A Second Chance

Rapunzel sighed as she glanced outside the library window. She usually enjoyed being in the library, but even the masses of books surrounding her couldn't appease her. She wanted her son to come home. It wasn't the same around here without him pulling his escape stunts with Teddy, or pranking Rosemarie, or even just playing chess with his grandmother. She just wanted him around even if it meant he'd cause trouble.

"Flynn, where are you?"

"Blondie?" Eugene entered the library looking for his wife. When he found her in her usual spot, he sighed. "Rapunzel, you've been sulking since last night. Come join your family for breakfast. The kids want you with us. I want you with us." To try and convince her, Eugene used his legendary smolder.

Rapunzel sighed. She usually didn't fall for the smolder, but she didn't have the energy this morning. She smiled at her husband, and she felt very obliged that he was trying to cheer her up. "Alright." She took her husband's hand as she got out of the chair.

Just as they were about to exit the library, Rapunzel noticed something glowing outside the large windows of the library. "Eugene, look."

The king looked out the window and saw this. "What is that?"

"I don't know." Rapunzel ran over to get a closer look. It was a lantern. It was barely floating above the balcony of the library. She ran outside before it could fall any further and caught it. "Eugene, come look at this."

Eugene shortly joined her outside to see her catch. "Is that… one of ours?"

"No, it can't be." Rapunzel found something lying on top of the lantern. "It has a lupine on top."

King Thomas sat at his desk writing to their neighboring kingdom of Corona while his wife Queen Veronica sat in front of her dresser and mirror brushing her hair. They had a few minutes to spare before breakfast, so Thomas decided he had time to write a response to the distress letter they received from them last night.

When Veronica was done brushing her ebony locks, she set down the brush and looked outside. There was something glinting on their balcony. She went outside and found a lantern. On top of it was a blue lupine.

"Darling?" King Thomas called out to her. "What is it?"

"It's a lantern from Corona," she replied, "with a lupine on top of it."

The king went out to see what his wife was talking about. Indeed, there was a lupine on top of the lantern she found on their balcony. He had a feeling it was a sign, but he didn't know what it was trying to tell them.

"Your Majesties!" Someone suddenly cried out from the other side of their bedroom door.

"Enter," the king commanded.

A Luna guard came in. He saluted to his king. "Your Majesties, we have captured the renowned Flynn Rider."

"Flynn Rider? The thief?" King Thomas and Queen Veronica exchanged inquisitive glances. Flynn Rider hadn't been heard from in years. He was a childhood character, an old legend from when they were younger. The real thief was said to have been captured in Corona and was hung for his crimes. How did he end up here in Luna—alive?

"Yes, sir. The thief, Flynn Rider. But he claims that he's actually the crowned prince of Corona."

Veronica stifled a gasp. Thomas put a hand on her shoulder to calm her. "Where is he now?"

"In the dungeons, sir."

"Bring him to my court immediately."

"Yes, sir." The guard saluted before leaving the royal couple.

"I guess this means we're missing breakfast," Veronica finally said with a sigh.

"I guess so," Thomas replied. "Let's get this over with."

Taking her hand, the king and queen of Luna began to make their way to the Royal Court.

~oxo~

Flynn was pacing. Damn those thieves. They ruined everything. They probably already had her and were on their way to Orae or some far off country, farther than any place he had traveled these past two days. And it was all his fault.

But something else happened before he rowed them to shore, before he gave the brothers the bag, before the best day of his life was ruined. They couldn't have known about Selena's powers. Sure, having white hair might've been suspicious, but how could they have known she had the miraculous ability to cure the most heinous diseases or even make the oldest person in the world look like they were sixteen-years-old? Lucky guess? No, they didn't seem smart enough to guess something like that. Someone must've told them. But who?

As he paced in thought, the squeaking of the rusty dungeon door broke his concentration, and Flynn was confronted by the captain of the guards and two of his men. "You're coming with us, Rider," the captain said. "Or should I say, Prince Rider." The other two guards snickered.

"Where am I going?" He didn't answer. Flynn's hand immediately went to his throat. "Oh."

"No, not there! The king has summoned a trial for you to see if you really are the prince of Corona or if you're an imposter. But if you're guilty…" The captain put his finger up to his throat and slid it across.

"… Oh." Flynn gulped. "Let's get this over with."

The two other guards grabbed his arms while the captain fettered them with chains. Then he led the way while the other two pulled Flynn along. As they walked, Flynn looked at the other miserable souls who would probably never get a second chance. Then he spotted two familiar faces. When he recognized them as the Thieving Brothers, he snapped.

