One day Rapunzel and Eugene were sitting in the castle's living room when Eugene had a great idea.

"Rapunzel, let's go explor- I mean, let's go have a picnic!"

"Oh, Eugene! What a fantastic idea!" said Rapunzel.

Eugene smiled, but he didn't want to tell Rapunzel that what he really wanted was to go exploring. It seemed that whenever they went exploring, Eugene and sometimes Rapunzel would run into trouble.
Rapunzel was sick of exploring adventures that didn't end well. She had told Eugene never to go exploring again. But eugene was stubborn, so this time Eugene would just disguise it as a cute picnic outing.
Eugene took Rapunzel to the royal kitchen and they picked out some food to take with them, and then they were off for a fun afternoon with a picnic and each other.

"So, Eugene? Where exactly are we going to have this picnic?" asked Rapunzel.

"Let me check. I made a map of awesome picnic places." said Eugene.

Eugene pulled out a map that was actually a map of awesome places to go exploring, but Rapunzel didn't know that.
He noticed a part of the forest that was rumored to have a chocolate lake, the best strawberries in the world, and flowers that tasted like sugar when you ate them. That would be the perfect spot for a romantic picnic! Rapunzel was crazy about chocolate covered strawberries. The could pick the strawberries, dip them in the chocolate lake, and then eat some sugar flowers!
It would be perfect. Rapunzel wouldn't even mind that he tricked her into going exploring!

They set up their picnic under a really big tree. It was very big with lots of leaves, so they would have some shade. Eugene saw that The royal cook made them peanut butter sandwiches and also gave them chips and fruit. Eugene didn't show Rapunzel the fruit because they would be having chocolate covered strawberries soon enough.

"Oh, it's so relaxing here!" said Rapunzel. "What do you want to do now?"

"What I'd really like to do is take a walk!" said Rapunzel.

"As in... EXPLORING?" said Rapunzel, growing suspicious.

""Well, of course not! Why would I do that? I know what trouble we've gotten into when we explore." Eugene said, but he wasn't very convincing.

But Rapunzel believed him. "Well, all right, we'll go for a walk."

So Eugene and Rapunzel took a walk, holding hands and smiling at each other, and occasionally checking the map.

Soon they were nearing the strawberry bushes.

"Oh Eugene, I just love walking with you! It's just such a perfect day and you're perfect, too!" Rapunzel sighed happily.

"Oh, Rapunzel. Stop flattering me. You're obviously more perfect than I am." and when Rapunzel heard this, she laughed.
Eugene joined her.

Then, Eugene realized that it might have been a mistake to take Rapunzel with him. The strawberries and chocolate were supposed to be a surprise!
Oh, why didn't he tell her to just stay by the picnic blanket and read that zebra book she brought with her?

"So, Rapunzel...How was the latest chapter in that zebra book?" asked Eugene.

"Oh, I haven't read any of it lately. Maybe I should do that soon." said Rapunzel.

"YES! You should!" Eugene yelled.

"Well, okay then! I'll do that as soon as we're done with this walk."

"You know, Rapunzel, nothing's more beautiful than the sound of you reading to me while we take a walk. Why don't you go back to the picnic blanket, get the book, and read it to me while we walk?" Eugene suggested.

"Oh, yay! I'll be right back!" said Rapunzel.

Eugene waited until he was sure that Rapunzel was a good distance away. And then he looked at his map again and started looking for the strawberry bushes.

"Okay, so all I have to do is get through these raspberry bushes until I start seeing strawberry bushes. Then I'll know that I've found the strawberries."

So Eugene eventually found the strawberry bushes. He tried one to make sure that they tasted good and that they weren't poison.

"Oh! These are perfect! Rapunzel will love these! Yummy!" said Eugene.

He found an abandoned bucket in one of the strawberry bushes and put strawberries into it.

"Now! We must find that chocolate lake." said Eugene. He checked his map.

"Oh, it shouldn't be that far away! I'll be there in no time! And then I'll find Rapunzel and surprise her! Yay!"

Meanwhile, Rapunzel had gotten the zebra book and was looking for Eugene.

"Now I wonder where Eugene went." said Rapunzel. THEN IT HIT HER

"EXPLORING! Oh! I can't believe Eugene tricked me! He never did care about my zebra book!" Rapunzel said. She was so mad that she threw her book on the dirty ground!

"Just wait till I find him! I'm going to go through the castle when we get home and tear up every map I can find!

And as she was getting mad at him, Eugene had just discovered the chocolate lake!

"AHAAHAAAA! I found it! I can't believe this! Chocolate strawberries! YaY!" screamed Eugene.

Eugene quickly dipped all the strawberries and then started thinking about finding the sugar flowers whennn...

"EEEEEEEUUUUUUUGGGGGGGEEEEEEN NNNEEEE!" yelled a very angry Rapunzel.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAH!" yelled Eugene as he fell into the lake because he was so startled by Rapunzel's insane shouting.

"Eugene! AAAH!" screamed Rapunzel and she saw Eugene fall into the lake.

Eugene screamed and thrashed his arms around, trying to stay afloat in the chocolate lake.

"Quick! Give me your hands!" yelled Rapunzel.

But Eugene was too far into the lake. Rapunzel almost fell in herself as she tried to reach Eugene.
Thankfully Eugene was staying afloat, though.

"Oh, Eugene! What were you thinking, jumping into that lake like this? Now you're stuck!" Rapunzel scolded.

"I found some strawberry bushes. I know you love chocolate strawberries, so I was trying to dip them in this lake." said Eugene.

"That's so sweet!" said Rapunzel. "But, Eugene, you know this happens every single time we go exploring."

"I know. I fall in too many lakes."

"Exactly. And this is even worse than usual because this lake is chocolate!" said Rapunzel.

"I'm sorry. But you're so sweet, I thought you deserved a dessert that's almost as sweet as you are."

"Oh, Eugene!" laughed Rapunzel. "You're so cute."

Eventually Eugene got out of the river, but he was covered in chocolate.

"You know, Eugene?" said Rapunzel.

"What?"

"You told me that I was the sweetest person in the world. Well, you're wrong. You're sweeter than I am!"

Eugene laughed at Rapunzel's cute little joke.

But on the way home, they picked more strawberries. Even though they weren't covered in chocolate. They had learned a valuable lesson about chocolate lakes.
But it was the most romantic, perfect, and "sweet" picnic ever!

Happy Valentine's Day!

-B&S4E