I suppose I'll start exactly where everyone else leaves off—the reunion between Rapunzel and her parents.
Well, after the very, very, very emotional hug-session on the balcony, the King finally suggested that we come indoors. There was a lot of catching up to be done, but I was still a bit unsure as to why I was there. I half-expected the Royal Guards to come rushing in at any moment to drag me into a cold, dark, solitary cell so I could rot away and spend the rest of my existence growing increasingly lonely and depressed...As you can probably tell, I had been putting quite a bit of thought into the worst case scenario.
I allowed Rapunzel and her parents to walk through the great double doors first. As soon as they had crossed the threshold, I took a few steps forward, tentative and awkward. Was I supposed to go in or was this a strictly familial meeting? Should I just turn myself over now or did the King want to reprimand me for stealing his daughter first? All those feelings of doubt and uncertainty that I'd pushed away suddenly came bubbling to the surface.
The King caught my eye and paused. He looked at me, and then he smiled. His head was inclined toward the interior of the room, and I understood that this was an invitation for me to enter. I was relieved to say the least. I was fairly certain that I'd have to go to prison either way, but I definitely wasn't in any rush whatsoever. Spending an hour or so with the bonding family might even cheer me up for my inevitable journey to jail.
Well, that one hour of family bonding turned into two, which gradually made it's way toward three. Three full hours of the four of us, each sitting in a ridiculously squishy chair, talking and recounting every pointless or exciting detail of our lives. I found it almost strange that the King and Queen—who I was told to call George and Laurena—were interested in hearing about my life story as well as their daughters. I skimmed over my criminal activities a bit, trying to make everything seem not so illegal; after all, these were not only the people that would decide my fate, but they were also the parents of the girl I loved. I wanted to make a decent impression. Well, as decent as impression as an infamous outlaw can make. I concluded my little biography by telling them about my meeting with Rapunzel. I tried not to gush about how fantastic and beautiful and wonderful and lovely she was too much, but I have to admit, I found that part to be the most difficult.
As the sun began to set outside, marking just how long we'd spent in those excessively cushy chairs, the King stood up and asked to have a word with me in private. He didn't seem angry with me or like a man who was about to sentence a thief to his doom, but rather he looked calm, maybe even a bit amused at my worried expression.
Rapunzel shot me a reassuring smile as her father walked into a different room, holding the door open expectantly. I took a breath before making my way over.
I found myself in a really impressive study. There was a grand, expensive-looking mahogany desk, two very large bookcases that touched the ceiling, and an extremely big portrait of the King and his wife.
"Please, Rider, sit," he told me, gesturing to a chair on one side of the desk. He sat down in the chair opposite me. "Go ahead; don't look so scared."
Oh great, I thought wryly as I took a seat. Apparently I'm not only freaking out, but it's also showing on my face. I'm sure he's real impressed with me now. I quickly reminded myself that he probably couldn't ever be impressed with a convicted criminal, so it was essentially pointless for me to worry about. I then scolded myself for having this internal debate in my head while the King was talking. It was really quite rude of me.
"So, Flynn—," he began.
"Actually, sir, it's Eugene," I interjected, once again mentally chastising myself for my lack of manners. He was the King for crying out loud, and here I was, cutting him off mid-sentence.
"I'm sorry, what?" Thankfully, he didn't look bothered by my blatant interruption.
"Flynn Rider was what I went by after I started stealing things," I told him. "My real name is Eugene Fitzherbert. I'm not going by Flynn anymore."
He quirked an eyebrow, his eyes twinkling. "So does this mean that you're not going to be thieving any longer?"
"Yessir, I'm quitting the breaking-the-law business for good."
He looked pleased. This struck me as odd. Why would he be happy that I promised to stop stealing? Surely it shouldn't matter to him. After all, I was going to go to prison whether I reformed or not. Also, it was incredibly difficult to maintain life as a robber from within a jail cell, so it really shouldn't have been news to the King that I was quitting.
"Well, Eugene, that's wonderful to hear. It would probably look quite unusual for a still-wanted criminal to be living on the castle grounds." He smiled kindly with an unfamiliar fatherly expression on his face.
I furrowed my brow. It was best not to get my hopes up. I mean, what if I had misheard or misunderstood what he was saying? "Um, sir, I don't think I really get what you're trying to say..." I trailed off, struggling to keep my voice even. I wanted to celebrate, but I had to be absolutely sure that I had heard him correctly.
The King's grin grew. "I'm saying that, if you're serious about giving up all of your criminal activities, you'd be more than welcome to live here." He paused and added, "Not in the actual castle, of course, but there's a very comfortable cottage out back, and as there's currently no one living there, you'd have the place to yourself." I opened my mouth, and I'm sure my doubt was written across my face, because he went on to explain his reasons for this wonderfully bizarre proposition. "I've seen the way Rapunzel looks at you. She's in love; that much is perfectly clear. But I've also seen how you look at her. It reminds me of the way I looked at Laurena when we first met. I know you may not be the most legal citizen around, but you make Rapunzel happy, and I know that you love her. That's really all that's important to me right now."
I opened my mouth a few times, then shut it almost immediately. With my eyebrows still knitted together in an expression of disbelief and confusion, I finally managed to say, "But I'm a very, very wanted thief. Your guards have been chasing me non-stop for the past several years. You're just going to forget about that?"
Much to my surprise, the King actually chuckled. "It's sad, I know. Those guards have weapons, armor, experience, and the whole kingdom at their disposal, but you just waltz in and take priceless items from right under their noses. It's incredible how long they've been chasing you without coming any closer to catching you." He grinned mischievously and leaned closer, lowering his voice. "Don't tell them this, but sometimes those guys can be absolute idiots."
This time I was the one who laughed. I couldn't believe that the King himself actually called his guards "idiots." That had to be the most impressive thing I'd heard him say yet.
"You know, sir, I completely agree with you."
Review please! As always, suggestions for coming chapters are welcome and encouraged. I need ideas for what you guys want to see come up because I honestly don't know what should come after this. Someone had previously mentioned that I should write them in a new adventure. Do you guys have any ideas about what exactly that should be or would you rather just have a fluffy account of their lives? Be sure to let me know, and don't forget to tell me what you think about this chapter!