Chapter 1
Life in the kingdom was certainly not what Rapunzel had expected. It had now only been two months since she had discovered she was a princess and returned to her parents, but this life was already starting to feel like a burden for her. At first, it had been really nice when the whole kingdom celebrated her return but ever since the celebration ended, everything seemed so hard. Her parents hardly let her walk around the kingdom and when they did, she was followed by a few guards. And in the castle, all they talked about was manners and etiquette. She was now expected to wear jewellery, corsets and shoes. And everybody treated her so differently than when she first visited the kingdom. But the worst part was that she was now basically forced to hide her love for her true love, Flynn Rider aka Eugene Fitzherbert. Her parents wouldn't allow her to spend any time alone with him. When they were allowed to meet, there were always guards, watching their every move and she wasn't even allowed to kiss him anymore. At first, she hadn't understood why but ever since she had read certain books in the library and overheard certain conversations of the servants, she now understood why it was forbidden and also why she had a desire to do certain things with him.
But because of these restrictions, she and Flynn had decided to meet each other in secret. Right now, she was on her way to his new flat wearing a cloak as a disguise. She knew that by this time of the day; he would be back from his new job as a waiter at the snuggly duckling. It had been difficult to get out of the castle, but luckily Flynn had shown her some secret passages which she now used to get out. When she reached the flat, she knocked on the door of his room.
"Who is it?" Flynn asked from inside.
Rapunzel giggled and whispered: "It's your new dream." He chuckled and opened the door. Then he quickly pulled her inside, closing the door with a laugh. She threw her arms around him, laughing as he lifted her and twirled her around. "Eugene!" She laughed and he gently set her down. Rapunzel then pulled him into a passionate kiss. Afterwards, they put their foreheads together and smiled at each other as lovingly as possible.
"I missed you, my darling." He said.
"I missed you too. It's so hard to find time for our secret meetings and unfortunately, I only have an hour before I need to be back for dinner." She sighed.
"Oh, we really have to do something! I can't go on like this! I love you so much, Rapunzel!"
"I love you too!" She smiled and they kissed again. Rapunzel's hands wandered to his vest and began to unbutton it, her fingertips brushing against his chest. Flynn's hands stopped her in time, his eyes widening.
"Woah! What are you doing?"
"I want to be with you…in every way!"
"I told you before, we can't do that until we're properly married! And I still can't believe that you even know about it."
"Well, some servants can't help themselves and there are a…enlightening books on this topic. But it doesn't matter, because I've realized that I want to do it anyway; I've always wanted to do it ever since our first kiss in the tower! Please, I want this! No! I need this!" She stepped closer.
"Please, Rapunzel." He said, his hand resting on her shoulder. "I told you we can only do it when we're married. Have you now told your parents that we want to marry? Then we also don't have to hide our love like this anymore."
She sighed. "Oh, every time I try, they always tell me to stop as soon as I mention your name! And besides," she crossed her arms and smirked at him. "You still haven't given me a ring since you insist on paying for it yourself."
His face lit up. "Oh, but now I finally can! Today I got paid for my first month's work! I went straight to the jeweller for our engagement rings!" He exclaimed and pulled out a little box. "Now, I can finally propose to you with a ring!" He got down on one knee, holding up the box with a grin.
Rapunzel laughed. "Why are you kneeling down?"
"Well, it's a tradition to get down on one knee when you ask your true love to marry you."
"Well, technically you already asked me that, right before you returned me to the kingdom."
"Yes, but now I can do it properly. You know, with a ring and all that."
She laughed and shook her head. "All right! Then ask me!"
Flynn cleared his throat. "Princess Rapunzel, will you make me the happiest man alive? Will you marry me?"
"Yes!" She pulled him up into her arms. "Now give me my beautiful ring!" Flynn laughed and slipped the ring onto her finger.
"Do you like it? I chose one with an emerald to match your eyes."
"It's beautiful! Do you also have one for yourself?"
