Alright so I have already had technical difficulties THREE TIMES with this intro and if I get them again you guys aren't getting an intro but I love you so I will try one more time 3
First off I suck, I know. I haven't updated in god knows how long and that makes e a pathetic human being who you should hate. Buuuuttt there is a silver lining! I am going to post a full chapter (Chapter 15) Annnnnnddd hopefully parts of if not all of Chapter 16! Now time for bad news, although I am updating today I may not update again for a while, I know that's awful but the next month for me is really busy, I have a show coming up and a huge project for a teacher who honestly is an annoying a-hole (sorry for that but he really is). After that I will be back on track and hopefully Brushing Through will be done by June! On a more positive note I have opened an Insta account for tangled, my username is no other than brushingthrough if you guys followed me it would make my day! Also if you have insta and see anything that reminds you of this story please tag me and I will post it and tag you in it! Please read this chapter and if you can comment please do, hope you enjoy!
In my mind, I had always imagined that the next celebration I took place in would be one I celebrate by myself, after selling the tiara. I had imagined that I would dance alone with some form of alcohol and then order a wench to have my way with, I used to think that it would be the perfect way to spend a day, I had been wrong.
Bringing Rapunzel here, making her happy, it was the best thing I had ever done, I hadn't felt this good since the days that I spent with Nana. Since the nights that she told me about brave and debonair Flynn Ryder.
Nana was the only positive part of my child hood. I had never met my parents, Nana was the only mother I ever knew. She told me that my parents died in a fire shortly after I was born and that they left me to live with her. Nana was a loving elderly lady but because she was so old she didn't live through my entire child hood, she died the night before my fourth birthday, I spent my birthday being dragged to the orphanage.
Nana taught me many things but the one I remembered best was the one I learned from her death, never rely on anyone because you never know when they will be lost.
I lost everything with her death. And yet, here I was with Rapunzel, I was helping her and I was relying on her for the tiara, but that wasn't all.
If I was being honest, which I hardly was, I would admit that the crown was no longer the reason I was here. I would admit that I was here for her. I was here because she made me feel freer than I ever had.
Rapunzel was the first person, since those warm nights reading stories with Nana, who made me feel like I was worth something. I was more tangled up with her than I had been when she tied me to a chair with her own hair.
I rubbed my jaw thoughtfully as I watched the little girls dance around her, braiding her hair so that she could walk without someone stepping on it.
If someone had told me before I met her that I would consider giving up everything for a girl with seventy feet of tangled and really confusing blond hair I would have knocked them over the head and ran from this person, who I would assume to be crazy. Wait, where did that thought come from, I liked spending time with Blondie but was I actually thinking about- it dawned on me that a part of my mind had been considering not accepting the tiara from Blondie and instead just staying with her. It was crazy and stupid and probably the most reckless idea I had ever had, and yet it was also the best idea I had ever had.
I pulled myself out of my internal battles to just watch her, and by her I mean the only her that really meant anything to me; Rapunzel. She was just sitting there, giggling softly all adorable and sweet as the fiery haired little girls braided her hair. I casually crossed my arms as I leaned against the stone wall behind me wondering what I could do to be the source of that smile. I looked behind me hoping to get some kind of an idea, I wanted to at least make today special, and then I could decide what I would do with the tiara.
A patrol of guards walking down the street caught my eye and I ducked down low to avoid being spotted, while dreaming about Rapunzel I had forgotten that I was a wanted criminal. Maximus neighed indignantly from beside me bending his neck to glare at me. I looked up the horse suddenly tempted to stick out my tongue like a five year old. From in front of me I heard Rapunzel gasping and I darted my glance over worried she had seen my sudden moment of fear, I I didn't want to worry her.
I had to look twice as shock resonated through me, gone were the wild locks that tumbled past her, now she had just one intricate braid that hung down her back beautifully braided with flowers. She looked different, while obviously, but I- my thoughts were suddenly jumbled as she twirled in a circle her skirts billowing out around her.
She sighed happily looking at the girls with delight and respect, I imagined she made them feel special, she seemed to have that effect on everyone.
I smiled slightly, she didn't look like a runaway little girl anymore, she looked like a young lady off to enjoy the celebration, and, I thought smugly, she's going with me.
Maximus broke me out of my reverie by neighing loudly. I looked over to him the stupid smile still plastered on my face, the horse grinned widely raising his eyebrows up and down. Obviously my attraction for Blondie was written on my face more clearly than I thought.
I shoved the horse away wiping the smile from my face with an annoyed sigh. Maximus killed himself laughing as I looked back to Rapunzel, this time trying to rein in my affections before they became anything past acquaintanceship. Boosting myself up from my position on the wall I walked over to her trying to be myself. I am Flynn Ryder, I reminded myself, not some pathetic wuss who gets tongue tied every time a pretty girl laughs.
