Their daughter had been returned to them, after 18 years of waiting and just hoping that she would come back safely, she had.
The King, a man of very few words but a good ruler nonetheless though couldn't help but ponder at the situation. Their daughter had blonde hair when she was born, beautiful golden locks that fell softly down to her waist, yet here she was with a short brown pixie cut and a wanted theif practically attached to her side.
The Queen knew that Rapunzel was her daughter, no doubt in her mind this young woman was the small child she had held in her arms and looked into the beautiful identical emerald orbs.
King William was standing by the window gazing out at his lovely kingdom that basked in the golden sunshine and was surrounded by an outstanding body of water. People were happily dancing outside and rejoicing still at the fact the princess had been returned, nearly a week ago.
Queen Allisandra was watching her husband carefully as his blue eyes watched the happy people, and a look of sadness overcame his face. Sighing she placed the book she had been reading on her lap, and folded her pale hands on top of her violet dress.
"What is it that you don't believe, my dear?" She asked quietly startling her husband out of his thoughts and making him face her. She stood up and walked over to him reaching up and patting his cheek with her hand. He smiled at her touch but there was still a troubled look in his eyes.
"I just...I just can't bring myself to believe that she's back after all these years with the famous Flynn Rider nonetheless!" William mumbled through his greying beard and looked down almost ashamed.
Allisandra just smiled at him and coaxed his chin up with her hand,
she had expected he felt this way, but she couldn't bring herself to even think that Rapunzel was not her little girl, because there is just some things that Mothers know.
"I figured you felt like that but dear, if you would just go talk to her you would see how much she is like you and me, now the Flynn Rider part..." The Queen smirked at the name and fought the urge to roll her eyes at the name of the young man who was in love with her daughter, he was quite the character," he really is just head over his heels for our girl...give him a chance."
The King took her hand into his and smiled gently at his petite wife, her green eyes sparkled knowingly and he knew that what she said was true.
"I'll go talk to her," Allisandra smiled as her husband strood what seemed confidently from the room, but she knew better.
Nearing the sitting room beside her bedroom he began to her voices, one deep male one and the other a light feminine one.
"Eugene hold still!" William could here Rapunzel say frusterated yet playfully, coming to the door he stopped to listen.
"Listen Blondie, It's difficult to stay in the same position for 3 hours! And I have a problem..." He automatically recognized the voice of Flynn, from countless hours of courts involving him.
Their was a gentle playful hint to the man's voice that the King had never heard before, only the cocky overconfident lad that had seemed to stroll in and out of jail as if it were a vacation spot.
"What is this problem Eugene..." Rapunzel asked playfully, William peeked around the wooden door and nearly chuckled at the sight in front of him.
There she stood, hands on hips with a paintbrush in hand, green eyes sprakling with a bit of annoyance but ultimatly humor, brown hair was spiked in all directions but the likeness of the girl in front of him and his own wife was uncanny, how could he deny that?
Flynn Rider stood beside the window that poured sunlight into the single couch room bouncing from foot to foot as he looked for a way to answer the girl in front of him, the black vest was perfectly in place, so was his dark brown hair, so she was painting him?
"Well...ok I really have to go to the restroom! Come on Blondie it's been three hours!" Rapunzel's giggles echoed through the room as she pointed to the door and the ex-thief let out a relieved and sprinted from the room not even noticing the King standing there.
Chuckling the King entered the sitting room accidently making his daughter jump with fright. Her green eyes grew smaller and smaller as she realized it was just him, but there was an unease about her.
Did she realize how hard of a time he was having believing her?
"Good afternoon Rapunzel," William said quietly as he stood awkwardly at the entry, watching as she placed the paintbrush on the shelf beneath the easel.
"Good Afternoon...Father," She whispered playing with a strand of short hair and turning to tidy the little cups of paint sitting beside her, Rapunzel fumbled with a few but didn't spill anything, she was clumsy.
"What are you painting?" The King asked curiously looking at the painting on the easel, it wasn't what he had expected.
Flynn was no where in the picture, William figured that she had just needed someone to hold back the thick curtain that usually covered the window so that she could paint what was on the outside.
He must have been wiggling the curtain when she asked him to stand still.
The picture was of the forest outside of the kingdom, but the village down below was also included, tiny faces held bright smiles as they gazed at the view above them, latterns of all different pastels floated in the night sky dancing like fireflies in a slight summer breeze, their light giving off a signal and a sign of hope for anyone who looked at him.
The King was amazed, his daughter was talented just like her Mother had been. Allisandra had use to paint when they were younger and that had been one of the reason he had fallen in love with her, he had fallen in love with her artwork as well, but as time went on she found herself not enjoying it as much, but now their daughter enjoyed it?
"I know it's not very accurate but I wanted to include the latterns because they were so beautiful and they mean so much to me...and to you...and to the rest of the town...and this was original going to be a gift for welcoming me home...and...and..." Rapunzel was mumbling. The King stood shock evident on his face as she played with the ends of her short brown hair nervously and trailed on and on, but William didn't hear.
This was his daughter. No doubt in his mind this was his daughter!
She mumbled just like he did, and twirled and played with her hair just like her mother, the painting ability, the personality, that reflected his and his wife. How could he for one moment he have ever not believed that this young women standing in front of him was his daughter?
"It's lovely," Rapunzel stopped mumbling and looked up at her Father with her big emerald orbs.
"Really?" She asked with hope filling her voice, never in her life had she been complimented for her work, well besides from Eugene. Gothel had always told her to get her head out of the clouds and stop attempting to make a work of art.
"Really," Her Father's voice was so confident and so clear that there was no way she couldn't believe him.
Suddenly Rapunzel and her Father shared a tight embrace both smiling and both tearing up a bit.
Outside the room stood the Queen and Eugene Fitzherbert smiling at the scene unfolding in front of them. Now Happily Ever After could begin.
A/N#2: Review?