"Yes, here!" He said and showed it to her. She took it and put it on his finger.
"Perfect!" She laughed as she kissed him again, longer this time.
When they finally pulled apart, he leaned his forehead against hers. "Now we have to tell your parents! I can't live in this secret any longer! And once we are finally married, we can be together all the time, live together, meet alone and…"
"And love each other physically?" Rapunzel asked excitedly, almost breathless.
He laughed. "Yes! That too, on our wedding night. I promise!"
"Yes!" She laughed, wrapping her arms around him. "Then let's tell them and finally set a date for our wedding! As soon as possible!"
"Absolutely!" He said, pulling her close. "Because I really can't take being away from you anymore! It's complete torture! I love you with all that I am! You are my dream, my light, my everything, my…" He searched for the right word. "My…oh, I know! My sunshine!"
"Sunshine?" She laughed.
He nodded. "Yes, because you light up my whole world!"
"Aw, that's cute! And you are all that to me too, of course! I love you too, Eugene! So, so infinitely much!" They kissed again. Finally, hand in hand, they turned towards the door.
"Then let's finally tell them!"
"Yes! Let's go!" She took his arm and pulled him along. They entered the castle through the secret passage again and headed straight for the dining room. They arranged their hair.
"Ready?" He whispered.
"With you? Always!" She pressed his hand, and they stepped inside, fingers intertwined.
"Ah! There you are at last! What took you so long, Cordelia?" The king asked sharply.
"Rapunzel! Please, we agreed to call me that! I can't just have a different name now!" Rapunzel said impatiently.
The king sighed, waving his hand dismissively. "Yes, yes, of course, Rapunzel..." Then he noticed Flynn. "Oh, what is he doing here again?" He asked angrily.
Rapunzel took Flynn's hand, squeezing it for strength and lifted her chin. "Well, mum, dad, we have something important to tell you."
"So do we!" Her father's tone grew colder. "But he shouldn't be here for that!"
"Why not?" Her eyes flashed.
"It's a…well, a family matter!"
"Well, what we want to tell you is sorta also a family matter."
Her father narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "A family matter? With him? But he is not family!"
"Not yet." Rapunzel replied. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "Mum, dad…Eugene and I want to marry." She told them quickly. Then she slowly opened her eyes again and looked at her parents. Her mother went pale, while her father's face was turning a deeper shade of red by the second.
"No!" The king shouted angrily and crossed his arms.
Rapunzel stared at him. "Yes!"
"Absolutely not!"
"Um…I wasn't asking for permission!"
"Well, I'm not giving it!"
"But we…"
"No! You will not marry him!"
Rapunzel stared at him indignantly. "Yes, I will! It's my decision!"
"No, it's not! You are not allowed to marry him! There is a law against such a marriage!"
Rapunzel gasped and looked at Flynn in horror. "A law?" Her voice trembled as she looked back at her father. "What do you mean with law?"
The king sighed heavily. "I mean, the law states that a royal can only marry another royal! So, unless he is a prince, a duke, an earl, a lord or a noble with a proper title, I'm afraid there's no place for him as your husband! I'm sorry but that's how it is! Now, please-end this."
"What?" She asked helplessly. "No! No! I will not break up with him!"
"Yes, you will! You can't be with him unless you are married, and you can't marry him! I'm sorry, I know, I should have told you sooner, but I didn't want to scare you right away."
"But you scared me now! No! You can't mean that! Eugene and I… we love each other! The law is totally unfair! Can't you just change it?"
Her mother reached out trying to comfort her, but the king interrupted. "It isn't just the law, Rapunzel. Think of your responsibilities. What would the kingdom think? The other royals? This could create a dangerous rift between us and the neighbouring kingdoms. We'd be the laughingstock, not just here, but everywhere. Do you know how quickly that could lead to serious conflict? Some might see it as an opportunity to start a war!"
"Oh, don't exaggerate!" Rapunzel replied angrily.
