"The Girl in the Tower" is the fifth episode of RWBY: Fairy Tales and adapts the fairy tale The Girl in the Tower from the book RWBY: Fairy Tales of Remnant. It premiered on the Rooster Teeth website for First members on November 27th, 2021, and on November 28th, 2021 for the public. It was later rereleased on the Rooster Teeth Animation channel on May 20th, 2023. It is also included on the Volume 9 Bluray release on October 3rd, 2023.
Summary[]
The story begins with Ozpin narrating about a girl being locked in a tower by her cruel father. Her father used to be kind, but changed after losing his wife in childbirth and became obsessive over keeping her safe. Throughout her life, the girl would be visited by her father, but he only gave her possessions instead of love and made her realize how he didn't truly love her as a person.
One day, her nanny gave her books to read about the outside world since she couldn't leave due to a magical barrier that surrounded her tower. After reading them all, the girl began to feel entitled to a life of adventure and threw one of her books outside of her tower's window. When she noticed it managed to get past the barrier however, she came up with he idea to ask her father for a pen and paper so she could write about her own situation and convince someone to save her.
While she managed to convince a great number of people to help her, most of them were killed by her father and his army when they tried to rescue her. After seeing how many people were getting killed because of her, the girl was saddened. One day however, a hero took down the girl's father and rescued her while stating that he only did it to right a wrong. Following her rescue, the girl asked what they should do now with the hero telling her whatever she wants.
Ozpin notes that this fairy tale is unique in Remnant since it ends with a happily ever after. However, he narrates that despite this story having one, not every story has a happily ever after.
Transcript[]
The episode opens with a storybook, showing a Kingdom in ruins.
Ozpin: (narrating) A long, long time ago, a beautiful girl was locked in a tower by her cruel father.
The scene transitions to the same Kingdom before it was in ruins.
Ozpin: (narrating) He was not always that way, but when her mother died in childbirth, it devastated him.
The storybook shows the king and his wife, then a king mourning his wife's death. The next scene shows a handmaiden holding the king's newborn child before the king.
Salem's Father: Get out!
The handmaiden places the newborn child in the crib. The scene shows the infant in the tower of the castle.
Ozpin: (narrating) He vowed he would never lose his daughter. So he locked her away.
Young Salem: Father, why won't you let me leave this tower?
Salem, as a child, is holding her nanny's hand. Salem becomes happy to see her father. Salem walks to her father with her arms open, wanting her father to give her a hug, instead he gives Salem a teddy bear.
Salem's Father: My darling, you are my most precious possession.
Salem watches her father leave and looks down to the floor, crying.
Salem's Father: I am protecting you from everything outside that could harm you.
Salem is playing with some blocks until she hears the door open. Salem becomes happy but she sees some servants carrying some items to her room.
Young Salem: But I'll be careful, I promise.
Her father places his hand on her head. Salem watches her father leave. Salem becomes unhappy, all by herself with gifts. The door is shut closed.
Salem's Father: This was your mother's favorite tower. She loved gazing out this very window. Why would you want to leave it?
Salem, now an adolescent, gazes out from the window. She places her hand across the window, but it gets zapped by a magic force field. Salem quickly pulls her hand away.
Salem: I just wish I knew what life was like outside this room.
Salem hears the door open and turns to find her nanny carrying books. The nanny walks toward the desk and places the books on it.
Salem's Nanny: Since you cannot go out into the world, perhaps these will bring the world to you.
Salem takes one of the books and indulges in reading. Salem read every book from time to time until she finishes reading a green book. She flumps to her bed.
Salem: The world in these books, what a marvelous place. (sighs) Tomorrow I'll be 16 and I have never even stepped outside.
Salem angrily throws the book outside the window. Then she notices the book pass through the force field.
Salem: Huh.
The scene transitons to gifts given for Salem. Salem hears the door open and finds her father enter.
Salem: Thank you, dearest father, for these wonderful gifts.
Salem's Father: Anything for my daughter on her 16th birthday.
Salem: There is one thing I still desire.
Salem's Father: What is that, my darling?
Salem: Pen and paper, that is all. I have read every book in this castle, and now there are none left. I would like to write my own stories.
Salem's Father: Hmm. It shall be yours. I hope you will read these stories to me.
Salem: Of course, father.
The scene cuts to Salem writing her story.
Salem: (narrating) Once there lived a beautiful maiden, locked in a high tower by her cruel Lord father. She longed to experience the world outside, but she was his prisoner. (Salem finishes writing her story, and fold it into a paper bird. She flew the paper bird outside her tower. After watching it go, Salem continues writing the same story.) If only some brave, strong warrior would defeat the evil Lord and free her at last. They would marry, inherit all of the father's riches and live happily ever after.
As she writes the same story of her being imprisoned in a tower by her father, she sent many paper birds outside of her tower. Every warrior receives one and read Salem's story.
Ozpin: (narrating) Just as she planned, the story of the girl's tragic circumstances spread far and wide.
The warriors, armed with weapons, approach the Kingdom.
Ozpin: (narrating) And then the Lord's worst nightmare came true.
The warriors confront the army standing in front of them, before charging. The gates of the Kingdom then open, revealing Salem's father standing at his throne with his staff. He brandishes his staff, and incinerates them with his magic.
Ozpin: (narrating) One warrior after another arrived to challenge his might, and steal the girl away from him. Many tried, and just as many fell to the Lord's powerful evil magic.
Salem goes to her window to see, but she becomes horrified to see every fallen warrior perish by her father's magic. The scene cuts to a paper bird lying on the desk.
Ozpin: (narrating) Until one day, a brave new challenger came.
The scene transitions to the same paper bird in a hand of a warrior named Ozma, who read Salem's story and goes on his way to the Kingdom.
Ozpin: (narrating) This hero, armed with his own powerful magic, at last defeated the cruel Lord.
The scene shows Ozma battling Salem's father, reflecting his energy blast and killing him. The scene cuts to Ozma running up the stairs and freeing Salem from her now former tower. Ozma and Salem join forces as they defeat her father's army with their magic, one by one. The scene later cuts to Salem and Ozma walking.
Ozpin: (narrating) "You have rescued me from this castle," the girl said, "so it's now yours."
Salem and Ozma hold each other's hands.
Ozpin: (narrating) "I only came to right a terrible wrong," the hero said. "You rescued yourself."
Both Salem and Ozma then continue their new journey.
Ozpin: (narrating) "Where should we go now?" "Wherever you like. You were the one who has yet to see the world."
The scene turns to a page of a potrait of Salem.
Ozpin: (narrating) And here we are, at the end. This fairy tale is unique on Remnant, in that the protagonist writes her own story.
The scene flips to a page of Salem in the present day,
Ozpin: And her own ending.
The pages flip some more until Ozpin closes the book.
Ozpin: Storytellers hold great power over their audiences. The girl in the tower used her power and led many warriors to their deaths. We must read with some skepticism and decide the truth for ourselves. Because in real life, there is no happily ever after.
Characters[]
- Ozpin (Narrator)
- Salem (Narrator)
- Salem's Father
- Salem's Nanny
- Ozma
Trivia[]
- Both Ozpin's ending line and the episode quote reference how the ending of the story led to Salem becoming a villain.
- Ozma's eyes are green instead of dark brown like in "The Lost Fable".
- There are major differences betweens the book and show version of the story:
- The origin on how Salem's parents met is cut.
- Salem's father cruelty towards his staff and people are not shown.
Image Gallery[]
- Main article: The Girl in the Tower/Image Gallery
Video[]
RWBY Fairy Tales- The Girl In The Tower
| RWBY: Fairy Tales | ||
|