Author Note: Okay, sorry for not posting :D But I had to see my bro get married to the greatest possible girl God could have ever given him :) Anyway, I hope you enjoy this next bit-there's a lot of dialogue at that point in the movie, so apology for not getting everything completely right :) Oh and thanks for all the reviews and for sticking with me so far! I really appreciate it! :D
"Soli Deo Gloria"
Disclaimer: Disney owns Tangled, its characters, and its story. I only own the kids and their reactions.
"What happened next? What happened next!" Ginger demanded before once again clapping her hands over her mouth.
Thomas watched as Eugene pulled a chair over to them, "Was it the bad old lady? Tell us Dad, tell us!"
Eugene smiled and picked up the frying pan he had left lying on the floor. Then he sat down in the chair, asking dramatically, "Do you really want to know?"
"Yes! Yes!"
"I mean, are you absolutely sure?"
"Yes, Dad PLEASE!" His son begged, coming over and hugging his father about his knee.
"Okay then," Eugene replied, smiling as his kids let out a sigh of relief. "Well, this tower that our thief, Flynn Rider, happened to find was none other than the same tower Rapunzel had been trapped in for almost eighteen years. If she had been around, Gothel would have immediately disposed of our beloved Flynn. But by that point in the morning, Gothel had left the tower, and only Rapunzel and her green pet-thing Pascal remained.
"Now, Gothel had told Rapunzel time and time again that everyone was out to get her hair. So, the first thing Rapunzel thought upon seeing Flynn Rider, was that Gothel was right and someone had finally found her and her magic hair. Seizing the only weapon she could think of, Rapunzel snuck up behind our master thief and smacked him over the head with a frying pan. This frying pan, in fact." Eugene held up the battered frying pan, watching as its iron body shined dully in the sunlight.
"You mean you have the real frying pan?"
"Yep—hard as the day it was made and chockfull of dents from being smashed on Flynn Rider's head."
Thomas frowned, "Wait… how did you get it?"
"Family heirloom, dear boy."
"What's that mean?" Ginger asked, gaping up at the frying pan.
"I'll explain later. Anyway, so after successfully knocking out Flynn Rider, Rapunzel crept across the floor to examine his unconscious body." Eugene rose out of the chair and pretended to be approaching the imaginary still form of the thief. "With a swift, deft movement, Rapunzel flipped up the bangs of the snoozing rouge and proceeded to admire his devilishly-handsome features.
"She saw that he had a very finely-sculpted face—his nose was, as I said before, positively stupendous—and that his shining white teeth were anything but the pointy fangs Gothel had told her all men had," he grinned widely at his children, letting out a slight laugh when Ginger giggled. "Rapunzel was amazed. Here was a person who did not look like the ugly, cruel brutes Mother Gothel had warned her about. But, she couldn't help but wonder, what could the man have wanted with coming here?
"Then, suddenly, Flynn's eyes snapped open. For about five seconds he lay there with a splitting headache, trying to figure out why he was on the floor. Yet, blackness came over again when Rapunzel hit him over the head with her frying pan out of fright. She had to do something—and so far, she did not know if she could trust this strange intruder. Without further to do, Rapunzel wrapped her hair around the thief and, using it like a rope, she dragged him across the floor and over to her wardrobe. It took several, rather painful tries before she succeeded in locking the comatose bandit into the wardrobe. But once she had, Rapunzel had successfully captured one of the most wanted criminals in the kingdom."
Thomas bemoaned the fate of his hero: "Nooo… Flynn'll escape, won't he?"
Eugene shrugged, "You'd be surprised by what this girl can do. I know I was."
"What do you mean, 'you were'?"
His father shook his head, "Sorry, I meant Flynn was surprised, not me. Anyway, Rapunzel swung her frying pan around in her hand, gazing in the mirror, rather impressed by her recent capture. 'Too weak to handle myself, huh, Mother? Well say that to my frying pa- ow!'" Eugene held his head, "the poor girl whacked herself in the forehead with her own weapon. However, this led her to notice something that was glimmering on the floor of her tower. Rapunzel walked over and discovered the thief's dropped satchel. Inside, just poking out, was the crown belonging to the lost princess."
