DOS Ch-345

“Are you serious?” I asked incredulously. “They’re offering me a knighthood again? Despite everything?”

William nodded minutely. “They are. But this time, you have to accept it if you say yes. You can’t back out at the last moment.”

“Of course,” I agreed. “I have no quarrel with the Crown or the government now that they are doing the right thing. Don’t forget, if I pulled a stunt like that again, it would look bad on me because my reason for rejecting it has been fulfilled now.”

“So do you accept it?” William asked eagerly.

I closed my eyes to think this through, and the more I thought, the more obvious it became what my answer would be.

“I will accept it,” I said slowly. “But on two conditions. If there are any underhanded tactics used by anyone to keep Andrew out of prison, the rejection of honours will continue in the future.”

William inclined his head. “Fair enough. What else?”

“You guys will have to offer knighthoods to every person who rejected them during these last few sessions.”

“I don’t think they’ll do that,” he said uncertainly. “Because that would mean accepting fault, and the Crown is not very good at that. We didn’t even accept fault for invading and colonizing half the world for hundreds of years. Why would they now accept that all the honourees were correct?”

“Because we were!” I shot back heatedly. “They did arrest Andrew, didn’t they? So that means we were right. Knighthood is a dream for hundreds of thousands of people. Some of them got that dream fulfilled these last few years, but they rejected it because of our plan. Now you want me to be the only one to get that honour while all those other people don’t? That’s not gonna happen.”

William was silent this time, so I added, “Either everyone who rejected them gets their knighthood, or none of them does.”

“Please, Troy,” William pleaded. “Don’t say no.”

I shook my head. “You’re a good man, William, and I know you’ll be an even better king, but this is not about you. My conscience won’t let me enjoy the knighthood alone. Even if I were to ignore that, the people won’t. They’re not stupid, and someone will definitely ask why I was the only person knighted.”

William sighed. “You’re right. Of course you’re right.” He ran his hand through his thinning hair and added, “I’ll talk to them. Let’s see if I can convince them.”

“If you do, you know how to contact me.”

I waved at him once before disconnecting the call. This was one of the most difficult decisions I’ve had to make about my career. I really, really wanted that knighthood. Sir Troy Armitage had a nice ring to it. But I knew I couldn’t. And William was also right. It was damn near impossible for the Crown to accept its fault. They were a snobby bunch.

A few minutes later, I forgot all about it and focused on the screening happening today, where Scarlett, Helen, and I would be watching [Rapunzel], titled [Tangled] in another life.

(Break)

Helen was more than a little disappointed by the fact that she wouldn’t get to go to the real premiere of [Rapunzel], where she could see Scarlett be a princess and Troy be her prince, just like in real life. They lived in a castle, at least when they were in London, so it made sense to her.

The only saving grace of the special [Rapunzel] screening was that it was being held before the premiere.

When the movie began, Helen was spellbound. Gothel stealing Rapunzel from her crib because of her magical healing hair, the king and the queen releasing multiple lanterns into the air every year on her birthday, and Rapunzel growing up to make the most of her life of captivity in the tower, were all fascinating to her.

That was until Troy entered the story as Flynn Rider, the cool, suave, confident thief whose nose they couldn’t get right for some reason. It was a little weird hearing Troy’s voice from this animated character, but Helen didn’t mind much because the film was amazing so far.

Flynn takes Rapunzel away from her tower, where they sing and dance with a bar full of thugs before making a daring escape from their enemies, only to get trapped underwater in a cave. Rapunzel uses her magical hair to get them out and also heals Eugene’s injuries. Eugene was his true name, by the way.

Helen’s favorite character, undoubtedly, was Maximus, the horse who was dead set on getting Eugene thrown in a jail cell.

As the story progressed, Helen gasped out loud when she saw the next part of the movie. Rapunzel and Eugene, sitting in a boat, with beautiful, breathtaking lanterns all around them.

~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~

The beautifully melding voices of Troy and Scarlett were enough to send shivers down Helen’s spine, and she knew in that moment that she would absolutely watch this movie again. This was already her favorite film of all time.

