Chapter 4: Seeing the Light
A/N: Song used in this chapter - watch?v=ILRs2r6lcHY
Here's the guitar cover - watch?v=H3fnQExvOvs
Song lyrics are in Bold!
I do not own Tangled!
The rest of the day went smoothly for Rapunzel. Her last class before lunch time was art, a class she was obviously fond of. The class learned about some Renaissance painters as well as their motives for their arts, and the technique they used. Rapunzel was most fond of Leonardo da Vinci because of his use of oil paints and color of them. She enjoyed the more darker tones he used. Rapunzel made her way towards the courtyard. The courtyard was bustling with people, eating their lunch or just hanging out. Rapunzel looked around for Flynn, finally finding him under the same tree she was at yesterday.
"Hi Flynn!" She waved while running towards him. Flynn smiled. She was like a little girl. She looked so happy and free, like she had nothing to worry about. He stretched and stood up, waiting for the girl to finally reach him.
"What's up Blondie?" He greeted Rapunzel. Suddenly she wrapped her arms around him, giving him a squeeze. "What's all this about?" he asked while returning the hug.
"Nothing, just wanted to hug you" she said, placing her ear on his heart, still holding on to him. Her eyes were closed and she had a smile on her face. Flynn chuckled, and they stayed like that for a little while. People would look at them as they walked by, but by then almost everyone knew of Flynn and Rapunzel, the two love birds of Corona High.
"Alright Blondie, I think that's enough now," he said, gently pushing her back. She pouted, but promptly returned to that smile. God she's cute Flynn thought as they separated. "So, what should we do now?" Flynn asked, sitting back down beneath the tree.
"We could just sit here," Rapunzel suggested, sitting next to him. Flynn liked this. There was the smell of grass and dirt, alongside that summer breeze. The combination of those two made for such a peaceful, calming evening.
"Yeah" Flynn breathed in deeply through his nose, "I like that idea." The two sat there for a while, just looking and thinking. No words exchanged, just thoughts developing. Flynn would catch Rapunzel glancing at him, causing butterflies in his stomach. He never knew he could feel this way. The atmosphere was just perfect for the two, and eventually, they fell asleep leaning on one another. They looked like two love birds who had just nested together. Onlookers would let out the occasional "Aw" or something along those lines. The two seemed to be so peaceful that not even the teachers distributed them. Time passed quickly, and lunch was about to end. Flynn was the first to awaken, feeling refreshed. He felt small breaths on his shoulder, and found Rapunzel was leaning on him. He smiled at her, and let her rest for a bit longer. He didn't want to disturb her because she looked so peaceful. He gently moved his arm over her shoulder, and rubbed her head. He looked up into the sky and thought. God, if you are out there, thank you for this angel you sent down to me. Flynn started thinking about what Arianna said to him earlier. Maybe she was the one he needed in his life. Nothing seemed to go wrong when he was with her. He felt more happiness in just one day then he felt in years. But he was scared. Scared of losing her.
"What's wrong Flynn," Rapunzel asked while yawning.
"Oh it's nothing. Did I wake you up?" Flynn replied. Rapunzel shook her head.
"I just woke up and you seemed a little out of it," she commented.
"Just, thinking, Blondie" he smiled at her. She returned it. The two sat silently again, but it wasn't awkward. They looked at each other, lost in each other's eyes. His hazel eyes were so calming, while her emerald eyes were so gentle. Suddenly the bell rang, causing the two to break their eye contact. The two laughed it off, and got up from the grass. "Alright, let's get to class," Flynn suggested. The two separated from one another, unwillingly, and went to their respective classes.
