Reaching Corona was surprisingly easy. The more Horace headed west the more he heard about the kingdom of the sun. It seemed to be a fairly prosperous kingdom, and Horace was intrigued. From what he could gather, it was associated with the sun and light as much as the Dark Kingdom was connected to the moon and shadows. He'd also heard that Corona was extremely fertile and had bountiful harvests every year, another way that made it opposite to the Dark Kingdom.
At first Horace had just been interested in Corona out of a type of spite. He didn't appreciate being told what not to do and where he couldn't go. However, now he was looking forward to seeing the kingdom for what it was. What better way to learn how the world worked outside of the Dark Kingdom than by going someplace that was a complete contrast to how it was back home?
Horace swore to himself that as soon as he had his fill of Corona he would head home. It should be more than enough to satisfy his curiosity and need to get out of the kingdom. When Horace went home he would feel ready to really settle into the role of crown prince, and all the responsibilities that came with it.
As Horace made his way towards the capital he passed a few smaller towns, and everybody seemed to be getting ready for a festival of sorts. It was a little interesting to see people getting ready. The air in the kingdom felt a little bittersweet. People were excited about the festival, that much was clear, but their smiles were strained and there was an odd sadness in their eyes.
Horace found himself a flyer advertising the lantern festival, and he soon understood what was going on. This festival seemed to be less an excuse to have fun, and more a way of remembering the kingdom's lost princess.
This festival was Corona's way of grieving. Horace had been curious about how other kingdoms celebrate, as the Brotherhood hadn't really been the festive type, but he thought he might have to skip this particular celebration. It hit just a little too close to home for his comfort.
Technically, Horace himself was a missing prince, of sorts. He wondered how old the lost princess had been when she'd gone missing. Had she been kidnapped? Had she gotten lost during a hike? What if Corona's princess was just like Horace, a runaway royal who was overwhelmed by the stifling atmosphere of the kingdom?
Because of the festival there weren't a lot of rooms available in inns and taverns. What rooms that were available had very expensive prices. Horace thought about trying to find some work. After all, at a time as busy as this there was always a need for an extra set of hands.
Horace was about to ask around but he froze when he saw a few wanted posters next to the festival flyer. One of those posters bore a very, very familiar face. Horace stared at it in shock for a long moment before he realized that it had a name under it that was nearly as familiar to him as the picture was.
Horace grabbed the poster and ripped it off the wall. He examined the picture carefully, not believing what he was looking at. The face on the poster that looked right back at him was his own...almost. Their hair was frustratingly neater than Horaces, whose hair was growing into the new cut he'd given it.
The doppelganger in the wanted poster also had a thin moustache. Horace really didn't think that it looked good on his face, but that was just him. It was surreal to be looking at a picture that definitely wasn't him, but obviously looked like him. What was even weirder about it was that the name under the picture said Flynn Rider.
In Horace's shock and confusion about seeing his face associated with the name of his favorite fictional character it took him far too long to really register that he was looking at a wanted poster. This face stealing, name stealing imposter was a criminal.
Horace heard an angry shout. He turned to see a couple of stern looking armored guards walking down the streets. Horace froze up. He remembered Lance's warning about how harsh the justice system of Corona was. Horace hadn't thought it would be a problem for him, but he also hadn't thought that he would look nearly identical to a criminal.
If Horace were anywhere else he would just try to talk his way out of whatever potential trouble he might find himself in. Adira had said that he was silver-tongued. However, if Lance was even remotely right about Corona's treatment of criminals Horace didn't think he would be given the chance to defend himself. Horace may have left the Dark Kingdom to experience the world outside, but being locked in the dungeon was an experience he would gladly pass over.
"Time to go," Horace muttered. He dropped the poster and got onto Nelovko's back. He planned on riding him to a small town at the edges of Corona. Horace turned Nelovko around, intending to go the long-way around town to avoid getting too close to the guards. As soon as they turned though they found themselves face to face with a white stallion whose bridle and saddle, as well as his stiff stance, matched the royal guard.
Horace froze. He and the horse just stared at each other before the stallion's eyes narrowed in suspicion. The horse's gaze drifted to the wanted poster on the ground. He rapidly looked from the poster to Horace before he glared at Horace in angry determination.
Horace swore under his breath. This was just his luck. Of course he would immediately run into an intelligent horse that took its job of being a horse of the royal guard far too seriously.
