Chapter 6
Rapunzel stood inside the glass enclosed terrace staring out at the rolling hills and valleys. She couldn't stop thinking of the game she was playing or why she lied to Fitz anyway. But at this last meeting, he had recognized her; asked her why she had those freckles on her nose and those huge green eyes. She smiled widely and explained that they were cousins; that Meg had often been mistaken for the Princess countless of times? She was getting herself deeper into it and somehow had to get out this deception. She wanted to tell him, but she couldn't bring herself to do so. She'd just let this play out until the ball, which was coming up rather quickly. There wasn't much time left, 3 more days to be exact.
Maybe it was better that she didn't tell him right away. It seemed as if there were two Fitz's anyway and it seemed as if they came at different times; sometimes twice a day, sometimes once. They acted differently, one was a little cold and distant; the other Fitz was warm and caring and only wanted to be with her. At first she thought one was Flynnagan Rider and the other one was Fitz, but she couldn't be sure. She knew one thing; that both wanted to be with her and both wanted to marry her.
"Rapunzel?" she heard a soft female voice call. "We've been looking for you all day. Is there something bothering you? Can I help?"
She turned around to find the Queen staring at her; her kind eyes and warm outstretched arms beckoned her to fly into them without hesitation.
"Oh, Mother," she said as she nestled against the Queen's chest. "Maybe you can help."
Rapunzel untangled herself from her mother's embrace and stared into her eyes. "I've been lying to someone, someone that I love very much. I didn't mean for it to happen, I just didn't want him to know that I was the Princess."
The Queen smiled and motioned for her to sit. There were six hardwood chairs placed in the center of the room set up in a circle. There were three small round tables placed on the far right wall and a long table placed against the back wall for more important meetings.
Rapunzel chose the chair that was closest to the window so that she could still admire the beautiful scenery before her. The Queen smiled, placed a finger to her lips and made her way across the room to lock the glass door. She turned back to face her daughter and chose a seat to Rapunzel's left.
"You have done right, my daughter," the Queen said. "Don't let anyone know that you are the Princess, especially a thief, although your father seems to trust Flynn Rider and I have a inkling of why he might."
Rapunzel frowned. "I'm a little confused."
The Queen nodded. "You see, I think he recognized the boy, Rapunzel. His name is Eugene Fitzherbert and he was orphaned at an early age. William Fitzherbert was his father and he married my first Lady in Waiting, Elizabeth or Liza as I called her."
"And?" Rapunzel asked, still a bit confused.
The Queen smiled. "Well, to make a long story short, his father was Samuel Fitzherbert who married my distant cousin, Elvira. Eugene is Fitz, Rapunzel. Your father seems to think that because the resemblance to Elvira is strong."
"You mean he looks like her?"
Her mother nodded. "Enough like her anyway. He's convinced that he returned you to us when the Gothel family tried to kidnap you. Your father has already spoken with the guard who Eugene brought the baby to. He's retired now. The two of you took an instant liking to each other."
Rapunzel nodded. "Maybe that's why we have these feelings for one another."
"You mean, you're in love with him?"
Rapunzel shook her head. "We're attracted toward each other; that's for sure. I've never felt this way before, especially when he touches me, Mother. I feel warm and tingly. Whenever Fitz puts his hand on mine, I feel shivers run up and down my spine and I know he feels it too."
The Queen smiled. "I know exactly how you feel. That's what happened with your father and I. You two are meant to be together. What's the harm in that?"
"There's another problem, Mother," Rapunzel said. "There's another boy that comes by. He looks almost like Eugene, but he calls himself Flynnagan Rider."
The Queen frowned this time. "How do you know the difference? Where did he come from? We are sure that Eugene was Flynn Rider, the thief."
Rapunzel shrugged. "He acts different, Mother. He touched my hand once and had to pull away. There are sparks of a different sort; I can't describe it. I can tell you something though. It doesn't feel the same as I do with Fitz. I feel something is wrong, that we just don't belong together."
The Queen nodded. "I wonder…" she said, her voice trailing off. She stood up and walked toward the window, her back to her daughter "We thought all of Gothel's relatives dead. I wonder know if they truly are."
She turned to face Rapunzel. "One of Rapunzel's descendents kidnapped you, not Mother Gothel, who's been dead for years. We weren't sure if she had a living survivor though. We have heard rumors of a last surviving relative, but we weren't sure."
Rapunzel stood up and walked over to her mother's side. "Their last name isn't Gothel, is it?"
The Queen smiled and shook her head. "No, daughter, it isn't. It's Rider. The reason that there is a resemblance is because one of the Fitzherbert girls married into the Gothel family a long time ago. That marriage produced a son and daughter. The son was stillborn though; only the daughter survived. She married Flynnagan Rider. If we're correct in our thinking, that's the son's name as well. But it's far more complicated than that, Rapunzel. That family bears a curse; one that was set up centuries ago to preserve the true King and Queen and all their descendents."
"What curse?" Rapunzel asked. "And who set it up?"
The Queen looked at her daughter. "It was set up a long time ago by the Fairies, the true owners of the magic golden flower. True, it was given to the Gothel family originally, but Mother Gothel abused the power and it was given to the Royal family instead. The Gothel family was jealous and it led to bitterness and revenge. You were kidnapped because of it, but Eugene brought you back to us.
"So what do we do now, Mother?"
"Now we need to wait and see who are imposter is. We'll invite him to the ball and see what happens. Don't worry, Rapunzel. We'll find out who is who soon enough."