Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

The Kingdom of Corona was blessed with a breathtaking sight as the radiant sun beamed down upon its land. The morning sky was painted in brilliant hues, showcasing an array of soft pinks and oranges transitioning into a vibrant azure blue. The sun, a magnificent golden orb, rose steadily, casting its warm and gentle rays across Corona

As the sun's beams touched the earth, they awakened the kingdom with a gentle kiss of warmth and light. The vibrant green of the grasses seemed to intensify, shimmering with life as they stretched towards the golden light. Flowers, with their delicate petals, bloomed in response, displaying a riot of colors that danced in harmony with the sun's gentle touch.

In the idyllic kingdom of Corona, the sun's beaming rays symbolized hope, growth, and the promise of a brighter future. Its benevolent light served as a guiding force, illuminating the path forward and reminding all who beheld it of the infinite beauty and possibilities that lay before them.

The markets are loud during the early morning hustle as stalls are stood up and the smell of Monty's baked good fill the air as ques form Infront of the bakery.

A breeze full of autumn leaves swirm in concentric circles around the palace and slips into the window of Aloras bedroom.

"-also the observation made by Ingenhousz was that the bubbles produced by plants upon light exposure appeared only on the plants’ green parts-" Varian muttered away. Alora was sat opposite him. Her chin leaning on her fist.

Her eyes where a blend of a light brown and yellowish pigment. Her iris shone in the sun, beaming down, 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳.

Her ashbrown hair has a cool silver undertone. As it falls just beneaths her shoulders. Her tanned skin was splattered with darkened freckles, scattered around her face. Her lips where thin and rosy and slightly parted.

She wore a sage flowy dress with a thin sheet opaque fabric draped on top, embroidered with white flowers with silver threaded roots.

"Ingenhousz research is now known as photosynthesis, which is?" Varian questions Alora as she scribbles away in her notebook.

"plants using sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide to create oxygen and energy" Alora quips back while looking into her textbook.
This is how she spent the better half of her morning. Getting up, doing some prayer, her mother giving her some lecture, having breakfast, then having to learn her studies with Varian.

Varian was one of the only people she could go to, she could be herself around. He would guide her, listen to her. She looked up to him.

She suddenly lost her focus from Varians lesson.

She titled her head slightly to the window, as a beam of light caught her eye. She could faintly hear a melody, a familiar melody playing at the back of her mind. She focuses onto the beam of light and tries to make understanding of it. She's heard it her whole life. Every day she hears it talking, calling, almost yearing for her attention.

"Do you want me to close the window?' Varian questions her as her eyes doesn't leave the beam of light.

"It's fine.. I'll do it."

She gets up and her dress slowly falls, just hovering above the ground. She walks towards the window, about to close it until something catches her eye.

A concentrated ball of light shines infont of her. Singing, 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 to her 𝘭𝘰𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳. Her face is illuminated. A burnished golden glow filled the sky and stunned her. It was beautiful. The melody reached out to her. Like she's meant to be with it. 𝘓𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘮𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘳. The song was reaching its crescendo as it drifted towards her.

She was frozen. This Godly beauty shone down on her, inching closer as she lifts up her arm, reaching out for the orb. Almost touching it and-

"-𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘮𝘦? ALORA?" Varian shouts as she stands a few steps behind her "you okay?"

Alora frantically looks back and forth towards Varian and the window. 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘥 she sighed and silently walked back to her seat.
It disappeared. Like it always does. She's never explained it to anyone because 𝘐 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯, 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘻𝘺. 𝘕𝘰 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳.

"Its fine, I'm fine. It's nothing Varian." Alora mutters under her breath while sitting back at her desk, she bites the inside of her cheeks and sighs.

Varian sits back too and takes a breath "is it really nothing? You can talk to me about anything Alora, I swear to the 𝘴𝘶𝘯 you can.." his eyes soften and he leans forward.

"What's it like?" Alora faces towards the window, a slight breeze can be felt. "Outside there?"

"What's it like out of the palace? You know I can take you to the markets if you want princess-"

"-NO, I mean I want to know what's beyond the walls, beyond the barricades. Varian I'm 15 tomorrow. I'm scared my duties as princess will keep me captive here. There are just so many worlds to discover and kingdoms to explore. I want to be there. I want to make my mark. Surely you understand?" Alora blurts out, her gaze not leaving the window

Varian sits there, stunned. '𝘴𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳, 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘥𝘰𝘮𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘦' those words echo though his mind. He wants to tell her the truth but the risk of exile. 𝘉𝘶𝘵..𝘐𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘵?

