The King and the Thugs
A/N: The return of Rapunzel, with her kidnapper and new found accomplices still at large, leaves the king with the thorny issue of capturing them with minimal violence and bloodshed as he did not wish to tarnish the upcoming homecoming celebration; vis-a-vis bStormhands.
A/N #2: This story, a standalone two-shot (as of now) as well as a component of the much larger Tangled Up in You, Version 2 franchise, centers around King William's addition of powerful allies, in the form of the Pub Thugs, to his service. So, without further ado, and in celebration of my 4.00 GPA going into my final MBA course...
Chapter 1: The King Enlists some Dreamers
Something was up in the wonderful coastal community of the Royal Kingdom of Corona-by-the-Sea. Of this, there was no doubt. Even two days after the princess' birthday celebration, and in the complete absence of any firm word from either the palace or the village grapevines, the silence of each deafening, the rumors fomented and grew ever more outlandish to the extreme.
So what fueled the explosion of these remarkable, and completely inaccurate rumors? Three items; two seemingly connected, the third completely unexpected. First, the wonderful drawing of the sun in the main square. The drawing that no one, for the life of them, could remember having seen the artist as it was being drawn. One moment the square was plain and ordinary; the next, the wonderful drawing appeared. The very drawing the King and Queen had commissioned to be replicated in a mosaic to ensure it would survive and endure for ages. Second, the wondrous golden glows that appeared to explode from nowhere and everywhere after the lanterns had flown and had the entire kingdom, save three, trying to top the previously uttered tale.
Finally, the unexpected flooding of the Royal Guard Headquarters with perhaps every single valuable and one of a kind item that had gone missing over the past ten years. Additionally, bags and bags of gold and silver coins; of perhaps every possible denomination and kingdom of origin also found their way into the Royal Guard Headquarters; each properly identified with its owner and a current address. Yes, the Royal Guard had the unenviable responsibility of distributing these items to their quite shocked and flabbergasted long lost owners. Thus, the rumors began:
"Did you hear?!"
"Hear what?"
"The sun visited the Royal family!"
"No it did not! Another drop of sunlight landed within the Royal Compound!"
"How can you be so sure? The first drop of sunlight was small, unremarkable, and remained hidden for so long that it faded into legend."
"That drop landed over five centuries earlier! I am just so sure that it was but another drop of sunlight, ok?"
"I still think it was the sun, itself! I guess we can agree to disagree..."
"Fair enough. I am sure we will know soon enough."
"You know what is even more remarkable?"
"What is that?"
"The recovery of every single lost, or stolen, item. It is as if the Sun itself recreated in perfect form every single lost item; from the simplest doll lost by a small child to the most intricate piece of jewelry."
"That is what all those bags contained that the Royal Guard were busy dispensing…?"
And on and on the rumors flew.
Each rumor, more outlandish, extreme and completely unbelievable than the previous, did nothing to quell the curiosity of the people. If anything, it fueled their continued growth. So remarkable and outlandish were the tales circulating through the village that at no time did anyone even think to connect the events of that night with the return of the Lost Princess. They also certainly did not consider that Flynn Rider was safely housed within the royal Apartments, that perhaps every single stolen item ever taken within and outside Corona was at that time being returned to its rightful owner with substantial interest in the form of gold and silver bullion, or that the Royal family knew of Flynn's true identity.
The King therefore, after two glorious evenings with his newly recovered daughter and, it would be later said, her only recognized suitor, Eugene Fitzherbert (of Avandell), decided that it was time to enlist some dreamers into his Royal service as he knew that now was the time to add them as he could not help but remember the joy their story brought to his daughter's face.
Two Days Previous…
He even took me the Snuggly Duckling...," Rapunzel stated, smiling happily, remembering the memory.
"HE DID WHAT!?" The king exclaimed, glaring at Eugene with a look that could melt the strongest steel alloys.
"Where she charmed the place in about five seconds," Eugene quickly added, quite embarrassed; grateful that William appeared at least a little mollified.
"Oh, d-daddy, it was wonderful experience. I had never been in such a fascinating place. Those nice men had unfulfilled dreams, too; dreams that we sung a little song to." Rapunzel said, smiling at the memory of just the day previous.
"They do?!" Catherine asked, quite surprised, as she looked instinctively to Eugene and saw him nodding in agreement.
"Yes. Yes, they do."
"What sort of dreams, Rapunzel?" William asked, truly interested as he could easily see the spark in Rapunzel's bright and expressive emerald eyes.
"Well, Hookhand wants to be a concert pianist." Rapunzel replied.
"Really?" William asked, surprised.
"Yes. I know you would think that a man with a hook for a hand would not be able to play, but he is quite wonderful."
