"Rapunzel, wait!" shouted Eugene, struggling to keep up with his overly energetic girlfriend. "Shouldn't we at least tell your parents where you're going?"

"There isn't time!" Rapunzel called back, making her way through the excited crowd toward the boats.

"Still, I think this is a bad idea…"

Rapunzel turned and waited for him to catch up. She looked at him, eyes wide and shiny. "Eugene," she said. "I know that technically I'm supposed to be celebrating with my parents and they'll be just a little worried and they'll probably – no, definitely – scold me later, but I already had dinner with them and I want to see the lanterns my way. I want this to be just like last year."

"Without all of the betrayal, attacks, getting sent to jail, and general confusion tacked onto the end."

She smiled. "Yeah."

He shouldn't have agreed, but he just couldn't refuse that face. It wasn't fair. She was immune to his smoldering but she could get whatever she wanted out of him without even trying to charm him!


He'd brought two lanterns, just like last year. They were alone, just like last year. Everything was perfect, just like last year.

They passed the time playing silly games like Hide and Seek with Pascal. After quite a long time, Rapunzel looked up worriedly. "Shouldn't they have started by now?"

"Maybe…"

Suddenly she hit herself on the forehead. "I'm so stupid!" she exclaimed. "They'll be looking for me; that's why they haven't started yet! We have to go back," she said to Eugene.

He started rowing. "Just for the record, I did tell you to tell them first."

"Shut up."

And so, Rapunzel's birthday plans were ruined, but at least there was an alternative that was just as good. And besides, it wasn't as if she'd never be able to see lanterns from the boats again.

"There's always next year."