I've been suffering from a little writers block in regards to the Rapunzel/Flynn story line so I thought I'd redirect my attentions somewhere else to try and get me back in the swing of things. This chapter is slightly filler-y but I hope it will pay off in the long term. As always please leave a review it really does mean a lot. Enjoy!

Chapter 7

King Sebastian was in a good mood. He had just been thinking about the time he and Elinor, his wife, his queen, had met. It had been one of his father's huge feasts. All the nobility had been invited, no matter how minor. Before the feast had started, he remembered his father took him aside and told him 'Now Sebastian, I want you to be at your best tonight. All the eligible ladies in the realm are here and I think it's about time you started thinking about a future wife.'

Sebastian had rolled his eyes. His father was always trying to set him up with one wealthy duchess or another. 'Do you have anyone specific in mind?'

'As a matter of fact I do- you know Count Delinard? Well his daughter Georgina is here this evening and I think you two will really hit it off. I mean you share lots of interests, riding for example.'

'I hate riding,' said Sebastian exasperatedly.

'Do you? Oh well I'm sure you'll find lots of other things to talk about. Anyway, I'll introduce you and maybe if you get on I'll arrange for you to see each other again and then perhaps you two can-'

'Okay father let's not get ahead of ourselves.'

'No, no you're right. Well no pressure son. Just find a girl you like. In the end it's better you have a long happy marriage than a short, turbulent one resulting in a divorce and an unhappy powerful father. So find someone you like okay?'

'Will do, thanks for understanding.'

'Oh don't worry, I had to go through the same thing when I was your age.'

And with that his father led him out into the crowded hall. There were so many people there it looked difficult to move. At a sign from the king everyone had sat down and after a short song from a travelling troubadour the feast began in earnest. After only half an hour Sebastian had already managed to lose count of how many wealthy, beautiful ladies with powerful father's he had talked to. How could there be such an endless supply of daughters? After another half an hour of listening to idle patter and endless small talk Sebastian couldn't take it any longer. He made his excuses and got up leaving the hall by the small door on the dais. His father watched him go. Sebastian could see a little disappointed but also understanding in his father's eyes. Sebastian was so grateful to have a father as sympathetic as his own.

After leaving the hall Sebastian walked down a corridor jammed with people and out onto the veranda. He leaned against the rail, deeply breathing in the fresh air. That was when he noticed a young woman sitting alone on one of the benches. She was extremely beautiful but looked a little sad. Sebastian sat down next to her.

'Er hi,' he said awkwardly.

'Hi,' said the woman. She looked up. 'Oh God, Prince Sebastian, please forgive me.'

She got up and was about to curtsy but Sebastian stopped her.

'No don't! No need to do that, it's far too formal.'

'Oh sorry your grace.'

'Call me Sebastian please.'

'Of course…Sebastian.'

There was a silence.

'Look, Sebastian, I'm really sorry but I'm feeling a little sad ad I just don't feel like talking.'

'Oh I'm sorry. Do you want to talk about it?'

'Er, no. Not really, sorry.'

'Oh. I'll get going then.'

'Sorry.'

'No it's fine, I understand.'

Sebastian turned to go, then suddenly turned back and asked: 'Sorry, I forgot to ask your name.'

'Johanna.'

Sebastian smiled at her a little sadly then walked back into the interior of the castle. He was feeling a little down himself now. He looked down at his feet not really noticing where he was going. Then suddenly he felt a thud and found himself on the floor.

'Oh God sorry,' came a voice from above.

Looking up Sebastian saw a woman with long brown hair and large green eyes looking at him nervously.

'Are you okay?' she asked worriedly.

'Yes I'm fine,' said Sebastian standing up. That was when she recognised him.

'Prince Sebastian! I'm so sorry your grace, I really didn't mean to knock you over I was just-'

'Oh don't worry it's fine, I'm fine. I'm just wondering how you managed to knock me over in the first place, you're not very big…'

She seemed to take offence. 'I'm big enough!'

'That's not what I meant. I meant you're not as big as me.'

