Disclaimer - Tangled does not belong to me. I bought a plastic Rapunzel cup and a poster the other day though. That was a manly trip to the store.
Rapunzel sat, looking slightly bored, in her chair at the end of the ballroom. The lost-and-found Princess, who once had seventy feet of magical golden hair, stared absentmindedly out of the many large windows that lined the room, watching the rain pour down over them.
She hated that it was raining.
Ire not directed at the rain per se, but directed at the time it happened to raining. For so many years she was kept locked away by the witch to claimed to be her mother, Gothel, never to be let outside. She could feel the cool breeze, the unmistakable smell, and the odd gust of wind that blew rain in the open window. But all she could do was look. Standing in the rain, letting it wash over her, getting lost in the sensations, was a dream of hers for so long. She would love nothing more than to be out in it.
Yet.
Now that she was free, standing and playing in the rain was, while not expressly forbidden, was not looked highly upon. The first time she had come in from the gardens during a heavy storm, feet covered in mud and dress soaked completely through, no one had said anything to her face, but had said plenty behind her back when they thought she couldn't hear. The servants might be surprised and just how much noise is carried in the expansive halls of the palace.
Words like, childish, infantile, and immature, were just some of the terms she heard thrown around. Yes, she knew there was some truth to them, she knew that she had a childlike enthusiasm and wonder of the world around her. That didn't stop the words from hurting. After being kept away from it for so long, she wanted nothing more than to explore and experience everything that she had missed out on for nearly eighteen years. And they were chiding her for it.
In the last three years she had seen and done so much more than she ever imagined. Although, truth be told, she would not likely have tried as many things as she had without the encouragement of a certain someone standing at her side the entire time. The encouragement of a certain reformed thief. A thief whom she met by pure happenstance, that fateful morning.
Ah, Eugene.
Were it not for him and the birthday wish that he granted, she wouldn't know anything of the world outside her tower beyond what she could see and what lies Gothel told her. She would never have discovered her true parents and who she really was. Just thinking about him made her smile. He didn't hold her to any sort of standard like everyone else was doing. If she wanted to do something goofy or silly, he didn't care, often encouraging her to do whatever she wanted. It felt so liberating to be with him. To be herself and not be given strange looks.
She was ecstatic when he proposed to her. She loves him and she couldn't imagine being without him. He relieves the pressures of her new life. The magic of that night was in her mind like it had happened earlier that day. A night she will never forget. It was during their, now traditional, trip out onto the water to watch the lanterns on her birthday. She has no idea how he did it but somehow he planned to have the lanterns released in a certain order and there it was. Written in the sky, in shining golden light, was the question: Will you marry me? It was the most magical night of her life.
"You seem in an awfully good mood, dear." The Queen, her mother, said. Her soft voice filling the relative silence. "You have been smiling out that window for some time."
Rapunzel's cheeks flushed a light pink. She hadn't realized. "Just thinking about Eugene." She answered honestly. The Queen smiled, happy that her daughter was happy.
"Speaking of," The Queen said. "Where do you think he is? This celebration is for the two of you, after all." The Queen gestured to the rapidly filling ballroom as guests were quickly arriving.
Rapunzel shrugged her shoulders. "Still getting ready I think." Rapunzel said. "I think he's a little nervous about being around all these people."
The Queen nodded her head. "Let us hope he arrives soon. It will be hard to celebrate an engagement without both of you present." Rapunzel couldn't agree more. She had managed to get herself prepared, dressed and made up properly, and be present well ahead of schedule.
What could be holding him up?
Unseen in one of the many currently vacant halls of the palace, Eugene sulked, slowly making his way to the ballroom. What should have been a very exciting event – after all, who would have guessed that he would ever get married, to a princess no less – was already going poorly before he even arrived. The sound of the rain beating down on the roof and the windows echoed taunts throughout the halls.
He hated that it was raining.
Eugene spent a great deal of time making sure that everything about his appearance was properly presented. He had been provided the appropriate outfit and made sure that not even a single hair was out of place. Even though it was a celebration of the engagement of the Princess, he couldn't help but feel like a piece of meat being put on display for the friends and family of the Royal Family so they could get a good look at the guy who was going to be attending their special club meetings in the future. While he didn't particularly care about impressing them, he was going to have to deal with them regularly in the future. He didn't want to make things any harder on Rapunzel or himself than they had to be.
The storm that had come out of nowhere had ruined all of his hard work.
The room that had been provided to him was not attached to the main structure of the palace. Normally, it was not an issue as the Kingdom of Corona was true to its name most of the time. Yet today, when he needed it most, it was pouring. He got nearly soaked through in his mad dash across the palace grounds and was now dripping everywhere he went. Even if he went back and changed, he would still get rained on coming back. He was moving through the palace very slowly, hoping to dry at least some before he arrived.
