Author Note: Thank you guys so much for the kind reviews and for taking time out of your day to read this story. I always get excited whenever I see an increase on the review count, and I check several times after posting to see if you enjoyed the next chapter. :) I do have to say, however, that I'm not entirely the only author of this story. My sister deserves a load of the credit—she usually helps me with the kids' lines, as well as being the first reviewer and commenter on the chapters. Of course, she does that with anything fictional I work on and I greatly appreciate it :D okay, about the lantern scene—probably one of the coolest bit of animation I've seen in a long time—I absolutely love how the animators showed how the entire kingdom was backing their king and queen. And of course, the whole boat sequence—every minute of it—was just amazing! :)

Soli Deo Gloria

Disclaimer: Disney owns Tangled, its story, and its characters

"Yay!" Ginger said, moving closer to her father.

Thomas sighed, "What so great about some dumb lanterns? That's not fun."

Eugene frowned, "Haven't you been having a good time, Thomas?"

His son shrugged half-heartedly, "It was good for a little bit and now—now Flynn's kind-of acting like you when you're around Mom."

For a second, Eugene did not know what to say. Then, after receiving a nudge from his oldest daughter, he quickly asked, "And how do I act around your mother?"

"Well—you get all romantic and mushy and stuff. And goofy."

"You do act goofy, Daddy." Ginger agreed.

Eugene sighed, "Well, like me, and like every man who has ever been alive, Flynn has a soft spot for the ladies. And it's just another aspect of his character. He's a thief and he steals everything. But the hardest thing to steal is a woman's heart. Especially, if that woman is like Rapunzel. And besides, there will be plenty of fighting later and you can help me with it, Thomas."

"Really?"

His father grinned at his anticipation, "Yes. I'll even let you be Flynn Rider."

"All right! Did you hear that Annie? I'm going to be Flynn Rider!" He smiled broadly at his sister, his brown eyes flashing with pleasure.

Annabelle sighed, "Yes, I heard. Now, Dad, can we please get back to the story?"

"Yeah, we can get back to the story. So, the sun was setting and Flynn took Rapunzel by the hand, leading her down to the city docks. The waves washed upon the quay, and the ships creaked in their hawsers. A cat snoozed in the doorway of a fisherman's hut, and sea gulls took flight across the slowly darkening sky. Flynn, who had rented a small boat for the evening, helped Rapunzel into the vessel and began to untie the line from the dock. Maximus looked sadly at them, because a horse was too heavy for that boat to hold. Flynn grinned in sympathy and tossed a bag of apples onto the dock, calling 'Hey, Max.' At first, the horse looked down sternly, assuming that the thief had simply stolen them. But Flynn told him, 'Relax, I bought them.' Max smiled and began to eat the apples in enjoyment while the little boat moved away from the dock. As Flynn began to row out into the open water, Rapunzel asked, 'Where are we going?' The thief gently took Pascal off his shoulder and let him climb onto the boat behind him, answering, 'Well, best day of your life, right? I figured you should have a decent seat.'

"With powerful strokes, Flynn rowed the boat out into the river. Right in front of them laid the city, its turrets and rooftops a dark shadow against the night sky. Very few lights were on in the homes of the town-folk due to the nature of the festival, and it was quiet out on the water. Flynn glanced away from the city and saw that Rapunzel appeared uncomfortable. He frowned in concern and asked, 'You okay?' The girl stared down at her own reflection and shook her head, whispering, 'I'm terrified.'

"Naturally, Flynn was confused. They had come all this way and were finally about to see the lanterns—the very thing Rapunzel had been dreaming about forever—but now she was terrified? After a moment, he asked, 'Why?' Rapunzel shrugged and answered, 'I've been looking out of a window for eighteen years, dreaming about what I might feel like when those lights rise in the sky… What if it's not everything I dreamed it would be?' Flynn assured her comfortingly, 'It will be.' The girl sighed and looked at him, asking, 'And what if it is? What do I do then?' Flynn smiled, 'Well, that's the good part, I guess. You get to go find a new dream.' "She smiled back at him, happy that he was there with her and was trying to make the day special for her. She knew that most of the things he had done that day were not among his favorite activities, but he had done it without complaining or making comments. She even would guess that he had enjoyed it, and for some reason that made her feel warm inside. Mother Gothel had done all kinds of things for her all her life—but the way Flynn did things was different, and that made them seem more meaningful. She wondered what he meant by it."

"It means he's getting goofy like Dad." Thomas said, still evidently unhappy with his hero's romantic side.

"Shush!" Annabelle waved impatiently at her brother.

Thomas rolled his eyes as his father continued the story.

"Now, way up in the city above them, the townspeople were getting ready for the final stage of the festival. After celebrating all day with food and dancing, it was time to acknowledge the real reason the holiday was held. This year, the citizens of the kingdom noticed their king and queen seemed sadder somehow. Their faces were grave as they silently released their sun-stamped lantern high into the sky. It had been eighteen years since their daughter was stolen from them—eighteen years of waiting, and they were beginning to lose hope."

"Oh no…" Ginger said sadly.

Eugene looked at his children, a soft smile on his face. He nodded, whispering slowly, "It is very sad, that her parents and her people never got to see Rapunzel grow up. Your mother and I count ourselves blessed that we get to see you guys every day—and know that if any of you ever went missing, we'd tear the world apart to find you again. We love you guys more than anything."

Annabelle rested her head against her father's shoulder, murmuring, "We love you too, Dad."

