Author Note: Unfortunately, the Tangled DVD is not out yet so I'll have the guess as to dialogue... but I figured since Eugene is telling the story he probably doesn't get everything exactly right. :) Otherwise, I'm happy for the reviews, you guys are great! :D Hope you enjoy it! :D
Soli Deo Gloria
Disclaimer: Disney owns Tangled, its characters, and its story
"Nooo…" Ginger moaned, covering her eyes with her hands.
Eugene quickly shook his head, "No no no, don't worry, this is actually a very fun story and in fact—it's not even mine."
She peered up at him through her fingers, "It's not?"
He smiled, "Nope. This is a story about a girl. A girl named Rapunzel."
Thomas frowned, "Who's Rapunzel?"
"You'll find out. Now, a long time ago, a drop of sunlight fell down, down from the heavens. It landed upon a rugged cliff overlooking the wide, crashing sea. Slowly, the drop of sunlight drifted through the soft dirt and, after several days, spread out its shining tendrils. Then it blossomed into a shimmering, golden flower. But this wasn't just any flower. This," Eugene said confidently, "was a magic flower."
"Okay… so who's Rapunzel?" His son repeated.
"As I said before, you'll find out. Honestly, it's no wonder I never got through this story with you. You kept interrupting, just like-."
"Daddy." Ginger patted his arm in a small but impatient reminder that he had interrupted himself, yet again.
"Anyway, this flower was a magic flower because it had the power to heal people and make them well. But," he raised a finger, "you had to sing to it in order for the magic to work. It required a particular song that this wicked old witch invented. Her name was Gothel, and she was ancient—older than dinosaurs. So, every night she would creep out across the stony cliff face and sing to the flower, absorbing its magic to become young again. But greed consumed her, and she didn't share the flower's gift, determining to keep it to herself. She never once considered that other people needed the healing powers of the flower just as much as she did. But we'll get back to her later."
"Dad, you're skipping around." Annabelle said from where she sat with her back to them.
Eugene smirked, "I thought you weren't going to listen."
"I'm not. Just—try to stick to one thing."
"Annie stop interrupting the story!" Thomas bellowed, aiming his slingshot at his sister.
"Oh-kay," his father said, hastily confiscating the slingshot, "getting back to the story—many years passed after Gothel found the flower. She continued to secretly use its power even as people began to settle within the surrounding country. Then, a hop, skip and a boat-ride away from the flower's cliff top—a kingdom grew. It was a beautiful place, full of life and music—dancing, clapping, and general merrymaking. Every day seemed like a festival. All the townsfolk were good, hardworking people who loved their benevolent king and queen.
"And this queen, well, she was going to have a baby. But she became sick. The king and his physicians tried everything, yet nothing worked, and soon they became desperate to save the queen and her child. It's around times like these that people begin looking for a miracle. The king sent out his soldiers in search of a flower—the very same flower, actually, that Gothel had secreted away from the world.
"Then the night came and Gothel, just like she always did, hobbled along the seaside cliff and sang to the flower. Her frizzy white hair became midnight black, her wrinkles disappeared into smooth, healthy skin, and her bones strengthened so that she could stand upright again. Her eyes, however, remained the same: the color of ice, and just as cold.
"Suddenly, Gothel heard the voices of the king's soldiers, and she hid the flower under her basket of leaves. But, as she hurried away, she accidentally knocked the basket aside and the flower lifted its golden petals to the stars above.
"'We've found it! We've found it!' the soldiers shouted, hefting their shovels and carefully digging around the glimmering flower. They brought the flower to the king's physicians, who made the blossom into a medicine for the queen to drink. She immediately got better, her illness disappeared, and soon after, her baby was born. She was a beautiful baby girl with golden hair—hair that was as bright as the sun itself. And that girl, kids, was Rapunzel."
"Now I get it!" Thomas said, grinning in understanding.
Ginger gazed up at her father and asked breathlessly, "Was her hair pretty?"
"It was beautiful. Almost as nice as yours, Ginger-snap." He gently tugged a lock of her short hair, and she giggled.
"All right, then what happened?" His son demanded, even as he stole his slingshot from behind Eugene's back.
"Well, in celebration of Rapunzel's birth, her parents sent up a single, marshmallow-shaped lantern into the sky. It was a way of sharing their happiness with the kingdom, and the world."
"Don't we send up lanterns every year, Dad?" Thomas asked.
He nodded, "We do."
"Is it 'cause of the story?"
"Yep. Oh, and Thomas, give me back the slingshot." Eugene held out his hand and, groaning, the boy returned the slingshot.
"All right," his father said, "now for a time, the kingdom was happy and peaceful. But Gothel, you remember her?"
They nodded.
Eugene sighed, "Well, she was not happy that the king had taken and used her magic flower. She was starting to get older again, however, and she needed to find a solution fast or she wasn't going to be around anymore. So, do you know what she did?"
"What?" Both children asked in unison.
"She crept into the king and queen's bedroom, late at night, and sang to the sleeping princess as she lay in her crib. Rapunzel's golden hair began to glow, just like the flower did, and when Gothel touched it she became young again. Thinking to take a little piece for herself, Gothel cut a lock of the girl's hair. But it instantly turned brown and magicless. Being the greedy old witch she was, Gothel saw only one way to reclaim her magic flower. So she stole Rapunzel from her crib, taking her away from her true parents and the life she deserved."
Thomas scowled, "Meanie."
Ginger, however, whimpered slightly, "Daddy—I don't like this story…"
Eugene hugged her, murmuring comfortingly, "It gets better, I promise."
"Did Flynnigan Rider beat the old lady up?" His son asked, brightening at the possibility.
Eugene grinned, "Somewhat. Okay, now Gothel took Rapunzel to a clearing deep inside the forest across the water from the kingdom. In that clearing stood a tall tower, and Gothel, using a hidden door only she knew about, brought Rapunzel up to the tower room. A few years went by, and Gothel raised Rapunzel as her own daughter, teaching her to sing the song that made her hair glow. It went something like this."
Clearing his throat, Eugene began to sing softly in his strong voice: "Flower, gleam and glow; let your power shine; make the clock reverse, bring back what once was mine. Heal what has been hurt; change the Fate's design; save what has been lost, bring back what once was mine… what once was mine."
"Mom sings that sometimes." Thomas muttered.
"I know she does."
"What happened next, Daddy?" Ginger asked.
Eugene took a deep breath, "Well, Gothel didn't tell Rapunzel about who she was or how she came to have magic hair—hair that should never be cut. In fact, she didn't tell her adopted daughter anything about the world except that it was a horrible place and that she was to never, ever go outside. But the tower could not hide everything.
"Every year, on her birthday, Rapunzel's real parents would send up hundreds of lanterns into the night sky, hoping that someday their princess would return. Rapunzel saw the lanterns from the tower windows and dreamed of one day seeing those floating lights in person. Somehow, she knew that they were meant for her. That they were special." He smiled at his children, "And that's only the beginning."