Disclaimer: I only own this plot, Edith, and anyone else you don't recognize though I would love to own Tangled.

Author's Note: Here it is! The much-requested sequel to my other Tangled fic, Flower Glow. I was rather amazed at how many requests for this that I got, so here it is, thanks to popular demand. Enjoy!

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Chapter One

Eugene was really too shocked to complain when Edith ordered him to watch the younger children while she and Rapunzel went into the kitchen to get further acquainted. It wasn't until after he had sat down with about a dozen little kids surrounding him that it occurred to him that he really didn't want his sister and his…well, his fiancé talking about him without him present. Blinking and looking around him in an attempt to find some way to escape, Eugene soon discovered that this was a very effective punishment on Edith's part. He was now stuck with these kids, even if he didn't want to be. No way for him to get out of here without alerting his ingenious little sister to the fact that he was doing just that. Edith was good.

Sighing and crossing his arms, Eugene watched a pair of young boys as they ran around the yard, using sticks as swords in their little game. Against his will, Eugene felt himself smiling a little. He remembered the times when he had played those kinds of games, racing around with Edith waddling along after him, pretending he was the famous Flynnigan Rider and she was his damsel in distress. Those had been the good days…before he really understood what everyone was saying about him and felt the need to escape. His smile faltered as he thought about that, only to be surprised by a small girl putting her hand on his leg.

Glancing down, he met the gaze of a small girl—probably four or so, he guessed—looking up at him with a bright smile, her big blue eyes reminding him of Edith. "Hey there, sweetie," Eugene said slowly, not quite sure how to address the little girl. "What's your name?"

"Millie," the girl said with a smile, as though proud that she could at least say her name. "Wha's yours?"

"I'm Eugene," he responded with a smile. Very like little Edith had been. "Millie, hmm? That's a very pretty name for such a very pretty girl."

Giggling softly, the little girl pulled herself up on Eugene's knee and gripped his vest to steady herself as she looked up thoughtfully at him. She continued gazing up at Eugene for a long time before she beamed up at him. "I like you," she declared.

"Well, thank you very much," Eugene said with a smile. "I'm very flattered."

"You should be," Edith said from behind him, Rapunzel following after her. "Millie doesn't choose friends easily these days. Not since her mother died about a year ago."

Eugene glanced down at the little girl on his lap again and sighed a little. He well remembered when Edith was first born, losing her mother only minutes after she was first brought into the world. So many similarities to Edith in this little girl, he mused with a small smile. Even her hair color, pale brownish-red, was very close to Edith's.

"Well, if it is any consolation, Miss Millie," Eugene said slowly, "I like you too."

Rapunzel watched all this for a moment, smiling softly at the sight of Eugene sitting with a small child on his lap. Almost against her will, the young Princess imagined Eugene holding a completely different girl; one who had big green eyes, a sprinkling of freckles, and a nose very similar to Eugene's. Gasping softly to herself, she moved a little closer to Eugene and placed a hand on his shoulder.

Glancing up at Rapunzel with a smile, Eugene reached up and gave her hand a squeeze, kissing her knuckles tenderly. All of this was observed closely by Edith. She had been speaking to Rapunzel for the last little bit, and she had to admit, that she was glad her brother had found the Princess. They were ideal for one another, it seemed. Just watching them for these few moments, she saw that Eugene did nothing without glancing around for Rapunzel first, and Rapunzel always seemed eager to find Eugene whenever they were apart. A slight feeling of jealousy gripped Edith's chest, but she didn't let it show as she smiled softly at her half-brother and Rapunzel, as well as little Millie.

"Millie, it's time for dinner," Edith said gently. "Go along with the other children."

The little girl didn't look like she wanted to leave Eugene, but she slid off his lap reluctantly, following after the other children, who were already starting to wander back into the run-down house behind them. Eugene watched this with a slight frown. The years had certainly not been kind to the little orphanage, to say the least. If only he could fix that…

"Is that your hint that we need to leave, sister?" Eugene teased lovingly, reaching over to pat her on the side.

"Only if you want it to be, brother," Edith replied with a chuckle. "I would be more than happy to have both you and the Princess stay, unless you have to be somewhere?"

Eugene glanced at Rapunzel, who gave him a sad look. That was all the answer he needed. Giving Edith an apologetic smile, he shrugged. "Another time, Edith. We have…we have other things to take care of at the palace."

Edith looked disappointed, but only for a moment before she nodded her understanding. "Of course," she said slowly. "But you won't wait so long for your next visit, will you?"

"Promise," Eugene said as he stood up. "I'll be back so often that you'll get sick of me."

Hugging each other tight, the two siblings clung to one another for a few moments before releasing each other, as though reluctant to let go, for fear of being separated for so long again. Eugene smiled apologetically once more as he gently tapped beneath her chin with his knuckle.

"I promise, Edith," he murmured firmly. "I'll be back soon."

Rapunzel stood back awkwardly, waiting for Eugene and Edith to separate before she stepped towards the older woman with an outstretched hand. However, Edith didn't take her hand. Instead, she pulled Rapunzel into a tight hug and smiled softly.

"Take care of Eugene for me," Edith said with a laugh. "He's such a handful."

"Hey!" Eugene protested, but no one responded to him as Rapunzel walked over to where Max was tied to a large tree. "I am not a handful," he muttered rebelliously. When Max snorted a protest, he looked offended. "I'm not!"

Rapunzel laughed softly as she stroked the horse's mane, giving Eugene a loving smile. "Oh…you aren't always," she agreed quietly. "Help me up?" she added before Eugene could really protest to what she had said.

