Chapter 2
"Where were you?" questions King Frederic. His deep, hoarse voice echoes within the vast throne room of the castle.
He perches on his chair with a raised chin, broad shoulders pulled back with poise. A hefty crown glistens atop his head, arms resting neutrally on each armrest.
Queen Arianna is seated on the throne to his right. The woman's dainty hands are folded in her lap, atop the purple silk gown that drapes around her small frame.
Two guards are positioned on either side of the thrones, at the bottom of the short staircase leading up to them. Their captain stands attentive alongside them, on the king's right side.
Rapunzel stands before the king and queen, in the centre of the room and beneath the stairs. She averts their gazes as they glare down at her in their seats. The girl rocks nervously on her toes, clasping her hands behind her back. "No where," she murmurs quietly.
Despite being the princess, she appears as any other commoner of the village – still wearing her tattered dress and black cloak draped over her shoulders.
"Then why did my guards report to me they had to chase you through the city streets this morning?" glowers Frederic pointedly.
Rapunzel closes her eyes as she winces, sighing softly.
"Again, Rapunzel? Do you have any idea how reckless that is?" Fumes her father. His booming voice echoes within the vast and empty throne room. "Look at me when I'm talking to you."
"Frederic," Arianna gently touches her husband's arm from the throne next to him. Her voice is soft and calming, and the man's expression visibly relaxes at her touch.
"I was just exploring," defends Rapunzel, "I didn't do anything!"
By the time she had decided to return home, she'd hardly made it through the front doors of the castle without one of the guards stopping her and demanding her presence here.
"They said you freed Mr. Howard's chicken supply and his horses and caused significant destruction to his wagon," points out the king.
"Okay, maybe I did do that… but I wouldn't have had to if the guards had just left me alone. I don't understand why you have to make everything such a big deal."
"It is a big deal, Rapunzel," Frederic's forehead falls into his hand disappointedly. "You are the example of this kingdom. You are going to be queen one day. These people look up to you." He rises to a stand, towering over her, "What will they think when they see their princess running carelessly through town like that, causing destruction and chaos?"
"No one knew it was me. I was being careful." says Rapunzel, "I wouldn't just walk out there looking like royalty."
"It doesn't matter. It was still too risky of you. You are too valuable to be roaming the streets freely like that."
"I didn't even get caught and there were four of them," she continues. "I can handle myself out there, you know. I'm not just the helpless princess you treat me as."
"We're not saying you're helpless," Arianna rises to her feet too, taking a step toward Frederic. She glances to him uneasily. "What your father is trying to say is that we are just worried about you. What if something happened to you?"
"I just wanted to see the village like everyone else. Why can't you just let me be normal for once?" The princess raises her voice in frustration.
"Rapunzel, you are a princess. Princesses don't get to be like everyone else. I'm sorry, but that's just the way it is," continues Frederic in a stern tone.
"Why?" Rapunzel shouts, "What if I don't want to be a princess?"
Arianna steps forward, "Rapunzel—"
She groans loudly, "This isn't fair! You guys never let me do anything!" With that, Rapunzel storms out of the room, fuming.
The heavy doors leading back into the hallway slams closed behind Rapunzel. The booming sound echoes within the walls, and the king and queen as well as the lingering guards are left in silence.
Hours later, Arianna knocks gently on the closed door of Rapunzel's bedroom. "Rapunzel, dear? It's me."
Rapunzel hears her mother's muffled voice on the other side of it. She sighs softly. "Come in."
When Arianna enters, she notices her daughter curled up in bed with her back turned away from the door. Her messy, blonde hair pokes out from underneath the blankets that have been pulled all the way up to her ears.
The girl's enormous bedroom is draped in violet silk curtains covering floor to ceiling windows. Worn out paintings of butterflies and flowers decorate the walls, having been drawn by Rapunzel over many years since she was a child. Sheer lavender curtains hang around the fourposter of her bedframe, encasing her in a purple cloud of blankets and pillows.
"I brought dinner for you. I know it's your favorite." Arianna approaches the bed and places a full plate of food on the girl's bedside table.
"I'm not hungry," Rapunzel mumbles under the blanket, refusing to move or turn around.
"Oh, sweetheart," Arianna sits on the edge of the mattress, reaching out to touch Rapunzel's arm. "Your father's just worried about you. He just… has a funny way of showing it."
"That doesn't mean he gets to treat me like a child."
Arianna presses her lips together as she sighs softly. She wishes she didn't have to see her daughter like this. She can't say she disagrees with either of them. "He only wants what's best for you."
Rapunzel suddenly shoots up into a sitting position, facing her mother. "He doesn't know what's best for me! All he cares about is what he wants for the kingdom, not what I want. I didn't even ask to be the princess."
Despite the circumstances, Arianna finds herself smirking at that. "You know, I was just like you when I was your age."
Rapunzel resists the urge to roll her eyes. "Pfft. Yeah, right."
"No, it's true. Ever since I was a child, I wanted to be an adventurer. I spent a lot of my teenage years exploring and… trying to find my place in the world."
Rapunzel peers at her curiously. "And did you?"
"I did," Arianna smiles. "I found your father." She places a hand on the side of Rapunzel's cheek. "And now I am the mother to the most beautiful, courageous young woman in the world. And I wouldn't have it any other way."
Rapunzel hugs her legs to her chest, resting her chin on her knees. She ponders that for a moment with a frown on her face. She's never thought about getting married and having kids. It sounds miserable. "That will never be me," Rapunzel mutters hopelessly.
"Who knows? You might be surprised," says Arianna in an uplifting tone. "All I'm saying is… your time will come. You're still so young," she explains. "I know your father better than anyone else in the world. And I know that everything he does, he does out of love. Right now, I need you to at least try to understand why we are doing this."
Rapunzel doesn't meet her eyes. Instead, she stares down with heavy brows as she hugs her knees. "Fine."
Arianna beams proudly. "That's my girl." She tucks a strand of hair behind Rapunzel's ear then gently kisses her forehead.
"Can you just close the door please?" mumbles Rapunzel quietly, still feeling bitter.
Arianna rises to a stand. "Eat your dinner. I'll see you in the morning." With that, she strolls back out the door and closes it softly behind her.
After she's gone, Rapunzel only sits there in silence for a while. Then she lets herself plop back down onto the mattress as she groans loudly. The soft mattress encases her, and it makes her never want to leave her bed again.
As she stares up at the ceiling in thought, she finds herself absentmindedly reaching for the bracelet she had bought at the marketplace that morning. When her fingertips search for it, it isn't there. Rapunzel holds her wrist above her face in confusion.
After a moment, she scoffs, shaking her head.
That clever Flynn Rider.