"Living happily ever after, after all!"

If you weren't present during the events of Queen Rapunzel's reign, then chances are you wouldn't believe in the stories that were shared about her adventures after her return to her in the Kingdom of Corona. Nearly everyone was familiar with the story of the princess who was trapped in a tower for nearly her entire life with nothing to do but grow out her hair until she was rescued by a prince. But the truth was a little more different than that.

Many centuries ago, a single drop of sunlight fell upon the land and brought forth healing to those who knew of its powers. Of how a woman, Mother Gothel, was able to find the Sundrop flower and keep its power hidden from the world all while she used its healing to gain eternal youth. And how a king sought after the flower in order to heal his queen who fell very ill when she was pregnant with their first child. After finding the flower and drinking the medicine made from the Sundrop, a daughter with golden hair was born and a grand celebration began throughout Corona to celebrate the birth of Princess Rapunzel. But Mother Gothel had snuck into the castle and kidnapped Rapunzel, fleeing with the child in order to keep the precious Sundrop close to her and away from the world. For if a single strand of hair was cut, it would return to normal and the power would cease to exist. For eighteen years, Rapunzel dreamed of the world outside the tower and that day came once she had thrusted her mighty frying pan onto the back of the head belonging to famous criminal, Flynn Rider. Together, they had left the tower and through their journey, a new dream had blossomed between them as Flynn Rider had taken to being known by his true name, Eugene Fitzherbert, and the princess Rapunzel was returned to her home after Mother Gothel had been vanquished. And everything had fallen into peace and tranquility for Rapunzel and Eugene as they were to take their place within Corona together.

However, that wasn't the end of the story. Fate was funny that day it had returned Rapunzel's golden hair and a new series of adventures had taken place. Of how the princess was destined to save the world from a great evil and overcame hurt and betrayal through forgiveness and trust along with the aid of her friends. In the end, the Coronan Princess had made her mark in the world and swore to be a fair ruler that saw the good in others and sought to aid those who had lost their ways through compassion. Or so the story goes…

…

Slowly and steadily, the sun crawled into the sky as the stars disappeared and the night gave way to the dawn while a gentle breeze had blown through the horizon. The kingdom of Corona began to rise and prepared to resume their usual routines whether they were a peasant in the farmlands or a noble from within the castle. Everyone greeted the day with an essence of serenity as the future queen, princess Rapunzel, made her way to greet the people and oversee any duties that needed her attention. Each person she knew by name and made it a mission to understand what she could do to make their days easier and productive. It was hard to believe that a month had passed since the attack by the villainous Zhan Tiri who used the powers of the Sundrop and Moonstone to do away with Corona. The damages done required a lot of time to plan how to recreate the kingdom and high spirits to rebuild began to dampen, even with a short burst of energy from a motivational song.

There were even times where Rapunzel felt at her wits end due to the disagreements and controversies on what should be done first and foremost as the castle still needed to be rebuilt, many homes were destroyed, and the presence of the black rocks had left an impact that none dared to go near them. And yet, the harder aspects that Rapunzel felt frustrations towards were those that were not so ready to forgive and move on in hopes of rebuilding their home, opting to leave which left more work to be done. Tensions were rising and when Rapunzel was unable to find a resolve, Eugene, along with aid from Lance and Varian, had stepped in to take over as the princess left to collect herself and think of finding a compromise. Despite their efforts, a lot of progress had been brought back to square one which left many uncertain in her leadership or whether she would truly be able to keep her word. Time and time again, there were more setbacks in reconstruction, people were already losing their patience, many pointed fingers on who had done what and what had gone wrong, and old quarrels were brought up to fuel the conflicts. At times, there was no choice for some other than to pack up what they can and leave Corona for better lands or open spaces offered by nearby establishments. How would Rapunzel be able to rule a kingdom if no one trusted each other anymore?

Trust… Part of her heart had sunk a bit as the thought of trust wasn't enough for everyone and perhaps if she had placed more trust into her friends, things would've been different. Even more so when Cassandra came to mind. Yes, Rapunzel was happy that her friend had left to find her own place outside of Corona, but not everyone was satisfied with the former being so easily pardoned. While it had taken time and as hard as it was to accept, Rapunzel admitted that she was often pushy when it came to Cassandra in trying to understand her feelings and wanting to talk, but perhaps she pushed too far rather than to just trust her. Or perhaps she trusted her a bit too much.

