King Fight!

[Clopin]

This thread is open to everyone on all sides, but we do need Flynn, Rapunzel, and Varian. Just a fun little thread for everyone to have a good time, characters are pretty much open to doing whatever they want. Takes place in Corona.

---

"Bob, can't you go any faster? You could've teleported us there by now." Taylor groaned, allowing her head to loll back, before she leaned back a little, placing her palms flat on Bob's flank. In front of her sat Clopin, who seemed to be enjoying the sights of the forest along with Bob. And bringing up the rear were Dante and Virgil, ever present with the king as always.

"There's no rush Taylor. Besides, this gives me time to review what I want to say to King Frederick once we arrive." Clopin said, turning his head to look at her.

"Diplomat stuff is so boring,

"Once the meeting is over, we'll grab a drink to celebrate." Clopin chuckled, as he turned to face forwards once more.

---

The five of them were the first to reach the city center, where King Frederick had told Clopin that there would be people there to receive them and bring them up to the castle. The city was impressive, and they were all far too caught up in the sights to realize that they had left some others behind.

Well, at least until Taylor noticed.

"Shit."

"What is it Taylor?" Clopin asked, as he readjusted his cloak, nearly smacking her in the face as he did so.

"I...I think we forgot the others." Taylor said, jerking a thumb back behind her shoulder. Clopin turned his head to look behind her, and realized that the other Rogues they'd brought to accompany them were indeed gone.

"Do y'all think maybe they got lost?" Bob asked, pausing to raise a hoof to his chin as he mused. His blue eyes then widened as he gasped.

"Or maybe someone stole them! Think about it, there was a lot of those wanted posters on the trees close to the city, maybe one of those guys took them! What are we gonna do, oh no, maybe they're dead, this is real bad y'all, I--"

"Bob stop freaking out! They probably just went exploring as soon we got into town." Taylor said, as calmly as she could. She then looked down to Dante and Virgil, who looked just as confused.

"And I'm guessing you two didn't see anything?" she asked. Both canines shook their heads from side to side.

"You two are so full of sh-"

Before she could finish, they heard the trumpets, signifying the arrival of King Frederick. Clopin immediately hopped off of Bob, and Taylor was more than happy to resume her usual spot on the unicorn's back. Dante pulled away from them to follow Clopin, who was now standing in the middle of the sun that was imprinted into the cobblestone of the city center.

[Varian]

Of all the places in the entire world he wanted to be, this was smack dab at the bottom of the list of places he wanted to be. It had been a long time since he's set foot in Corona, and if he'd had his way he wouldn't be back here. However, he was Clopin's apprentice and he'd been brought along to see what was what, but it was very clear he was not happy about it. The last time he'd been here he'd been facing down the hangman's noose for his crimes against the king, attempted regicide was not a popular rep sheet to have apparently.

He'd already torn down a couple of the wanted posters still dotting the city, there didn't seem to be a lot of them left up, but it was clear they were still out for him. He could have done without that kind of bad reputation, and they hadn't even gotten his nose right! He scoffed and rolled his eyes, so much undue pomp and circumstance, sure Clopin could be over the top, but Frederick seemed to announce himself with all the arrogance he could muster, some people just liked to feel important.

He looked unimpressed as he finally found his way back to everyone else, a dark sort of brooding look in his eyes. He would love nothing more than to have another shot at the king, who still had not answered for the things he'd caused, and if looks could kill, Frederick would no doubt be dead where he stood. He wasn't afraid of him or his guards, not when he had so many people here with him, he hoped good old Freddie boy tried something, it'd be hilarious to see him crash and burn.

---

[Belle]

There was something to be said for having your own transportation, even if said transportation tended to be a little heavy of hoof. Phillipe's plodding walk had been easily outpaced by Bob's smaller figure and had left the mounted Belle to fall behind a bit, though the occasional encouragement from her heels had at least kept the group in front of her in sight.

At least this way she'd been able to keep an easier eye on Varian. The young alchemist had split earlier from those who'd gone straight to the Corona courtyard and had rather gone in a roundabout route towards the destination, taking down various wanted posters and altogether keeping a lower profile. Belle had tagged along in comfortable silence, slipping from Phillipe's back to lead him from one spot to another as they simply followed Varian while taking in the sights of the island city. Her presence hadn't been one of obligation but one of concern, a desire to ensure that her friend wasn't left to conveniently disappear while on his own within the Corona walls.