"Alora-" Varian gets cut short. The doors slam open as a woman in a purple dress walks in.

"Mom.."

Rapunzel walks in. Her hair is shorter now, pinned back with a clip of a pink bird. 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦 freckles, 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦 jade eyes, 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦 thin rosey lips.
She wore a purple dress up to her ankles, it had a magenta waistcoat fitted to it with the Coronan crest and a yellow circular looking pin on her left side of her chest.

"𝘈𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘢." Rapunzels voice is stern, harsh. Alora shudders at her name and purses her lips

"Varian. Your duties are dismissed." She calls out, not looking away from Alora.

"Yes, your majesty." Varian quickly packs his stuff away in a haste and smiles at Alora. He bows his head, with his hands full of books, paper and all sorts at Rapunzel and runs off.

The air is thick. Choking Alora as she waits for her mother to speak, waiting for what seems as ages.
The clock ticks as Rapunzel circles the room and gesters Alora to sit on the vanity.
Alora complies and Rapunzel slowly picks up a brush and hums a song, this is a familiar song Alora remembers. It's about a 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘨𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨?

"Mom?" Alora gathers her all and breaks the silence...
Rapunzel raises an eyebrow and hums in reply.
"-whats it like outside the walls?" She's now sweating

"The outside world is a dangerous place. Filled with horrible, selfish people. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦, 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘧𝘦."

Rapunzel towered over her, the lingering scent of strong perfume chokes her. Heavily she picks up a brush and began to stroke her hair.

Alora gazed into the mirror. She hated the way her mother brushed her hair. it was always too rough and painful. It was almost like she tried to rip off her scalp

Was this some kind of punishment?
Did her mother do this to her? 𝘞𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵?
𝘋𝘪𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘳?
Is this why she never gave affection, or even cared for me like in those books.
The books where the mothers where soothing and nurturing with their songs. When I think of mine, Like a siren drowning me in her sadistic rasphody.
Instead of arms caressing, curdling me. I feel them trap me, guard me, keep me captive in this purgatory.

"But mum, I want to see for myself! I want to go and visit places and see people. Feel alive." Alora flinched as Rapunzel roughly brushed through her hair. Rapunzel paused, she could feel her eyes burning her neck. Sweat trickling down.

"Now, Alora that's demented." Rapunzel dismissed

"Mother-"

"I mean look at everything you have! All in your grasp" Rapunzel explains as she strokes Aloras shoulders. "Look at all you will inherit, a kingdom, a palace, a crown... It's 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶 " Rapunzel keeps a straight face while brushing her fighters through Aloras brown hair, her voice is just cold.
"I was the one to hold you, when you were scared of the nights moon. I brought you into a home, a wonderful home that many would die to live in. Isn't that enough?" Rapunzel turns Alora around, gaping into her eyes. Alora knees start to wobble.

"It is but-"

"𝘉𝘶𝘵?" Rapunzel snaps in leaving no time for Alora to speak

"BUT I WANT TO BE OUT THERE! MUM I HAVE A DREAM AND ITS TO EXPLORE AND FIND NEW PLACES!" Alora straightens her voice. "Mother I dream about running in fields, following this golden orb as it 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 to me, I run with it to the unknown and the- the thrill of adventure! Living on 𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦. I want that mum. It's my dream. 𝘏𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘢 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮?"

Rapunzel flinches at the word '𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮', she went from feeling hurt to pure anger...
Alora stood there, her heart pounding like a trapped bird against the cage of her ribs. The room seemed to close in on her, the walls pressing against her like judgmental eyes. Rapunzel’s tirade echoed, each word a whip that lashed at Alora’s spirit.

“US ROYALS HAVE NO TIME FOR NONSENSE 𝘋𝘙𝘌𝘈𝘔𝘚!” Rapunzel’s voice reverberated, the syllables sharp as shards of glass. Alora’s dream, once a delicate whisper, now hung heavy in the air—a forbidden secret she dared to utter.

Her gaze shifted to the window, where the sun peeked through the velvet curtains. Beyond those walls lay the world—the vast expanse of hills, forests, and distant horizons. Alora imagined herself running through meadows, the golden orb chasing her steps. She longed for the thrill of adventure, the taste of freedom on her tongue.