Ginger jumped up and down, "Ooo! Did she put it on, Daddy? Did she remember who she was?"
He tilted his head to the side, replying, "Not exactly. Prompted by her pet fr—chameleon, Pascal, Rapunzel did try on the shining crown. It fit her head precisely, nestled upon her golden hair like an artist's final detail to his masterpiece. For a second, Rapunzel just stared at her own reflection, noticing a faint familiarity about it. But then she heard Gothel's voice calling up from outside: 'Rrrapunzel! Let down your haaaair!' Hastily shoving the crown back into the satchel and then dumping the bag into a nearby pot, Rapunzel went over to the window. She looped her hair over the hook and threw it down to the waiting Mother Gothel. As Gothel ascended the tower she cried, 'I have a surprise for you!' But what she didn't know, was that Rapunzel had a surprise of her own."
"But Rapunzel's surprise is bigger, right?" Ginger said gleefully, smiling at the small grin that crossed her father's face at her words.
"Yep, hers was much bigger. Okay, so Gothel reached the top of the tower and began to talk to Rapunzel about making hazelnut soup for her birthday. Rapunzel tried to ask her about seeing the floating lights again. She wanted to show Gothel the strange man resting slumped in her wardrobe, and to convince her that she could go outside and protect herself. However, when she tried to bring it up, Gothel grew angrier and screamed 'Enough with the lights Rapunzel! YOU ARE NOT LEAVING THIS TOWER! E-EVER!'"
All three of his children jumped in shock, amazed that their father could shriek so loudly.
Trembling, Ginger asked, "D-did Rapunzel tell her about the thief?"
Eugene shook his head, "She never got a chance. Right when Gothel howled at her, Rapunzel knew that no amount of proof would ever secure her a trip out of the tower. The girl, however, had other ideas milling around in that blonde head of hers. Thinking fast, Rapunzel carefully asked Gothel if she would bring her back some new paint for her birthday. "Gothel, who was currently reclining in a chair and moaning about parenting, replied that the trip to get the paint would take three days. But Rapunzel's last words convinced her. Quietly, Rapunzel mumbled that she 'thought it would be better than the stars.' Gothel sighed and relented—anything to keep her magic flower right where she wanted her. So Gothel departed, off to the seashore to get the shells required to make the paint Rapunzel had talked about."
"But how will she see the lights now that the mean lady is gone?"
Eugene smirked, "That is where Flynn Rider comes in. See, after Gothel left, Rapunzel opened the door of her wardrobe and watched apprehensively as Flynn dropped onto the floor. He was still unconscious, so Rapunzel—being the incredibly strong girl she was—tied up the thief with her hair again and strapped him into a chair."
Eugene went back to the chair he had gotten and seated himself. He gestured at his hands, clenched upon the armrests, "Rapunzel tied his wrists to the arms of the chair, and also shackled his feet onto the chair's legs. She wrapped him tightly into a sitting-up position and dragged the chair slowly into the light of the window. Then, and only then, did Pascal scurry up onto Flynn's shoulder to wake him. First, he tried hitting the man," he made a slapping motion with his hand, "but that didn't work. So, resorting to his only other alternative, Pascal opened his mouth and shot-."
Something wet, cold, and mysteriously slimy plunged itself directly into Eugene's ear. Flinching, Eugene nearly fell out of the chair as his wife's pet chameleon dangled from the side of his head, his tongue lodged deep into his ear.
All three of Eugene's children laughed uproariously as their father shook the chameleon off.
"Did you just have to do that?" The Prince Consort demanded, glaring at Pascal. The chameleon let out a low, satisfied chuckle and leapt off from the chair and into Ginger's lap.
Eugene watched in grim frustration as his youngest daughter picked the chameleon up and cuddled him against her cheek. Pascal switched temporarily to a happy yellow color and gently thrummed out a purr.
"Was that what Pascal did?" Ginger asked, smiling.
Her father nodded, muttering through gritted teeth, "Yes. That's exactly what Pascal did."
Thomas looked at Eugene, "Did Flynn Rider wake up?"