Not that Belle would ever admit to that aloud, at least not readily. She was aware that Varian could look after himself just as easily as the rest of the Rouges.

Still. He was her friend.

Shrugging her cloak more comfortably about her shoulders Belle added a bit of pep to her step to catch up as Varian's route took them to the city center, the hand not holding Phillipe's reins rising to wiggle her fingers in a greeting. Belle's smile was a bit wry, as was her lifted brow. "Impressive attention to detail, guys. I hope you'd have noticed if we'd actually vanished."

[Flynn Rider]

"Y'know, you don't have to go! I mean, it's just Clopin, master thief and assassin, calling an audience with you on neutral ground. You could always... y'know, stay here and not die."

"Thank you, Eugene. I'll take those suggestions under advisement."

"... I KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS NOW, YOUR MAJESTY! YOU Can't just... Never mind..."

And somehow, Flynn Rider found himself being dragged through Corona... In the middle of the day... TO A MEETING WITH THE LEADERS OF A FACTION THAT THINKS HE'S DEAD... Simply because King Frederic decided it was a good opportunity to meet with neighboring leaders. Oh, my Lord above we are going to die and no one in this royal funeral procession is going to do anything about it.

Sighing and slowing behind the King's steady pace, Eugene walked in time with Rapunzel, arms wrapped behind his head, as his head shook in disbelief. "I can't believe this, Blondie. Your dad is either the most confident man in the world... Or he's lost his marbles!"

"I heard that, Fitzherbert! Just because you're a royal asset to my daughter AND the leader of the Dawnseekers does not give you permission to talk about me behind my back."

Flynn moaned. "See what I mean? He's taking a member of the COUNCIL of the DAWNKEEPERS (This part directed right at the center of the back of King Frederic's head) right into enemy hands! How could I not be worried about this?"

King Frederic simply kept his head up proudly. "I'm sure King Clopin simply wishes to rework the trade deals we have with France, now that he is in full control of his army and nation; this is his first time in Corona, to my knowledge, since he became king. I'm almost certain nothing more or less will be discussed; however, having you here would be a powerful bargaining chip in case I need more or less than he demands."

Flynn scoffed. "Me, a bargaining chip? Am I a 'royal asset' or am I royally screwed? Right now, I can't make out the difference." Looking over at Rapunzel, he grinned slightly. Even if he thought it was a bad idea, being there with Blondie was honestly all the motivation he needed to stick around. "What do you think, Princess Rapunzel? I mean, it's at the very least sort of risky, don't you think?"

As Rapunzel responded, the trumpeters sounded outside of the square, and King Frederic emerged with hands crossed behind his back. Before him was King Clopin, and a variety of faces and creatures... And Varian. King Frederic frowned. But, the young alchemist and enemy of the state could be dealt with during negotiations. He approached, giving Varian nothing more than a silent shake of the head, before extending a hand to King Clopin. "King Clopin, welcome to Corona. I am King Frederic, ruler of this fine land. Pray tell, what brings you out all this way from France? I assume it must be important, if you leave Paris during the middle of your war."

Eugene finally caught up to King Frederic, only to notice a familiar, blue-haired boy in the crowd of Rogues. No way. No way in hell was that Varian. News from Corona spoke of the boy as an enemy of the state, a criminal wanted higher than even the Stabbington Brothers. And they're the STABBINGTON BROTHERS! Flynn had to find out. But how? He was in the midst of all these people... That might be it!

King Frederic spoke more, "It truly is an honor to have a common man rule over France. It might not mean much coming from aristocracy, but I felt the dynasty and monarchy in France were too delegatory and left too much power to be filled by their underlings. It's this alone that I feel cause much of the problems with Notre Dame all those years back, King Clopin. I am truly glad to know you remember your heritage and defend the common Frank. Now, shall we continue our discussions? I have several questions about... some in your company." 

As King Frederic continued, no one noticed as Flynn Rider whispered to Rapunzel to follow his lead before blending back into the crowd, working their way around to Varian's side. An arm resting on Varian's shoulder would reveal to be Flynn Rider himself, eating an apple, with Rapunzel (hopefully) in tow. "Wow, look at those big, important kings hash out political junk. I bet it's nothing like lifting the Lost Princess' Crown... Or, y'know, naming an element on your 'favorite-daring-and-dashing-rogue'. But who am I to say? I'm just Flynn Rider."

