Belladonna

“	No, I thought...I don't want to be alone.	”
—Belladonna, Ballad of Rapunzel

Belladonna is a major character, and the main antagonist, of the seventh Dark Parables game, Ballad of Rapunzel.

The Guardian of the Deadly Nightbloom, she resided in the now abandoned Kingdom of Floralia with her half-sister, the fabled Princess Rapunzel, whose singing voice she used to spread the deadly pollen of the Nightbloom.

Belladonna is loosely based off the German fairy tale Rapunzel and Beatrice from Nathaniel Hawthorne's story, Rappaccini's Daughter.

Appearance and Personality[]

Belladonna is a young girl with long black hair, pale skin, and red eyes. She wears a black, knee-length dress over a red slip dress, black tights, and black shoes. She wears a Nightbloom in her hair and is frequently shown carrying one of her plush bunnies.

Belladonna is a lonely and insecure child due to her being sealed off in a tower since she was very young. Her only visitors were her half-sister Rapunzel, Mother Gothel, the latter using the girl for her own nefarious purposes, and her father, though she was unaware of his secret visits. It was Belladonna's crippling fear of being entirely alone that led her to use Rapunzel and her singing voice to try to end the world. When she's not killing people, she loves bunnies, tea parties, and other things young girls her age might like.

History[]

Belladonna is the daughter of King Crisanto of Floralia and his second wife, Queen Melanie. The Queen was a solemn woman who desired to be as loved by the Floralian people as her predecessor, Queen Violante, had been. When she became pregnant, she turned to her advisor, Mother Gothel, for help. Mother Gothel gave the Queen a cursed flower potion to consume, and so the baby was cursed with the powers of the Nightbloom, a poisonous flower thought to be extinct in the Kingdom.

It wasn't long before the young Princess, Belladonna, accidentally killed one of her servants by scratching the woman with her poisonous fingernails. The wounds bled profusely and wouldn't stop. The servant died shortly after, in terrible agony, and was buried in a secret grave in the cemetery.

Melanie was wracked with anger and guilt over what had become of her child. She did her best to take care of Belladonna and to keep the news of her condition from reaching beyond the castle, but word eventually spread, as did Melanie's own negative feelings. She began to go mad, and died soon after. Her spirit still haunts Floralia to this day, moaning and shrieking about everything being Mother Gothel's fault.

Knowing that she would later pose a threat to the Kingdom, the King of Floralia initially planned to take his youngest daughter's life. However, he later decided to find another solution. Shortly after Queen Melanie's death, the tower that would become Belladonna's home was built. Her father, King Crisanto, had tried in vain to find a cure for his daughter's curse, but all for naught. Not knowing what else to do to keep his Kingdom and his daughter safe, he locked Belladonna away in the tower. Servants came and went through a secret portal, bringing the young Princess food, clothing, and toys.

The King still looked for a cure, but none was forthcoming. He would visit his daughter in secret, watching her play without letting her know that he was there, for fear of the danger she posed to all mortals who came near. Thankfully, the King's other daughter (and Belladonna's half-sister) was rebellious and determined to see her little sister. Rapunzel snuck into the tower regularly to see her, and was immune to Belladonna's life sapping powers.

Thus Belladonna grew up, sad and lonely, adored from afar by her father and visited regularly by her half-sister and Mother Gothel, the same woman responsible for her condition. While Rapunzel gave her love and joy, Mother Gothel gave her nothing but anger and evil plans. Still, Rapunzel's pull on her was stronger, and Belladonna remained good.

Then came a day when Belladonna found out her sister had met and gotten engaged to a handsome Prince, Ross Red. Belladonna immediately hated the "Fire Prince" who sought to steal away her beloved Rapunzel. She turned to Mother Gothel to help her keep Rapunzel with her, and obtained the Tiara of Reverie from her. Bella knew it was wrong and felt bad for doing it, but she gave the tiara to Rapunzel and watched her put it on.

From that point, Belladonna had full control over her sister and Rapunzel's powers. She used Rapunzel's singing voice to spur the Nightblooms in the Kingdom to release their deadly pollen, driving away all of the people in Floralia and ultimately killing her own father. She used an army of Mother Gothel's Plant Monsters to help her in her efforts to destroy the world.

Thankfully, Belladonna's evil plans were stopped by the efforts of Ross Red and the Fairytale Detective. In anger, Bella attacked the "Fire Prince" she hated so much, nearly killing him. He was saved by Rapunzel's tears, shed over the loss of him and all of the pain and suffering her sister had made her play a hand in.

