DOUBLE UPDATE BECAUSE I'M BORED SO HERE WE GO -

-

"You're not coming?" Y/n questioned as Eugene pushed the boat out, Richie sitting across from her.

"Well, best day of his life, I figured he shouldn't have someone like me there to ruin it," he excused. "But you two have fun." He gave her one last wink before setting then adrift, then turned to Maximus. "Hey, Max."

Maximus looked back at him suspiciously. Eugene took a bag he was holding and threw it at him, apples toppling out. Maximus glared at him.

"What? I bought them."

Satisfied, he leaned over and ate one.

"Most of them."

Good enough.

-

Y/n noticed Richie silently looking into the water, his face tense with what seemed to be worry. "You okay?" she asked.

"I'm terrified..."

"Why?"

He signed, eyes now closed. In a small voice, he confessed, "I've been looking out the window for eighteen years. Dreaming about what it would feel like when those lights rise in the sky. What if it's not everything that I dreamed it would be?"

"It will be," she promised. But that was not yet enough.

"And what if it is? What'll I do, then?"

"Well, that's the good part, I guess" she replied, looking out. "You get to go find a new dream."

"Hm." He smiled at her, going back to gazing out.

-

Queen Arianna adjusted the crest around her husband's neck. When she looked up at him, she frowned, noticing how depressed he looked. Gently, she put a hand on his cheek, which he leaned into as a tear tricked out of his eye. Arianna wiped out away, smiling sadly. His hand on her own, Frederic forced a smile back.

The royal couple walked out together towards the lantern with the crest on it. Sadly, they raised it, Frederic's arm around his wife as they watched it light up the rest in the sky.

-

Richie gently picked the flowers from Y/n's hand, placing them gently in the water. But he stopped, eyes widened, when he saw a light reflecting off of the water. Looking up, he saw the first few lanterns floating over.

Richie:
All those days, watching from the windows
All those years, outside looking in

Excitedly, he rushed over to the pole on the boat, almost throwing Y/n into the water. He clung onto it as he watched, the light shining in his eyes as the rest of the lanterns came from the castle and towards the ships.

Richie:
All that time, never even knowing just how blind I've been

Now I'm here, blinking in the starlight
Now I'm here, suddenly, I see
Standing here,
It's all so clear
I'm where I'm meant to go

And at last, I see the light
And it's like the fog has lifted
And at last, I see the light
And it's like the sky is new
And it's warm and real and bright
And the world has somehow shifted
All at once, everything looks different
Now that I see you

He turned around, seeing Y/n holding a lantern in each hand. He rushed back over and sat. "I have something for you, too," he confessed, reached over, and produced the satchel, holding it in front of him. "I should have given it to you before, but I was just scared. And the thing is...I'm not scared anymore. You know what I mean?"

Gently, she reached up and pushed the satchel down. "I'm starting to."

He noticed he felt relieved that she had rejected the satchel. Somebody other than Gothel had cared about him...maybe even moreso.

Reaching out, they both sent the lanterns back upward.

Y/n:
All those days, chasing down a daydream
All those years, living in a blur
All that time, never truly seeing things the way they were

Richie pointed excitedly, reaching out to push another lantern upward as Y/n just watched him in silence.

Y/n:
Now he's here, shining in the starlight
Now he's here, suddenly I know
If he's here,
It's crystal clear
I'm where I'm meant to go

She looked gotten at his hand, took in a deep breath, and reached for it, praying that she made the right decision. Richie looked down, then at her, finally breaking out into a grin as he took her other hand.

Richie, Y/n:
And at last, I see the light

Richie:
And it's like the fog has lifted

Richie, Y/n:
And at last, I see the light

Y/n:
And it's like the sky is new

Richie, Y/n:
And it's warm and real and bright
And the world has somehow shifted...
All at once, everything looks different
Now that I see you

Pascal watched them, turning red and hiding his face in his hand, peeking through with one eye.

Richie, Y/n:
Now that I...see you...

