A/N: This is a series of drabbles aiming to create certain atmospheres and themes around the characters. I just recently saw Tangled for the first time and I loved it; it's easily one of my favourite films now. This drabble series gives me the chance to explore the characters and setting a little bit more without diving head-first into an intensely long story. It's a challenge from a different writing site; I don't come up with the themes or prompts that I'm using, and I do my best to work with what I'm given. Drabbles are 100 words each, and there are five prompts per set. The challenge ends with twenty sets – so 100 Tangled drabbles are in store for me!
Even if drabbles aren't necessarily your thing, I hope you'll give it a shot and enjoy!
let the roses come and go
I. Double-Sided Mask
Lights!
There was something very attractive about the idea of a blank history. If your origins remained buried beneath the legends of your own creation, then there were no preconceptions save those you wanted. No one judged you if you were the orphaned child of lowly merchants, struggling to sell their wares in city streets. No one looked down on you if you had spent your teenaged years begging in back alleys for crusts of stale bread. You were free to become someone else, someone new, someone… better.
That was what Flynn Rider believed when he hid Eugene Fitzherbert away forever.
Camera!
Reputations from scratch were easy. Who knew the effects of walking into a tavern, calling for the finest beer and putting your feet up (casually) on the best table could be so positive? Within seconds a number of disgruntled patrons were complaining about his presence and demanding a name.
"Flynn Rider" followed by the words "Haven't you heard of me?" worked like magic.
Tavern patrons were the same the world over – they all fought to outshine each other, and soon a chorus of "Oh yeah, weren't you the guy who (insert clever incident here)?" built all the backstory he needed.
Action!
His choice to become a prosperous thief was not unfounded – it was what he was good at. The pre-orphanage years on the streets had taught him a thing or two about pickpocketing. The post-orphanage years on the streets had taught him about a thing or two about breaking-and-entering (with a little accidental arson on the side).
Due to his reputation built on lies and others' imaginations, he was quickly given leads to thief lords and certain nobles who required undercover operations to gain their desires.
It went splendidly, most of the time, and his fame swelled – but not his wealth.
Roll!
The Lost Princess' crown was supposed to be his last job, but he knew he would continue afterwards. The crown was the path to wealth. Too many times had he been robbed of proper pay; he had done the work and gained almost nothing for his efforts. Not this time – even if a foreign nobleman hadn't hired him, anyone of the right stature would pay a fortune to have the treasure hand-delivered to them on a platter.
Once he was wealthy, he could continue his antics in comfort and style – if a horse hadn't gotten in the way, that was.
Shoot!
In two days, he came to that tower twice. The first was on a rescue mission to save his own sorry hide, fleeing with the Lost Princess' crown; the second was on a rescue mission to save the girl who turned out to be the Lost Princess.
The god of irony was definitely at work.
Flynn Rider would have been too selfish to save Rapunzel; he would have taken the crown and ran. The persona of the clever thief masked a much crueller man than he'd thought.
And maybe – just maybe – hidden, forgotten, orphaned Eugene was honestly who he was.