, a young dragon and Hobie, an anxious rabbit.
Rapunzel is a young woman with long, floor-length hair who lives as a servant to the wicked witch Gothel, residing in a magically secluded manor in the woods. The story is told by Barbie to her younger sister, Kelly, who is insecure in her painting abilities.