A/N: This story was played around with a lot by Kelsey and myself, so we have plenty of headcanons and blurbs and later chapters planned. It's taken us a while to actually turn it into chapter form, but it's finally here!

Hope y'all like chapter one! (:

Max walked as quickly as possible as he tried to get Rapunzel home before the sun rose in the sky, all the while being extremely careful not to jostle her. She was barely holding on, giggling to herself and singing made-up songs until her mood switched suddenly, and then she was crying about how her knee hurt and how homesick she was. A sigh, or rather, a soft neigh left him as he tried to speed up his pace. He needed to get her to where she needed to be as soon as he could. He knew the effects alcohol had on people and, because of this, his reasoning was that he should take her home. That was his default. Whenever he had a rider who was injured, he would take them back to their campsite, or wherever he knew to be 'home.' And he didn't want the kingdom's tipsy princess to be seen atop his back. She didn't need that type of attention right now. On the other hand, though, it would make Max seem like a hero...

"No, no, wh-where are we? This isn't my dormin-tory..." she mumbled to Max, poking him in the ear. He snorted, rolling his eyes, and shook his head to get her to stop. "I'm n-not that drunk," she insisted, followed by a violent hiccup. He gave her another snort. Obviously, this must have been her first real attempt at alcohol consumption.

And it had been. Since moving out of the castle and into her one-bedroom dorm in the neighboring kingdom to Corona, her life had changed quite drastically. She had begun going to a school for the arts where she studied painting, drawing and sculpture; the things she was quite good at. It was what she loved, and what she wanted to do before she would have to buckle down and become queen. When she was handed that crown and title, things wouldn't be the same for her. She'd have to be proper and focus on her kingdom, not the unused paints and canvas that would be stuffed away in her room. She just wasn't ready for that type of change yet. Not after she had finally gotten to be free.

The other thing, the most drastic change she could see and feel, was the absence of Eugene. Against everything she felt about him and those hazel eyes, she ended things between them shortly after she had made the decision to leave.

It had been the hardest thing she'd ever done in her life, deciding to break up with him, but she couldn't just stay with the first man she had ever met without being completely sure that he was the one; that he was the best one for her out of all the other men in the world. Even though she loved him and couldn't see herself with anybody else but him, she couldn't marry Eugene and live in the castle forever. Not without knowing it was absolutely meant to be. 'Settling down' after eighteen years of living in a tower was the last thing she wanted. She loved Eugene, more than anything in the world, but she had loved Gothel, too. Gothel kept her confined for eighteen years because of the 'love' she had for her. How could she be absolutely and positively sure Eugene wouldn't keep her confined to the castle? She knew he wasn't like that, he was too gentle and sweet and loved her too much, but the thought of marrying him, having a brood of children, and sitting on some throne knitting or reading all day sounded too close to being trapped - a feeling she was all too familiar with.

So she ended things with Eugene. She left them open to the possibility that they could be picked up again, but she also told him not to wait for her. It broke her heart to watch him shrink in the distance as she left on Max for the school she had picked out. The way his face looked, crumpled up in pain and nearly on the verge of tears, would stick with her and make her feel absolutely guilty whenever she was feeling sad. It was a silent hint that she had no room to be sad after what she did to him. She could still hear his voice, loud, hurt, and somewhat angry as she announced she was leaving him.

"You...you're what?" his voice was quiet as he looked at her. She held her hands in front of her, keeping her eyes on the ground.

"I'm breaking up with you."

He was silent, trying to form a coherent sentence. Something that wouldn't cause him to sound angry. His fingers itched to reach out and grab her so she wouldn't leave him. She couldn't leave him. Not now. Not this soon. Not ever.

His eyebrows pushed together in confusion as he looked down at her. Her bags were packed, tied to Maximus, and he had come to see her off.

"I've got to make sure that...that this is what's best for me."

He shook his head. "To see if what is best for you?"

She took a deep breath and waited, as if she didn't want to speak the words she was about to. But she had to. She told herself to do it quickly, to get it over with...

"You."

He stared, completely speechless... Why was she doubting what they had? Why was she doubting him? The first things that came into his mind were the gossip that he overheard, and the questioning looks they received when they walked together through the kingdom. People said it was wrong for a princess to love someone like him, and sometimes he believed it was true... Was she starting to believe that, too?

