Chapter 2

In his room, Eugene was growing restless. He wanted to know what was going on in the dining hall, damn it! What could they have needed to discuss with their daughter? Whatever it was, how was Rapunzel handling it? He knew from experience that she could get very emotional very quickly, and without someone there to pull her aside and calmly explain the situation in a way she would understand, things could get bad. He had half a mind to go down there this instant, to barge into the dining hall and demand to be a part of anything that concerned Rapunzel, but he knew that wouldn't end well. He was going to do it anyways when movement outside his window drew his attention.

He approached the window and looked down three stories to the ground to see a small figure dart out of the castle and head for the small forest that flanked the palace. It was dark and difficult to see details, but he knew without a doubt that it was Rapunzel from the way her hair bobbed and how her dark dress flared out behind her. As soon as she made it into the trees, a handful of guards came pouring out of the castle. They split up and began heading in all directions – except for the forest. Before he could even consciously decide to do so, Eugene was throwing open his bedroom door and running through the palace hallways and leaping down entire flights of stairs.

Rapunzel didn't think. She just ran until her feet stung and her lungs ached and still she kept going. Her mind was swirling with thoughts, half of them indiscernible in the tangled chaos. She recalled with perfect clarity, however, the conversation that had just passed between her and her parents. She had argued, crying, "But I don't want to! I don't even know this prince!"

And, the part that hurt the most, what her mother had said in response... The queen had raised her voice towards her daughter for the first time ever, and said, "You don't have a choice." Each word had been forceful. Each word cut deeply. Each word seemed to be a cruel echo of Gothel using that very phrase anytime Rapunzel had argued or spoken out. It was that moment that Rapunzel had panicked, her mind returning to that place she had been not all that long ago, and, feeling suddenly claustrophobic, she had run from the dining hall. She ran from her parents, ran from the castle. She ran.

She stumbled over rocks and tree roots and pushed away branches as they scraped her face and tugged at her clothes. When she heard someone calling her name, at first she thought it was the wind playing tricks on her. She stopped to listen, and this time very clearly heard Eugene calling her name. A mix of confusing emotions pulled her in opposite directions. One part wanted to keep running so that she wouldn't have to face him. Another part wanted to turn back and run to him so that she could feel his arms around her. Yet another part felt like she was going to explode.

Either way, he would have caught up with her eventually since he was far more physically fit than a girl who had been stuck in a tower for eighteen years, and because he had a lot of practice running from palace guards. Eugene found her sitting on the forest floor against a tree, her arms wrapped around her legs and her face pressed into her knees. He was about to speak when she let out an uncontrollable sob.

Again, he was at a loss for what he should do. Should he say something? Should he wait? He didn't know, so instead he just did what felt right and instinctive. He sat down on the ground beside her and draped an arm around her shoulders. Almost immediately her cries grew in intensity and volume and she turned to him, collapsing against his chest. Sure, he'd seen her cry before, but never like this. She was so distraught and upset and he had no idea what he should do or say. So he didn't do or say anything. He put his arms around her and held her, and it was exactly what she needed.

After a long time, Rapunzel seemed to quiet. Whether she was actually calming down, or she was just out of energy, Eugene wasn't sure. He decided now was as good a time as any to find out why she had acted so dramatically, so, very carefully, he asked, "Now can you tell me what happened?"

She sniffled and wiped her face with her sleeves before looking at him. Her eyes were irritated from crying and red around the edges, and her cheeks were flushed. "Father and…mother…they said," her lower lip trembled and he was afraid she might start crying again, but she continued, "they said we couldn't get married."

He held back a snort. Of course they wouldn't. He had already known that – not that he had even thought about marriage, no siree. "What else is new?" He offered in a light hearted tone, hoping that he could cheer her up.

But it did the opposite. She pulled away from him and looked down at her hands as they twisted together in her lap. "A lot."

"Hey," he began, fumbling to try to fix what he thought was his fault, "I'm sorry. I was trying to help you feel better, I didn't mean to upset you. But really it's no big deal. I mean, we knew this, right?"

