Persuasion
A series of failed proposals. "You know, Blondie, I feel you'd like it better if the horse asked you to marry him" Flynn/Rapunzel.
Blondie walks up to me with the biggest smile on her face and I feel a little pinching in my chest. I tell myself it's because I'm so tired from being so awesome but I sure as hell know it's not.
"Eugene!" she smiles wider and it's so ridiculously beautiful I can't help but smile back. She looks excited about something and I ask her about it.
Rapunzel does that thing where she bites her bottom lip in happiness, "Oh! You'll never guess what I learned today. Did you know that certain types of plants only grow in the winter? It's kind of interesting since you'd think they'd all grow in the spring, when it's warm and sunny."
"Yeah, that's really cool." I notice her hair got fluffier-looking. Did the maids give her a new type of bath? Man, it'd be really nice to take a bath-
And the chameleon licks my face. The thing probably read my mind.
"Eugene, are you listening?" No, not really. It's your fault for looking so nice in the torchlight.
"Of course."
"Well, mother and father said that it'd be nice for the palace to see a wedding soon." That caught my attention.
I stare at her; she looks completely nonchalant to what she just said. "Really?"
She looks up at me, "Mhm. I don't really know what they meant exactly. They did arrange a meeting with the royal family of Lionne, maybe Prince Charles and his fiancé want to have their wedding here? I don't really understand why, I hear Lionne is beautiful in the springtime."
"Er, Blondie, I think they meant something a little more…particular to yourself."
"What do you mean?"
I sigh, "They probably want you to get married soon. You know?"
Her eyes widen with an emotion I can't really decipher. I think it's surprise but I sense some kind of excitement in there too, "Oh! Oh, I see…"
She looks at me for a really long time and it dawns on me, "I mean you don't have to get married soon or anything. You can pursue all your goals and then decide to get married when you're ready to."
She continues to stare, "Flynn…"
In the most debonair and smooth way, I gulp. "Yeah?"
"Why do people get married?"
Breathing a sigh of half-relief half-something or other I can't really tell, I lead her into the library because this might take a while.
"Okay. You only get married if you truly love someone. And not the kind of love you had with Goth-" I see her look down and bite her lip, "your other mom. The love you have when you want to get married needs to feel really…ugh, I don't know, blissful, maybe? You have to know that you love this person." Rapunzel asks me how to tell if you're really in love.
I feel a slight heat in my cheeks but I shake it off. "You feel it here," I point to my chest in an awkward display of sappiness, "and when you're with them, you feel really happy and light." She asks me what I mean by that.
"Light like you could just…fly. And you realize that you'd do anything and give your everything for that person."
We're both a little red at this point, but Rapunzel's still curious. "And what about the other person? They have to feel this too?"
I nod. "Of course."
She asks me her last question, "Eugene, have you ever felt this way?"
The light hits her eyes perfectly right that second, and some kind of outer body force hits me and I say, "Not like when I'm with you."
Rapunzel's eyes widen and after a moment with me trying to piece a coherent sentence to explain my former one, she hears a servant calling her to her parents and she leaves.
Well.
Blissful? Yes.
An extraordinary amount of love? More than I can admit to.
Would give everything? Already have.
Feel like flying? Everyday.
I realized that night I had inadvertently proposed to Rapunzel.
The second time I proposed to Rapunzel it wasn't as unexpected and ridiculous as the "first" time. But more infuriating. Definitely more infuriating. I decided to be romantic and give her flowers with a ring so cleverly hidden inside.
"Oh, Eugene, they're lovely." She says she wants to show them to Maximus. He's a horse and I have no idea why he would want to see a bouquet but whatever.
Maximus lights up at the sight of the princess then scowls at me. "Maximus, look at what Eugene gave me!" The horse looks impressed with the flowers but not at the giver.
"Alright, Blondie, I think he's seen enough. Oh, you know I think there's something you missed in the flowe-" But before I could finish the horse is chewing on the roses and I see him spit out the diamond onto the mud below, unseen by Blondie.
"Maximus! That was very rude! Never do it again, okay?" Rapunzel scolds. The horse nods, like he had no idea he even did it. I almost cry right there, staring a the ring in the mud, covered with dirt and horse spit, oh, now a few flies decide they want to see it. Fuck it all.
Since Rapunzel is so forgiving, she smiles at and pets the big lump of useless and apologizes to me before she starts back for the castle. I turn around and see him grin at me with satisfaction. I begin to pick up the ring before I realize no one would want that now.
The third time I proposed to Rapunzel, she is very, very confused.
I am done with big displays of romance and just walk up to her when she's looking outside from her balcony.
"Nice night, huh?" I startle her a little and she jumps.
"Yeah, it's really beautiful.
"It'd be nice to stay like this forever, huh?" She nods slowly and I decide it's the perfect time to give her the ring.
"Eugene, what's this? Oh, it's beautiful!"
"I was thinking we could take your mother and father up on their wish."
Rapunzel is confused, and I realize this isn't going to end well, "You know, marriage."
"Oh, oh my gosh, are you asking me to marry you?" She is shocked beyond belief and I feel a little nervous.
My mouth forms a straight line, "Yes, this is what I'm doing."
"Oh my gosh." She turns and walks away. She turns and walks away.
"Blondie, what's your answer?" I am almost in hysterics because I feel some kind of god is up there laughing his ass off.
She turns around and looks more bewildered than ever. "Mother and Father say they want to know who I'm going to marry before I marry them. They said they want to know before I give a definite answer. I have to go to them."
I tell myself I'm not pleading but I know I am, "You can just tell me an answer now and-" Then I see her eyes. It's the same type of wariness that I saw when she disobeyed Gothel and left the tower. I realize her talking to her parents is important to her and no matter how much she loves me she wants their love too.
I let her go and mutter to myself, "You know, Blondie, I feel you'd like it better if the horse asked you to marry him."
The last time I propose to Rapunzel it wasn't much of a proposal.
Her mother and father talked to me in the morning and said they were more than happy to marry their daughter to me and knew from the beginning that it would be me. Nice to know she didn't have to walk away the third time I proposed to her.
Proposing outright a third time and all-in-all a fourth time was too much for my giant ego to handle, so I tried something new.
I snuck into her room at midnight and placed the ring and a note on her bedside table.
Rapunzel,
This may be a dumb way to ask you to marry me, but hey, I've tried before but something always got in the way. So, here it is. My proposal.
I know I'm not very princely, or even close to being kingly material, but I'll try. I've done a lot of things I thought I couldn't do, like deciding I didn't want to be a thief the rest of my life and, well, dying, for you. I guess it's how you are, Blondie. You make people want to change for the better. Chalk it up to your enchantment or whatever.
The hair's gone but I'm convinced the magic's still around.
And I want you to know that I love you, and you make me feel like flying. I hope that's enough.
Eugene
She said yes.
My first fic in a while, wow. Please review if you can!