Tangled Junior Novel Read online

  Quickly, she changed the subject. She wanted to know more about Flynn Rider. It turned out that Flynn was the richest, most powerful man in the world. He was a man who could do anything and go anywhere he wanted. He was a man in a book that Flynn—or rather, Eugene—had read every night when he was a child. Over time, Eugene had adopted the name as his own.

  When he finished with his story, Flynn stood up and stretched. “I need to get some more firewood,” he said. Promising to return soon, he wandered off into the pitch-black forest.

  As Rapunzel felt the warmth of the fire enveloping her, she heard a darkly familiar voice behind her. Startled, she turned to face the cloaked and hooded visitor.

  Rapunzel gasped as she stared at the shadowed figure of Mother Gothel.

  “Hello, dear,” Mother Gothel said.

  “What…what are you doing here?” Rapunzel said, fumbling for words. “I mean, how did you find me?”

  Mother Gothel walked up to Rapunzel and gave her hug. “Oh, it was easy, really,” she said. “I just listened for the sound of complete and utter betrayal and followed that.”

  Rapunzel tried to find a way to explain. She couldn’t help feeling guilty.

  “We’re going home, Rapunzel,” Mother Gothel commanded. “Now.”

  “You don’t understand,” Rapunzel said. “I’ve been on this incredible journey, and I’ve seen and learned so much! I even met someone.”

  “Yes. The wanted thief.” Mother Gothel frowned with disgust.

  “No, Mother, wait! I think he likes me.”

  “Likes you?” Mother Gothel said, scowling at Rapunzel. It was ridiculous for Rapunzel to think that this ruffian could be fond of her, the unworldly child! “This is why you should never have left!” Mother Gothel scoffed. “This whole romance that you’ve invented just proves that you’re too naïve to be here. Why would he like you, really?”

  Mother Gothel was mocking her, trying to unravel the trust she had put in Flynn.

  Rapunzel had heard Mother Gothel’s scornful dismissals before. She had even accepted them. But she no longer believed them the way she used to. Mother Gothel had lied to her throughout her life. Rapunzel knew Flynn liked her. She knew she had made friends in the outside world. But at the same time, her doubts remained, tickling the back of her mind. Maybe—maybe Flynn was just trying to be honorable, to keep up his side of their deal.

  “Come, come,” Mother Gothel said. “You know that I’m right.” She tossed the crown to Rapunzel. She challenged Rapunzel to give it to Flynn and find out what he really wanted.

  Rapunzel began to wonder: If she gave the crown to Flynn, would he stop being nice to her? Would he leave her alone and run away with his prized crown?

  “No,” Rapunzel said firmly.

  The firelight flashed across Mother Gothel’s face as it filled with rage. Rapunzel was doubting her own mother.

  “Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Show him this.” Mother Gothel gestured toward the crown. “Then see how much he likes you!”

  “I will!” Rapunzel said defiantly. But seeing her mother move to leave, Rapunzel called out, “Mother, wait!”

  Mother Gothel simply turned her back and disappeared into the dark forest.

  Rapunzel sat in silence. Minutes ticked by, and Flynn returned.

  Flynn began talking to her lightheartedly, but Rapunzel hardly heard a word.

  “Hey, you okay?” Flynn asked, returning from the woods.

  Rapunzel turned around. “Sorry, yes,” she told him. “I was just, uh, lost in thought, I guess.”

  Flynn began to tend the fire. “So, I have a question,” he said, still intrigued by Rapunzel and her amazing gifts. “Will your hair work if you sing about anything? Like, I don’t know, if you sang a song about cupcakes?”

  Rapunzel didn’t answer him. She just stared up at a knot in the tree where she’d hidden the crown and the satchel. She had believed in Mother Gothel her entire life. But now that she knew Flynn, she felt lost. It was impossible to believe in them both.

  Meanwhile, the Stabbington brothers were hiding in the woods with Mother Gothel. They wanted to grab Flynn, the crown, and the girl with the golden hair right then and there. But Mother Gothel held them back. “Patience, boys,” she whispered. “Trust me, it’s all going exactly to plan.”

  As the sun rose over their little campsite, Flynn Rider was fast asleep. He didn’t notice that Maximus had finally found him. Again. Maximus glared down at the sleeping man, wondering what he should do to him first.