The rain was not all bad, however. He knew of Rapunzel's love for the rain and often indulged with her in the experience. It was a little hard for him to believe that something so simple could make someone so happy. Just thinking about the way she runs and laughs in the rain made him smile. He loved seeing her happy and would do nearly anything to make it so.
Her reaction to his proposal was still in his head, clear as day. It had taken him forever to get that stupid lantern thing to work right. Months of work and calculations and the help of dozens of palace staff had gone into an attempt the previous year but had been thwarted due to unforeseen wind. In an instant all of that work had vanished and it was going to take another year before he could try it again. But this time it worked. It worked and the look on her face and her response made all of the aggravation and all of the frustration disappear in an instant and all of the work he had put into making this thing happen, was all worth it.
In the end, making her happy is all that mattered to him. He knew that he would be looked down upon by the guests for his current state but they don't matter. If he walked into that ballroom right now, she would smile at his rain soaked self. Perhaps she would even laugh, that soft, mirthful sound that makes him grin.
Bah. When did he become such a sap?
He found himself outside of the large doors that led into the ballroom. Even through the wood he could hear the music. The festivities had already started. He let out a small sigh, hoping to have dried off somewhat before arriving. No such luck.
No entrance like a big entrance, right?
The evening had gone from awkward to downright embarrassing. All of the guests had arrived for the celebration but half of the union was still missing. Many waited around in a painfully stilted manner, hoping that he would show. Rapunzel could feel all the eyes in the room on her, boring holes into her. Her cheeks were flushed pink in embarrassment. The first impression these people were getting of someone they had still yet to meet was already turning out poorly.
It had taken long enough that the guests began to dance and feast without him. She couldn't imagine what was taking him so long. What if he wouldn't show? What if-?
Her train of thought was very abruptly interrupted when a loud bang across the room startled her. The music and festivities were instantly halted and all eyes were drawn to the doorway that had been shoved open. Standing there, in the arch of the door frame, was a very soggy looking Eugene. Several people let out a gasp at his bedraggled appearance.
"Hi." Eugene said with a grin, his voice breaking the thick silence. "How are you fine folks doing tonight?"
Nobody said anything, leaving the room in complete silence. Eugene strode confidently into the room, the sound of his wet boots making contact with the marble floor nearly echoed in the vast ballroom. The crowds of high society parted before him, almost afraid to be within a few feet of him. Not that the reaction was unwarranted as many of the noble men and women in the crowd only knew him by the name Flynn Rider, the wanted thief. But he didn't care. He had his eyes on only one person in the entire room.
He marched confidently to the far side of the room, where the King, Queen, and Princess were sitting. When he neared the steps that rose to their thrones, he bowed his head. Then, in one swift motion, brought his hands to his face, straightened up, and slicked his hair back, sending drops of water into the crowd behind him.
Rapunzel giggled softly and Eugene's face broke out in a genuine smile. He walked up the steps, rising to Rapunzel's throne, and held out his hand. Rapunzel didn't hesitate and placed her hand in his. She rose from the throne and was nearly face to face with Eugene. She'd never seen him with his hair slicked back before like that. It looked nice.
Eugene's eyes drifted up to the jeweled crown that rested on Rapunzel's head. It was because of that very thing that he climbed into Rapunzel's life. He carefully reached up and plucked it from her head, causing some uncomfortable stirring in the room. He studied it briefly before placing it upon his own head. It was certainly not made for him and literally sat on his head rather than fit.
He grinned at Rapunzel. "Would the lady care to dance with the prince?"
And just like that all the worrying and all of the pressure that Rapunzel felt about this ball were washed away. Like a burden had been lifted from her shoulders. Or her head. Rapunzel was beaming at him. Eugene somehow knew exactly what to do to make her feel better.
"Of course. Who would turn down the prince?" She asked with a playful smirk.
As he led her to the center of the ballroom, he snapped his fingers in the direction of the band, causing the silence to finally be gone for good as they began playing for the couple. They danced and danced and danced some more. And in that moment, everything else in the world disappeared and no longer mattered. It was just the two of them.
AN - Hope you all enjoyed! I've been out of the writing game for a few months so I needed to do something to work the rust off. And this story is something that I wanted to write for a while but never found the time. It was really nagging me. What's the term? Plot bunny? At any rate, those of you who may be anticipating the next chapter of my other story, I have not forgotten it. Progress is just moving slowly. Very slowly. As always, let me know what you think! I love getting review notices in my inbox so click that little button and speak your mind.
Until next time.