Okay, the next story to be reposted is Horizon's Light: Breaking Dawn.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Tangled or Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure. I only own this story idea. Varian's thief name is my original. I borrowed Cass's thief name from another author, so credit goes to them.
Sunlight filtered through the trees to the forest floor, showing shadow and light through the flora. A little bluebird flew past one of the more giant trees, causing a poster attached to the trunk to flutter slightly.
There were four wanted posters on the tree.
The one that moved was a young man with dark hair and a smug smirk. Some would call him handsome, which would boost his ego, and the subject of the sketch would complain that the nose wasn't right.
Below was the picture of an older male compared to the last. He was dark-skinned, bald, and had a darker beard. His sketch wore a relaxed, easy-going grin.
The next poster was of a woman. She was younger than the two men yet still an adult and had dark hair in a short bob-cut with noticeable highlights. Unlike the other two, her portrait was captured with a focused look and a frown.
Finally, the last poster was a young boy, a teenager, compared to the three adults. He had long, shaggy dark hair with a lighter streak running through the bangs and freckles across his cheeks. For his expression, he met halfway compared to the others with a confident smirk, showing off two buckteeth.
They were Flynn Rider, Lance Strongbow, Eden Sparrow, and Alain Striker. Altogether, they were known as the Rider Gang, the most infamous group of thieves in the Seven Kingdoms.
"This… is the story of how I died." Flynn narrated dramatically.
"No, it's not." Eden cut in bluntly.
"Technically, it's a major part of the story, but it's not the main point," Alain explained.
"Yeah," Lance agreed. "Kinda like the part where we nearly drowned in a cave-in and–"
"Lance! You're gonna spoil it!" The teenager cut him off.
"Well, this just got dark…." The lone female deadpanned.
"Don't worry, this is actually a very fun story," Rider reassured the audience. "And the truth is it isn't even mine or ours. This is the story of a girl named Rapunzel… and it starts with the sun…."
"The moon is involved, too, but that part's explained later," Alain added.
The scene changed to a setting sun, casting the sky in golden orange. A few scattered clouds were around, but it was a picturesque scene other than that.
Suddenly, the light intensified, and a drop of sunlight fell from the sky.
"Now, once upon a time, a single drop of sunlight fell from the heavens…." Flynn narrated.
Passing through the clouds as the sky darkened to night, the droplet landed on an outcrop of land overlooking the ocean. A golden flower sprouted from the ground, giving a soft ethereal glow.
"And from this small drop of sun grew a magic golden flower. It had the power to heal the sick and injured."
Rounding the corner behind some rocks appeared an old woman in a red dress and a black cloak, holding a lantern. She had been searching for the flower for some time, and now, she had finally found it, approaching it greedily.
"Oh, you see that old woman over there? You might wanna remember her. She's kind of important."
"That's an understatement," Lance muttered.
"Lance!" Alain snapped.
"Sorry."
There was an island in a bay in the same area as the flower. As the years passed, the island slowly developed into a sprawling kingdom with a grand castle and a long bridge connecting it to the mainland.
"Well, centuries pass, and a hop, skip, and a boat ride away, there grew a kingdom."
A portrait of a man and a woman in royal attire hung within the castle. The man had brown hair, a beard, and blue eyes, while the woman had long brown hair and green eyes.
"The kingdom was ruled by a beloved King and Queen. And the Queen, well, she was about to have a baby."
Next to the portrait, an assortment of people had gathered inside one of the bedrooms. The Queen was in bed, having gone into labor, and was about to give birth to their first child. Her husband kneeled next to the bed, holding her hand in comfort.
However, something was wrong. Instead of excitement, everyone was worried, the King especially.
"But she got sick. Really sick. She was running out of time, and that's usually when people start to look for a miracle."
"Or, in this case, a magic healing flower." Eden cut in.
"Right."
Knowing the general location of the miracle flower, the guards and several volunteers took boats to that area of the mainland.
While all this was happening, the woman from before was out with her lantern again. She was in the same area, moving what appeared to be a bush.
It was actually a fake shrub, hiding the flower the kingdom's citizens were looking for.
"Ah, I told you she'd be important. You see, instead of sharing the sun's gift, this woman, Mother Gothel, hoarded its healing power and used it to keep herself young for hundreds of years. And all she had to do was sing a special song…."
Looking around to ensure she was alone, Gothel set aside the fake bush and kneeled before the flower. Then, she began to sing the song that would activate its magic.
"Flower, Gleam and Glow." She sang, waving her hands around the petals. "Let your power shine. Make the clock reverse. Bring back what once was mine."
As she sang, the flower began to glow with a soft, golden light. It then released what could only be described as a sand-like pollen. Gothel wafted the magic towards her using her hands as she began to change.
"What once was mine."
Her white hair became black again as her wrinkles and boney hands smoothed out. Even her voice became smoother as she de-aged.
And just like that, she went from being an old lady to a young, middle-aged woman.