Rapunzel was bored in her classes. Without Eugene she felt a little lonely. Like how she was when she was still stuck in her aunt's house. She thought of her aunt, and all the things she did to her. Rapunzel wanted to get out of that house for so long, but she felt this sense of dread building up in her. What if her aunt did something outrageous to Flynn? What if she called the police on him for kidnapping? What if she even beat him? Rapunzel shuddered a bit, worry and doubt filling her mind. Maybe she should just go back home, and just stay friends with Flynn. That way they wouldn't have any trouble… but she hated the thought of just being friends with Flynn. Was this love? Did she love him? She had never been outside, yet after one day she was already in love? There was no way. Her aunt would be so mad at her and probably beat her again. She'd throw all kinds of insults at her, like being a whore, slut, or a waste of air. Rapunzel felt like she was going to cry. She had so many decisions to make, and it was only her second day outside. She sighed deeply, and decided to take it over with Flynn again. She wanted to stay with him, but didn't want anything to happen to him.
Finally, the school day had ended. Rapunzel stood outside the gate, waiting for Flynn to come out. Flynn walked out the gate to see Rapunzel lost in thought. She was scrunching her face a bit, biting on her thumb. She looked a little worried. Flynn approached her quietly, making sure not to disturb her. She sighed, and looked over to her right. To her surprise, Flynn was standing beside her, leaning against the wall.
"Done thinking?" He grinned at her.
"How long have you been there?" She asked, embarrassed.
"A couple minutes," he shrugged, taking her hand. She gripped back and the two walked to his car. "What should we do today?" Flynn asked.
"I've always wanted to see those lanterns to celebrate the King and Queen's anniversary," she thought.
"Oh yeah, that's today!" He remembered going to it once or twice.
"I would always paint them every year because they were so beautiful. The way they filled the night sky with light. There's just something about it that made me feel warm, I guess," she said. Flynn decided what they were gonna do that day. He opened the car door for Rapunzel and went to the driver's seat.
"Alright, let's do that then. It's a little early for them, so let's go shopping for your clothes first," he suggested. Rapunzel agreed to this, and they stopped by his apartment first. "Wait here Rapunzel, I'll be quick," he said, jumping out the car and running up the stairs. He opened the door and grabbed his guitar and some music sheets. He locked his door and ran back down, putting his guitar in the back. He sat himself down in the car again.
"Was that your guitar?" Rapunzel asked.
"Yeah, I just felt like playing it later" he shrugged.
"I'd love to hear you play," Rapunzel giggled.
"Hey, I'm not that bad!" He softly punched her arm. She stuck her tongue out at him, causing him to laugh. "Alright, lets go get you some clothes."
"Okay!" She said excitedly. Flynn drove to the nearest shopping center and had her pick out a store that she liked. She looked through all the windows and found a little dress shop, filled with all kinds of dresses. Casual, formal, some even a little kinky. Rapunzel did not know why they were so revealing though, while Flynn turned a blind eye to them. Rapunzel was fond of dresses, mainly because she always wore them. She looked through all the dresses and found one she really liked. It was a lavender flounce hem mini dress. It was a little revealing, but Rapunzel didn't mind it too much since Flynn had complimented her when she tried it on. The two approached the cashier.
"We'll take this one," Flynn said, placing it onto the counter. He took out his card, but Rapunzel swiped it away from him.
"I'll pay for it!" She said, not wanting to burden him.
"Rapunzel, I got it. I suggested we went shopping anyways, remember?"
"But-" she tried to retort.
"No but's Blondie. I'm getting you this, end of story," he said, taking his card back. She pouted, causing the cashier to laugh a bit.
"Cute girlfriend you have," the middle aged woman said as she bagged the item.
"Yeah," he laughed awkwardly. Girlfriend, huh.
