Summary: Growing up, Princess Rapunzel heard the name Flynn Rider many times. When she got older, she remembers seeing his wanted posters around town and the idea of meeting an outlaw had fascinated her to no end. Until now, that was all he had been to her – a name on a poster and a fable to the seven kingdoms. (Princess Rapunzel/thief Eugene AU)
A/N: This is a multi-chapter Eugene/Rapunzel AU in which Arianna never got sick and therefore Rapunzel never had healing powers and was always the princess. The beginning may start to seem like it's focusing a lot on Cassandra/Rapunzel, but overall, it is meant to be mainly about Eugene/Rapunzel.
P.S. I have extended and rewritten this story from the much shorter version of what it used to be.
Enjoy!
Sun and Moon
Chapter 1
"A letter from the Kingdom of Ashford, Your Majesty."
Queen Arianna peers up at the sound of her handmaid's voice entering the drawing room. Her lips freeze on the rim of her teacup as a silence falls among them. She glances across the small coffee table at King Frederic, whose expression is just as surprised as hers.
After a moment, she sets the teacup down and accepts the folded parchment from the young woman standing next to her. "Thank you."
The maiden nods politely then scurries back into the hallway of the castle.
Arianna gingerly opens the envelope and unfolds the letter within. Frederic only watches in anticipation as his wife's eyes frantically scan the page.
The longer she reads, the further her expression falls. Whatever it says, it can't be good news. It makes Frederic's heart stop with worry.
Finally, the queen says without looking up from the page, "They've accepted." Her voice is nearly breathless, as if she can't believe what she is seeing with her own eyes. She isn't smiling. Rather, her jaw is loose, and her eyebrows are creased painfully. "They'll be arriving in June for the ceremony."
Frederic's eyes widen as he takes in the news, and he swears he stops breathing for a moment. His mind is frantic at what this means yet empty at the same time.
He sighs heavily, his gaze falling to the floor and scanning aimlessly across it. "She won't be happy about this."
"You know we have no choice," Arianna says gently. She forces a weak smile at him in an attempt to lift his spirits, but it does nothing to ease their minds.
They turn their attention toward the doors when they are suddenly burst open, startled by the sound.
A royal guard appears slouched in the doorway, wearing a golden helmet and chest plate over his crimson uniform. He wears white gloves and has a sword holstered to his belt, with the crest of a flaming sun carved into his armour.
His hand is still gripping the door handle, having burst into the room so suddenly. "Your Majesties!" he announces, catching his breath. He meets the King and Queen's eyes across the room, his expression ridden with panic. "It's Flynn Rider. He's stolen the princess' crown!"
Rapunzel pulls her hood further over her eyes as she walks through town, peering around herself from underneath it.
Her golden hair falls from underneath her cloak and reaches her waist, but she hopes no one will be able to recognize her. She'd deliberately worn a more tattered dress today, with a brown skirt that reaches her ankles and a fitted corset overtop her white puffy shirt. She hopes she fits in with the crowd well enough.
She follows the winding cobblestone paths, observing the bustling streets of Corona. Dozens of villagers move through their morning routines – buying groceries from the marketplace and transporting goods from one place to another all while chatting pleasantly amongst themselves. Leaning houses loom over the streets on either side, with overgrown vines crawling up the stone walls.
A man lugs a barrel over his back while another walks his donkey across the street, pulling along a groaning caravan. Children run past her line of sight, squealing, and laughing while they pretend to quarrel with wooden swords. Rapunzel smiles at the sight of it.
She strolls along the stalls of the marketplace as shop owners holler their prices to bystanders. She stops to admire a jewelry stall, observing the displayed pieces with wonder.
She picks up a simple gold chain bracelet with a pendant of a bird's silhouette. "How much for this?"
The old woman behind the stall glances down at it, then up at Rapunzel. Her face is wrinkled, and she wears an apron and patchy bandana over her withered hair. "Oh, that's a precious one, that is," She mutters in a quavering voice. "For you, five gold pieces. A beautiful pendant for a beautiful girl."
"Thank you," says Rapunzel. She hands the woman a small bag of coins then clasps the jewelry around her wrist, staring down at it with admiration.
When she looks up again, something catches her eye down the street.
Over the heads of the crowd, she notices a band of royal guards standing a distance away. There are four of them, peering curiously around themselves and clearly in search of something – or someone.
They are walking in her direction, but it isn't until Rapunzel looks at them for a second too long that they notice her too.
They stop for a moment, then begin marching toward her at a quicker pace. Rapunzel recognizes the Captain of the Guard walking ahead of the rest, his fists clenched at his sides.
Oh no.
The guards clearly aren't trying to draw attention to themselves and cause a scuffle in the middle of town, but Rapunzel is already one step ahead of them when she bolts in the opposite direction.
"She's running!"
Rapunzel sprints through the crowded marketplace, dodging citizens and yelling apologies as she accidentally bumps into them. She hears people shouting at her to watch where she's going, but it doesn't slow her pace.
When she looks behind her, she notices the guards are somehow already so much closer to her, running at full speed with angry expressions on their faces. She's completely outnumbered here. She's going to have to make herself faster than them if she wants to get out of this one.
