#the way even rapunzel herself acknowledges that he is SOMEHOW connected to her and the black rocks

[dasketcherz]

really a firm believer that varian's meant to be the real holder of the moonstone hadnt he been left behind bars in corona and cass was really just some jealous snatcher of other ppl's destinies 💀

[rachelbethhines]

Tangled Salt Marathon - The Quest for Varian

This is one of the better episodes of the first season and arguably of the whole series, but like most arc episodes from season one, it’s let down by the events of later seasons. 

Summary:  After another nightmare about her hair, Rapunzel receives a message from Varian saying he may have solved the mystery of the rocks and needs her help finding the bronze Graphtyc. Rapunzel and her friends journey to Old Corona, which is now overgrown by the Black Rocks. Along the way, they come across a group of masked figures who are out to stop Rapunzel from seeking the answers she wants.

These Prophetic Dreams Go Nowhere

Rapunzel has had them previously in What the Hair and she has them again during The Return of the Alchemist, but they don’t add anything outside of this one episode. 

Rapunzel learns nothing from them other than to be a vague warning of what she is ignoring. They don’t actually show they future, they reveal no hidden meaning, and they just disappear after the first season for little reason. We never find out why she was having them, why Varian was the only other person connected to them and not say, Cass, nor what was causing them. 

Dreams and prophecies can build tension, but you gotta explain where they come from, their place within the world, and how they tie back into the narrative. 

Rapunzel Only Cares About Varian When It Affects Her Personally

I want you to keep in mind that it's been nearly three months since Queen for a Day. Season one takes place over the course of six months, ending with Rapunzel’s birthday. Queen for a Day is meant to be the mid-season finale and we are already planning for her birthday in this episode. Also for further evidence, if you’ve watched the series in production order as intended, then we’ve had seven episodes between the two. 

During this entire time Rapunzel hasn’t thought of Varian outside of how letting him down has made her feel. She doesn’t actually care that he’s in trouble and is only getting involved now because she’s having nightmares and personally needs answers. 

You can’t constantly claim that Rapunzel is this kind and compassionate person when she abandons children for months on end while only thinking of herself, and then never actual apologizes for it.    

Rapunzel Knows About the Rumors and Does Nothing

Nigel is literally repeating them to her point blank and she says nothing. She doesn’t correct him nor tries to stop them from spreading, and then dares to act shocked when Varian mentions how they affected his life in the next episode.  How hypocritical can you get? 

Oh yeah, the King exists...

Frederic is a Liar

The lie about the rocks is obvious, but there’s more to it then that. He’s also lying about the rumors as well. We don’t know who started the rumors about Varian attacking Rapunzel, whether it was Nigel or Frederic, but we do know that Frederic does know the truth because he’s read Rapunzel’s diary. He’s using the rumors to his advantage in keeping Varian quiet regardless if he started them or not. This is an abuse of power. 

Frederic has Chased an Orphan Out of His Home

Varian’s letter tells us that the guards have been after him and the scroll for awhile now. That’s why he needs Rapunzel to go get it for him and why he has to go through these elaborate means to reach her. He’s not just been abandoned for months; he’s been unfairly hounded by the authorities and forced to survive on the run. 

Also keep in mind that it’s been shown that Corona has an unjust legal system that unfairly and harshly punishes poor people. The king could very well imprison, banish, or hang Varian if he catches him and it wouldn’t be out of character for Frederic to do so. 

Varian Shouldn’t Have had to Ask for Help a Second Time

Rapunzel’s defenders try to act like her helping Varian here somehow makes up for her abandoning him for months, and no. No, it doesn’t. 

First off, three months. Second off, this is her responsibility as both a princess and as an adult, and she’s ignored it until it was convenient to her; till she had something to gain from helping. Last off, Varian is a child. 

There’s no excuse for abandoning a child, ever. I don’t care for how long. Rapunzel does not have any sort of defense when it comes to her treatment of Varian; end of story. I do not care how much you personally like her as a character. Accept that your fav did a bad thing and move on. 

I Actually Like Eugene’s and Cassandra’s Relationship Here and How it’s Grown; Shame Future Seasons Never Focus On It Again

Like seriously, does Cass and Eugene even have another conversation during season two? Do we see them spending any time together outside the group? They get zero focus after this season. Also, don’t get me started on how season three screws them both over. 

Upon Figuring Out the Truth About Quirin, Rapunzel Decides to Throw a Pity Party

No, “Oh no, Varian is alone in the world!” or, “Oh crap, this is what Varian needed me for’; not even a “Oh poor Quirin.” Just a “Poor me, I feel guilty now” instead. And not even guilty for treating Varian badly, just guilty for touching the rocks, i.e. something that she can’t be held accountable for by the narrative.

Once again, do not try to pass off your main character as a kind and caring person if all you’re going to do is have her selfishly focus on her pain all the time. 

Why Would You Say that Cass? 

No seriously, why would you say that? Aren’t you supposed to be Varian’s friend? Weren’t you also there with Rapunzel when he asked for help? Did he just not warn you in his letter that he was being chased by someone for the scroll? What possible reason would you have not to trust him at this point in the narrative? Also, you’re wrong. They aren’t with Varian, so this isn’t a case of foreshadowing either. 

Cap Fights His Own Daughter Here Out of ‘Duty’ and The Show Never Calls Him Out For It

Look, I like Cap. He’s the best father, nay, best parent, in the show, hands down. And this situation is mostly Frederic’s fault. But he’s not blameless either.

In season one he constantly chooses loyalty to the crown over doing what is actually right. He chases down a defenceless teenager who has been recently orphaned and drives him from his home on the excuse of ‘orders’. He attacks his own daughter and the princess on the excuse of ‘orders.’ Even in the finale he chooses ‘orders’ over his own daughter’s happiness. 

This all could have tied into season three’s narrative, but the show is so hyper fixated on Rapunzel and her relationship with Cass, that any attempts to call out this behaviour falls flat. There’s no proper focus on his and Cass’s relationship and no real resolvement of their issues. 

This Isn’t Foreshadowing 

Look, if your only ‘hint’ for the big plot twist in season three is a split second shot in season one of a character doing a totally normal thing, that you have to send the viewers on a quest to find, then you’ve failed at writing. 

Sorry Ricky, but your ‘quest’ sucks and this story sucks. 

Cass Has No Excuse For Not Knowing What Gothel Actually Did to Raps Because Eugene Is Literally Telling Her the Whole Story In This Scene

Speaking of dumb twists, the writers pointed out this scene as a clue for the Gothel twist but it actually undermines the narrative because now Cass has no logical reason to ever think Gothel wasn’t anything but abusive. She should very well know that Rapunzel had a sucky childhood because she’s actually seen it. 

Rapunzel and the Mains Now Know About Frederic Framing Varian and Do Nothing About It

Varian sent them a letter telling them he’s being hunted down for the scroll. They get chased when they find the scroll. They’re informed by the people chasing them that Frederic sent them after the scroll. Yet, all they care about is why Frederic order this in the first place and not about the obvious abuse of power that this is. Nor about the kid that still on the run for his life. 

Conclusion 

Look it may seem I’m being harsh on Rapunzel here, but honestly the problem isn’t that she’s made a mistake, or is selfish this one time, or that she did a bad thing. No, the problem is that narrative never holds her to account. She never acknowledges that she was wrong. That is the biggest failing of the show. It takes what is, at first, a fun, complex story and turns it into a cringe fest. So much so that once good episodes now become painful to sit through. 

[ravenwritesstuff]

Best Laid Plans (9/?)

Fandom: Frozen (modern AU, no magic) Pairings: Helsa, established Kristanna, Rapunzel/Eugene, lotsa frohana Rating: T for now, M later almost for sure A/N: Please go away and don’t read the stuff I write.

They have been out to sea for twenty minutes now, Arendelle’s coast disappearing in the distance the same way Elsa’s hope for this day to go any way even close to how she hoped vanished before her eyes. 

After the safety briefing from the crew (which she barely heard) she had attempted to direct the conversation towards the contract, the parts and pieces that needed to still be negotiated and finalized, but Mister Westergaard had other ideas. 

Eat first. He had said. We have all day.

Bits of polite conversation had floated around her. Hans Westergaard entertained the group with intentional questions, occasionally including her but in some ways almost purposefully excluding her. She is simultaneously thrilled and annoyed, but she is not prepared to deal with either emotion.

So she had picked at the sumptuous fare: cold roasted squash wrapped in hickory smoked bacon, miniature parfait cups with berry compote and tangy greek yogurt topped with a sprig of mint, delicate quiche bites that even served cold are still creamy and without a hint of the rubbery texture she always achieves when cooking eggs. There is mixed fruit salad with a lime reduction glaze, brown sugar crusted salmon delicately seated on lemon buttered crostini, and single waffle quarters served with ten dozen options for toppings including jalapeno infused maple syrup. The list goes on.

Elsa is accustomed to tastings and decadence when it comes to food but nearly always when planning it for someone else, some other occasion. She had little experience being the recipient of such gourmet assortments and has never bothered to learn to cook. Still knowing they will sail she does not feel a great need to indulge as she is not sure she will handle the sea well. Her stomach is already a mess.

Her team dives in, filling actual china plates with their choice delicacies as the crew comes to take drink orders. They are each handed a menu printed on thick card stock that feels like silk. The drink options are embossed into the surface of the luxe paper. The feel of it in her hand along with the weight of her plate in the other and the heat of Hans Westergaard at her side is a sensory overload she never imagined having. 

“Coffee,” she does hesitate, “with just a splash of cream.” 

The crew member nods and takes her drink menu for her. She notices later that a smattering of those menus were artistically mounted on stainless steel stands just in case she wants to indulge in a mango-passion-fruit mimosa or a mint lemonade slush infused with vodka. While both sound tempting she needs to stay alert. Especially with him sitting so close. 

His plate is balanced on one thigh with an assortment of the fare that errs on the sweeter side. She notes the same way she would for any client. Hans Westergaard likes dessert. 

She does not consider why knowing that makes her uncomfortable.

He also orders the same coffee as she. 

Again she cannot be certain if this is intentional or just another ploy to generate a doomed connection. She will always lean towards the latter. 

He is still close, but at least she had the sense to extend his arm over the empty seat away from Elsa instead of behind her back. There is a limit even to her control and if he touched her she may explode right out of her skin.