She had him wrapped around her finger; she was the only girl that ever captivated him like this. They had an unmatched understanding of each other. Give and take. Two parts of a whole. Could she not see that? There had to be more to her explanation. She said she loved him.

"I'm not what's best for you?" he managed to put forward, taking a step closer, afraid that if he wasn't close enough she'd disappear completely. Her tiny shoulders shrugged.

"I... I don't know, Eugene," she looked up at him with teary eyes. "I just don't know! I need to go try out other things so I will know. I just...I have to be completely sure." She lifted her hand to wipe the tears that had fallen onto her cheek. He wanted so badly to reach out and wipe them away; to make all her pain and uncertainty go away. But she would just pull away. And he couldn't stand to see that happen.

"That's bullshit, Rapunzel!" He knew his words were becoming harsh, but he was hurt. She had completely blindsided him. "You said you loved me... " His tone softened, and his gaze lowered; his guard was completely down now. She stepped forward and quickly took his hand in hers, her expression one of pain and determination.

"I do! … I do. "

"If you love me, why do you have to make sure you don't love somebody else?" He took a deep breath. "Am I not good enough for you?" There. He said it. The question that had been ringing through his ears; the question that he was scared to know the answer to.

"It's not that, Eugene, and you know it-"

"Then what is it, Rapunzel?" his anger flared again, as his frustration rose. "What other reason is there, then? After you said I was the best thing that ever happened to you?"

Her eyes were stern, covering up the pain she felt from his words. "You're the only thing that's ever happened to me."

He cursed, ripping his hands away from hers. She winced at the absence of him, stepping back. "Eugene... I'm-I'm sorry..."

Even to her, the thought of being in another relationship with anybody else but Eugene was crazy. She didn't even know why she said it, because she was sure she wouldn't even get into another

relationship. She had just said it, probably as a way to make sure she was completely free.

She knew he had needs, and she did, too. After Eugene introduced her to how amazing it felt to touch, and be touched, she wouldn't be able to live without it for too long. She got to her school, and instantly connected with a boy in her drawing class. His name was Ezra, and she met him on the first day of her classes there. Her teacher had partnered the two of them up to sketch each other, and their relationship fell into place effortlessly. He was different from Eugene; softer and more careful with her... But she liked it. It was different. Everything about him was different. Ezra had blue eyes, like the sea, or the night sky. Eyes that she could get lost in.

A few months passed, and their bond grew closer. They were perfect for each other, and that completely baffled Rapunzel's mind. She never thought she'd actually find someone as good for her as Eugene was. She tried not to think about Eugene too often, though, for it made things more difficult. So she ignored her feelings for him, and allowed herself to become infatuated with Ezra.

She had been at school nearly half a year, now. Earlier that evening, though, before Max had even found her drunk and on the ground, they had had a fight. It was her fault, really. He asked her about her family, where she was from, and she froze. She hadn't expected anything to come out of their relationship, but now they were 'an item,' as her girlfriends called it, and he still didn't know anything about her past. He was obviously frustrated, but she didn't want to tell him. She wanted him to like her because of who she was, and not because of the title she held.

They both said things they didn't mean, and she went back to her dorm crying. Her friends suggested that she go to the pub with them down the street so she wouldn't be alone having a pity party, but they didn't realize that Rapunzel had never consumed the kind of alcohol they were passing around. She had only ever had an occasional glass of wine with dinner before, and after a few drinks, she was completely wasted. Max had spotted her stumbling out of the pub, apparently looking for a bathroom, when she fell down a small flight of steps and badly scraped her knee, landing in a tearful heap at the bottom.

"Good evening, Princess," said one of the guards, spotting Max and Rapunzel as they came over the bridge. Rapunzel gave him a salute, accompanied by a drunken smile. "Top of the mornin' to ya," she slurred.

Max picked up his pace, for fear that the guards would see the state she was in; she had already suffered through enough humiliation for one evening. The guards looked between each other. "Uh, goodnight, then," called one with a shrug as they watched Rapunzel move past them. Max continued down the road, trying to move as fast as possible through the streets while Rapunzel giggled and continued to babble senselessly. He figured that if he kept a quick pace, she wouldn't be able to stop anyone for a drunken chat, or be stopped, for that matter. Maybe if he just continued walking, they would make it to the castle without being noticed.