Rapunzel sat across from her parents, King Stephan and Queen Catherine, at the dinner table. Eugene was seated next to her. These three people were her family now. It had taken some getting used to, but she was incredibly happy.
"Rapunzel?" Catherine asked with a warm, though somewhat shaky smile, "Your father and I need to speak with you privately after dinner."
"Of course, Mother," Rapunzel smiled back.
It was strange calling the queen "Mother." That was what she had always called Mother Gothel, whom Rapunzel still occasionally missed. After all, the woman had raised her. Catherine was a much kinder mother than Mother Gothel had ever been, though. Mother Gothel was always making hurtful comments about Rapunzel's weight, intelligence, etc., and though she believed Gothel really had loved her, the woman's greed had driven her to isolate Rapunzel in a tower for many years, hoarding the magical powers of Rapunzel's long, golden hair.
Her hair wasn't long, golden, or magical anymore. Eugene had cut it about half a year ago to save her, and it was now brown. It was no longer looking so choppy. The king and queen had hired a hairdresser to trim Rapunzel's hair as it grew out, and it was now smoothly-cut and shoulder-length.
Rapunzel tucked a lock of chocolate-brown hair behind her ear and took a bite of her veal. It tasted good, but she disliked eating meat. Two of her closest friends were a chameleon and a horse, so she felt guilty eating animals. Eugene glanced at her and offered a sympathetic look, reaching under the table to squeeze her hand. He always seemed to know exactly what Rapunzel was thinking and did whatever he could to make her feel better. She had no idea how she had gotten so lucky to have such a sweet man in her life. She loved him and was certain she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him.
After dinner, King Stephan dismissed Eugene from the room. He and Catherine had been serious when they said they needed to speak to their daughter privately. They waited until Amelia, a pretty, young palace maid whom Rapunzel had befriended, cleared away the dishes before speaking.
"Rapunzel," started the king, "We need to talk to you about a matter of great importance. Now, I realize we were just reunited with you a short six months ago, so this is incredibly hard for us, but tradition dictates that a princess of your age should take a husband."
Rapunzel's heart soared. She and Eugene had spoken of marriage on a few occasions, but they both knew that a wedding would not be possible without the permission of her parents. She had been too nervous to bring up the subject with them, but now she didn't have to.
"I would love to marry Eugene!" Rapunzel cried, her face radiant, "Thank you, Father!"
Stephan and Catherine exchanged glances.
"Rapunzel," the queen said softly, "You can't marry Eugene."
Rapunzel's face fell.
"Why not? I thought you liked him," she said, staring down at the table.
"We do!" Stephan hastened to reassure her, "We like him very much, and under different circumstances, we feel that he would make a wonderful husband for you."
"What's wrong with the current circumstances?" she asked, her eyes growing watery.
Catherine looked close to tears herself. Stephan reached over to hold her hand.
"Well," the king started, "The problem is that tradition also dictates that a princess should marry a man of either royal or noble ancestry, and your Eugene has neither. I'm very sorry, Rapunzel. The man we have chosen for you is the Sir Thomas Andrews the third. His father serves on my court. He is a very handsome and respectable gentleman…"
He trailed off, seeing the look on his daughter's face.
The girl burst into tears and fled from the room.
Stephan and Catherine watched her go. Tears streamed down Catherine's face.
"Oh, Stephan!" Catherine cried, "Are you sure we're making the right choice?"
Her husband sighed.
"Of course we are, my dear."
He had to convince himself of it, too.