Flynn finished the purchase and waited for Rapunzel to change into it. She walked out, just as beautiful as before, and put Flynn's baggy clothes into the bag. She thanked the cashier and the two left. Flynn felt that her Crocs did not match the dress, so he decided to take her to a shoe store. She liked a pair of lavender slip on Vans, since they matched her dress. Flynn bought them with a little bit of resistance from Rapunzel again. The two decided to get to the park that the lanterns were released at, and strolled around. There were all kinds of stalls set up all over the park, some selling foods while others doing games. It was nice to see all the people gathering and having fun with one another. Children ran around, some played in the huge lake that was centered in the park. Classic wooden boats rowed all over the lake. People were just having a great time during the lantern festival. Flynn spotted a certain stall that piqued his interest, and told Rapunzel to wait for a bit. He came back rather quickly, and the two went back on their way, hand in hand. The day went by quickly, and they went back to the car to grab his guitar, and they went out and found themselves a nice place to watch the lanterns. Flynn had an idea for this, and rented out a boat beforehand. Rapunzel was confused when they arrived at the dock.
"Why are we here?" She asked.
"Well, it's your first time seeing them, so I wanted to get you the best seat," he said, motiong her to get into the row boat. She stepped into it carefully, and Flynn followed. He rowed them out to the middle where barely anyone was.
"So, why exactly do we release the lanterns?" Rapunzel asked. "I was told it was for the King and Queen's anniversary, but there has to be more to it right?"
"Well, there's this old legend that was told a long, long time ago. A mother, one of the queens, was sick when she was pregnant with a child," Flynn started to explain. "The king stopped at nothing, trying to heal her. Finally, they found something that could help. The tale of a magical flower that could heal. The king sent out many people to find it, and eventually, they did. They made a brew out of it, and the queen birthed a happy baby girl with long, blonde hair. Long story short, the baby was kidnapped and the parents sent out these lanterns in hope that she would see them. Eventually, the girl was returned to them by some thief and the two got married, and the rest is history."
"Wow… what a story," Rapunzel said in, tearing up a bit.
Flynn shrugged, "Some people say it happened, others don't. I'm part of the latter. Like a magic flower? Really?" Rapunzel punched his arm. "Ouch."
"I think it's a sweet story," she smiled, wiping the tears away.
"Yeah yeah, whatever Blondie," Flynn rolled his eyes.
"So… how about you play me a song?" She eyed the guitar. Flynn complied and opened up the guitar case, revealing the acoustic guitar.
"So, what song do you want to hear?" He asked, tuning the guitar.
"Do you have any originals?" She asked hopefully.
"I do, but I'll need you to sing as well."
"Well…" she was hesitant, staying quiet for a bit.
"I need you to sing since it's a duet," he added
"Fine, I'll sing… But only because it's you," she added at the end. Flynn plucked the strings, trying to remember the chords to the song. Finally, he got it together.
"Alright, you have to go first," Flynn said, giving her the lyrics sheet.
"Why do I have to go first?" She pouted.
"No idea why I wrote the song like that, but I just did," he shrugged. Rapunzel looked at the pencil scribbles, finding the title of the song: "I See the Light"
"What a pretty name," she said as she examined the lyrics.
"I'm quite poetic," Flynn joked with her. "Ready to start?" Flynn prepped himself, shifting himself into a comfortable position. Rapunzel nodded.
Flynn started strumming the strings, let out a calming melody. The acoustic seemed to have slowed down time as the two looked at each other. Flynn nodded at her, and she started.
All those days watching from the windows
All those years outside looking in
She didn't seem confident at first, singing in a quiet voice, but Flynn gave her a big smile and nodded his head to her. He looked impressed. This gave her a little bit of confidence, and she sang a little louder.
All that time never even knowing
Just how blind I've been
She has a nice voice Flynn thought, strumming his guitar. He's always wanted to sing this song with someone, but all the girls he's been with have never agreed. He wrote the song, hoping one day the love of his life would sing it with him. Suddenly, behind Rapunzel, a single lantern started rising from the shore. Rapunzel turned around to see the small light in the middle of the dark night sky. She had wide eyes that were filled with awe.
Now I'm here blinking in the starlight
Now I'm here suddenly I see
Standing here it's all so clear
I'm where I'm meant to be
Flynn smiled. The lyrics were perfect. It matched the moment. He was so happy that he had met this girl. Finally, they reached the chorus as more and more lanterns illuminated the sky.