Flynn shoved the left guard into one of the bars and head-butted the other in the stomach. Then he jumped so his chained hands were in front of him and pulled Marty as close to his face as possible.

"How did you know about her?" he questioned. "Tell me, now!"

"I-It was the old lady!" Marty sputtered.

"Old lady?"

"Yeah, she told us about that girl's magical powers. She even offered us a deal and everything just to get back at you, but when we were about to nab the girl, she clocked us."

"Where is she now?"

Before Marty could answer, Flynn was suddenly dragged back by the guards he pushed over. "No, no, no! Just—wait a second!"

"We don't have time to wait on you, Rider," the captain said. "We don't need you conversing with your buddies and planning an escape."

"Wait! You don't understand! She's in trouble! Wait—!"

To silence his protests, one of the guards struck him in the back of the head. He wasn't knocked out, but his actions were slowed so the guards could drag him without any problems.

When Flynn's vertigo cleared, he noticed that they were no longer in the dungeons. They were inside the courts. This castle was almost too similar to Corona's. Before him was a throne where the king was sitting. Next to him stood his wife, the queen. Behind them was a portrait. It was a painting of the royal family. The king and queen looked younger in the portrait. In the queen's arms was a swaddled baby girl with gorgeous white hair. The lost princess. He had never seen the lost princess before, but he knew if he ever met the girl, she'd be radiant.

…

Son-of-a…!

He did know that girl. Why didn't he see it before? What was the chance he'd meet another girl with flawless white locks? The lost princess of Luna was obviously—

"Presenting the infamous thief, Flynnigan Rider. He is charged for the vast amount of theft attempts he has made in Corona and Luna—" Flynn had no idea his dad had looted in Luna. In fact, his dad never really told anyone the extent of his larceny. Yeah, pretending to be his dad's old persona was a fantastic idea. "—and now he is being accused of identity fraud."

"I'm not lying!" he cried out. "I really am the crowned prince of Corona!"

"If you really are the prince of Corona," the king said, "then why have you come to my kingdom, and why did you have my daughter's crown?"

"I was tied to the mast of the boat! The crown was tied to my hand! They can tell you!" He gestured his head towards the guards standing around the court. They didn't respond.

"It's true, sir," the captain said. "My men did find him tied up in the boat, and he was by himself. But he was conversing with the Thieving Brothers not too long ago when we were escorting him to the court."

"You think I planned to have myself tied to a boat and hauled off to prison? That's ridiculous!"

"Then why are you in my kingdom, and why you were talking to those crooks?" the king asked.

Flynn sighed. "I was here… because I made a promise to someone. I wanted to make yesterday the best day of their life, but I failed her." Queen Veronica looked at the glint in his eyes. She recognized that look. He wasn't just talking about just anyone. He was talking about someone he loved. "I know I may look guilty because I left my home, and I made my family worry, but I felt so… trapped. I was forced to meet suitors, I had where itchy cravats all the time, not to mention I couldn't even go beyond the castle walls anymore. I had to leave just to have a taste of freedom before my 18th birthday." Now the queen was sympathetic. That must've been how his daughter felt at this moment, wherever she was. Hopefully, her husband would be understanding and have mercy on the boy.

Unfortunately, her husband wasn't that understanding. "Son, unless you have a witness of some kind, you are an accomplice to theft and you were alone last night with two older criminals, not with a young woman." The only witnesses Flynn could think of were Maximus and Jerrod, but he had no idea where they were. Flynn bowed his head back down. The king sighed. "Very well. Guards, take this young man and—"

"Wait!"

Flynn and the rest of the court turned to see a young man on a white stallion followed by a group of hoodlums. Flynn was never so happy to see his best friend and the crazy horse. "Jerrod! Max!" Then he saw the familiar faces behind them. "Hook Hand! Peg Leg! Big Nose! The rest of ya!"

"Flynn!" Jerrod jumped off of Maximus's saddle in front of his best friend. "Need a witness?"

Flynn laughed. "Thanks for coming, you guys. How'd you know I was in trouble?"

"Max and I saw you getting carried off by the Luna guards at the docks. I wanted find you before you could reach the palace, but Max convinced me we needed more help in order to save you."

"We found Max and the kid later last night," Peg Leg answered ruffling Jerrod's hair, "and he told us that you and the little lady were in trouble."

"We came here as fast as we could," Hook Hand added. "I'm not going to let my nephew die before he's able to fulfill his dream." Flynn was near to tears. Who knew he had so many reliable people who cared about him in his life?

