The boat was swaying gently in the breeze as Flynn, or rather Eugene, rested his elbows on the wood, waiting for the lanterns to begin to rise. His words echoed in her mind, and she found herself silently repeating them to herself over and over again until the words didn't make sense to her anymore.
"You can go find a new dream."
A new dream? she wondered to herself. She didn't even know where to begin with that, how to even start. Her dream for years and years had been to see these lanterns, to even start to know what they were, why they were, how they floated, where they came from. Her questions, yes, had all been answered, the experience of seeing them soon to be realized, and all she can do is think... what on earth would her new dream be?
Dreams were important, she knew. Dreams kept people moving, invited them to do new things, to invent and create and paint and imagine. Dreams helped her through the days she spent in her tower with her mother, and though Gothel didn't approve of her dreams, it didn't stop her from keeping them real. It didn't stop her from hoping that maybe, somehow, if she wished hard enough and long enough, someday her dreams would come true.
Now here she was, sitting in a boat with a man who may or may not like her and Pascal, her hair pulled beautifully up with flowers in it, waiting for her dreams to come true. It had been a long wait, but still, even with the weight of the crown under the seat of the boat pressing down on her conscience, nothing would be able to ruin this night. She ran her fingers over her hair, and a few of the flowers tumbled out behind her, loosened from her day's activities. "Eugene," she said with a smile, and he turned to her. She admired the way his chocolate colored hair brushed against the side of his face, the hazel of his eyes still shining in the lamplight from the boats not too far off.
"Yeah?" he questioned when she didn't speak for a moment. She turned around, picking the flowers from the bench, and cupped them in her hands.
"Can you hold these for me?" Without hesitation, without a second thought, he held out one of his hands, and she carefully placed the blossoms upon his palm, her fingers tingling where she grazed his skin. She picked up one of the larger white blossoms, a daisy, and placed it delicately in the water, watching it bob before her. She smiled at how beautiful the sight was, and picked another out, placing it in the water beside it.
Eugene didn't question her, didn't ask, just watched her quietly, as she worked. For some reason, she liked that. Liked that he appreciated what she did without having to question what it was exactly she was doing, the way her mother always did. Her heart swelled at the thought of it, that he was here beside her, and she knew, for a fact, without a doubt that he would not run away. She wasn't scared now, to give him the crown. She watched him watch her, and picked another flower from his palm to give herself an excuse to see his face for a mere moment.
She needed a new dream, and she found him.
AN: Got this plot bunny in my head, because they really didn't cap on the flower sequence before the lanterns began. I really thought it was a touching scene. It's short, but I think it's perfect that way.