'Don't be so sure,' she replied brightly standing on tiptoes and measuring herself against him. Even when she stretched as much as she could she still only came up to his shoulders. Taking this in she pouted, sticking out her bottom lip, and said jokingly, 'Okay you may be just a little bit taller than me but don't get cocky alright or I might just have to knock you down again.'

Sebastian chuckled slightly. It had been a long time since someone had dared to be this joking around him, the precious prince. He then joked, 'Did you just threaten me?'

'Yes I did.'

'I am the prince remember….'

'And? Haven't ever had anyone talk back to you?'

'You weren't this feisty when you knocked me to the floor a few seconds ago. Then you were all like 'Oh I'm so sorry' 'Are you hurt Mr Prince' 'Please don't have me executed''

'Yeah but then you were so calm about it that I thought if you aren't going to have me executed for knocking you to the floor then you probably aren't going to have me executed for casual flirting.'

'Casual flirting?!'

'That's what we were doing right? Flirting…'

'Er not so far as I know. That said I'm not I actually know what flirting really is.'

'Well trust me it was flirting, I read a short book on it once, I'm practically an expert.'

Sebastian liked this new girl. She was much more fun than Johanna who he'd talked to earlier, despite Johanna being very beautiful. Come to think of it, this girl actually didn't look much worse than Johanna. She wasn't beautiful per say, but she had a pretty face. He decided that she was beautiful in a kind of cute, understated way.

As Sebastian had been thinking this the young woman had been adjusting the straps on her shoes.

'Urgh, I hate these shoes, they crush my feet.'

'Oh how terrible for you,' said Sebastian sarcastically.

'But the worst part about them,' continued the girl, ignoring Sebastian's sarcastic response, 'Is that I can't even adjust them because the straps are done too tightly.'

'Wow sounds like you need a real hero.'

'Or a handsome Prince.' She batted her eyelashes at him invitingly.

'Okay now I'm pretty sure that was flirting.'

'But is it really flirting if I'm only doing it to get you to give me feeling in my feet again?'

'Well I have no idea, I just hoped it was flirting is all.'

'You hoped it was flirting?'

'Yes.'

There was a pause. Then the woman said 'Do you want to dance?'

'Dance? I thought your feet were sore?'

'They've made a miraculous recovery.'

'Well in that case I might be tempted.'

The girl looked at him impatiently. 'Okay come on Princey boy I know you want to dance, don't you do any of this 'playing hard to get' nonsense on me okay.'

'How very perceptive' replied Sebastian but he didn't move a muscle. The woman let out a sigh of frustration.

'Oh come on, you're meant to lead me in.'

'Of course.'

There was a pause.

'I'll find myself another partner you know.'

'You go ahead and do that.'

Another pause.

'You're a very frustrating person, do you know that?'

'Why thank you.'

There was yet another pause.

'Do you want to dance with me?'

'I could possibly be-'

Sebastian couldn't finish his sentence however before she grabbed by the arm and practically frog marched him into the hall.

'I don't even know why I want to dance with you after how you behaved back then,' said the girl joking slightly.

'Ah don't worry yourself that was flirting.'

'That wasn't flirting! That was you being a right pain in the backside.'

'Aw you say the sweetest things.'

'Don't I just?'

They danced in silence for a few minutes, each subtly examining the other. After a while Sebastian asked, 'I'm not sure if I actually got your name?'

'What's in a name?'

'Well however much I do love good old Bill Shakespeare I am afraid I have to disagree with him this time.'

'Oh?'

'Yes you see your name would be quite useful in helping me to find you again.'

'So you want to see me again?'

'No I just want to make sure you get properly punished for knocking me over.'

'Ah phew, I thought you were going all romantic on me then.'

'Me? Romantic? Never!'

They danced then danced for a little while longer before exiting the hall again and heading out to the veranda. There they talked and laughed and flirted for quite a long time, simply enjoying each other's company. Then, when the feast has finished and the guests were starting to leave they said goodbye to each other. However, before she could leave Sebastian called her back and said, 'You know I never did get your name.'

'Well I'm not sure I really want to give it to you- being punished by guards for knocking the prince over isn't actually my idea of fun you know.'

'Oh really? Well in that case you can go then. Have a great life.' He turned away in mock sadness.

'Elinor,' she said. 'My name is Elinor.'

