Author Note: The first time I saw the clip 'Reluctant Alliance' I just fell in love with Maximus and how Rapunzel manages to wrap him around her little finger in a matter of seconds it's hysterical! Also, throughout the kingdom dance scene (which is also completely amazing and is probably one of my most favorite montages of all time) I tried to do the sequences in terms of how they were presented throughout the day—how the sun appeared at that moment.
P.S. See if you can find the pineapple!
Soli Deo Gloria
Disclaimer: Disney owns Tangled, its characters, and its story.
Ginger looked at him, "So then what happened?"
Her father smiled, "What do you think happened, Ginger-snap?"
"They went to sleep?"
"Yep. The night passed quietly, and then the following morning came to the world. Sunshine spread out over the forest, with light lancing down through the trees and warming the land underneath the bright blue sky. Flynn was sleeping quite peacefully when, suddenly, a trickle of water hit him in the face. Our beloved thief opened his eyes and saw with unconcern, that the palace horse Maximus was standing over him. Maximus had just come from the river, where he had been swept along all night after the dam flooding. Water dribbled off the end of his snout, and he glared in outrage at the sleepy face of the thief that had so far eluded justice.
"Flynn smiled and closed his eyes, muttering a drowsy 'good morning' to the horse. Maximus neighed angrily and grabbed Flynn's foot with his strong mouth. He then proceeded to drag the protesting man across the forest floor. Flynn shouted in surprise, grasping at grass and tree roots as he tried to escape the indomitable steed. Maximus only snorted in answer around a mouthful of boot, preparing himself to tow the criminal all the way to the kingdom's prison. Then Flynn, still scrabbling at the dirt, yelled loudly enough that Rapunzel and Pascal immediately woke up. Rapunzel ran over to where the thief was still struggling with the horse and seized him by the arms. She leaned backwards, her eyes narrowing as she commanded through gritted teeth, 'Let go! Give me him!' Suddenly, Flynn's boot slipped off his foot and he and Rapunzel went flying backwards.
"Rapunzel quickly got to her feet and ran in front of the returning Maximus, trying to calm the crazy horse down as Flynn sank back against a nearby tree. Maximus, Flynn's boot still hanging from his mouth, suddenly found himself gazing into the green eyes of the girl with ridiculously long hair. His own eyes widened, and his ears perked up as Rapunzel remonstrated with him in a soft voice. 'Now sit.' Rapunzel ordered. Maximus sat down, still puzzled by the girl blocking him from the thief. Rapunzel pointed down at the ground and demanded, 'Drop his boot. Drop it.' Maximus spat out Flynn's boot onto the ground, complete with horse slobber."
"Ew!" Ginger cried, in a way that seemed slightly more gleeful rather than disgusted.
Eugene smirked, "Imagine what it must of felt like to stick your foot back into it. Anyway, Rapunzel started patting Maximus on the nose, confusing the horse even more when she asked him kindly, 'Are you tired of chasing the bad man all over the place?' Maximus nodded, his long face sad. Flynn frowned, asking indignantly, 'Excuse me?' But Rapunzel ignored his comment, keeping her focus on the horse.
"'Nobody appreciates you, do they?' Rapunzel asked as she threw her arms around Maximus's great neck. Flynn, who at this point was feeling the slightest pangs of jealousy, watched in amazement as Rapunzel started hugging the horse that had almost killed them yesterday. What on earth was she thinking? In disbelief, he said, 'But he's a bad horse!' Rapunzel rolled her eyes and retorted, 'No he's not. He's nothing but a big sweetheart, isn't that right,' she looked at the name on his riding gear, reading aloud, 'Maximus?' Rapunzel continued to scratch Maximus on the chin, earning delighted whinnies in return. Flynn crossed his arms, muttering, 'I don't believe this.'
"The horse narrowed his eyes and grunted suspiciously at the thief. Rapunzel sighed and walked over to grab Flynn's arm, pulling him upright. 'Look,' she said delicately, addressing Maximus, 'today is kind-of the biggest day of my life and I need you not to get him arrested. Just for twenty-four hours only, and then you can chase each other to your hearts' content.' Flynn groaned and held out his hand for a handshake, knowing that he would never do this for anyone else but Rapunzel. Maximus looked away from the thief, snorting. Rapunzel leaned over and told Maximus it was her birthday, reminding him that on birthdays, people do special things for other people they like. With a reluctant sigh, Maximus agreed and held out his hoof, shaking Flynn's hand. Suddenly, a bell began to toll somewhere beyond them, making Rapunzel gaze up in surprise.
