The second time Flynn, now one-hundred percent Eugene, heard Rapunzel's request for him to not freak out, only a day and a half had passed since the first time.

And what a day and a half it had been.

After spending a sleepless night in a cold, damp jail cell, waiting for his death, Eugene had been sure that he would never see Rapunzel again, that she would forever be trapped in her tower by Gothel until the end of her days. And, were it not for the pub thugs breaking in to help him, he would already be buried in a shallow grave, his corpse left for the worms. His fear had quickly turned into hope as he saw the different men, all of them wanted for heinous crimes against the kingdom, fighting to free him. Although he knew they were all probably in jail or dead by now, their sacrifice had given him the chance to save Rapunzel from a fate almost worse then death.

Ridding off on Maximus, urgency had pushed them into a breakneck race through the forest, every second that passed with no tower in sight convincing him that they had been too late, that Gothel had kidnap Rapunzel once more, locking her away somewhere horrible, away from the world she craved. When they had finally reached the tower, he had thrown himself off the horse, yelling up to her in a desperate attempt to reach her in time, thousands of plans for escape filling his head as the familiar rope of blond locks fell to the ground. Climbing up, Eugene had only had a single moment to take in his surroundings before pain shot through his body, the pain of getting stabbed in the kidney by the crazy witch who had called herself Rapunzel's mother. He barely remembered anything after that, events like cutting off her seventy feet of hair, or his untimely death and welcoming revival blurring together like a dream, leaving him more then a little confused.

By the time Rapunzel had found the key to unlock his handcuff, Eugene was convinced that he could have curled up right there on the floor and slept for days, he was so exhausted. However, no matter how tired he was, he was sure that the tower was not the place to rest. Although he was still a bit sketchy on the details, Pascal had mimed out the events he had missed, from the point where he had been tricked by the Stabbington brothers to his revival. How the frog had made sense, he would never know, but he did understand enough to realize that, no matter how calm she was acting, to keep Rapunzel here, in the place that had been her prison for the past eighteen years, where the only mother she had ever known had just betrayed her and died, even for the few hours it would take for him to recover, was cruel.

So, the moment the chains fell to the floor with a welcoming clatter, he had been up and moving, asking Rapunzel questions about where the food had been kept and whether she had another frying pan or not. Sending her off to pack a bag of everything she wanted to keep from her former home, Flynn had quickly raided the food storage, throwing everything he could in to a convenient bag he had found stashed inside the cupboard.

His mind had been churning with plans, plans for their future after they left the tower. Of course, the first thing they would have to do was find someplace safe to rest and eat. But what then? He had been sure that, now that she was free, Rapunzel would want to try and find her real parents. This, he knew, was going to take a large sum of money. Her parents could be anywhere, in any kingdom. Thousands of miles could be separating the family, and it would cost money to use a train or boat to find them. Even if Max decided to accompany them and provide transportation, they would still need the money to feed themselves.

Of course, Eugene had money they could use for their quest. While stealing the crown of the Lost Princess had been his biggest heist ever, he had been no small time crook before that. He had pulled off some very big jobs, each one fetching him a couple of heavy bags full of gold. The crown would have been just what he had needed to fulfill his former selfish dream, bringing in enough money for him to have bought ten islands if he wanted them. But the crown aside, he had money, probably enough to keep them afloat for a couple of months. Also, if his eyes weren't lying to him, Gothel had kept some pretty valuable stuff in the tower with Rapunzel, enough to fund most of their adventure if they lived cheaply.

Pushing those thoughts to the side, Eugene had tied the top of the bag closed before turning away from the kitchen, searching for where Rapunzel had gone. Although all of the stuff in the tower now belonged to her, he had known she would never touch any of it, leaving it there instead to rot. And they could work with that.

Finding Rapunzel and Pascal waiting by the trap door Gothel had revealed, her three books, a set knitting needles, some paints, a dress, the frying pan, and some blankets the only possessions she wanted to take with her, Eugene had led the way to where Max was waiting for them, his eyes brightening at seeing the three of them appear. Within moments they had mounted and were off, running from the tower and their pasts towards their future.

After a few hours of riding, putting as much distance between them and the castle as possible to avoid detection by the still searching guards, they had made camp in a small clearing by a river. Without bothering to unpack anything, they had all collapsed to the ground, Pascal nestled in the crook of Rapunzel's arm while her head rested on his chest. For some reason, Maximus had allowed him to use his body as a pillow, providing a soft place to rest against. Within a few moments of lying down, the events of the past day had caught up with them, forcing them into the sweet bliss of sleep.

Which was how Eugene found himself in his current situation. A few hours later, he had been awoken by the small of bread and cheese toasting over the fire, his empty stomach reminding him that he hadn't eaten anything since the pastries the afternoon before at the festival, an event that seemed years away after everything that had happened in such a sort time.

Levering himself up, a smile creased his face as he saw Rapunzel standing by the fire, her frying pan gently simmering as their food cooked. That image didn't last for long, for the moment he had moved Pascal, who had apparently been watching him, let out a high pitched squeak that drew Rapunzel's attention. Within milliseconds she had been on him, her face buried into his chest while her arms wrapped around his waist. Embracing her back, Eugene had pushed them into a sitting position, intent on pulling away slightly so as to see her face, when she was gone, back by the side of the fire, gingerly pulling the cheesy toast off of the pan for them to eat.

The four of them ate in silence, Max and Pascal quickly devouring some fruit they had managed to find in the forest. Licking the grease from his fingers, Eugene began to wonder what it was Rapunzel was really thinking. The entire time she had been staring at him, a strange look in her eyes that concerned him. It reminded him...it reminded him of the same look she had worn just before she healed his hand.

