Chapter 1: The Journey back Home

"What if they are not convinced enough to believe that I am the lost princess?" Rapunzel worried with her delicate fingertips stroking what once was long golden sunshine that is now short chocolate brown hair. Ever since her hair was cut she seemed to feel uncomfortable without her beautiful extensive mane. She feels that literally a huge weight has been lifted off her shoulders because now she does not need to be dragging her seventy feet train of hair everywhere she goes.

Rapunzel manages to catch Eugene's attention by standing in front of him and preventing him from moving any further. "I mean look at me…do I look anything close to being the lost princess anymore?" Rapunzel requested. Eugene took a long moment to examine the young beauty before him. Where can he go wrong? He adores everything about her inside and out. Through the treetops of the forest came the light of sunshine pouring to the grassy ground. It eventually showered over his lover's figure making her big emerald green eyes sparkle in the sunlight. He watched as she slowly glanced up with a gentle grin and her pixie cut hair flowing through the breeze. She is just so…breathtaking. It is incredible how someone who has suffered so much in her past, can still be so loving and down-to-earth.

Easily distracted by Mother Nature, Rapunzel twirled around in amazement. "Isn't it beautiful, Eugene?" with his amber eyes fully concentrated on her every move, she swayed her way around the forest. Lost under her spell, he said "Yes…you…are." Without hesitation, Rapunzel snapped back to her focus on Eugene. Trying to hide her blushing, she bestowed a soft giggle and replied "umm…Eugene?" His face turned red as a tomato and within seconds, Max and Pascal burst into laughter and start making silly faces at Eugene. Those two never seemed to give Eugene a break no matter what. He rolled his eyes, trying to shake it off, and changed his view back to Rapunzel. She still was waiting, with a perplexed look on her face, for a response. "Umm…I mean…" he sighed. What was he saying? The look on Rapunzel's face was impatient and curious, waiting for something to spit out as she carefully watched his lips. He gathered himself up and took a deep breath. Then he slowly opened his mouth to speak his mind. "Don't get me wrong, nature is a pretty sight, but to me it is nothing compared to how beautiful you are…"Eugene stopped once realizing what he just said. Soon enough he started getting Goosebumps and feeling like all his nerves were eating him alive.

Yet with that, Rapunzel's blushing cheeks became a much darker shade of red and a huge smile grew. Misunderstanding her reaction, Eugene sighed and said "Ugh…that was a really corny thing to say. Well go ahead, laugh at me." Rapunzel loved the fact that he was struggling just to say the right thing to her. She thought it was the cutest thing to see coming from him.

Rapunzel tugged on Eugene's vest and soon enough he looked directly in her eyes. As soon as he calmed down, Rapunzel said "I thought that was the nicest thing anybody has ever said about me….probably the only nice thing anybody has ever said about me." She stopped at that thought and slowly looked down at her feet playing with the grass. Eugene stared as she got lost in her negative thoughts. He realized that Rapunzel lived in a tower for eighteen years with a fake mother that never spoke a single kind word towards her. She never had someone there that really cared about her, for her, and not for her magical hair. Eugene took a few steps towards the troubled girl and gently laid his rough hands on her shoulders. He turned her around slowly until she was facing him. Rapunzel was still looking down at the ground. Before Eugene could do anything, Rapunzel buried her face into his chest. He wrapped his arms around her small waist and held her close to him.

Eugene wanted to give Rapunzel the comfort she deserves. He wants to be there for her every step of the way. Rapunzel starts bursting into tears and each drop felt like bullets hitting his chest. Eugene lifted his arm and softly petted her hair with his calloused fingers. They were standing there in each other's arms for what seemed like hours ticking by, but really it has only been ten minutes. Eugene continued soothing her by rubbing her back and stroking locks of her hair. Rapunzel liked the feeling of being loved. It was something so new to her and she never thought it would feel this wonderful. Eugene decided to make a move and moved his hand away from her hair. He touched the tip of her chin and lifted her head so he can see her face to face. Rapunzel's big green eyes were filled with overflowing tears that extensively ran down her soft cheeks and down to her neck. Her nose was red and her lips were pouting from all the sobbing.

He used his thumbs to smoothly rub away the tears from her face. Her green eyes were searching through his hazel ones. It killed Eugene to see such a beautiful soul go through so much pain. Eugene loosened his lips and said "I love you. You're my only reason to stay alive…if that's what I am." As his hand remained supporting her face up, Rapunzel slightly tilted her head and eventually gave out a soft smile. She felt so thankful for everything he had done for her. Reverting to her childlike impulsivity, Rapunzel tackled Eugene with a hug making him lose balance and fall to the forest ground along with her. They giggled in delight at how clumsy they can be in a time like this.

