Antigravity (Flynn Rider x Reader)

VII

Published: December 6th, 2021

You wake up to see a blonde girl with extremely long hair shaking you awake.

"It's time!" Rapunzel says excitedly. "Today we go to the kingdom!"

You sit up almost immediately, rubbing your eyes sleepily. You don't want to be awake. You were having a nice dream about... what was it? You already forgot.

You look around for Flynn -- no, Eugene, who is throwing sand on the still-orange embers where the fire once was. Suddenly, Rapunzel's words hit you. You were going to see people -- you'd only ever met three. And this kingdom is supposedly filled with at least a thousand.

In an hour, the three of you have embarked on the last leg of your journey; you'll only have to wait four days inside the city to see the lights. You've spent ages putting Rapunzel's hair into three braids and then braiding those braids together. You cross the stone brick bridge, getting giddy. The kingdom already looks so big... you would finally be in a community. You look over your shoulder at Eugene and Rapunzel and mouth, "wow!"

Rapunzel darts ahead. As she passes you, she squeals "race you!"

You walk a little faster, distracted by the people walking past you. They all look so different, yet so similar. You wonder what it's like to live in the kingdom.

"She's gonna win," you hear from over your shoulder. You turn to see Flynn-Eugene watching the near-teenager run into the bustling crowd.

"That's okay," you smile. "I just hope she doesn't get lost."

A middle-aged man walks past and stops in front of you. "Well, aren't you a pretty young girl?"

You hear Flynn-Eugene start to speak, but you cut him off.

"No, not really," you deadpan. "You, on the other hand, are gorgeous. I'm just loving that acne. I didn't know someone that old could get acne!" You walk right past him.

"Already making enemies, killer?" Eugene prompts.

"Oh, please tell me I handled that correctly," you sigh.

"That was perfect. Next time, though, wait until you know what they want?" he suggests.

"I'm not taking that chance," you say, and you go to find Rapunzel.

~+~

It doesn't take you long to find her -- the golden hair and bare feet are a bit obvious. You look around for Eugene and find him carrying two pairs of boots. You have a sneaking suspicion that he stole them. He spots you and holds them out to you both. You take a pair -- they're a dark leather. You find a rock wall to sit on as you and Rapunzel lace up the boots -- yours are very high, almost to your knees. They're a bit tight, but maybe they're supposed to be like that. You stand up and do a little spin.

"Am I taller? I feel taller," you say, attempting to roll on your heels.

"A little," Eugene says tonelessly.

"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!" Rapunzel squeals, having finally managed to tie her pair. She flings her arms around Eugene as he pats her head awkwardly.

"Can we explore?" you ask Eugene, a spark in your eye.

"Oh, don't ask him, just do it!" Rapunzel says, grabbing your hand and prancing into the marketplace. You look around the lively center and see stalls with every different color awning imaginable. Vendors are shouting advertisements all around you.

"Bits and baubles for sale!"

"The finest cuts, fresh from the wilds."

"Fresh baked loaves, still warm from the oven!"

"Remember, fresh fruits and vegetables every day! Mostly."

You grin, looking around, listening to all of the different voices. A mother and daughter converse nearby.

"Mama, can we go to the tavern for supper?"

"I'm afraid not, little fairy," the mother responds. "We went last night."

"Aww..."

You walk up to an art vendor, admiring the works.

"Do you like them?" the woman asks you.

"They're wonderful!" Rapunzel says. "I wish I could paint like that." You spot a familiar looking painting.

"Are those the lanterns?" you ask, inspecting the painting further.

"Why, yes! I've been getting an awful lot of comments on that piece. The princess's birthday is a sort of a bittersweet holiday," the woman says. "I made it with oil paints!"

"Bittersweet? Why?" Rapunzel inquires.

"You're not from Corona, are you?" the woman asks. You shake your head. "Well, when the queen was with child, she grew ill. It was such a miracle that the princess saw the light of day that a festival was held -- with lanterns being launched into the sky.

"Horribly, the king and queen woke up the next night to their baby crying. When they checked on her, she was gone. They saw a very old woman jumping from the balcony with the child, and neither were ever seen again." the woman finishes dramatically. "Every year, on her birthday, we launch the lanterns yet again in the hope that the lost princess will return."

"Wow," Rapunzel says.

"Well, have a nice day, girls!" the kind woman waves.

"You, too." you say in unison with Rapunzel. You walk away from the stall.

"I can't believe something so beautiful can have such a heartbreaking story," Rapunzel ruminates. "The poor queen. The poor king! The poor princess...."

Somewhere nearby, music like you've never heard starts playing. You look around to find the source and start toward three musicians. In a few moments, you've stashed your frying pan in a bush and convinced them to play their liveliest music. You turn to Rapunzel and start to dance. Rapunzel turns and pulls the little girl from earlier in to dance with you.

Soon, you've collected at least half of the market-goers, and they start dancing some kingdom-known dance that isn't hard to figure out. With everyone arranged like this, you notice the cobblestones beneath your feet are arranged in a sort of seven pointed star shape. They begin to clap to the beat.

You look up to see Eugene looking at you from a distance with admiration and you gesture for him to join you. He scrunches up his nose and shakes his head at you, so naturally you walk over and drag him into the happy crowd. The music picks up as you dance happily on your toes, everyone around you beaming. The satchel sways around you and you put a hand on the strap, sturdying it.

Rapunzel is chatting avidly with a girl who looks about her age, and you realize that Mother was wrong about the world. It's beautiful. Someone takes your hands and spins you around -- Eugene, you realize -- and the music ends with a flourish. You try to catch your breath, looking at Eugene. A quieter song begins and you awkwardly step back as he releases your hands.

You catch Rapunzel's eyes as she mouths, "I made a friend!" You beam at her and sit on the nearby bench, tired from the dancing. Eugene sits next to you and looks over at you, and a strange feeling moves through your abdomen -- it's like your stomach is doing backflips.

"You look happy," he says.

"I am."