"Next."

"But, I-"

Eugene shook his head. "Next."

The king of Corona sighed, wondering if he'd made a gigantic mistake in letting his daughter's... man... take part in the hiring process. "Fitzherbert, really. You didn't even let her speak."

"Didn't have to. She used to be headmistress of Lucia's Home for Girls. You know how they treat their girls there? I do. Next."

The portly woman drew herself up and huffed, storming out of the hall.

"That was the thirty-sixth applicant you've dismissed," the king said gruffly, flipping to the next resume. "Perhaps you should be less critical."

Eugene rolled his eyes. "Perhaps you should pre-screen these resumes for drunkards, embezzlers and child-abusers."

"What about Sir Cohen? He had a sparkling history."

"The cavalry drill sergeant? You're kidding, right? Have you ever tried giving your daughter an order? It's hilarious." Eugene scanned the resume now in front of him, stopping after only a few lines. "Don't even bother letting this next one in. She lost a game of poker to me once. Sore loser. Whoever watches Rapunzel better be good at losing. That girl is a beast at board games."

The king rubbed his temples, gathering the remaining applications into a stack. "Let's call it a day, shall we?"

In truth, Eugene would much rather be watching Rapunzel than looking for his stand-in, but he really didn't want to leave the decision up to the king, who tried hard but didn't truly know what his daughter needed. Was it really unreasonable to want Rapunzel's chaperon to have a sense of humor, boundless energy, be capable of carrying an impromptu duet and not be an incredibly good-looking guy? Eugene didn't think so.

He finally found Rapunzel in his room, curled up on the window seat. She was looking out over the rainy lawns and humming some variation of her healing song, which kind of creeped him out. She'd been pretty subdued since her injury, and hadn't caused much mischief over the past few days despite the fact that Eugene had been busy with the interviewing and not around her as much. At least he was glad that she thought of his space as a place she could retreat, and his mood lightened just looking at her.

"Hey," he said, pulling himself up next to her. "You should have seen the loonies that came in today. I wouldn't let them near you even if you had a private guard. Don't worry."

She smiled slightly, poking his leg with her big toe. "I do have a private guard. A one-man private guard. He's pretty amazing."

He gave a small salute, noting the missing grin, singing and spazzing-out that usually occurred upon his entrance. "Something wrong?"

She hesitated, fumbling with the hem of her dress. "...no."

"Really?"

"Really."

"I don't believe you."

She smirked, staring at her toes. "Sometimes I wish you were as oblivious as everyone else here."

"I'll take that as a compliment." Eugene reached out to tilt her chin up, gently forcing her to look at him. "But I'm not oblivious, so you better tell me what's wrong before I start thinking it was something I did."

Her eyes softened, and she automatically leaned into his touch. "It's nothing you did. I just... I don't really want to talk about it."

"Really? Not even if I let you poke and prod me like a science experiment?"

She perked up significantly. "Actually," she said, the familiar eagerness sneaking back into her voice, "I was hoping to ask you about the scars on your arm."

"That seems like a fair trade." He made a big show of folding up the edges of his sleeve and holding out his arm as if it were a prize. Scars were always one of her favorite topics - it had taken her a long time to understand that usually injuries had to heal slowly, and sometimes never completely healed at all. She still didn't understand that most people didn't like the marks they left. To her, they were 'memories written on your skin!' She drew her knees up to her chest and excitedly snatched up his arm with her good hand, settling it on top of her knees so she'd be free to poke at it.

Rapunzel's fingertips were light on his skin, tracing along the jagged, pale line that crossed his elbow. "This one?"

"That's from a bar fight. Broken bottle."

She rolled up his sleeve a little further, trailing her thumb over one of his uglier scars, still pink and patchy. It used to be a lot worse - Eugene winced thinking about the bubbling mess it was a few months ago. "And this one?"

"A smith threw a horseshoe from the fire at me when I stole my sword."

