A/C: Because of the unfortunate fact that Flin/Eugene, would screw up the plotline, I have had to erase his existence from Rapunzel's life. This chapter covers what took place in the time that Rapunzel would be running off with her thief.

Point of View: Rapunzel

4/20


The sky always enchanted me from the very beginning, the big globe of wonder looming above me, dotted with flickering lights or illuminating the entire world with the golden sun. Best of all was once a year, when the canvas filled with the glittering of stars that weren't stars; flickering, flying boxes of light. But even on nights set during the other seasons, when there was no chance of the boxes of light, I still spent at least a minute or two just staring out the window. There was only one thing more remarkable than the lanterns that I had ever seen on such nights.

It had been early winter, a gentle nip musing at the open window. It had been on one of the rare nights that I had spent alone, and therefore could gaze out the window for as long as I wanted. Gleaming at the very edge of my vision, I saw something shimer through the clouds, causing the puffs to shiver in reproach. Leaping from the top of the fog, pranced a little boy! I had never seen anyone fly before-then again, I had never seen a boy before. But there he was, zipping through the air with such glee, as though he had jumped straight from my legends book. He glided and swung to the sweet lullaby of the wind, right up to my window.

"Hello!" I greeted, my eyes taking in the scene, lit with wonder. He was exactly like the boy from my book, right down to the spindly staff he clutched between his spidery fingers.

"Hello?" He responded, settling down on top of the frozen flower box. "Are you talking to me?"

"Yes, hello!" I repeated, squealing in delight at having an actual person to talk to besides mother. "I'm Rapunzel, what is your name?"

"My name?" he repeated, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion. "You can see me, even though you don't know who I am?"

"I know you're in my book," I assured him, smiling up at the glistening figure. "But I'm still learning how to read it. But I'm sure I'll know who you are once you tell me."

He chuckled, nodding in appreciation. "I'm sure you will. I'm Jack Frost."

"Ooh yes, Mother told me your story," I piped up excitedly, glad to know who the stranger was. "You paint my windows in the winter."

"I suppose you could put it that way, yeah," Jack agreed, smiling kindly at me.

"You can come in, if you'd like," I offered, standing far enough away so he could climb through the open window. "I've never had a visitor before."

"I've never been a visitor before," Jack admitted, stepping past the flower boxes, so he was grounded onto the wooden flooring.

"Neither have I," I assured him, grinning.

"Wow," Jack whistled, his eyes drifting from the many walls to the ceiling. Almost every surface that met his eyes was splattered with my art, little doodles I did in my free time-and sometimes larger paintings. After all, that had to be what I spended most of my time doing, drawing and adding to the many pictures that revolved around me. "Your art is brilliant!"

"You really think so?" I beamed, hopping up and down as I built off of his enthusiasm. I couldn't believe anyone else would take pleasure in what I did for fun! Mother tolerated it most of the time, but she never appreciated it, not really, not the way Jack was doing now. His eyes twinkled as he gazed from picture to picture. I could feel the gentle buzz of excitement that trailed after him. "I just do some in my free time." I shrugged, well aware of how strawberry-red my cheeks had gotten.

"In some of your free time?" Jack repeated, awed. "But there's so many! How do you manage to find the time?"

"I have a bit too much of that free time on my hands," I found myself shrugging my shoulders once again. "And drawing has to be one of the most fun things to do in this tower." I let my shoulders lift and fall one last time, closing my window and sitting besides it. Absent mindedly, I traced my fingers over the frozen glass, creating the familiar pattern of the shining boxes. I loved to create them on my window especially, because then I could stand back and see them illuminated against the sky, just like they appeared in real life.

"I'd rather be out of this tower, having adventures like in your book of legends," I whispered, hugging my legs to my chest, and allowing my smile to slip from my features slightly. "It would be nice to be able to actually see the things that I draw."

Jack knelt across from me, so that the two of us framed the window. He cast his legs in front of him, so they managed to match up with my feet. "Someday you will be able to go and have those adventures, I promise." His wrist flicked up, aiming his spidery fingers at my window drawings, waving his hand ever so slightly, he caused the lanterns to peel from the glass, and levitate through the air.

I gasped in awe and sheer astonishment. They were just like the original boxes! The only difference was that instead of glimmering with warmth, they bore the frozen promise of ice. "They're beautiful," I finally gasped, my eyes tracing their pattern of slowly bobbing around the ceiling. "How did you do that?"

"I'm Jack Frost, remember?" Jack reminded me, laughing happily at how his trick had delighted me. "You may be able to draw, but this is what I can do with ice."

I didn't respond with words, instead let my wide eyes show my utter amazement.

"Can I watch you?" Jack asked, eagerly.

