“Flower, gleam and glow, let your power shine…” Rapunzel sniffled into the grey evening. Surrounded by lengths of dead brunette hair, cradling a lifeless Flynn, the colour had washed out of her world.

Now what? Okay, maybe it was a little naive to fall for the first guy who treated her nicely. Or the first guy she’d ever met, even. But that same guy had just died in her arms, and it was all her fault. Maybe a little bit his too, for cutting off her lifesaving magical hair, but that was his sacrifice.

Mother couldn’t use her anymore, and she was her own woman. She could do whatever she wanted now. 

But what? There was no one to do whatever she wanted with. Go back to Corona and be a princess again? Where was the fun in that without a prince? Wait around, singing of a bright and cheery future? That would just depress everyone.

But then the idea struck. Flynn had cut off her hair. But not all of it, right? It was a long shot, but at this point, what did she have to lose? Plus, Mother wasn’t there any more to judge or control her.

Rising to her feet, Rapunzel’s mind was made up. And instantly she flushed red with embarrassment. Was she really going to do this? And more pressing was the how. Not to mention the if.

Teeth ground as she slowly unzipped her dress at the back. It was just going to get in the way, after all. Pascal gave her a strange look, but judgement was his only emotion. 

Her dress peeled away over clammy skin, and suddenly Rapunzel was in her undershirt and bloomers. Thighs prickling with gooseflesh, she trembled before the man beneath her, as unimpressed and dead as ever. 

No. Not wasn’t the time for nerves, she chastised herself. She’d never tried this before, but it probably had some sort of clock on it. Time, and magic, was of the essence.

Rapunzel swallowed down her nerves, and tucked thumbs under the waistband of her bloomers, pulling the material over her hips. Mortification rose as more flesh was exposed, despite no one being there to see it, but as delicate cotton slipped down past her ankles, Rapunzel was baring it all, a sparse nest of hair between her thighs her saving grace.

As golden as the hair on her head, but thicker and curlier, it was now or never. It had glowed before when she sang, so why wouldn’t it now?

Unless it was too late of course. That would’ve been a real bummer.

Grimacing, she knelt down above Flynn. Skin on skin contact was probably the best way to go, and she didn’t want to make this any more awkward than it already had to be, but… how?

Her legs just didn’t seem to want to cooperate. ‘A lady sits with her knees together’, Mother had always said.

But then again, Mother wasn’t here any more. And most of her so called ‘advice’ had turned out to be lies anyway. Also she was a princess now. She was a lady no matter what her legs did.

….or where they went, she glanced to the side. Biting her lip, she sat across Flynn’s lifeless body, gently lowering her weight onto his face. Skin on skin. It wasn’t too weird, was it?

She looked back at Pascal for support, who just grimaced back at her. Okay, it was weird. But a necessary weird. That’s what she could tell herself whether this worked or not. It was a win win!

…sort of.

”R-right!” Rapunzel psyched herself up. Thighs either side of Flynn’s face, down there hair touching him, she took in a breath, and recited a song she knew by heart…

”Flower, gleam and glow. Let your powers shine. Make the clock reverse, bring back what once was mine…”

She could feel her powers surge through her body, but no light engulfed the darkness. 

At least not from her head anyway.

Golden curls spiralling into light, she - and Flynn’s face - were bathed in the familiar glow once again. Was it working? Was her Flynn coming back to her? Surely it had to be working!

”Heal what has been hurt. C-change the fate’s design…?” She carried on, hope quivering in her voice. “Save what has been lost. Bring back what once was mine. What once was mine…”

Her voice ebbed away into silence, and the glow about her nethers died with it. Beneath her, Flynn was still as lifeless as ever.

Sadness welled within Rapunzel, bubbling to the surface in a seething cauldron of depression. Of course it didn’t work. She’d spent too much time worrying about it and getting embarrassed over it, and now she’d taken too long and he was dead dead! And now she was all alone and Pascal was going to judge her for the rest of time, and-

“Uh… blondie?”

Rapunzel gasped, and scrambled away from Flynn. Eyes flickering open, the inescapable smile was curving on his lips, and he found the strength to wipe his face.

”Flynn…?” She gathered her dress around herself. “Are you okay?”

”Okay?” He coughed. “Waking up to a sight like that? I’m more than okay, blondie. Though if that’s what you’re into… I’m sure I can make it work.”

”Ohh…!” She threw herself at him. Arms wrapped around his chest, she spluttered tears everywhere. “I didn’t know what to do! You cut off my hair and my magic stopped working, so I just sort of… scrambled for ideas?”

”Well colour me impressed,” Flynn winked. “That’s the best idea you’ve had all day.”

Pulling her closer, Flynn locked lips with Rapunzel’s. She could taste herself on him, and all of the panicked decisions that led to this moment. 

In hindsight, it was crazy getting naked and sitting on a dead guy’s face. But she brought that dead guy back to life. So overall? A happily ever after after all.