And at last I see the light
And it's like the fog has lifted
And at last I see the light
And it's like the sky is new
And it's warm and real and bright
And the world has somehow shifted
The song was… beautiful. She loved it. I wonder why he wrote it, she questioned herself. She held onto the front edge of the boat, staring off at the lights. She was nervous, and glanced back at Flynn, who was concentrating on his guitar.
All at once everything looks different
Now that I see you
He looked up and caught her eyes with his. He smiled, and started on his own verse while looking into her eyes. There were lots of lanterns floating in the sky, some getting close to their boat, surrounding them.
All those days chasing down a daydream
All those years living in a blur
All that time never truly seeing
Things, the way they were
Rapunzel frowned a bit. Those lyrics were a little sad… but there must be something to them. She then focused on his voice. Although it wasn't the best, he wasn't bad. It was actually quite soothing, as he sang in a low, quiet voice.
Now she's here shining in the starlight
Now she's here suddenly I know
If she's here it's crystal clear
I'm where I'm meant to go
These lines caused her to blush. No Rapunzel, it's just the song. There's nothing behind his words she tried to convince herself. She had the sudden urge to join in at the chorus, and so she did. Flynn sang the second line, and Rapunzel then fourth. They would harmonize together for the first and third line.
And at last I see the light
And it's like the fog has lifted
And at last I see the light
And it's like the sky is new
Their voices resonate throughout the lake, but no one was there to hear it since they were in the middle. They mixed their voices together for the last lines, staring into each other's eyes.
And it's warm and real and bright
And the world has somehow shifted
All at once everything is different
Now that I see you
Now that I see you
Flynn strummed the last chords, and the two sat there in silence. The lanterns were still floating, illuminating the dark lake around them. Rapunzel felt nervousness wash over her. Flynn was so into his singing, what could that have meant for Rapunzel? Did he… like her too? No, don't be naive… Mother always said you were. Her eyes reflected how she felt.
"What's wrong?" Flynn placed his guitar down and cupped her cheek.
"I'm just processing… well… everything," Rapunzel said.
"What are you processing?" He pressed forward.
"Well… I… I don't know Flynn. I've only known you for a day, but there's just something there. It feels like I've known you all my life. I know I shouldn't feel like that, but I just do. I don't know what I'm feeling. I'm just so confused" she admitted, tears forming in her eyes.
"Hey, it's alright," he said, wiping the tears away. "I know how you're feeling because… I feel like that too. It feels so wrong to be near you, but I just can't seem to figure out why," Flynn had a gentle smile on his face. Rapunzel was starting to feel a little better. Being with Flynn made everything better. She returned the smile, and then embraced him tightly.
"Thank you Flynn."
"Thanks for what?" He asked, rubbing her back.
"Thanks for everything. Thank you for talking to me yesterday. Thank you for listening to me talk about my past. Thank you for understanding and comforting me. Just thank you for being alive."
"You're welcome Blondie," he replied, holding her tightly. Should I do it? Should I confess to her? She seems like she really likes you.
That's only because you're the only one she knows a voice in his head poked at him. Flynn had a little doubt, but decided that it was now, or never. Very quietly he whispered to her, "I love you Rapunzel. I love you so much and everything you are."
Rapunzel's face was red and warm. She buried her face into his chest, looking for something to say back. Come on Rapunzel, you have to say something. You can't just leave him like that. He loves you, and you love him too! She was so happy. She felt as if she was melting.
"I love you too," she said meekly, still hiding herself in his chest. The two had barely known each other, but here they were, intertwining their hearts together. Was it true love? Or was it something else? They both believed it was the first.
"You mean it?" Flynn asked quietly. He felt her nod, causing butterflies in his stomach. She really loves you Flynn. Arianna was right. I won't mess this up. I'll do whatever I can to protect her. He was the first one to break their hug, and placed his hands on her shoulders. He stared deep into her eyes.