Eugene replied sourly, "He did. After all, it's kind-of hard to ignore some chameleon's tongue in your ear, and Flynn had never experienced that before. Instantly, Flynn's eyes snapped open and Pascal was knocked off his shoulder by his movement. The thief gazed around in confusion, slowly realizing that he was tied to a chair. But what was around him didn't feel like rope—it didn't even look like rope."
The Prince Consort mimicked the thief of his story and stared down at hair that only he could see. "Eventually, Flynn saw that he wasn't strapped in by rope. Raising his head, Flynn followed the golden stream and asked: 'Is this… hair?' Then a quavering voice came from above him, and he glanced up to see a form huddled against one of the rafters. 'Struggling—struggling is pointless' the figure said, fear quite evident in what Flynn immediately recognized as a girl's voice. Our thief frowned, 'What?' Then his captor jumped nimbly down from the rafter and stood back in shadow, muttering, 'I know why you're here and—I'm not afraid of you.'"
Thomas's forehead wrinkled, "She wasn't? But why not? Flynn Rider's the best fighter ever!"
"Well, apparently he had met his match," Eugene replied, sounding amused. "Anyway, ever so slowly, Rapunzel emerged from the darkness. First, all Flynn could see was a delicate, bare foot—but soon the whole girl appeared. And she was-," he looked down, "she was definitely beautiful. She had the long, golden hair—and she had big expressive eyes the color of emeralds. Freckles danced across her tiny nose and cheeks, and Flynn could tell that, if she wanted to, the girl could give a terrific smile. And then he noticed something else—she was glaring at him, even as she demanded: 'Who are you, and how did you find me?'"
"What did Flynn say?" Ginger asked eagerly.
Eugene sighed, "Being the slightly obnoxious guy he was, Flynn responded very archaically—that means old-fashioned—and said, 'I know not who you are or how I came to be here, but may I just say—hi.'"
"He just said 'hi'?"
Her father nodded, "Sure did, Ginger-snap. He also proceeded to introduce himself, but was immediately threatened with this frying pan." Eugene held up the instrument and smirked, "Rapunzel asked him, 'Who else knows of my location, Flynn Rider?' Flynn replied back, 'All right, Blondie-.' 'Rapunzel.' The girl corrected him. 'Gesundheit. Here's the deal: I was in a situation, gallivanting through the forest. I came across your tower and f—ho-oh no! Where is my satchel?'"
"It's in the pot, Flynn!" Thomas shouted enthusiastically.
His younger sister frowned, "Shhh! Don't let him find out!"
"Why not? It's his satchel."
"But it's Rapunzel's crown!"
Eugene watched as this small argument took place, his face breaking out into a smile. Annabelle, who seemed to have been losing interest in her sewing sample, wandered over and set a hand on her father's shoulder. He looked at her.
"Yes, dear?"
"Just keep talking, they'll listen eventually."
"And what are you going to do, Annabelle?"
She shrugged, "Listen too, I suppose. This is one of my favorite parts after all."
Eugene's smile broadened into a rather smug grin. Then he turned towards his youngest children and resumed, "Well, Rapunzel simply folded her arms over her chest and said, confidently, 'I've hidden it. Somewhere you'll never find it.' Flynn glanced around at his surroundings for five seconds. Using his enhanced thieving skills, he spotted the object of his search almost directly. Pointing a finger to his left, Flynn asked, 'It's in that pot, isn't it?' Then there was another loud clang from the frying pan, and before he knew it, Flynn Rider once again had Pascal's tongue stuck firmly in his ear."
"Just like you, Pascal." Ginger said, smiling down at the chameleon now nestled in the folds of her dress.
Her father rolled his eyes, "Yep—just like Pascal. Anyway, upon being reawakened by reptile saliva, Flynn knew at once that he was in trouble. There he was, trapped by a strange girl with ridiculously long hair and a chameleon with an equally ridiculously long tongue. They had taken away his satchel, and for all he knew the palace guards were on the way to arrest him. But then, Rapunzel began to speak again. 'Now,' she said, smirking, 'you'll never find it.'"
Thomas groaned even as Ginger beamed triumphantly up at her father.
