Before Eric met Ariel, he traveled to other kingdoms and other countries and spent time in each one. One of the countries he visited was France. While he was there, he stopped at a tavern to have some refreshments. It had been a long journey, and he had worked up a bit of an appetite.
At the tavern, he encountered a man who was very boorish and not very bright. He was also vain and arrogant and only liked to talk about himself. He couldn't pass anything that had a reflective surface without stopping to stare at his reflection. His name was Gaston, and he was the most conceited and boneheaded man Eric had ever met.
One of the kingdoms Eric visited was the kingdom of Corona. During his visit, he stopped at a pub in a wooded area to rest and have some refreshments. The pub was called The Snuggly Duckling, and there was a group of thugs gathered there. But they seemed like a nicer bunch than the men who were at the tavern in France. The refreshments were much better than the ones at the French tavern. All in all, The Snuggly Duckling was a much nicer, friendlier place.
While he was at The Snuggly Duckling, Eric met a young man by the name of Flynn Rider. He was a regular at the pub, and this was before he met Rapunzel. Eric took a liking to Flynn and thought he was much nicer than the vain and rude Gaston.
Eric liked Flynn so much that he decided that he would return to Corona in the near future. And he would once again visit The Snuggly Duckling. The following summer, he was able to take a break from his royal duties, so he decided he would make a return trip to Corona. He asked his valet Grimsby if he wanted to join him. Grimsby had no interest in going because he had gotten word that a merchant would be coming to the village and there were some things he needed to purchase. He was going to arrive during the time Eric was gone.
Eric soon began his journey back to the kingdom of Corona. He knew that summer would be a good time to visit. There was beautiful sunshine during his journey, and it was warm and sunny in Corona when he arrived. Once he had arrived, he headed straight to The Snuggly Duckling to relax and have some of their great refreshments.
Sure enough, Flynn Rider was present. He remembered Eric right away when he walked in. He was very happy to see him and glad that he had made his return trip sooner rather than later. The pub thugs were there as well and still just as friendly as ever.
Eric and Flynn got some refreshments and began to catch up after they greeted each other warmly. Eric told Flynn that he was planning to stay in Corona for a while. Flynn told him about an inn nearby that had excellent accommodations. He was currently staying there, and Eric decided he would stay there as well. They decided to share a room there and split the cost.
Just as the two of them were making these plans, the door to the pub swung open and in walked Gaston. He was on a hunting trip and had decided to stop at the pub and take a rest. Eric saw him and remembered him from when he was in France. He had encountered him at a tavern, a place which was a far cry from the pub he was currently in. He remembered how he took an instant disliking to him because he was so vain, arrogant and conceited.
Gaston noticed Eric as soon as he walked in and overheard what he and Flynn were talking about. He walked over to their table and took a seat between them. He said that he needed a place to stay and that the three of them should share a room at the inn. Eric did not like the idea at all, but Flynn said that they should give him a chance. Eric reluctantly agreed. Gaston put one arm around Eric and the other around Flynn, and he said they would be like the three musketeers.
Once they checked into the inn, Eric, Flynn and Gaston settled down for the night. Gaston talked about himself to help himself fall asleep. Eric put his pillow over his ears to try to block out the sound of his boasting. Flynn just laid in his bed and hoped the boasting would run its course and he would fall asleep. After a while, he began to feel the way Eric felt. He realized they needed to figure out a way to get that braggart out of their hair.
The next morning, Gaston went out to buy some additional hunting equipment. While he was gone, Eric and Flynn came up with a plan to get rid of him. When they were out in the forest, they would tell Gaston the best place to find pheasant, quail and other game to shoot at. The place they would tell him was really a place where wild pigs wallowed in mud. The pigs would go ballistic and attack Gaston when they saw him because they did not like to see men with hunting gear. That would make him want to leave Corona immediately. It was an airtight, perfect plan. There was no way it could possibly backfire.
After Gaston returned, the three of them headed out into the woods. Gaston had all of his hunting equipment with him and was ready to hunt anything. Flynn told him that he wanted to show Eric something, and then he told him the directions to the area where all the game birds congregated, which was really the area where the wild pigs hung out. Gaston headed to the area right away, hoping to shoot some pheasant or quail.
As soon as Gaston was out of sight, Eric and Flynn went over to the river. They took their boots off and soaked their feet. They were glad to see that so far everything was going according to plan. They couldn't wait to have Gaston out of their hair. He felt that he should hang out with them just because they both wore boots like him, they both liked to pose with their arms crossed like him and they both liked to lean against a wall with one knee bent like him. They knew that he could never be a true friend.
A little while later, Eric and Flynn had finished cooling off in the river and Gaston had returned. It was evident that he had gotten attacked by the wild pigs, and they attacked him when they saw that he had hunting equipment. It was also obvious that he was not a happy camper. He was angry at Flynn for tricking him and at Eric for helping Flynn trick him. He knew it was obvious that the two of them didn't want him around, so he decided to pack his things and return to his tavern in France where he would be with his cronies who adored him.
Their plan had worked perfectly. Eric and Flynn shook hands and patted one another on the back. The annoying braggart was out of their hair, and they could start doing the things they had planned. Flynn talked about horseback riding and how he and Maximus would ride all over the kingdom. Eric thought that sounded like fun, so the next day, the two of them went for a ride through the kingdom. Eric rode a horse named Fidella while Flynn rode Maximus.
After going horseback riding, Eric talked about how much he enjoyed sailing. He talked about what a great feeling it was to smell the salty sea air and to have the wind blowing in your face. Flynn showed him the harbor in the kingdom of Corona and all the boats and ships that were docked there. The two of them rented one of the ships and took it for a cruise around the kingdom. They each took a turn at the steering wheel, and Flynn agreed with Eric about the air and the wind. After sailing for a while, they dropped the anchor and went swimming off the ship.
Eric and Flynn planned several more excursions to go on during the rest of Eric's visit to Corona. They were glad to have it just be the two of them and not have Gaston ruining their time together. They having a true summer bromance.