“YOU ARE STAYING IN THIS PALACE! FOREVER!” Rapunzel’s anger was a tempest, tearing at the fragile tapestry of Alora’s resolve. She clenched her fists, nails digging into her palms. The weight of duty pressed down upon her, a crown of thorns.

“IF YOU GO OUT THERE AND FIND THE HARSH REALITY OF THE WORLD…” Rapunzel’s voice cracked, revealing vulnerability beneath the rage. Alora wondered what had scarred her mother, what dreams she had buried in this castle’s cold stone walls.

“I WON’T HOLD YOU! I WON’T LOVE YOU!” The words hung in the air, a sentence more damning than any prison cell. Alora’s chest tightened, and she fought back tears. 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦—𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘢 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦? She had never known a mother’s embrace, only the weight of expectations.

“GOD SAKE, ALORA, YOU WILL BE QUEEN!” Rapunzel’s final decree echoed like a funeral bell. The throne awaited her—a gilded cage, adorned with jewells and power. But Alora craved the wind in her hair, the taste of salt on her lips. She wanted to be more than a puppet in a regal masquerade.

She turned away from Rapunzel, her gaze fixed on the distant object—a butterfly fluttering against the windowpane. Its fragile wings beat against the glass, seeking escape. Alora understood. She, too, was a butterfly yearning for the flame of her dreams.

“SO FIX UP AND ACT LIKE IT! UNDERSTAND?” Rapunzel’s voice cracked, Alora nodded, her resolve hardening. She would wear the crown, or she would chase the orb. It was her choice. For within her, a rebellion stirred—a fire that would burn brighter than any of the 7 kingdoms.

And as Rapunzel stormed out of the room, leaving Alora alone with her dreams, the jade butterfly found a crack in the window and slipped into the morning sun. Alora watched it vanish, a silent promise etched into her heart.

“I will find my own way, Mother,” she whispered “𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘧 𝘪𝘵 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘯.”
-------------------✿-------------------

Rapunzel walks through the palace halls. Many portraits are missing, the walls are bare, She looks to one side of a wall. A wide eyed Rapunzel with a smile painted across her face, sat up smiling and giggling with her parents, loving parents, by her side. Her hair is golden, tied up in multiple pink beaded bobbles. She looked 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘺

Now she snaps back into reality. Where the portrait was, is now empty. Like it never existed.

But not all of the pictures are gone. Plastered on the wall are forgotten stories that she can't explain.
One painting shows a young lady. She has hip length brown hair with fair skin. Ash grey eyes, peachy lips and blushed cheeks. She wore a mustard yellow dress, her hands placed Infront of her with a matching bonnet.

A small smile was on her face.
A smile that's now gone. 𝘕𝘰𝘸 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘨𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘴..
Sometimes, sometimes Rapunzel can even see her, making beds, cleaning the table. It's like she's here. But she's gone, in whatever afterlife there is. But nothing makes a room feel emptier than wanting someone in it.

Rapunzels absent face changes as she hears footsteps behind her. She quickly wipes away a stray tears and looks behind her.
Eugene.
He wore a red jacket with the Coronan crest on the left side of his chest, Porcelain trousers and gloves and a black belt. He aged beautifully as there are no wrinkles in sight. His signature goatee and oak brown hair have grey hairs sticking out of them, but still even in an older age Rapunzel can't help to blush. He's gorgeous.
"You okay sunshine?" His eyebrows cocks up as he hold both of his wife's hands,

"Yeah, yeah it's just.." she can't bring herself to say it.

She looks at the painting. The young woman, young and to never grow old. Her smile is fixed in place, not tainted.

"It's sad.. the world is full of sudden goodbyes." Eugene clasps onto Rapunzels hand and kisses her forehead. She lets out soft sobs while Eugene embraces her.
Such a soft touch, everything feels new but yet so familiar at the same time. This is their love. True love.
Gasps and heavy breaths echo the hallway as Rapunzel buries her face in the nook of his shoulder. He strokes her short hair and continues to kiss her forehead and rock her.

"I was never ready for her to leave." Rapunzel mumbles. She wasn't ready for any of this.
"Maybe..." Eugene takes a breath. "We should tell Alora."
Rapunzel immediately pulled back and wiped her tears.
"No." She stated in a harsh stern tone. "No, no,no."

Suddenly sadness turned into anger.

