Chapter 16

Flynn spends almost a week in the castle. They provide him with a very nice set of rooms, which he immediately notices do not have windows. The only door isn't locked, but whenever he opens it, he's stopped by a set of guards who politely ask what he wants before sending him back inside.

There's no doubt that it's a prison. But it's a nice one, so he can't complain.

They do give him whatever he wants. He doesn't remember how long it's been since he had three square meals a day, much less ones that come with different kinds of sauces and desert. They bring him books when he starts to get bored, and one of the guards is lax enough to fill him in on everything that's happening without him.

They bring him anything he wants, except the princess. It sounds ridiculous, but she's what he wants more than anything else.

Mostly he just wants to speak to her. Is she alright? The guard tells him that she is. What did she do to him? He's mostly pieced it together, but still… what the hell? And what's going to happen to him now? The guards are silent on this issue, and he suspects that no one really knows.

He'd like to apologize to her. His dull days spent in the castle have given him plenty of time to think, and the girl with the magic hair has given him plenty to think about.

He should probably admit to her that some of the things – well, most of the things – he's done to her were wrong. But he wants to tell her that he's changed – or see if she noticed – and then ask for another shot. Maybe they could make something work.

She's so pretty and sweet. How did he not notice that before? He must have noticed and just pushed it out of the way because he was too full of himself and his plans for greatness for someone like her to distract him.

She brought him back to life. She destroyed her own magical abilities rather than watch him die again. She must have healed his nose in the forest too. He has so much for which to thank her, so many ways to say he's sorry, and so many ways to kick himself.

And she was so into him. He should have jumped on that.

She was so into him that he seriously doubts that her feelings have changed. He grins to himself as he thinks about it, reclining on his sofa and staring up at the ceiling for the third hour in a row.

He grins and thinks about the way she blushes, the raw desire that lights in her eyes, the way her body would meld against his. There are so many things he can do to her when they're reunited, things that would make up for all the crap he pulled before.

She'll forgive him. He knows that much about her.

And now she's a princess too. She just gets better and better!

So he sits and thinks and reads and paces, and then he realizes that he's spent more time waiting to see her than he has in her company.

Rapunzel is not convinced the king and queen are her parents. It's just too difficult to swallow. The king and queen seem to understand this, and they offer her time and space and after the first time, the queen doesn't try to hug her again. It had been too terribly awkward. They don't push her or try to convince her, but it's clear that they disagree with her assessment.

The queen trims Rapunzel's hair herself as Rapunzel didn't do a very neat job of it. Single strands are much longer than their neighbors, the ends are singed, and once she gets time to inspect it properly, it's clear that she managed to cut it at a strange diagonal.

But the queen sets it right, evening everything out with a steady hand. She brushes Rapunzel's hair until it shines again, and doesn't sing a single note while doing so. She braids it back with gentle fingers, while the maids hover around them wishing they were allowed to help.

The moment gives Rapunzel a chance to inspect the queen in the mirror. Their noses are different. She clings to that fact, repeating it over and over in her mind.

Their noses are different.

But their frowns are the same.

They ask her about her life and she tells them with enthusiasm. No one's ever been so interested in her before. They actually seem to listen and they ask questions as if they care about her answers.

She tells them about her paintings and the queen says that she would love to see them and then suggests that they commission Rapunzel to make a new painting to hang in the king's study. The one that's there now is a grizzly battle scene, which no one finds very attractive. When they show it to her, Rapunzel agrees, but she still spends fifteen minutes examining the faces of all the tiny people.

She tells them about baking and the king takes her to the kitchens where they spend the afternoon sampling the pastries. The kitchen staff dotes on her, and the king grins with pride as she helps to roll out dough.

She tells them about Pascal and how much she's been neglecting him on her journey, and the queen allows him to sit perched on her finger, where he puffs out his chest and looks very important. The queen even speaks to him, and that makes Rapunzel's heart soar.

She tells them how she likes to play chess and the king sits down with her after dinner to share a quiet game while the queen looks on. All his moves have names, and he informs her that hers do as well. She's absolutely fascinated that somewhere someone else thought up the same thing she did. Somewhere, someone else thinks like she does.

They look horrified when she describes her tower. They hide it as poorly as the fact that they think they're her parents. She appreciates how easy they are to read, even if their disapproval of her lifestyle is completely unnerving.

They seem most interested in her mother, and ask her so many questions that she eventually asks if they can talk about something else. They apologize profusely, and quickly drop their anxious interrogation, slipping back into their usual happy interest.