Y/n gently brushed the hair away from Richie's face as she leaned in, both of their eyes beginning to close. But she stopped suddenly when she saw Eugene on the shore, talking to two very familiar looking guys...

"If everything okay?" Richie asked, turning to look.

"Huh? Oh, yes. Of course."

She paddled back quickly, climbing out. Leaning forward, she apologized, "I just...I'm sorry, everything's fine. There's just something I have to take care of."

His eyes flickered back to Eugene for a second before he shrugged. "Okay."

"I'll be right back," she promised, running off.

Pascal hopped on Richie's shoulder, squeaking nervously.

"It's alright, Pascal," he reassured, glancing at the chameleon before looking back, waiting for Y/n.

-

"Ah! There she is!"

Y/n waved, her old persona quickly coming back as she threw them a flirty look. "Hey, boys. I know you missed me. We've been searching for you everywhere, baby, since we got separated. Hey, the sideburns are comin' in nice, huh? You gotta be excited about that."

Sideburns, sharpening his knife, glanced up at her while Patchy rolled his eye.

"Anyway, we just wanted to say, we shouldn't have split," Eugene lied. "And Y/n has something for you." When they could not see his face, he widened his eyes, trying to signal with his head.

"Oh. Right." The stupid crown.

She threw it over, the satchel landing on the ground. "Consider it a parting gift of my love. The crown is so yours. I'll miss you, baby, but I think it's got the..." Patchy was right behind her, though, so that she could not leave. "...best..."

"Holding out on us again, eh, Rider?" Sideburns teased menacingly. "You always did."

"What...?" she asked quietly, genuinely confused.

Eugene protectively put his arm out in front of her. "Back off, man," he warned Patchy. "The lady made her decision."

"Oh, yeah? What's that boy got that I don't, huh? Heh...something much more valuable than a crown." He kicked aside the crown, snickering at the thought that she had really thought her best attempt of seduction had ever worked on him. "We want him, instead."

-

Richie kept looking out, waiting for Y/n to come back. Just as he began to doubt she would come back, a figure appeared, walking towards him.

"I was starting to think you ran off with the crown and left me," he admitted with a light chuckle.

Another figure came out of the first one. At first, he thought it was Eugene, until he realized that had the exact same body build. Twins approached, one scarred, one with an eyepatch.

"They did," Sideburns said flatly.

"What? No. They wouldn't."

"See for yourself." He pointed at the ship at sea. Eugene had the wheel while Y/n leaned against his back.

"Eugene? Y/n?" His eyes widened, tears forming as he realized he was going to be alone again. Reaching out, he cried, "Y/n!"

"Fair trade," Sideburns went on. "A crown for the boy with the magic hair. How much do you think someone would pay to stay young and healthy forever?" He opened up a sack, approaching Richie, who backed away, on the verge of a panic attack.

"No...please...NO!" He made a run for it, their footsteps just behind him. "NO!"

But he stopped when he heard something hit them against their heads.

"Richie!"

He turned now, seeing Mother Gothel with a stick, standing over the unconscious twins. She dropped it when they met eyes.

"Mother...?"

"Oh, my precious boy!" She ran to him, cupping his face, looking over him. "Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

"How did you...?"

"I was so worried about you, dear. So I followed you. And I saw them attack you...!" She pulled him into a quick hug, fingering the hair to make sure it was alright, then pulled away hands on his shoulders. "Let's go, let's go, before they come to!" She ran off, expecting Richie to be behind her, but instead, he stayed, looking back out at the water, watching the only person who had ever truly loved him leave him.

But then he looked at Gothel, the sickly green light off her lantern enveloping her as she held her arms out. She loved him, too, even if she had a different way of showing it.

And at least she had never left him.

Finally breaking down, Richie ran to her, throwing his arms around her waist. "You were right, Mother...you were right about everything..."

"I know, darling." She stroked his hair gently. "I know." Picking up the lantern, she led the way back.

-

Eugene and Y/n, tied up back to back and attached to the steering wheel, tried desperately to get out, screaming through their gags.