Her father shook his head. "This is no exaggeration. Other royals might see this as a sign of weakness, a vulnerability they could exploit. There's more at stake here than you understand! I'm sorry, Rapunzel, but I won't let your feelings put us at risk. I cannot allow this—no kingdom could take a princess marrying a thief seriously. I'm sorry but I will not risk starting a war and becoming the laughingstock of the entire kingdom and the neighbouring ones just because you have a crush on some guy!"
Rapunzel gasped indignantly. "It's not just a crush!"
"Yes, it's true love!" Flynn said and put his arm around Rapunzel.
"Oh, and what do you know about true love, boy?" The king asked.
"More than you think!" Flynn stepped forward, anger flashed in his eyes, but his voice was calm. "Your Majesty, I may not have a title, but I love Rapunzel more than anything, with all my heart. I've worked every day to be worthy of her. I've put my past behind me, and all I want is a chance to prove that."
"That may be. But to the other royals, you're still Flynn Rider, the wanted thief who stole from them countless times. You're not someone they could respect as a prince, and I need a qualified leader by my daughter's side. One who knows what it means to rule, to handle diplomacy. Not a former thief. And how would you two even run this country together? Neither of you knows how to rule! That is why you have to marry a prince, Rapunzel!"
"What?!" She screamed in horror. "No! I will never marry anyone else!"
"I'm sorry, Rapunzel. You see, that's the important family matter we wanted to talk to you about. There are a lot of nice young princes in the neighbouring kingdoms just your age and…"
"No!" She screamed. "Never! Forget it!"
"At least get to know them a bit and then you can choose which one to marry."
"I choose my Eugene and no one else!" She screamed and hugged Flynn. He put his arms around her protectively.
"Your majesty, have you no heart?" Flynn asked furiously. "You can't just force her into an arranged marriage with some stuck-up prince who could never love her like I do and probably wouldn't treat her the way she deserves!"
"I am very sorry, you two but can't you see that your love is impossible? Rapunzel, you will be queen one day and a queen needs a qualified king at her side! Especially when she has been kidnapped for 18 years and knows nothing about ruling a country! So, you should at least marry someone who does know! Otherwise, you're dooming this kingdom!"
"Why do I even have to be queen? I mean, I've been gone for 18 years, and you didn't even try to find a replacement?" She shouted now in tears.
"Rapunzel, you know your mother and I couldn't have any more children…"
"And you didn't try to find another replacement? What would you have done if I had never come back?"
"Then all the other royals would have probably fought for the crown…"
"See? Then it makes no difference if we…"
"Yes, it does! Because now we have a way to prevent such a fight!"
"At the cost of our happiness! How can you be so cruel?"
"Rapunzel, please." The queen finally said. "I know, this all seems unfair and normally in a perfect world we would have nothing against your love, but the world is not perfect."
"You are completely exaggerating! I'm sure nobody would mind if we got married!"
"Everybody would!" The king shouted. "And I've had it with you! We can't just risk starting a war just because you two are in love! The princes will come to visit in two weeks and then you will choose one of them to marry and that's final!"
"No! Never! I want my Eugene! I love him, and I won't just walk away from him because of some outdated rule!"
"With all due respect, Your Majesty!" Flynn interrupted. "What do these princes have that I don't? Name one thing!" He challenged.
"A royal title, a kingdom, a clean record, a good reputation among our neighbouring kingdoms, the knowledge how to rule a country, manners…"
"Hey! I asked for one thing!"
"I could think of a hundred things! Shall I continue?"
"And what good is all that if she is not happy with any of them?
The king sighed impatiently. "I'm sorry, but I've made my decision, and I advise you to make peace with it. You'll meet the visiting princes, Rapunzel, and you'll choose one of them."
"No, I won't!" Rapunzel protested, her voice breaking.
"Yes, you will," he replied sharply. "The princes will arrive in two weeks, and we will end this nonsense. Now go to your room!" He nodded to the guards stationed by the door. "And you, escort Mr. Fitzherbert outside. I expect him not to return."
