Damn plot bunnies have been in my mind all day.
I hope you enjoy this one-shot.
I do not own Tangled...or Eugene Fitzherbert :(
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He had been living in the palace for about two years now...living happily with Rapunzel by his side. He loved her, he really did. Eugene finally had everything he ever wanted...a loving wife, a castle and loads of money. Not that the last two really mattered anymore to the former thief. He didn't exactly care too much for money...too much being an exaggeration.
But there was still something that couldn't make Eugene happy and he knew he would never have it.
Parents.
He never knew who his parents really were and it ate away at him for many years, even when he was Flynn Rider. But Flynn Rider didn't care if he had no parents. Eugene Fitzherbert however, did. After many grueling hours of putting on smiles and playing a happy facade, Eugene would let it drop the moment he had alone time.
Ever since moving into the palace and living a more relaxing life, it gave Eugene more time to think about his past and all the things that he couldn't remember about them...no matter how hard he tried. There were times where he lied in bed and couldn't fall asleep because he couldn't stop thinking about what his parents would have been like. Were they cold and callous? Maybe they were kind and generous? Or maybe they were just too young to be able to handle responsibility of a child, leaving him orphaned?
The questions invaded his mind on a daily occurence.
And there were times, where Eugene felt alone...just so alone in the world. There were times where Rapunzel didn't exist in his mind or his in-laws.
He never questioned religion and therefore, he didn't know if a god really existed.
He only ever questioned the existence of his parents. Were they out there...somewhere?
He doesn't fit in amongst the royals...he feels like a fake just being there. He feels unwanted, unloved. No one there really notices him and if they do, he hears them mutter 'the former thief'. It's like he can't get away from the man he used to be. It's as if people don't even care that he's a changed man. In their eyes, he's still a thief.
There was more to him than that. He was a man who had struggled his entire life, wondering why he was orphaned...why he had been abandoned. Was it destiny that made him orphaned?
He goes through another grueling session of royal duties and meetings. He's getting so sick and tired of the same thing everyday. He's so sick of dealing with idiots who only care about the well-being of their kingdoms and their taxes...never really caring about their people. He crawls under his covers again at night, ignoring Rapunzel as she wants to get his attention. He pretends to be asleep...because that's all he can do...pretend.
He doesn't show his anger, his frustration to anyone. He bottles it up, slowly letting it swell everyday. He finds himself angry with everyone lately, including his wife who loves him so much. She's patient with him and tries to care for him. He can tell that she too can't keep her patience with him for much longer. He has to get away from everyone for a while...he has to be alone.
He sits out in the grassy field one afternoon, just laying down and looking up at the clear blue sky. He tries to calm down the growing anger in his heart. He can't stop being angry at the parents that abandoned him...the parents that he never knew. He couldn't stop being angry at himself for all the heinous crimes he committed in the past. He can't stop being angry with Gothel and what she did to his wife before they met. He can't stop being angry at The Stabbington Brothers, who had wanted to take his life and his wife away.
The anger swells up even more when older couples start showing up at the castle, claiming to be his parents. He never saw any striking resemblances and he turned each of them away.
He knows that his anger is destroying him. He keeps it bottled up, letting it eat away at his heart. He can't stop being angry...he can't.
He goes to a church one sunday, seeking answers for a god. He gets answers...ones that make him believe that there is life after death...where families are reunited. What if his parents were dead? Maybe a disease killed them and that's how he was left orphaned.
It's possible to continue living after death. His anger starts to overtake him, turning Eugene into a raging monster. He snaps at his father-in-law when he's reminded of the duties he has for that day. His mother-in-law when she reprimands him of his table manners. He snaps...at his wife when she asks him what's wrong. He makes her cry and he knows his anger has destroyed him.
He's too far gone now.
All the years of not knowing, not having any clue about his parents finally make Eugene cave. He can't continue living his life...wondering about them and not having answers. His vision goes red, blinding everything around him. Hot tears run down his face as he makes his way for his room, making sure that Rapunzel isn't there.
He's alone.
He takes out a piece of paper and a quelled pen and quickly scribbles a note for Rapunzel and the in-laws.
He lays it on her pillow and he grabs the dagger that hides under his own pillow.
He feels his heart shatter to pieces, leaving him a broken man.
He's so consumed in all of his anger, that he doesn't stop himself from what he does next.
Looking at his dagger, he holds it tightly by the handle...
And drives it into his own heart.
And it's already broken...so he feels no pain.
He crumples to the floor, laying there and looking up at the ceiling of the paintings that Rapunzel put up.
He slowly slips away, a white light engulfing him.
A man in white greeting him...calling him by name.
He is led to a couple who he bears a striking resemblance to.
He smiles, and he is embraced.
He found them...he found his parents.
Only mere hours later does his wife find his lifeless body in their room. She freaks out and calls for her parents. She holds him in her arms and cries, calling his name but getting no answer.
The note he wrote falls to the floor and she picks it up to read it.
I had to find my parents... I needed to know.
Eugene
This is my first real angst one-shot. Feel free to tell me your thoughts on it.
There's a box...just right down there where you can do that.