A smile came to Flynn's face as his resting arm reached up and shuffled Varian's hair. Despite the news, the kid was alright by him. "Good to see you in one piece, bud! But how'd you end up working with Clopin? I thought you were still working on stuff with your dad." 

[Rapunzel]

Rapunzel had... complicated feelings to say the least, about being back in Corona. Her world view had changed drastically since her experiences with the Freedom Fighters and now Dawnseekers. With everything that had happened in Pride Rock, she found herself questioning a lot about her position as royalty. 

She had kept a lot of this soul searching to herself, even from Eugene. But she knew he could sense it. Luckily he was giving her the space she needed to figure it out. Here back in her home, it brought these thoughts to the forefront and made it kinda hard to ignore and just focus on the now.

"I can't believe this, Blondie. Your dad is either the most confident man in the world... Or he's lost his marbles!"



"I heard that, Fitzherbert! Just because you're a royal asset to my daughter AND the leader of the Dawnseekers does not give you permission to talk about me behind my back."

Rapunzel laughed awkwardly at the exchange. It was always a little hard to be caught between her father and Eugene. She leaned in close to Eugene and whispered in his ear, "It's both. He's so confident it's crazy."

Then in a louder voice she spoke to her father, " Eugene isn't an 'asset' dad! He's a person and my friend!"

Rapunzel switched back to Eugene, this back and forth between all parties not uncommon sometimes, "And well, they aren't exactly ENEMIES right? Last I checked they were just... not our allies? EITHER WAY! I'm sure they won't assassinate anyone here with out good reason!

She hoped.

When Eugene asked her opinion she couldn't tell if she was grateful to him or not for keeping her as an equal participant in this conversation, rather than just a figure in the shadow of her father... 

"I think Corona has strong enough mercantile connections with other nations, that they wouldn't need to rely heavily on their trades with France," she tapped into the books she had devoured on economic theory within her first year as a princess, "And France is also pretty stable as a major country in Europe. I don't think this is about trades and deals, so much as extending good will between our nations."

"I could be wrong but King Clopin could be testing for possible future alliances. While they have a powerful fighting force, their numbers are still less than that of the Legion," she switched her mental library over to the military tactics she had also absorbed, "Corona has a powerful Navy that could be invalu-"

The princess was cut off from her babbling train of thought by the trumpeting of horns from outside the square. She bit her lip and blushed and then added very quickly, "atleastthatswhatIthink.Icouldbewrong.Idon'tknow."

Rapunzel found herself shrinking in her confidence again, sinking a little bit further behind her father. She felt kind of stupid for just babbling like that. For letting her words just run away with her. It was embarrassing. She was in the middle of mentally chastising herself when-



Varian!! It was VARIAN!! In spite of everything that had happened between Varian and her father. (A complicated issue where Rapunzel felt both were in the wrong, but had been unable to at the time to attempt to confront... she still regretted that.) Varian was first and foremost her friend and she was excited to see him for the first time in... wow, she can't remember how long!

Rapunzel bit her lip and nodded her head excitedly as Eugene told her to follow his lead. Of course, it was a lot harder for her to blend in the crowd like he had but she made due. With Eugene on one side she managed to loop around and sneak up on Varian's other side, where she promptly gave him a crushing hug.

"VARIAN!"

[Clopin]

Clopin extended his hand to shake King Frederic's, before pulling back to readjust his crown. He'd been so focused on getting to Corona that he'd barely noticed its weight...until now. He listened quietly with a smile as King Frederic spoke more.

At the mention of having a "common man" rule over France, Clopin stiffened. He might have been of a...lower class according to people like Claude Frollo, but not a common man. He was the king of his gypsy clan. He kept his mouth shut, not wanting to attempt to spoil any promise of good relations between their two countries.

If he doesn't change the subject, King Louis might not be the only one six feet under...

"Well, I have several trusted people that I've left behind to care for France in my absence. I came to see if perhaps we could organize a treaty during these...difficult times. You see, Corona may not be in the war, but it seems that your daughter and her friend are." Clopin said, gesturing towards Rapunzel and Eugene. While they were on different sides of the war now, they had a common enemy, and that was his main concern.

He then crossed his arms, raising a brow as the king looked towards his motley crew. Whomever could he have questions ab--oh. The gypsy king turned his head to look at Varian, who wore a sullen expression upon his face. He'd asked the boy to come with them, as his student, but because he had been so preoccupied with what he was going to tell King Frederic, Clopin had completely forgotten that Varian had mentioned a history with Corona.