And then came the big twist. Eugene seemingly betrayed Rapunzel, but it was a ploy from Gothel to get Rapunzel back. She does, but realizes the truth about her parentage.

In a very climactic fashion, Eugene, who had been fatally stabbed by Gothel, cuts Rapunzel’s hair, ending the magic in it. Gothel, horrified, tries to salvage the hair but can’t. In her desperation, she ends up falling from the tower, her body turning to dust.

The hall, which was filled with little kids, cheered at the death of the evil witch, but their cheers were cut short when Eugene ended up dying in Rapunzel’s arms. Rapunzel cried and prayed for Eugene to wake up. She even sang a song and wrapped his hand in her hair, but nothing worked.

Helen’s heart broke into a million pieces as she realized that he was dead. She wiped away a tear from her face, barely controlling herself from breaking into sobs.

But the sadness lasted only for a few moments because then Rapunzel’s tears landed on Eugene’s face, and a yellow glow engulfed it, then spread to the wound that Gothel had inflicted on his body.

Everybody in the theater cheered at the happy ending, where the two leads finally kiss, silently confessing their love for each other. Helen was among the little girls who were wildly cheering for the end of the beautiful film. To make things even better, Rapunzel reunites with her birth parents, who embrace Eugene as well, which eventually leads to their happily ever after.

A perfect end to a perfect movie.

Helen was ready to get up and head home when something unexpected happened. Troy and Scarlett walked hand in hand to the front of the screening hall. At least it was unexpected for the other kids, if their gasps of shock were any indication.

“Good afternoon to all our young viewers and their guardians,” Troy said over the microphone. “Thank you for coming to this screening of [Rapunzel]. I hope you all liked it?”

“YES!” came an almost choral answer.

“Great!” Scarlett took over the mic this time. “Then we have a job for you. Whenever you meet your friends and families back at your homes, schools, playgrounds, or wherever else, you tell them to watch our movie.”

Troy was saying something else, but the woman who had been sitting beside Helen all this while spoke up, making her unable to listen.

“We should go, Helen,” Julia, her private security and nanny, said while motioning toward the door.

“Shouldn’t we wait for Scarlett and Troy to come as well?” she asked curiously.

Julia smiled patiently before explaining the situation. “That won’t be possible. See, now Troy and Scarlett will pose for some photos with their young fans, and then they’ll leave to get ready for the premiere, the main event of the night, for which they’ve already booked hotel rooms near the venue to save on travel time. By the time they get ready to go home, it’ll be pretty late, and most likely past your bedtime. But you can meet them tomorrow at home.”

Helen didn’t like it, but she understood. This was work for Scarlett and Troy, just like her parents went to their own jobs daily.

She silently followed Julia out of the theater and toward the exit.

“So, you liked the movie?” Julia said conversationally.

Helen perked up at the question. “I loved it! Rapunzel was so cool! So was Eugene. When I grow up, I’ll marry someone just like him.”

“But… Troy’s your brother.”

Helen resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “I know that. That’s why I said someone like him, not him. Were you even listening?”

Julia raised her hand in defeat. “My bad. Of course you’re right.”

“That I always am,” she said smugly before her smile disappeared as a thought hit her.

“Everything alright?”

Helen shrugged. “I don’t know. I just thought that Troy has been acting since he was my age.”

“Yes, and?”

“Even Scarlett started around that age. Do you think I’m not as good as them? Should I also start auditioning for roles and such?”

Julia mulled over the question for a few moments before saying, “I can’t tell you what to do since I’m not your parent or guardian, but from an outsider’s perspective, I seriously believe that Troy and Scarlett grew up in very different households than you. They both wanted to earn money for their families, something you don’t have to do since you have Troy as your brother, who can give you whatever you ask for. Neither Troy nor Scarlett had someone like that in their lives. And frankly, I don’t think Troy would let you act in any movies right now.”

Now that was something Helen knew to be true because Troy had told her to her face that he didn’t want her to be famous until she was much older, if ever.

“Being famous is overrated,” he had said bluntly once. “Trust me on this. If there was a way for me to keep acting at the level I do and still pass unrecognized in a crowd, I’d happily do that. That’s not something I want for you, or any kid.”