Her team seems to be enjoying the royal food treatment. Rapunzel feeds Eugene her favorite flavor combination, something unusual certainly, and slaps his chest at the grimace. Kristoff loads up on the protein while Anna selects sweeter alternatives. Elsa takes a single quiche, vegetable options, and crostini. She does not want to seem ungrateful but she also does not want to appear over eager or succumb to sea sickness and never be able to eat salmon again. 

She nibbles the barest tip of the roasted summer squash and tries to not notice his plate while also engaging him.

“This is lovely. Thank you,” her team was watching, nodding and eating politely in agreement. 

“Of course. I want you to get a sense for what I want.” 

He now has retreated even further, inches between their bodies, an appropriate distance but still somehow feels too close. She is thankful and suspicious all at once. He leans in again, but just his head. The rest of him is conspicuously distant. His eyes had been green at the wedding but now they almost appeared gold. Were they hazel? 

“That is my team and I would love to talk with you about. We know so little about this initiative, what we are creating, and while this is lovely -”

He cuts her off by pressing two fingers on her mouth.

She had not seen it coming and the feel of it shoots heat previously unknown through her body. She can practically hear the collective gasp from the watching four and her embarrassment is palpable. His fingers are gone as quickly as they had arrived. She didn’t even have the chance to pull back. The heat and pressure of his touch lingers and it takes every bit of self control to not pressed her lips together to try to erase the electric tingling dancing there. 

If she had not been so caught off guard by the sensations racing through her body at the contact she would have had the sense to be furious.

“All in good time.” He leans back and puts the hand on his knee, the other gripping his plate. “But first a tour perhaps?” 

He is already standing and Elsa can just barely catch a breath. 

Her team all stand, albeit cautiously, watching her while she attempts to mentally reboot. Hans Westergaard offers her his hand, the same hand that had pressed her lips just moments before in a facsimile of a kiss. What would it be like to kiss him? 

That inquisitive thought is enough to launch her to her feet without assistance. She sets her plate and attache case down with more force than necessary, straightens, and steps away from him. It takes all of her mortal strength to meet his gaze. 

It is soft and warm but also fearful. That disconcerting humanness there again like he never did anything to upset her. Like he is afraid of rebuttal for his forwardness, like he knows he oversteps but couldn’t help himself just like she cannot bring herself to truly be upset by the touch. Like maybe it undid him the same way it undid her. 

That idea is just as bad, if not worse, than his action.

She needs to put it behind them. Now. No. Sooner than now. 

She lifts her chin and clears her throat. “I think it is best if we stick to business.”

She is responding to his offer for a tour and hopes that is how her team takes it, how he takes it. Clearly she does not need to invite trouble when he is more than willing to produce it on his own. His expression rearranges itself to something more polished, but no less intense. She can practically see his strategy shifting behind those color changing eyes and she steels herself against it. 

Whatever he dishes out she can take. She has overcome more than most and there is not much that can throw her, but the way he looks at her makes her realize she has met her match. 

This is not an arm’s length situation.

But to be close to him?

Close to anyone?

“I agree.” The sound of his voice snaps her back. “Which is why I absolutely insist on a tour of the vessel. It is integral to the process.”

She does not understand. Her mind reels, but she acknowledges that a tour could give her time to regroup and she needs that. 

“Then by all means, lead the way.” She takes several steps away from his projected footpath putting the ornate seat they had shared well between them. 

If there is any hesitation she cannot be certain. Instead he sweeps to the front of the ship where more chrome and glass greet them. “This way then.”

Thus begins a tour of a yacht that is more ornately equipped and furnished than most homes. Right of the main bow deck there is a leisure room filled with plush royal blue and rich chocolate furniture, stainless steel fixtures along with cream carpets and accents. There are florals, books, and staggering decor pieces that would be excessive and gaudy in any other context but here they all flow together seamlessly. The streamlined design of the furniture and the ship is accentuated with the extravagant accents. No. It this the height of refinement, elegance. 

And this is just the first room.

There is more.

There is a board room with a massive white oak table and yellow leather swivel chairs that scream their cush. There is a movie theater complete with leather reclining seat, popcorn maker, and a custom bar.  The floors are either lush carpet, marble, or white oak that gleamed so brightly she swore it was covered in glass. There is a large bathroom that is all Italian marble with fixtures that may actually be gold plated.

The second level bow mirrors the first but without the infinity pool. Instead it boasts more seating and several marble top cocktail tables that almost seem to grow out of the pristine deck. He takes them back then through the main bar, the library, and the gaming room complete with a billiard table that was once Marlon Brando’s. 

“There is more above, but those are the private quarters. We have capacity for up to twenty guests to stay comfortably. Plus the sauna.” He says. “But since those are not strictly business I doubt they will interest you.”

He is teasing, directing his attention at her specifically for the first time in this tour, but she will not take the bait. She is almost ruffled by the sudden attention, by the lack of it beforehand, but the majesty of the ship had distracted her. 

She had never conceived a vessel could be as luxurious as anything she had seen in the last twenty minutes. 

She thought she had understood wealth, had worked with her share of affluent clientele, but nothing like this. Outside the challenge of Hans Westergaard she is quickly realizing just how out of their depth they may be. The challenge of it looms like an insurmountable cliff face. Thirty eight days to meet the highest standards she has ever faced professionally all while tiptoeing through the minefield of working with a man that clearly lacked any sort of boundaries. If she even had a chance of scaling that rock wall it they needed to start immediately. 

“As curious as I am sure we all are I think it best we maximize what little time we have, Mister Westergaard, and begin discussing how we can help your initiative.” Elsa responds diplomatically. 

“Your every wish is my command.”

He smiles at her then, teeth impossibly straight and white. The look in his eye seems to say he only sees her. Like somehow the whole world melts to nothing and she is the sole light of his entire universe. The intensity of it is staggering and she sways a bit under the weight. His hand is on her elbow immediately, close and hot. 

“Whoa there. You’ll get your sea legs before long.” His breath hits her burning cheek as she extracts herself from his hold as quickly as possible. 

She steps away, careful to not make eye contact with any of the group, and gives a sharp nod. “I’m sure I will.” 

There is the slightest pause before and she can feel him staring, willing her to meet his gaze, but she doesn’t. “Right then,” he says. “Let’s return below board and we can discuss what comes next.” 

Elsa is careful to fall behind, and Anna matches suit with Rapunzel. 

“So you weren’t kidding about him coming on strong. Is this okay? Are we okay? Do we need to call this off?” Anna rattles off her questions on a quiet breath as Kristoff and Eugene engage Hans about some of the more technical aspects of the ship.

“Yeah. Or do we need to get you two a room?” Rapunzel asks, green eyes wide. “When Eugene looks at me like Hans looked at you I know we are about to have a really good time.” Typically her innocent honesty is one of her more endearing characteristics but now the implication of her sentence makes her grit her teeth.

“He’s a flirt. That’s all. We’ve all dealt with his kind before.” She tries to keep her whisper lighthearted, but she can sense how little her companions believe her. “I’ve got this under control.” 

She gives them both a pointed look at Anna lifts a brow and purses her lips. “Do you? Because you really don’t have to.” 

Elsa gapes, nearly stopping in her tracks at Anna’s presumptuous question. 

And just like that she swears the ship rolls and she nearly loses her balance only to be caught by her sister and friend. 

“Look. All I’m saying is the guy clearly likes you and isn’t afraid to show it.” Anna forces her to keep pace with the men ahead of them as they venture through one well appointed room after another. “And to be honest - you could use a little fun.” 

“Yeah,” Rapunzel nods emphatically. “You literally have nothing to lose anyway since you’re totally into him too.” 

Elsa stops in her tracks, red from head to toe. “I am not!” 

Anna rolls her eyes and grabs Elsa’s wrist to drag her along. “Okay fine. You’re not, but you could be. I know you want to keep your professional distance or whatever, but why not just tell him the truth about everything and let him make up his own mind?” 

Elsa’s mind goes blank for a moment at the possibility she had never considered.

Tell him the truth? She never told her clients the truth. Hell, she hadn’t told Eugene or Rapunzel until they had been on board long enough to get suspicious after her second unexplained, prolonged absence. And she definitely never told any of the dates she has had the truth. She just gave them enough time to get bored, to move on, and enjoyed a few less lonely nights. She never looked for long term because she wasn’t going to last long term. So why couldn’t she just approach Hans Westergaard with the same fatalist sensibility?

Why did the idea of telling him everything seem appealing? 

She knows why, but she is not ready to admit it, never will be. That niggling What If that has haunted her since that first insanely frustrating day: what if this could work? 

What if he wouldn’t be afraid, would be down for the ride as long as it lasted? What if she had the luxury of considering the possibilities? 

But she doesn’t. She made her choices two years ago and she is not going to put herself through that again. She is not going to put anyone else through that. She is just going to enjoy what time she has left and leave it at that. And she is going to do it in the familiar comfort of solitude.

“The truth isn’t relevant to the job, and that is all this is. This is a job and it is a bitch of a job. If we are going to pull this off I need to focus on what is important, and dating my client is not one of those things.” 

Anna and Rapunzel share a meaningful glance. 

“Don’t do that.” Elsa shakes her head. “This is professional. Nothing more.” 

“Okay,” Anna rolls her eyes again.

“Okay,” Rapunzel echos with a gallic shrug. 

And somehow even though they are agreeing with her Elsa feels like she lost this conversation at some point. 

She knows what they want and she doesn’t suppose she can blame them. They want to give her a reason to stay, to fight, to try. They want to give her a reason to change her mind as if it was that simple. She cannot blame them for not understanding but she cannot make this harder on herself than it already is. She has enough goodbyes to say without adding one more.

They are back to where they started now. The original spread is still in place but their requested drinks are waiting, all just the right temperature, wait in addition. 

She stays close to Anna as she takes her coffee and conspicuously jams herself between her sister and an armrest. Between Anna, Kristoff, and herself the new seating arrangement is a bit tight but she has a point to make not only to her crew and Hans Westergaard, but to herself. She is a professional adult and is perfectly capable of acting like one.

So there.

