In her mind, she repeated what he had said. 'I'll be right back. I'll be right back. I'll be right back.' She trusted Eugene Fitzherbert with all her heart. So she would trust those words.

In her heart however, worry spread like a poison through her insides. It twisted every organ within her and made the need to run and convulse more apparent and alive than her need to leave her tower to see the floating lights. Rapunzel tried with all her might to force that feeling away. But she couldn't ignore it. The silence of the night was too noticeable, the air too pregnant with her own worry and tension that the thoughts flooded her mind without restraint. He's left you. You're all alone. Mother was right. All he wanted was the crown. It was all a lie. She had to forcefully remind herself that she trusted him. She had to loudly yell over herself that he had told her he had to take care of something. That couldn't just happen in a few seconds; it would take a little while. She needed to wait.

Rapunzel began to deep, calming breaths, attempting to pass them off as sighs so Pascal would not worry more than he already was. When Eugene left, Pascal had expressed his anxiety and disapproval but she had been the trust to calm him down. She needed to remain that way.

During her time in the tower, Rapunzel had learned from her varied collection of books many things. One of those things was that a pattern seemed to run through all the characters just before the climax. The main character would make some big mistake and most times it was the character taking matters into their own hands. It had happened in so many of the novels she'd delved wholeheartedly into that she would make up whole other endings for them and write them down in her own books, creating a fantasy away from the tragedy. She much preferred that to having to settle with death or broken hearts. But, she wondered, could she do that to herself?

Her heart pounded ferociously in her chest. What if he did leave her alone forever? She couldn't just rewrite the ending! When her mind began to piece together the fact that her ending may be that tower again, her throat grew tight. Of all the things she had seen in these past few days, of all the friends and food and variety and adventure and sun and earth, could she ever return to those detestable walls knowing what she was missing? Could she sit quietly and watch the floating lanterns knowing that even if she stretched herself as far as her body would allow out of that window, the experience would never be the same? If she ever saw those lights again, her heart would break. Seeing them in the sky would never compare to seeing them all around her. It would never compare to being enveloped in a warmth both outside of her and inside. The lights, the excitement, the love… She could never give that up. But, she thought sadly, she would have to if he decided to leave her.

Rapunzel's hand stroked the boat's wood, soaking in the feel of that memory. As her hands ran over the red velvet seats, she felt herself welling up sorrowfully within. Her heart was already shielding itself for betrayal. Her arms wound tightly around the wood, her body leaning dependently against it as if she would fall from her place when he wouldn't return.

Something caught her eye. Instinctively, she gazed up before her, at the very spot where Eugene had left and she became elated at the sight of his figure approaching in the mist. Suddenly she realized that her preceding thoughts were frivolous and unkind. She should never have lost faith in him. Of course he would come back.

She sighed in relief, swiping back the hair that had fallen into her face while she lost herself in thought. "I was starting to think you ran off with the crown and left me." She smiled widely and briefly glanced away in embarrassment. At her shoulder, Pascal sighed happily as well. Her grin deepened.

As Eugene walked towards her, she noticed something strange. His body was larger, bulkier as if he was wearing something that widened his figure at an unnatural angle, and he was taller. Her eyes flashed to his feet, noticing that he was not standing on any stilts or wearing any new boots that could prove to his advantage. Another shape, identical to the one who was supposed to be Eugene appeared from behind the first man. Confused, Rapunzel furrowed her brows and released the wood from her grip, taking a minute step back.

Their boots crunched again the rocks as they walked towards her in a harsh and commanding manner only stopping a short distance from her to smugly reply, "He did."

Rapunzel's eyes raked over the men. She reluctantly noted their large demeanor, both tall and herculean, guised in garments similar to those of them ruffians and thugs she had befriended within the Snuggly Duckling. However she could tell that these men had no intention of becoming a loved one of hers. Their hair color was a crimson red, shortly trimmed and growing down as sideburns on one as the other one kept it neatly above his ears. Adorning the back of the one who spoke was a sheathed sword, a wide grin playing across his features. The other with no sideburns looked far graver, a grim expression on his face along with an eye patch and a scar deep beneath his eye.

"What," she asked sharply. Her anger flared. "No! He wouldn't." Her voice came out strongly. It was a pleasant surprise.

The man with the sideburns gestured out to the lake right of him. "See for yourself."

