Chapter 2-Celebration
That night, Eugene and Lottie both thought that Rapunzel hadn't noticed Lottie's little jab about the crown. But she had. It was the reason she was still awake and staring up at the ceiling, long after Eugene had left her, replaying over and over the interaction she'd observed between the two of them. She frowned just thinking about it. Clearly, there was no love lost between the two of them, but she wasn't exactly sure why. Lottie didn't even know Eugene! She'd never even met him before! But, she realized, Lottie probably had heard plenty about Flynn Rider- and most of it hadn't been good. So maybe it was natural that she wasn't going to like Flynn! Why should she? She didn't think that he had changed.
Well, she thought decidedly, then it was up to her to show her that he had and there was no Flynn anymore.
There was only the wonderful Eugene.
XxXxXxX
The next morning, Eugene woke up to a knock on his door. He groaned to himself because he was not ready to get out of bed. After he'd left Rapunzel last night, he'd attempted to sleep. But there one too many thoughts in his brain and no matter what he did, he couldn't seem to shut them off. Sometime after midnight, he managed to doze off, yet it seemed like only a few moments had passed before that awful knock. With a groan, he pulled his pillow over his head to block it out. But the knocking continued, and he forced himself out of bed, at the very least to make that blasted noise stop. He walked over to the door, and pulled it open.
Rapunzel stood there in front of him. She looked happy, and he noted that it was probably because she was a morning person.
He was not.
She smiled brightly at him. "Good morning, Eugene!"
"Good morning," he mumbled.
She giggled. "You sound very awake!"
"I'm not," he told her. "I just look like I am."
She laughed again and it was such a merry and happy sound that he found himself smiling back at her. "Well, anyway, I came here to tell you that breakfast is ready and Mama and Papa want you to come."
Another meal with her family. So he had to do that when he hadn't had his standard cup of coffee yet. His black cup of coffee. Wonderful. He made himself give Rapunzel a nice response. "Okay. I'll be ready soon." She nodded, and told him she'd meet him at the dining room. He shut the door and got dressed quickly, which seemed sort of ironic to him because he didn't relish the thought of yet another meal with her family. Or more accurately, Lottie. He wondered if she'd glare at him or make some other sort of remark today.
But there was nothing he could do about it. He needed to go; Rapunzel had asked him. He made his way to the dining room, where she was waiting for him- in a different dress, no less, a green dress that perfectly matched her eyes.
He couldn't miss the way her face lit up when she saw him, and she gave him yet another smile. "Hi Eugene."
"Hi Rapunzel," he said. "You look pretty today."
Her cheeks turned a pretty pink, and she twirled around. "Do you like it? Mama found it for me. It's one of Lottie's old dresses."
"It's very nice." He held out his arm for her. "Princess?"
She giggled and took it. They walked into the room together and were immediately greeted warmly by her parents. He noted that Lottie was there, not looking too pleased at his presence, but she managed to smile and say good morning to them both.
She didn't say much during the meal though and Eugene was sure that he wasn't the only one who had noticed. But Rapunzel and her mother managed to make pleasant conversation about all sorts of things, and he inserted some sort of witty comment here and there after he'd had several cups of coffee. It was incredibly nice to be here with Rapunzel, he thought, but he was still glad when the meal ended and he could do something else. Yet his relief soon ended when the King took him aside. "I'd like to talk with you now, if you don't mind."
He did mind, and if he were some other kind of man, he might quake in his boots at the thought of having this conversation with the King. How he could say no though?
He couldn't. So he followed the King into his study, bracing himself for horrible news. His entire body tensed up, like it always did when he thought he was about to be caught stealing something.
The King noticed his unease, and laughed a little. "Don't be so afraid, Eugene. I'm not going to send you to the gallows."
His legs gave out, and he shakily sat down in the chair. "I'm glad to hear that, Your Majesty."
"Not today at any rate," he said, but by the twinkle in his eye, he knew the King was joking.
It was too close to reality to really laugh about, though. "Haha," he said weakly.
The King gave a brief nod. "I mostly wanted to talk with you to learn more about your relationship with my daughter."
He blinked. "My….. relationship?"
"Yes. You know, how you met?"