"You stole your sword?"

"I stole everything I own." No point lying about it now.

Rapunzel turned his arm over and peered at a tiny white mark on his bicep. "What about this one?"

"I don't know... I've had that one for as long as I can remember."

She sighed, looking down at her own arm. "I don't have any scars at all. Not one." She raised her sling slightly. "The doctor said this was going to heal up just fine. No damage."

"That's good... right?"

She shrugged, looking out the window, lips turned down at the corners just enough for Eugene to notice. "Yeah, I... I guess."

Eugene cocked his head, looking out over the lawns to find what she was staring at, but there was nothing unusual to see. She'd been doing that more and more often, staring out into space at nothing at all. "You guess? What's running through that head of yours?"

After several long moments, she finally looked down, shrugging. "It's nothing."

"We had a deal."

She shook her head. "I told one of my tutors and they were horrified."

"Your tutors are light-weights."

"They said that I shouldn't think about it. Shouldn't talk about it. That it would make my mother cry."

Eugene studied her down-turned face, the hollow slump of her shoulders. She had a way of living at extremes. One moment overjoyed, the next completely crushed. One moment doing acrobatics, the next slouched and broken. It was nerve-wracking at times, but unsurprising. Finally, he said, "I won't tell the queen."

"You'll think I'm crazy."

"I think you've been through stuff that no one should have to go through. If you weren't a little troubled, I'd be concerned."

She looked up, glancing towards the door as if to gauge if anyone was listening before she leaned forward a little, speaking in a whisper. "Eugene... sometimes I get homesick."

He blinked, glancing around his room. They were in the palace. It wasn't out of the question that Rapunzel could feel nostalgic about a place she was currently sitting, she did have interesting moods. But he was still confused.

She bit her lip, clearly embarrassed. "For my tower."

Okay, don't look shocked. Don't look surprised. Don't look puzzled or confused or disturbed. Eugene learned that the best way to react to Rapunzel's very strange ideas was to try to act like it was a normal thing to say. Otherwise she got self-conscious and didn't want to talk about it anymore. And this was definitely not something she should let stew inside herself. "Oh?"

She searched his face for all of the feelings he was trying to hide. He guessed she didn't find them, because she finally nodded. "I know it's weird. I mean, I spent my life trying to get out of there. The day I left was the best day of my life. Well, besides the day after that. And most of me never, ever wants to go anywhere near there again."

Eugene let out a breath. That was all very reassuring.

Rapunzel continued. "But I... I don't know how to explain it. It's just... sometimes I wake up, and I don't know where I am. Everything is so unfamiliar. None of the things I spent every day looking at are anywhere. Nobody here knows what it was like to be in there, they don't understand my references. Everything I made, everything I did, everything I knew for eighteen years is just gone. Everyone here wants me to act like it never happened. I don't even have a scar. I don't even have a mark to say 'this is from being kept in a tower for eighteen years.'"

She smiled. She clearly wanted him to laugh at her joke, but he just couldn't. It was the opposite of funny to him. She deflated even more. "Sometimes I think I'm going to just snap out of it," she mumbled. "And be right back where I started, talking to myself. If I just had... something, I don't know. It's so disorienting. Am I making any sense at all?"

"I..." Eugene struggled for words. He didn't want to lie to her, but he didn't want to see her close up when he was the only one she felt he could talk to. She was looking at him with wide, lonely eyes, and he knew she was afraid of judgment. "Come here."

He meant to pull her into his arms, but she went one step further and crawled into his lap, pressing her face into his neck, carefully tucking her sling between them. He settled his arms around her, leaning his chin atop her head and slowly stroking her back. "I want you to know," he said softly, "that you aren't alone here. I might not always understand what you're going through, but I always want to know what you're up against, okay? We'll figure this out, I promise."

It would be a tough promise to keep, but over the last few weeks, Eugene had become a man of his word.

