"What do you mean you're not pretty?" Eugene exclaimed as they lay on his bed after their first ball.
The newly returned royal princess, Rapunzel, and her not so royal significant other, Eugene Fitzherbert, better known Flynn Rider, had just attended their first formal function. It required the most formal clothes Eugene or Rapunzel had ever seen, and much less worn, but they suffered through the stifling fabric together. Both had dressed up and played nice with the members of court and various allies from neighboring countries.
As soon as it had ended, they both flopped on Eugene's bed. Eugene was exhausted from sucking up to the very people who he'd rather steal from than talk to. Rapunzel, on the other hand, felt the mental exhaustion that came from both talking to more people that she'd ever seen in one room and having to contain her overwhelming excitement and curiosity. It was something new that neither of them were prepared for and they just wanted nothing more than to sleep for a few days.
"Rapunzel, you can't sleep in here," Eugene murmured sleepily. "The guards will have my head."
Ignoring her sort-of boyfriend, sort-of something more than that, Rapunzel began recounting all that she could remember from the ball. "There were so many people and they were from all over! And they knew so much! I was talking to this ambassador from this small little kingdom over near…"
As the formerly blond began to ramble, Eugene resigned himself to listening to her soothing voice. However, if she kept talking, he was going to fall asleep even if he didn't mean to. Tuning back into what she was talking about, he noted a look of sadness settle over her.
"And the women were so pretty with their flowing gowns! They swirled and their make-up was all perfect and I wish I could be like them. Moth– Mom was glowing out there and Dad looked so lucky! I wish I could have the kind of grace that Mom does. She's so pretty and walks so well, like a ballerina…"
"Blondie, you know that you were the prettiest girl out there, right?" The cheesy line made his inner Flynn Rider cringe in disgust so the next part came out without thinking. "I wouldn't have gone with you if you weren't."
Surprised, Rapunzel blushed heavily. "Thanks Eugene, but I know I'm not that pretty. Moth- Gothel said that I could never hope to be pretty, only slightly attractive."
The stare that Eugene was giving her confused and embarrassed the girl. She knew and accepted that she'd never be as pretty as Mother-Gothel or her actual Mom. Or at least she thought she had accepted that truth. Seeing all the beautiful wives and ambassadors once again brought up the same feeling of inferiority that she'd felt with Gothel. She would just never reach their level.
"Rapunzel, you don't think you're pretty?"
"Of course not," her innocent, if sad eyes peered up at him. "Gothel always had to be the prettiest so I know I'm definitely not."
He shook his head. Of all the stupid, demeaning things that old hag had done to his girl, the princess in front of him, this was something he hadn't expected. However, he should have guessed the witch's vanity would affect more than just her need to stay young forever.
"Listen, I don't know all of what Gothel told you, but you're gorgeous, Rapunzel."
She made an attempt to interrupt him but he held up a hand as he sat up to look at her properly. "You've got the greenest and most expressive eyes I've ever seen. You're the perfect size for me hug."
Rapunzel turned away, wrapping her arms around her legs as she drew them into her chest, while Eugene kept talking. Surely, the great Flynn Rider had been with much prettier girls than she. Even though the girl didn't know all of what had gone on in his past, as much as she didn't care, she knew that he must have said this to tons of girls before her. No matter how much she wanted to believe what he was saying to her, there was no way he was telling her the truth.
"And you've got these really cute small hands, and…" He trailed off. She either wasn't paying attention anymore or didn't believe him.
Slowly, he scooted over on the bed until he reached where she sat. Wrapping an arm around her waist, he pressed his lips against the top of her head. "Rapunzel, you're beautiful. Ignore Gothel, ignore anyone who may say differently, you are absolutely breathtaking."
"But, surely, you've been with girls who are prettier, who know how to be graceful and not make a fool of themselves at every given opportunity." Not knowing everyone meant, to Rapunzel, that there was definitely plenty of people out there prettier than she.
Eugene rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand. Sure he'd been with pretty women, but Rapunzel topped them all. Maybe his feelings for her skewed his view, but still. Someone would have to be blind not to recognize that Rapunzel was very attractive.
"I've been with women, yes, but none could match you. I know what I'm talking about here."
"But, I'm not graceful and I don't have a pretty hairstyle and I'm not as thin as I used to be and I don't wear make-up and…" Her protests fell short as Eugene raised a finger to her lips.
"You are perfect just the way you are. You're clumsiness is adorable, the hair thing is all my fault so you can blame that on me, you are more properly huggable now that you're not all skin and bones, and you certainly don't need make-up.
"Rapunzel, trust me on this one. You don't need anything except what you've already got. Gothel was wrong about what she told you. You are beautiful and pretty and gorgeous and all those other adjectives that mean you're the best the way you are."
"You really think so?"
"I know so." His gaze was sappy, he knew it. Eugene could feel the dopey grin spread across his face as she looked up at him. Flynn may have had plenty of women before but Rapunzel belonged to Eugene just as much as Flynn and he loved her, just as she was now.
Rapunzel still couldn't bring herself to fully agree with what Eugene said. A lifetime of conditioning herself to believe something couldn't be erased with one conversation but the warmth in the pit of her stomach was going a long way to help her. She hugged Eugene, wrapping her arms around his waist as she felt him doing the same. If Eugene believed that she was beautiful, maybe she could start to see herself that way too.
"So, we're still in these fancy clothes and I don't know if you remember or not, but you promised me a dance that I think should have lasted a lot longer."
Rapunzel, surprised, watched as Eugene untangled himself from her arms and held out a hand. "Would you care to dance, my princess?"
Placing her hand in his, she giggled and blushed. "Of course, my prince- ah, um," She fumbled for a word to describe him. "My hero," she finally settled on with a grin.
He pulled her close and they began to twirl. Of course, she had danced with him during the ball – how could she not when he had looked so dashing – but this was a private moment for them, and she reveled in it. He reveled in the warmth she excluded, the grace she had even if she didn't believe it, and just holding her in his arms again. With his hand on the curve of her waist and her hand in his, the pair danced in comfortable silence, content to be with each other.