The constant giggling finally ceased into a complete silence. It was not an awkward silence at all; it was more of a comfortable kind of silence. He looked over his beloved as she was fitting her hand in his. She was fully focused on observing both palms being put together as one. Then, soon enough, Rapunzel's glowing green eyes looked up to meet with his gaze. Without hesitation, Eugene bent down to meet his lips with hers into a soft tender kiss. As they pull their lips apart with their eyes slowly opening, they both smiled at each other. Then, Eugene finally got up from the ground and reached out his hand to Rapunzel. "Ok Blondie, let's get you home to your parents." Her smile became wider as she took his hand and stood by his side. It only took a couple of footsteps down the forest for Rapunzel to realize something. She stopped and said, "Wait…Where did Pascal and Max go?" Together they searched through the woods until finally, behind a big oak tree, they found them two napping in the shade. Maximus was in the middle of a dream, which explains his hind legs kicking every so often. And on top of horse, was Pascal, who was curled up in his slumber.

Eugene gave Rapunzel a sneaky grin as she quietly giggled at the sight of the resting creatures. He then left Rapunzel's side to sneakily approach the unconscious beasts. Then he suddenly attacks the two with his tickling fingers. Both of them jumped in full alert and took hard breaths as their hearts pounded as fast as beating drums, now for sure they were awake! Pascal was blazing hot red with anger while Maximus was wide eyed searching for what caused the interruption of his epic dream. Then they both see clearly who the mischief-maker was once they both witnessed the man chuckling loudly with his back against the tree. They looked at each other as in agreeing to work together for the revenge they deserve. Without letting Eugene finish his victorious moment, Maximus punched Eugene in the ribs, making him lose balance. As Eugene moved back a little, Pascal managed to pull against a long piece of grass with his mouth, causing Eugene to trip and slam down to the ground.

Now everyone was laughing, even the Princess was trying to hide her smile with her palm. He patiently took his time to get up from the grass and brush off the dirt off his clothes. Yet they were still laughing until Eugene threw a glare that looked like he was saying "I'm not amused". They finally stopped the giggling; only leaving their faces with goofy looking grins. Then Eugene finally said "ok, I guess I deserved that…I'm sorry…now are you guys happy?" and with that, the dynamic duo nodded together in unison.

Eugene walked towards his loved one and took her hand to lead her to the horse. Then he whispered in her ear "Come on Princess, the kingdom of Corona is waiting." She smiled softly and rewarded him with a quick kiss before he helped her way up on Maximus' saddle. He held the horse strap in his hand and started to guide them through the forest. Rapunzel began to scan around the environment around her again, still not getting over the beauty of it. She was well focused in her discoveries until it suddenly snapped away once she came across a thought. Then Rapunzel moved her eye contact towards Eugene and said "Wait! Eugene…..what about you? I mean, how are we going to pass the palace guards if you had just escaped from the palace just earlier today? They are going to take you away from me!" Eugene looked up at her and he could see her concerned look deepening more and more every second." Don't worry…I got it all planned out…just trust me, ok?" he placed his hand overlapping hers, motivated Rapunzel in a single nod for a response.

They continued their journey back home through the woods until they finally were standing at the start of the bridge leading to the kingdom. They all stopped to take a good glimpse of the captivating view before them. The towering castle overlooks the small village below as it stands tall and proud close to the clouds in the sky. And the sky never seemed so blue before while the sun gave out the warm, toasty feeling of the summer. And what is left to be seen would be nothing other than the grand sea surrounding the island of the kingdom itself. Everything seemed to be normal from afar but, once they started heading closer to the village, Rapunzel found the town dead and gloomy compared to the day of her birthday. The streets were clear of any sign of life and there was not a single sound as if being deaf. She started having second thoughts about where she was at the moment. Was this really the same village that held the key to her heart, her home? Rapunzel gave Eugene a concerned look and said "what happened here?" Then his smile morphed into a serious blank expression.

He looked down to the ground and said "well you see Rapunzel, unlike the other holidays that are celebrated in the kingdom, your birthday was the most special…it gave people hope for that one night that their lost princess will return…when the night is 0ver, it makes it hard to bring back the joy and good spirit in the village." He stops and looks around the empty streets "believe me this dead emptiness in this town is going to last for a long while." Rapunzel just stayed silent for awhile and sighed as she felt the dead atmosphere sink inside her soul.