"Alright, you get the gist. She sings to it, she turns young. Creepy, right?"
"Very." Lance agreed.
"Moving on." Eden deadpanned.
Just as Gothel finished singing, she heard footsteps in the brush. Turning around, she saw the light from the searchers' lanterns. Gothel quickly placed the fake bush over the flower and fled into the night.
However, she didn't notice that her lantern had knocked the shrub over, uncovering the flower.
Gothel had barely gotten away when a guard came onto the same ledge she had just left. Looking down at the outcropping below, he saw what they were looking for.
"We found it!" He called.
Soon, he and another guard carefully uprooted the golden flower, taking it to the castle.
Unfortunately, they didn't notice that their shouting had drawn Gothel's attention back to the area. She watched on helplessly as they took her healing flower away.
Back at the castle, the flower was put into a special tea, causing it to glow from the magic inside. It was then given to the Queen, replenishing her strength and healing her illness.
"The magic of the golden flower healed the queen…."
The rest of the delivery went smoothly after that. Soon, the heir to the throne was born.
"A healthy baby girl, a princess, was born with beautiful golden hair."
The baby lay in her crib under a mobile with the kingdom's sun crest on.
She was a bundle of sunshine and joy. Her parents fawned over her.
Her mother picked her up and nuzzled close, earning more laughter and smiles. The King, smiling proudly at his new daughter, placed a too-large crown on her head, knowing she would become an unforgettable princess someday.
"We'll give you a hint: That's Rapunzel," Alain said.
"Hey! I'm the narrator, Blue!" Flynn protested.
"I thought we were all narrating?" Lance asked.
"Not important!" Eden interrupted.
"Sorry!" The three boys said together.
Just as the sun set, the Royal Family stood on the balcony before their subjects. Lighting a floating paper lantern, the King and Queen gently pushed it toward the sky.
"To celebrate her birth, the King and Queen launched a flying lantern into the sky," Flynn continued his narration. "For that one moment, everything was perfect…."
Later that night, all was silent as the Kingdom slept. The Princess slept in her crib in the King and Queen's royal chambers.
Suddenly, the quiet was shattered as the balcony door creaked opening…
"And then that moment ended."
Mother Gothel's shadow fell upon the sleeping baby as she approached the basket. Her youth had already faded somewhat, and she needed the magic that was now inside the Princess.
"Flower, gleam and glow," She sang, causing Rapunzel's hair to glow as the flower had before. Ever so silently, she reached for a lock of the Princess's hair, her youth returning as she touched it. "Let your power shine."
Pulling out a pair of scissors, she cut the lock, intending to take it with her. "Make the clock reverse–!"
Gothel's song cut off with a gasp.
When she cut Rapunzel's hair, it turned brown and stopped glowing.
Her shock turned to horror as the youth she regained instantly faded away. Looking back at the baby, that same lock still attached to the Princess's head also became brunette.
Realizing she couldn't simply take a piece of hair with her, Gothel made a decision that would haunt the Kingdom forever…
The King and Queen were awoken by the loud crying of their daughter. When they got up, they were horrified to see an intruder half over the balcony rail with their daughter in their arms.
Seeing that the parents were awake, Gothel bolted off into the night.
"Gothel broke into the castle, stole the child, and just like that: Gone."
"The kingdom searched and searched, but they could not find the Princess…." Alain jumped into the narration. "For deep within the forest, in a hidden tower, Gothel raised the child as their own."
Years passed, and unbeknownst to the Kingdom, the Princess was closer than they thought.
Hidden in a secret grove in the forest was a single tower. Inside, Gothel was brushing a now four-year-old Rapunzel's hair.
While Gothel brushed the little girl's hair, Rapunzel sang the healing song, causing her hair to glow. "Save what has been lost, bring back what once was mine. What once was mine~."
As she sang, the magic flowed through Gothel, restoring her youth again.
"Gothel had found her new magic flower," Lance continued. "Only this time, she was determined to keep it hidden."
"Why can't I go outside?" Little Rapunzel asked.
"The outside world is a dangerous place, filled with horrible, selfish people," Gothel explained. "You must stay here, where you're safe. Do you understand, Flower?"
"Yes, Mommy."
"But the walls of that tower could not hide everything…." Eden picked up where Lance left off.
Later that night, after the fire was put out, Little Rapunzel quietly snuck downstairs. Being especially careful not to wake her mother, she made her way toward the tower window.
She opened the shudders just in time to the night sky light up, not with stars, but with paper lanterns.
"Every year on her birthday, the King and Queen would release thousands of lanterns into the sky," Flynn wrapped up the story. "In the hope that one day, their Lost Princess would return."
"Now you're probably asking yourselves, 'Where does the moon come in?'" Alain said.
"Or 'What does any of this have to do with us?'" Lance added.
"Well, we're going to get to that second question in a moment," Eden explained.
"You got that right, Eden," Flynn agreed. "It all started the day before Rapunzel's eighteenth birthday…."