He seems to take it all in stride, not batting an eye when he takes his coffee in hand and sits comfortably spread out on the couch that Elsa had strategically vacated. As they all settle in, Mister Westergaard reaches for a few more treats for his plate and the rest follow suit. Elsa carefully balances her coffee as she selects one or two choice morsels. The sea hadn’t caught her yet but she couldn’t be too careful. Her stomach is already in knots. 

He leans back, thick auburn hair catching just the smallest corner of light and setting aflame. His high cheekbones cut with highlight and shadow of the mid-morning light. She remembers the feel of his cheek sliding along her own, the slightest brush of the silk fringe of his hair against her fingers as she had clung to him, and her eyes jerk back to her coffee. 

“This is a lovely ship, Mister Westergaard,” she breaks the strange silence. “I assume you have a purpose for showing her off?”

It is not the most graceful entrance to a negotiation, but it is all she can muster. She lifts her gaze to his and sees the calculation, the wants - feels it.

“It’s my father’s. My ship - well - it won’t do for what I have in mind but I think this ship will do nicely.” He sips his coffee as Elsa sets hers aside to reach for her attache case and open it. 

She withdraws her multi-function tablet. “And what exactly do you have in mind?” 

They have loaded his client file with offline capability for which she is glad as she cannot bring herself to ask for a wi-fi password. She notes that the rest of her team are also bringing out their matching tablets and she hopes that they will not have too many corrections and overlaps when they finally get back to the mainframe. 

He settles further into his seat with a smirk and it almost feels like he is building fortification, bracing himself for a fight he is all too sure to enjoy. 

“Your company primarily plans weddings,” he does not ask as he pops a berry into his mouth. “According to your online portfolio your business is about seventy-two percent wedding related, a few baby shower, a Quinceanera, and a few corporate events. Would you say this is a fair assessment?”

So he had done his homework. Or had someone else do it for him. Had he known all of this before he came in yesterday and asked her to recite job titles and functions that were all available on their website? Was this a test the way she had felt yesterday had been a test? 

She sits a bit straighter: “I don’t have the precise statistics in front of me but the majority of our clients have been wedding related, yes.” 

Her mind goes to the contract, unsigned and un-amended. Had he not signed it because he didn’t want them anymore? Did he want someone with more experience outside of the wedding industry? Would she have to go to battle to prove to him that weddings were just as demanding, if not more so, than a standard corporate event? Would she have to fight for this client she wasn’t even sure she wanted? 

It takes all of her self control not to fidget. 

“Why is that? Why the wedding specialty?” 

It is a good question. Most would assume it is the money, but there is much more money to be had planning outside of weddings and for less stress. She has a prepared answer, the standard line, but she nearly chokes on it. 

She holds his gaze, levels the barrel, fires, “We believe love is worth it.” 

The corners of his eyes tighten in - amusement? She cannot quite be sure yet. 

“Has that been your professional experience?” His eyebrow quirks and it appears he takes a bite of his mini-berry tart to keep from smiling. It irks her just how much he irks her. 

Anna clears her throat and Elsa realizes she has leaned forward, gripping her tablet between her hands like her life depends on it, and dear gods she might as well be foaming at the mouth for how crazy she is acting. She straightens, squares her shoulders, and meets his gaze. 

“Our professional experience has been delivering exactly what our clients ask of us to create their ideal atmosphere and execution.” 

She mentally pats herself on the back.

He nods as if to agree with her hidden sentiment. “Good. I don’t want something cold and corporate. I want something beautiful and intimate. I want what you did with Eric and Ariel’s wedding. There was - what? Two hundred people there, three?” 

“Two hundred and eighty eight,” Rapunzel offers with a  grin and Eugene squeezes her knee. 

Hans looks to Elsa with raised brows as if asking for confirmation. Elsa nods her head. “Rapunzel is never off on numbers.” 

“It never felt like that. It was a big event but it felt like having the most amazing dinner party with your closest friends. I don’t know how you did it, but you did.” He addresses the entire group and Elsa feels her insides warm involuntarily at his praise. She doesn’t want his approval to matter, but apparently it does. Then he meets her eyes and everything runs cold, hot, frigid, scalding. The look in his eye sends her heart soaring and stomach plummeting all at once, “It is a night I will never forget.”

And then they are the only two in the world again and her only saving grace is that she is sitting down. She looks down at her tablet screen but her eyes will not focus. 

“We are happy to hear you enjoyed the event,” Anna jumps in this time. “We thought it was a smash. What stood out to you as being a highlight?” 

Elsa’s head jerks up at that question. His gaze catches her with an easy smile that she can feel all the way to her toes, but it isn’t self-congratulatory. He is not commending himself. He smiles as if he is savoring something sweet, something secret.

“There were too many to single out just one, but I remember the dancing being outstanding,” he speaks as if the words are for everyone, but when his gaze settles on her she knows they aren’t. They are for her. 

“So you want dancing at your event, Mister. Westergaard?” She uses his proper name as always, instating her distance the same way she had by forcing her seat next to Anna. 

He shrugs. “To tell the truth I am not a big dancer. It all depends on the partner.” 

Elsa’s ears burn and she nearly chokes on a swallow. No one else knew about their rendezvous. There was no way they could pull the subtext from what he said, but she stills feels it creeping across their conversation like steaming lava. 

She forces a laugh to offset the tension she feels and is relieved when it comes off sounding halfway natural. “Well that does not give us much to go off of, Mister Westergaard. While we are thrilled that Ariel and Eric’s wedding left such a positive impression on you that does not particularly give us a trajectory for your event.”

“I understand.” He nods and turns his head towards the horizon off the bow before bringing his gaze right back to hers. “So why don’t I show you?”

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[chrysanthemums-au]

Season of Chrysanthemums

SUMMARY: Within the outer limits of Corona, Cassandra meets Varian, who seems to be as insubstantial and ethereal as the black rocks. The two lost…forgotten…overlooked (?) souls decide to wander the streets at nightfall in search of ghosts.

Though, as Varian has long since had a connection to the spirits of the departed, how can Cassandra be sure if the alchemist is who he says himself to be?

CHAPTER 1-Miles to Go Before I Sleep

AO3 LINK

Cassandra kept her gaze lowered as she trekked along the normally bustling corridor. The otherwise bright and colorful interior of the castle only served as a grotesque facsimile to the unease that had washed over the kingdom.

 Once lively, the other handmaidens had resorted to speak through hushed whispers and behind closed doors.

 Usually Cassandra loves the quiet. She should be happy of the peace that had enveloped the kingdom…right?

 And yet, she cannot help but worry.

 The tranquility that had set over the kingdom was but a mere respite. It was a warning of something more to come. She could just tell from the hushed whispers, Rapunzel’s unease…she’d do anything for the princess, but—

 ‘Anything’ would not be ‘good’ enough.

 Cassandra had not been the one to save Rapunzel during that blizzard. Rapunzel, no, she had saved herself.

 What good could she be as Rapunzel’s best friend if she couldn’t protect her?

 Sighing, Cassandra turns a corner. The clack of shoes on marble breaks the litany of anxious voices.

 Ever since that accursed blizzard had hit Corona and nearly cost them their king and queen, there were…rumors.

 Cassandra hears her before she sees the familiar figure donning the exact same sky blue handmaiden’s dress.

 The brunette is not one for frivolous rumors and small talk. She knows this, but she cannot help but take note of the words that spill forth from Friedborg. The queen’s handmaiden was always quite the chatterbox, and loathe as Cassandra is to admit it, Friedborg can be an invaluable source of information.

 As she very well knows, word travels fast in such a well-knit community such as the castle’s workers. Between tasks there is not much to do in the way of entertainment, so it is with great reluctance that Cassandra quickly darts away before Friedborg or anyone else can see her. Swiftly, Cassandra hides behind a pillar adorned with the princess’s creative [infuriating] paintings.

 These paintings…they cannot stay on the pillar for long, but Cassandra knows this is a problem for another day.

 Laying a hand upon the pillar, Cassandra slightly leans towards the direction of Friedborg’s voice.

 Due to sheer distance, she cannot discern exactly what Friedborg is saying, but she does make out the words of various passersby as they walk past her hiding place from behind the pillar.

 “Have you heard about what happened to Old Corona?”, a diminutive voice conspiratorially asks.

 Cassandra’s eyes widen. She has never visited Old Corona, but she does know of how much of the castle’s staff have family that reside there.

 “Oh yes, what a terrible tragedy it was,” another voice states, seemingly not terribly concerned or frightened at all.

 “Right, they said that town was completely wiped out overnight.”

 Overnight…could they be talking about the blizzard? Old Corona had not even crossed her mind during that harrowing experience, but yes—they would have been affected.

 “If the princess hadn’t saved us, who knows what could have happened…”

 “Nothing good, I’d imagine,” another voice interjects.

 “It’s always the princess, isn’t it?” Cassandra mutters to herself.

 “But, there’s more to the story.”

 “No one remains in the wreckage of that desecrated town, except for—”

 “The last ghost of Old Corona.”

 “According to rumor, in life, he was a terrifying wizard.”

 “They say his name was Varian.”

 “Varian…why does that name sound familiar?” Cassandra wonders.

 “Even though he had died in Old Corona, it has been said that he can be seen wandering the streets of Corona’s Capital at night.”

 “No one knows the reason for this, but…”

 “To find him, you must follow the trail of chrysanthemums.”

 ---

 “Why did you leave him?” Tired, unseeing blue eyes stare up towards the shadowy visage of what could be considered a humanoid figure.

 Within the dim light of Corona’s empty streets, they almost appeared to be glowing.

 “No, why did you leave us?” the figure(s) mockingly question. Their voices are warped and faint, as if they were speaking through water.

 “We were destroyed because of you, and now…Old Corona is no more.”

 “Silly alchemist…did you think you could save us?”

 Varian’s breath hitches, but he remains utterly silent. His gaze is directed somewhere far away, past the wispy, silhouette.

 A bright crimson petal gently falls to the cold cobblestone ground.

 “He couldn’t even save his dad,” they say. Cheerfully.

 “If you did, then he wouldn’t be encased in amber while you get to roam about freely.”

 Varian’s gaze sharply turns towards the spectre.

 “If it wasn’t for you, your dad would still be alive.”

 “No, you’re wrong,” Varian says as his vision grows darker. “Dad is…he’ll be fine.”