“But Sunshine, she's fourteen. It’s her Princess Coronation tomorrow, and she will be queen one day. You have to-"
"SHE CAN'T KNOW" Rapunzel snaps out. She's enraged at the possibility of Alora finding out, let alone Eugene telling her.
The room crackled with tension of a storming tempest.
Their love once as 𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘯 above, 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘰𝘯

"She can’t know about my hair, the moon and sun, Zhan tri." The words hung in the air, heavy with secrets. The forbidden knowledge, like a delicate web spun across her mind, threatened to unravel at any moment. She glanced up at Eugene, her eyes wide and pleading. "If she ever finds out about Faith she would feel like a monster-"

"YOU'RE ALREADY MAKING HER FEEL THAT WAY!"

Rapunzel stays quiet.

"You keep things hidden from her, you confine her into this palace, you shut down the kingdom! FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE RAPUNZEL-"
his voice crescendos
"FAMILIES ARE BEING TORN APART! LOOK AT VARIAN! JUST LOOK AT EVERYONE ELSE WHOSE LOVED ONES YOU'VE FORCED TO LEAVE!"
"BLONDIE? when will it be enough?.. all that we've lost. Will it ever be enough?" The question lingers, unanswered.

Rapunzel stands and walks towards Eugene "They CHOSE to leave, Eugene! It's my duty as queen to protect MY subjects!"
She gets closer to Eugene forcing her finger towards his chest. "And I love Alora with all my heart, and I want to do what's best for her"

"YOU ONLY EVER DO WHAT'S BEST FOR YOU-" Eugene locks eyes with Rapunzel, searching for a scrap of her former self. She'd changed so much since that night.
She was no longer that caring bubbly ray of sunshine that's his heart ached for. instead had turned shallow and cold. Like she was someone completely different, like someone or something took his wife from him and replaced her. Rapunzel blinks away tears rapidly clouding her eyes, "What’s happened to you?" Eugene manages to choke out cupping Rapunzel's face, she doesn't lean into the touch. Just stays frozen, cold. Like an imperial impenetrable fortress. "Sunshine, I'm here for you.. I- I want you back."

"I'm right here. I don't know who you want back." Rapunzel's voice sounds cold, like no feeling could possibly penetrate the shell of what once was.

"Just consider talking to-"

"I WILL CONSIDER NOTHING," Rapunzel backs away and points her thumb to her chest "I KNOW WHAT'S BEST FOR MY DAUGHTER, AND HOW TO KEEP HER SAFE-"

"YOU SOUND JUST LIKE GOTHEL!"

Eugene spits, his words

echoing,imitating like a gunshot around the room. The world stood still. You could hear their pulses in the silence.

"Get...Out." Rapunzel's voice comes out as barely a whisper.

"Blondie I-"

"Out."

You could hear the strain in her voice. The tears now streaming from both of their eyes, this happened for the better half of their evenings. Now it's all day. Argument after argument.
"Yes your majesty." Eugene blurts out as he turns away and walks out the room. Leaving Rapunzel to find comradery with her sobs in the silence.

-------------------✿-------------------
Alora frantically sobs while running down to the cellar of the palace, she knocks on the door and storms in, tears streaming down her face. Burning her face, swelling her eyes.
Varian, without a thought, runs to Alora and embraces her, holding her close and hushing her, trying to wipe away her tears but it's futile as snivels.

"Hey, hey what happened? Alora-?" Varian kneels to her level to try calm her down, his hands placed on her shaking arms. His sapphire eyes soften.
Blubbering Alora wipes her face with her sleeve and sits down on an old sofa, trying to calm herself down.

"It was your mother right?" Varian says.
The word mother makes her shudder. She wants to thinks of a woman holding and embracing her, tucking her into bed, singing to her but instead she thinks of a voice, screeching at her. Instead she thinks of an authority figure, controlling her every action. Instead she thinks of the tyrant queen who everyone bows their head in fear for.

"She is not my mother." Alora grits her teeth. And shakes her head frantically.
Ruddinger hops on Aloras lap and purrs while laying down, she instinctively strokes him while Varian makes hot Coco. She focuses on his bulletin board and sees a picture, Varian.

He's with 3 other people, Varian looks the same but younger, and he's with a boy. He looks uncanny, familiar. Like a dream she can't quite touch but can slightly remember. But what suprised her was that 'the blonde' and Varians hands where clasped, and they where, happy. Hand in hand, gazing into eachother, so close with pure admiration in their eyes. They where happy.

Varian passed over a mug of hot Coco to Alora and sat by her.
"Hey V?" She asked "who are them people in that picture?"