Rapunzel looked down from the window of the coach. She was piled in with her parents and a few servants, off to judge a pie-making contest and crown the winner of the Little Miss Corona pageant. These were things the king and queen wouldn't usually do, but they considered them practice for Rapunzel to learn how to handle real diplomatic and ceremonial events. "Are you sure you can't come with us?"

Eugene made sure her skirts were tucked in before shutting the door behind her. "I have some errands to run." Also he always felt awkward at such events. He wasn't a member of the royal family or even a contributing member of society. "Eat some extra pie for me, okay?"

She brightened considerably. "Okay!"

She waved excitedly as the carriage pulled away, and he gave a wave back as he watched it trundle down the road. It was strange to watch her leave the castle without him. There hadn't been many times since they'd met that he didn't know exactly where she was.

He shook off the feeling, climbing onto the horse that he'd already readied for his day. It wasn't Maximus, these errands required a more docile mount. He didn't take much - some food from the kitchens for lunch on the road, a big empty sack, and his Flynn Ryder bag. This bag contained his usual hero/thief supplies - flint, a knife, some rope, lock picks, herbs for contraceptive brews, etc.. . He should probably take those out before Rapunzel saw them and inquired. He wasn't prepared to explain them to her yet. He used to think a man should be prepared for love or adventure at all times. Now he felt like he had to be prepared to see his girlfriend careening down the staircase. Or maybe finding another tower to lock herself in.

His first stop was in the shadier part of town, quite far from the palace. He tied his horse up at the gate and just stood there for a long time, but then he berated himself for his hesitation. This was the easy stop. If he couldn't do this, there was no way he could accomplish what else he'd set out to do. If he was lucky, he'd get everything he needed here and wouldn't even have to go to the next place.

Finally he pushed through the gate, the old iron squealing just like he remembered. The little front courtyard was empty, a few books and some toys scattered around the cracked flagstones. It had been more than ten years since he'd been there, and it really hadn't changed. It looked like they had just enough funds to keep the place from falling apart, but it definitely wasn't getting any better. He made his way through the front door and down the empty hallway. The kids must have been out at the park or something, because the place was silent. He remembered it as always full of noise, kids running every which way.

Everything looked so much smaller now. He towered over shelves that he used to struggle to reach. Even the ceiling felt low.

He heard a gasp and looked up - the headmistress had come around the corner and stopped short.

"Goodness!" she put a hand to her heart and breathed. "Oh you scared me." She blinked. Then blinked some more, mouth open. "...Eugene Fitzherbert?"

Eugene flashed his best Flynn Ryder smile, fists on his hips. "You remember me!"

"Of course I remember you, you little terror!" She laughed, motioning him into her office. "Oh, let me look at you." She looked him up and down, shaking her head and chuckling. "My my, Eugene Fitzherbert. You were always a handsome boy. And now you're a handsome prince!"

"Not a prince," Eugene laughed. "Handsome, I'll give you."

The headmistress beamed. She was a fair bit older than he remembered and it showed, but she had the same poofy hair, the same rosy cheeks. "We've all heard about your exploits. You know," she said, "You always did say you were going to rescue the princess. And now you have. Impressive follow-through."

"Did I really say that?" Of course, rescuing the missing princess had been high on every orphan's bucket list.

"Oh yes, among other things - dragon-slaying, swimming in money, eating an entire royal banquet by yourself - I don't suppose you've done those things, too?"

"No, no, and not by myself."

She laughed. "Please sit." She took her place behind her desk. "So how are you, Eugene? My goodness. You look well."

"I am well..." he said. "Better than ever, really."

"And the princess? What is she like? Everyone on the street speaks so fondly of her."

"For once, the public has the right idea. She's amazing."

The headmistress was utterly charmed. "I always knew you only had to find the right girl and you'd fall in line."

"I wouldn't say I fell in line."

"But you fell in love!"