 “He has to be……”

 Varian falters as he hears a sigh and the crunch of leaves. He turns his head slightly to see a person slowly descend from the shadows. There is a slight blue halo surrounding her, but the sight is far from soothing.

 He can almost hear high-pitched, childish laughter, but no, he must be imagining things. Varian blinks and the halo is gone.

 The newcomer narrows her eyes upon taking in the sight of vivid blood-red flowers.

 The stranger, Varian realizes with a start, has one hand hovering over a sword holster.

 “Kid, hey, you okay?” the dark-haired woman asks, her tone laced with concern and suspicion. She has directed her sharp gaze towards Varian, her hand still un-wavering from its position atop the holster.

 Varian knows this woman does not trust him. It’s never really bothered him, what with his village never giving him the time of day. He found a friend in Ruddiger—while his beloved raccoon was a great listener, he obviously could not hold a long conversation.

 Afterall, raccoons could not talk…yet.

 And…he did have his dad—

 No…Varian reminds himself. His dad did not leave; he can’t leave. He’s still in Old Corona, right where he left him.

 Though, as the swordswoman continues to glare at him wearingly, he cannot help but feel a sharp pang jolt through his chest. Perhaps it is loneliness that he feels. Varian was used to conspiratorial whispers every time an invention went wrong, disapproving glances from his father, but—

 It had been so long since a living, breathing person had noticed him.

 Despite her apparent distrust of him, he would be happy. Even if she somehow wound up hating him, Varian would be content.

 He’d rather be acknowledged.

 Hatred was better than merely being fading away into the background, as forgotten and weathered as the letters his father had kept from him. At one point in time, Varian had not cared for acknowledgement, but to be seen is to validate his very existence.

 If she could see him, that would mean—he wasn’t dead.

 As long as he had a living, beating heart, he could save his dad. Even if it felt like he was dying every second, he could not afford to falter from the path he had set for himself.

 He would make his dad proud, even if it was the last thing he’d ever do.

 “Hey, I said, are you okay?” the woman repeats, disdain and irritation painted across her face. She merely throws him a quick glance before lowering her gloved hand from the holster.

 Though, Varian knows that she could quickly have that sword pointed at his throat in a heart beat.

 He attempts to answer the swordswoman, but his voice hitches in his throat. It’s been so long since he had last needed to speak that his voice had grown weak from disuse.

 Varian tries to speak again, but his voice is as faint as the gust of wind that billows throughout the plethora of crimson red flowers that adorn the street.

 “I, what—” Varian stutters. He averts his gaze from her dark green eyes.

 The swordswoman brings her hand back to her face and bites back a dry remark. “You know what, never mind. This is clearly not going anywhere.”

 She pauses, waiting for Varian to speak.

 Another pause.

 Silence.

 This is going to be a long night, Cassandra thinks to herself with a grimace. “Are you going to say anything before day break? Or are we just going to stand here all night?”

 “Varian.” His voice is muffled and cracked from disuse, but it is the most he has spoken since the blizzard.

 “What? I didn’t catch that,” the swordswoman says. “You need to speak up, kid.”

 “You do have a name, right?”, she flippantly remarks.

  It takes a moment for Varian to gather himself before finding his voice. “My name’s Varian.”

 Eyes widening in surprise, Cassandra’s hand reaches for her sword as she points it directly at the alchemist. Varian is un-phased as the sword lightly grazes at his throat.

 He knows he should feel scared. He wishes he could, but he feels…nothing.

 “Varian…so you’re the wizard of Old Corona. I find it hard to believe someone like you could be a threat to the kingdom, but I’ve heard the rumors…” Cassandra says carefully, stern gaze never wavering.

 Varian merely shoots her a disapproving look as he blandly mutters, “That’s why they’re called rumors.”

 Cassandra shifts the sword slightly forward as her glare darkens at the dry remark.

 His gaze falters. “I do not work with magic,” Varian says. “I am an alchemist, not a wizard.”

“But you are right about one thing,” he relents. “I’m from Old Corona.”

 Just as quickly as he had found his voice, Varian falters. He adjusts his antique goggles as he attempts to look somewhere. Anywhere, except for the disapproving glare of the swordswoman.

 He knows what she wants to ask. It is a question he had asked himself all too often, and one that he is reluctant to answer.

 ---

 Cassandra wants to leave. All she wants is to head back to the castle and forget she has ever met this self-proclaimed wizard, but…she cannot.

 It’s troubling. She hates it, but she can see the haunted, vacant look in his eyes…which is a look no one, much less a mere child, should have. And as discrete as he thinks himself to be, she notices how his gaze directs itself everywhere and nowhere—as if he were used to solitude. Though, Cassandra very much knows this to be the case.

 Try as he might to hide it, she can see how uneasy the alchemist is as he fiddles with the old, bronze goggles on his head.  But what’s more worrying is how his worn shirt is hanging off of his frame or how he winces every time he moves his hands ever so slightly.

 He’s so weak and pitiful that even a gust of wind could knock him down.

 Cassandra really, truly, wants to leave…but—she cannot leave him to fend for himself.

 She had left the castle on the coattails of a rumor. While she hadn’t truly believed in a ghost haunting the populated capital of Corona, she had found him.

 This boy was not a ghost, but with how he carried himself—

 He might as well have been dead.

 She knows she’ll regret this, but Cassandra knows her conscience will hate her for leaving.

 For what may be the hundredth time that very evening, Cassandra places her sword back in its sheathe. She softens her voice in what she hopes to be a placating tone as she relays her next question.

 “Why are you here? In Corona?”

 The silence is as endless as the fields of bright red flowers that adorn the kingdom.

“Alright then….” Cassandra slowly speaks as she attempts to dissuade the awkward silence that had descended upon them. “Shouldn’t you go home? Your parents are probably going to kill you for staying out this late.”

 A deep inhale of breath. The alchemist’s shoulders are stiff as he raises his head towards Cassandra. “They won’t be.”

 He quickly diverts his gaze, and it is this that Cassandra becomes conscious of exactly what had caught the boy’s attention. She realizes that he was not avoiding her gaze—rather, he was staring past her…at what, Cassandra did not know.

 Chills ran down her spine as she recounted the hushed, conspiratorial voices she had heard throughout the day. But, she resisted the urge to turn around. It may have been silly and childish and juvenile—all of which are words that would describe Fitzherbert perfectly, but she knew that if she let the ‘alchemist’ stray from her sight for but a mere moment, he would disappear into the night.

 The alchemist may not be Corona’s number one criminal, but if the rumors were to be believed, he is more than capable. She is loathe to admit this, even to herself, but this problem…it is more than she can handle on her own.

 Cassandra is not one for ‘talking about feelings’, but she’s not completely heartless. Rapunzel, on the other hand, could help him with whatever it is that he needs.

 Maybe then, he’ll look a little less broken and more…human.

 Her train of thoughts are broken as the alchemist steps closer. His eyes…are still dead, hollow, glassy, but there is an indescribable emotion in his voice.

 “How are you not tired?”

 Cassandra is startled to see that yes, he looks more ‘present’. Still broken, but ‘alive’. She is not used to this…to going out of her way to speak with someone else. Usually, it is the other way around.

 Though, with a lovely, kind, smart, surprisingly self-centered but well meaning friend such as Rapunzel, she was never wont for loneliness.

 And so, Cassandra will do what she does best when confronted with those beyond her control or understanding. She cannot fathom what the alchemist could possibly mean, so she…ignores him.

 “I’m not even going to answer that,” Cassandra curtly says. Turning sharply on her heels, she beckons for the [not] ghost to follow her. “Whatever it is you’re doing here, don’t. Follow me or not, I don’t care, but I’m heading back to the castle.”

 Her steps falter slightly as she waits for the alchemist’s answer. Anything could work—a confirmation, words…

 A moment passes.

 Another second, and then—

 Timid, light footsteps.

 Cassandra had left on a whim…in search of what? Ghosts? Wizards? Adventure?

 She does not know. There is much she is uncertain of.

 ---

 Varian is lost. For the first time in forever, he…does not know what it is that he sees. The swordswoman, who introduced herself as Cassandra, is…strange, to phrase it mildly.

 She is perfectly alright, albeit a bit cold, if Varian were to be honest. But no, she seemed normal, which is what brought him to his current state of confusion. There is nothing outright ‘otherworldly’ about Cassandra—

 But, this is why he is so uncertain about the dark-haired woman.

 He is uneasy, but she seems to chalk up his discomfort towards something else. Ever since he had seen her surrounded by an eerie blue glow, Varian just knew there was something off about her.

 The reason was beyond him.

 He is an alchemist. He does not like magic, but he cannot ignore its signs.

 Still, he tried his best to think of an alternative reason for the glow. It was not until Cassandra offered to take him to the princess that he heard a high-pitched childish laugh.

 With a jolt, Varian sees that Cassandra was not alone.

A tiny, hazy blue girl was hovering by the swordswoman. If not for her state of transparency, she would have simply looked like a nobleman’s daughter. Though, with the wide, toothy grin she was shooting at him, Varian knew that whatever it was that had attached itself to Cassandra…was far from good.

 Satisfied at catching his attention, the regally dressed specter floated gracefully towards Varian.

 “What are you?” Varian asks, paying no heed to how off-kilter he may sound to Cassandra.

 “Don’t you mean ‘who’ am I?” the blue girl lightly chides.

  Her face-splitting grin grows wider at the alchemist’s inquiries. “Oh, don’t look so glum, Varian.”

 “How…do you know my name?” Varian asks in a hushed voice.

 “Let’s just say I’m a friend, or at least, I’d like to be.”

 Taking Varian’s silence as a confirmation to go on, the enchanted girl lightly chuckles. “Don’t worry; I won’t lie to you.”

 “You’d better catch up with Cassandra,” she airily advises. “Until we meet again, little moondrop.”

 Varian watches as the apparition slowly fades from view. He cannot see her, but he knows she is somewhere nearby. He wishes he could bring himself to care, but why should the ghost of another matter to him?

 Perhaps in a different time or place, he would have cared. But now, even more than alchemy or answers, he wants his father back.

 And so, with a heavy heart, Varian follows Cassandra. He does not know where this path will lead him, but he promises to make his father proud.

 No matter what becomes of him, he knows that this is a promise he cannot afford to break.