"Hmm?" I questioned, tilting my head quizzically.

"Paint, I mean," He clarified, continuing to smile his toothy grin. "I showed me your trick, now you show me yours."

"Alright," I agreed cheerfully, glancing at him for another moment, I fetched my paint set from a well worn cabinet, and knelt beside the wooden fixture. The pricks of the fresh brush dipped into the splashes of blues. It was time to add a little frost to my collection, to balance out all the sunshine.


"I'm sure if you asked, she would be reasonable," Jack assured me, shooting a worried look in my direction. "She is your mother after all, they seem to try and do what's best for you-and staying cooped up here forever isn't what's best. Besides, today is your birthday."

"I did ask!" I moaned, continuing to pace up and down my room so furiously that my hair, jerking back and forth, tugged at my entire head. Even my hands were rigidly expressing the anger that bubbled up inside me. "I begged her to go! And you'd think that I waited long enough, that she would have some confidence in me. The only thing I've ever done is stay in this stupid tower and obey her every wish. You'd think she'd let me out of the tower just once in my life!" I knew I was ranting, letting my thoughts bubble up and overpower everything else. But it felt so good to rant, and Jack didn't seem to mind. He was the only one I could rant to, and talk to, and be friends with. "Sorry, I just..."

"It's alright," Jack assured me, hurriedly, the usual grin that sprung across his face was absent, both his features and his voice contorted with worry. "It really stinks, what your Mom's forcing you to go through."

"I just..." I slumped to the ground, letting my hands fall from their angered gestures. "I just want to see the lights."

Jack sighed, sitting next to me. He slung his arm around my shoulders, pulling me into a half hug. "If you had the chance to go see the lights, without your mother's permission, would you?"

"I..." I started, allowing myself the necessary time to consider such a thing. It would completely break her heart, destroy her. But I couldn't help but feel like this was something I simply had to do. "Yes, I would."

"Would you like me to take you?" Jack offered.

"Would you?" I gasped, pulling away from his hug so I could look him in the face.

He seemed genuinely surprised at my reaction, his eyes and mouth widening slightly. "Of course, you're one of my best friends. Why wouldn't I?"

"It's just... wow," I breathed, pulling him into a tightly squeezing hug. "Thank you! Thank you so much."

"Yeah, no problem," Jack responded, panting for breath after I let him go from my death grip. He offered his hand to me, his usual childish grin in place once again. "Ready to fly to your birthday lights?"

"Ready," I squealed in agreement. Without another word, I placed my hand into his, and off we flew. The ground was so very far away, as we flew, that it appeared as simply another one of my paintings. But a painting I could experience first class, the wind blasting us to our destination, the trees below whipped and swayed at the wind's command, appearing as an ocean of movement. In the gorgeous landscape, I could make out an enormous forest, and past that, a canyon, the tan rubble dry and desolate.

Jack billowed with laughter, his voice reverberating around the sky, and filling it with the utmost joy. As my hair fanned around me, a gigantic veil, I joined in with his laughter, letting my own happiness surge through the air.

"This is the most amazing thing I have ever done!" I squealed, shouting so loudly that I wouldn't be surprised if those on the ground could hear me.

Jack just continued to laugh in response, and on we flew. The sky was fading to the fire of sunset, blotches of reds and oranges, and yellows, and pinks; all blended together, as though someone had smeared all their warm colored paints together.

"Come on, I know the perfect spot," he said, even though I didn't have much of a choice but to float gently down with him. We left the spectacular view, coming down from the clouds, and panning into a large city. From our position above, the ebbing sunlight played at the building's shingles, the brown roofs causing the scene to look like a group of gingerbread houses. But then I spotted the castle, which completely blew the gingerbread fantasy out of the ground; but with this addition, it didn't even need a daydream to make everything look like it came from a story book. Its elegant baileys shimmered against the bleeding canvas of sky. Jack lead me straight to the palace, leaping onto a balcony that overlooked the entire kingdom.

"This," he paused, curtsying with over exaggerated gestures. "M' lady, is the perfect view of your lanterns."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" I jumped up and down giddily, throwing my arms around him. "So much."

"Thanks for believing in me," Jack simply whispered back, his hugs wrapping around me to join the hug. "Come on, let's get ready."

"Yeah," I grinned back, pulling away.

Jack slipped easily onto the rim of the balcony, patting the spot beside him. I quickly followed his gesture and took my place alongside him. This, this was the moment I had waited for my entire life. It was time to see the lights. The world was quickly fading into blue, real stars twinkling into view. When would this start?

"Rapunzel?" a gentle, surprised voice asked from in front of me. I turned around, and there stood a queen and king, a lantern in their hands. "My daughter, is that you?"