I love this movie. Too much.

My first try at a tangled ff. Enjoy :)

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Three days following the return of the princess, rain began to fall over the kingdom of Corona. The King and Queen gazed out the large library windows, their eyes fixed on the forms of their daughter and the ex-thief as they played in the downpour.

"Perhaps we should give them privacy," the Queen said quietly, laying a small hand on her husbands' arm. "They don't know we're watching."

"I don't trust him," the King replied, his voice hard. His fixed his glare on the bandit.

Outside, Rapunzel had taken the thief's hands. The pair spun and twirled around each other as if engaged in a fast paced dance, lifting their heads and smiling into the rain.

"He returned our daughter," the Queen kindly pointed out, raising her eyebrows.

The King shook his head, pressing his lips into a thin line. "Hoping for a reward, no doubt."

He turned his head and examined the two of them again. Pirouetting and leaping, Rapunzel moved swiftly, laughing wildly. The thief was close behind her, playfully reaching out to grab her waist and spin her in a quick circle.

"Has he asked for a reward?" asked the Queen.

"He will," he assured her. "Of course he will."

A screech came from outside, heard even through the pounding rain and the thick window. The King and Queen's head both snapped toward their daughter, concerned for her safety. But their worries were unnecessary. Rapunzel had cried out as the bandit lifted her off the ground and over his shoulder, spinning her around and around.

"He's a bad influence on her. Look at them, they're acting like barbarians."

"I think you have it backwards," the Queen replied, a knowing grin on her lips. Looking pleased, she sent her husband a quick wink.

"What do you mean?"

The sound of their daughters' laughter filled their ears again, this time accompanied by the sound of the bandit's amused chuckles. The King gazed steadily at the couple, absorbing their every move. Rider was watching Rapunzel with a bright, glowing smile, as if she were the sun and the moon, and everything good in the word. He was gazing at his daughter as if...

"I think it is Rapunzel who as been affecting him, darling," said the Queen.

"Rapunzel is naive. She doesn't understand."

The Queen smirked. "I think she understands him better than any of us."

He scowled. "You can't be serious. You approve of this robber? Do you not understand the crimes he has committed? Three days ago Flynn Rider had a price of ten thousand crowns on his head, and now he's staying in the palace like passing royalty and frolicking in the gardens with my daughter like he―!"

"He loves her."

At that, the King froze, at a lost for words. Flynn Rider, infamous thief, in love with the princess? Such a thing seemed too convenient to be coincidence. So this had been his plan all along... to worm his way into the affections of the royal family? All the riches in the world would be at his finger tips.

"Look," said the Queen, sensing her husbands' thoughts. "See the way they look at each other."

The King knew what she meant, of course. He was not blind, and the thief had made no attempt to hide his feelings. Wherever Rapunzel was, Flynn Rider was undoubtedly close behind, smiling at her with that silly grin. They acted like children, running around the palace from one thing to another, racing each other through the halls. This sort of behavior seemed understandable for their daughter, being that she'd spent her life trapped in a tower. But Rider, too, was embracing it all. He was beside her as she discovered everything, explaining how it worked and why people used it.

He looked out the window again. Rider was holding her wrist, slowing her to a stop. But she didn't slow down. Crashing into his chest, the pair fell down onto the muddy ground, Rapunzel laying on top of him.

"This isn't civilized behavior," the King declared.

The Queen only laughed. "Civilized? She's only been in society for a few days, darling."

"But Rider knows that. He's taking advantage of her innocence―"

His words ran dry in his mouth as he looked upon his daughter again, still laying across the bandit's chest in the mud. She reached a hand out, gingerly brushing the wet hair away from his forehead. Then, hovering over him, she lowered her lips to his for a gentle kiss.

"I think Eugene will be staying for a while," the Queen whispered.

The King teared his gaze away from the couples' embrace. "He really loves her, doesn't he?"

She grinned. "Without a shadow of a doubt."

"And if he does stay?" he asked uncertainly. "You think he's changed? You think a thief can become a Prince Consort?"

"I think Eugene has many qualities that are quite admirable," said the Queen. "Of course, he is very brave and courageous."

"Cocky, you mean," interrupted the King.

"He is also extremely honest," she continued.

"A bandit, honest?" he countered sarcastically.

"Darling, you can't still believe that Eugene is no better than the common bandit."

He laughed. "Of course not. He's ten times worse than the common bandit."

Outside, Rapunzel and the bandit in question sat side by side, whispering quietly to each other, their faces close. He touched her short brunette hair, ruffling it playfully. Rapunzel laughed again, shooing his hand away. As he lowered his arm, she grabbed it between her hands, brining his fingers to her lips.

"Hmmph," hummed the King. "She does seem to be quite fond of him."

"Yes, darling," said the queen.

"I want a vase to be placed outside of his bedchambers. Gold, and encrusted with emeralds and rubies. Something a thief could never refuse."

"If you insist," the Queen sighed, her eyes laughing. "I don't think it's necessary to test him, darling."

"Well I do insist," he declared. "If this Fitzherbert boy is going to marry my daughter, I want to know he's a decent fellow."

She laughed, walking over to her husband and laying her cheek against his arm. "Of course, my love."

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