There's a couple of horses pulling a rickety wagon down the road ahead of her. She smirks at the sight of it. That's her ride.
She scans her surroundings, planning her route. Rapunzel races alongside the buildings, leaping overtop a pile of crates and barrels. She grunts as she climbs overtop of them, crawling onto the awning of a shop. Various voices gasp and shout at the commotion, their attention drawn to the fleeing girl jumping over their heads.
Rapunzel leaps off the awning and onto the next one, now running above ground on whatever she can find as she catches up to the moving wagon. Once she is lined up with it, she jumps off the balcony she is on and soars through the air.
She falls roughly in the back of the wagon with a grunt, landing on a pile of metal cages that all come tumbling down around her.
The wagon shakes from the impact and the spooked horses neigh loudly. They bolt down the road in fright, the cart suddenly moving at rapid speed.
One of the cage doors falls open and a panicked chicken flies out of it, squawking and flapping its wings frantically. White feathered chickens are clucking from all around her, and Rapunzel realizes the wagon is stacked with them as feathers float in front of her face.
"Hey!"
She whips her head around to the front of the wagon.
The driver has stood up and is scowling at her angrily. His ragged clothes and bearded face is covered in dirt, and he definitely looks like he has seen better days. "What do you think you're doing?!" the man shouts over the noise.
He climbs over the toppled cages all while attempting not to stumble from the rattling and swaying of the moving wagon. He yanks a sword off his hip and aims it down at Rapunzel, glowering. He raises it slowly across his chest.
Rapunzel winces, squeezing her eyes shut.
Just before the driver hacks down his blade, a figure swings down on a rope and kicks his feet into the man, knocking the driver directly off the cart. His scream fades away as the wagon continues to pass him.
When Rapunzel opens her eyes again, a young man she doesn't recognize with brown hair and a blue vest is now standing atop the wagon, smirking at her. "Need a hand?"
As Rapunzel stares up at him in shock, she suddenly notices a metal flagpole sticking out into the middle of the road, heading directly for the man's head.
"Duck!" shouts Rapunzel.
He whips around just in time to see it coming toward him, crouching down a second before it hits him. Whew. That was close.
Just when they think they've managed to get out of this chaos, they both look behind themselves at the sound of galloping hooves approaching, getting louder by the second.
The guards are riding on white palace horses now, equipped with royal saddles and bridles. They gallop and whinny as the guards pursue the wagon with determination.
Without wasting a moment, the man that had just unexpectedly saved Rapunzel's life hops into the now empty driver's seat. "Yah!" He whips the reigns, the two horses sprinting faster down the windy hill. "Coming through!" He warns the villagers who shriek and scurry off the road.
As they sharply round a corner, Rapunzel feels the wagon beginning to tip on one side from how fast they're going. Uh oh. They aren't getting out of this one.
"Hold on!" he shouts back to her, attempting to steer the horses as best as possible.
Before they know it, the wagon completely topples onto its side, crashing to the ground and sliding roughly along the cobblestone road. Finally, it screeches to a complete stop. The horses flee down the street, neighing in fright.
Rapunzel tumbles out of the vehicle with a grunt, along with the pack of clucking chickens who slowly waddle off the nearly destroyed wagon one by one.
She coughs as dirt flies up from the ground around her, propping herself up on her hands as she lays on her side. It's a lot quieter now, and she feels slightly dizzy from not moving all of a sudden. It takes her a second to realize what just happened.
Well. That could've gone a lot better.
She doesn't have much time to lament how painful that was before she hears the same galloping hooves rounding the corner.
"Which way did she go?"
Rapunzel realizes her hood had fallen off during the crash, and she quickly flicks it back over her head.
The two leap to their feet in a panic, scurrying to hide within a dark alleyway nearby. They press their backs against the stone wall of a building as the guards approach, practically holding their breaths.
Rapunzel peers over her shoulder, peeking out from behind the wall as the man stands shoulder to shoulder with her.
He glances down at her next to him, suddenly realizing how close they are to each other and the fact that he isn't complaining about it one bit. "Hi there. How ya doin'?" he whispers after a moment with a sly smirk.
"Shhh!" Rapunzel listens intently for what the guards are saying in the distance.
"Everyone split up. Find her before nightfall or the king will have your head." She recognizes that booming voice as the Captain of the Guard – the same voice that had scolded her countlessly as a child. Rapunzel cringes.
After a few moments, she feels the man grab her wrist next to her. "Follow me. I know a place we can lay low." he whispers.
Finding no other option, Rapunzel ultimately lets him guide her through the alleyway.
"So. I gotta say that was pretty… impressive back there."
Rapunzel follows a few paces behind the man who had helped her escape the guards and has now somehow found herself sneaking through town with. He guides her through a brick archway of what appears to be an abandoned bell tower in the middle of the village.
Rapunzel chuckles, feeling embarrassed at the trouble she'd gotten herself into earlier. She lifts her dress as she steps over a fallen wood beam coated in dust. "It… wasn't exactly what I had in mind for today but… I gotta admit, it was pretty fun."