The guards moved towards Flynn, who held his hands up in defence. Rapunzel threw herself in front of him. "This is wrong," She whispered harshly to her father, who looked away. Then, louder, to the guards: "Don't touch him! He'll go."
Flynn nodded, stepping back and meeting her gaze, his voice steady. "I'll wait for you. No matter what happens, my heart is yours!"
Tears formed in Rapunzel's eyes as she turned, her voice choked. "Go out through the gardens. I'll meet you at the secret passage." She whispered.
The guards brought Flynn outside, and Rapunzel turned back to her father with a furious look on her face. "You may be able to control the kingdom, but you'll never control my heart!"
With that, she ran outside. After the guards had brought Flynn outside, he went straight to the entrance of the secret passage where Rapunzel was already waiting for him. When she saw him, she rushed forward and threw her arms around his neck, while tears ran down her cheeks. He gently caressed her back and held her close.
"Oh, Eugene!" She cried. "What do we do now?"
"Oh, darn that stupid law! I knew something like this might happen, but I hoped… I hoped your parents would be different. A little more understanding." He sighed, heartbroken and pressed her body closer.
"I won't choose any of those princes! I just want you!"
He gave her a sad, pained smile. "Maybe…maybe they'll change their minds…"
"And what if they don't? They want me to meet those princes in two weeks! Oh, what do we do?" She sobbed.
Tears formed in Flynn's eyes, and he hugged her tighter. "I…I really don't know! Oh, if only you weren't a princess!"
"I bet if I wasn't a princess, then you would probably be a prince, and we would have a similar problem!"
"No, we wouldn't. Because if I had been a prince, I would have grown up as one and learned how to be a ruler and then nobody would have minded a marriage between a royal and a commoner!"
"Oh, that is so unfair! For me, you will always be a prince!" She cried. "Now tell me what to do, please!"
"I really don't know. I'm sorry, my darling!" He caressed her back.
"I...I think I know something!" She leaned back and looked at him, excitedly. "What if we just left the kingdom and never returned?"
Flynn pulled back in shock. "What? No!"
"Yes, let's run away together!" Her hands gripped his shirt, like she had already made up her mind.
But he shook his head. "No, we can't! I can't let you give up this life for me!"
"But I don't want this life! I never asked to be a princess, and I hate it! It feels like a cage. I can't live like this… without you!"
"But Rapunzel." He sighed and caressed her cheek, brushing the hair from her face. "If you have to give up anything to be with me, you will resent me one day! You might end up hating me!"
"No! I won't! I could never hate you!" She touched his cheek, trying to calm him. "All this means nothing to me without you!"
"It would happen automatically, believe me! Your subconscious would associate me with having to give up all of this here and then your feelings would change..."
"No! Never! I don't even want any of this here! I would rather live in poverty with you than in luxury without you! Please, Eugene! I want to be with you! I love you!"
"I love you too, but we can't do that!" He said, pulling her close. "We would be fugitives, constantly on the run from the guards, would have to wear disguises and change our names! What kind of future is that?"
"An exciting one?" Rapunzel grinned excitedly.
Flynn gave a pained smile and sighed. "Rapunzel, I'm serious. We would probably have a child next year and another one in the year after that and so on. How would we take care of them all without the money? How would we keep them safe?"
"We'll make it work, somehow!"
"We would constantly live in fear of being caught by the guards."
"It will be worth it as long as we are together! Please Eugene, I want to be with you forever," She gently brushed over his chest and tried to unbutton his vest. "In every way." He caught her hands.
"Please, Rapunzel. We can't do that. I told you, no physical love until we are married."
"Then let's run away and get married somewhere else!"
"No, we can't."
"Yes, we can! I mean, think about it: We only have to make it to the first village or church and get properly married there! Then, it doesn't even matter if the guards catch us afterwards because then we would already be married and there's nothing, they can do about it! Then they can't separate us again!"
"Um, I'm afraid they still could."
"What? But I thought marriage binds us together forever!"