  The horse had galloped, swum, and scrambled up and down mountains, falling and picking himself up again, utterly exhausting himself trying to hunt Flynn down. And now the big horse had him. Maximus nipped at Flynn’s sleeve as Flynn jumped to his feet.

  Rapunzel awoke to a scream. The tenacious horse now had hold of Flynn’s foot and was dragging him away!

  Astonished at the sight, Rapunzel tried to help, grabbing Flynn’s arms. Soon Rapunzel and Maximus were engaged in a tug-of-war with Flynn stretched between them.

  “Don’t worry, Blondie!” Flynn said, trying to sound as if he were in control. “I’ve got him right where I want him!”

  “Give me him!” Rapunzel ordered Maximus. She and the horse were pulling Flynn in opposite directions when Flynn wiggled his foot out of the boot in Maximus’s mouth. Flynn scrambled away. Maximus charged after him.

  Rapunzel stepped in front of the horse. “Whoa, boy,” she said softly. “Easy.”

  She took hold of the horse’s bridle and whispered, “Easy, boy. Shhh. Whoa, boy.”

  Maximus looked at Rapunzel. She cared!

  Peeking out from Rapunzel’s hair, Pascal watched in awe as she tamed the horse.

  “That’s it,” Rapunzel said sweetly. “Now sit.” Maximus hesitated. But Rapunzel looked him in the eye and said again, “Sit.”

  This time Maximus sat. It felt good. He had been racing and hunting and sniffing and falling over cliffs for days now! Rapunzel smiled. “You’re such a good boy,” she said, patting the horse’s neck. “Yes, you are. Now drop the boot.”

  The boot instantly fell from the horse’s mouth. Rapunzel patted him gently. “Oh, look at you, all wet and tired. Are you tired from chasing this bad man all over the place?”

  Maximus had always thought that women had a gentler touch than men when it came to caring for horses.

  “Nobody appreciates you, do they?” she asked kindly.

  Flynn was shocked. She was taking sides—the wrong side! “What? You’re kidding me,” he said, putting his boot back on.

  But Rapunzel ignored Flynn and kept talking to the horse. “Yes, you are tired, and nobody appreciates you, do they? Do they?” The horse neighed, and Rapunzel nodded sympathetically.

  “Oh, come on!” Flynn said impatiently. “He’s a bad horse!”

  Rapunzel just shrugged the comment off. “Oh, he’s nothing but a big sweetheart,” she said. She read the name printed on the horse’s bridle and smiled. “Isn’t that right, Maximus?”

  Flynn rolled his eyes. “You’ve got to be kidding me.” Then he cringed just a bit. He wondered, Am I actually jealous of a horse? Ugh!

  Rapunzel looked into the horse’s big eyes and explained everything very sweetly to him. “Today is the biggest day of my life,” she said. Maximus nodded. “And the thing is, I want you not to get Flynn arrested. Just for twenty-four hours, and then you can chase each other to your hearts’ content. Okay?” Rapunzel paused. “And it’s also my birthday—just so you know.”

  The horse whinnied and shook his big head as if to say everything was okay. But he was only doing this for Rapunzel.

  Carefully, Rapunzel guided Maximus and Flynn together. She wanted them to shake hoof and hand in a truce. Man and horse glared at each other angrily. They could not stand each other.

  The horse snorted and finally raised his hoof. Flynn grudgingly reached out to shake it. He was only doing this for Rapunzel.

  “Oof!” Flynn felt the hoof bypass his hand a
nd punch him in the gut. So much for starting a truce the nice way, Flynn thought.

  It was the beginning of a perfect day, Rapunzel thought. And just when she was sure it couldn’t get any better, the bells of the kingdom began to ring in the distance.

  Rapunzel darted to the crest of a nearby hill, following the sound of the bells.

  In front of her lay a kingdom that was more beautiful than anything she could ever have imagined. Bordered by a body of crystal-blue water, an elegant castle sparkled in the sun, flags flying from its many spires. A village of lovely stone and wood cottages and small bridges nestled at its base.

  Rapunzel turned and smiled at Flynn. She couldn’t wait. Today she would visit the kingdom—and later see those lights at last.