He smiled at her. She smiled back.

'Well goodnight Elinor, I had a great time'

'Me too, your father certainly knows how to throw a feast!'

'He does, doesn't he?'

'Well goodbye Sebastian.'

'Goodbye, Elinor. Hopefully see you soon.'

She turned to go, then thought again and turned around and planted a small kiss on his cheek. She then smiled at him and left, leaving him alone on the veranda. Slowly he stroked the cheek she had just kissed. He had a small smile on his face. He had fallen for her.

Sebastian was brought out of his day dreaming by a gentle knocking on his door.

'Come in,' shouted Sebastian. He still had a bit of a smile on his face from his reminiscing.

'Your majesty,' said the guard who had entered the room. 'The Queen wants you. She's in one of her…states.'

This abruptly put an end to all the good feeling Sebastian had felt at the recollection of their first meeting and replaced it with the feeling of hollowness that he had started having recently.

'How bad is she?' he asked.

'Not too bad sire, she's only crying this time. Or at least so far she is.'

Sebastian nodded and strode out of the door to his wife's chambers. He was a tall man with a long stride so it wasn't long before he reached her door at the other end of the palace. He knocked gently.

'Elinor?' he asked through the door. There was no reply. 'Elinor?' he said again a little louder.

'Come in,' came a voice from within. 'It's not locked.'

Sebastian opened the door and walked into the room. There she was, his wife, sitting in the middle of it sniffing like a little baby.

'Sebastian,' she said as she looked up. 'I'm so sorry.'

'There, there,' he said. 'It's alright, it looks as if the worst has passed.'

His wife had been having more and more panic attacks recently. It worried him greatly. At least this one didn't seem to have been too crippling.

'I was just thinking about our baby,' she sobbed.

'Which one?' he asked gently.

'I don't know!' she snapped. 'Does it matter? They're all gone.'

Sebastian couldn't think of anything to say. He simply sat down beside her and stroked her back. She leant her head on his shoulder.

'Oh Sebastian what did we do wrong?'

'What do you mean?'

'I mean what did we do that was so bad that God or karma or whatever decided that we were to lose all our children.'

'Oh Elinor, God has nothing to do with it. It's bad luck is all.'

'Well then why have we had so much bad luck?'

Sebastian simply put his arms round her. Of course he had been affected by the loss of their children- how could he not have been? But for Elinor the pain had been greater, especially with the stillborn. It was something to do with the fact that it had lived in her, come out of her body, that made the pain even more unbearable. It didn't help that every year she was reminded of her loss by the lantern festival. That said, the releasing of the lanterns did give her some hope, some relief from her pain. The fact that one of their children could still be alive and that the lanterns might help bring her to them encouraged Elinor greatly. But, with every passing year, the chances of their daughter being found became slimmer and slimmer. When it came to it, Sebastian wasn't sure if it was fair to give his wife this hope only for it to be dashed. In that respect he was considering stopping the lantern festival after this year, this very important year- the year his little Rapunzel would turn 18. Not that she would be so little any more, he thought.

The loss of their children and the resultant downward spiral of Elinor's mental health had split the couple apart over the last few years. They now had separate rooms at opposite ends of the palace. This was Elinor's decision and not his- if it were up to him, Sebastian would have never left Elinor's side. He would have been tending to her day and night. But she needed her space. She probably wanted to try and escape the unhappy memories that they had together and she couldn't do that when she was with him. He understood that and he forgave her even if he sometimes felt as if she was abandoning him- after all he did love her and to see her turn away from him caused him a great deal of pain.

He kissed the top of her head and rested his chin on her shoulder. She looked up at him with her round green eyes.

'I do still love you Sebastian- I hope you know that.'

'I do. I love you too.'

And with that they sat there, in the middle of the room, in each other's arms, comforting and consoling each other until they both fell asleep.

I hope you liked it! I just wanted to show that whilst my version is slightly more sympathetic towards Gothel than others that there has still been huge amounts of damage done by her actions- damage not only to Rapunzel but to her parents as well. I'm on holiday next week in Wales where I will have no internet so I may not update for a while but in the mean time thank you for reading and please do leave a review, all your thoughts are welcome.