They proceeded walking until they reached the castle gates. Eugene stopped Maximus into a halt and held out his hand to Rapunzel so she could hop off the saddle. She took his hand and slowly started adjusting her legs to work her way to the ground. Her foot missed the stirrup of the horse saddle and her clumsy self collapsed into Eugene's arms. Rapunzel looked up with a red- faced expression while Eugene chuckles and steadies her to land her bare feet on the stone floor. "So what's the plan?" she asked Eugene as they stare at the very intimidating entrance to the palace. Without saying a word he pulled out a cloak that resembled Mother Gothel's own cloak. Of course it was her cloak for Rapunzel recognized the fabric and said "when will you ever quit the stealing?" in response he shoved his shoulders and grinned. He tied the straps of clothing around his neck and threw the hood to fall over his head, granting a shadow over the upper part of his face and leaving only his mouth to be visible. Looking at him was like looking at a complete stranger and Rapunzel was relieved that his identity will be hidden under this mysterious black cloud during their plot.

"Ok the plan is that we will ring the doorbell for the guard tower next to the gate." Eugene points at the long rope that leads up to the window of the tower. "Then I will pull off my most convincing British accent and ask the guard to let us in to present you to the King and Queen. And then hopefully, everything will go according to plan. Now are you with me Blondie?" she nodded, "Yes sir!" and then they were ready to go. Rapunzel trails towards the rope and makes a grip on it but, before she could even do so, she hesitated and looked back to where Eugene stood behind her. He grinned at her and reassured her with a thumb up. With that she gained some confidence and turned back to the rope in front of her and tugged it down, which gave out a loud chiming sound. On the top of the tower, the window opened, and out appeared a guard around his late 50's looking down to see who needed his attention.

"Who goes there?" he said.

Eugene winks at Rapunzel and clears his throat, "Excuse us kind Sir, but we wish to meet with the King and Queen."

The guard gave them a long stare and asked, "What's the occasion?"

Eugene stepped back and pushed Rapunzel in front of him, "My good man, I proudly present to you our long lost, but now found Princess of Corona."

There was a long awkward silence after that until the guard tower erupted into pure laughter and replied, "Oh my lord, that's a good one! You almost had me there!"

The couple was shocked by the guard's reaction and Eugene finally stood up and projected, "Pardon me Sir, but this is not a joking matter, this is serious!"

The guard finally stopped laughing and said, "Oh come on! Tell me something I don't know. You guys aren't the first ones that had tried to claim this. And I see you didn't get the memo that the lost princess had long blonde hair. Oh please, the other imposters were at least clever enough to get that part right! Why don't you do yourselves a favor, go back home and have a nice day!"

And with that, the tower guard slammed the window of the tower shut. Eugene was lost of words and still in shock of what just happened. He sighed and said "I'm so sorry Rapunzel." He turned around not to see her standing behind him, but on the floor burying her face in the palms of her hands. He knelt down and petted her hair as he stayed silent while hearing Rapunzel sob, " I'm just so tired….tired of being so close to finally feel complete and then lose sight of it within seconds. It isn't fair knowing that I will never see my real parents…knowing that they will still be wondering where I am for the rest of their lives while I am here right under their noses."

All was quiet except for the continuous crying from the princess for there was nothing left to be said. The world around them felt like it was all slowly tumbling down. What else could they do? All their hope was lost and now they have to face reality and move on. A sudden pitter patter noise that sounded like the start of rain began but, there was no feeling of raindrops falling on their shoulders. The sound became louder every second and then it sounded more like soft footsteps. Before they even looked up, a small hand was perched on top of Rapunzel and Eugene's joined ones. It was no one other than a little girl but, with a very familiar face to Rapunzel. She had brown hair that was close to the same shade as Rapunzel that was put back in a tight braid with a pink bow, heavenly light blue eyes, and rosy red cheeks. And then she remembered, Rapunzel saw her talking to her baby sister in her mother's arms about the mural in front of them on the day Eugene brought her to the village to see the floating lights on her birthday. It was the mural of Rapunzel and her real parents and the little girl left a flower for the memory of the lost princess. Little does she know that the lost princess is sitting right in front of her. Or does she? She was looking through the eyes of young woman before her and without a word, she scanned through her face using her small palms. Rapunzel just stayed frozen and speechless as the child went over her cheeks, the bridge of her nose, forehead, lips, and then hesitates to touch the eyes.

"The Queen's eyes." She gasped.

Rapunzel was so overwhelmed by this tiny adorable soul that she couldn't help but, surrender a small smile.

"And her smile too!" the little girl grinned back, "You are the lost princess!"

Eugene and Rapunzel both looked at each other in amazement. Rapunzel glanced back at her and said, "That's very sweet of you but, you seem to be the only one to believe us."

"It's three against the whole kingdom kid." Eugene added, "There is no way we can convince them especially after we just tried."

"But you can't give up! It's not fair." The young girl protested.

"Hey, life is not always perfect….we would love to keep trying but, sadly there is nothing left that we can do." Eugene patted the girl's head.

"Wait! I have an idea!" the child jumped in excitement, "Come follow me!"