Wincing, Clopin knew he'd have to make it up to Varian later on. He then turned his attention to Frederic once more.

"I can assure you King Frederic, those in my company were handpicked by yours truly, and they are trustworthy. Let's continue our discussions on the former treaty that you and King Louis held, no?"

Meanwhile, Bob was nearly spooked by Flynn's sudden appearance next to him and Varian, and subsequently by Rapunzel. Taylor raised a brow at the exchange, narrowly avoiding being thrown off by Bob. In the flurry of activity, she'd noticed that both Esmeralda and Belle had caught up with them.

Thank God. Taylor thought to herself.

"Bob, what the hell is going on here?" Taylor whispered in the unicorn's ear. Bob shrugged, but he could feel the waves of some sort of anxiety rolling off of Varian. As he would always do with Taylor, his long tail snaked around Varian's shoulders protectively, as he moved closer to watch Flynn and Rapunzel like a hawk.

[Varian]

Varian felt an instinctive bristle when Frederick pointedly and not so subtly made a comment about the company Clopin kept, he'd known this would happen, and he wanted to believe Clopin wouldn't turn him over for the sake of some treaty, but his trust in other people hadn't quite gotten there yet.

Though his sour glare at the king was broken when not one, but two people seemed to pop up quite out of nowhere, "Flynn? Rapunzel?!" His eyes lit up, and before he could manage to give hugs, he was caught up in a crushing embrace from the princess instead, "Y-yeah! Wow you're stronger than I remember..." He laughed, then looked between them when he was finally set down, "dad..." He trailed off, taking a long breath, "I made no leeway, and Frederick wanted my head on the chopping block, so I ran," he gestured to Clopin and the others, "they took me in," he smirked, "finally found people to appreciate my brilliance," he said this with a flourish.

When Bob rested his tail against his shoulder, he sighed and looked between Rapunzel and Flynn, "I've no doubt good 'ole King Frederick is going to have words for me, or for King Clopin for harboring a dangerous criminal," he laughed, then his expression darkened, "like to see him try," he scoffed, he wasn't afraid of the king, he was more afraid of what might happen if Frederick didn't like what Clopin had to say, not for his own king, but for Frederick's sake.

---

[Belle]

For the moment Belle was content to sit back and watch the proverbial show.

Politics she understood in theory. In practice? Less so. Better to leave it to Clopin, who at least had governed a people prior to the war, unmolested. Instead the maiden allowed her attention to wander, taking in the artistic leanings of the city square and its many mosaics.

Movement towards the blue-haired boy she'd come to stand behind caught Belle's attention rather quickly. It was a good thing that Belle was no fighter with the instinct to push or protect when approached unexpectedly. A pair had detached from the royal retinue and had snuck themselves around to where the Rouges had gathered in greeting, fixated on Varian. Belle had begun to reach out to grab at the man's shoulder when it looked like he was about to jump the kid, a frown marring her face, when Varian recognized them.

Rather than interrupt what had obviously become a small reunion Belle simply let her hand drop back beneath the cover of her cloak and waited for an opening long enough to make a polite introduction, though she shot Varian a wry grin when he gestured towards the Rouge collective.

[Flynn Rider]

King Frederic smiled. From where he stood, this parlay between two leaders was going fantastic!... Save Clopin's insistence on Varian's good will and nature. Did King Clopin not know of Varian's checkered past here in Corona? Perhaps that would be one of the terms they could settle on. "Ah, yes, of course, Your Highness. My daughter has a... shall you say, tender heart? When the now disbanded group in Africa called for aid to their 'righteous cause', she left almost without permission. And where she goes..." Frederic glanced at Flynn, who returned a winning smile. The king sighed as a hand slowly raised to his face. "...Wherever she goes, the rogue Rider follows."

Flynn whistled low. At least he didn't use his actual name. That would have been pretty bad.  As Frederic began reciting the terms of Corona's previous treaty with France, Flynn turned back to the inventor-wiz-kid he happened to call a friend. "Damn... Sorry about your pops, Varian. But, hey, every thief worth his first big haul knows the king of alchemy is your pal Clopin over there, so I'm 95% sure you're gonna figure out how to get him out." Following the suddenly appearing tail of the pure white unicorn, Eugene glanced at the horse then at Varian, and then at Taylor, and then at Belle and Esmeralda. "So, two questions; Is that unicorn's tail colored pink, and are there going to be anymore problems? Because my track record with white-colored horses, horn or no, is extremely bad."

