Chapter 2

When Flynn woke up for the second time, it was bright and sunny outside. He lazily stretched his arms over his head, relishing in the feel of having his very own bed. Before he'd found Rapunzel, he couldn't remember the last time he'd actually slept in a proper bed. Flynn had learned early on in his life that comfort was rare when you lived on nothing, and also that rocks could make decent pillows when positioned appropriately. Thankfully, those days were far behind him and he intended to keep it that way now that he had grown used to goose-feather pillows and soft cotton bed sheets.

Flynn sighed deeply, turning his head to look towards the window at the opposite side of the room. Today's the day. His stomach churned with anticipation and nerves as he reluctantly pulled back his covers and sat upright. I have to do it today.

Flynn dressed quickly, pulling on one of his nicer shirt and vest combos and the dressier pair of boots he'd bought with his first few weeks worth of wages. He washed his face and combed his hair, taking a few moments to ready himself in front of the mirror before he finally left his chambers.

Flynn felt only half-present as he walked the corridors of the castle, nodding politely to the servants going about their morning chores. Nearly all of the servants liked Flynn and had grown to respect him - however, he suspected it had much to do with the enormous amount of respect the King demonstrated to Flynn whenever he was in his presence. Being a beloved king kind of had an impact on the citizens of the kingdom, it turned out. If the King respected a man, there was a rare one who didn't agree with him.

Sooner than Flynn realized, he found himself standing before the doors of the royal Throne room. His palms began to sweat with trepidation and he coughed nervously before addressing the guard stationed before him.

"I would like to request an audience with the King and Queen." Flynn said as his voice shook.

The guard smiled at him. "No need to be so formal with me, Rider. I thought we were friends?"

Flynn smiled back despite his nerves. "Sorry Thomas - I'm just a little… preoccupied."

Thomas raised his eyebrows in question. "Does that mean today is the day?"

Flynn swallowed and nodded sheepishly.

"Well then," Thomas winked. "I'll let Their Majesty's know you're waiting." And with that, he disappeared behind the thick mahogany doors.

Flynn let out the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding and began to pace. "Your Majesty's, I know I am not of royal blood, but with your blessing… Your Highness, I would be greatly honored if…" He shook his head, frustrated. Why did nothing sound good enough? Flynn clenched and unclenched his fists as if trying to squeeze the fear that was coursing through his veins out of his body. He should've prepared more for what he was going to say. Apparently three months wasn't enough time for Flynn to come up with a decent, well-formed conversation.

Too soon, the door opened and Thomas reappeared. "The King and Queen are both present and would be delighted to accept your request."

"If only that was the only request I'm asking…" Flynn muttered.

Thomas clapped him on the back. "No fear, lad. You've become a quick favorite among this castle, and the King and Queen certainly like you. I wouldn't worry so much if I were you."

Flynn nodded gratefully. "Thanks." Straightening himself up and taking one last deep breath, Flynn pushed open the heavy doors.

Before the actual throne room, there was an exceedingly long hallway that had to be walked. To Flynn, it felt like the longest walk in the entire universe. There was no turning back now. He'd had three months to prepare for this, and he knew that whatever happened today would make an extreme impact on his life whether it be for better or for worse. He pictured Rapunzel's smiling face in his mind to calm him, and Flynn was reminded of why he was about to do this. It was for her.

Another set of mahogany doors stood before him, and Flynn pushed them open with a bit of a strain. He vaguely wondered why all the doors in this palace were so difficult to open, and then forced the thought out of his head. Focus, Fitzherbert.

King William and Queen Victoria sat regally on their thrones, watching with tender smiles as Flynn approached them. After hearing of their daughter's adventures with this young man and how he had given his life to free her from her keeper, they had been quick to pardon any and all crimes against the former thief. While it had been seen as a rather unorthodox decision to many, the King and Queen had held firm to their choice. Flynn Rider had returned their precious little girl back to them after they had believed she would be lost forever. They did not care about his past crimes, as most had been minor with the exception of the incident with the crown, but again, the King and Queen could overlook this. They were both kind at heart and had learned to give second chances to those who deserved them. Their daughter was home, and that was all that mattered.