He wasn't going to deny it, but he wasn't quite ready to own up to it, either. "...sure."

"Is she beautiful?"

"Very."

"And kind? Tell me she's a nice girl."

"She's the nicest girl I've ever met."

"Imagine that," she said, eyes watering. "Our very own Eugene, finding our lost princess. You know she could not have done better. She is so lucky to have you."

Eugene wasn't so sure. He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Lucky to have a thief?"

"Lucky to have you. The other children always looked up to you. And you watched over them. You always knew how to make them feel better, always protected them. You have a good heart, Eugene. I don't think you'd have been a thief if there'd been another path for you. It's really our fault for not doing better by you. We should have helped you find your way."

Eugene liked praise, but this was not what he was used to. "Handsome," "dashing," "brave," yes... but a good heart? An inspiration? It was heavy stuff and it made him squirm a little. He laughed it off, keeping his winning smile in place. "Now that you mention it, how come you were never this nice to me while I was here?"

The headmistress sighed, nodding as if to admit it. "Maybe you won't understand, but we need to be neutral with the children while they are here. We try to make sure they are safe, warm, and fed. Beyond that... we don't want them to become attached. They're not supposed to like being in the orphanage. They're supposed to want to start their lives. We don't want them looking back. This is no place for a child to consider home. We want them to find their own true home."

He did understand... especially considering his recent conversation with Rapunzel. But he had the feeling that a lot of those kids could use a hug. On the other hand, if someone had tried to hug him back then, he probably would have bitten them. Or stolen their wallet. Or both.

"So," she said, "now that you mention it, what brings you back here?"

"Actually... I wanted to ask your advice about something."

She raised an eyebrow. "What in the world could you ask me that someone in the palace doesn't know?"

Eugene snorted. "There's a lot you know that they don't. In fact... I don't suppose you're looking for a new job?"

"Oh no, dear. My place is here."

"Worth a try... anyway, advice. Right. I know that you guys sometimes take in kids that are from... bad homes. Really bad homes."

The headmistress nodded, keeping a stiff upper lip.

"Despite the fact that they were in a better place, did these kids ever get... homesick?"

"Yes of course. It was all they knew. Even children who came from empty homes with absent or dead parents got homesick. It's frightening to be removed from the familiar."

Eugene was both relieved and depressed that these feelings were normal. "Is there..." a cure? a treatment? "Have you found anything that helps them?"

"Oh, time, mostly," she sighed. "They begin to grow roots elsewhere. Good friends - they help significantly. Other than that... sometimes they're soothed by things from their old home. Some of them bring toys or dolls and the like... and that helps. But you know, nothing can ever really fix that hole for them. It's something they learn to live with." She eyed him, tilting her head. "Is this about Princess Rapunzel? Not much has been written in the papers about where she's been the last eighteen years," she added quickly, "but I can only imagine it wasn't a nice place."

Eugene didn't feel like he should be spreading rumors about the princess, but who else would it be about? "I think she's a little old for dolls."

The headmistress reached across the desk to pat his arm. "No one really feels too old for objects that bring them solace... and she has a good friend, and that's the most important thing."

Suddenly a great commotion erupted from the halls. Shouts and screams, skidding shoes, and staff members trying to hush them. The kids must be back from the park. The headmistress got up and went out into the hall. "Children. Quiet. We are indoors. We use our indoor voices." Her tone was completely cold and stern, just like Eugene remembered it. And she was right - he hadn't missed her. Though he might, now.

"There is a horse out front!" cried one of the boys. "A horse with a royal crest on the saddle! Is the princess here? Has she come to see us?"

"No, you idiot," said another. "Why would the princess visit us? It's probably a guard. Who's in trouble?"

Eugene poked his head around the corner and the hall went swiftly silent. Boys and girls of various ages, shapes and sizes stared at him, mouths gaping open.

