Flynnposter Alternate Ending:
"Why can't you hear me?" Eugene irritably asked Lance, who kept asking what he was saying and to repeat what he.
"Repeat that again," Lance requested the tenth time.
Eugene groaned so loudly and smacked his forehead. He had to get his supposedly deaf best buddy to the medic before he asked another question. He heard footsteps approaching and saw his father, Rapunzel and her parents.
"Oh thank goodness," Eugene puffed out. "Can we please get Lance to the royal medic? Because he is killing me here!"
"What's the problem?" Rapunzel asked.
"He is deaf! He can't hear a single thing I'm saying!"
"Well I'll tell you how Eugene," a new voice approached from behind. It was Varian who looked angry. "This buffoon destroyed my machine! And it must have made him deaf. It won't last long though,"
"How long will it last then?" Rapunzel asked.
"I don't know. Couple of hours," Varian estimated.
"Let's just get him down the medic. I cannot bear to have to repeat myself again. It's really making my throat sore," Eugene groaned a bit. He didn't mean to be irritated with Lance, knowing it wasn't entirely his fault, but he found it annoying to keep repeating himself all the time,"
"Come on Lance," Varian grabbed Lance's hand and dragged him to get his ears checked up on.
Once the two had disappeared, King Frederic asked: "So Eugene, are you up for the position?"
"I am," Eugene answered. "I will do my best and protect this kingdom in the former Captain's place. I will try and live up to his expectations,"
"Good," the king approved.
"We have complete faith in you," Arianna approved.
"Would you mind if I walked with you son?" Edmund requested.
"Of course," Eugene answered. He'd loved to have another father-son bonding moment. There was still so much to catch up on after spending years without a family and believing he was just an unloved commoner.
The Dark King and Dark Prince -turned-new-captain departed outside with Corona's royal family watching.
"Who knew that the thief who stole your crown but brought you back turned out to be a royal?" Frederic wondered.
"I was quite surprised myself when we first met his father at the Dark Kingdom," Rapunzel recalled how she squealed out: "Son?" happily when she saw the Last Dark King calling her love that name. "I'm just glad Eugene finally learnt who he was, where he came from and that he's found out he has a family who loved him,"
"I've often wondered something. What happen to Edmund's wife? Eugene's mother?" Arianna asked. As much as it was fun to bond with their daughter's love's father, it would have been more fun to bond with Eugene's deceased mother.
"Have you ever asked him Rapunzel?" Frederic asked.
Rapunzel didn't answer. She had never thought about it. Mainly because she thought the subject would bring the love of her life to tears. "No," she managed to say. "I don't think I'd want to. I'd hate to bring it up. Whatever it was, I think it was to do with the Moonstone. And that is why Cassandra must be stopped – soon,"
"Wait – are you thinking -?" Frederic did not need to finish his question. The estimate of the Dark Queen's death was clear in his daughter's face.
Edmund and Eugene walked out into the gardens of the palace together, sharing a lovely father-son bond.
"I just wanted to say that I'm so proud of you," Edmund said, his love for his son plastered on his face. "You've come a long way ever since you were a baby. And now look at you. You're a full-grown man who's brave and true,"
Eugene smiled a bit but his father could see how nervous he was.
"What is wrong son?"
"Father – as much as I've accepted to be Corona's captain of the Guards – I still doubt myself a bit,"
"Eugene – you're descended from a long line of rulers who dedicated themselves to protect the world from the Moonstone. Now you're dedicating yourself to protecting this kingdom, and everyone in it,"
"Father I grew up in an orphanage thinking I was just a parentless commoner. I've never known how to do it. Besides how could someone like me who cares too much about looks being good at the job. I mean I once tried to be a guard. But then – I failed, and I got fired,"
"But – you became a guard instructor," Edmund said next. "A much better job compared to be an actual guard in my opinion.
Eugene blinked. How did his father know about that? He may had lived in Corona for months, but he didn't think he'd know everything.
"Frederic told me everything about you. So did the captain. The guards have been advanced at capturing criminals because of you,"
"Yeah. Thanks to my past as Flynn Rider,"
"Eugene – we all have our flaws. You're not the only one who has these things that other people don't always approve off. The trick is just not to let our flaws define who we really are," Edmund's words were boosting his son's confidence. Sure Eugene cared a bit too much about looks, but that most certainly didn't define who he really was: a good man who would fight and sacrifice himself for the well-being of the people he cared about. Such as how he was willing to marry his ex-fiancé just to save his best friend. How he was willing to give himself up to the Baron just to save Angry and Red. And how he died to release Rapunzel from Mother's Gothel's cruel ways by cutting her hair which was the only thing that could have saved him.
"Your mother was just like that. She was always so worried about her hair. Often before special events and even before your christening, she was quite fussy about looks,"
"Really?" Eugene asked surprised.
Edmund nodded.
"Not only that. But quite fussy about names too. You know she wanted to call you Eugene before I insisted Horace,"
Eugene groaned. "I thought we'd agreed not to mention that name,"
"Okay," Edmund laughed a bit.
The two men laughed a bit at the subject. They then silent for a bit. Eugene then decided to ask his father something. "What was her name?"
Edmund hesitated. He had spoken the name of his dear departed wife in years. The mere thought of him made him tearful.
"If you don't want to say it, I understand," even Eugene felt a pang of sadness forming in his heart.
"Alexis," Edmund answered. "Her name was Alexis. She was the most beautiful woman in the world. I had never met anyone who shared her courage nor her kindness. If she were here right now, she'd be so proud of you,"
"Really?"
The father nodded proudly. "Yes. Just as much as I am,"
Eugene smiled and hugged his father again. Edmund hugged him back.
Rapunzel watched the hug between her love and his father with happiness. She was so glad that her boyfriend had a loving father. And she couldn't be more proud of the fact that he was now the new captain of Corona's guards. Whatever war awaited on the horizon; they would all face it together. They would free the Brotherhood from the mind-controlling power of the Mind-Trap Stone, they would save Corona and most importantly stop Cassandra and the warlock Zhan Tiri who had been manipulating her. But a dark thought clutched her heart. As much as she wanted Cassandra back and make her see reason despite all her failed attempts, she felt like she couldn't do it without putting anyone she loved in danger. If what Eugene said back at Cassandra's stronghold was right, she might not have a choice but to kill her. She could not risk anyone getting harmed, or worse killed by the Moonstone. She couldn't allow them to suffer the same fate, that Eugene's mother possibly endured. She didn't for certain if it were true, but she somehow believed it was possibly considering that she had never met her and that Eugene must have locked her outside the Dark Castle because he didn't want to lose her for a reason.
She just hoped that when the war comes, she would make the right choice.