"She could see the top of the royal palace peeking out over the trees, and was amazed to see something so tall. Before Flynn or Maximus knew what had happened, Rapunzel was sprinting through the trees towards the road that led to the city. Flynn eyed Maximus carefully, unsure if he wanted to turn his back to him or not. After all, the horse might break the deal and simply renew his attempts of capturing him. Then Rapunzel's voice echoed from up ahead: 'Eugene! Come here! This is sooo amazing!' Maximus snorted in horse laughter, and Flynn shot him a look, snapping, 'No jokes about the name, okay fleabag?' Maximus's pupils contracted in a stern warning. Flynn smiled warily and went off to find Rapunzel."
Thomas frowned, "Why doesn't Maximus like him? He likes Rapunzel, doesn't he? And Flynn's better, right?"
His father sighed, 'Well, I won't say that, but Max needed some time to realize that Flynn really wasn't too bad. I mean, he is still considered a criminal, and Maximus is still the kingdom's most law-promoting horse. But they patch up their differences rather quickly thanks to a certain young lady and her pet frog."
Annabelle fake-coughed into her hand, "Chameleon."
"Sorry—chameleon. We mustn't forget Pascal. Speaking of that little green critter, where is he?" Eugene checked both his shoulders, making sure the reptile hadn't decided to demonstrate his tongue abilities again.
Ginger nodded at her lap, "He's with me, Daddy. He's sleeping."
"I think he ate too much." Thomas said, eyeing the snoozing chameleon, who—it has to be said—did have a rather round belly.
"Yeah he ate too much—the little guy scarfed most of my sandwich." Eugene muttered, listening to the tiny happy chameleon snores drifting up from beside him.
"Dad, when are you going to get back to the story?" Annabelle asked.
"Is everybody in this family impatient?"
"This is just one of the best parts. Come on, Dad."
Eugene looked at his oldest child and smiled slightly, "Well, I suppose it is one of my favorite parts too. All right, so the foursome—Flynn, Rapunzel, Pascal, and Max—started to cross the enormous bridge that spanned the large river separating the city from the forest. To the east lay the sea, and to the west, the waterway wound endlessly into the distance. The city was situated on its own little island, rising up out of the water like a great mound. Built around a heavily wooded mountain, there were the elegant houses of noblemen, the simple homes of the common people, and, overlooking them all, the majestic palace of the king and queen. Each building seemed to shine in the late morning sunlight, and their beauty was reflected in the wide expanse of water surrounding the island.
"Rapunzel was astonished to see such a wonderful sight. How could anything be this magnificent, she wondered. Flynn, on the other hand, approached the city gates a little more nervously. He could still see some of those horribly drawn wanted posters plastered on the bridge, and he hoped that no one would recognize him. Then again, his likeness was so marred by the kingdom's artists that it would be an insult if anyone did. Yet, Flynn had to admit as he watched Rapunzel's face light up in awe and excitement, the risk was worth it."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Thomas asked, wary of how his father was describing the changes in his hero.
"It means, Thomas, that adventures have a way of bringing people together… and Flynn and Rapunzel are not an exception. Anyway, Rapunzel walked through the gates and into the main thoroughfare of the city. Lining the street were shops of all kinds, and above the road ran lines and lines of flags depicting the kingdom's crest—a yellow sun."
"Like ours?" Ginger asked, pointing at Corona's symbol embellished on the wooden floor in front of them.
"The spitting image," Eugene grinned, moving his feet off of one of the sun's outstretched rays. "Aside from the many decorations—for the city was getting ready for the lantern festival—there were also people of all shapes and sizes running errands to prepare for the holiday. Mothers toted their gabbling children with them as they shopped. Fathers worked in their stores alongside their sons and apprentices. Girls bought flowers at a nearby flower stall and boys howled with laughter as they raced through the alleyways. Farmers and fishermen brought in their livestock and their catch from the outlying fields and ocean.
"Rapunzel was enthralled by the existence of so many things happening all at once. However, her hair, which had been trailing behind her, was being stepped on and pulled by the unaware town-folk. Flynn spotted the problem almost immediately and helped Rapunzel gather up her golden hair to avoid the painful snagging. The thief knew cities and how crowded they were, so he knew that this problem had to be dealt with before they could go any further. Glancing around, he saw four little red-haired girls sitting at a fountain braiding each other's hair. He gave a piercing whistle and displayed the mass of hair in his arms, offering its potential to them, and they agreed immediately.
"Going to an empty courtyard some distance from the main street, Rapunzel allowed the little girls to spread her hair out far behind her. They skipped and danced over the golden locks, braiding them into an intricate plait that reached to Rapunzel's ankles. As a thoughtful addition, the girls had decided to add beautiful flowers in between the pretty tresses. Which, of course, that only made Rapunzel," Eugene looked at his son, "more adorable."
Thomas shook his head, muttering, "As long as Flynn doesn't think that."
