A/N: I have had this idea for a long time and I finally had the time to type it up. I'm going to assure you right now that Rapunzel and Eugene will get back together at the end because if they did not I would be a huge hypocrite with very few readers! So that is a definate. Also I am going to be writing the epilogue to "Terrified" and "Getting to know them" is technically going to be the sequel. Also I will be writing more to "Daddy Fitzherbert" when I get some more ideas! Ok so I'm going to stop rambling! Please tell me what you think so far!
Disclaimer - I don't own "Tangled" or it's characters, they belong to Disney.
The rain slowly slid down the window as her breath fogged up the glass, causing a strange illusion as the raindrops almost raced to the bottom of it. Her pale fingers reached out and traced the path they had just made, envying the freedom that these little drops of water seemed to have.
Ciana's hazel eyes filled up with tears as the lightening struck in a valley out west, how was she even to know it was a valley?
The room was dimly lit by a small candle that rested on a desk next to the window seat she sat on, causing the wardrobe to cast a mysterious shadow across the floor. In the middle of the room sat a large bed with a comfy looking quilt, made by the girl's mother. The floors and wall were bare except for a worn out rug that sat at the foot of her bed.
This was the same view she had her whole life, the same walls and the same outside world. Ciana didn't even know what it must feel like to have the green grass warm beneath her feet, tickling and scratching all at the same time.
Ciana had been confined to this room her whole life, but no she was not a criminal and no she did not necessarily deserve it. She was a princess, an unknown princess.
Years ago, her mother and father were married in the autumn, when the leaves fell and seemed to dance in the warm breeze. It was a big occasion considering it was a royal wedding, so everyone from far and wide attended and celebrated the joining of two hearts.
Ciana loved the autumn and she always tried to picture what it would have looked like if she had been there, her mother's short brown hair pulled back by tiny flowers and a white dress flowing gently around her petite frame. She could almost see her walking down the aisle, green eyes shining and a smile that could only be compared to the sun, walking to the man she loved.
They were wed, but a month after the wedding her Father disappeared without any reason. Leaving her mother, one month pregnant and alone.
It was decided that this would all be kept a secret, that the reason for the new prince consorts leaving was that he was just on a journey aboard a ship that was going to travel around the world. That ship didn't even exist, but people never questioned when they realized he didn't return. All assumed he died at sea.
Not wanting people to see her child as a burden or to pity her for she didn't have a father, Rapunzel hid for months, concealing the baby bump and keeping a secret that when it came down to it was hard to keep.
The birth happened in the beginning of the fall, when the leaves were just beginning to change and the earth seemed almost a bit out of tune with itself, not quite sure was season it was.
The only people who knew about the new little princess were the King and Queen, Rapunzel, and a few trusted maids. No one else.
For sixteen years the girl sat in this room that over time had transformed a bit as she moved from toddler, to child, then to teenager, but it felt more like a prison then a home.
Her mother would come down and visit her all through the day, giving her lessons and bringing food down and extra blankets even though it wasn't her job, maybe she just felt bad about keeping her daughter closed in just like Gothel had done to her.
Ciana never heard the story of her mother, or her father for that matter. She knew his name had been Eugene Fitzherbert but did not know who he was or what he had done or even what he looked like.
After Eugene had left, Rapunzel became a shell of her old self, staring into space at the most random of times and losing the joyful bounce in her step that she always seemed to have before.
It was currently deep into autumn, just a few days away from the winter, this was probably going to be the last storm that didn't hold snow for awhile. Ciana was taking full advantage of it as she opened up the barrier in front of her and stuck a palm out so that the rain could touch her skin.
Her birthday had been a few months ago, not a big celebration like her mother's was, but it had been special. For the first time ever her mother let her take a walk down the halls of the castle. It was late and most people had gone to sleep but still, she loved the feeling of carpet rustling against her toes instead of the usual tile. The rest of her home looked so different from the room she stayed for sixteen years, it only made her crave for adventure even more.
"What if I could find out if that out in the distance really is a valley?" Ciana whispered to herself as she drew her hand back in, dripping a few drops on her green dress and running her went fingers through her dark hair, enjoying the feel of foreign water sinking into her scalp.
Someday she would escape, someday she would get the adventure that she wanted, but that someday was not going to be today. Closing the window behind her and taking one last look at the world she was missing out on she uttered one word.
"Someday."