  Before long, Rapunzel and Flynn reached the kingdom’s gates. Pascal rode atop Maximus’s head, grasping his ears and using them as reins. The little chameleon felt as if it was the biggest day of his life, too! As they approached a bridge and a group of palace guards, Flynn worried that he might be recognized and arrested. But Maximus was determined to take care of everything.

  Hoping Rapunzel would notice his cleverness, Maximus spied a boy up ahead holding an armful of small kingdom flags. Rapunzel stared at the flags. There was something familiar about the purple background with the golden sun at its center. But she couldn’t quite figure out what it was that was tickling her memory.

  Maximus went into action, hoisting the boy into Flynn’s arms. With a mass of flags shielding Flynn’s face, they easily walked past the guards. Maximus glanced proudly at Rapunzel.

  “Good morning!” Rapunzel cheerfully greeted the guards.

  And then, all at once, Rapunzel was inside the village. She could hardly contain her excitement. People crowded the streets, talking and shopping, hanging out their laundry and busily doing other chores and errands. Everywhere she looked, she saw the bustle of life and laughter. It was absolutely enchanting.

  She could smell cakes and breads baking. Up ahead, she saw beautiful fabrics and baskets hanging in market stalls.

  Rapunzel hurried forward. She wanted to absorb it all!

  “Whoa!” she cried out, nearly falling flat on the ground. Flynn and Maximus were instantly by her side. People were stepping on her hair! Trying to move through a crowd with seventy feet of hair was definitely a new experience—and also a bit of a problem.

  Rapunzel spotted a solution nearby. A group of girls were braiding one another’s hair. As soon as they saw Rapunzel, their eyes grew wide. They rushed to touch her magnificent hair. Then they began to braid…and braid…and braid.

  When they proudly finished, Rapunzel’s hair was elegantly bundled down her back, the end of the braid well above her ankles.

  “Thank you,” Rapunzel told the girls as she moved on with Flynn and Maximus. Giggling, the girls looked at Flynn’s hair, too. They had secretly braided it with pretty bows!

  Rapunzel raced into a dress shop and tried on a cream-colored gown. It felt so soft and velvety that she couldn’t help twirling happily around. Flynn took one look and his heart almost stopped. Rapunzel was stunning.

  They bought a dozen pastries, covered with pink icing. Rapunzel had never tasted anything so delicious! The sweet sugar melted on her tongue as she ate them all! Poor Flynn hardly got a bite, but he did enjoy watching Rapunzel.

  They stopped in a bookstore. Rapunzel had seen only three books in her life—the three books that Mother Gothel had allowed into the tower. Rapunzel looked at the bookstore shelves filled with hundreds of books and eagerly began trying to read them all. She could not believe how much she was learning and experiencing! Flynn was right next to her the whole time, pulling books from the shelves, gathering them on the floor, sitting beside her as she tried to take them all in.

  Suddenly the town crier called out from a stage at the center of the village: “It is time, good people! Gather around! Yes, come, gather around! Today we dance to celebrate our lost princess. It is a dance of hope, where partners start together, separate, and return to one another. Just as one day our princess will return to us.”

  As the man spoke, a mosaic depicting the King and Queen caught Rapunzel’s eye. She couldn’t help gazing at the picture of the royal couple holding their baby—a portrait from the time just before the Princess was stolen from them. For some reason, Rapunzel felt mesmerized by the emerald-green eyes of the Queen and the little lost princess wearing the crown. The Queen looked almost exactly like Rapunzel.

  Suddenly the town crier said, “Let the dance begin!” Flynn and Rapunzel were caught up in the dancing crowd as everyone moved around the village square.

  Flynn twirled Rapunzel in time to the music. They separated and danced with other partners. Then they came together again—and their eyes locked. And just when Rapunzel thought it couldn’t be more magical, the town crier shouted, “To the boats!”

  The entire, wonderful day had passed, and now night was falling. It was time to release the lanterns.

  Rapunzel gave Maximus a wave as Flynn guided her aboard a boat and rowed away from the docks.

  “Where are we going?” Rapunzel asked him.

  “Well, if it’s the best day of your life,” Flynn replied, “you might as well have the best seat in the house.”