"Oh, I see," he said, wondering what to say. He decided on the truth, and so he told him the whole story from the crown to the reunion on the balcony. And he left nothing out.
The King leaned back in his chair. "That's quite a story, Eugene."
He knew that, and he knew that it sounded crazy too. "It's all true, Your Majesty," he said.
"Yes," the King said slowly. "I believe it is." He said nothing for a moment, and Eugene wondered what was going through his mind. For a tense minute, he sat there, just waiting for the King to speak again. Somehow he knew he was deciding his fate- and it was nerve-wracking to say the least.
Finally he spoke. "Eugene, I'll tell you what I'm inclined to do."
"Um…yes, sire?" He wondered what the king was thinking. He hoped he was thinking something good.
"I'm inclined to pardon you," he said.
Eugene stared at him. A pardon was something he'd only dreamed about. He resisted the urge to pinch himself to check to see if he was dreaming. "Really?" He couldn't hide the disbelief from his voice.
"Yes," he said. "I believe the man who has performed a civic duty like rescuing a princess deserves one." He looked at him seriously. "Provided that he can prove that he has changed."
Eugene jumped in, quick to assure him. "Oh, I have! Really. I have."
The King's lips twitched in amusement. "I thought so. Tell me something. Did that change have anything to do with my daughter?"
The King was sharp, but he didn't even want to deny it. Rapunzel meant so much to him. Couldn't he let her own father know how much? "Yes," he said. "I owe her everything. She's…." He chuckled to himself. "Well, it sounds cliché, but she's the best thing that's ever happened to me."
The King's eyes were soft. "I understand. I feel the same way about my Gwenny," he said. "The day I married her...it was the best day of my whole life, only topped when Lottie was born and Rapunzel."
He wasn't sure how well he liked Lottie, personally. But he knew better than to say that. Besides, he could understand mostly what the King was trying to tell him: his family meant everything to him too. "I hope she and Rapunzel will be sister-friends." And it was true. He did hope that Rapunzel would find a friend in her sister. She should have a female friend, and who better than her very own sister?
"So do I," said the King. Then he cleared his throat. "Well, Eugene, I think I have the information I need. Thank you for your time."
He stared at the King in disbelief again. They were done? Really? Well, that was decidedly….not painful. "Oh…okay."
The King started fiddling with his pages. "Good. I'll see you at lunch then." He started to scribble on paper, and Eugene could tell that was his cue to leave.
"Of course," he said, standing up. "Thank you, Your Majesty." He headed for the door, and he almost missed what the King said next.
"No, thank you, Eugene."
XxXxXxXx
Soon after Eugene left the King, he ran into Rapunzel- literally. One minute he was walking down the hall in a daze, and then next he'd bumped into someone. "I'm so sorry," he began, and then he saw that it was Rapunzel.
She was smiling at him. "Hi Eugene," she said brightly. "How was your meeting with Papa?"
"Good," he answered. Almost surprisingly good. "He says...he wants to give me a pardon."
Her smile grew even bigger and she threw her arms impulsively around him. "That's wonderful, Eugene!"
He awkwardly patted her back. It was wonderful, but it felt strange at the same time. What he'd really wanted to do back when the King told him about the possible pardon was say "no catch?" As a thief, he was always used to some kind of catch. In his experience, something that sounded too good to be true usually was. And a pardon for him smacked of that. "Yes, I guess it is."
She pulled away, and raised her eyebrow. "You guess?" she asked. "Why aren't you happier about it?"
She picked up on his moods too well. "I am happy about it, Rapunzel," he said. "And I'm very happy to be here with you."
The smile returned to her face, and she grabbed his hand. "Come on, Eugene. You need to come see the garden with me."
He went with her. How could he do anything else?
XxXxXxXx
Lottie decided that she was not having a good day at all. First, she'd had to sit through yet another meal with that smart-aleck Rider, then she had that horrid luncheon with annoying Lady Howard and her equally annoying daughter. And now, she met with her father and mother in the afternoon only to hear the most appalling news she'd ever heard since the day her sister vanished. She stared at her father in disbelief. "You did what?!"
"I told Eugene I'd pardon him," Papa said calmly.
"But-…." He was going to pardon him? After everything that blackguard had done? She couldn't believe it. What was Papa thinking?