[secret-captain-swan-blog]

Castle on the Hill

English Literature PhD student Emma Swan just needs money to pay for her last semester of grad school tuition. Killian Jones has always dreamed of opening a bookshop but has never been able to afford it. So when the small principality of Misthaven is looking for their lost princess, the pair decide that this might just be the perfect money making scheme.

A Multi-chapter Modern Day + Lost Princess (think Rapunzel/Anastasia-esque) + Book Lovers in a Coffee Shop AU

Rating: T

Word Count: 80956/ ?

Prologue (Part 1 + 2) // Ch 1 // Ch 2 // Ch 3 // Ch 4 // Ch 5 // Ch 6 // Ch 7 // Ch 8 // Ch 9 // Ch 10 // Ch 11 // Ch 12 // Ch 13 // Ch 14

Read on: Ao3

“Emma, I’ve never seen you like that with a boy before,” Belle announces as Emma enters her hotel room.

Emma tugs off her ankle boots and leaves them at the door. She hangs her coat on the back of the door, before heading over to the two twin beds pushed together in the center of the hotel room.

“Never seen me like what?” Emma asks, flopping onto one of the beds.

Belle sits beside her, giving her an incredulous look.

“I’ve seen you a little bit tipsy taking a guy back after the English Department Christmas party and I’ve seen you kicking him out before breakfast the next morning,” Belle tells her.

Emma takes the giant duvet on the bed and pulls it over her head. She can see where this is going.

“But I’ve never seen you actively in love,” Belle declares. “And I really like it.”

“I’m not in love,” Emma grumbles beneath the duvet.

“In ‘passionate like’ then?” Belle suggests.

“Okay, that was dumb, I’m in love,” Emma admits.

“I can tell,” Belle says.

Emma is starting to suffocate under the duvet, so she pops her head out.

“I don’t know how to do this,” Emma says. “Or if this is even something worth doing.”

“What do you mean ‘something worth doing?’ You’re in love,” Belle urges.

“But that doesn’t mean I need to act on it?” Emma questions. “I’ve been thinking about this a lot.”

“Oh no, not thinking,” Belle remarks. “Never good when it comes to love.”

Emma shoots her a look, “I’ve never been able to see myself in a relationship with anyone, but I can with Killian. Sometimes it feels like we are already there- he’s slept in my bed every night this week. I just kissed him again.”

“Okay, so you are definitely already there,” Belle tells her. “I’m sensing there is a ‘but’ coming up.”

“But,” Emma says, “I’m leaving in less than two months. Neither of us can afford a long-distance relationship. Unless I somehow become Princess of Misthaven, I doubt that we have any future.”

“That’s quite pessimistic,” Belle says.

“No, it’s self-preservation,” Emma shoots. “Having my heart broken isn’t going to help anybody. Killian doesn’t need that either. He gets it. We’ve both had nothing before. We’ve both done what it takes to survive. He understands. This is just another way of doing this.”

“Emma,” Belle says, “That’s exactly why you should do it. When you are going to stop surviving and start living?”

Emma sits up a feeling akin to betrayal rips through her. It’s the kind of privileged shit that classmates have told her her whole life. “If you really believe in your dreams, they’ll come true.” Or “don’t live life on the sidelines.” Stuff that easy to say when you have money and connections. Fortunately, Emma has always known that it was hard work and luck that actually took you places, and she’s positive it’s the only reason she’s made it this long.

“That’s pretty rich for you to say, Belle. You know that I haven’t had the opportunity to. You know what I’ve been through. Life isn’t always a Jane Austen novel or marriage plot. There is reality and it sucks or whatever, but it’s real.”

Belle sighs. “I’m sorry, Emma. I didn’t want to get in an argument with you. I truly didn’t. But just think about it. In six months, you’ll defend your thesis, you’ll get a PhD. And then what?”

“And then I’ll be trying to find a post-doc, trying to find a position somewhere, trying not to end up on the streets. Trying to survive again,” Emma tells her.

“But what if you start looking for positions here?” Belle suggests. “You could start interviewing in Misthaven. Brussels, Bruges, maybe even Lille. You could be close to Killian, close your BFF the Queen of Misthaven.”

“Ugh, don’t mention her,” Emma laments.

“Wait, what happened to you equestrian and opera partner?” Belle asks, miming a Misthaven accent.

“She kept a massive secret from me,” Emma says. “And I’m not really sure if I can forgive her for it. See, this is why it’s better if I just leave.”

“And leave behind the only man you’ve ever loved?” Belle asks.

Emma groans and buries her face in the bed, making some sort of grunting noise that sounds like “blurg.” She props her head up on a fist, looking up at Belle.

“Fine, okay, tell me about your romantic life,” Emma says.

Belle brushes a hand through her hair, leaning back against the headboard.

“Okay, so, do you remember that guy who you swapped apartments with?” Belle prefaces.

Emma thinks back her Skype session months ago with the bio PhD she was swapping with. The guy was drunk at like 4PM in afternoon. She had written him off as a hot mess, but then again, his apartment had been surprising- all white and neat with living houseplants and stuff.

“Yeah,” Emma replies. “Will, right?”

“Exactly,” Belle says. “Will Scarlet.”

“The drunk guy?” Emma asks.

“Well, that’s what I thought at first too,” Her friend babbles. “But then, well, I don’t know. We got to talking. Like, he came home one night really stressed about his research and so we started talking about it. And his research is actually pretty interesting. Then he asked about mine and somehow we ended up spending half the night talking. Then later that week he took me out for a proper date- nice dinner and everything. And then we slept together and that basically sealed the deal. We’ve been dating since September.”

“Belle!” Emma cries. “That’s amazing.”

She scoots over to give her friend a hug.

“I know, I know,” Belle says. “Look at us American girls falling for Misthaven men.”

Emma sighs and sits ups, pulling the duvet around herself.

“Do you see why I feel so strongly about you and Killian?” Belle says. “Will has made me so happy and we’ve been willing to take a risk. Yes, it’ll be long distance once he moves back and yes, we’ll have to find a way to make it work. But that’s love. And if you and Killian are in love, you’ll find a way to make it work too.”

“Ugh, I’ll think about it,” Emma laments. She closes her eyes and lets the duvet fall from her shoulders. “No, I’m serious. I will. I have a few days without Killian and I think that will help me get a perspective over this situation. You are right, Belle. He is the first guy I’ve ever been really in love with. I’ve just never been the kind of person who prioritized that.”

“You were also not the kind of person who manipulates monarchs of foreign countries into thinking you are their daughter,” Belle points out.

“Don’t remind me,” Emma says, flopping back on the bed. “Can we go get dinner now?”

“It’s only like 5pm,” Belle says.

“So? I’m hungry,” Emma whines. “And we both know that it’s going to take you a minimum of a half an hour to get ready no matter where we go.”

“That’s true,” Belle acknowledges. “I’ll go do make-up and you can Google places to eat?”

“Sounds like a plan,” Emma agrees.

“I’m so glad you are here,” Belle tells her, getting up from the bed. “Everything is truly better with your best friend around.”

Emma sits up again, leaning against the headboard. “It absolutely is.”

The next morning Belle has research she needs to do at the Kings College library, so Emma uses the excuse to spend some time playing tourist around London. She shows up for a free walking tour, which takes her wandering around the main sights. She happily snaps away pictures of the landmarks. She was lucky to see the literary side of London yesterday, but today is all about checking off all the touristy boxes: Hyde Park, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace.

When the tour ends in Trafalgar Square, she heads to the National Portrait Gallery, enjoying seeing portraits of some of her favorite writers and characters from history. Afterwards, she stops for a coffee at a cafe across the street from the gallery. She uses it as an opportunity to read more of one of the books that she bought from Daunt Books the day before. The cappuccino has such a silky texture and Emma spends almost an hour reading at the café.

Afterwards, she starts making her way over to Kings. She stops in Covent Garden, wandering through the marketplace and looking at the different street performers. On a whim, she walks into the Box Office for the Royal Opera House and enquires about tickets. The clerk lets her know that there are a few tickets available a ballet tonight. The tickets are nosebleed, but just a few pounds, so she buys them.

Following the map on her phone, she heads down towards Embankment and Somerset House. She realizes she still has a bit of time before she has to meet Belle and it’s getting cold. So she ducks into the Courtauld Gallery. She uses her student ID to get a free ticket and wanders through the paintings. They are all so dreamy and whimsical. As she sits before a painting, she feels the stress of everything drift away. She isn’t trying to figure out if she needs to forgive a monarch. Or declare her love for Killian. She’s just part of this gallery. Maybe Killian was right about her needing a vacation.

But her phone vibrates from a text with a Belle.

Meet me in the café at Somerset House? We can get coffee and talk about the day xo

Emma reluctantly moves from her spot in the gallery to find the café where Belle is.

“How was your big day in London?” Belle asks when Emma arrives in the café.

Belle already has a large cappuccino waiting for her.

“Good,” Emma says, recounting the different places she visited as she crossed the city. She takes out her phone to show Belle the cheesy selfies she took in front of Buckingham Palace and Big Ben.

“That looks like a packed day,” Belle remarks.

“So exhausting. But I got tickets for the ballet tonight, I hope you don’t mind.”

“Ticket for the ballet tonight, hope you don’t mind,” Parrots Belle, in her horrible Misthaven accent. “Sure you’re not already the Princess of Misthaven?”

Emma rolls her eyes, “No, they were cheap and I thought it might be a fun thing to do.”

“But you still went up to a Box Office and asked for a ticket,” Belle teases. “You still thought, ‘Hmm, I wonder if there are any seat available for the ballet tonight.’”

“Shut up,” Emma laughs, ducking her head to take a sip of cappuccino.

“Okay, but has today helped you process what you are going to do about Killian?” Belle asks.

Emma pushes her hair out of her face and shrugs. “I think it’s helped me more to forget about it. I’ve had a lot weighing on me recently and it’s been good to just relax for a moment.”

“That’s good too,” Belle says. “And I bet the ballet will help even more.”

“True,” Emma agrees.

“Speaking of,” Belle remarks, “We should head to the hotel if we want to change and get dinner before the show.”

“Oh my god, calm down and let me finish this cappuccino,” Emma complains.

“What does someone even wear to the ballet?” Belle wonders.

“Just like a dress or a skirt of something,” Emma says. “You are always well dressed anyway; You’ll be fine.”