"Until death shall us part."
Rapunzel gasped in horror and covered her mouth. "You…you mean, they would…" She breathed heavily.
His grip tightened around her protectively. "They almost executed me before, remember? Stealing the crown of the lost princess was bad enough. Taking the princess herself…"
"No! They can't do that! I won't let them! Never!" She screamed and hugged him as tightly as possible. "Then we will run away and never come back!"
"Rapunzel, I can't let you…"
"But I need you! I can't live without you!" She cried and pulled him into a passionate kiss.
"What is going on here?" An angry voice suddenly cut through the night. They quickly pulled apart and gasped as they saw the captain of the guards standing there, glaring at them.
Rapunzel gasped angrily and hugged Flynn. "Well, this is none of your business, captain!"
"It very much is my business," the captain replied, gesturing to his men. "Guards! Take them both. This ends now."
Before Rapunzel could react, three guards stepped forward, seizing Flynn by the arms. She grabbed at him, but another guard gently held her back.
"Wait, stop! Leave him alone!" Rapunzel cried, in despair as they began leading Flynn away.
But the captain shook his head. "You'll both be brought before the king," he said. A few minutes later, they were all standing in front of the king again.
"And then your majesty, I caught your daughter and that criminal in the garden, sticking on each other's lips!" The captain told the king, while pointing his finger accusingly at Flynn.
"What is the meaning of this? Didn't I just tell you both that this relationship is impossible?" The king asked angrily.
"You are totally unfair" Rapunzel shot back.
"Rapunzel, please! I've explained it: a marriage is out of the question. And without marriage, I cannot permit you two to be together. If you're alone together…well, certain things might happen."
"Please, don't talk about this stuff. I already know about it from books...and certain servants."
"Then, I suppose you also know the dangers of it?"
"Dangers?" She blinked.
"I mean, you could get pregnant out of wedlock and that would bring scandal upon our kingdom!"
Flynn stepped forward. "I would never let that happen!"
"But I want it!" Rapunzel shouted, then she turned back to her father. "And you know what? There wouldn't even be this danger if you would just let us get married!"
"I already told you why it's impossible! There is too much at stake here!"
"It's so unfair!"
"I'm sorry, but that's how it is! Rapunzel, you have to let him go! This cannot continue! Break up with him, now!"
"No!" She crossed her arms angrily.
The king's face grew dark. "Either you end this now, or I'll have him thrown into the dungeons!"
"No! You can't do that!"
"I'm sorry but I can't trust you two any longer. And I will not risk a scandal! Guards!" The guards grabbed Flynn, but Rapunzel stepped in front of him.
"No!" She cried and turned towards the guards. "Please, leave him alone! We'll break up…just, please, don't hurt him!" She looked at Flynn, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I'm so sorry." She whispered.
"I...I understand." He answered in tears.
"Good. Now take him outside and he is no longer welcome in the castle!" The king said sharply. Rapunzel cried as the guards grabbed Flynn's arms.
"No!" Rapunzel sobbed, watching helplessly as they led him away.
Flynn turned back to her, his voice calling out over the distance. "I'll be fine, Rapunzel. Just don't forget that I love you! I always have and I always will!"
"And I love you too!" She cried after him.
"And you will always be my dream!" He shouted back.
"And you will always be mine!" She cried.
When Flynn was gone, the king turned to the remaining guards. "Now please take the princess to her room. And make sure she stays there."
Rapunzel gasped, glaring at him. "I can't believe it! Now you're locking me up? First, you force me to break up with my true love and now this?"
"It's for your own good!"
"No! It's for your own good! You don't care about me or my feelings at all! I can't believe how cruel you are! Have you forgotten that I wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for him? He saved me, he brought me back to you and this is how you thank him?"
"I will not give him my daughter's hand in marriage as a reward, not when it could start a war!"
"And what about me? I love him! And I will never marry anyone else, no matter who you bring to the castle!"
"You haven't even met these princes yet. Perhaps you will like one of them..."