"Sorry, son, but—he did. As Rapunzel twirled around, thanking the little girls for their help, Flynn admired the way the sun caught in her hair. She looked almost like a princess."
"She is a princess." Ginger pointed out.
"You're right. But Flynn did not know that. However, Maximus did notice the small smile of approval that came from Flynn's viewing Rapunzel, and the horse leaned over with a knowing grin on his face. The thief hastily pushed him away, trying to ignore the horse's laughter. Just then, Rapunzel walked up to him and held out her hand, saying quickly, 'Come on, Eugene! There's so much to see and we don't have a lot of time!' Flynn took her hand, opening his mouth to reply that they had hours before the lanterns, but before he could speak Rapunzel was pulling him through the streets of the city.
"She stopped at every booth, eagerly looking at all the merchandise with a gleaming smile on her face. She fingered the fine cloths at a weaver's stall, and smelled the warm scent of bread from the local bakery. She examined the masterfully-crafted furniture of a woodworker's workshop, running a hand down the smooth back of a chair. Flynn led her to a vegetable stand and he watched her smell the fresh crispness of each cabbage and the earthiness of the potatoes. Rapunzel also discovered a blacksmith's forge and stood in the doorway, listening to the ringing sound his hammer made as it struck hot steel and sent sparks into the air. Flynn, who had turned away for just a second, found her talking enthusiastically to the blacksmith about the thugs at the Snuggly Duckling and telling him he looked exactly like Hook-hand—minus the hook.
"Steering her away from the confused man, Flynn took Rapunzel to the plaza for lunch. At Rapunzel's insistence, Flynn agreed to actually buy food rather than steal it. So, not believing what he was doing, the thief waited patiently in line outside of a meal stall. Rapunzel stood behind him, looking around at the talking crowds of people. She noticed a beautiful mosaic on the marketplace wall, and heard a small girl tell her mother that she had a flower for the lost princess. Rapunzel studied the mosaic, which depicted the royal family, and saw the kind faces of the king and queen, and the golden-haired baby princess in her mother's arms. It was a nice picture, and somehow it made her feel… odd. As though she was suppose to remember something from long ago."
Ginger beamed up at her father, asking, "Does she remember she's the lost princess?"
Eugene shook his head, "Unfortunately, no. For just then, a lute player, fife whistler, and fiddler walked by, playing an incredible tune. Rapunzel felt her heart quickening at the music, and her toes began to tap. Without a second's hesitation she leapt into the center of the marketplace, whirling around to the exciting, stirring tempo of the music. Flynn, meanwhile, had finally reached the counter of the booth. Before he could give his order, though, the seller thrust a pineapple into his face and asked, 'Are you a fan of delicious flavor?' Edging away from the spiky fruit, Flynn muttered, 'No thank you. Just—can I have some bread and cheese?' Sighing the seller did as he asked and Flynn paid quickly, turning around to find that Rapunzel had left him. Instead, the girl was dancing contentedly in the middle of the square, her skirt swishing gracefully with her movements."
"Was she a good dancer, Daddy?"
Eugene grinned, "She was a great dancer, and, in fact, soon she wasn't dancing alone. Rapunzel took the hands of a boy and led him out into the plaza. Then she grabbed the arm of a young man, and then another young man and his friends joined her. And soon, the whole marketplace was dancing and clapping to the music. It was just like when all the thugs and ruffians at the Snuggly Duckling had started singing. Rapunzel's joy and exhilaration was extraordinarily contagious. Even Flynn Rider, smiling as he watched the dancers, had to admit he felt something stirring deep down inside him."
"But he didn't dance, did he?" Thomas asked, his voice pleading. "Please tell me he didn't dance?"
"He didn't really want to—even when Rapunzel waved to him. Maximus, however, had a different idea in mind, and shoved him into the circle of dancers. Flynn only had time to shoot a glare in the snickering horse's direction before someone seized his hand and pulled him away. But, eventually, Flynn found Rapunzel and took her out of the circle to eat a quick lunch. While munching on her cheese sandwich, Rapunzel commented on the sun flags draped around the city. Flynn bought a flag from the boy who was selling them and gave it to Rapunzel, watching as she lifted the purple, sun-stamped cloth into the air to admire it against the surrounding decorations.
"Flynn, happy that Rapunzel liked her gift, decided to show her the bookstore next. They walked by the musicians and entered a low building where shelf after shelf of books stood, waiting to be read. Rapunzel—only used to three books at a time for her entire life—practically laughed at the sight of so many volumes. She began to race along the shelves, pulling out books at random. Flynn shrugged apologetically at the disapproving shop owner and went to join Rapunzel on the floor. Sunlight filtering in through the window, they sat together for an hour or so, Rapunzel reading aloud from the books she had gathered. Then, the musicians outside struck up another speedy song and they left to return to the dance.