"Well, we will have to request his audience, won't we?" Catherine replied, bringing a happy smile to her new found daughter's flawless features.
"I am sure he will be quite humbled." Rapunzel replied, an even larger smile on her face.
"What other dreams do they have?" William asked, his sincere interest plainly visible.
"Well, Big Nose seeks true love…" Rapunzel replied as she looked at her smiling father's features.
"Vladimir enjoys collecting ceramic unicorns…" Eugene said.
"Tor is quite the green thumb…" Rapunzel continued.
"Gunter seeks to be an interior designer…" Eugene replied.
"…and Attila seeks to be a baker. They all have so many dreams…" Rapunzel sighed; she herself thinking of her new dream.
"Yes. I am set to see that they achieve them, too." The king remarked, suddenly remembering to request their audience within the next few days to discuss it as he was quite sure that they too had skills to aid the kingdom.
"Anyway, I convinced them to help us, and they showed us a secret passage that allowed us to elude the Royal Guards chasing Eugene, and let out at the dam."
The Present…
Thus, William called for Rupert and Amanda to recruit them into Royal Service…
The ever capable pair of Rupert and Amanda waited patiently for King William to arrive. They already knew their mission.
"Ah, good morning." King William responded as he turned the corner and saw the young pair waiting for him.
"That it is, your highness. We are ready to enlist our dreamers into your service." Rupert stated as he easily sensed the scope of their mission.
"Very good. Of paramount importance is that no one see them enter the palace grounds."
"No problem, I know the perfect trick to use." An ever confident Amanda remarked.
"I am sure you do. Please just do not scare them too much, if you please."
"When have you ever known me to scare anybody?" A modest Amanda remarked.
"Well…"
Meanwhile, a short European Swallow flight away, the Thugs; oops, I mean the dreamers, were still talking about the strange girl with the long blonde hair that had brought out their deepest hopes and dreams.
So distracted were they that they did not noticed that two interlopers were watching their every move and biding their time to make their presence known at the right time.
"Do you think she fulfilled her dream to see the lanterns? And, where do you think she is now?" Big Nose, ever the dreamer asked.
"I hope so. She is such a wonderful girl. Did you see the look on Flynn's face?" Hook Hand said.
"So, after all the excitement of the day before, what do you think...?" Attila began.
"...that glow was on the evening of the Lantern Ceremony? And, may I please have a cupcake? I hear they come highly recommended. Thank you." The calm but imposing looking Amanda stated as she came into view, and took a freshly baked cupcake from the tray in Attila's hands.
Hook Hand began to grab for his battle axe strapped to his back, before inexplicably stopping as an equally, if not more so, imposing looking Rupert came into view and began gesturing to him to put his weapon down.
"Away with your weapon. You will not need it." Rupert stated with an unusual voice inflection and arm motion.
Hook Hand quickly complied, the need to follow the young man's order unbreakable. The others too, looking upon the two, dressed in all black and wearing the most unique of accouterments on what could only be described as uniforms, felt compelled to follow their instructions and to listen to what they had to say.
To a man, each of the dreamers who called the Snuggly Duckling their hangout, all felt the need to listen to and heed the words of the two strangers, all dressed in black and well-armed.
"Good day, gentlemen." Amanda stated.
"Um, good day. Aren't those the insignia of a colonel on your 'uniforms?" Hook Hand replied.
"Yes, yes they are. We are very important to the kingdom, and I am sure you are wondering what brings us to your wonderfully quaint little establishment, yes?" Amanda asked.
"Well, yes. Yes, you could say that." Big Nose stated.
"It is really quite simple." Rupert replied.
"What is?" Vladimir asked.
"It is on good authority that each of you have skills that will prove most beneficial and helpful to the kingdom. As such, King William requests an audience with each of you.
"On good authority?" Hook Hand asked.
"Why, yes. Very good authority." Rupert confirmed.
"Whose authority? If I may be so bold to ask." Big Nose replied.
"Well, I cannot tell here. But, if you are agreeable to meeting with their Royal Highnesses, I guarantee that you shall not be disappointed." Amanda replied.
"Um, I do not know about the others, but I guess I can fit a royal audience into my busy schedule." A grinning Hook Hand replied.
"How about the rest of you?" A smiling Rupert asked.
Upon seeing the nods of agreement from the others, Amanda and Rupert grasped the others' hand and counted to three before snapping their fingers. The group suddenly disappeared from sight leaving poor Shorty, who happened to be five ales short of a keg, wondering where they had gone.
The group struggled to remain upright as they suddenly emerged out of a blinding cloud of…; well, something.
The sight they beheld shocked each and every one of them.
A/N #3: Please review. Reviews make me happy!