Chapter 3

The King was worried. His daughter was turning 18 in a month and it was time for her to get married. He had plenty of suitors lined up, three alone from the Four Kingdoms. But Rapunzel didn't seem to be interested. She was preoccupied with that thief, Flynn Rider. She painted his portrait every free moment she had and she decorated every wall in the place with it. She just couldn't get him out of her head. After she had painted the audience chamber with his likeness, he confined her to a room of her own, a studio as he called it, where she could paint to her heart's content.

The King didn't know whether he should sit down and have a talk with her about this or just force her to marry the boy of his choosing. They had already been wrong about so many things.

Rapunzel's blond hair had become much too long and against the Queen's advice, they had cut it. It had turned brown after that, as his wife had told him it would, but it continued to grow, despite rumors that it would not. Rapunzel had powers that no one else had, which is why that witch kidnapped her in the first place.

Thank the Lord that a small boy had found her and returned her to her proper place in the world. Gothel's family and his had fought for the crown as long as he could remember. Gothel herself proclaimed that she would had found a way to live forever just to take his family down. They were the rightful heirs to the throne and Gothel would see to it that the imposters would be as miserable as her family had been. She kidnapped little Rapunzel intending to use her as bait. No one had known about the child's magical powers until Gothel picked up the child. It was as if the infant knew something of magic because Gothel, to her shock and surprise, lost of all her magic. She attempted escape anyway, which was to no avail. She climbed down a garden trestle which hung below the Princess' window. It had never been secured to the wall however and toppled over like dominoes as Gothel tried to climb down.

The collapsed trestle lay in the garden for two days before anyone figured out her escape. It was also how they learned of Rapunzel's power in the first place.

The magic golden flower of the sun had bestowed upon the Royal family a gift that could not be ignored. It had healed the Queen and had given her powers beyond reason and the same could be said for Rapunzel. They weren't exactly sure how to use that power, that's all and to this day, they still weren't sure. The only one who had known was Gothel and she was long gone.

And as far as the King knew, there were no living relatives.

He heard a soft rapping at his study door and looked upward. "Come in," he said as the door opened, revealing his wife and his daughter.

The King smiled and motioned for them to take seats opposite his desk.

"Has your mother spoken to you, Rapunzel?" the King asked.

Rapunzel nodded her head. "Yes, she has, Father," was all she said.

The King looked over at his wife, then returned his gaze to her. "And what's the verdict?"

Rapunzel turned toward her mother. She was a little reluctant to answer.

"She doesn't want to be forced into marriage," the Queen said. "She would like to choose from all the eligible bachelors of the Four Kingdoms, royalty or not."

The King nodded and turned his attention back to Rapunzel. "And I suppose that includes the wanted thief?"

The Queen nodded. "I'm afraid it does, Sire," she answered. "I have already given my permission and blessing. I was hoping that you would agree."

The King kept his eyes on his daughter. They were thoughtful eyes, not angry ones. He did love his Rapunzel after all and felt that they were lucky to have her.

"I want to speak with your mother about this in private, if that's okay with you, but as of now, you have my both my permission and blessing. We'll invite every suitable bachelor so that you can have your pick. We only want what's best for you, Rapunzel. You do understand that, don't you?"

Rapunzel smiled and nodded her head. "Thank you, Father," she answered and kissed him on the cheek. "That does include Flynn Rider, doesn't it?"

"Unless he marries before your birthday, I'm sure that he'll be there," the King answered, smiling.

"That's all I wanted to know, Father," she answered, smiling. She practically glided out of the study door.

The King watched her leave then turned to her mother. "What's with that Flynn Rider anyway? She's got his likeness in almost every room in the castle?"

The Queen nodded. "And now it's all over her studio. Maybe there is something about that boy, my lord. I've often wondered if he was the one who saved her."

The King laughed and shook his head. "Oh, come now. You really think that's it? That she remembers who rescued her?"

The Queen nodded. "Stranger things have happened, my husband. Maybe we really should give him the benefit of the doubt."

The King thought a moment. "You think I should trust this Flynn Rider? I mean, he's a thief after all."

The Queen shrugged. "Don't judge a book by its cover. He might surprise you.

The King smiled. "Well, alright. We shall see what happens. Right now he's invited. Besides, you've been right about everything else lately. In this case, I'll trust your judgment."

The Queen smiled. "It's nice of you to agree with me, my lord." She stood up to go. "I'll go tell Rapunzel right away." She started for the door, then turned.

"Maybe we should have him over before Rapunzel's birthday, let them get to know each other and maybe we can get to know him."

She smiled again, then opened the door and closed it behind her leaving the King to think about her words. He shook his head and smiled, still staring at the closed door, long after the Queen had left.