"Get us out of here." Horace pulled just a bit too sharply on Nelovko's reins in his panic. The saiga barely seemed to mind. Horace's mount huffed and quickly turned around. Nelovko started running through the square, nearly running over quite a few people. They attracted the attention of the guards, but Horace was sure that they would have gone after them anyways if the guard horse was even half as determined as he seemed to be.
When Horace looked back to see the horse furiously chasing them, somehow being even less considerate of the people walking around town than they were, he knew that this guy was even more determined than he had first suspected.
Oh, this was not going to be fun.
Nelovko practically leapt across the ground. As determined as the horse was, he was no match for Nelovko's pure speed. The antelope was prey, so it had to know how to get away from predators. Horace had never considered a horse to be a predator, but he thought this stallion was soon going to change his mind.
Nelovko soon brought him out of the town. Horace wanted to be relieved that most of the guards seemed to stay in town to calm down the people who seemed panicked after the small saiga and horse stampede. However, the stallion was still following them, and he was the one that Horace was worried about.
"And I thought that Domino was stubborn." Horace pulled the reins and led Nelovko towards the woods. Hopefully the saiga would be better at the unconventional terrain than a fancy guard horse was. "We've got to lose this guy."
Despite the fact that Nelovko was faster than the stallion he somehow still seemed to keep up with them. Any time Horace thought that they'd finally slipped away they would hear a furious neigh and the horse would come running out of the trees, fire in his eyes.
Just what had this so-called Flynn Rider done to catch this stallion's attention? Did he honestly not have anything better to do? Surely there were actual criminals that needed to be caught?
They couldn't run away from this guy. They would need to get smart about this.
"You willing to act as a diversion, buddy?" Horace asked. Nelovko nodded. He was ready. Horace smiled and gave him an appreciative pet. He waited until the stallion slipped out of sight before he pulled Nelovko to a sudden stop. Horace quickly got off, making sure he had his bone and black rock dagger on him, just in case.
"We'll meet up later," Horace said. "Keep him confused." Nelovko nodded and quickly bounded off. Horace didn't waste any time. He ducked into the trees, looking for a place to hide.
He had been planning on just ducking into some bushes to wait, but as he was brushing back some vines and leaves against a rock wall he found some empty space behind it. The greenery was hiding a cave.
Well, this was definitely a good hiding place. If Horace wasn't so worried about being caught by the guards or that stupid horse he might be excited and curious. This cave reminded him a bit of the natural hidden crevices under the castle back home. The black rocks made all sorts of hiding places.
Horace felt a pang of guilt and longing in his chest. Oh, this just wasn't fair. He'd been dying to get out of the Dark Kingdom, but now that he was finally out he felt like he just wanted to go home. But he couldn't, not quite yet. Horace pushed his homesickness o the back of his mind and continued walking deeper into the cave.
Horace was shocked to see how bright this cave was. There was a fair amount of natural light filtering in, and it seemed to be coming from in front of him. Maybe this was less of a cave and more of a tunnel.
Horace kept going until he staggered out into a picturesque clearing. If he had to hide anywhere it might as well be here. The most surprising part of this large clearing was that it wasn't completely empty. There was a tall tower in the middle of everything, and Horace thought that he heard some beautiful singing over there.
Horace frowned and wandered closer to the tower. Despite the fact that it was in the middle of nowhere, it didn't look like it was abandoned. Someone came here regularly, and Horace thought that they might be there now.
"Hello?" Horace called out. The singing stopped abruptly with a panicked screech. There were a few crashing sounds before the window was slammed closed. There was silence for a long moment before the window was opened a little and a blonde head peeked out over the ledge.
The two of them stared at each other for a long moment. The blonde's eyes were terrified, but also curious. As they stared at each other Horace grinned his most charming smile and waved. "Hi. How are you?"
The blonde squeaked and flinched back, but she didn't completely duck away. In fact, she poked her head out more so he could see more than just her eyes.
"W-who are you?" The girl asked. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm just looking for a place to hide for a few minutes." Horace glanced behind him, just to make sure that stallion wasn't right behind him.
The girl's caution faded slightly. "What are you hiding from? Do you have magic hair too?"
"What? No," Horace brushed his hand through his hair. "I mean, sometimes I feel like my hair is pretty magical, but no, this has nothing to do with that. I just ran into some people who thought I was someone else. They thought I'd done something wrong."