Finally, they all broke into screams at once as Eugene stepped into the hallway. They rushed for him, bouncing up and down. They were all talking at once, so he couldn't think of what to say except "hi!"

"He's famous!" "There are posters of him everywhere!" "Didn't he used to live here?" "I am going to marry him. Watch me." "His nose looks different."

The headmistress tried to hold them back a little. "Boys and girls! Settle down. Mr. Fitzherbert is a busy man, he must be on his way."

Eugene couldn't stand the devastated look on their little faces. "Well, I'm not that busy. Do kids still like stories? Or is that passé now?"

With renewed enthusiasm, he was ushered into one of the bigger dormitories. Beds were pushed aside so everyone could fit on the floor, and the headmistress produced an old, very familiar soap box. Eugene didn't need the elevated height anymore, but he put one leg up on the box for tradition's sake.

"Okay," said Eugene, digging around for his old story-teller voice and finding it pretty easily. "Once upon a time... well, a few weeks ago, I was standing on the roof of the palace, about to make the biggest theft of my life..."

"...and that's why there's sand all over the grand staircase."

The kids broke into delighted applause, and just about every single hand shot up in the room.

"Wow! Okay..." Eugene grinned. It was like coming full circle. He didn't even know how much he wanted to be accepted by his past until he was. Was that acceptance, that feeling of resolution what Rapunzel was looking for? He chose a hand at random.

"Was it scary, saving the princess?"

"The first time, no. I mean, she was a bit loopy. But she basically did it herself. The second time was scary, though. I was scared of what was going to happen to her. That witch was really crazy."

They nodded in all seriousness, wide-eyed. He picked another hand.

"When I grow up, I'm going to save a princess, too."

"You know, I hope that when you grow up no one is locking girls up in towers anymore. But if there are any, then I hope you save them. I'm sure you could." He chose one more.

"That was better than all of the Flynn Ryder stories."

Eugene was... touched. He used to stand on the same box and dream that to be true of his life, one day. And it was true. He didn't know how to be touched. It was a strange feeling. "Your life is going to be better, too."

With a flurry of thanks and kids hanging on his legs and drawings stuffed into his hands and promises of returns Eugene made his exit. He didn't have time to linger or wax nostalgic, so he rode off and left the kids with slightly more optimism about where they might be headed.

Where Eugene was headed was not as much fun.

A/N - OMG the angst, right? Sorry. For me, at least, Rapunzel is an angsty tale no matter how you slice it. Even when Disney portrays it.

Once again, thanks to Sekihara Tae for being a goddess of a beta. You are the best!

Thanks to: Qwi-Xux, ignorance1, CocoRocks, Jinney, lifesend, , TTCyclone, believe-you-can, BloodyLilly, Emma Boulivier, Nanenna, AllyEmyrs, Airplane, JEHayes, Air-Quiet-Reader, Nom de Ink, raspberryseedz, katiegirl101199, NikkyPickles, Saelisk, lala, bri-chan, Astoria Goode, kogasgal27, Ningen Demonai, too lazy to login, filmyfurry, Anniliana, Puma, one anonymous reader and Nicoley117-TheBlueMartini for the feedback on the last chapter! I felt really encouraged. I really appreciate it, guys!

If you are skeptical that Rapunzel would feel any kind of nostalgia for the tower, you might want to check out the wiki article on Natascha Kampusch and read section 3.4 "The House". There are countless instances of children who have been raised in captivity continuing to think of their prisons as their homes, but I think Kampusch's case is probably the most challenging for me to wrap my head around. I was actually reading about that, and I turned to my boyfriend who has a degree in psych and was all "WTF, honey? Really?" And he was all "Yeah. That happens a lot." Alas, Eugene, there are still plenty of girls kept in towers :( .

Finally, the image of Eugene on the soap box was inspired by a fanart on deviant art. I can't post links here, but if you go to deviant art and search for Palnk, in her gallery there is a piece with sketches of young Eugene. Check it out!