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Rogue (n.) - A dishonest or unprincipled man; a person whose behavior one disapproves of, but is nonetheless likable or attractive
Post-Tangled, Pre-Tangled: Before Ever After
“I just don’t get why they couldn’t get my nose right,” Eugene complained as he tore down another wanted poster.
Rapunzel pulled the paper out of his hand and looked it over. The two of them were working on taking down all of the posters around Corona, now that he was no longer a wanted criminal. Rescuing and returning the Lost Princess had earned him a clean slate, and he wasn’t going to let it go to waste. Technically, the guards were supposed to be taking the posters down, but Eugene didn’t trust them to get the job done anytime soon. They had made it clear that they still weren’t his biggest fans.
“They got everything else right,” Rapunzel said before putting the poster in the bag with the rest they had gathered.
“Exactly! They had to be doing it on purpose!” Eugene threw his arms up in the air. “I don’t know what I did to deserve this!”
Rapunzel gave him a look, and Eugene sheepishly looked to the side. Okay, so maybe he did know what he did to deserve it. As far as he knew, he hadn’t stolen anything from the kingdom’s poster maker, but he’d stolen from a lot of people, so it was possible that he’d just forgotten. Or he had stolen from someone the poster maker cared about. Actually, he wasn’t even sure who made the posters. There were several possibilities.
Still, it didn’t change the fact that it bothered him.
For the longest time, he’d split himself into two people. There was Eugene Fitzherbert, the orphan that no one wanted. And then there was Flynn Rider, the roguish thief who had wanted posters to go around. It wasn’t necessarily the “wanted” he had desired growing up, but it was better than nothing. It was better than indifference.
Based on everything he knew, rogues were supposed to be attractive and liked, despite all of their wrongdoings. Yet, Flynn Rider wasn’t even given the decency of having a wanted poster that truly looked like him. Other criminals were given proper posters, and they weren’t anywhere near as charming as he was!
So what had he done wrong? He’d taken the name of a beloved book character, and Eugene knew there were more fans of “The Tales of Flynnigan Rider” than just himself. Had that made him less likable to people? Did they feel like he was insulting the character? Or was it just that he hadn’t been as good of a rogue as he’d thought?
Maybe it was for the best. After all, that wasn’t who he was anymore. He was Eugene Fitzherbert, boyfriend to Princess Rapunzel of Corona. And…
“You know,” Rapunzel said, pulling him out of his thoughts, “with as many wanted posters as Flynn Rider has, I bet that there’s at least one out there where they got everything right.”
“You think so?”
Rapunzel nodded. “I know so, and I’ll make sure that we find it.”
Eugene smiled at her. He was Eugene Fitzherbert, boyfriend of Princess Rapunzel of Corona. And that was much better than being a rogue.