Varian almost chocked on the hot Coco and put it down. He gazed at the picture and focused on himself and 'the blonde'
"Just some people, that I met." He quickly shut his mouth.
"You've been outside the walls?" Alora sits up "what's it like? What's out there?"
Varian can't keep it in anymore.

"it's the most beautiful thing I could ever ask for." He blurts out
"it was the best thing that happened to me, the things I saw, the people I met." He gazed at the blonde
"it was truly remarkable."

"Why did the gates close? Why can't I go? What's she so scared of?" Alora asks questions after question-

"-I WISH I COULD TELL YOU I truly do Alora." Varian exclaims "things are complicated.. I remember a simpler time, where I didn't have to worry about secrets. Or loosing the people I love." He gazes at the picture and a mattress in the corner of the room, filled with blankets, pillows, stuffed animals and memories from what felt a lifetime ago.

"-Princess" a maid interrupts
"you are needed to finish off dress fittings, your father requests you immediately."

Ruddinger jumps off her lap and sits back on the sofa Alora stood up and wiped her face with her sleeve.
"Erm I'll see you later?" She mumbles while following the maid up the stairs.
Varian stands there, lingering for a second his body tense. The door lets out a slam as it shuts and he finally releases his muscles.
It's quiet, too quiet. He looks back to the picture. His eyes gaze at him and the blonde while he lets out a sigh.

"Why?..why has it come to this?" Varian mutters, while opening a cupboard. He unfolds a piece of paper and tears up reading the contents of the letter.
His lower lip starts to wobble as he lets out gasps and cries, collapsing to the ground, clutching the letter to his chest.
Nothing lasts forever, nothing stays the same.

Varian thinks of that late night in koto where it was getting dark but yet they stayed up for hours. What a night it was.
He wishes he didn't take it for granted. He wishes for another night.
-------------------✿-------------------
The sun was dimming and Alora walked into the dressing room.

"Hey sunflower!" Eugene excitingly exclaims, running to hug Alora as she walks in

"Dad!" Alora giggles as he spins her around. She spots something crawling up his uniform, something small, fast and green.

"ARGH-" Eugene flinches as he covers his ears
pascal sits on his shoulder and squeels in pride

"WHY YOU-" Eugene grunted while going back and forth with pascal.

"Princess, here is your gown for the celebration tomorrow" a maid called out, Alora walked into the dressing room. The vanity is full of makeup, a sewing kit, extra lace, brushes, hair pins, all sorts.

"-oh go on! Run away you frog!" Eugene bellows, arms crossed.
In the dressing room the maids pull her hair, tighten her corset firmly.
She hates dress fitting day.

"Dad" Alora drags out "he's a chameleon."

Alora emerges from the curtains wearing a puce gown. The gown had an off shoulder neck line which was filled with gold and glit adornments. the bodice had a built in corset that ended at the waistline with aureate flower embroidery. The waistline was full of blossoms which are white that fade into a lacey pink on each side of her hips, with golden chains dangling from them. The attire was layered with the petticoat a darker Turkish rose, with more golden embroidered flowers and the top layered with ruffles with sewn in jewels and lavish diamonds. The hemline of the dress reached the floor, the back, forming a train.
It's was just all so. Pink.

Alora could barely stand as she wobbles to balance on the stool. The maids dust off and adjust the dress whilst finishing up her hair, some of it being pulled into a bun and the rest being curled and let out.

Eugene stands in awe as he sees his daughter, his beautiful daughter in the dress. He walks up to her and cups her cheeks.

"You look gorgeous sunflower." He warmly smiles as Alora melts into his hands

"Thanks dad.." her trail of thought drifts off as she gazes into the mirror Infront of her.

What did she see?
It certainly wasn't her.
She looks at the pink puffy dress and stares. Just stares.
One of the maids pick up a familiar looking golded tiara with 3 large shards of diamonds and many smaller one, different coloured, scattered around.
This wasn't her.

Nobody knows who Alora really is, neither does she.

"Darling? Are you okay?" Eugene moves his hands to her shoulders, his eyebrows furrow deeper.

"Dad it's just," she stammers "I wish mom understood and would listen to me. I mean, was she always like this? Hasn't she ever had a dream?"
The word dream echos through Eugenes mind,

Dream.

This has gone too far Eugene thinks, eyes starting to tear up. He thinks to the time, Rapunzel was fresh out the tower, eyes wide and ready to learn about the world. It felt like a lifetime, eons ago. he thinks back to that night, in the boat watching as lanterns drift and fill the sky. Watching her and seeing her face was worth all the pain. He wishes to go back to that night.