"What are these hoodlums doing in my court?" the king exclaimed. His once pale face was almost red. "What is the meaning of this?"

Jerrod cleared his throat before explaining, "Your Majesty, we are here to speak for our young friend, Flynn, or better known as, Flynnigan Frederick Fitzherbert, the crowned prince of Corona."

A few of the guards were snickering. Flynn blushed with embarrassment. "Are you getting to the point anytime soon, Jerry?" he asked in a hushed tone.

"Just wait." Jerrod cleared his throat again before continuing, "In the course of two days, Prince Flynn has been traveling with a young girl to help her fulfill her dream to see the lanterns and the lupines flow together in the night. These gentlemen can vouch." The bar guys in the background nodded and muttered comments that supported this claim. "Flynn and the girl came through their bar for something to eat before venturing on into the kingdom. And I'm sure your captain can tell you he saw us passing through as well while he was chasing this innocent young man here, and he saw the girl when we were in the cavern near the dam that was broken."

The captain gulped when his king looked at him. A drop of sweat went down his brow when the bar guys and Maximus looked at him as well. Flynn couldn't tell who he was more afraid of. It was almost funny.

"I'm sorry, but the voice of these…" The king narrowed his eyes at the hoodlums. "… bar ruffians does not help 'Prince Flynn's' case. But I did hear about my dam breaking for some anonymous reason, but no one told me how. It's no wonder we can't get any water in this place," he muttered to the queen. She shrugged indifferently; she was very enthralled with this story and couldn't wait to hear the rest. "And by the way, who are you, and what is that horse doing in my court?"

"May I, Jerrod, son of a baker, introduce the prominent Maximus, Captain of the Corona guards."

The guards in the court all gasped, including the captain. They saluted to the horse, who held an arrogant smirk on his face.

"Maximus and I have been on the lookout for him ever since he left Corona. All we wanted to do was take him back, but when we found out about the promise he made to that young girl. All she wanted to do was see the festival, and who were we to deprive her of that dream?" In the background, a few of the hoodlums began crying and hugging each other. Flynn couldn't help rolling his eyes. Could they at least try to show some backbone? "As witness representing another witness and this young man, we say that Flynn is innocent." The king glanced at this wife. Now they knew why the captain of the Corona guards had run away. But the king was still uncertain about the young man being the prince.

"Then where were you when he was getting arrested?" the captain asked.

"We were waiting on the docks while our friend Prince Flynn here escorted the lady on a boat so she could see the lanterns and the lupines first hand, and we couldn't ruin their 'special moment'. And we all wouldn't have been able to fit in the boat, anyway."

"And may I ask where is the girl he was escorting around my kingdom on the day of my daughter's birthday?"

Jerrod's mouth was open, but no words came out. He had no idea how to answer that one. "… I believe I have no idea. We lost track of them because of the lanterns were… everywhere."

Flynn bowed his head. Jerrod was on a roll. He was his only chance of freedom, and he didn't know how else he could convince them he was the prince now. He didn't want to be stuck in the dungeon or hung or punished in anyway when Selena was still out there somewhere with that old lady the Thieving Brothers were talking about.

Selena… that's it!

"Very well," the king said. "Young man, you have been able to prove his innocence thus far, but without the girl—"

With his head up high, Flynn declared, "Your Majesty, if this helps my case, I know who the lost princess is."

The court was silent. The stoic guards held shocked expressions. The hoodlums in the back ground held their breath. Even Max and the captain were speechless.

"Flynn, what are you doing?" Jerrod whispered. "Lying to the king isn't going to help you."

"I'm not lying. I just realized something. It's been right in front of our faces this whole time, literally."

The queen hands stifled her gasp. She couldn't believe her ears. This young man knew where their daughter was. No one was able to find her thus far, but hearing this news brought a spark of hope into her heart. But her husband didn't share the same view. The king looked absolutely livid.

"You dare stand in front of me and mock me by mentioning my daughter's absence in my court?"

"I'm not mocking you, sir. Yesterday, the kingdom was celebrating the birth of your daughter, the lost princess. When I first arrived here, I spent the entire day wandering the village with the most amazing girl I've ever met. It also was her birthday as well as mine, and as you know, the crowned prince of Corona shares the same birthday with your princess. This also girl had white hair, just like the princess. She's the girl you're looking for, your lost princess, and I doubt you'll find a girl like her in another kingdom. And I'm sure my witnesses can tell you the same thing." The prince glanced over at Jerrod and Maximus, who nodded their heads vigorously.