William could see even from a distance that Flynn was troubled. He had learned how to recognize fear in the face of his enemies, and while Flynn Rider was certainly no enemy, the signs of terror were very clear. William glanced at his wife and smiled, taking her hand in his. She gave him a knowing smile back. After being married for twenty years, they could read each other's minds seamlessly. They both had a very good idea of why Flynn was here.

Flynn stopped a few yards from the thrones and bowed, feeling like he might double over from nerves. He'd been living in the palace for three months and had had many conversations with the King and Queen, yet he still found himself quivering in their presence. Ugh, Flynn Rider, quivering… Flynn thought to himself. Pull yourself together, man. He rose from his bow and spoke in a clear voice.

"Thank you for meeting with me, Your Majesty's. I know you have many matters to attend to, and I will not take up much of your time."

Queen Victoria smiled warmly. "My dear, we will always make time for you. Now tell us, what is the reason for your unexpected visit?"

That was one out of many things that Flynn liked about the Queen. She did not dabble around the subject at hand. She was always quick to the point, and Flynn was grateful that he would not have to make small talk. He cleared his throat.

"First of all, I would just like to say that I am exceedingly grateful for your hospitality, and for giving me my life back. I could not repay you enough."

William chuckled. "We know, son, you tell us at least once a fortnight." He smiled as Flynn's face flushed. The king had made a personal effort to get to know this young man who had captured his daughter's heart, and was very pleased with what he had learned. Flynn Rider was a noble boy with a good heart, incredible courage, and a warm personality. He never would've known the man had been a thief had his Wanted posters not been posted all throughout the kingdom. One day early after Rapunzel had returned to the kingdom, William had sat the boy down and asked him plain and simple, why he had become a thief.

William remembered the look of terror that had passed across Rider's face, like he was about to be sentenced to the gallows. He'd had to reassure him several times that he had no intention of sentencing him to anything before Flynn told him his story.

"Well, sir… your majesty… I, um…" Flynn started, his eyes flitting back and forth.

The king put one kind hand on Flynn's shoulder. "You don't need to be worried, son. I'm merely curious. My daughter has told me that you grew up in an orphanage, but not why you started stealing."

Flynn breathed a sigh of relief. "Well… when I was younger, I only stole necessities. Bread, water, clothing, anything I needed to survive. It killed me at first, and I hated stealing. But then as the years went on and I grew older, it became less of a moral issue and more of a… desperate attempt to make a better life for myself. I didn't know any sort of trade, and no one would take me on as their apprentice. I felt useless. So I continued stealing. Sir, I swear on my life, however much it's worth, that the only thing of real value I ever stole was your daughter's crown. I hope you and the Queen can find some way to forgive me."

William looked deep into Flynn's eyes and could see the scared orphan still inside him. This wasn't a hardened criminal who sat before him - this was a misled youth who had only done what he could to live another day.

"Oh, son…" William started, his voice soft. "Your life is worth everything to us. Because with your life, you brought back our life… our daughter."

William came out of his reverie and nodded towards Flynn to continue with his request. Flynn composed himself after the slightly embarrassing moment and raised his eyes to look directly at the King and Queen.

"Your Highnesses, I've done a lot of things in my life that I'm not proud of. I don't think I could repay you in a hundred years for what you've done for me despite my past wrongdoings. I have lived much of my life alone - lonely. I never thought I would want to spend my life with anyone…" He paused, his heart racing.

"Until I met your daughter."

The King and Queen shared a glance that Flynn could not interpret, and he quickly continued before he lost his nerve. "Rapunzel is the most incredible, most beautiful, and most wonderful woman I've ever known. She makes me feel like I can do something more with my life despite my past. She believes in me where no one else ever has. She knows me better than I know myself sometimes, and she is always the best part of my day." He took a step forward, resisting the urge to wipe the slight moisture that had formed on his brow.

