"Jack, come on! The baker's gonna open any second!" Missy cried out, dragging Jack behind her through the crowded streets of Corona. Jack laughed, knowing his sister's obsession with honey rolls.
"I'm coming, I'm coming," he said, weaving his way through the multitude of people. Today was especially crowded, as today was Lantern Day. Everyone was out celebrating, although Jack didn't really see the reason for it. At least it got him off work for the day.
"Jack, hurry up!"
"You know what would make us get there faster?" he said, getting an idea. Missy pulled back, looking up at her older brother with a grin. "How?"
"Like this!" he shouted, throwing her over his shoulder and racing through the crowds.
"Jack!" she squealed, laughing the whole time, "Jack, put me down! This is not funny! Jack!" He didn't put her down until they were at the baker's shop.
"You're getting heavy. I think you're eating too many of those rolls, Pumpkin." he teased, poking her stomach lightly. Missy stuck her tongue out and raced inside. Jack waited outside, gazing at all of the people here to celebrate the unnecessary holiday, at least in Jack's opinion. What was the point of celebrating a long lost princess's birthday if she wasn't even here to see it? She's probably dead now, anyway. His gaze turned to a mosaic mural of the royal family, back when the princess was still here. As a little baby, she sort of reminded Jack of Anna, with their round faces and large eyes. Of course, the princess in the mural had green eyes and Anna had blue eyes. Like Elsa's eyes. Jack cursed himself silently. It had been almost three years since his mother died and he and his sister had moved to Corona and everyday he thought about Elsa, no matter how much he tried not to. He tried, unsuccessfully, to think about anything else except her.
"Jack? Earth to Jack? Wake up, Jack!" Missy tugged at his shirt, holding two honey rolls in one hand. Jack stayed oblivious, staring off into space with a silly grin. Finally, she sighed and started to sing very loudly, "Jack and Elsa sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-" On cue, Jack slammed his hand over Missy's mouth, preventing the rest of the song from the escaping. "You know I hate that song." he said, glowering at his thirteen-year-old sister.
She looked up at him and held out her hand. "Honey roll?" she said, muffled. Jack sighed and removed his hand, taking the syrup-covered lump of bread. "What do you want to do now, Pumpkin?" he asked, gesturing the entire town.
Missy grinned. "I wanna see the animals. Please, Jack, please?" Jack smiled and held out his hand. "One petting zoo, coming right up. Just please don't bring the zoo home this time." "No promises." Missy said under her breath.
A little while later, as Missy played with the chickens and the goats in the pens, Jack was at a nearby store trying to buy a little toy for Missy. "This is all I have," he said, holding out a few coins in his palm, "There's gotta be something I can buy with this."
The very tall man glared down at him through small spectacles. "Sorry mate, I got nothing that would interest a little lady for that price. Now rack off! You're blocking the rest of the costumers."
Dejected, Jack left the store and sat down on a wooden crate, putting his head in his hands. He felt like such an awful brother. How was he supposed to get a birthday present for his sister now? Sure, her birthday wasn't for another week, but he always got her present early.
"Jack!" He looked up at Missy, who had materialized out of nowhere. "
Look at her hair!" she said, pointing at the gate. Jack pushed her hand down. "It's rude to point, Missy."
"Jack, just look at her." He sighed and looked at the gate. His eyes widened. Standing near the gate were two people: a man with dark hair and a goatee, and a young girl about his age with large green eyes and really, really, really long golden blonde hair. They both held an armful of hair, and there was still some trailing on the ground.
"Wow. That is a lot of hair." Jack said.
"I know, right?" Missy said, "This may sound crazy, but that girl looks like the princess on the mural."
"Really?" he said, watching the girl get her hair braided by a few red-haired girls. Now that Missy mentioned it, the girl did look a lot like an older version of the mural baby.
"I wonder what her name is." Missy mused, "Georgia's over there. Maybe she knows."
Jack and Missy watched the girl until she left with the goatee man, her hair sweeping above the ground in a flower-covered braid. Missy skipped over to talk to Georgia, while Jack stared off after the blonde girl. She reminded him even more of Anna than the mural did. And thinking of Anna made him think of Elsa, which really annoyed him, but not really.
"-Elsa sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-"
"MISSY!"
She smiled and crossed her arms. "You're thinking about Elsa again, aren't you?"
"What? No, I'm not."
"Yes, you are."
"No, I'm not."
"Yes, you are."
"No, I'm not."
"Yes, you are."
"Just forget it. Did you find out the girl's name?"
"I win. You were totally thinking about her. And Georgia said that her name is Rapunzel."
Rapunzel. What a strange name. "Let's go follow her, Jack." Missy was saying, pulling on his arm, "Maybe we can talk to her and learn more."
"Wait a minute, Missy." Jack said, bending down to her level, "We are not becoming stalkers. Not now, not ever."
"But, Jack."
"Don't you dare give me those puppy eyes. We are not following them."
"Pleeeeeeeeeease?"