"Eugene," Rapunzel said quietly, but still he rambled on.

"Plus that's not the end, I mean, it's not the only thing there is. As long as you want me here they'll have to let me stay, right? And anyways it's their loss because they'll never see the amazingly beautiful offspring that would come from my superior genetics –"

"Eugene!" Rapunzel nearly shouted. He stopped, because he had just been babbling anyways and wasn't making sense, and had he really been talking about children?! "There's more."

He sighed to calm his nervousness and waited. He just wanted to see her laugh at him and smile, but she was staring at him, her big eyes completely serious and sad. He had never seen her so intense before, and it was unsettling.

"They've arranged for me to marry a prince," she said, breaking eye contact and looking back at her lap.

And Eugene? All of his breath escaped him in a singled whoosh and he thought his heart stopped beating for a second. It was too much for him to even comprehend and he was so confused. Had she really said that, or was he imagining it? It was true that the king and queen didn't like him, but when it came to their daughter they were so kind and supportive. Right? But this…this was cruel. This was horrendous. He didn't think that anyone, let alone the parents who had thrown a week long party when their daughter returned could do such a thing. He was horrified.

And he was angry. Beyond angry, he was livid. Abruptly, so quickly that it startled Rapunzel, he leapt to his feet and began pacing. His hands clenched into fists. He wanted to hit something. Particularly, he wanted to have a round with the jolly old king, but he knew that was a losing fight, with the entire Corona guard against him. He had no words, so instead a wordless, angry shout escaped.

Rapunzel had never seen him like this. It was terrifying, seeing the usually sweet and gentle Eugene clenching his fists and hollering. Sure, he had a short temper, and would often snap at guards or playfully chide her, but this was completely different. This was a pure, fiery rage that she had never before seen. He continued pacing, but the set of his shoulders indicated that he was calming down slightly.

"Are you mad at me?" She asked timidly, still curled on the ground. He spun around to face her, and the expression on her face was enough to bring him to his knees in front of her. She was so hurt, so frightened… How could she think such a thing?

"Why on earth would I be mad at you?" He asked, but he made sure that his voice was gentle and reassuring. She shrugged weakly, but kept her gaze low. He closed the distance between them and pulled her into his arms once more. "This isn't your fault. I'm mad at them. But don't worry, okay Blondie? We'll figure this out."

He said the words with so much conviction that Rapunzel could almost delude herself into believing it was possible. And oh how he wanted it to be possible, too. All he could think of was to just get past this moment, to get through this night and this feeling.

When they both sensed that it was getting late, they decided to head back to the castle, Rapunzel insisting on being tucked securely under his arm. When she saw her parents standing just outside the garden door, she shrank back into Eugene, as if she could disappear completely and not have to face them. Eugene realized that they looked guilty, as they should.

The king opened his mouth to say something, but Eugene silenced him with a poignant look and said, "Princess Rapunzel is very tired. I will escort her to her bedroom." Every word was harsh and staccato. Every word dripped with anger. Every word just dared for them to object, to make one comment against him. They said nothing.

Within the castle, it was quiet. There wasn't a single soul around, as if the king and queen had dismissed everyone. That was just as well; neither of them much wanted to talk to anyone else. Rapunzel was unsteady on her feet, completely exhausted from running and crying. Eugene, however, was completely on edge and wide awake. Each nerve pulsed and throbbed, urging him to be hyper-aware of his surroundings.

When they reached her bedroom door, Eugene moved forward to turn the knob, but Rapunzel stopped him, turning to bury her face in his chest and wrap her arms around his torso. She squeezed him as tightly as her muscles would allow and still it wasn't enough to feel okay again. He closed his eyes and held her tightly for a brief moment before gently pushing her away to open the door. Obediently, she went inside, but turned back to look at him with huge, sad eyes.

"Will you stay with me?" She asked, her voice feeble and quiet. And really, how could he say no? There was no one around to scold them, and they'd certainly have no right to after what she was going through.