“That is true,” Belle acknowledges.

Emma takes another sip of her cappuccino.

“Okay, well, I didn’t fly all the way to England to not hear about marriage plots,” Emma teases. “So how did today go? What did you find in the libraries?”

“Oh Emma. Let me tell you,” Belle says, before launching into a summary of the day’s research.

It’s just after seven when Emma and Belle emerge well dressed and fed from the Holborn tube station. It’s just a short walk through the twilight streets till they reach the Royal Opera House. The outside is beautiful, all white columns and complete with a glass dome in another part.

The inside is just as gorgeous, but selfishly Emma doesn’t think it’s as pretty the Misthaven Opera House. There is less open space, it’s more parceled off into little bits here and there.

An usher directs them to a flight of stairs that they take up to their seats. It’s the nose bleeds. It’s actually past the nosebleed, seats that hang over the side of the theater, shoved in a corner. It’s a far cry from box seats at the Misthaven Opera. But if you lean the right way, it makes for a decent enough view.

Emma flips through her program.

“Have you seen this ballet before?” Belle asks.

It’s called Giselle and Emma shakes her head to indicate that she hasn’t.

“Do you know what it is about?” Her friend asks.

“I think something to do with ghosts,” Emma guesses, looking at the tagline, “Ballet’s Greatest Ghost Story.”

“There’s a description of the plot inside this program,” Belle says.

“I try not to read those,” Emma tells her. “I like to be surprised.”

The music in the orchestra begins and the lights lower. Emma gets that rush of anticipation she feels each time a performance at the opera is about to start. The curtain lifts and the show begins.

This one is about a peasant girl who falls in love with a man. But it turns out that man betrayed her and he is actually married to another girl. Giselle goes nuts at the betrayal and kills herself.

Belle and Emma go get ice cream during intermission. There is a rooftop terrace that they eat it on. It’s a little chilly, but they can see the whole city and it feel special.

“See,” Emma says, “This is why you can’t trust men. They say they love you and then they betray you. And what happens to you? You become a crazy, suicidal mess.”

“This is a ballet, not real life,” Belle points out.

“So? Life is all stories,” Emma retorts.

“There is a whole other act,” Belle tells her. “I don’t think it means that men suck and it’s not worth falling in love.”

“I think it does,” Emma says.

As they walk back to their seat, she thinks of Quinn from the group home, in jail for getting involved with the wrong guy. She thinks of Belle, coming back from that date with a black eye. Boys aren’t worth it. They just mess up your life and it takes forever to move on.

She knows that Killian wouldn’t do that. But that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t dump her, or decide that the distance makes things to hard, or maybe make out with a cute girl who comes into the pub one night because Emma is far away and he’s so alone. Killian would never purposely harm her, but that doesn’t mean he can’t hurt her.

In the second act, the dick face guy goes to visit her in her ghost form. Her evil ghost girl gang decide to kill him, unless he can keep dancing all night. But he does, they work together and risk everything and keep dancing and finally say a goodbye.

And Emma’s crying. The sadness of seeing their goodbye, the bittersweet happiness of their reunion. It all washes over her and she feels something.

She feels like she wishes she had someone that loved her that much that they would risk death to just make things right with her. She wishes she had a great romance that defied every obstacle.

Emma knows, she totally knows, as she walks out of the theater, that Killian would give her that. Killian would give her everything.

It’s honestly silly to think about him hurting her, because she’s never met anyone as devoted, as patient, as kind, as Killian Jones. It’s silly to think he would put her in danger because she knows he would do everything for her.

Maybe it’s some weird post-performance afterglow, but Emma wants Killian. If he asked her to “go steady” or “be his girlfriend” or whatever people say these days, if he asked her right now- she would say yes.

“I take back what I said earlier,” Emma says, as they bump around on the Tube, 15 minutes later.

“What?” Belle asks.

“I think I should say yes to Killian,” Emma says. “I think we can do it. I think I can do it.”

“You don’t see him for a day, you’ve got some time to make up your mind,” Belle tells her.

“No, I’m certain now,” Emma says.

“Wait to tell him in person,” Belle says.

“I will,” Emma agrees.

“The next stop is Paddington Station. Please mind the gap between the train and the platform,” the voice announces.

The girls make for the platform, getting lost in the hustle and bustle of the station. All Emma can think of is getting back to the hotel and the free Wi-Fi, because she needs to text Killian and hear about his day. Because it’s just been a day and he’s still the only thing on her mind.

It’s cold when they burst out of the station and they quickly walk the last few blocks to their hotel. Once inside, Emma immediately goes to shower and change into pajamas. She brushes her teeth and pulls her wet hair into a braid, before giving the bathroom to Belle.

Climbing in bed and snuggling under the fluffy duvet, she connects to the Wi-Fi. She immediately switches to the messaging app to text Killian.

How was today? She writes

She waits a minute, impatient as the little dots bounce around the screen, showing that he is typing back.

Good, He replies. I got settled today and talked to the people at social services about the logistics of the adoption, especially since Alice would move to Misthaven with me.

Do you take the test tomorrow? Emma replies.

Yes. God Emma, I can’t wait to find out if she’s mine, He writes back.

Emma smiles to herself. She thinks that Killian will make a great father. She can just see it. Killian taking Alice to the library, reading books together. Killian playing with her in the park. Killian taking her to Mamie’s for a hot chocolate and croissant. She can picture the way the little girl’s face would bloom with happiness with each interaction.

You’ll be great, Emma writes.

She wishes she was with him. She wants to sooth him, rub her thumbs over his temples, through is hair, as his eyes would flutter close. When he was finally serene, she’s press a kiss to the tip of his nose, then his lips. He’d smile at her touch, before returning it.

Thanks, love, he types. I’ve got an early morning, so I’m off to bed. See you soon.

Good night, Killian xo, she writes back.

Smiling to herself, she snuggles down beneath the duvet and lets herself float off to bed.

The next morning Belle is doing to research at the library in the Victoria and Albert Museum. Emma takes it as an excuse to visit. She doesn’t think she’ll like it, but she’s totally pulled in to looking at the gorgeous old dresses and curious old statues. She finds Belle a few hours later in the lovely library. It’s got green-blue walls, bright windows, and dark wood accents. Emma takes a few pictures to post online. She considering starting an Instagram just for libraries as she’s seen so many excellent libraries recently.

Emma sits across from Belle and reads more her newest novel for another hour while Belle finishes up her research. They head downstairs to the tearoom for lunch. It’s gorgeous, with stain glass windows and giant, spherical chandeliers. They get large cappuccinos and salads.

“So how are you going to tell him?” Belle asks.

It pulls Emma out of her dreamy coffee-and-books daze.

“Hmm?”

“How are you going to tell Killian yes?” Belle asks.

“Oh that,” Emma replies.

She’s made up her mind. She knows that. She can’t go back and forth. She’s decided on Killian once and for all.

But that doesn’t mean she knows how to tell him.

“I don’t know, maybe just like tell him when we get home,” Emma says.

She can imagine them in bed together waking up and then she’ll just turn over in bed, kiss him, and say, “I’ve decided yes. If that’s okay with you.”

“That’s not bad,” Belle says.

“Why do you, Master of Marriage Plots, have any ideas?” Emma asks.

Belle stirs her cappuccino and bites her lip.

“Consider this, he’s getting off the train from finding out he’s going to be a father. And there she is, the other girl of his dream (you know, not his daughter), waiting on the platform for him and she just goes up and throws her arms around him and kisses and then declares her love for him,” Belle spills.

Emma rolls her eyes, “That’s so cheesy. You should really write, like, romance novels or something.”

“Okay, but is that not a decent idea for telling him that you are now an officially dating couple?” Belle poses.

“I suppose it is decent, but probably with less flinging,” Emma says. “I don’t really do that dramatic running and throwing thing.”

“Fair,” Belle says, “But tell him as soon as you can. So you won’t back out.”

“I won’t back out,” Emma protests.

Belle gives her a look.

“Okay, I could,” Emma acknowledges. “But I won’t.”

They both turn to their salads for a moment, chewing and silent.

Emma feels a bit of warmth in her heart knowing that she and Killian will be an actual thing. It’s like a happy little secret sitting in her heart.

“So, this is our last night together in London,” Belle says. “We should do something special.”

“I agree,” Emma says.

“I’ve got more research to do this afternoon,” Belle says. “So I’m putting you in charge of deciding something splendid to do.”

Emma gives a mock salute, “Aye aye.”

She spends the afternoon hopelessly wandering through Kensington trying to think up something that would be an adequate ending to her mini-vacation with Belle. She ends up back in the hotel googling ideas before deciding on a wine bar in the Shard.

It’s the perfect choice. The city sparkles below them as they sip wine and eat dessert. Though it’s insanely expensive for their graduate student stipends, the memories are worth it.

“I’m glad we did this,” Belle says.

“Me too,” Emma says, looking out at the Thames below them. “Honestly Belle, I’m always grateful for your friendship. This has been like a little oasis, given everything that’s been going on recently. It’s good to know that a life exists outside of my thesis and the queen and Misthaven.”

“Let me always be your oasis,” Belle says. “This was good for me too. I’m glad you know about Will now. And I’m glad I’ve met Killian.”

Emma smiles, sipping red wine, “I am too.”

“And I’m glad you are actually falling in love with someone,” Belle says, nudging her. “Emma Swan, I thought you never would. I didn’t know if you could. But I’m glad you’ve opened your heart. Everything is going to change because of it.”

“Honestly, I think we should call the sap police,” Emma groans. “I don’t think everything is going to change. But I’m happy too.”

That night Emma climbs into bed a bit too tired from the wine to text Killian. But she falls asleep thinking of him and what his lips will feel like on hers when he tells her the news about Alice and when she tells him the news about her heart.

It’s the next morning when Emma heads to the train station to meet him. She’s got her bags so they can head right to the airport from there.

Paddington Station is bustling with people. Emma feels a tingle of nerves in heart, but excitement too. She’s finally decided on her feelings. She’s going to have a boyfriend. Killian is going to be her boyfriend.

She’s nervous. She’s jubilant.

And she’s ready.

She’s finally, finally ready to let someone in.

She’s waiting at the gate for where his train comes in. She watches the different passengers coming off. There is a family with three kids. A business man in a suit. A couple looking like they’re off on a holiday.

