It had started with a drop of sun; constant reminders of which peeked over horizons and taunted Gothel with how close they were. Close, but not close enough. The rays could not be captured; basked in for but a moment, then passing by her as she remained every aging. Her hair was greying again, and wrinkles became more prominent. She didn't know how much longer she had. A decade? A few years? She had cheated death for over two centuries, and reminders of this taunted her with her exponentially and exceptionally fast aging process.
And, oh, it didn't have to be this way! The drop of sun lay in the princess, it shown through her hair and her soul, making her beloved by her parents, the townspeople, the birds and the bees, and causing them to hug her close, and keep her nearby. Gothel had been caught at the cradle almost 18 years prior, and barely escaped the guards. She had touched the child, grabbed a lock of her hair, but Rapunzel remained, evermore, the golden princess. If she had been quicker, quieter, if security was not as quick, she would've had Rapunzel up here with her in this cramped, bland tower, singing and keeping her ageless.
Gothel had been backed into a corner, trapped in every way. Leaving the tower was an act of desperation; she left only when food was absolutely needed, and stocked up for months. A gang of thieves, two redheads and a dark haired one, hid out nearby. They hadn't seen the tower, but if their bungalow was even twenty feet up the hill, she would be spotted. If they every ventured through the brush separating them, she would be spotted. She watched them through a telescope, and tried to chart their movements. When they were out on an errand, or sleeping off drunkedness, she'd consider it her only chance to step down the winding staircase in the center of her tower, and scuttle through, gathering and purchasing food.
But these journeys were getting harder, and she was getting older. She had been biding her time long enough, perhaps even too long. She would have to get her sun flower back very, very soon, or else she would surely perish. There had to be something that could be done!
So she got to thinking, and began to dream up and sketch out ideas for the greatest heist the kingdom had even seen.
…
"Guys, guys!" Flynn Rider laughed, putting up his hands. "This is going to be the greatest heist the kingdom has ever seen!"
"A necklace." The Stabbington brothers said in unison.
"Not just any necklace, the Princess' necklace! It will take finesse, cunning, charm-"
Ron huffed in derision. "She probably has thousands of necklaces. Now, the tiara-"
"We will get to that. Just let me get in, scope out the place." Flynn insisted.
"Oh no. I don't know what you're up to, Rider, but whenever you wanna go alone, that means something's up." John sneered.
"Hey now, don't give me the evil eye, Johnny."
"Do you think that's funny?" John adjusted his eyepatch, stepping forward aggressively.
"Not anymore!" Flynn held up his hands again. "Listen guys, I'll get in there, maybe get some good stuff, and scope out the scene. That's all."
"If you make me regret this," Ron stepped forward and grabbed Flynn's vest, balling it up in his fists. "You'll regret it."
He dropped Flynn back and the brothers skulked away, back to their bunker, while Flynn pretended this was just how he wanted things to go.
…
"Alright, Pascal! I've looked all over the castle, I know you've gotta be up here!" Rapunzel picked up her skirts and trotted upstairs, searching for the chameleon.
Pascal snickered, and bunched up in the corner above Rapunzel's bedroom door.
Rapunzel picked up vases and pictures. This game would be easier if the castle wasn't so big, but it wouldn't be nearly as much fun. They had been at it all morning, and Rapunzel was up, 3 to 1. She certainly wasn't about to give Pascal a chance to close the gap.
"Ah-ha!" she yelled, snatching back a tapestry. "Hmph!" she huffed, letting it fall back to the wall.
She turned to face her bedroom, and scanned the area around. "Ha! Found you!" she beamed, lifting up her hands to let Pascal hop down into them. Pascal cooed, but dropped on down.
"Good game!" Rapunzel nodded. "Okay, we're 4 to 1. How about a little break?"
Pascal squeaked an agreement, so Rapunzel opened her bedroom door, to find them a craft or something.
However, waiting there was a new fixture – a tall, dark-haired man rummaging through her dresser drawers.
"Hey!" Rapunzel gasped, running up and pushing him away from her things.
His eyes widened, and he staggered back, more out of surprise than of her force.
"What – what were you doing?" Rapunzel demanding, putting her hands on her hips.
His eyebrows pushed together, then he relaxed a little. "Nothing, nothing. Boy, am I lost! I better get going very soon, maybe right now!"