"What should we do now?" the queen asks. "Rapunzel, what would you like to do?"

No one's ever really asked her that before (except Pascal) and she is at a loss for how to respond.

They mount an expedition to her tower, which relieves Rapunzel immensely. Once they arrive, Mother will be able to explain that this has all been some kind of big misunderstanding, and she'll be able to go home after thanking their highnesses for all their kindness and hospitality.

"Of course, dear," the queen says, but it's obvious that she doesn't believe it. Rapunzel decides that she doesn't mind when the king and queen lie to her because they're so obvious about it.

"I'm looking forward to speaking with your mother," the king says. He shares a dark look with the queen, who changes the subject to ask Rapunzel if she's ever ridden in a carriage before.

But Mother isn't in the tower. Even though it bites with disappointment, it makes sense. Mother wouldn't be able to enter the tower without Rapunzel's assistance anyway, and if her mother had arrived to find Rapunzel missing, she would surely have scoured the countryside looking for her. Poor Mother, her daughter's disappearance must have caused so much grief and anxiety.

The queen rubs her shoulder while the king orders a thorough search of the forest and capital.

One of the guards discovers that part of the wall at the base of the tower looks different from the rest. It's as though there used to be a doorway that has long since been bricked up. They start removing the stones, much to Rapunzel's resentment, and eventually burst through into the tower's interior to reveal a staircase that she has never seen before.

She resents that too. The guards found it so easily that she suspected they thought she was stupid for not figuring it out herself. And if there were stairs here the whole time, why did Mother insist on using her hair? It's not as though the lack of a door was what kept her inside.

The queen fawns over her murals, clearly impressed by her map of the heavens and eagerly suggesting that they borrow a telescope and go star gazing that evening.

The king's eyes dart around the little tower, clearly disturbed by its size. But she supposed that he would think anywhere that wasn't a castle was small.

"Until your mother is found, I think it would be best for you to stay with us," the queen says. "It seems very lonely out here. Is there anything you'd like to pack to bring with you?"

Rapunzel frowns and agrees, tossing her three books, some paint brushes, a quilt, and a bunt pan into a basket.

One day the king announces that Rapunzel is far too thin and needs to be fattened or she's going to blow away in a strong wind. She wrinkles her nose and quips back that maybe the real problem was that he needs more exercise and he's already bored of his newly acquired vegetarian meals. He laughs and arranges for the chef to start introducing chicken broth into her diet. The queen rolls her eyes and agrees that they both have valid points.

Eventually, the guards conclude their search of the kingdom without a single sign of Gothel.

"My guess is that she heard of the Lost Princess' return and ran for it before she could be brought to justice," the guard says.

Rapunzel runs from the room to throw herself on her bed and sob, because now her mother has abandoned her. Now her mother has all but admitted her guilt. Rapunzel thought she knew so little about the world, but now she finds that she knew even less than that. She's been deceived for so long by someone she trusted.

Her mother was cold and had high expectations, but she was Rapunzel's rock. She was a steadying force in her life that grounded her to reality as much as the rising of the sun or the stones of her tower. And now that security, that knowledge that some things are real and undeniable, has been ripped away to leave her falling and helpless.

Maybe minutes pass, maybe hours, and the queen appears to rub Rapunzel's back. It's soothing and undemanding. The queen doesn't ask her to stop, or press her to talk, or point out that she was right all along. She simply offers comfort to a crying child, even though the tears are for a woman she despises.

The closest thing she's experienced to it was when Flynn held her in their jail cell. But then again, she is still upset with him for that.

"My whole life's a lie," she whimpers.

"No. No, my darling. You've been fooled, yes. But you control your life and you can do with it what you will. All that deception, as horrible as it is, has made you who you are and taught you to be strong. Who you are - your life isn't a lie. It's as real as the coming of the seasons, and it's beautiful and tragic and absolutely wonderful."

She blinks up at the queen through her tears and decides – for the first time, really decides – that out of all the people in the world, this is the person she should trust.

This person is her mother.

That evening she decides to visit Flynn. She couldn't bring herself to see him before hand. What could she say to him? He confuses her so much that her insides swirl, and thinking of him makes her feel lightheaded and angry and sad all at the same time.

But now she's made a decision. Now she's found her feet again.

She leaves her crown and Pascal with the guard at his door. They aren't pleased when she asks to speak with Flynn alone, but they allow it because she's the princess and they have to do as she says.