"Sure I will, Blondie," he said tenderly, reaching forward to push a lock of hair behind her ear. In response, she gave him a little smile. It didn't reach her eyes, and she still looked sad, but it was certainly a start. She hurried off to her closet to change into her nightclothes while he waited.

When she was ready, she climbed under her blankets and patted the empty space beside her. He pulled off his boots, but only laid beside her on top of the blankets. When she protested, he argued that she knew he couldn't stay the entire night, though he so wished that he could. It was something, however, and Rapunzel forced herself to accept it as she curled up beside him and rested her head on his chest.

She was quiet, and her breathing became slow and even, so Eugene thought she was asleep. He, on the other hand, was wide awake, still equal parts angry and scared. He was frustrated, he was livid, he was outraged. He knew that it happened all too often, but he couldn't comprehend how two parents could just agree to marry their child off to someone they'd never met. Especially when they knew it would make them unhappy. More than unhappy, Rapunzel had been, and probably still was, miserable.

And he was afraid. Afraid for her, and afraid for himself. What if this prince was an awful guy? What if he didn't treat her the way she deserved to be treated? What if he was mean and distant and cruel? What if he hurt her?

But then…what if he wasn't? What if he was a wonderful guy and what if the moment she saw him Rapunzel left Eugene for him? What if she fell in love with him? What if everything worked out in the end, and their wedding was perfect and beautiful and Rapunzel didn't care about Eugene anymore? What if this prince was one thousand times better than Eugene could ever be and could give Rapunzel everything she deserved?

Rapunzel was not asleep. She laid awake along with Eugene, but instead of grumbling to herself she quietly thought and stared at the insides of her eyelids. Every part of her ached. Her feet hurt from running, her eyes hurt from crying, her head pounded. And her heart ached. She couldn't think about loving another man. Not when Eugene was laying beside her, absent mindedly stroking her hair. Not when her heart was so full of him that she could hardly see anyone else. And her parents wanted to marry someone she'd never met?

How could they? The question repeated in her brain over and over again. Her real parents had been so loving and supportive of her up until today. Her mother taught her needle point and her father hung her paintings in his study. After telling them how awful Gothel had been to her, they had always strived to be the opposite. Until now. Her father had tried to explain to her that this marriage was for the good of Corona, but what about her? Did she get absolutely no say in this?

All her life, she had never made decisions on her own. She had wanted a green dress, but her mother made her wear pink and purple instead. She had wanted to leave the tower and see the floating lights, but her mother had said no. And now, she wanted to marry Eugene and her parents were making her marry someone else instead.

And if she did marry this prince, what would happen to Eugene? Surely her new husband wouldn't allow her boyfriend to stay in the castle. He would be cast out, and no amount of arguing or crying on Rapunzel's part would be able to keep him there. And what would happen to him then? He'd have nowhere to live. He'd have to go back to stealing and running and hiding for the rest of his life. Or he would have to leave Corona and she'd never see him again.

She felt like she was going to cry again. She so wanted to be brave and strong, but she only felt weak and afraid. She scooted closer to Eugene and wrapped her arms around his neck, startling him, but causing him to wrap his arms around her tightly.

"Are you still awake?" He asked very quietly, his voice barely above a low rumble that she felt vibrate through her.

She nodded, unable to speak. He sighed and brought a hand up to stroke her hair again, keeping the other firmly around her waist as they curled together. "Will you tell me a story?"

She felt him laugh, a quiet, little chuckle that buzzed in his chest. The sound relieved her so much that she couldn't help but smile a bit. "Alright. Once upon a time," he began, putting his lips close to her ear, "there lived a man so handsome that everyone went blind. The end."

Rapunzel pulled away from him, laughing hysterically and smacking his chest. She could feel the tension inside her chest alleviate as she laughed and felt the vibrations of him laughing along with her. For a moment, they could feel like everything could be okay. Maybe. She relaxed back against him as he told her a real story, one of a beautiful princess who fell in love with a pickpocket and together, they slowly drifted off to sleep.