"A-and you didn't?" The girl asked dubiously. Horace frowned. He'd just met her and she was already convinced that he'd done something bad.
"Of course not," Horace scoffed, only to feel a familiar pang in his chest. "I mean, I did do something bad, really bad, but that wasn't why they were chasing me."
The girl's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "What did you do?"
"I ran away from home." Horace said. The girl gasped. The caution in her eyes almost completely disappeared. She looked at him in clear sympathy.
"You did?" She sounded equal parts impressed and worried. "Why? Did they hurt you?"
"Oh, no, absolutely not." Horace said without hesitation. Sure, he had gotten injured a lot while training with the Brotherhood, and his feelings had gotten hurt by his dad more times than he could count, but those had nothing to do with why he had left.
"It was just overwhelming," Horace said. "There were a lot of responsibilities and expectations, and it felt like too much. I'm not planning on being away forever, but I just needed a break, a chance to figure out just what I'm doing with myself."
The girl climbed onto the window ledge and leaned over to get a better look at him. She looked like she was going to fall, but she seemed comfortable and confident up there. "How does it feel?" She sounded hopeful, but also terrified.
"Conflicting." Horace admitted. He walked closer to the tower and leaned against the wall. "It's been fun, and very exciting. It's been interesting to see what people are really like. I never really got the chance to meet people back home."
"Why not?" The girl tilted her head at him.
"My dad," Horace sighed. "He's been pretty passionate about me not leaving home."
The girl scoffed slightly and rubbed her hair behind her ear. "That sounds a lot like Mother." The girl muttered this, but Horace could still hear her. Horace looked up towards the girl curiously. It seemed that princes who had an important legacy to uphold weren't the only ones who had overbearing parents.
"What's the not so good part about being away from home?" The girl asked cautiously.
"I had to stab my little brother in the back to get away." Horace said. "Not literally, but I still hurt him."
"How could you do that?" The girl asked. She didn't sound accusatory, but still genuinely curious. Perhaps Horace wasn't the only one who had thoughts of running away.
"I can always make it up to him later," Horace said. "But I couldn't live through my whole life just doing everything for my family. I have to figure things out for myself, even if that involves making mistakes."
The girl was quiet for a long moment. "Do you...do you have a dream?"
"What?" Horace frowned slightly.
"I mean, do you have this one thing that you want to do more than anything else in your life?" The girl asked.
Horace felt his chest tighten. "For so many years I guess my dream was to get away from home and see the world." Horace said. "But now that I'm out I don't know what to do from here. I'm not entirely sure what I want. I guess I'm figuring it out as I go." He sighed and smiled at the girl. "What about you?"
The girl gave him a shy smile. "I've always wanted to see the floating lights. They appear every year on the night of my birthday, and I want to see them from more than just my bedroom window." The girl's smile fell. "Mother won't let me go though. She told me...she said I was never to leave this tower."
Horace looked at the girl in slight panic. "Have you never left the tower?" The girl shook her head sadly. No wonder she was itching to get out. At least Horace's home prison was made up of an entire castle.
"Mother said it wasn't safe." The girl said.
Horace grimaced sympathetically. "My dad used to tell me that the world was dangerous, and people were terrible to each other. He said that people would see that I was different, and they would treat me cruelly for it."
The girl stared at him in quiet shock. "He said that?" Horace nodded. "Well, are people actually like that?"
"Some of them are," Horace said. "But there are also people who are really nice."
"Really?" The girl gave him a dubious look.
"Really," Horace assured her. He had thought that his dad was bad. Just from this short conversation he could tell that the girl's mother was incredibly overprotective. It was at an unhealthy level. This girl had been in the tower for far too long. It couldn't be healthy.
The girl eyed Horace for a moment before she retreated back into the window. Horace had no idea what he'd said wrong. He expected to hear her shout at him to leave, or for her to slam the window closed, but nothing like that happened. He heard the girl say things in a hushed voice, like she was talking to somebody. A minute later she came back to lean out the window.
"What's your name?" The girl asked.
Horace bit his lip ever so slightly as he considered what to say. He had come all the way to Corona to find himself, and it wasn't going very well. He'd changed his hair and style partially to not bring as much attention to himself, but also because it was all a part of trying to figure out just who he was outside of Prince Horace of the Dark Kingdom.