Despite it all, Cassandra was labeled as a traitor and a criminal to Corona. The kingdom was enraged to know that one of their own was actually the daughter of Mother Gothel, the very woman who kidnapped their princess all those years ago. Yet she was rescued by the captain of the guard and honored with the position of being Princess Rapunzel's lady-in-waiting, even then Cassandra was made to be Rapunzel's bodyguard when the princess left Corona. But in the end, she betrayed them all by stealing the Moonstone and allied herself with Zhan Tiri, who's very legend had stated that the villain would ensure with all their power would destroy Corona. Yet, through compassion, or perhaps naivety, Rapunzel had allowed Cassandra to leave the kingdom with no trial or punishment. The people knew that their princess sought to find the good in others and attempted to redeem the criminals in the kingdom through kindness, but this decision was not met with acceptance. They wanted action. They wanted Cassandra to face justice. They wanted her to face what she had done and contribute to fixing the mess. They wanted Rapunzel to be a queen and act like one rather than just scold and slap wrists like one would with a child.

Well, technically, Rapunzel was recognized more as a regent in place of her parents who were still recovering memories after the events of the Saporian invasion and tasked to protect the capital and surrounding territories. After Zhan Tiri's attack, Fredric and Arianna were able to take care of the kingdom while Rapunzel was granted duties to better engage with the citizens in order to re-establish trust within the royal family along with reputation amongst the seven kingdoms. While her family and friends had faith in Rapunzel, the people weren't so easily swayed and felt that Rapunzel had proven that she was unprepared for the task. Regardless, it was bound to happen.

One day, she would be officially crowned as Queen of Corona, but Rapunzel kept more of her focus on premarital jitters. Now that things were somewhat normal, the kingdom was rebuilding,l and without the stress of having her magic hair, Rapunzel was excited for the day that she and Eugene would walk down the aisle. They hadn't decided on what season they would wed, or the reception, or the feast, or the dancing...but that's what made things even more exciting. Knowing Eugene, he'd want Rapunzel to have the perfect wedding day, but it wasn't just for her, it was for him too. And that's what made it even more special.

After she was done with her deeds for the day, Rapunzel had left the capital to seek out some privacy in the nearby woods and fields before settling under the shade of a tree. Looking out onto the horizon and breathing in the blissful air, she made herself comfortable and began to write in her journal.

It all feels so surreal. I've been having so many thoughts lately and I'm wondering if this is really real or not. Part of me still dreams that I'll wake up, still trapped in the tower, and these memories would just go away. There is so much I want to learn and do that I feel like time is just going by far too fast as I've learned certain things about myself and others.

Some good. Some bad.

I was once the lost princess and now I am to be crowned as a queen, having responsibilities over the lives of others and perhaps a family of my own one day. But I am happy.

I don't know. Maybe I'm just nervous about making more mistakes and everyone is counting on me to make the right decisions, even if they don't sound entirely fair towards others. If they can see that there are other ways to trust and have faith in one another, things would be better.

I will admit, I've made mistakes, especially when it involved my closest friends.

But now, things are sort of going back to normal...and yet...there's something bothering me.

I don't know what it is other than just feeling like something is wrong. To be honest, I haven't been able to sleep well lately.

Maybe I'm just worrying over nothing…

At least, she hoped as Rapunzel leaned back against the tree and Pascal, always by her side, had stood to give her a hug on the cheek. Well, at least she had some reassurance from an old friend.

"Ooooh Rapunzel!"

Looking up from her book, Rapunzel smiled as she saw Eugene calling out to her in a singsong voice and jogging up the hill towards her, Maximus following him in a trot. Closing her book and brushing her dress down, Rapunzel stood and greeted him with a hug.

"Hi Eugene. What's up?" Rapunzel smiled and brushed her short hair back a bit. While part of her did miss using the golden hair to help with the heavy work, it did feel like a relief to have that extra weight lifted off her shoulders. Literally. All that hair was a bit bothersome.