And then he’s there, right before her.

His head is ducked and she just takes in his dark hair. He’s in a grey wool coat and her heart does a little swoop. She can’t wait for his blue eyes to meet hers.

But then they do and everything breaks.

She’s never seen him look so broken. Even from a few steps away, she can tell they are red-rimmed. He’s been crying.

Oh.

Tagging some pals: @sambethe @lenfaz @pocket-anon @the-corsair-and-her-quill@kmomof4@kiwistreetswan@princesseslikepirates @timeless-love-story@shady-swan-jones@katie-dub@1handedpiratewithadrinkingprob@midnightswans @hollyethecurious @hookswan25 @princesse-swan @captainpoe @onceuponaprincessworld

[rachelbethhines]

Tangled Salt Marathon - Lost and Found

Another plot episode and another mountain of missed opportunities, failed set ups, and foreshadowing that goes nowhere. But outside of that it’s pretty entertaining. Are we seeing a pattern yet? 

Summary: Rapunzel and Eugene go on a journey to retrieve the fourth and final piece of the scroll that will lead them to the Dark Kingdom. They receive help from Vigor the Visionary, who reveals himself to be Lord Demanitus himself, the author of the scroll depicting the purpose of the Sundrop and Moonstone. He leads them to the maze that he hid the last piece of the scroll in. Guiding them through the maze, they obtain the last piece, which united the four into one singular map. As they are about to leave, they are attacked by a stone monster.

Maybe That’s Why You Should Have Brought the Only Person Who Can Read It Along?!

Once again, having the characters acknowledge their stupidity in meta dialogue doesn’t alleviate the fact that the audience is going to think them stupid.

Regardless of your personal feelings towards Varian or what he has done in the past that does not change the fact that he is literally the only character in the show thus far who can translate the scroll. The mains knew that before leaving and they knew from the get go that they were going to need the scroll piece which is why they took it from him.  

Not bringing him along, not getting a translation key from him before leaving, nor even showing us a scene of Raps trying to ask him to translate the scroll for them before leaving and then having him refuse to do so, is a plot hole. 

Timeline Hint...Sort Of...

Rapunzel said last episode that it had been almost year since they left Corona, and it’s now close enough to her birthday again that Eugene could be tricked by it but not enough to actually be her birthday. 

So...when are we again? 

I’m going to guess 10 months after Secret of the Sun Drop? Maybe... It could also be 9 or 11 who knows... but I am still seeing fall like trees which is our only indication of a changing season in this show because the creators don’t understand climate apparently.  

Maybe cause we’re now further north of Corona we see fall/winter leaves even into early spring? 

Where Was This Rapunzel In Season 3? 

Rapunzel actually giving a crap about what Eugene wants is as rare as seeing a fawn in the woods. It happens, but most of the time you forget it's even there. 

While come season three, Rapunzel will just shoot the poor deer dead. 

Madame Canardist is a Wasted Character

I’ve already discussed at length the biggest problems with Madame Carnardist in my Vigor the Visionary and Curses reviews. So I won’t rehash those talking points here again. However what I spoke about were larger problems with the media industry and bigotry as a whole and not the specific impact the character has on the story. Which is next to none. 

The crew went through all of this trouble to make a deleted character from the film relevant to the series’s plot, and even there they failed. Madame Canardist is nothing more than a translator for Vigor when Demantius isn’t around. The story doesn’t utilize her properly despite her connections to one of the more plot important characters. 

What is her relationship to Demantius and Zhan Tiri? How did Vigor come into her care? Why is she the only person who understands him when Demantius isn’t in control? If Vigor is centuries old by this point than how old is she? What is her stake in all this and why does she bother with Rapunzel at all if she has nothing to gain from it? Why doesn’t she go along on this important quest through the maze seeing as how she is Vigor’s caretaker? 

She’s not completely useless, but like with Lady Caine, Xavier, and Hector before her, she has far more potential than the series is willing to explore with her.  

So Much For Caring About What Eugene Wants 

Welp that lasted all of five seconds. 

Man, Rapunzel is a shit girlfriend.  

The Pay Off Works, But It Then Serves No Purpose Afterwards 

I don’t mind the idea of Demantius being the monkey. I mean it is one of the very few plot points in the show with proper foreshadowing and follow through. And yes, Demantius does accomplish one thing here, by helping Raps obtain the last scroll piece. 

The problem is, nothing changes with this revelation. 

No one’s perceptions or interactions with Demantius/Vigor are altered after this reveal. No one changes their plans, goals, or motivations afterwards. Things carry on more or less afterwards the same as if they had never met. The only thing of importance here is the scroll pecice and that’s only relevant in Cassandra's Revenge and is then forgotten about completely for the rest of the series. 

What’s the point of having a plot twist if the status quo still remains?    

If the information being revealed doesn’t alter the story then why keep it secret to begin with? 

How Could You Research Them If You Never Found Them?

So did Demantius write the incantations or not? 

He is the one who put them on the scroll, so it’s natural to conclude that he did create them, but he couldn’t have done that unless he had studied both the moonstone and sundrop to see the effects the two macguffins had to the spells. 

Now according to this exposition dump, the sundrop and moonstone had been around for ages before Demantius and had become legends by his time. It is possible that someone else studied the two macguffins before him and came up with those incantations, but who? 

The ancient people of the Dark Kingdom might have studied the moonstone since they were tasked with guarding it, but no one knew where the sundrop was until Gothel found it. 

The audience needs to know this sort of information in order to understand the motivations driving the conflicts of the characters. 

Imagine a Lord of the Rings trilogy that never bothered to say where the one ring of power came from or how it came into Gollum’s possession. You’d be left wondering why everyone was fighting over what amounts to an invisibility spell that once belonged to a small deformed hobbit who used to catch fish.   

This Explanation Goes Nowhere 

Why did the disciples betray Demantius? What did they gain from siding with Zhan Tiri? Why was Gothel with them? Did she betray everyone once she found the sundrop? What was Demantius and Zhan Tiri fighting over to begin with? 

Don’t expect any of those questions to be answered. The series inexplicably makes a big deal over Gothel being connected to Zhan Tiri, but then never actually explains what that connection is, what they’re relationship dynamic was, nor how it connects back to Rapunzel’s and Cassandra’s current conflict. 

That’s the real failing of the show’s lore and backstories. They don’t connect back to the current conflict. It’s just there. 

In a well constructed show, Demantius would have been a parallel to Rapunzel who was also ‘betrayed’ by people she trusted. It would have been revealed that it was Demantius’ own actions that drove away his followers and caused them to side with Zhan Tiri. Thereby serving as a warning to Rapunzel herself and forcing her to realize in the end that in order to save everyone she’s have to apologize to those she hurt. We also would have gotten three betrayals instead of two since that’s more thematically impactful. 

But this isn’t a well constructed show and the characters in it don’t ever evolve.   

This Contradicts What We Find Out In Season 3

We find out in the last season that Zhan Tiri was originally from this world and that the only reason she was ‘bent on destruction’ was because of Demantius ticked her off somehow.  She also had no magical powers of her own until after Demantius had banished her to that other realm where she was imprisoned. 

Also Demantius didn’t use any powers. He just chucked her into a portal he had built without any warning or trail, with zero idea if it would kill her or not, all because she just stood there yelling at him. Like there wasn’t even any physical fighting, so it wasn’t a case of in defense either. 

Demantius should have been revealed to be the real antagonist all along but that would require the showrunners to be actually clever for once and not misogynistic towards their female characters. 

This Makes Zero Sense

First off, when was Zhan Tiri ever looking for Demantius? She’s been too busy trying to escape from her prison and it’s been centuries. She has no reason to suspect that he’s still alive nor does she care. Zhan Tiri’s plans are not dependant upon whether or not Demantius still exists. 

Secondly, how is the host body still alive after centuries? Why go with monkey when I’m sure there are actual human beings out there who would agree to living forever. Does the transfer actually destroy the mind? Cause if not you could have had an actual coherent host that could have helped out when Demantius was dormant.   

And don't give me any guff about ‘ethics’ because this is the man who played judge, jury, and executioner to his supposed friend/possible lover and probably killed one of his disciples as Sugarbee’s spirit was trapped in his device.  

Not the Best of Plans My Dude

So Demantius is basically committing suicide here for no real reason. 

Unless he was just already dying anyways when he made the transfer, then Demantius is drastically shortening his conscious life span. The monkey will live on, but he won’t. 

So why? He had no way of knowing that the sundrop would become a person in the future, it’s completely coincidental that he met Rapunzel just at the right place and time to help her, and as stated above, Zhan Tiri was no longer a threat to him or the world since he imprisoned her and defeated his disciples. 

Like what was his thought process here? “I just really, really want to be a monkey?” 

Eugene Isn't Wrong 

Look, I am a deeply religious person and I have faith in many things, but even I know that critical thought is necessary for basic survival and that scepticism is just plain common sense. Believing in something doesn’t mean shutting your brain off and never thinking for yourself. 

Demantius has yet to give any reason for why Eugene and Rapunzel should trust him. Him saying ‘have faith’ repeatedly does nothing to instill confidence and in fact does the opposite. If you want to people to believe in you, especially in a dangerous situation that you dragged them into, then you need to earn that trust. 

There’s a world of difference in assuming the best in people and being a fool, and Rapunzel is not the better person just because she blindly goes along with anything because she stubbornly wants to do whatever she wants and assumes she’s always right. 

Eugene is Still Right

Is ‘Faith’ the new ‘Destiny’ now? Are we just assigning different meanings to random words in order to push the story’s narrative along? 

This entire maze only involves solving puzzles, answering riddles, and a bit of running and climbing here and there. ‘Faith’ has absolutely nothing to do with it. 

This theme doesn’t even work when you take into account the reveal that it’s Eugene who needs to have faith in Rapunzel. Because Rapunzel isn’t the only one doing these things and getting them through here. 

In fact Demantius being here, and being the one who built the maze in the first place, kind of negates Rapunzel’s importance in this area. Secondly, Eugene is doing half the work anyways so it should be a message about having faith in each other. But they already have that so...yeah what’s the point of Demantius constantly bringing it up? 

Why Are You Caring About Money While Stuck In a Death Trap?