The rest of Jack's day was spent following Missy around, who was following Rapunzel and the goatee man around. They went to the market, the library, the cobbler's shop, the lantern store, and the artist store. Jack managed to talk Missy out of talking to her directly at first, but he knew it was only a matter of time. That time came when Missy walked up behind Rapunzel while she was looking at the mural.
"That's the lost princess. She's been missing for eighteen years. Actually, today's her birthday. Everyone's gonna light lanterns tonight to make sure she comes home this year. Everybody from everywhere is here to see it. Where are you from?"
"Uh…" Rapunzel looked like a lost child.
"Missy, what did I tell you about talking to strangers?" Jack said, rushing forward when he realized what was happening, "I'm so sorry, miss. She tends to talk without knowing what she's saying."
Missy elbowed him in the hip. "Oh, it's okay." Rapunzel said, a little relieved, "I'm just not used to fast talking. My name's Rapunzel."
"I'm Jack, and this is my little sister, Missy."
"How come your hair is so long?"
"Missy!"
"What? I'm curious."
"Hey, Blondie!" The goatee man walked up to them. Jack thought that he looked familiar somehow.
"Are these people bothering you?"
"No, Eugene." Jack raised his eyebrows. Eugene? Really? "This is Jack and Missy. They were telling me about the lanterns."
Eugene narrowed his eyes at Jack. Don't worry, buddy, Jack thought, staring back at him, I already got a girl. Yours is safe. "Hello, Jack and Missy." Eugene said, shaking their hands, "It was very nice to meet you, but we have stuff we need to see and do, so-"
"But they could show us around." Rapunzel interrupted, "They do live here."
"Actually, we live just outside of town," Missy said, "We're from Arendelle. But, we know this place really well. Can we show them around, Jack? Please?"
Jack sighed and nodded his head, asking himself why he had to have such a convincing sister. Missy squealed and immediately dragged Rapunzel over to the baker's, declaring that they had the best treats ever. "You have to try their honey rolls, Rapunzel! They're to die for!"
Jack followed them, stepping in time with Eugene next to him. "So, Jack," he said, scratching his chin, "How long have you lived here?" Jack glanced at him in interest. The man did look familiar, but he didn't know how.
"About three or four years ago," Jack said, leaning against the window. Inside, Missy was chatting excitedly with Rapunzel, gesturing at all of the goodies behind the glass case.
"Arendelle, huh?" Eugene asked, "I've been there a few times. Nice place."
Jack just nodded. Missy and Rapunzel came out, each holding honey buns in both hands. "Eugene, you have to try these! They're delicious!" Rapunzel said, pushing one into his hand. Jack laughed at his face, somewhere between shock and disgusted.
"We should go see the fountains next. They're beautiful, and they grant wishes!" Missy said, running off with everyone in tow.
Much later, after the group hit most of tourist destinations, they ended up back in the plaza.
"And then Jack said, 'I can catch that pig for you, ma'am.' And he spent the rest of the day chasing that damn-"
"Missy."
"Darn pig down all over town. It was so funny!"
"Did he catch it?"
"Yeah. It ran away again a week later, but we haven't been able to find it since."
"Poor pig."
"Don't feel bad, Rapunzel. It's probably out in the woods having a make-fun-of-Jack's-horrible-pig-catching-skills with the other animals."
Rapunzel laughed, ignoring Jack's death stare directed straight at Missy."Hey, at least I caught it." "
You still have to pay Mr. Martin back for his herd."
Just then, a small band passed by, playing a lively tune. Rapunzel smiled and followed them to the middle of the square, where she suddenly started to dance. After a few minutes, Rapunzel dragged Missy and some other people with her until almost the whole square was dancing along. Jack and Eugene stayed off to the side, watching the others. Rapunzel gestured to Eugene to join her, and after a few minutes of debate, Jack pushed him into the crowd, laughing at his expression.
Missy came out a minute later, panting heavily. "You tired, Pumpkin?" Jack asked, smiling. Missy shook her head, her brown curls bouncing.
"Why don't you join us, Jack?" she said, "It's fun."
Jack hesitated a minute. He hadn't danced in a long time. Not since he left Arendelle…
"Please, Jack?"
"You know I don't dance, Missy."
"I saw you dance with Elsa back when I was little."
"Well, that was a long time ago." Just then, Rapunzel came by.
"This is the best birthday ever!" she shouted, slightly dizzy from all of the spinning, "Why don't you join us, Jack?" Jack groaned and put his head in his hands.
"He says he doesn't dance."
"That's ridiculous. Everyone can dance! Come on, Jack, dance with me!"
"Rapunzel, no. I really don't-" Jack started to say, but Rapunzel dragged him out to the middle of the plaza. "It's easy. Just watch me." she said, twirling around him. "I really don't-whoa!" he protested, but got pulled into the dance circle. Soon, it was either dance or get trampled. Jack tripped a few times, but eventually got the hang of it.