"No! Never! My heart belongs to my Eugene, and to no one else! I could never love another!"
"I'm not asking you to love any of those princes, just to marry one of them!"
"And then what? Produce an heir?" She cried, tears streaming down her face.
"Rapunzel..."
"No! Just leave me! You are ruining my life! And you know what? I didn't even have to come back to you, but I did because I wanted to meet my parents, but now I wish I had never returned here and stayed away!" She screamed.
"Rapunzel!" The king called after her, but Rapunzel ran to her room and slammed the door. Inside, she broke down crying. Her chameleon Pascal came to her shoulder and hugged her.
"Oh, Pascal! What am I going to do now?" She mumbled and looked at the ring Flynn had given her in tears.
Over the next two weeks, Flynn tried to get to her, but the guards were relentless. By day, they shadowed him the moment he came near the castle. And at night, they watched his every move. Every letter, every attempt to get a message to her failed. Rapunzel herself tried to escape more than once but was stopped each time. Her despair grew with every day.
Finally, the night before the suitors' arrival, she managed to escape through the secret passageways. Dressed in a dark cloak, she hurried through the streets to Flynn's door. Her heart pounded as she knocked.
"Rapunzel?" A hopeful and overjoyed voice suddenly came from behind her. She turned to see Flynn standing in the hall.
"Eugene!" She rushed towards him, but he raised a finger to his lips and gestured for silence. He quickly pulled her inside, locking the door behind them before wrapping her in an embrace. They kissed deeply, clinging to each other, afraid they might lose one another again. When they pulled apart, she hugged him tightly and sobbed into his chest.
"Oh, Rapunzel, my darling! I tried to reach you every day, but those guards never left me alone! They watched every move I made and even caught every letter I tried to send to you! I was just about to rush to the castle and break in if I had to but then I saw you coming!" He gently caressed her back while she cried into his vest.
"Oh, Eugene! I also tried to get to you, every day! Now I've finally managed to escape!" She pulled back and looked at him with tears in her eyes. "I can't do this anymore! I can't live like this! Locked away in that castle while my heart is out here with you! Let's finally leave! Tonight!"
"Rapunzel, you know we can't just run away! I won't let you give up your life as a princess for me! You deserve better than this!"
"I don't want this life as a princess!" She insisted. "Especially not if it's a life without you! A life without love, without happiness!"
"I told you if you have to give up anything to be with me, you will..."
"No, I am not going to resent you! Never!"
"That could very well happen automatically, believe me. Please, Rapunzel." He pressed her hands and caressed her cheek. "I don't want you to give up everything for me. It wouldn't be right."
"It is all right if it's something I don't even want! I don't want this life, especially not if it means losing you! I feel trapped once again! Just like in the tower! Only this time, I know what freedom is!" She sighed. "And you know, all my childhood, I only wanted one thing, apart from seeing the floating lights-freedom! Freedom to do whatever I want and go wherever I want and love whoever I want!" She touched his cheek. "And in this life here, I have none of that! But with you, I would have it all!"
Flynn sighed. "But what about your friends, your parents? And your kingdom?"
"Well, the kingdom did pretty well without me for 18 years! As for my friends, well, we can take Pascal and Maximus along. I'm sure the pub thugs will do fine without us, now that they've had their own dreams come true and I can also make new friends wherever I go. And as for my parents, well, if they can't accept our love, then I don't even want to stay with them anymore."
"But they are your parents! They are your family!"
"Well, they certainly don't act like family. If they really cared about me, they would have changed that law and allowed us to marry! But no, they kept us apart and now they want to force me into an arranged marriage! I don't want to be with them if they continue to act like this! I've been trying for weeks to make them understand, but they won't listen. If they won't change their minds, then I don't want to be with them anymore!"
"But...they are your parents."
"So? What's the big deal if you take me away from my parents? I mean, you also wanted to take me away from Gothel, even when you still thought she was my biological mother!"
"Yes, but that woman was a monster!" He turned to the side and added quietly: "And a murderer."
