"Ow!" Eugene scurried away from the cry of the larger boy behind him, knowing that if the headmistress caught him fooling around she would send him back to the orphanage to bed for sure. He hid his slingshot in his shirt, standing by a few of the younger girls looking completely innocent. They giggled at him, and he winked, causing them to giggle more. He crossed his arms over his chest, trying to remember why they were here again.
He knew it had something to do with the king and queen for some reason, but he hadn't really paid attention to the headmistress while she was explaining where she was dragging fifteen orphans off to in the evening. He brushed a long piece of brown hair out of his eye, and looked back to the boy he had just slugged with his slingshot. The kid hadn't realized it was Eugene, and was now trying to figure out what had hit him so had in the back of the head.
Snickering, he turned his attention back to the balcony high above them, where a single paper lantern sat dormant, just waiting to be released. "I'm tired," he complained after five more minutes of waiting, and the headmistress smacked him on the back of the head and ordered him to be quiet. She went on a tirade of what it means to be respectful, but he tuned her out, something else catching his attention.
The king and queen had emerged, the queen with her soft beautiful face and the king with his rugged beard. He had never seen them in person, only by the mosaic that was half completed down by the vendors, and for a moment he felt a sense of pride knowing that these were the people that were in charge of everyone.
As quickly as he noticed them, he also saw, in the Queen's arms, a tiny child. She had golden hair, the exact shade of what sunlight would look like if it were tangible, and eyes as green as the forest. The baby was giggling happily, and Eugene couldn't help but think that her hair looked like a golden halo around her round face. Like an angel.
"Stop staring, it's rude!" Eugene received another whack on the head for his troubles, but he didn't look away from the baby. She was a perfect little girl with a perfect life; she had both parents, and she was a princess, and she would have everything she ever wanted. He couldn't help but envy her a little, wondering if someday he too, would have a life as perfect as hers.
AN: These are all little stories, but I like writing just scenes. They're fun. I also read that officially Eugene's age is 26 in the movie, 8 years older than Rapunzel. I have no idea if this is true, but I'll go with it.