"Alora.. she cares about you, she just wants what's best for you" he caresses her cheek

"It's hard to explain love" he continues "but I promise one day, when the time is right, you'll know. Sometimes people can change, better or for worst."
Alora, looking unsatisfied with this answer is futher agitated
What are they keeping from me? What is Varian keeping from me? Alora gets lost in her thoughts.

"But what's out there?"
The sun is almost completely gone, rays of light can be seen from behind the walls. "Why is it all fenced off?"

"I wish I knew Alora, I wish I knew." His words echo through her mind.

Alora gazes out, beyond the castle gardens and sees something.
Someone?
Something?
Though the sun has set an array of light rises, a fluorescent ball of gold floats mid air singing a familiar incantation, this time the orb is in the distance, still the song can be heard, like it's in her bones.

The orb playfully prances and fills the sky with light, fills her eyes with wonder, fills her heart with a song.
The orb drifts towards the walls and calls to her, sings to her almost yearning for her to follow it.
Follow it beyond the walls.
Beyond the barricade.
Her eyes trace every movement before the orb vanishes mid song to behind the kingdoms walls. The reflection still lingering in the canals.
It was silent.

"Sweetheart?" Eugene calls out "what's there?" He confusingly looks out the window and back to Alora.

"It's nothing, just- lost in thought." Alora replies with Eugene looking even more concerned.

"Umm dad? I'm feeling a bit run down, I'll pass dinner together and head to bed- if that's okay?" Aloras voice starts to break, still her gaze not leaving the walls. She's not sure if she can still hear the singing, or if it's in her mind, or if it all is in her mind and she's going absolutely bonkers. Her mind is disarranged.

"You sure? Crowleys making hazelnut soup" Eugene stated

"Yeah, it's fine."

Alora hates hazelnut soup.

She walks behind the dressing curtains, trying to remain balanced, she looks at herself in her puce gown and gitted tiara and stares in the vanity.

"I stopped being me a long time ago" she mutters under her breath, tears forming from under her eyes "I can't even remember who that was."
-------------------✿-------------------
Alora runs into her room, wearing her classic sage dress.
She collapses onto her bed, sobbing the moon gazes down at her, almost comforting her. The moons glow caressing her skin, holding her close. Until she heard something.
The song.
The orb.
It's song rung through her ears and made all her hairs stand up, almost glowing to the calls rhythm.
It came down to her, almost speaking to her.
A golden blossom emerging from it. petals with intricate golden creases, the corolla sways to the harmony as aurelian vines sprout from the flower. Branches wrapped around her room, swirling and spiraling around her. Almost reaching out for her.

She can hear faint words coming from the orb.

"Flower hmmm hm hmmm let your mmmm shine"

It rings through her ears, tears flow from her eyes as her sadness turned to rage

"WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME??"
The orbs symphony intensifies, with no reply.

"WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME?"
Alora falls to the ground, choking on her own sobs

The harmony intensifies, glowing and gleaming harder and harder
Tears burn her eyes, swelling them as she whails on the ground. strands of her hair in her face as she kneels on the floor, hand to her chest. Her heart is pumping In synchronization to the orbs song.

A faint golden aura outlines her form as the whole room flares.
Silhouettes of a sun covers the walls as Alora frantically turns around trying to make sense of all this madness.
Slowly the song lead to it's diminuendo as the vines and blossom slowly retreated back inside a bud. The golden aura fades away till the room is silent.
The silence is deafening with just Alora and orb. Standing face to face.

"What are you..." She gasps, stood in a trance.
The orb speaks a few tunes and drifts off into the night sky, greeting the moon while floating beyond the kingdoms walls.
It makes one more cry for Alora, Almost yearning for her to follow. And then disappears into the stars.

Alora snapped out of her trance. What happened? That was the closest she's ever seen the orb.
Is she going mad?
I mean how could she? The orb was practically touching her.
why was her hair glowing? And her whole body was a tint of gold.
Also what can explain the moon watching her, almost singing along?
Millions of questions race through her mind as she's examining all that happened.

And the orb, it wanted her to follow it.
"All my life I've wondered who I am. I just don't know. Where I am in life I have no solid or immediate answer to. " Alora starts packing a satchel full of coins, spare clothes and more essentials.