Her eyes followed the movement all the way out onto the cerulean lake. From her spot she could just barely make out the shape of something large and black gliding across the lake's surface. She squinted her eyes in disbelief, Pascal whimpering beside her as she rushed forward to the shoreline and took in a better image of the object. When she moved it had become strikingly obvious that that object was a ship, too small for any royal endeavors but just right enough in size to be manned by one person. When she squinted her eyes further, she murmured, "Eugene?" The fog began to lift and her eyes recognized the distinct outline of Eugene's body manning the wheel, satchel at his side. There was no mistaking it this time. The image burned so clearly in her eyes that she couldn't control the cry that broke from within her, "Eugene!"

Her throat closed up as she watched him remain on his course, directly away from her without even turning so much as in her direction. No, her mind begged.

"Fair trade," the man hoarsely avowed, immediately breaking her from her reverie. The two stepped behind her, the man with the sideburns lightly brushing his hand against her heavy braid. She became rigid. "A crown… for the girl with the magic hair."

Rapunzel felt her heart thunder in her chest. She swiveled around and gasped. Her eyes just seemed to be registering the two frightening men. No. She screamed at herself from within that mother had warned her of this!

The man reached behind his back. "How much do you think someone would pay to stay young and healthy forever?" Something white appeared at his side.

Rapunzel lifted her hands protectively and helplessly mumbled, "No." His smile vanished and he stormed towards her, the white bag in hand. "Please! No." Rapunzel scrambled away from them, scooting quickly around the silent and dangerous looking one. "No!" Hurriedly, she dashed away, heart slamming in her chest as everything blurred by. In her haste, her feet caught on her dress. Frantically she gathered the garment in her hands and dashed forward, the two men following closely in pursuit. Rapunzel desperately pushed on her heels to hurry forward through the same exit Eugene had minutes earlier disappeared into. When she entered it, she hastily hopped over and off of various obstacles, knowing full well that she was being funneled against her advantage through the two large rocks.

The men made a grab at her, one grunting when he missed her but she knew she had only narrowly avoided it and was completely petrified at the thought. It only made her rush faster. She flew over a log, barely noticing its presence until she felt a snag against her scalp and loudly whimpered. Rapunzel clumsily clutched at her hair, yanking the heavy braid and screaming desperately when it wouldn't budge. "Ah! NO!"

Clutching at her from her knees, the man with the eye patch yanked her up from the ground and, despite her cries, threw her over his shoulder, nearly pulling hair from her scalp in the process. The other, who gathered himself from the ground with a scratch on his lip made by the fall, jerked her hair free and made his way over to them. Using all her might, Rapunzel thrashed against the man, banging her suddenly feeble hands against his thickly muscled back. Unfazed by her actions, the man lifted her by her waist and turned her to his brother. While in the air, Rapunzel sent a foot flying at the man's face and when it connected, she fell to the ground, crying out in pain as her body landed on the hard, damp rocks.

"Bitch!" He grunted. Against the floor, she scrambled, her bare feet shoving against the rocks. She only made it one foot forward before the man grasped her ankle and wrenched her roughly backwards. Head banging sharply on one of the rocks, Rapunzel gasped and felt tears spring up in her eyes as a burning sensation ignited in her scalp.

"No, please!" She cried as the man with the eye patch violently raised her up and dropped her into the thin white bag held by his brother. "Please!" she wailed, clutching at the cloth around her and trying desperately to find some sort of footing that would assist her in making it out of the hole at its top. Unfortunately her own hair prevented her from getting very far as it tangled itself around her feet and caught on her ankles when she finally found the footing she was looking for. Looking towards the lantern filled sky, Rapunzel solemnly watched as it disappeared, only to be replaced with the filthy white bag surrounding her.

She screamed out, hoping someone would hear her but the cheering and music of the kingdom along with the laughter from her captors overpowered her voice and she was stuck. The throbbing at her scalp had only increased with the high powered holler she let out. Along the side of her face, Rapunzel could feel a warm liquid oozing and almost certainly knew it was blood. Even before its crimson red shade stained the side of the bag. When the throbbing began to increase to an intensity that allowed her only a choice of sanity or consciousness, Rapunzel reluctantly let her eyelids droop, closing off any the sight of the blood and tears around her. Her heart beat at a slow pace, becoming numb to the fear that moments ago ran rampant through her veins with adrenaline as its companion. A black shade pulled over her body as her final thoughts fell from her mind. Rapunzel was glad to let them slip away, unwilling to recognize that one of them had been to Eugene, pleading for him to swoop in and save her like she would dream he would.