Rolling his eyes a little, Eugene did so before climbing up behind her in the saddle. Wrapping his arms around her, he gently rested his chin on her shoulder. "You know I'm really not a nuisance," he grumbled against her neck. "Edith barely remembers me anyway. And I was the one keeping her out of trouble, not the other way around."

Glancing over her shoulder at Eugene, Rapunzel giggled softly at this and kissed his cheek. "That's what she told me," she said softly. "She really does love you…" she mused thoughtfully.

Eugene paused when he heard that and couldn't help smiling to himself. "Yeah…no clue why," he joked. "I mean…it's not like I'm charming, adorable, brave…"

"And just a little conceited," Rapunzel pointed out with a giggle.

"Now where did you hear that word?" Eugene demanded playfully. "Because I sure didn't teach it to you."

"That's what my philosophy tutor says about you," Rapunzel explained with a shrug. "He doesn't like you too much."

Chuckling a little under his breath, Eugene softly kissed the side of Rapunzel's neck. Of course the tutor didn't like him much. He stole Rapunzel away from under that tutor's nose way too often for the man to enjoy being around Eugene. Though calling him conceited, of all things….Eugene Fitzherbert was many things, but conceited was definitely not on that list.

"I'm offended," he murmured. "I'll have to have some words with that tutor of yours, won't I?"

Giggling more, Rapunzel nodded a little. "You will. And I will have to talk more with Edith. She's very nice."

"Yeah," Eugene mused. "She's one of the few people who got out of that place and turned out okay. Not even the girls who got married turned out as nice as Edith. Mostly because the men they married weren't the best men in existence. Sorta like my father," he added bitterly.

Rapunzel frowned at this and gave his hand a soft squeeze. "You don't have to talk about it," she assured him gently.

"Yeah…not now," Eugene agreed. "Maybe sometime soon, though…I'll tell you all about when I was a kid. But right now, we're almost home, Blondie. Let's get you back there before your parents get upset at me for keeping you out so long."

The rest of the ride back was spent in silence as they both simply enjoyed one another's presence, rather than talk to one another.

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Edith watched her brother and the young Princess riding away with a slight feeling of jealousy. Not only did her brother have the sort of life that they had both dreamed of, but Rapunzel knew Eugene better than Edith did. It had been eighteen years since she last saw her brother, and in that time many of Edith's memories of Eugene had begun to fade. Still…it was nice to see Eugene again, and so happy.

Smiling slightly to herself, Edith turned her attention to the children of the orphanage, shooing them into the house for their evening meal. Little Millie had fallen behind the other children who had begun making their way towards the house, and beamed up at Edith when the tall woman took her hand.

Eugene's silent observations had been correct; time had been very unkind to the orphanage, slowly wearing away at the wood and metal, making it sag and creak like a living thing. The thatch roofing had to be replaced far more often than it used to, and even then there were still at least one or two leaks. Still, it was home to not only Edith but all thirty-two of the orphans who she was in charge of. She wouldn't change it for anything, even with all of the problems that the place had. Placing a hand on the doorframe as she entered the house, Edith smiled a little to herself as she walked towards the kitchen, where old Mrs. Ferris was cooking dinner for the children.

"Everything all right?" Edith asked with a slight smile.

"As all right as it ever is, dearie," Mrs. Ferris answered, leaning over the cooking stew with a smile to herself. "You go on and take care of the young 'uns and leave the rest to me."

With a soft chuckle, Edith nodded and walked into the dining room, which had been altered long before Edith had been born, had three long tables that fit ten to eleven children at them, along with one spot at the end where an adult could sit down. Nearly all the children had already sat down, with the exception of the toddlers, who needed someone else to help them into their seats. A few of the older children were helping the littlest of the toddlers sit down before taking their own seats, all looking expectantly at Edith.

"Don't worry, dinner will be here soon," she said as she also took her seat, smiling around her at the children.

Some of the older children could remember when Edith was one of their numbers, reading from the old and deteriorating copy of The Tales of Flynnigan Rider, when Mrs. Miller was still alive. These children all looked at her with something bordering on awe in their eyes. It seemed that after seeing her with Eugene, they had developed a new-found respect for her. Clearly, anyone who was not only Edith's brother but also the famous Flynn Rider was someone that they could admire, and since he was related to Edith, that made her even more of a hero to them. Smiling slightly to herself, Edith sighed slightly and watched as Mrs. Ferris entered the room, stewpot in hand.

Soon the room was filled with the sounds of children eating and chattering with one another, and Edith was able to sit back and relax for the first time all day. Sighing tiredly, she reached up to rub her eyes, about ready to ask Mrs. Ferris to see to the children's bedtime when there was a loud knock at the door. Exchanging a confused glance with the older woman, Edith stood up and slowly made her way to the door, pausing for only a moment to wonder at who could possibly be interrupting dinner at this time.

When she opened the door, Edith was mildly surprised to see someone that she certainly didn't recognize. He was about fifty years of age, wearing livery that she instantly recognized, and flinched upon seeing. That was the crest of her "dear" father, Lord Herbert Morris. Freezing as she stared at the man questioningly, she finally found her voice.

"How might I help you?" she asked shakily.

"Are you Miss Edith Baker?" the man asked in return.

"Yes…" Edith answered slowly. "How may I help you?"

"I have word from your father. Lord Herbert has sent me with a request to see both you and your brother, Eugene Fitzherbert."

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Author's Note: Here it is! Wow, I originally didn't intend to post this chapter until The Tales of Eugene Fitzherbert: Orphan Hero was a little farther along, but since that story isn't getting as much attention as I'd like, I decided to put up the much-anticipated sequel to Flower Glow! Please, review this story and take a look at The Tales of Eugene Fitzherbert! I'd love to hear more reviews for Eugene's story! It'll help my writing improve, to say the least. So enjoy this first chapter!