With the rays of the lovely sunset entering through the castle's
window and bathing the royal chamber, Queen Ariana and Princcess
Rapunzel are enjoying a wonderful mother and daughter moment.
Ariana is sitting on the bed, with her daughter lying on her lap.
The queen is caressing the unbelievably long (currenlty loose)
hair of the princess, while telling a story, which Rapunzel is
listening to with excitement.
The door opens and a servant enters, carrying a disk with a
bowl on it. Still lying on her mother's lap, Rapunzel turns her
head and greets the maid who entered:
-'Hey, Hilda'.
-'I brought your night time beverage, your majesty' Hilda
says to the queen.
-'Place it on the table' Ariana orders.
The servant obeys. When she's about to exit the room, an
idea crosses Rap's mind:
-'Hilda, why don't you sit with us? Mom is telling a fantastic
story. You wouldn't want to miss it'.
Hilda looks hesitant for a moment. She gives the queen a
look, waiting for confirmation. Ariana sighs. She's not an
iron fist queen or anything, but she's not used to hanging
out with servants. Nevertheless, Hilda decides to take the
sigh as a 'yes', drags a chair towards her and sits.
-'Thank you, your majesty' she says to Rapunzel.
-'Er hem' an annoyed Ariana draws the maid's attention.
Hilda's eyes bulge:
-'OH GOSH, i'm so sorry. You're right. You are your majesty,
she is your highness...'
-'How many times do i have to tell you, Hilda?' the queen scolds
her. 'Your majesty is the salutation for the royal couple. Your
highness is the salutation for the royal couple's offsprings. Your
excellence is the salutation for ministers and...'
-'Chill, Hilda' Rapunzel laughingly interrupts her mother. 'You
can just call me Rap'.
And she adds a wink towards the servant to emphasize her
point.
-'Honey, i think you're too casual with servants' her mother
comments. 'You should fix that'.
-'Come on, mom, continue your fascinating story' the smiling
princess turns her head back to Ariana, ignoring the last comment.
Ariana laughs. She resumes both caressing her precious blonde
angel's head and storytelling:
-'So, where was i... oh, yes, i was dancing with your father all
night, and then blah blah blah...'
Later, Rapunzel gets up, stretches and yawns:
-'Well, i guess it's time to go to bed. Night night, mom. Night
night, Hilda'.
As Rapunzel heads to the door, Ariana notices her daughter's
dirty soles.
-'Don't forget to wash your feet before going to bed, honey'
she reminds her.
-'I know, i know' Rap sighs and turns around. 'So that i won't
dirty the sheets, which are made of the finest materials and
fitting for a person of the nobility'.
Actually, that last sentence was a quote of what her mother
told her once.
-'Stop making fun of me' a half annoyed Ariana says.
And, then, she adds:
-'And it wouldn't kill you if you decided to wear shoes from time
to time'.
-'Why are you all guys so excited about shoes?' Rapunzel asks,
seemingly adressing both the queen and the servant. 'I mean,
you can just wash your soles if they get dirty. No need to wear
something which is both restraining and uncomfortable'.
-'Rap, the right pair of shoes can make a woman feel magical'
Ariana answers, this time having borrowed some of her daughter's
usual enthusiasm.
-'And the servant that borrows them' Hilda adds, in her head, not
wanting the queen to know about the times she secretly tried
on the pairs of royal slippers.
-'Fine, whatever' Rapunzel rolls her eyes.
Once more, she's about to leave, but the queen stops her again:
-'You know what, sweetie? I think you need a boost. Something to
help you tap into your inner female sparkle and start acting like
a real princess'.
She walks to her cupboard, opens it and takes out a box.
-'Feast you eyes' she theatrically says as she slowly opens the
box and takes out a pair of blue slippers 'ON THESE!'.
Hilda gasps. Such a magnificent piece of footwear! Rapunzel,
on the other hand, seems unimpressed.
-'Come on, try them on' her mother prompts her.
-'Fine' Rap lazily answers as she slips them on her feet. 'They
have ten steps to make me feel that inner sparkle thingy'.
She starts pacing across the room, counting the steps:
-'Ten... nine... eight... seven...'
She abruptly stops. A smile is formed on her face, like no smile
she had ever before. Strangely, neither the queen nor Hilda
notice that sudden change in the princesses expression.
-'Oh, mamma' Rapunzel says in her head. 'Hellooo female
sparkle. I love these shoes!'
-'I hate these shoes' she says out loud, kicks them off and
leaves.
The queen and the servant look at each other.