"And my father's a tyrant! And he also tried to have you executed just for stealing a crown! Please, Eugene!" She touched his face and looked straight at him. "I need you! I can't breathe without you! And I don't even want this life here anymore anyway! All of this here is such a burden! It feels like another..." She sighed and looked away.
"Another tower?" He asked sadly and gently caressed her cheek. She nodded, tears forming in her eyes again. Flynn sighed and pulled her back into his arms, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Oh, but...a life like this would be dangerous and hard and..."
"And wonderful because I get to share it with the one I love! I don't care how poor we are as long as we're together! What's a life of luxury if I'm sad and miserable forever? And besides, following my dreams has always been so important to me and my dream is to be with you!" She caressed his cheek again. "Please, you know, I never break promises, and I promised myself something." She closed her eyes. "During those horrible two minutes when you were dead, I promised myself that if somehow, someway, by some miracle, I got you back, then I would never let you go again. I can't break that promise!"
Flynn sighed. "But there must be another way for us to be together without having to run away."
"There is none! And remember, tomorrow, those suitors will arrive and if I don't choose one, they will choose one for me and then force me to marry him!"
Flynn pressed her hands. "Please, don't talk about it! That won't happen! I won't let it happen!"
"But if we stay here, you won't be able to stop it! Then the wedding will be next month! And just think about what will happen that night between me and some prince I don't love! He then has every right to do it, no matter how much I scream or cry or beg..."
"No!" Flynn cried in horror and pulled her into his arms protectively. "That won't happen! I will protect you! I promise that won't happen! I won't let anyone touch you against your will! I will protect you, don't worry, my darling!" He caressed her back and hugged her tightly.
"Then take me away from here! That's the only way we can be together! Forever! And I want nothing more than that!"
He sighed and nodded, as he finally gave in to her wishes. "All right. Let's run away together!"
Rapunzel gasped overjoyed and wrapped her arms around his neck, laughing happily. "Yes! Finally!" She pressed her lips to his and kissed him passionately. "I love you!" She giggled between the kisses.
Flynn laughed, returned her kisses, and rested his forehead against hers. "I love you too!"
She finally pulled away from him and then rested her forehead on his. "Ok, Eugene, let's leave tonight! Then we'll leave this village, get married in the first church we come to and then travel to another kingdom where nobody knows us and live there!" She laughed and kissed him again.
"Ok!" He laughed. "But first we need disguises and some supplies! I'll get what we need! Perhaps you could also pack a few things you want to take along. Meet me in the stables later if Max wants to help us. Just give me a moment! I will be there in an hour! Ok?"
"Ok!" She smiled and he started to leave. "Wait! One more kiss!" She whispered, excitedly.
He laughed and leaned down, capturing her lips with his once more.
"I'll be right back!" He promised, his forehead resting on hers before he reluctantly pulled away.
Rapunzel watched him go, full of anticipation. As Flynn left into the night, she took a deep breath, trying to calm the emotions inside her. She couldn't believe they were actually doing this! Leaving everything behind to be together. But she knew that she wouldn't want it any other way. She quickly hurried back to the castle and slipped into the secret passage. In her room, she took a bag and packed a few things she wanted to take with her, some clothes, a paintbrush, lots of jewellery they could sell and some gold they could live on for a while. Pascal stared at her with a raised eyebrow. "Don't look at me like that, Pascal! I can't stay here and pretend to be someone I'm not and I certainly can't stay here and be forced into a marriage with someone I don't love! I want to be with my Eugene, and I promised myself that I would never stop chasing my dreams! I have to do this!" Then she grabbed the bag and rushed secretly into Maximus's stables, Pascal staying on her shoulder. After explaining everything to Maximus, he agreed to help and leave with them. A moment later, Flynn rushed quietly into the stables, carrying a small bundle.
"Got everything." He announced, grinning as he spotted Rapunzel.
"Really? Show me!" She exclaimed excitedly.