"After entering the twirling throng again, both Flynn and Rapunzel became separated by the crowd of people. About a minute passed before Flynn found himself looking for her amid the other dancers. He couldn't help but think that a day or so ago, he would never be caught dancing with strangers during a festival. He had hardly ever purchased anything in his entire life, and he had never found vegetables or furniture very interesting. He couldn't even remember the last time he had read a book on geography and had actually enjoyed it. But after meeting Rapunzel, everything seemed different. She was constantly changing the way he had thought about the world. Everything had meaning now—everything was fantastic. She revealed a new side of life to him and completely overthrew his original opinions. Yet somehow, he didn't mind so much anymore. And then he realized he was dancing closer to Rapunzel and he held out his hand to take hers. However, one of the townspeople grabbed him and another grabbed Rapunzel, whisking them away from each other so that they couldn't dance."
"Aw." Ginger said, clearly disappointed.
Her father grinned, "I know how you feel, Ginger-snap. Eventually, the musicians stopped for a short break and the dancing ceased. Flynn looked around for Rapunzel and felt someone slide a small arm into his. He glanced down, pleased to find that it was Rapunzel. She was beaming at him, and her grin must have been infections because soon one appeared on his face as well. 'Eugene, this is amazing! I've never had so much fun before in my life!' She said, following him as he drifted closer and closer to a nearby shop. Flynn nodded, replying, 'Great. Now, a little green frog told me you like artsy things. Did you know there's a shop here that sells chalk?' The girl frowned, 'What's chalk?' He shrugged, 'It's like paint—'cept you use it on the pavement to make pictures.'"
Ginger gave a soft moan, "She didn't know what chalk was?"
"Nope, but she soon found out. See, Flynn bought a big box of chalk of all colors, and soon every kid—and Rapunzel—was lying upon the plaza tile, drawing to their heart's content. Rapunzel was a very good artist, and the thief watched in fascination as she ran purple and yellow and pink together to form a large, ornate sun. Around the sun's rays she put dancers and townspeople going about their day-to-day lives. Flynn smiled and looked at the kingdom flag in his hand, seeing the resemblance immediately and amazed at how talented the girl was. It was getting closer to sunset when Rapunzel finished and stood up, chalk streaks all over her arms.
"And then Flynn, remembering that it was Rapunzel's birthday, decided to get her cupcakes to celebrate. The thief paid for the cupcakes and joined Rapunzel in a nearby alcove, making sure the passing guards-."
"Guards?" Thomas looked up hopefully. "Did Flynn beat them up with the frying pan?"
Eugene shook his head, "No—that would probably have landed him in jail. But they were dodging guards all day. Anyway-."
"What flavor of cupcakes?" Ginger asked, her voice curious.
Her father frowned, "What—what does it matter?"
Annabelle sighed, "Dad, come on."
He shook his head dismissively, "I don't remember what kind of cupcakes they were."
"Make it up then." Ginger suggested, smiling.
Eugene shrugged, "Okay—they were… vanilla."
"That's boring!" Thomas protested.
"Thomas, what did I say about that word?"
"Only for Tutor Reynolds…" His son muttered.
"Well, Dad, that is a pretty boring flavor." Annabelle said fairly.
"Fine, what's your mother's favorite flavor?"
"You don't know Mom's favorite flavor?"
"Honey, do I look like the type of guy who memorizes cupcake preferences?"
She frowned at him, once again reminding him just how much she had inherited both her mother's and her grandmother's glaring skills. Eugene sighed.
"All right—they were strawberry flavored."
Annabelle smiled, remarking, "Dad, you remembered."
"Don't sound so surprised, Annie."
"I like strawberry cupcakes too!" Ginger said, smiling at her father.
"Yes dear, I know. It's another trait you've gotten from your mother. All right—have all cupcake questions been answered to satisfaction?"
His children nodded contentedly.
Eugene smiled, "Okay. So, after eating strawberry birthday cupcakes, Flynn and Rapunzel entered the final stage of the dance that had been going on all day. The orange sunset lit the sky above the dancers, making the plaza glow beneath the purple banners. The last strain of music swelled to an uproar, with people cheering and clapping the dancers on as they whirled around. Flynn, somehow paired with an overzealous-twirler, looked around and spotted Rapunzel moving towards him.
"Her eyes were closed and she seemed to be caught up in the thrill of the music. He grinned and then spun once more, releasing his partner's hands and meeting Rapunzel abruptly in the middle of the dancers. The music triumphantly ended just as Flynn caught her hands in his own. For a moment, he just stared down at the girl in his arms, happier than he had ever been in his life. Then he realized that the dance was over and he should probably let go now. As he backed away slightly, a loud call rose into the air, 'To the boats!'"
Eugene leaned down and grinned at his children, "It was time to see the lanterns."