-'Well, i guess it was worth an effort' the disappointed
Ariana says.
Hilda laughs awkwardly, not knowing what to answer.
Next midday, we see Rapunzel walking in the corridors of
the palace, while talking to someone. Is it Pascal? No, wait,
she's looking down. She's talking at her shoes! They are the
azure slippers from the previous evening. She is wearing them
and talking to them!
-'And these are the armors we have on display, and this painting
on the wall is...'
Gosh! She's giving the lifeless slippers a tour of the castle. While
talking to them, she's giggling, as if she's talking to a besty.
-'Rapunzel!' a voice is heard.
Oh, no. Mom is coming. Quick, she has to hide the shoes. Looking
around in panic, she sees a female servant mop the floor. She
grabs the bucket and shoves her feet in!
-'You highness, what... what are you doing?' the dumbfounded
servant asks.
-'Go away' Rap whispers. 'I give you a leave for today'.
-'A... are you sure?'
-'Yes! Get lost!' Rapunzel whispers in panic.
The servants runs away, just in time, for, next moment, the
queen shows up from behind a corner:
-'Rapunzel, here you are. Have you seen my blue slippers?
I have been looking for them all day and...''
The queen abruptly stops when she notices something weird:
-'Umm... Rapunzel?'
-'Yes, mommy?' the girl innocently bats her eyes.
-'Why are you standing in a bucket?'
-'You know, mommy' Rapunzel awkwardly tries to defend herself,
'a basic rule of politeness says that, when you see someone
standing in a bucket, you never ask why!'
-'Umm... okay' Ariana answers in confusion. 'By the way, have you
got taller?'
-'Maybe you got taller' Rap yells, pointing her finger at her mother.
A moment of awkward silence follows.
-'Anyway' Rap breaks the silence. 'If i see your slippers around, i'll
inform you. Bye'.
While her mother is still staring in confusion, Rapunzel walks away,
or should i say she hops with her feet in the bucket away. When
she's about to turn around a corner, she comes across a soldier.
-'Um, your highness, what are you...'
-'Maybe you got taller!' Rap yells, pointing her finger at him, before
he can finish the question.
Afternoon. The queen is strolling in the palaces garden. She's no
longer worried about her lost pair of shoes. What worries her
right now is her daughter's weird behaviour. She spots a group
of people sitting around a table in the garden. No, wait, it's
two humans and a horse.
Eugene, her daugher's fiance, which makes him her son in law,
Cassandra, her daughter's personal assistant and Maximus,
Eugene's horse. They all seem worried. They must have noticed
Rap's weird behaviour as well.
-'Er hem' the approaching queen draws their attention.
-'Greetings, your majesty' Cassandra stands up and bows.
-'Greetings, your majesty' Eugene also says, without standing
up though.
Maximus just neighs.
-'Have you noticed anything weird about my daughter?' the queen
asks.
After a moment of hesitation and looking at each other, Eugene
and Cassandra look at the queen again and start talking:
-'She didn't show up for our arranged chess match' Cassandra
informs Ariana.
-'She missed our date for a boat ride' Eugene adds. 'She even
missed the fencing session with Maximus! Can you imagine
that? She would never skip a fencing session with Maximus!'
The horse neighs to emphasize the point of its master.
Suddenly, something sparks in the eyes of her majesty! How
did she not find out earlier?
-'Follow me' she orders Cassandra and Eugene. 'I think i know
where we will find her'.
Rapunzel is in her room, which she has redecorated in a pink,
fairyprincess style. Pascal is on the table, with a purple bow
tied around his tail. His young master has also sprayed perfume
on him. The chameleon doesn't seem delighted at all those
changes.
Rapunzel is revering herself in the mirror. She's wearing a green
dress (she figured that it is not proper for a princess to wear
the same color all the time), a tiara and, of course, her blue
slippers.
Pascal extends his tongue to catch a muffin from a plate nearby.
-'PASCAL' his master's scream makes him freeze before his
tongue can touch the delicious candy.
Rapunzel walks towards her poor pet and scolds it:
-'As the pet of an aristocrat, you can't eat just with your
tongue. You have to learn how to use silverware!'
Pascal sighs. He's a chameleon, for goodness sake. How does
Rapunzel expect him to eat with a fork and a knife? What has
this 'female sparkle' thing she was babbling about earlier done
to her brain?
-'I knew i'd find you here, Rapunzel!'
Her mother, along with her fiance and her female bodyguard,
have just busted into the chamber.
-'Hey, mom' Rapunzel casually greets her. 'Come on, let's play
the court ladies!'
