Prologue
Flynn Rider wondered if all his midnight escapades were really truly worth their consequences. Sure being cooped up wasn't exactly something that he had always wanted, but being with Rapunzel was worth the aggravation and the bird in a cage feeling he'd had since the first week he'd come to live with her and her parents in the castle. He loved her, and he loved being with her, but old habits were not easy to break, and some people, parts of them, just couldn't be shut away forever.
In all honesty, Flynn could never truly resist his urge to sneakily grab up something of value. Though he always returned it with nary a qualm, his fingers were always itching to snatch up almost everything in the castle. For him, it wasn't a matter of having nothing, it was a matter of being so used to having nothing and needing to fend for himself. His mind was set in his ways, for the first twenty one years of his life, stealing was everything and sometimes he just couldn't help himself.
Rapunzel knew, of course, about all that. She was there to help him, but Flynn wondered if he really needed help at all. Was this truly where he belonged? He wanted to marry her, he wanted to spend his life with her, but Prince Eugene Fitzherbert wasn't exactly a title he could accept upon himself so suddenly and so lightly. He'd been a rogue and Rapunzel still loved him, but as a prince... well he wasn't so sure he'd like that very much. He had been around for long enough to see that being royalty wasn't all sunshine and daisies as he'd always dreamed. The king and queen, Rapunzel's parents, who had accepted him graciously enough despite previously been on dead or alive posters, seemed to never have time for themselves.
They were governing, they were speaking with their people, holding dinners for foreign kings and queens around the world. They spent time with their daughter and her boyfriend, but Flynn knew he wouldn't be able to handle the responsibilities of being a king. That's all it came down to. When her parents passed away, Rapunzel would be queen, and if he married her, that would make him a king. Flynn shuddered at the very thought.
Leaving her wasn't an option, not marrying her wasn't an option. Though she'd said no nearly fifty times to marriage since they'd been together, with good reason, he supposed stroked his beard thoughtfully, he knew one day she would say yes. He would keep asking her, until she said yes, anyway, but honestly how could she resist him? He chuckled and stretched his arms, walking back to the castle from outside, the moonlight hitting his perfect features in a flattering manner. He boots clunked dulling on the gravel road as he sneaked back into the castle, keeping an eye out for his all too watchful girlfriend and her questions.
He wanted to tell her everything. But why disappoint her when he already wasn't good enough for her?
AN: This is a chapter story, that I'll be updating as often as I can around work. The rating is for caution. I hope you enjoy!