Maybe...maybe going by another name could help him spark something inside. New name, new look, new him. He'd never really thought about what other name to use other than his own, but he didn't want to just not answer the girl.
"Why don't you guess?" Horace suggested. Maybe something she said would resonate with him.
"Oh, like a game?" The girl grinned.
"Sure," Horace chuckled. "Like a game."
The girl hummed to herself. "Is it...Leander?"
Horace gave her an aghast look. He'd never even heard of that name before. "Yeah, no, it's not."
"Oh, okay," The girl thought for a moment. "Aloysius?"
"A little more common than that." Horace said.
"Edmund?" The girl suggested. Horace snorted and shook his head.
"Definitely not." Horace wasn't going to just claim his father's name. He liked his dad, but not nearly that much.
"Eugene?" The girl asked. It wasn't the coolest name Horace had ever heard, but it was better than Horace. And he was afraid that if he let the girl continue guessing she would just come up with names that were more and more ridiculous.
"Yes!" Horace said. "Eugene, that's me." He regretted his agreement for a small moment, because once he decided on a name with this girl he would have to stick with it, but her ecstatic smile was enough to kill any remorse he felt. She was so proud at having guessed his name, and he didn't want to take that from her.
"My name is Rapunzel." The girl said. No wonder she was guessing names that she'd never heard of before, if that was the name she was stuck with. It wasn't necessarily bad, but it definitely wasn't normal.
"Well, it's been nice to meet you." Horace said. "I hope it was as good for you as it was for me. I'm guessing you haven't had the chance to meet very many people."
Rapunzel chuckled. "No, you would be the first, but I don't want you to be the last." The girl took a deep breath and seemed to be working up her nerve. "I want to go see the floating lights and meet more people. Will you take me?"
She asked it very quickly, and it took Horace a long moment to understand it, and even more time to actually register it. "You want me to take you?"
"You know what you're doing." Rapunzel said. "I've never done this before, and I would feel a little better with a friend by my side. And I-I think I trust you."
Horace was shocked, and also honored. He didn't know what these floating lights she was talking about were, but this seemed important to Rapunzel, and Horace didn't want to just leave her. She had been in this tower for possibly her whole life, and Horace knew better than anybody else just how she felt. He wanted to help her.
"It would be my pleasure to take you to find the floating lights." Horace said. "I don't know where they are though."
"I can lead us." Rapunzel said eagerly. "I know what direction they're in. They didn't look too far away. I'm sure we can get there by tomorrow night."
"Tomorrow night?" Horace frowned thoughtfully. "You know, the nearby kingdom has a big festival happening tomorrow night. Maybe this festival is connected to your floating lights." He would have to be careful going back to Corona though. He didn't want to be mistaken for the supposed Flynn Rider again.
"A festival?" Rapunzel had the excitement and enthusiasm of a child. "That sounds like so much fun!"
"It'll definitely be an experience." Horace said. "So, shall we?"
Rapunzel swallowed thickly. "Y-yes." She looked nervously into the tower behind her before she picked something up and put it on her shoulder. Before Horace could take a close look at just what this shoulder thing was Rapunzel swung her hair, which was much much longer than he had first thought, over a hook above the window. She jumped out the window and caught herself with her seventy feet of hair.
Horace raised an impressed eyebrow as Rapunzel swung down to the ground. She was clearly terrified about coming out of her tower, but there was a determined fire in her eyes. When her feet finally touched the grass she looked like she had found perfect happiness.
"This feels so...so…" Rapunzel was breathless.
"Terrifying and exciting all at once." Horace suggested. Rapunzel laughed nervously and nodded. "It's exhilarating, isn't it?" She nodded again. "If the feeling goes away, I haven't reached that point yet."
"Well, maybe we'll find it together." Rapunzel held out her hand. Horace smiled and took her hand in her own.
"I certainly hope so." Horace said. Maybe travelling with somebody and really connecting with them was just what he needed to drive off the homesickness. He hoped it would be enough.
A/N: Finally we get Rapunzel. I didn't want her meeting with Eugene to just be copied exactly from the movie, so I did it completely differently. Maybe she trusts him too quickly, but she immediately sees him as a kindred spirit.
I'm not planning on going through most of the movie, as the events of the movie will basically play out as they do in the movie itself. Any differences t here are I don't think are important enough that I need to really go over them. I've got other things to write about, like how Varian's been doing.