Antigravity (Flynn Rider x Reader)

XV

Published: July 28th, 2022

"So you're not even going to try to find her?"

"We're not going to look for someone who doesn't want to be found. Besides, the rumors have spread, and we can't be associated with a murderer."

"She is the victim here! How can't you see that? She was kidnapped and she had to watch the girl she loved get killed, right in front of her."

"She left a note." The king is clearly struggling to contain his anger -- his face seems to be boiling, his veins are protruding grotesquely.

"She'd write anything if someone she cared about was threatened. I'll bet you Rainy was trying to save her."

"This is such a mess," the queen sighs.

"Maybe if you had put any effort into finding her when she disappeared the first time, we wouldn't be in this mess to begin with!" you shout at the royalty, feeling enraged tears spill down your cheeks and drip off your chin.

"How dare you speak to us like that!" the king says, matching your volume.

"She's my sister! She's your daughter! How can you just stand there and ignore the facts!"

"She is not your sister anymore," the queen says firmly. Did she really just say that? You feel something snap inside of you.

"Well, maybe she's not your daughter, either, since you refuse to put any time and energy into her."

"Get out! Get out!" the king shouts, gesturing at the guards. They soon escort - no, drag - you out. You loathe the feeling of their hands on your arms. They leave you a hundred yards down the path, where you find yourself in the marketplace. The place doesn't seem as happy anymore; you notice now that the vendors are weary, there are people camping out between buildings, and there are people fighting. You follow the road, becoming easily startled by anyone who walks past. Ahead of you is a woman, short in height with shoulder-length, curly, grey-brown hair and a scowl on her face. You hear her saying things and are unsure if she's talking to you. She makes eye contact with you and begins yelling.

"You think I would want to be with him? I would never! I would rather lay in the fields and let the f*cking crows pick out my guts! You all thought he was good for me. I know you did. Don't lie to me!"

She gets closer, and you start to get frightened. What if she hurts you? She seems really angry -- is violence really off the table? Is it ever off the table?

"Oh, you f*cking thought. You f*cking thought. But I know what you were thinking." She began screeching, only a few feet away now. "I know you wanted him! He was mine! But I didn't want him! I didn't f*cking want him!"

She's a foot away. The door you're passing opens, making you jump. Another woman leans out the door, her voice breaking through the tense air like a stone breaking the water's surface. "Carlene! Leave the poor girl alone! Go home!"

Carlene passes by you, continuing her ravings about some guy. You turn to the other woman, grateful, and she beckons you inside.

"Thank you," you blurt -- you can't say it fast enough. You follow her to the door and stay there, looking around the shop. There are paintings hung on the walls, scattered across tables, art supplies lining shelves. You recognize some of the artwork; this is the woman you and Rapunzel met, the woman who explained the lost princess lord to you.

"Don't worry about her, hon, she's harmless."

"What happened to her?" you ask, curiosity taking over your manners.

"She just appeared in Corona one day. We don't really know why she's like that. But she's really a sweetheart, I can tell." Thunder crackles outside. You can feel the boom echo in your chest.

"Gonna be one hell of a storm. Come in, dear, I don't bite," the kind woman says, gesturing to your form in the threshold. She busies herself with organizing paintbrushes. You step inside tentatively, looking around the dimly lit yet surprisingly bright store. The walls are made of brick, the lanterns on the wall are wrought iron, the wooden floor is stained dark. The room is much more wide than long, with long tables to the right of the door and the counter to the left. Along the back, there is a staircase sunken into the wall, presumably leading to her living quarters. She has a variety of plants scattered among her artwork and easels lining the wall around the counter, some of which with unfinished work.

You love it.

"Tell me, what's your name?" the woman asks you.

"Oh, I'm (Y/n). What's yours?"

"Mirabelle." Rain starts beating against the panes of glass, rattling each one in a strangely comforting way.

"Do you have anywhere to stay?" she continues.

"Uh..." you begin. No, you don't. She throws you a knowing look.

"You can stay here, if you want. I have a guest room. All you'd need to do is help out around the shop, maybe at the market stalls, too."

"Yes!" you say too enthusiastically. "Uh, yes. That would be great." You smile at her.

That night, you sleep on the scratchy hay mattress in the guest room. Your heart swells with appreciation for Mirabelle. The next morning, you look for Eugene. After a full fifteen minutes of careful deliberation, you decided to visit the palace to look for him.

You're turned away.

So, you wait for the two week mark to be up, since he will be out of the palace by then.

He's nowhere to be found.

You ask all over Corona. Finally, you find Philipp running errands.

"Oh... I thought you knew. (Y/n), he left a while ago."

"What? Where? Without telling me?"

"He didn't say where. He just said he had to go."

And with that, you realize, neither Rapunzel nor Eugene care enough about you to stay.