"Ok, here! A red wig and some glasses for you." He handed her the disguise. She quickly put on the red wig over her short brown hair and put on the glasses.
"So? What do you think?" She asked, twirling around.
Flynn smiled dreamily at her. "I think now I've got a thing for redheads!"
She laughed. "Oh, stop it!"
He laughed. "Ok, and for myself I have a black wig that covers my left eye, a false moustache and a new cloak." He exclaimed and put on the disguise. "Well, what do you think?"
"Oh, you look handsome! Now kiss me again!" She said and wrapped her hands around his neck, pulling him into another kiss. She sighed against him, losing herself in his embrace.
Flynn pulled away reluctantly. "Ok, sweetheart, but now we should be going before someone catches us here. And don't worry, we'll have plenty of time for more kisses on our journey!"
"Good!" She laughed.
"Oh, and from now on, I am no longer Flynn Rider."
She smirked amusedly. "Right, of course not! You're Eugene Fitzherbert!"
"Ah, no, I can't use that name either!" He sighed dramatically. "Your parents know that one as well. So, let's say… I'm Francesco Rossi."
She laughed, raising an eyebrow. "Francesco Rossi? Why that?"
"It has the same initials as Flynn Rider." He grinned.
She looked at him teasingly. "If that's the rule, then you should pick a name with initials E.F., not F.R."
He laughed, scratching his head. "You're right. Ok… how about Enrico Ferrari? That's at least also Italian."
She burst into laughter. "And why does it have to be Italian?"
"Well," He said. "I've always felt a strange connection with Italy. Who knows, perhaps one of the people who created me was from Italy." He chuckled. "So, what name do you want to choose?"
She thought for a moment. "Hmm… Ramona. Ramona Ferrari, from tomorrow onward!"
He grinned. "Perfect! Enrico and Ramona Ferrari, from Naples! And lucky for us, I already know the accent." He added in a thick Italian accent.
Rapunzel giggled. "And can you also speak the language, Mr. Ferrari?"
"Of course, signorina!" He took her in his arms and whispered: "Ti amo, mia bella cara."
She blushed. "And what does that mean?"
He smiled lovingly at her. "It means: 'I love you, my beautiful darling.'"
"Oh, Eugene, that's so sweet! And how do you say, 'I love you too'?"
"Anch'io ti amo." He replied with a smile.
She repeated: "Anch'io ti amo, Eugene, … I mean Enrico." She laughed and leaned in to kiss him.
When they finally pulled apart, he chuckled and pulled out another bag. "Oh, before I forget, I also brought some food for the road and here" he held out a hand full of money. "This is all the money I earned at the snuggly duckling!"
"You're amazing! And don't worry about money! I also have a lot of gold for us! Tada!" She held out the gold coins she had packed.
Flynn looked at her in surprise. "What? Where did you get this? You didn't steal it, did you?"
"It's not stealing. This money was for me, sort of pocket money from my parents."
"But you are leaving your parents."
"But they still have enough money to spare and I'm sure it's morally all right. Now, let's go, my love! Come on!" She took his arm and pulled him towards Maximus.
"Wait!" He said and turned her around to face him. "Are you really sure you want to do this? Afterwards, there will be no turning back!"
Rapunzel gently caressed his cheek. "I am sure! If there is one thing, I've learned in my life then that it's all right to leave abusive parents. Especially for love. And I want this." She pressed his hands. "I want us!"
He smiled at her as he brushed a stray hair from her face. "I love you!"
"I love you more!"
"Then I love you the most!"
"And I you too!" She leaned up to kiss him again, this time full of passion and desperation. When they pulled away, Rapunzel looked into his eyes, full of determination. "Let's go!"
Flynn nodded and put his arm around her. They left the stables, looking left and right before Flynn helped Rapunzel onto Maximus' back. Then he mounted behind her. "Hold on tight." He said, wrapping his arms protectively around her waist. Rapunzel giggled. She turned around to kiss him again as they rode off and disappeared into the night.