"I know I am just a common man. I know that under regular circumstances, I would be laughed out of this room for what I'm about to ask of you. But every single ounce of me is hoping that since these are not normal circumstances and that you have had this time to learn the truth about what kind of man I am, that you would consider my request despite the fact that I am just… Eugene Fitzherbert. King William… Queen Victoria… I would like to request your permission to marry Rapunzel."

There was a long pause. Each second that passed felt like eternity to Flynn, and he was so jittery that it was getting harder and harder not to bolt from the room like a terrified rabbit. The King and Queen's expressions were blank, emotionless, and it only fueled the fire for Flynn's uncertainty. Just as Flynn was about to turn around and leave in a humiliated exit, he saw a slow smile creep across the king's face.

"Mr. Fitzherbert… what on earth took you so long?"

Flynn was dumbfounded as a similar smile graced the face of the Queen and he found that his vocabulary had quickly diminished to nothing. "I… I… what?"

The King let out a laugh. "Oh, my boy, we were beginning to wonder if you would ever pluck up the courage to inform us of your intentions. I believe there was even a small bet among the cooks going around."

Flynn was still in shock. "… wha…"

William chuckled softly. "It's alright, son. You may breathe now."

Flynn quickly took a breath, his lungs aching with the sudden intake of oxygen. He was very confused, but at least now his head had stopped spinning. "You… you knew?"

Victoria nodded. "Oh, yes. We assumed it was only a matter of time considering how much time you spend with our daughter. She has grown very fond of you, you know."

Flynn smiled sheepishly.

"Yes, and she's not the only one who has." William said warmly. His face grew suddenly serious. "Flynn, our law concerning royal marriages is that a prince or princess may choose whoever they wish to wed, no matter what their social status may be. It has always been that way and always will be, as long as we rule Corona. However," He paused. "There are other laws that you should be aware of. For instance, a prince or princess cannot be married until they have reached the age of twenty-one. If you intend on marrying Rapunzel, you will have to wait three years until you do so. I assume that you have not discussed this matter with Rapunzel yet?"

Flynn was suddenly very aware that the king and queen had not thrown him out of the room in a towering rage. They were… they were being serious with him. Flynn shook his head. "No, sir. Rapunzel hasn't been home long, and she's still getting used to her new life here. I thought it best not to add any more difficult changes on top of everything she's gone through recently."

Victoria smiled at Flynn with the warmth only a mother could summon. "You are a considerate man, Flynn Rider. I am personally grateful for your selflessness."

"As am I." The king said. "You're right - Rapunzel has only been home a short while. To add the idea of marriage on top of everything else would just be harmful to her well-being. It would be best to wait."

There was a pause before Flynn found the courage to speak. "So… so what you're saying is… I have your permission?"

"As long as you agree to wait for her to come of proper age, then…" The king smiled. "Yes. You have our permission."

Flynn couldn't tell if he was stuck inside a dream or if reality was really this good. After a moment of sputtering, he bolted up the short flight of stairs that led to the two thrones and shook the king and queen's hands with vigor.

"Thank you! Thank you so much, Your Majesties. I… I don't know what to say."

The king squeezed Flynn's hand gently, his eyes filled with joy. "Say that you will be good to my daughter, and treat her with the love she deserves."

Flynn nodded, his eyes meeting the king's. "I promise."

"Well then," William clapped his hands together. "Off you go. Rapunzel should be finished with her morning lessons soon, and I'm sure she would be happy to see you."

Flynn nodded breathlessly and with one last smile, he turned to leave. He felt lighter than air and floated rather than walked down the corridors of the castle. He somehow made it back to his room and spent a few minutes collecting himself as he came down from his high. He had done it. He had asked them, and they'd said yes. He was going to ask Rapunzel to marry him. He would have to wait a few years, but he hardly cared. He would've waited a decade if that's what it took. What mattered now was that the king and queen had said yes.

Flynn fell back on his unmade bed, unable to keep the smile off his face. For the first time since his parents had been alive, Flynn was happier than he'd ever been in his life.