Frederic, having kept Varian in his view as he paced discussing the former treaty, began to wind down. "...So, as made clear, King Louis and I kept our arrangement more or less simple. We gave them small luxuries, and in return, our kingdom was left alone for the most part. However, with you in place, I am willing to offer any of our resources, manpower, or whatever is needed to supply the cause. While Corona may disagree with the name and perhaps some of your strategies, it should be noted that the Rogues are the closest and largest force able to defend us from the Legion. In exchange for our loyalty and resources, I ask for only a few small returns." Frederic raised one finger, stepping in time as he paced. "One, protection from the Legion and any dark or unwise forces that might come to harm us in the future. Two, that my daughter and her... 'friend' are considered allies under this as well; should you go up in arms against their allies, you would consider first and foremost peaceful capture than death. Third."

And the King stopped pacing. His demeanor hardened, and continued to harden as he spoke. "...Third and finally, I ask that once this conflict is over, you return to our safekeeping a verified criminal, and enemy of the state, hiding amongst your ranks. I would normally not step over the line that has been drawn for these turbulent times, but when this criminal assaults not only the King but his wife and servants, he is a danger to himself and others."

Frederic rested his eyes solely on Varian. "I trust the alchemist has explained his point of view. I pity the boy, and he has won over my daughter's friendship, but his actions have violated our city and put our people into distress. He must be tried for his actions."

Flynn instinctively stepped in front of Varian and Rapunzel (More Punzie than Varian, sorry bud, but you're just not as dreamy as she is) as Frederic stared daggers at the young man. "Whoa, whoa whoa, I thought this was going a nice, peaceful meeting! We don't need this over-the-top 'he must be tried for his sins' stuff, you need to make an alliance for your people! Revenge can always come later, Your Majesty; don't let it ruin the tre-"

"QUIET, FLYNN RIDER. You do not control the actions of any monarchy, be it the one you're trying to infiltrate through my daughter or any other. Now stay silent, or I will remove both of you from these proceedings."

Flynn bristled. Rapunzel, Varian, and anyone watching Flynn long enough, could tell the ex-con was doing everything within his power to prevent another outburst, as Frederic turned to Colpin, hand extended. "Now, do we have a deal, Your Highness?"

[Rapunzel]

Rapunzel let Varian down after her initial big squeeze. Then she stepped back with a bit of a smug smile. She flexed her right arm, making a show of it, "Yeah, well, joining an army sure works you out."

But her smile fell almost instantly at Varian's words, and her arm fell to her side, "Oh, Varian..."

She hated that things had become so complicated between Varian and her. Well, let’s be honest, Varian and her father. She didn’t know how things had gone so far. How they had snowballed to this point.

The princess turned to look at the motley crew assorted around the king of france. They certainly seemed like an eccentric band of misfits. But good people in their own way. (Her disagreements with their execution policies aside………..) It looked like Varian found a place he could be safe in. Maybe even belong.

Her father’s voice pricked Rapunzel’s ears, and she returned her attention back to the political discussion. She couldn’t help but wince at her father’s words. The King could be… an abrasive man to say the least. She loved him, and not just on the basis that he was her blood-father. But in that he had a kind and loving heart, and could sometimes be a genuinely good dad. Especially to a naive girl who was dang near a stranger.

If only he wasn’t such a jerk sometimes.

In spite of his condescending tone, his first two submissions to the alliance were actually fair trades. The first one benefitted both parties, and the second one was a small token of goodwill… then the third one hit and was the exact opposite.

Rapunzel may be naive but even she saw the hypocrisy in that one, ‘Oh hey! In war, please excuse my daughter and her friend, one of the leaders of the other faction, as a possible war criminal! But in exchange hand over one of your comrades to us for crimes against our kingdom!’

Rapunzel opened her mouth, about to throw in her own opinion on the matter. Tell her father just how unreasonable he was being, and try to mitigate the situatio-

"QUIET, FLYNN RIDER. You do not control the actions of any monarchy, be it the one you're trying to infiltrate through my daughter or any other. Now stay silent, or I will remove both of you from these proceedings."

Rapunzel shrunk back even further behind Eugene. Her heart pounding in terrible anxiety. All her strength evaporated. The notion she had to defend Varian, and Eugene, was squashed in an instant.

There was no reasoning when people screamed. They had made up their mind. It was hopeless...

Enough with the lights, Rapunzel! You! Are not! Leaving! This tower! EVER!