“But you acted as a kid,” Helen pointed out.

Troy sighed before saying, “True. I did. My parents tried to stop me wholeheartedly, but I didn’t listen. If I could go back in time, I’d tell my younger self to enjoy his childhood more. It feels like I got a chance to relive my life, and I wasted the years that every adult remembers most fondly.”

Helen didn’t understand that last part, so she didn’t think too much about it.

“Come on, Helen,” Julia said, pointing toward the car. “Let’s get you home. What would you like to eat for dinner? I’ll call the chef.”

“Pasta!” she said excitedly.

“Pasta it is,” Julia nodded before dialing the phone as the car pulled away from the parking lot.

(Break)

“Disney has done it again with [Rapunzel]. It started with Snow White all the way back in 1937, and now we finally have Disney’s 50th animated feature film, which is as perfect as a fairy tale gets. The characters are likable and real, the animation is gorgeous, the story is simple yet engaging, and the music stays with you even after the movie ends. The titular character is elevated greatly by Scarlett Johansson’s beautiful voice, but it is Troy Armitage’s Flynn Rider who is the real surprise in the movie.

I hadn’t expected to like the male lead character as much as I did. He is funny, smart, and a bit of a loser, but at no point does he stand above the female lead and let her shine in her own moments.”

Rating: 5/5
A.O. Smith, The New York Times

“When I heard that Disney was creating another fairy tale and casting Scarlett and Troy in the lead roles, I had the same thought as everyone else: why? But after seeing the final product, I take back my apprehensions. It is everything I want in a princess fairy tale movie and more. The animation is simply out of this world. I watched the film in 3D, and I was blown away by how much detail went into it.

The most memorable scene was the one in the boat where the two characters sing a beautiful song, ‘I See The Light’. I wish there were an event like that happening in real life where I could enjoy such gorgeous scenery in person.

If you have young kids, especially girls, please take them to watch this masterpiece. They’ll love it for sure.”

Rating: 4/5
Kenneth Turan, The Los Angeles Times

“[Rapunzel] does a few things wrong, but most things right. The complex mix of romance, comedy, adventure, and heart that defines the best Disney features was something it definitely got right. Despite being Disney’s 50th animated motion picture, it is not as memorable as [Snow White], or [The Little Mermaid], or [Beauty and the Beast], but it is a film that will stand the test of time and become a classic years from now.”

Rating: 8/10
Richard Corliss, Time Magazine

The reviews that [Rapunzel] received were through the roof, with everyone praising the animation, the music, and the performances. There were some complaints about the predictable plot, but those voices were rare. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film received a rating of 8.0/10, with 93% of critics giving it a positive score. On Metacritic, that score was slightly lower at 77/100, which indicated “generally favorable reviews.”

However, it was the audience’s hearts that the movie truly captured. CinemaScore, which measures moviegoers’ reactions rather than critics’, showed a rare ‘A+’ rating on a scale of A+ to F, highlighting how well the film resonated with viewers.

Something that was reflected in the box office figures.

Thanks to the positive reviews, Troy and Scarlett’s presence in the movie, and a strong marketing campaign by Disney, the film managed a great worldwide opening of $144 million, out of which $101 million was earned in North America, while the remaining $43 million came from foreign markets.

The film saw a sharp decline in revenue from the second week onwards, but that was mostly because its first weekend was the five-day Thanksgiving weekend. Nonetheless, it still managed to earn $39 million domestically and $69 million worldwide.

By the time the film reached its run’s end, it had earned a total of $340 million domestically and $665 million internationally, bringing its worldwide total to a staggering $1.005 billion, making it the fourth highest-grossing movie of the year, behind [Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows], [Toy Story 3], and [Alice in Wonderland]. It was also the second-highest-grossing animated movie of the year, behind [Toy Story 3], which was a great feat considering it wasn’t a sequel or spin-off of any kind.

Unlike other movies, for this one, Troy and Scarlett had charged a higher fixed fee of $15 million each, plus 2% of the box office gross each, which came out to $20 million each, giving them both a payday of $35 million. Peanuts when compared to Troy’s net worth, but definitely more than most actors make in a lifetime.