Eugene looked at Rapunzel to see if she was willing to give the child a chance. With a nod of Rapunzel's head, Eugene helped her up from the ground and followed the little girl. They heard a neighing noise from behind them and noticed that Maximus and Pascal were confused if they wanted to come along or not.

"Oh don't worry fellas….you guys stay here and if we don't come back for you two by sunset then, you can start looking for us alright?" Eugene said.

The two rascals bowed their heads and stayed relaxed on their feet as the couple proceeded walking after the child. She led them through an alley way next to the castle walls until they reached a little doorway that to their surprise wasn't guarded.

"Hey what's your name kid?" Eugene questioned the little girl.

"What's yours?" she snickered, "You're the one that's wearing the cape."

Rapunzel knelt down to be on the same level as the girl, "Well I know you're helping us a whole lot but, we need you to do us a small favor. Can you keep a secret uhh-"

"Emma and yes I can….anything for you princess!"

"Well Emma, the reason why he is wearing a cloak is… because he is Flynn Rider. He escaped the palace prison to come and rescue me…" Rapunzel glanced up at Eugene with teary eyes and a smile, "He even risked his own life to for me…..without him I wouldn't be here….and I would never have known him."

"You two are in love aren't you? I can tell by the way you look at each other."

Rapunzel giggled, "Yes we are….and it's really important to me that he doesn't get caught because of me….I don't want that for him and I have this feeling inside that once I'm reunited with my parents, they will understand that Eu- I mean Flynn, has changed now...So please Emma will you promise to keep this secret for me?"

"Yes of course! Your secret is safe with me!"

"Pinky promise?" Rapunzel held out her small finger.

Immediately Emma joined her pinky in Rapunzel's, "Pinky Promise!"

Eugene just stood there admiring this sweet moment and motioned for his lady's hand to help her from kneeling on the floor, "Alright captain, lead us the way!"

"Ok this door we are about to enter is the servant's entrance to the palace. So please just act natural." Emma whispered.

The couple agreed and silently walked behind her through the doorway. As they go in, they noticed that they were right next to the right wing of stairs that leads to the doors of the castle. They continued towards the stairs when a sudden-

"Freeze!" A voice from behind hollered at them.

They all stood still in fear for unfortunately they knew they were caught. But then there was a long uneasy pause and then-

"Emma?"

The young girl turned around and had a frightened expression, "Hello father."

Rapunzel and Eugene both had their mouths wide open in disbelief, "Father?"

Together they turned around and not only did they see a palace guard but, a father who was horrified by what his own daughter had done.

"How many times have I told you to stay out of the palace? And how dare you let these peasants come with you!" the man scolded.

"Father please! I'm just trying to help…..this woman is the lost princess!"

"Oh don't be ridiculous Emma! She is just another imposter like the others."

"Daddy I'm being serious! She is the one we have been waiting for…. I know because I can see it."

"Emma you don't know any better…I can't risk to give any hope to the Royal Majesties when she could be another fake! I'm just going to call the guards to escort the two of you out and there will be no more trouble."

"No!" Emma shouted, "Father all I asked is for you to believe me this once…..just once….please!"

The man remained silent as he stared at his daughter's concerned face. He looked towards Rapunzel and observed her well, "You better be her."

Emma erupted into complete joy and went to hug her father, "I promise you Daddy, I won't let you down!"

"I hope so darling. Now go back home and I will take it from here." The guard kissed his child on the forehead

Emma went towards Rapunzel and gives her a hug too and whispers, "Good luck princess."

"Thank you."

Eugene winked at Emma and she did back, then she skipped her way out of the palace.

"Ok I'm going to send one of my fellow guards to go fetch the King and Queen. Just go up these stairs and wait at the balcony in front of the castle doors for their arrival." The guard informed them.

"Alright and thank you Sir."

He said nothing back and turned around and disappeared into the courtyard. Rapunzel reached for Eugene's hand and gave it a tight squeeze as they ascended the stairway and walked towards the balcony. Eugene finally took off the cloak when he saw that the coast was clear of any guards. Then when he held Rapunzel's hands, he felt them shaking. When he looked at her, she was gazing at the view before her with her eyes wide open. She was definitely nervous the poor thing and Eugene just turned her head with his hand to have her look at him.

"Don't worry Rapunzel, everything is going to turn out fine."

"I know but, that's not what I'm worrying about."

"Then what is it?"

She pulled him in for a kiss. But, this time it was passionate like the one they had back at the tower when Eugene came back to life. While they kissed Eugene felt wetness in his cheeks and as they slowly let go of each other's lips, he found out it was Rapunzel's tears.

She looked up at him and said, "I don't want this to be the last time I see you…..I don't want to lose you again."

Eugene wiped her tears, "You won't lose me…I will always be with you no matter what…..I love you."

"I love you too."

Now all they can do was hold each other's hand and wait for their fate to soon arrive.