"I love you Rapunzel, I really do. I love you so much," he repeated himself.
"And I love you too," Rapunzel replied.
Maybe time had stopped, maybe he was over zealous, but Flynn leaned in and met his lips with hers. It was like electricity, it ran through their bodies and shocked them both, but not in a bad way. It was pure bliss. Her soft lips were like nothing he had tasted before. There was something new with her. She smelled like his Dove soap and he loved it.
Rapunzel was surprised at first, but slowly soothed into it. This was her first kiss, and it felt amazing. She had only read about them in books, and mother had always told her that they were evil. She said that only whores kiss men. But in this moment, she enjoyed it. Her chest tightened, and butterflies filled her stomach. She felt as if she was melting.
The two stayed locked for just a little bit, before Rapunzel pulled back, panting heavily. "You okay Blondie?" Flynn smirked at her.
She nodded, "Yeah… that was… amazing." she said, panting between each word. Her face was flushed and her hair a little messy. Flynn pushed hair out of her face, slowly brushing her face.
"You're so beautiful," he smiled at her.
"And you're so handsome," she flirted back. Flynn raised an eyebrow at her, and the two started laughing. "So Flynn… about that song."
"What about it Blondie?" He asked as the two settled down.
"It was so amazing. Did you really write those lyrics?" She teased.
"Aw come on Blondie. Yes, that was me," he admitted.
"Why didn't you publish it or something?" She asked.
"It was a dream of mine to become a musician, but I just never put effort into it," he shrugged. It was such a childish dream anyway, why would he try and pursue it.
"I think you should try. You are quite the lyricists," she complimented.
"I'll think about it," he said.
"So…" Rapunzel started as she played with her fingers, "does that mean we're a couple now?" She asked innocently. She's so cute! Flynn just adored her.
"Yes it does Blonde," he answered as he patted her head.
"What will I tell mother?" She asked, with a little bit of fear in her voice.
"We don't have to tell her, or we can. It's up to you. Just know that I'll be right there with you, making sure she doesn't do anything to you."
Rapunzel pondered for a bit and finally reached a conclusion. "I want to be honest with her. I want to tell her everything I've felt for years. I want to be free of her prison," She said with resolve and passion burning in her eyes.
"Alright, we can do that when you're ready," Flynn was happy that she wanted to face her fears. It was a big step that couldn't be taken right now, but sometime soon.
The lanterns were all floating away towards the palace where the King and Queen resided. The park was quiet and dark once again, people leaving to go back home. The two stayed in the middle of the lake, enjoying each other's company. Flynn had never felt this way before with a woman, so he was a bit anxious. What if he didn't treat her well?
Rapunzel felt the same way. She had never, ever been in love. She had only been outside for one day for God's sake, but she's already in love? It was all so crazy. But they both loved it. They both loved how crazy they were.
"I'm so glad I met you," Flynn said out of nowhere.
"I'm so glad I met you too," Rapunzel returned.
The two finally arrived back on shore, where Flynn pulled out a tiny box. "Here, this is for you," he placed the box in her hand. Opening up was a necklace that had a little lantern on it. Rapunzel covered her mouth, tears forming in her eyes.
"I love it," she whispered. "Can you put it on?" She asked Flynn. Flynn nodded and unlatched the hook, placing it around her neck. Connecting the hook again, it laid all along her neck. She gave him a big hug. "Thank you Flynn. Thank you soooo much."
"Anything for you Blondie, anything for you," he repeated, holding her tightly. "I love you…" he whispered.
"I love you too."
End of Chapter 4
A/N: Okay honestly, this feels a little rushed, but I loved writing this chapter. Honestly it was so beautiful in my mind. I could've worded it a little better but it's all cool. Anyways, we're gonna get into Flynn's backstory soon, so stay tuned! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and as always, leave a review, follow, or favorite! Have an amazing day everyone.