-'Rapunzel, no, we won...'
Ariana was about to refuse, but she stops mid sentence. Damnit,
she can't say no to something so good!
-'Okay, just a minute' she accepts, against her better judgement.
-'Yay' Rap claps.
The two women start pacing across the room in the same manner
as the ladies of the nobility walk during official events and parties.
Every few seconds, they stop, hold the edges of their skirts, bow,
in the same manner as the court ladies, then resume walking.
Eugene and Cassandra are staring at them in surprise.
-'Okay, that's enough. Both of you, STOP' Eugene finally interrupts
them.
That brought the queen back to her senses. She closes her eyes
and rapidly moves her head left and right for a second, as if she's
saying 'gosh, how did i get carried away like that?'. Then, she
turns to Rapunzel and says:
-'Eugene is right, sweetie'.
Rapunzel gets a more serious expression:
-'What's your problem, mom? You are the one who told me in the
first place to tap into my inner sparkle'.
-'Well, i was wrong' the queen admits.
-'Your mother is right, Rapunzel' Eugene adds.
Then, he takes a confused expression, turns to Ariana and explains:
-'I mean, you were wrong, but you are right about having been
wrong. I mean...'
-'Yes, yes, i got the message' Ariana rolls her eyes.
-'Eugene? You too?' Rapunzel cries, placing her hand on her
chest. 'Didn't you also use to advice me to reconsider that
thing about going around barefoot?'
-'It's not the shoes, blondie' the man sighs. 'It's what they have
done to you'.
-'What have they done to me?' Rapunzel demands to know, unable
to see it herself in her current condition.
-'You're obsessed with them, Rap' Cassandra answers instead of
Eugene or Ariana.
-'I'm not obsessed with them. They're just my only friends and the
only thing in the world that matters' Rapunzel protests, not realizing
how ridiculous that sounds.
-'Admit it, honey. Your priorities are messed up' Ariana insists.
-'I want back the girl i fell in love with. Not some bimbo' Eugene
adds.
A moment of silence.
-'Listen, guys' Rapunzel sighs. 'I think you're overreacting. I can
take those shoes off whenever i want to'.
The other three persons cross their arms, as if they're saying 'well,
do it'.
Rap laughs awkwardly.
-'Well, i said i can take them off whenever i want to. I didn't say i
want to!'
-'Okay. When will you want to?' the queen asks, making the
quotation marks with her hands during the last two words.
-'Err... how about never?' Rapunzel awkwardly laughs again.
The queen gives a meaningful look to Cassandra and Eugene.
Having got the queen's message, the two of them charge and
catch Rapunzel off guard. Cassandra holds her by the shoulders,
whereas Eugene is trying to take off the blue slippers. Not an
easy task! Rapunzel is kicking and screaming! But finally Eugene
manages to take them off.
-'NOOO' the blondie screams as Eugene tosses the slippers to
the queen, who catches them in mid air.
Rapunzel chases her mother, who has run out of the room and
is heading to the garden. Now, the queen is standing next to
Maximus, who has his mouth open, ready to chew the slippers
as soon as Ariana throws them into his mouth. Rapunzel freezes
of terror.
-'Don't move, sweetie. I'm gonna do it. Trust me, destroying those
slippers is gonna hurt me more than you' Ariana threatens her
daughter.
After a moment of terror, Rap seems to regain her cool.
-'Yeah, right' she laughs sarcastically. 'As if you, the elegant
Queen of Corona, would ever destroy the most wonderful pair
of...'
Ariana does it! Maximus chews the slippers.
-'NOOO' Rapunzel screams and kneels.
Ariana, Eugene and Cassandra crouch around her to console her.
-'Stay strong, Rap. It will eventually get better' Cassandra whispers.
-'I feel... so empty' Rapunzel sobs. 'And my feet are... so cold'.
Then, her expression changes:
-'Wait a minute'.
She stands up. She feels the ground under her soles. What a feeling!
It feels like forever since the last time she felt it. How could she
forget? How could she forget that wonderful sensation of walking
barefoot?
-'I'm sorry, guys' she says, with a laugh of relief. 'I don't know what
got into me'.
-'You tapped into your inner sparkle, sweetie' her mom strokes her
blonde head. 'It was too new to you and it shocked you. But, i will
eventually train you into handling it'.
-'Nah. That female sparkle stuff does not agree with me' Rap laughs.
Then, she turns to Maximus:
-'How about that fencing match?'
The horse neighs in delight.
-'Yes, my blondie is back' Eugene tightens his fist in joy.