"That is it!" The king stomped his foot and pointed at Flynn. "Guards take him this boy to the dungeons and—"

"No, wait!" The queen stopped the king before he could make his final edict. She looked at him, pleading with her eyes for him to let her judge this man herself. When the king sat back in his throne and nodded, she went forward.

Everyone stood still as Queen Veronica made her way towards the boy in question. Seeing that he was a bit taller than her, she took his cheek and had him look her in the eye. She could see it; this boy held an awful resemblance to King Eugene of Corona.

If it wasn't for his blonde hair and hairless chin, they'd be twins. He was the crowned prince. He must've been telling the truth about their daughter. And after hearing the baker's son's story and seeing these bar guys and the palace horse here, she found the whole thing very plausible. Anything was possible when love was involved.

"Captain, release him." The captain was hesitant to comply, but he did was he was told. Once the chains were off his wrists, Flynn rubbed them and looked at the queen gratefully. "Is what you say true? Did you really… meet her?" Flynn nodded.

"Your Highness, I would never lie about something like this. I want to do nothing more than find her and bring her back to where she belongs. Ever since I ran away, I've been wondering how my parents felt knowing I was gone, and the guilt ate me up inside. I know I have to return to them, but I have to follow my heart first."

The queen looked at him quizzically. "You love her, don't you?"

Flynn looked away shyly before nodding. "Yes, I do, very much."

"… I believe you. But it's my husband you need to convince."

"It doesn't matter. I just want to rescue Selena. If he still thinks I'm guilty… then I'll run if I have to."

The queen looked away pensively. Her eyes suddenly lit up. "I have an idea." Quickly, the queen ran back over to her husband and whispered something in his ear. When she was done, the king stood from his throne.

"Since my wife has a way with words," he said, "I'll give you a chance. If you can't return the princess by sundown, then my men will go come after you and you'll be hung for all the crimes you have committed."

Flynn nodded more surely this time. "I will. I won't let you down, Your Highness."

The queen smiled at him hopefully while the king sat back in his throne, an exasperated sigh escaping from his lips. Flynn and his friends quickly left the court before the king could do anything else. Once they were outside, the hoodlums walloped on him with hugs, noogies, and praises.

"Alright! Alright! I get it! Thanks!" Flynn got out of Attila's headlock. "Seriously, thank you all." Then he turned to the baker's son and the white stallion. "Especially you guys. I would've never gotten out of there if it wasn't for you two."

Jerrod patted his back fraternally. "Hey, you wouldn't have survived most things if it wasn't for me." Flynn chuckled at the fact since it was so true. He couldn't count how many times Jerrod had saved his butt whenever he was in a pinch.

"You know, you should be an attorney instead of a baker. It suits you better."

Jerrod shrugged. "Yeah well… By the way, what did happen to Selena? You guys were on the boat one minute, and then you're being hauled off to prison the next."

Flynn sighed sadly. "It's a long story. But right now, I need to find her."

"So you really do love her, huh?"

"I won't deny it, my friend. I am in love with Selena."

Jerrod and Max grinned at each other. "We knew it. It was only a matter of time before you finally confessed."

"I'm so proud of you!" Big Nose suddenly engulfed him in a hug. Flynn could barely breathe.

"Alright, Big Nose," Hook Hand said. "Let the boy go before you suffocate him." Big Nose did so and went to wipe his eyes. "Before you go, we'd just like to say how proud we are. You didn't forget that dream."

"I know, and I don't plan on it." Maximus suddenly neighed impatiently. He was giving Flynn a look to hurry up or he'd leave without him. "I guess that's my cue. I'll see you guys later."

Flynn ran over to the white stallion and climbed onto his saddle. Before he ran off, Flynn stopped Maximus. "Before we go, Max, I just want to say, thank you." Max neighed humbly. "No really. Thank you. I never thought I'd see the day you'd save my skin, but you pulled through for me today. I feel maybe that since we've known each other all these years, our rivalry has been some kind of huge misunderstanding, and we're really just…"

Flynn stopped his speech when Max gave him another look. The young man cleared his throat. "Yeah, you're right. We should probably go now."

Maximus galloped through the town, across the bridge, and finally, into the forest. Flynn looked straight ahead, very determined to find Selena before it was too late. But he knew, no matter what happened, he would continue on his quest until he found the ashen-haired girl and brought her back home safe. Because when a boy was in love, he'd risk anything to save it, even his life.

I'm coming for you, Selena…

Just a chapter and an epilogue to go!

R&R!