You’re rich now, Eugene. You’re the future prince consort and live in a palace. As soon as you get back to Corona or a place that recognizes Corona as a kingdom you’ll have plenty of money to spare. But you can’t do that if you’re dead inside a maze. 

Moreover, Rapunzel still has money on her. She just threw two coins in to the well; one for her and one for Demantius. You two live together! You’ve been traveling inside a caravan together for over a year now and neither of you work. Ergo, you should logically be sharing your finances at this point in time. Especially since that is what you’ll be doing anyways once you’re married for real, as you’ll both be heads of state.   

That’s Now How Faith Works

Faith is evidence for things unseen, or to put it more accurately the evidence for things that are unprovable. God, death, the future, creation, souls, the meaning of life, ect, are all concepts that can’t be proven nor disproven. No one upon this earth will ever know for certain what happens after death, how the universe was made, or if there is any intelligent life out there beyond ourselves.

People don’t like the unknowable.

Believe systems of all kinds, whether they be religious or not, exist to bring us comfort when face with the dread of such existential questions. Even if that belief system is agnosticism itself.

Gravity, weight, and basic physics however are all provable concepts that have been around since Ancient Greece, if not longer. Man has always known that if you drop something it falls, even if they didn’t have the math to back it. It’s just a fact of life.

‘Faith’ isn’t going to stop Eugene from falling. It’s not going to make the bridge more sturdy. It’s not going to magically make him as light as a feather. It won’t turn the acid below him into water. “Faith’ can’t literally give you wings and make you fly; that’s just a metaphor.

What Demantius is promoting here isn’t faith. What he’s asking Eugene to do is to blindly follow his orders without question.

This is especially jarring when you consider that Demantius is supposed to be a famous scientist. He should know very well the importance of critical thought and that having faith doesn’t mean shutting your brain off.

The Scroll is Such a Let Down

We’ve spent a season and a half finding the pieces for this thing and it won't actually be relevant until the halfway through season three. Mostly because the one person who can translate it isn’t here.

On top of that, it’s no longer important outside of  one episode. It’s an example of  the payoff not living up to its hype.

So This Is a Lie

The scroll only contains four incantations on it, and one is on the back in invisible ink and not the fourth pecice itself. None of those incantations involve combining the moontsone and sundrop together. In fact, after using two of those incantations only once they’re never seen being used again for the rest of the series. Furthermore, once the moonstone and sundrop are combined they only allow the user to perform the healing and hurt incantations, which Rapunzel can do anyways without the moonstone. 

Demantius wrote the dang scroll himself! He should very much know what is on it and what it does. This is yet another case of the writers not planning things ahead. 

Being Good at Riddles Doesn’t Make You ‘Pure of Heart’ 

Being ‘pure of heart’ means that you are kind. One does not need ‘faith’ to be kind. Being kind is doing the right thing and helping others even if it doesn’t benefit you at all.

Not only does running through a maze not have anything to do with faith, it also has nothing to do with kindness.

The only thing it proves is that Rapunzel enjoys running through a maze, and will do so in addition to dragging others along with her regardless if those people want to do it or not.

That’s not being kind.

If anything Rapunzel has only proven thus far in the series that she is a very selfish person who shouldn’t be trusted with such grave responsibility.

But as already pointed out, Demantius doesn’t care about actual faith, kindness, or purity. He just wants blind obedience. He’s mistaken Rapunzel’s exuberant and stubborn nature for nativity; not realizing that her complancany is only because they both desire the same goal.

Had he asked Rapunzel to do something that she didn’t already want to do, she wouldn’t have been so ‘pure’ to his mind.

That Is a Very Valid Question 

Eugene has a point. There’s no reason to go on this quest. In fact knowing about season three in hindsight, turning around now and not going to the Dark Kingdom would be the better option for everyone.

Cass couldn’t steal the moonstone. Zhan Tiri would never be freed. Corona will never be destroyed and the brotherhood never mind trapped. As for the black rocks they will just sit there impotently not doing anything.

Even freeing Quirin, not that Rapunzel cares, only requires the hurt incantation, which she already has.

The only problem is that Cassandra has ZT trapped in her mind but without the moonstone that has no consequences outside of Cass hearing a annoying voice in her head that she is perfectly capable of ignoring. And even that wouldn’t have happen if they had turned around after the Great Tree.

SHOW DON'T TELL

Nothing in the show back up what Demantius is saying here. We haven’t seen the rocks being active since season one. Even when Rapunzel was lollygagging around or going off the path. 

When they do become active again in the next episode it’s to help her, and after that in season three it’s all Cassandra’s doing. 

Also in season three Rapunzel is able to rebuild Old Corona around the rocks with little problem even though she didn’t reunite with the moonstone. 

In a Competent Show This Would Be Foreshadowing. This Is Not a Competent Show. 

I genuinely thought this was hinting at Moon Eugene, when I first saw this. Now couple that with the talk of ‘three betrayals’ earlier and I thought Eugene would be the final ‘betrayal’ and that a true love's kiss, after Rapunzel had apologized to him, is what would reunite the two powers and save the day.

I’m not going to fault the show for not living up to my expectations and predictions, but I will fault the series for failing to utilize Eugene properly and not working him into the main conflict. He’s the duel protagonist of the franchise. He should have just as much weight in the narrative the same as Rapunzel has.  

Oh How I Hate Where This Arc Goes

What the show does wind up doing to Eugene however, is incredibly stupid and frustrating. 

Remember how I said that ‘faith’ in this show is just blind obedience? 

Yeaaaahhh.... 

That’s what Eugene takes from all of this. Not that he should support and believe in his partner, something that he already was doing by the way, but that he needs to be a doormat to her and her whims. 

Like with Rapunzel yelling at Hook Hand in Brother’s Hook, this is the point where Eugene’s character starts to break. You just wouldn’t know it until after watching season three. 

This Is Such a Lazy Cop-Out

Like the audience has these questions too. Neither us nor Rapunzel will ever have these questions answered. You just backed out of committing to any real answers because you didn’t have your story planned out like you should have.

Why Does Everyone Act Like There’s a Prophecy When There Isn’t Any Actual Prophecy? 

Once again, Demantius had no way of knowing that the sundrop would become a person. No one did. There’s no prophecy and there’s zero explanation for his psychic abilities, which are inconsistent at best.  In fact I don't think he does have such powers, otherwise he’d be more helpful inside the maze. I think those are reserved for Vigor only and we don’t know where he got them or if he even is a ‘real’ psychic. 

Tangled the Series wants to act like it’s running on a predestination plot. That events must occur and will occur regardless of what actions you take to prevent it. Now ignoring how that causes problems with the characters’ agency for a moment; you can not have any predestination if there’s no actual destiny. 

Chosen one plots often have prophecies for a reason. Predestination is there to evoke either tragedy that can’t be prevented or present consequences for  if/when the main hero doesn’t follow along. Either way it’s there to establish conflict. 

Everyone in TTS acts like there is a conflict when said conflict hasn’t actually been established! 

This is writing 101. You need conflict. You need to establish shit. You can’t just pretend that a conflict exists where it doesn’t. ‘Fake till you make it’ doesn’t work in long term storytelling and television animation. It has to be pre-planned.  

Also The Timeline Doesn’t Match

Demantius said that it was a millenia when the sundrop and moonstone fell.He also just said he’s been waiting for a millenia to ‘meet the sundrop’. Yet Demantius acted like the sundrop and the moonstone were already legends by the time he started to search for them. That means they had to be around longer than he has. It also brings us back to the first question of who wrote the incantations if he and Zhan Tiri never found them? 

Believing In Someone Does Not Mean Shoving All the Work Onto Their Shoulders

You’re supposed to be in this together. Couples should work as a team. Both of your lives depend upon getting out of here so you should both be coming up with ideas and working together.

Not only does this miss the entire point of what ‘believing in your spouse’ actually means, it’s also incredibly unfair to both of these characters. It’s unfair to Rapunzel for put so much pressure and unrealistic expectations onto her and to have her be the person to carry both of them through when Eugene is perfectly capable of physically doing things. It’s also unfair to shove Eugene to the side and make him a useless character all of a sudden.

Rapunzel Does Nothing To Earn Such Blind Devotion 

Rapunzel’s magical hair has nothing to do with Rapunzel as a person. It’s an entity separate from her being. Literally. The hair can move of its own accord as shown here and it’s possible to physically separate Rapunzel from her powers as seen in the finale.  

Believing in Rapunzel should be about believing in who she is as a human being, about her individual character. It should not be because she has magic glowing hair.  

Not only is this a betrayal of Rapunzel and Eugene’s relationship and why they came to love one another in the first place, but it’s also a betrayal of Rapunzel’s growth as a character. It’s not only Eugene who blindly kisses her ass after this point, it’s everyone, even though she gives them little reason too. 

This the Last We’ll See of Vigor and Madame Canardist

Three episodes spent establishing these characters and now they’re just gone for no reason. They’re never seen of nor mentioned again beyond a single meta joke. Despite the main conflict revolving around Demantius and them both having the closest connection to that character.  

This Is Bad Foreshadowing, But At Least It’s Actual Foreshadowing  

Up till now any ‘foreshadowing’ we got for Cass’s villain arc has been confined to poorly thought out background images; the painting of the moon, the broken mirror in Gothel’s tower, and I won’t even dignify Chris’s bullshit about her handmaiden dress being blue. 

Not to mention all of that was only in season one. Outside of her conversation with Eugene about their parents, way back in Cassandra vs. Eugene, we haven’t had any real foreshadowing until we hit the Great Tree. 

Since the Great Tree we’ve only had a couple of bitch fights with Raps, which I personally don't consider real foreshadowing since no ill will was attached to those, and her glaring angrily at Rapunzel after escaping the shell house. 

In light of that, this scene is at least genuine foreshadowing, it’s just poorly done foreshadowing. 

While the other attempts at foreshadowing were too subtle, this one is too obvious. It gives the game away too early because there’s no other viable options within Rapunzel’s group. Adira comes closest and she’s not actually here and not really considered a friend by Rapunzel herself.  

So what winds up happening is that Cass’s arc feels rushed despite being planned since the beginning.  

Conclusion 

I spent three days fighting tumblr to get this review posted! Appreciate it! 

As for the episode itself, it’s fun to watch in isolation, but it’s such a let down knowing what’s to come from it all.