"This home no longer feels like home, this body no longer feels likes it's mine to control. They tell you to follow your heart, 'go live your dreams!' but how can I when my heart yearns to go far from here? All I've always wanted to be was someone else. I've had a dream to explore what's beyond the walls, beyond the barricade. If today I don't risk it all I won't ever be free from these chains."

Alora opens her closet and rummages through it. She finds a cloak. It was maroon with a tint of red, the insides of the cloak was a darker shade, the edges of the cloak where pink as with the leafy embroidery. She's never seen this before. She wraps it around her neck and continues gathering items.
"I have never known who I am and who
I'm meant to be. But I do know I'm meant for more"

"Locked behind these walls, sheltered from this world I barely know. This is the time to stand. To break free. A chance to build a better tomorrow."
Alora gazes, satchel in hand, out her window to beyond the walls. "It's risky, a leap of faith. There's a huge chance that it won't work out. But be brave Alora. You would've been waiting forever to be ready."

Alora glanced back one more time at a family portrait. She looked around her room at her gowns, dresses, toys, paints, books. Her tiara.
She can see her reflection in it's jewels

She looked back to the walls.
"I'm strong enough" she said to herself while gripping onto her satchel.

And the thing is.

she was.
-------------------✿-------------------
The halls of the palace are bleak. Rapunzels footsteps reverberate through the castle, rain pounds on the windows. The feeble clouds cave in around Corona, the thunder roaring to the winds howl leaving a cold breeze through the town.

Rapunzels twitches and fiddles with her fingers. The moon gawping down at her makes her sweat.

Why is it doing that? Why is it almost burning my skin? She thinks as she trails towards Aloras room. She paused midway through the hallway.
"Alright, just go in there and apologize for what you said, just tell her you didn't mean those words and just said them to protect her." She mumbles to herself with continuing to walk to Aloras bedroom door.

She stops and takes a deep breath. "Just go in there.."
"Alora?" Rapunzel knocks on the door, no reply. "Alora? Are you there?" She slightly opens the door and can't see anyone there. She walks into the room.
She's gone.

Rapunzel frantically searches the room, ripping her duvet off the bed, rummaging through the wardrobe. But Alora's
I'ms nowhere to be seen.
The room is dingy. Fog layering the bedroom floor.

Rapunzel starts to hyperviliate, her chest quickly rising and collapsing.
Her shuddered breaths ring through the room.
"No..no.." she repeats while pulling on her own hair.
How could this of happened?
She shivers as a gale of wind hits her skin.the curtains flap as to the winds yelps.
"She ran away?" Her eyes widened. " She really left?"

"GUARDS!" She shrieks. "FIND HER, MAKE SURE NO ONE LEAVES THESE WALLS"
She looks In disgust at the night sky, the stars twinkling and the moon glowing, almost mocking her.
She looks beyond the walls, nothing in sight.
"You won't get far Alora.."
-------------------✿-------------------
Rapunzels screeches echo though the kingdom. The moon burns her skin, Almost pushing her forward.
"Don't look back" Alora pants as she's gushing towards the walls "don't look back you're not going that way."
The sky's a canvas of darkness with speckles of light. The captivating stars prance in the night sky.

Guards running with lanterns, searching for the lost princess
Her eyes started to blur, her lungs ached as her heart was pounding. She had to keep running. She can't look back, only forwards.

Yells and shouts came from behind her
Anxiety over runs Alora, running though the bushes. Thorns grappling a hold of her pearl nightgown. The mud squelched under her, staining her boots her heart pounds with desperation.
Her eyes scan old Corona, looking for the orb to no prevail.

"Where are you..." She hisses.
Alora becomes one with the shadows, trampling over branches and tripping over her own feet.
The pounding footsteps behind her only made her run more firmly.
Until she makes it.
Stood Infront of her, towering over her are the walls.

Engraved in the stone are images.
Depictions of the sun, shining down on Corona. A flower, that looks similar to the orbs flower. A Lantern with the Coronan sigil.

The sun is what catches her eye.
She can almost hear the moon, singing a somber tune while she hovers her hand over the sun. Likes it's trying to tell her something.
Suddenly the orb appears. It's song is faint but yet it could light up the whole of Corona.

"It's you again!" She exclaims excitedly.
The orb playfully circles her,
"Hey! That tickles" Alora giggles to the orbs playfulness.