"Go, Jack!" he heard Missy yell over the music. Jack laughed as he danced along, switching partners every few steps. When the music stopped, he ended up holding a busty woman wearing a gray and pink dress. The woman smiled at him as she stepped back and said, "You're a pretty good dancer, young man. What's your name?"
"Jack."
"Let me know if you need any formal training, Jack. The name's Gloria. I live in the blue house near the bridge."
"Gloria!"
"I'm coming, Melvin!" Gloria gave Jack another smile and ran off to find Melvin. Missy ran up to him.
"I can't believe you actually danced!" she squealed, hopping around Jack like a kangaroo, "That was the most I've seen you smile in months."
"Well, it was all thanks to you, Pumpkin." he said, spinning her around in the air.
"To the boats!" someone yelled, causing everyone to chatter loudly.
"Hey, where did Rapunzel go?" Missy asked, looking around the plaza. Jack swiveled his head. "There they are." he said, pointing. Rapunzel and Eugene stood off to the side, looking at each other with awkward smiles. Missy and Jack made their way over to them.
"Hey, guys." Missy said, "Are you ready to see the lanterns?"
"Yes! I've been waiting to see them up close my whole life!" Rapunzel exclaimed, jumping up and down.
"Up close?"
"Hey, Jack, can I talk to you for a second?" Eugene said, pulling him away from the girls. Once they were a considerable distance from them, Eugene said in a low voice, "Hey, um, this is a little awkward, but I need to borrow a boat. Can you get one for me?"
Jack was confused. "Why do you need me to do this? Can't you do it yourself? And what did she mean by 'up close'?"
"Well, uh," Eugene said, rubbing the back of his neck, "Rapunzel… let's just say she doesn't get out much. And as for the boat, the kingdom and I aren't exactly on good terms lately."
Just then, Jack realized who he was. "You're Flynn Rider!" he said, eyes widening. Eugene covered his mouth quickly. "Dude, I'm trying to be discreet here."
"Sorry," Jack said, pulling his mouth away, "You look different than your wanted posters."
"They just can't get my nose right!" Eugene exclaimed. Jack laughed, and soon Eugene was laughing along, drawing attention from the townspeople. "You need a boat? I can get you one." Jack said.
"Really? Thanks." Jack and Eugene shook hands and walked back to the girls. "What were you talking about?" Missy asked, crossing her arms. Jack grabbed her arm and pulled her towards the docks. "Jack! What are we doing?"
"We're getting a boat for Eugene and Rapunzel." Missy stopped for a second, then ran ahead, dragging Jack with her. "Missy!"
"We need to hurry before all of the good boats are gone!" she yelled as they passed the huge ships sailing off. Finally, they saw a small boat unattended near the edge of the dock. "This one will do." Missy said climbing on.
Jack paused. "Missy, this is our boat."
"I know. They can use it for awhile."
"I thought you wanted to use it this year."
"We can do something else this year." Just then, Rapunzel and Eugene came running in.
"What's this for?" Rapunzel asked. Missy jumped out of the boat. "This for you and Eugene to use tonight."
"Really?"
Jack pulled Eugene off to the side. "There are two lanterns folded up underneath the seat." he said, "Just unfold them and light them with these."
He handed him a couple matches. Eugene grinned and stuck them in his pocket. "Thanks a lot, Jack. I hope I can repay the favor one day."
"Eugene!" Rapunzel called out, waving from the boat, "Come on, it's getting dark!"
Jack pushed them out into the harbor, then stood back and watched them float away. "You know they like each other." Missy told him, grasping his hand.
"Really?" Jack said, "How do you know that?"
"I can tell."
Jack laughed quietly to himself as they started to make their way home.
Three days later… So, it turned out that Rapunzel was the lost princess. Jack found that out two days after the lantern festival, when she and Eugene came to his house in the middle of the night and asked for shelter.
Rapunzel's long, blonde hair had gotten chopped off and turned brown during that time period. She looked so different that Jack didn't recognize her at first.
They told him about the glowing and the evil mother and the crown and the only thought that went through Jack's mind the whole time they were telling him this was 'I'm glad Missy isn't awake right now.'
When they were done, it took a few minutes for Jack to say something. "Uh… So, you're the long lost princess? I'm guessing you want to see the king and queen, right?"
"We're going first thing in the morning." Eugene said, taking hold of Rapunzel's hand. Jack stared at them, remembering the days when he and Elsa used to sit on the bank of the lake in the woods and talk about nothing in particular, just enjoying each other's company.
"-let us know."
Jack shook his head of the memories. "I'm sorry, what were you saying?"
Rapunzel laughed and started over. "Since I can do anything I want when I meet my parents, if there's anything you need or want, just let us know."
"Thanks Rapunzel, but I think we're-" Jack started to say, then stopped and though about it. "Actually, my sister's birthday is coming up soon, and I've been saving up for a trip back to Arendelle. Do you think you can arrange a ride?"
I'm so so so so sorry about the delay, but I'm gonna give the normal schoolwork excuse, so we should be good. Please review and tell me how bad/good/eh it is.