Rapunzel ran over to me grabbing my hands excitedly, "look at my hair!" she exclaimed bouncing up and down on her toes, "Hmm, ya." I said as if I hadn't noticed how lovely she looked.
Suddenly we were running, I couldn't help but laugh at her obvious enthusiasm about everything, no matter how ordinary it was.
She dragged me over to the nearest stall. The stall was selling a bizarre fruit that looked like mangoes but were a strange purple color similar to the purple in our flags. "Passion fruit, shipped in yesterday for the celebration, ten pennies a piece." The old lady behind the stand informed us.
Rapunzel seemed to deflate slightly as she reached into her pockets realizing she had no money to buy the intriguing fruit. It pained me to see even a little bit of her fire go out. I reached into my pockets and discovered I had a couple coins, nothing much obviously, but enough to buy whatever she wanted today. It was all I had, but it wouldn't matter, tomorrow I would have more money than I would know what to do with.
Pulling out the coins I handed over a ten cent coin to the lady and accepted the fruit graciously, it was one of the first items I had paid for in a while.
Turning to Rapunzel I bowed at the waist with an over exuberant flourish, "for you malady." I said with a small wink, Rapunzel laughed her smile brightening her whole face, "why thank you sir," she told me with a slight curtsy, and then she leaned in as if to tell me a secret, "Sir Eugene, that is."
The laughter died in my throat as a more powerful emotion filled me. Before I could put a name to it Rapunzel was pulling me down the cobbled road to the next stall laughing as she skipped in tune with the music that seemed to follow us wherever we went.
A man selling apples and other fruit waved to us as we skipped by probably just because it was a festival and everyone was in a sociable mood, due to the fact that there was music playing and no one had to work, Rapunzel didn't seem to realize this so she skidded to a stop convinced that she now had to say hello and introduce herself.
"Hello!" she said to the man thrusting out her hand for him to shake, the man had a large potbelly and it shook as he laughed merrily at Rapunzel's enthusiasm.
Taking her small hand in his large ones he shook her hand up and down.
"Yes, yes hello!" he said to us with a large smile. My mouth curled into a smile, usually when people met me they glared at me suspiciously or walked away quickly, yet this man shook my hand after taking Rapunzel's as if we were old friends.
I pulled out my money and handed him twenty pennies worth, "a dozen apples please." I said handing over the money.
"Oh," he said with another laugh, "This will buy you far more than a dozen!" I smiled at him and shrugged as if to say 'oh well'.
His smile softened as he pocketed the money and started counting out the apples, I noticed he put in fourteen instead of twelve but decided not to mention the gift knowing it was intentional.
A small boy came running from the streets and hugged the man bouncing on his toes, the boy was scrawny and had tattered clothes similar to the ones the shop keeper wore.
"Papa, I got the bread for dinner, are you sure we have enough for cakes too, I'm fine without!" the boy was rail thin despite his father's large size, they obviously were going through a rough patch financially. I swallowed awkwardly at the display of poverty before me, I knew what it was like to barely have enough for dinner, this boy obviously never had anything like cakes and he knew why too. Any regrets I had had about paying extra disappeared.
The man squatted beside his son and patted his head lovingly, "you know what John, you can get two cakes."
The boy's jaw dropped in shock, "But papa!" he exclaimed worriedly.
"Don't worry son, thanks to this young man here we have enough." My cheeks went pink slightly at his sentiment as he smiled up at me.
Rapunzel looked up to me her warm smile lighting me up from my toes to the tips of my ears. Suddenly her head snapped to the side and she was pulling us towards another stall, I barely had enough time to grab my purchased apples before we were running down the street. Looking around Rapunzel stopped at another stand also displaying fruit.
Rapunzel picked up two oranges examining them diligently.
"They're oranges." I told her holding back laughter, she blinked twice looking at them before tossing them back and running towards another stall I laughed as we ran along shouting a goodbye to the stall owner hoping we didn't bruise his oranges.
Rapunzel pulled us into the square where many people bustled about purchasing goods or merely talking with each other.
Corona was not an impoverished kingdom but ever since the princess had disappeared we had been going through a rough patch. The king and queen had announced they would not have another child until their first was found, at first this seemed to be a reasonable request, but it soon became apparent that the princess wasn't coming back, she was lost. The king and queen stayed resolute and eventually the queen became too old to have more children. Suddenly trade with Corona lessened as it's future became more and more uncertain. Since the princess had not yet been declared dead she was still the heir, but without the hope of her return we did not have a resolute heir if the king and queen were to die. This worried other kingdoms and our allies had dwindled leaving many less fortunate to lose their jobs.
Today was actually the birthday of the little princess who had gone missing so many years ago and it had become a national holiday that everyone celebrated, the lights that Rapunzel so desperately wanted to see were the ending of that celebration, I wasn't quite sure yet how I would show them to her, but I knew it would have to be perfect.