Eugene continued speaking, shifting his eyes around the room, "Flynn tried to find the satchel again, but there was no obvious, flower-printed pot this time. Then he noticed that Rapunzel had started walking around his chair, waving her frying pan dangerously close to his perfect nose. She was saying something—asking him about her hair and whether or not he came to cut it, steal it, or sell it… Which of course, Flynn simply replied that he wanted nothing more to do with her hair, than to get out of it!
"Rapunzel stopped, stunned by his response. She asked, 'You—you don't want my hair?' Flynn protested vigorously, 'No! Why on earth would I want your hair?' Of course, Rapunzel couldn't answer that question. But she had an idea. Scooping up her chameleon in her hands, Rapunzel turned away from the thief and had a quick, whispered discussion with the little reptile. Then she turned back to Flynn and announced, 'I'm prepared to offer you a deal.' As she said this, the girl climbed up onto the mantle of her fireplace and drew back a curtain that hung upon the wall. Unfortunately, her hair moved with her and Flynn's chair was tugged forward, landing him face-first onto the tower floor.
"Rapunzel gestured at the painting she had just uncovered, oblivious to the pain our thief was now experiencing. 'I want you to take me to see the floating lights,' Rapunzel commanded imperiously. Flynn, his impressive nose smushed agonizingly against the floor, replied back, 'You mean the lantern thing they do for the princess?'" Eugene shoved his face into his hand, letting out a nasally voice as he said the thief's response.
Ginger squealed with laughter, and Thomas, although he was concerned for his hero, laughed with her. Annabelle grinned as well, but immediately pretended to be looking at her nails when Eugene glanced at her.
"Well, then Rapunzel realized that the floating lights of her dream were, in fact, floating lanterns. She turned back to the thief and said, 'Tomorrow they will light the sky with these lanterns and I want you to take me to see them and then return me safely home. Then, I'll give you back your satchel.' Flynn, using his strong muscles, heaved himself upward onto his side. He shook his head, 'No can do. The kingdom and I aren't exactly "simpatico" at the moment. Looks like you'll have to find some other unlucky fool, Goldie.'
"Rapunzel exchanged a glance with Pascal. Flynn could see the little infuriating reptile punch his fist in his hand venomously. Then, before he knew it, Rapunzel had jumped down from the mantle and was hauling him upright. Rapunzel said, 'Something brought you here, Flynn Rider. Call it fate, destiny-.' 'A horse.' Flynn interrupted, rolling his eyes. Suddenly he was jerked forward as Rapunzel pulled his chair towards her. 'I have made the decision to trust you.' She said. The thief shook his head, 'A horrible decision, really.'
"Rapunzel glared at him, muttering, 'Let me promise you something, Flynn Rider. You can tear this tower apart, brick by brick, but without my help, you're never going to see your precious satchel.' Flynn looked at her dubiously. The girl added, 'And when I promise something, I never break my promise. Ever.' Flynn gazed at the girl, both considering the seriousness of her expression and breathing in the fragrance of her lavender perfume."
Ginger asked, "That's the kind Mommy uses, right?"
"Yeah." Eugene smiled softly, "It was a lot like that."
"Okay, then what happened?" Thomas inquired impatiently.
"Well, Flynn Rider still had one last weapon in his back pocket. It was his most dangerous weapon—one that had gotten him out of more scrapes and problems than anything else he owned. He liked to call it, 'The Smolder.'"
"What's that?"
Eugene shrugged, "It was his finest technique. The ideal topping upon an ice cream of flattery and sweet-nothings. Basically, it's that face I sometimes make at your mom when I'm trying to get her to do something I want." To demonstrate, he puckered his lips and raised an eyebrow.
All that earned him was more giggles from his daughter and a groan from his son.
"What's the matter, Thomas?" Eugene asked.
Thomas shook his head, "That never works on Mom. That probably means it didn't work on Rapunzel either."
His father smiled, "Well, you are completely right. It didn't work on Rapunzel, and Flynn was forced to agree to take her to see the lanterns. After all, he wanted his satchel back, and what could a day's journey to the kingdom do to him?"
"A lot, apparently." Annabelle said, bringing a small stool over to sit before her father.
Eugene nodded at her, "So, are you willing to listen?"
"For now."
He took a deep breath, "Okay then. Now let me tell you what happened when Rapunzel left her tower for the first time."