  Rapunzel turned back toward the docks and saw the kingdom laid out before her. “Oh, this is perfect!” she exclaimed.

  “Yep,” Flynn said, feeling proud of how well the day had gone. “Now we just sit and wait,” he told her, knowing that the best was yet to come. “So, are you excited?”

  “I’m thinking that I’m terrified,” Rapunzel replied, staring silently at the water.

  “Why?” Flynn asked.

  “I’ve been sitting at a window for eighteen years, looking out and dreaming about what this place might look like, what I might feel when those lanterns rise tonight,” she told him. “What if it’s not everything I dreamed it would be?”

  Flynn smiled. “It will be.”

  “And what if it is?” Rapunzel asked, feeling overwhelmed by it all. “What do I do then?”

  “That’s the good part, I guess,” Flynn said as they gazed at the kingdom together. “You get to go find a new dream.”

  From their balcony inside the palace courtyard, the King and Queen launched the first lantern.

  Rapunzel was nervously tossing flower petals into the water when she saw the reflection of the lantern as it floated into the sky. Overwhelmed, she turned her head upwards. Thousands of lanterns followed the first, filling the sky! Rapunzel was so excited when she looked up that she ran along the side of the boat, almost tipping it over.

  It was as if she and Flynn were floating in a sea of stars.

  Then Rapunzel turned to Flynn and saw that he had a lantern in his hands. He had gotten it in the village and hidden it in the boat, waiting for this moment to surprise Rapunzel with the gift.

  Rapunzel was so thrilled, she rushed to him and held the lantern. “I can’t believe I’m really here!” she exclaimed. “I don’t know what it is, but I feel like I belong here.”

  Reaching down, she grabbed Flynn’s satchel. “I have something for you, too,” she said, handing it to him. “I should have given it to you before. But I was just scared. And the thing is, I’m not scared anymore. You know what I mean?” She wanted Flynn to understand. She wanted to confess to him that Mother Gothel had always told her that people like Flynn were evil, but that now…now Rapunzel believed in Flynn.

  “Yeah. Yeah, I do,” Flynn said truthfully. He knew that the crown was still in that satchel, but it no longer meant that much to him.

  Quickly, he turned back to Rapunzel. Holding the lantern together, they released it into the sky.

  Then Flynn leaned in closer.

  He stopped just short of kissing Rapunzel. He glanced over her shoulder. The Stabbington brothers were on the shore, waiting for him.

  “Is everything, okay?” Rapunzel asked.

  “Yes…yes, of course,” Fly
nn said, not wanting to ruin the day for her. He started rowing back toward the shore to face the Stabbington brothers.

  “I’m sorry,” he said. “Everything’s fine, but there’s just something I have to take care of.”

  Rapunzel, their journey together, all of it had changed Flynn’s view of the world. He wanted to make things right. He was in love with Rapunzel. He no longer wanted to be a thief, a lone highwayman always running away from everything.

  Flynn landed the boat on the shore and leaped out. He told Rapunzel to wait for him.

  Flynn searched the bushes and found one of the Stabbington brothers by himself. Flynn tossed the satchel down in front of him.

  “There,” he said as the crown fell out of the bag and onto the ground. “You got what you wanted. Now leave us alone. I never want to see you again.” Flynn turned to leave.

  “Holding out on us again, eh, Rider?” said the one Stabbington as his brother sneaked up behind Flynn.

  “What?” Flynn was confused, but one thing was for sure: the Stabbington brothers were not just interested in the crown anymore.

  In a menacing tone, the Stabbington without the eye patch told Flynn everything that he and his brother had learned from wicked Mother Gothel. “We heard you found something. Something much more valuable than a crown.” Both brothers looked in the direction of the boat where Rapunzel sat waiting.

  Flynn cringed as he realized the brothers had somehow found out about Rapunzel’s magic hair. Desperately, he began to fight.

  A little while later, Rapunzel was relieved to see a man finally step from the bushes. “I was starting to think you ran off with the crown and left me!” she said with a laugh, thinking it was Flynn.

  “He did,” a rough voice answered. Rapunzel gasped. She wasn’t looking at Flynn. And it wasn’t just one man, but two—the Stabbington brothers.

  “What?” Rapunzel said, confused and panicked. “No, he wouldn’t.”