A Tangled Valentine's Day

The village stores were getting ready for the next holiday, Valentine's Day. Hearts, flowers and candy were all stocked and ready in the stores. Heart wreaths decorated every window and door in the village.

It was something that all the villagers were excited about. This included the King and Queen and of course, Eugene and Rapunzel.

The King needed something special, something different this year. Eugene wanted to share his love for Rapunzel as this would be the first Valentine's Day as a married couple.

Flowers were an option, but there were allergies to worry about and candy, well, Rapunzel and the Queen were both watching their weight. And then there were the hearts, which wasn't a problem at all.

"We can do this," the King said to his new son in law.

"Sounds like a plan," Eugene agreed.

And both traveled into the village searching for that perfect gift. They happened on the Scrimshaw Whale, one of the finer jewelry shops in the village. The door burst open and Tobias, the shop's owner greeted the King and new Prince with open arms.

He showed them a necklace with a beautiful small ruby heart, which impressed both the King and Eugene. They quickly ordered two and Tobias just happened to have them waiting in the shop.

They also decided to take their wives to attend a private luncheon, just all four of them and present the presents there.

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Rapunzel and the Queen were both out walking in the gardens when a small dog owned by one of the courtiers ran in front of them. Rapunzel and the Queen were caught up in the excitement and tripped on some broken branches that had fallen. Both had sprained their ankles rather badly and were sent to the physician's quarters to recover.

It was going to take a few weeks before both Rapunzel and her mother to recover and were going to have to rest. Unfortunately, Valentine's Day fell in the middle of that rest so alternate plans were needed.

Eugene had come up with idea first and mentioned his plans to the King.

"Alright, here's my idea, "and he whispered it in the King's ear, which made him smile. And so they tested out the plan.

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Unaware that it was Valentine's Day, Rapunzel and the Queen were reading books in the sitting room when a knock came on the door. Cora, Rapunzel's Lady in Waiting, answered the knock and opened the door wide. A courier was standing there and handed each woman a small card with a small box attached.

Rapunzel and the Queen accepted both the cards and gifts, and then looked at one another. They both opened the boxes first to reveal the small necklaces with the tiny ruby heart. Next they opened up the envelopes which revealed handwritten notes that told them to "Look out the window."

With the aid of her Lady in Waiting, Rapunzel hobbled over to the narrow window and looked outside. Her face lit up with a smile as she turned and called her mother over.

There inside the garden, were the words "Happy Valentine's Day." Two red hearts were placed on either side of the message.

Rapunzel looked at her mother who had tears in her eyes. So they hadn't forgotten them after all.

But the women not to be outdone had presents of their own. Later on, they presented their husbands with Valentine cards that Rapunzel drew and painted herself.

After that, every Valentine's Day the King and Eugene had the same special message written in the garden. Every year, the Queen and her daughter present the original cards to their husbands, which they saved from all those years ago. They are placed on the mantelpiece for all to see.

The Queen and Rapunzel have never taken off those special necklaces.

It was a very special Valentine's Day, one that would never be forgotten.