What if... Rapunzel was from a Clan of DunBroch?

It was a momentous day. Once again the Five Clans united at Castle DunBroch in celebration for their Kingdom's founding after their war against the Viking Invaders from the East.

There was Clan DunBroch, clan of the sword and the royal family. Clan MacGuffin, clan of the cauldron, said to feed the entire clan with a single potato. Clan Macintosh, clan of the lyre that could slay an army with its song. Clan Dingwall, clan of the rock that... could hit things. No one actually knew what the rock does.

And finally was the fifth clan, Clan Corona, clan of the sun-drop flower that is said to give everlasting life to those who possessed it.

The clan's head, Frederic, swore on his mother's soul that he had found it and cured his wife of a terminal illness, hence why his daughter Rapunzel had her striking blonde hair. The other clan heads thought he was in denial, thinking that his wife had bore him a toe-headed child from another man, but he nearly took off Lord Macintosh's head the last time anyone ever said that to his face.

While her dad was busy trying to beat the other clan's ships to the docks, Rapunzel was in the crow's nest, taking in the view.

Rapunzel was always the adventurous type, though even she ran out of patience on the long boat ride. She left most of her hobbies at home, and she was certain she'd get an earful from the captain if she tried painting flowers and rabbits on his ship. Again.

They eventually made it to the dock. Her father called her down and, like the pirate she could have been in a past life, she fearlessly made her way onto the deck right next to him as his men locked the oars in place and started to gather in formation.

"Hey dad! Are we--", Rapunzel suddenly cried out and started blowing on her red palms, realizing that sliding down a rope barehanded was a bad idea. Frederick rolled her eyes, albeit with a good-natured smirk. Her daughter always was a bit reckless. Not the extent of the King's daughter, but she was certainly a handful when she was little. Even now she tended to go without her shoes when she could get away with it.

"Alright Rapunzel. You know the drill?"

"Oh yeah," said Rapunzel, cracking her knuckles. Rapunzel wasn't actually a violent person, though she had learned to fake it when Clan politics were involved, thanks in no small part to her friends at a notoriously seedy tavern in Corona territory.

"No," said Frederic firmly.

"No?"

"Not this time. You mother told us to behave, and I don't want her hearing about us going to war while's she's stuck at home managing our new trade-partners."

"Oh, okay."

"Very goo--HEY!" Suddenly his attention was on on the other three Clan heads, who were already trying to out-march each other towards the castle. "OH NO YOU DON'T YOU PISS-ANTS!"

With the tension of a pack of wolves ready to tear each other apart over a fresh kill, the four clan heads found their way to the throne room of the DunBroch Royal Family. The Queen, Elinor, sat poised as ever while her husband, King Fergus, got up to greet his old friends personally. The three princes shared a bench off to the side, and the older princess Merida -- her whole frame constricted in a blue dress and bonnet -- made a face that would curdle milk at a glance. Merida looked at Young MacGuffin, Young Macintosh and Wee Dingwall with bitter apathy when they came up to give her a formal greeting. Rapunzel came and gave Merida a formal curtsey, while giving her an informal smirk. Merida actually returned it.

"You're royal princessness," said Rapunzel, tempted to give it a mocking inflection.

"Lady Corona," said Merida, with an actual mocking inflection. "I trust your trip was all sunshine and rainbows."

"Oh indubitably," said Rapunzel, congratulating herself that she managed to say it right. "It was quit adequate."

"Hmm. Quit."

The two of them started devolving into snickering. When Merida gave an unladylike snort, Elinor gave the both of them a withering stare that killed the moment.

"U-Uh, My Queen," Rapunzel affected.

"Lady Rapunzel," returned Elinor. "Was your mother unable to come to the proceeding?"

"Our clan has been working to build a trade-route between us and a number of villages just shy of the Barbaric Archipelago and Lady Arianna is overseeing that matter, but she wishes you and your family good health and an formal apology that she couldn't make it."

"Give her my best of wishes."

"I will, Your Highness."

Later that night, the five clans feasted and drank, exchanged bards and fists were swung. In the confusion, the two eldest daughters snuck away.

Merida's bonnet was ripped off, Rapunzel wasting no time in grabbing a fist-full of it as their lips were mashed together.

"I missed you," said Rapunzel, taking in breaths as they moaned against each other.

"You gonna show me how much?" Retorted Merida. Rapunzel responded with another kiss, both hands reaching back and untying the straps that kept her dress together. Merida did the same to Rapunzel beneath her massive braid.

Being the only women-born heirs of the Kingdom of DunBroch, the two of them hit it off almost immediately, having been friends since early childhood. Whenever one family came to visit the other for one reason or another, the two of them would waste no time exploring their castles or the forest or wherever else.

As they grew older, that friendship blossomed into something much deeper. It was on Merida's sixteenth birthday that Rapunzel kissed her, and to this day the princess thought it was the best birthday present she ever had. Years later and the two of them were still a couple, cherishing every moment they could manage.

They kept it a secret of course. If any of their parents found out, the scandal would upset the whole kingdom. If they were lucky, it would bar them from seeing each other and their parents would set them up for marriage with one of the other Clan heirs overnight. If worse came to worse, it could start a war.

One time, Merida told her that she was worth the war. While Rapunzel certainly wouldn't want it coming to that, she thought it was romantic all the same.