"He brought your sister back, Lottie." Now Mama spoke. "Is it too incomprehensible that we would reward him in some way?"
Lottie bit her tongue. Yes, it was too incomprehensible, in her opinion. But when Mama put it that way, she couldn't argue. Like she had done many times, she swallowed what she truly wanted to say. "No," she said softly. "I-….I guess not." Was it even worth it to tell her what she really thought? She doubted that Papa and Mama would change their minds anyway. Besides, she knew better than to argue with them. They were still the ruling monarchs after all. If they wanted to pardon Rider….then they could pardon him. It's not like they needed her permission.
"Good," she said. Her face softened. "You don't have to want to be his best friend, Lottie. But I'm sure it'd mean a lot to Rapunzel if you were kind to him."
She knew what Mama expected her to say, and she said it. "I'll do my best."
Mama rose and embraced her. "That's all we ask."
Of course it was. "Doing her best" was what dutiful princesses did.
She was the perfect picture of a dutiful princess, if nothing else.
XxXxXxXx
Two days after Rapunzel had returned, Mama came to Lottie and told her, eyes aglow, that she was planning a week-long party to celebrate her homecoming, and she would appreciated her help. Naturally Lottie agreed and for the next several days, she was so busy with preparations that she didn't see Rapunzel or Rider very much at all. She wasn't too sad that she was unable to see Rider, but she was slightly disappointed not to see her sister. Rapunzel was such a perky, upbeat person that she missed being around her.
Of course, being around Rapunzel meant being around Rider and she still couldn't say that she was too fond of him. She only tolerated him really, and only for her sister's sake. But she couldn't resist sneaking a barb in here and there when Rapunzel wasn't around. She didn't want to upset her, and she knew Rapunzel would be if she knew. However, and it was to her unending surprise, Rider never responded aggressively. Instead, he continued to be….well, kind was really the only word for it. It bewildered her, and she thought that maybe he had actually changed. Maybe Rapunzel brought out the good side of him, and her parents were correct in pardoning him. It was true that he had brought her sister home…
But the truth still was that he had stolen the crown, and who knows how many other things during his career as a thief. So she didn't know what to do. She was torn between her sense of right and wrong, and the fact that her sister really liked him- maybe even loved him.
She forced it out of her mind though, and focused all her energy on helping Mama throw the best party that Corona had ever seen. She and Mama spent hours deciding on the activities, figuring out menus, poring over details. It was exhausting, but she was committed to making the best party that she could.
Rapunzel, their lost princess, deserved it. She was determined that the party would be perfect.
XxXxXxXx
The party was perfect. It was worth every single minute that Lottie and Mama had spent on it, and all of their efforts had paid off. Everything turned out perfectly, even the weather. Every day the sun shone, and there was not a cloud in the sky. Besides that, the food turned out just like they'd hoped, and it seemed like almost everyone in Corona attended the celebration.
And all of them had come to meet the famed Lost Princess. Everyone at the party flocked around Rapunzel, telling them how excited they were that she was home and how glad that she'd returned safe and sound. One group had hardly left before another took their place. Personally, if it were Lottie, she'd have felt rather smothered by all the attention.
But Rapunzel seemed to take it all in stride, and gave everyone a sweet smile, thanking them for coming. Rider himself was never too far from her side, and she saw them look at each other as if they were the only two people in the entire square.
Her heart grew heavy just watching them. Would anyone ever look at her like that? She wasn't particularly fond of Rider himself, but she wished that she had found a love like her sister. Sometimes she was so lonely that she wanted to lie in the fetal position and cry. Right now, she felt like huddling in a corner, but one of the townspeople came up to her. "Princess Charlotte," the lady said. "Isn't it wonderful that the lost princess is finally home?"
She pasted on her princess smile. "Yes, it is." She meant what she said; she was glad Rapunzel was home, but being a princess was so hard sometimes!
Did Rapunzel even know what she was in for as a princess?
If she had, Lottie thought, she never would have come home. Lottie wouldn't have, that's for certain!
She spent the rest of her day acting as the perfect princess that she'd been trained to be. But part of her couldn't help but wonder about her own future. Would she have to live like this forever? Would she ever find someone to love like her sister did?