Eugene stared at himself in the mirror.
Certainly this wasn't an abnormal thing to do, he really was quite handsome, but today was different. He didn't usually wear all white and the golden crest hanging over his shoulder certainly wasn't as light as it had looked. He grimaced when he thought of the men who had worn it before him on their wedding day. He was definitely cut from a different cloth than they were.
Wedding day. Ack. Now there's a situation I thought I'd never find myself in. Eugene had heard the clamor of everything being prepared and he'd tried the outfit on probably about fifty times trying to get the right fit (which was very flattering he had to admit) and he was the one that proposed in the first place, but he hadn't let what was actually happening soak into his brain. He glanced around the dressing room. He'd been standing there for a good hour (because proper princes don't arrive late), waiting for the cue to begin. The groomsmen (all guys Eugene had never met) sat in the corner and a dressmaker continually observed him, chastising him every time he moved the slightest inch.
"Don't move, sir! You'll rumple the fabric!" the dressmaker snapped, his hand moving quickly to straighten a small fold in Eugene's vest.
"What then? Am I supposed to just float down the aisle? Or maybe we should have the wedding in here." The dressmaker scowled and continued to pace around Eugene. It was a big day for him as well. It was quite the big achievement to be the head designer for the prince consort's wedding day outfit.
At last a guard entered the room, breaking the dreadful silence. He nodded towards Eugene and held the door open. Eugene stayed where he was, beginning a series of awkward glances between the other men in the room.
"Well aren't you guys going to carry me out there? Wouldn't want me moving and messing up this lovely suit, would we?" he joked. The men continued to look around until finally the timid guard who held the door spoke up.
"Er, sir, if you like I can go get a few of the other guards and we can-"
"Oh, calm down, I'm just giving this guy a hard time," Eugene laughed, pointing at the dressmaker who seemed to be at wit's end. Okay, maybe I'm being a bit too much of an ass. Eugene stepped down from the raised platform that he'd been on for hours. He followed the groomsmen out, who seemed to have a better idea of what was going on than he did. He may have dozed off once or twice during rehearsal. He watched as an older man at the front of the arch leading to the altar stopped the line of men, and then one by one signaled each groomsman to make the long journey to the priest and waiting bridesmaids at the end.
Finally only Eugene remained at the arch. He broke his "cool guy code" and began to stare at his shoes, memorizing every miniscule mark on them. The people herder cleared his throat. Eugene looked up and for the first time that day saw a genuine smile on the old man's face. Eugene smiled back at the man, grateful for someone who didn't seem to regard him as not good enough or too old or a thief.
"Knock 'em dead, Your Majesty," the man said, gesturing towards the hall. Well that's a title I'm gonna have to get used to. Eugene took a breath and walked slowly (and what he considered to be princely) down the aisle. He took his place in between the priest and his groomsmen and willed himself not to gaze around the immense hall like a child. He kept his eyes on the audience and the archway in the back. His stomach was unsettled and he was pretty sure he was sweating a little. Without warning, the music began and Eugene did everything he could to keep his cool and maintain his composure. Eyes planted squarely on the back of the room, he focused on breathing in and out. And then, like the fresh air and sunshine that enters a room when you open a window, she was there.
His stomach flipped and he watched in awe as Rapunzel stepped into the light. Her gown was white with golden trim, a small sophisticated bow resting on the smallest part of her waist. Eugene couldn't help but remember the wound that had been in that exact area only one year ago. She smiled at him from what seemed like a mile away, and he held back the desire to run to her. The embarrassment of that would be loads better than the anticipation of watching her march deliberately slow all the way down to the altar.
As she finally reached the remaining wedding party, she gave her prince an excited smile. Eugene returned the smile, but with less enthusiasm, still carrying the façade of being relaxed and cool, like "Oh yeah, I get married like, every day. No big deal." The couple faced each other and the priest began his spiel about love and respect and blahblahblah. Eugene zoned out completely, his thoughts occupied with more important things. His ears finally perked up when the priest asked for the rings. The couple gathered the rings and placed them on the other's finger, eyes glued solely on each other.
"You may now kiss the bride."
It's about time! But as Eugene leaned forward, Rapunzel grabbed the side of his face and pulled him in. He allowed himself to be lost for a few moments until he realized that there was an entire procession watching them and that maybe the more "intimate" kissing could wait until later. For now, he was just going to live in the moment.
A/N: Bum bada daaaa! It's over! Yay! So hopefully no one decides to tear me into pieces for not following the "Tangled Ever After" wedding. Also hopefully you guys thought it was a halfway decent story. It was my first fanfic ever, by the way. Big thank you's to everyone who stuck around and gave such nice reviews and followed my Rapunzel Tumblr. And with that, I'd like to plug my new story, you may have already seen it up, Fire Burst, in which a modern day Rapunzel lives two miles away from Disneyland and stares at the fireworks every night, wondering what they are. Along comes a charming thief and ex-Disneyland employee who is somewhat forced into escorting the star-struck girl to the park. Over the course of two days we discover that Rapunzel's hair is often mistaken for a wig, Disney princesses aren't always as sweet as they seem, and Flynn Rider is deathly afraid of elevators. If any of this sounds interesting to you, please check out Fire Burst.