Rapunzel and Belladonna reconciled, and Belladonna admitted she'd done everything out of fear of being alone. Rapunzel swore to her little sister that she would never be alone and that she would always be with her. Ross, Rapunzel and Belladonna planned to go somewhere safe and secluded, where Ross could heal from his injuries and Rapunzel could help Belladonna learn to control her powers.

The absence of both Princesses from the fallen Kingdom of Floralia was the final straw in the weakening of the Goddess Flora, rendering her into a child's form. This allowed Mother Gothel to curse her and attempt to imprison her. Thankfully, this plot was foiled, but Belladonna's return to Floralia is likely needed in order for Flora to regain her full power.

Belladonna has yet to make a reappearance in the Dark Parables series, but the Fairytale Detective has mentioned that she hopes Rapunzel is still helping her sister to keep her powers under control.

Powers and Abilities[]

Immortality: Belladonna was chosen by the Goddess Flora to be the Guardian of the deadly Nightbloom (also known as Nightshade). Like all the other Guardians, Belladonna has eternal life and youth.
Deadly Touch: Belladonna's touch is deadly - she can instantly kill someone with a mere touch or scratch of her nails. Only Rapunzel is immune due to her life-giving powers.
Control Over Rapunzel (formerly): Using Mother Gothel's Tiara of Reverie, Belladonna was able to control her sister Rapunzel entirely, enabling her to use her life-giving powers (along with Mother Gothel's clandestine laboratory experiments) to create sentient Plant Monsters. She lost this ability when Ross Red burned the Tiara.
Control Over Nightblooms and Plant Monsters: Belladonna is able to control the monstrosities she creates, using them to attack anyone who stands in her way and using the pollen from the Nightblooms to take over Floralia and beyond.

Relationships[]

King Crisanto (father, deceased)
Queen Melanie (mother, deceased)
Rapunzel (elder half-sister)
Ross Red (future brother-in-law)
Mother Gothel (nurse/enemy, fate unknown)
Fairytale Detective (former enemy)
Belladonna's Servant (accidental victim, deceased)
Goddess Flora (patron goddess)
First King of Floralia (ancestor, deceased)

Relevant Parables[]

The Sisters of Dark and Light (from Ballad of Rapunzel)

Once, there was a widowed King. Though he had a daughter, the King was lonely and took for himself another wife. Queen Melanie was a somber woman, yearning to win over the hearts of the people. The Queen's only trusted friend was a servant, Mother Gothel. When she became pregnant, Mother Gothel gave her a potion that, unbeknownst to Melanie, was made from a cursed dark flower. When Melanie's daughter, Belladonna, was born, she carried within her the wicked power of that flower. And those who Belladonna touched would fall deathly ill and perish. Belladonna was locked away in a tower and Melanie realized she had been deceived by the cruel servant. Guilt and despair drove her to madness and she died a bitter, angry woman. Forsaken, Belladonna's only savior was her half-sister, Rapunzel, who had been blessed with powers that could counter hers and would come to no harm with their proximity. The nature of their powers drew the two sister together. Belladonna's world centered entirely around Rapunzel, and she in turn, devoted herself to the little sister who relied solely on her.

Trivia[]

Belladonna's name means "beautiful woman" in Italian but is also the technical name of the deathly nightshade.
Belladonna's love of plush bunnies is perhaps a reflection of the fact that rabbits can eat the berries of the nightshade and suffer no harm from the poison.

Quotes[]

Quotes by Belladonna[]

"Sing for me, Rapunzel."
"Everyone is afraid of me." (from her diary)
"Listen to you go on and on ... don't waste your breath."
"Rapunzel belongs to me now."
"It's too late. All you can do is watch as I destroy the world. But don't worry, we'll be saving you for last."
" You, the fire prince, How dare you! I won't let you take Rapunzel away from me!"
"Rapunzel, help me!"
"Why is everyone always against me? What did I do that was so wrong?" (from Mirror of Inversion ending)
"I just want to be with Rapunzel!" (from Jewel of Repose ending)
"No, I thought...I don't want to be alone."

Quotes about Belladonna[]

"The tower was built to hide our dreadful Princess from the world." - unnamed servant
"I sense a troubled mind behind this mess." (observation by Fairytale Detective after seeing Belladonna's playroom)
"A child's frightened thoughts ... but there's a dark grimness to it." (observation by Fairytale Detective after reading Belladonna's diary)
"The accursed Princess was given the flower of death." - Fairytale Detective
"Rapunzel was given the gift of life, but Belladonna the gift of death." - King Crisanto