"You are not lost!" Rapunzel insisted. "I know everyone who works here, and you don't! And the guards are smart, they never would've let you in."
"Listen, Blondie-"
"I'm not Blondie!"
"Yeah, well, I'm not anyone you think. So I just better get going."
"Not a chance." Rapunzel insisted, pointing a finger in his face. Pascal scuttled down her arm to glare at him.
"Listen, you and your frog-"
"Chameleon!"
"-frog are very intimidating, so I'll just."
"You're not leaving until I know why you were rummaging through my stuff? Were you looking for something?"
"Well-"
Rapunzel glanced down in the drawer. Her jewelry box had been opened, and one piece was missing.
"We're you stealing from me?" she asked, firmly but softly.
"What, no! What an accusation!" Flynn said. "Now, hey, I didn't want to have to do this, but I'm gonna make you let me go." He then contorted his face in such a pucker, Rapunzel wasn't sure if he had swallowed a lemon or stepped on something sharp.
"Are you feeling okay?" Rapunzel cocked her head.
"That usually doesn't go that way." Flynn insisted. "My game must just be off today. Normally, you'd be swooning."
"Okay…" Rapunzel looked down at Pascal, who grimaced at Flynn.
"So I'm just going to-" Flynn took a step towards the door, but Rapunzel put her hands on his chest and stopped him.
"Why were you stealing? Were you going to sell my necklace?" Rapunzel asked.
"I didn't take anything!" Flynn lied.
"Let me see it." Rapunzel insisted. "I know you have it."
There was a pause, as Flynn seemed to look Rapunzel up and down and evaluate her intentions. Rapunzel tried to stand firm and look as intimidating as possible. Oh, goodness! Should I have called the guards? He's definitely taken my necklace, and I have no clue how he could've gotten in, but he doesn't seem, well, dangerous.
"Come on, I promise not to turn you in if you just give it back." Rapunzel said diplomatically.
Flynn gave her a strange look she couldn't quite place, before he sighed hyper-dramatically, and fished her ruby necklace out of his satchel.
"Here, I didn't want it anyway." Flynn tossed it back at Rapunzel.
"You know," Rapunzel began, setting the necklace down on her dresser. "If you're just hungry, you're welcome to come eat with me."
"What." Flynn said flatly. There's no way she just offered him that. No way. She should be calling the guards.
"Honest!" Rapunzel nodded. "If you want to eat, you don't have to steal. You can have dinner with me tomorrow! Seven o' clock."
"Right. So you can bring the guards."
"No, I promise I wouldn't do that!"
Flynn stared blankly at her.
"And when I promise something, I never, ever break that promise." Rapunzel nodded to finish her sentence.
She looked so honest, so firm in her beliefs that Flynn actually believed her. There was no way this sort of thing could be true, but he believed her.
"Alright, alright." Flynn said. "I'll see you for dinner, Blondie."
"Rapunzel." She corrected, extending her hand. "And you are?"
Flynn considered giving a false (well, falser) name, and he considered giving her his birth name. But, as he had for almost seven years now, he said "I'm Flynn Rider."
"Alright, Flynn Rider" Rapunzel had a bemused expression on her face that Flynn couldn't decipher. "I'll see you tomorrow. And, for now, I'll let you escape. But tomorrow, you'll be my guest."
Flynn stood in her room as Rapunzel left, taking her frog, and shutting the door behind her. She had left the necklace – just sitting there! What a fool! Flynn chuckled to himself as he snatched it, oh, the Stabbington Brothers weren't gonna believe this. She let him go! His charm, his finesse, his Flynn Rider-ness was all he needed to get out of what should've been a death sentence.
He stuck one foot out the window, preparing to climb down from the virtual tower Rapunzel's room was in. But, straddling the windowsill, he felt a change of heart. Could he really take the necklace?
Flynn Rider had felt many things before, but guilt was not among them. He stole because he had to, he stole because it was fun, he stole because it was what Flynn Rider did, and he was Flynn Rider. So, climbing back inside and placing the necklace on the dresser, was something new to him, done for reasons he himself could not place. As he climbed down the side of the poorly guarded castle, Flynn rationalized that he was Flynn Rider, and sometimes Flynn Rider gave kind princesses back their jewels.
Review please!