Flynn jumps to his feet when she enters, a delighted smile blossoming onto his face – his very handsome face. It's a gesture she can't help but return. He strides toward her, stopping just shy of gathering her into his arms, and reaches out to brush a finger against her hair, to skate his knuckles across her cheek.

"Did I ever tell you I've got a thing for brunettes?"

She laughs under her breath and shakes her head at him. "I bet you say that to all the brown haired girls. And then you tell the blondes that you've got a thing for them, too."

He scoffs. "Me? No."

"Yeah. You."

He shrugs. "I've got a thing for you, Rapunzel."

"That so?"

"Yep."

"Hmm." She unfolds the piece of paper in her hand and holds it out for him. "Here. His highness agreed this afternoon to grant you a pardon."

He reaches out slowly to take it from her and inspect it. "How much did you have to twist his arm?"

"He doesn't like you." At all. The king disliked him enough for stealing the crown and causing general mayhem around the kingdom. Once Rapunzel explained all about their adventures together, Flynn became downright despised. "He… appreciates that you played a role in bringing me home. And he understands that you're…"

"I'm what?" he smirks.

She shrugs. "You're important to me."

"Oh, really? Well, that's very interesting." She looks up to catch the smug glint in his eyes. He really is endearing in his own conceited way.

"You won't be forgiven for any crimes you commit in the future."

"Of course not. It's the straight and narrow from here on out."

She gives him a look of utter skepticism.

"Seriously!" he says. "Near death experiences can really give a man some perspective, you know."

"Yeah. I do."

The sudden shift in her tone gives him pause, and he leans back slightly to squint at her. "Huh. Something's gotten into you."

"Maybe it's perspective."

"… Well, this doesn't sound promising."

"You used me, Flynn."

"Uh. Yeah. About that-"

"You used me and you took advantage and you were cruel."

He winces. "Rapunzel, I'm sorry. I know, I was – " he reaches for her arms only to have her shrug him off, and he freezes, his hands hanging in midair before he pulls away to rub the back of his neck and clear his throat.

"I've treated you poorly," he says. "Abysmally, really. You didn't deserve it and I'm sorry."

She narrows her eyes, waiting for more.

"But I've changed now. You've made me a better man, and I want to make it right if you'll let me."

She considers it. She looks into his deep, brown eyes and adds the honesty in them at this moment into the pile of things she knows about Flynn, a pile that she's sorted through and examined and fretted over for the past few days.

"No," she says, shaking her head. "It's too late and I don't believe you."

His face falls slowly until he's just gaping at her in confusion. It occurs to her that he's probably never been turned down by a girl before.

"Wait." He leans forward and reaches for her again. This time she lets him take hold of her arm. "We should talk about this."

She laughs again and it comes out a bit choked, a bit forced. "There's nothing to talk about."

"Let me convince you. What can I do to prove it to you?"

"There's nothing you can do."

"I'll come up with something." He nods at this as if assuring himself as much as her.

She smiles up at him sympathetically, and she's radiant and confident and the most perfect creature he's ever seen.

So he kisses her. Because he wants her and it seems like the thing to do, because that's how he solves problems, because she's amazing – amazing even though she doesn't want him, or maybe that's part of the appeal.

He draws her into his arms and breathes in the feel of her, the taste of her, her warmth and her charm and her devastating allure. He pleads for her to stay with him. He latches onto her response to his touch, the quickening of her pulse and the movement of her lips, the way she softens under his hands. He does everything he can to enchant her, to pull her in and captivate her.

He's done it before.

She doesn't pull away when the kiss ends. She stays in his arms, their lips barely brushing against each other, as she looks up at him with dark, lidded eyes.

"You see," she murmurs, "You haven't changed that much."

He blinks down at her and it takes him a moment to realize that she's absolutely right.

He lowers her slowly and takes a careful step back as a chill seeps into his heart from her absence against his chest, from her rejection and his defeat.

"You're free to go whenever you're ready," she says, making an attempt to straighten her hair.

"Hmm."

"…Are you alright?"

The corner of his mouth quirks. "I think you're the one."

She smiles at him, a truly beautiful smile. "Goodbye, Flynn."

"We'll meet again," he assures her.

"Of course."

They nod to each other in a playful kind of farewell that tugs at his heart.

On the other side of the door, the guard presents her again with her crown and her chameleon, and thus adorned, she walks away with her head held high.