Tangled The Series Story: In The Shadows

Chapter 1: Rapunzel's POV

No one said that being queen would be easy. Rapunzel was more than aware of the difficulties that leadership brought, but she was confident that she was capable of the responsibilities. After all, her life had done nothing but test her from the start. From the time of her birth to her temporary crowning of queen had been full of hardships, pain, mistakes and failures. But there was laughter, love, friends and second chances intertwined.

However, no one told her how stressful planning a royal wedding was. From a person who loved parties and planning them, it spoke volumes if it was starting to become overwhelming. Lucky for her, she didn't have to do it alone. She had Eugene.

Rapunzel gently set her crown on her head as she looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her green eyes flickered as she scanned her features. Freckles were scattered across her cheeks nose like she had splattered her face with paint. Her hair was starting to grow out a little and it now reached her shoulders and the top half of her hair was held back by a pin of white and purple flowers.

Her eyes settled on her purple dress. It was a high neck, but it split, giving her bare shoulders. Her sleeves were puffed off the shoulder until it met golden cuffs around her biceps. The sleeves were around her arm and ended with a triangle cut, the longer but covering the back of her hand. She had a cranberry colored corset on her torso with suns and flowers with swirled vines imprinted on it in a darker shade. Her dress ended about mid for leg and split along the front. Underneath it was a long lavender skirt that reached her ankles, but hemmed in a way so that she could easily walk barefoot without tripping. Or even run if she were ever in need to fight off a regular villain.

How much had she changed in just the past four years? She was no longer the girl from a tower, nor the princess who'd barely seen the world, or even the young woman who believed that she could accomplish anything and everything. Sometimes she wished she could be naive again. It was less stressful and she didn't have to be concerned if her outfits matched or if what she did would insult an aristocrat. Although she could care less what they thought of her, she still wanted to prove that she could be herself while still paying tradition it's dues. But it is sometimes easier said than done.

For something as wonderful and beautiful as a wedding, it sure did take a lot of stressful and particularly planning to make it work. She wouldn't have minded a simple wedding, but her father insisted that she should have the grandest wedding of the centuries. It was mainly the situation of the guards that really perplexed her. Had they always been that low on staff or had that many of them quit during the short Saporian Reign? Either way, there simply didn't feel like enough to help guard her guests and after her coronation, many feared ceremonial gatherings that had to do with the royal family. No one wanted a repeat of Lady Caine, even if everything had turned out fine in the end.

She let out a deep sigh, giving herself a tired grin. "Don't worry. It's just one week away," she said to herself. "No more planning. Just me and Eugene finally tying the knot."

Pascal made a noise in his throat, standing on Rapunzel's hairbrush on her vanity. She scooped the chameleon in her hands, tapping his nose.

"Don't worry. I didn't forget about you Pascal. Nothing's going to change anything between us. Are you excited to carry the rings?"

He smiled, turning a pink color to emphasize his excitement.

Rapunzel chuckled and set her friend on her shoulder as she walked out of her room. Her bare feet silently padded on the red rugs in the halls.

Rapunzel.

She turned around upon hearing her name. No one was there. A shiver ran up her spine, not recognizing who the voice even belonged to. She decided that the voice was merely a figment of her imagination, created from high stress levels. Perhaps she should get a check up, but she was currently on her way for a more important task first. Checking up on Eugene.