It's dark inside and the windows are boarded with wood planks, appearing as if the building hasn't seen the light of day in years. She follows him up the steep spiral staircase nestled within the centre of the tower.
"How long you been on the road?" He asks, his voice echoing within the walls.
"What?"
"You know, like… on the run? From the kingdom?" He briefly peers over his shoulder at her as they climb.
She knew what he meant. The question had just taken her off guard, and she wonders how much information she should tell him. "Um… not very long. You?" She hopes to turn the conversation onto him instead.
He laughs at that, "I mean, I'd say just about my whole life but who's really counting the years?"
The bright rays of sunlight guide them to the top of the tower and out onto the roof. There's a huge rusty bell above them strung up to the ceiling with rope, surrounded by stone pillars and archways.
The first thing Rapunzel sees is a stunning view of the kingdom of Corona down below. She slowly walks toward the edge, her jaw hanging open in awe.
She has never seen it so high up before. What catches her eye the most is the breathtaking castle perched on top of the hill, overlooking the city. Its turquoise rooftops protrude majestically toward the clouds, with Corona's violet flag waving from the highest point. The vibrant blue ocean shimmers mesmerizingly around the island, encasing it all perfectly like some sort of perfect dream.
"Wow…" she gasps.
The man leans his shoulder against a stone pillar, crossing his ankles underneath himself as he admires the view alongside her. "Beautiful, isn't it? Yeah, I could see myself living in one of those one day. I bet they never have to worry about running for their life every day."
Rapunzel lowers herself to sit on the edge of the roof, her feet dangling off the edge. "Maybe they do," she mumbles, then looks away when he peers down at her in confusion. "I mean… I don't know if it's really as amazing as it seems." She rubs her arm awkwardly.
For a moment, he ponders that unconvincingly, then he shrugs as his voice raises in pitch, "Nah, I think it is."
Rapunzel chuckles as he moves to sit against the side of the pillar. "Well," he groans. He sits with his knees apart and his elbows perched on top of them. His body is angled toward Rapunzel as she gazes out at the kingdom. "Since we're gonna be stuck here a while… the name's Flynn Rider."
Rapunzel looks over at him, wondering if she'd heard correctly. "Wait… you're the Flynn Rider?"
"The one and only," he smirks proudly, clearly misreading her reaction. "Shocking, I know. The wanted posters don't nearly do my face justice."
Now that she thinks about it, she recalls seeing those posters around town before. Growing up, Rapunzel heard the name many times over the years, everyone has. Mostly because he is an enemy of the guard, and no one lets anyone forget it. She remembers reading about him as a child, hearing his name in hushed whispers around the kingdom and from the guards, but never has she seen him in person.
Eventually, his name become more of a legend than anything.
Rapunzel hadn't been able to get a good look at him back there, but now that she does, she suddenly recognizes the goatee and that signature smirk he always seem to wear on his posters.
As she got older, the idea of meeting an outlaw had fascinated her to no end. Now, for some reason, meeting him doesn't phase her as much as it would have when she was a child. Something about it seems dull to her now.
He may be famous to some people, but to her, he's no different than any other person in this town.
"What are you doing in Corona? Shouldn't you be… I don't know, running away from it?" wonders Rapunzel.
"Eh, it keeps 'em on their toes. Besides, I've lived around here for years and those idiots haven't gotten close to catching me," he says.
"So, what, you just… walk around town saving people who get into trouble?"
He raises his eyebrows as he thinks about that, "I gotta say… that was actually a first for me," he realizes.
After a moment, Rapunzel can't help but ask him, "Why did you save me?" The last time she checked, thieves cared about no one but themselves. And from what she's heard of him, he's no different from any of them.
Flynn shrugs as he casually flicks his finger, not looking up at her, "You said so yourself. It was kinda fun, wasn't it?"
Rapunzel still finds it odd but decides to accept that answer. She supposes he gets a kick out of causing trouble. It's a good thing he did it, anyway.
As Rapunzel gazes silently at the castle in the distance, Flynn observes her with a peculiar expression. "So," he beams. "You gonna tell me why those guards were chasing you or am I gonna regret asking that question?"
"Uh… yeah, that wasn't my brightest of moments," Rapunzel shyly tucks a strand of hair underneath her hood. "Let's just say it isn't the first time I've run from them."
Flynn raises his hands defensively. "Okay, I get it. From one criminal to another. Some things are better kept secret," he makes a gesture as if sealing his lips.
Rapunzel finds herself looking everywhere but at him, hoping to change the subject again. "Thank you… for saving me back there." He smirks at her before she looks away again. Before he can say anything, Rapunzel rises to her feet. "I should go. I'm not supposed to be here right now." She quickly heads toward the staircase leading back down into the bell tower.
"Hey," She turns at the sound of Flynn's voice, who is still sitting against the wall and peering up at her. "I never did get your name," he says.
Rapunzel stares blankly at him for a moment, debating answering him at all. "It's…" She looks away, then back up, "It's Cassandra."
"Well, Cassandra. I'd say we make a pretty good team."
She finds the corners of her lips tugging into a shy smile at that. "I'll… see you around… Flynn Rider."