"What's wrong Rapunzel?" His sudden question surprising her, Rapunzel glanced around the clearing, her teeth gently sunk into her bottom lip. Shifting in her seat, she reached up her hand as if to grab a lock of her hair, though it swiftly fell as it encountered emptiness instead. Instead it traveled to her lap, twisting the fabric of her dress as she gathered her thoughts. Taking a deep breath, Rapunzel glanced over at him one last time before stating her worries.

"Mo-...Gothel wasn't my real mother."

"I know." Smiling at her startled look, Eugene gestured over to where Pascal had just stuffed another piece of fruit into his mouth, his skin turning as blue as whatever it was he had just swallowed.

"The frog explained it all to me when you were searching for the key." A small smile graced her face as she shot him a warning look, one that was quickly reinforced by Pascal's sudden appearance on her shoulder, his hands crunched into fists. Raising his hands in a sign of defeat, Eugene smiled back in a silent attempt to apologize.

"Okay, Okay, chameleon." Accepting his apology, Pascal returned to his dinner, watching the two of them with his large eyes. It was slightly distracting to watch as the lizard changed color with each thing he ate, though Eugene's attention was drawn back to Rapunzel as she continued to speak.

"I want to meet my parents." Eugene nodded at her next statement, since really that had been his plan along.

"Glad we're on the same page Blondie. I've been thinking the same thing. We should hang out here for a few days, then once the hype over my escape has died down we can sneak into the Record's room. They're sure to have some documents about girls who went missing who are about your age. Once we have those, it'll just be a matter of traveling around to find your pare-"

"Eugene," Rapunzel interrupted, something in her voice cutting his words short. Looking away, staring in the direction of the capital, Rapunzel's back had stiffened as he spoke, her head turning just enough so he could see the look in her eyes. Worried, scared, and perhaps a little bit excited, the emotions apparent on her face made him wonder if perhaps he should have left the planning to Rapunzel all along.

"I know who my parents are." Although he felt a surge of pleasant surprise at her revelation, the look on Rapunzel's face forced Eugene to pause and reevaluate the situation. Normally, one would think that, after eighteen years of living a lie, she would be happy to finally figure out who she was. But following the happiness of her news, Eugene couldn't help the building feeling in his chest, the feeling of panic that was attempting to consume him. He had just found a girl he probably loved, one he already had died for and would multiple times if the occasions called for it, and he was going to probably lose her soon.

He had been hoping that, while on their journey to find her parents, he would be able to explore his new feelings towards her, to find out if what he was feeling was really love or if it was just infatuation. It if turned out to be the later then fine. They would remain good friends and go on with their lives, both changed for the better. But if it had turned out to be the former, as he really hoped it would be, then he wanted time to prove to her that he was a changed man, a man who, while he would never be worthy of her, was someone slightly closer to being that kind of man then he was at the moment. Her knowing who her parents were, while a wonderful thing, took away that time he had been selfishly hoping for.

Pushing away his feelings, Eugene refocused his attention on Rapunzel and forced a smile. Even if he was losing time to prove himself to her, he could always just hang around whatever town she was settling down in and prove himself there, both to her and her parents. He was just starting to feel confident with the series of plans that had invaded his mind when Rapunzel spoke again.

"Eugene. My parents, well...just, don't freak out, okay?" Waiting until after he had nodded, a sinking feeling in his chest as he remembered the last time he had heard the phrase coming from the girl before him, Rapunzel turned so she was looking him straight in the eyes and continued.

"I'm the lost princess. My parents are the King and Queen of Corona."

And that's when the dam broke.

Although he had promised he wouldn't freak out, Eugene couldn't help it as his jaw dropped open, his eyes widening in disbelief. The plans he had just finished constructing, the ones where he and Rapunzel found her family, he proved himself to them, and they all ended up living happily ever after, crumbled to dust in his mind, destroyed by this crucial little fact. Before he knew it, he was on his feet, pacing across the clearing as the adrenalin began to rise.

"You're the princess. You're the princess. You're the princess. You're the princess." Letting out a bark of insane laughter, Eugene leaned against a tree for support, burying his face in his hands as the meaning of his sentences began to truly sink in. A groan forcing its way through his lips as they finally made sense, he slid to the ground, his promise to Rapunzel forgotten.

"You're the princess Blondie. The lost princess of Corona. The one the entire kingdom has been looking for for the past seventeen and a half years. And all this time you were just a days' walk away." Another chuckle forced its way from his throat, his body shaking from the force of the short but violent fit. It just had to be her. The lost princess just had to turn out to be the beautiful, innocent, amazing girl he might be in love with. Eugene knew Fate worked in mysterious ways, but now she was just being a bitch.

How could he, a thief, even think of being with a princess?

Raising his head, Eugene felt a flash of guilt as he saw her staring at him. He had done it again, had freaked out when he had promised he wouldn't. Standing up, he quickly crossed the small clearing until he was before her, kneeling on one knee. Looking her straight in the eyes, Eugene cupped her cheek in his hand, marveling at the feel of her skin against his. Forcing a small smile, he pulled her towards him, embracing her in an apologetic hug for his behavior. Holding her close, he breathed in deeply, memorizing her scent, before saying the words that would break his heart.

"In the morning, we'll get you back to your parents." Although the look in her eyes almost made up for it, Eugene couldn't help the overwhelming feeling of loss. He was a thief, she was a princess. They could never be together. Watching as she started to play with Maximus and Pascal, the two of them overjoyed at the fact that she was going home, he let out a slow sigh as he remember the promise he had made to himself the night before. He had failed today, had freaked out and broken his promise to her, but he swore that, no matter what would come tomorrow, he would not break it again.

He swore that the last image Rapunzel would have of him would be him smiling, happy for her as she met new fate, unaware that his would be waiting for him in the prison court yard in the form of a noose to punish him for his past crimes.