"So you want me to follow you?" Queries Alora
The orb bounces up and down frantically while a golden glitter like substance trails it.
"Okay... Have you found a way out? I don't think I'm properly equipped to climb this wall.."

The orb tuggs on her cloak a few feet away. It leads to a broken drain. The hole is big enough for Alora to crawl through.

"Good job! So now.. we're out of here?" Before the orb could answer ruffling can be heard from the bushes, the orb quickly goes through the hole, leaving Alora.

Footsteps can be heard coming closer and closer.
𝘖𝘩 𝘴𝘶𝘯! 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺'𝘷𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘦.

"Alora? Ally??" A familiar voice echoes.

Varian.

"Alora! There you are, the whole kingdom is looking for you." Varian let's out a sigh of relief, Alora is still stiff.

"Varian.. I'm not going back." She confeses, backing further towards the drain.

"Alora I get it. I won't force you."

"You won't?" She raises her eyebrow in confusion.

"Alora, I lost too much. My mother, my father, my boy- my friends."
Varian paces.

"There are things that are happening, that I can't tell you. Secrets that you have to uncover. Alora, I must warn you it's dangerous out there. Hell, I'm not even sure anymore since it's been so long I've been there."

He reaches into his pocket.
"Alora, I can't stop you. Your stubborn. But something big is happening, something is coming and your mother refuses to listen to my warnings. Here."

He bends down to her level and hands her an amulet, a locket.

It had a golden chain. In the middle of the pendant was a carving of the sun with aurate rays reaching from it, but they are stopped with a golden band around the centre of the pendant. Engraved on the rest of the pendant are depictions of flowers, golden flowers. Orbiting around the sun are impressions of stars and.. the moon.

The moon shines down even brighter, not looking at Alora, but looking at the locket..

"What is this.." Aloras voice trails off, about to open the locket

"-WAIT! don't open it. Not yet." Varian suddenly snatched it off her. Glancing at it.

"This ornament is special.. the history of it, the prophecy it all leads to you-"

"What prophecy? Varian You're making no sense." Alora buts in, Yet Varian is still anxious.

"OVER THERE??!!" The shouts of guards accumulate.

"Alora I have no time. Take this pendant" he rushes while hastely placing it around her neck.
"You are the only one who can fix this. Go to the goodwife, go find them. Go free him."

He apprehensivly yelp, pushing her towards the drain.

"The good who? Find who? Free who?" Alora bewilderingly gasps.
"You will remember." Varian pushes her into the drain hole, watching her escape.

Oh my
I did this
I helped her
Rapunzel will kill me.

Different scenarios run through his mind. What if he goes back to the dungeon? What if he gets exiled? What if he.. gets trapped in the amber..

"Sir Varian! Have you seen her?" Pete, a guard shouts, riding a horse.

"No.. she must have went that way?" He points to the left, the horses galap away from him, with guards and civilians shouting in the distance.

"Please Alora, you're smart. You can solve this."

He pulls out a crumbled piece of paper, must be really old with all the creases and stains, the paper is now brown.

"𝑀𝑒𝑒𝓉 𝓂𝑒 𝓌𝒽𝑒𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒻𝒶𝓁𝓁𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓈𝓉𝒶𝓇𝓈 𝓇𝒾𝓈𝑒 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓁𝒾𝓋𝑒. 𝐼'𝓁𝓁 𝓌𝒶𝒾𝓉 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓎𝑜𝓊. 𝒟𝒶𝓎 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓃𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉 𝒾𝒻 𝐼 𝒽𝒶𝓋𝑒 𝓉𝑜. - 𝒜𝓁𝓁 𝓂𝓎 𝓁𝑜𝓋𝑒,"
-------------------✿-------------------
I'm free..

They have no power over me.

I'm finally free!

Alora prances through the eroded old dirt path, picking flowers and dancing in the moons delight.

The orb also joins, singing it's usual harmony. This time Alora didn't quite mind. She herself danced along to it, giggling and laughing, a gale of wind runs though her hair.

"Now's when my life begins!" She looks back to Corona, but then looks forward. She can't see past the horizon. It's only her, her lantern and the orb.

What could be beyond the walls? What will she find? What adventures and endeavours will she put herself through?
Will she find what's she looking for?
What's in store for her?
She herself doesn't know as those questions circle her mind.

What she does know is that it'll be an adventure of a lifetime.
Her and the orb walk towards a new horizon. It's time to start a new story.

The moon stared into the amulet, singing the same song, yearing for a reply.
With non to avail.