Thomas smiled and nodded in agreement, and Ginger, playing with her father's fingers, asked quietly, "What did the lanterns look like, Daddy?"

"Marshmallow-shaped pillows of light, to be perfectly honest. But, if you remember, we also send lanterns up every year. It was a lot like that—and usually, they started at the palace. After the king and queen sent their lantern into the air, the common people standing in the palace courtyard would release theirs as well. And then, gradually, all along the city streets and marketplaces, the citizens let their lanterns go. Everybody participated out of love and respect for the royal family. It was a whole mass of many different people united in finding their lost princess.

"Meanwhile, out on the water, Flynn and Rapunzel sat in their boat. The thief watched as Rapunzel delicately selected flowers from his hand and set them onto the shimmering surface of the water. The flowers had fallen out of her hair because of a slight wind, and she didn't want them sitting trapped at the bottom of the boat. So she asked Flynn to hold them for her while she carefully sent them floating freely along the river. Flynn smiled slightly, almost wishing that the lanterns wouldn't appear so he could just sit and watch Rapunzel all night long. She really was a beautiful girl."

Here, Thomas made a very exasperated sigh. Ginger shushed him, turning her eyes back on her father.

"Then, suddenly, Rapunzel saw a faint glimmer of light reflected on the water. She glanced up and saw a lantern—the very same lantern her parents had just sent up—rising from behind the walls of the palace. Rapunzel quickly ran to the prow of the boat, wrapping her arms around it as her abrupt movements nearly made the craft tip over. Flynn hastily tried to maintain balance, all the while watching as Rapunzel anxiously gazed up at the single, floating light.

"But that light wasn't the last to come. No, soon others, many others, began to fly into the night sky. Right above the city, hundreds of lanterns were floating upward. They all shone with a pale glow—which only grew into a bright glow as lantern after lantern joined those already bobbing in the wind. And then more lights rose up from the great ships resting in the harbor. They all mingled together, transforming the dark night into a sea of lanterns that turned and drifted gracefully through the air. It was breathtakingly beautiful. It could even be called magical, in a way. And Rapunzel stood watching, the heart of it all."

Eugene looked upward at an imaginary sky of lanterns, "Close your eyes, kids."

They obeyed, hardly daring to breathe as their father continued to speak.

"Now imagine that you had never seen the lanterns up close before. And imagine that all your life, your only dream in the world was to see the floating lights in person. And that you wanted to see them because you felt connected to them for some incredible reason. Imagine that—as you finally watched these beautiful lights—things fell into place, and you believed that you truly belonged. That's exactly how Rapunzel felt at that moment."

He smiled at his children as they opened their eyes. Eugene said, "Rapunzel had never felt this way before—so enveloped in joyous emotions too complicated to describe. She had finally seen her dream come true, and it was better than she had ever thought it could be. But, she remembered what Flynn had said about finding a new dream. And she remembered everything that they had been through together, and how much he had sacrificed to bring her here, to this very spot, to see those shining lanterns.

"Then, Rapunzel heard a faint noise and turned to look at the thief to see that he was holding two glowing lanterns, smiling. In that instant, Rapunzel made her decision, and went to her seat in the boat, saying, 'I have something for you too.' Flynn watched in surprise as she reached underneath her seat and pulled out his satchel. Holding it in front of her, Rapunzel said, 'I should have given it to you before but—I was just scared. And the thing is,' she shrugged, 'I'm not scared anymore. You know what I mean?' Flynn smiled and pushed the satchel away, replying gently, 'I'm starting to.' She beamed at him as he gave her one of the lanterns. With a single motion, they both released their lanterns into the air at the same time.

"Flynn watched as the two lanterns spiraled around each other, soaring upward through the hundreds of floating lights. He saw that they didn't drift apart, but remained close together amidst all the others. And he realized that it was the same for Rapunzel and himself. He didn't want to leave Rapunzel, ever. She had helped him find himself again by softly peeling back the layers of his old daydream. He was no longer Flynn Rider, with a dream for money and his own private island. He was Eugene Fitzherbert, and his dream was Rapunzel herself—the girl who had changed him into a better man.

"So Flynn took hold of Rapunzel's hands, determined to let her know how he felt. Her fingers were soft in his, and the look she gave him was full of understanding. And at once he knew that she felt the exact same way—and it was wonderful and exhilarating and amazing. Slowly, Flynn brushed back some of Rapunzel's hair from her eyes, cupping her face tenderly in his hand. Then he leaned forward, his eyes closing as-."

"Dad, is this a kissing-story?" Thomas blurted, his voice accusatory.

Annabelle glared at him furiously, "Right in the middle, are you serious? Ugh, how annoying can you be?"

"What does 'annoying' mean?" Thomas asked no one in particular, his own annoyance apparent.

Eugene bit his lip to keep himself from bursting out laughing. His shoulders were shaking so hard from trying to contain it, and he thought he had never found something so funny in his entire life. Only his son—his Thomas—would ask a question like that and interrupt one of the most romantic moments of the story. Then Ginger's plea rose above his other children arguing.

"Daddy… story."

Wiping the tears from his eyes, Eugene nodded, "That's right. Sorry, Ginger-snap. All right, let me tell you what happened next."

"Can't we skip it?" Thomas asked, making a face.

His father shook his head, "Nope. But I'll tell you this—Flynn never got to kiss Rapunzel that night."

Ginger frowned in disappointment, "He didn't?"

"No. Because something far more serious interrupted him." He glanced at his son, smirking, "Something far more serious than Thomas, anyway."