"Oh nothing much. Just wanted to tell you that Lance, and yours truly, were able to settle some debate and work in rebuilding the farmlands which means nothing, but smooth sailing from here on out." Eugene smiled, putting his hands behind his back and standing proudly for his accomplishment. "So...What are you up to?"

"Just the usual, relaxing after doing my part and writing in my journal, reflecting..." her voice trails off for a bit.

Eugene's brows furrowed a bit but he still kept his smile. "Reflecting? About what?"

"I don't know exactly. I'm happy that our adventures are finally complete, everyone is safe, and yet...I don't know."

"Huh...Maybe you're just feeling a little overwhelmed. We've faced a lot since we left Corona and back. It's all over now and you're going to be a queen. And soon, maybe we can talk about a date for, you know, our wedding." He smiled at the thought and by the gleam in his eyes, Eugene had a lot of plans. "But if you're feeling anxious, that's nothing a little afternoon picnic can't fix. I'm on my way to Old Corona to see how well things are going with Quirin and Varian."

"Let's go together. I just need more time to think about how I can help fix the castle. And a picnic does sound nice actually. Maybe afternoon tea in the garden."

"Whatever makes you happy sunshine. You see? There's nothing to worry about. I'm here with you every step of the way, I promise." He lovingly placed his arms around her waist and onto Max's back as they rode off towards the village.

From afar in the fields of Old Corona, many were able to remove some of the black rocks and rebuild their homes, but others had left the land for better pastures. Some even seeking temporary or permanent refuge in Vardaros, which was also undergoing its own reconstruction now that black rocks were no longer a threat. While Corona was one of the seven kingdoms to have running hot water thanks to Varian, Corona's own trusted royal science expert, engineer, and alchemist, there was some reluctance about having him around. Mainly after what had happened: the infamous "wizard" who attacked the princess during a snowstorm, kidnapped the queen, and almost committed regicide by using some strange machine, but that was all rumors and cruel misinformation

The truth was Varian had tried to understand what made the black rocks only to accidentally trap his father, Quirin, in amber, and tried to plead for help from Rapunzel only to be thrown out during a terrible snowstorm. He was so aggrieved that he resorted to lying and manipulating everyone in order to take the Sundrop flower in order to free Quirin no matter the cost. Even if it meant kidnapping the queen to lure Rapunzel out to face him. And even worse off, Varian allied himself with Saporian separatists who were bent on destroying Corona and even betrayed the alchemist. Now, Quirin was free and Varian was happy to be reunited with his father, even if it cost him so much heartache after everything he had done. Together they worked away from the rest of the citizens in Old Corona who may not have felt comfortable enough to be near Varian just yet. Even after he aided in defeating Zhan Tiri. No matter what, it felt that old views won't change even with the progress made. Regardless, Rapunzel didn't want Varian punished severely and made it clear that this could've been prevented in the first place once she had learned that her father returned to his old ways. But Varian had redeemed himself in her eyes and he was doing what he could to help fix the aftermath of Zhan Tiri's attack and regain trust within corona. It didn't matter to Rapunzel if others felt otherwise about Varian. They were friends. Better friends than before and that's all that mattered.

Nearly everything that had happened because of Rapunzel's destiny felt overwhelming as it had all come to an end. Was her destiny finally over or was there more to come? There was always the thought of what if something big, something far more dangerous would happen. How would she be able to overcome that? With a sigh, Rapunzel turned and left to continue looking out for anyone who needed help. Anything to keep her mind off things.

"...rapunzel...Rapunzel...Rapunzel!"

"Huh?" Rapunzel was so deep in thought that she didn't realize that she was beginning to slide off of Max's saddle until Eugene pulled her back into reality. "Oh! Eugene! I-I'm sorry. I just-"

"Honey? Are you okay?"

"Yes! No...I don't know..I just…"

"You still have a lot on your mind, don't you?"

"...I just wish everything could go back the way it was. Back before I saw the black rocks... My mind's been buzzing like crazy lately. About everything that had happened and trying to fix the mess"

"Hey. Rapunzel" He cups her cheek with a hand. "It's okay. No matter what. I'm gonna be here for you, through thick and thin, and we'll be able to get through this. Together."

She smiled back at him. Feeling a sense of reassurance as Rapunzel gazed into his eyes and cups his face as well. "Together."