So, I'm sure you can guess that this is chapter 1.
Oh, I have a little story of mine: A few days ago I was forced to go to the supermarket and they were playing Tangled on about 30 huge television screens the whole time! I literally stood there looking like an idiot and watching the movie I'd already seen 5 times.
And then I went back to watch it and found out I missed their kiss. Oh well.
On with the story!
Chapter 1
Eugene went over the words on the note, over and over again. Rapunzel had definitely written this, it was so clear. It couldn't have been anyone else. The curls and embellishments of the individual letters usually described a person's personality, he had been told, and this was definitely the case. He felt the paper and thought of the fact Rapunzel had touched it and poured meaning into the words. He tried to avoid letting his salty tears taint it as he wanted to preserve it.
He thought over the past week. It had only been a week. But it seemed like an eternity and in fact, it should've been an eternity as that's how long Flynn Rider took to understand his mistakes. Thankfully, Eugene had come to his senses and kicked out that persona out of him before it did something really stupid.
Eugene tried desperately to think how he could ever have found living by himself on a lone island fun. What on earth had he been thinking these past eleven years? You couldn't do anything productive on there and surely he should've considered the chance of admiring his huge piles of money would begin to bore him? He had been so instinctive.
Finally, Eugene got up from the floor. He decided to take look at Rapunzel's beautiful murals, quite fascinated how she had managed to paint such exquisite drawings at such a height. Perhaps her hair had more use than he had previously assumed. He wondered how Rapunzel must've felt when she was forced out of the tower. She had been living here for most of her life and knew every nook and cranny of the place and spent much time painting on the walls.
Rapunzel had been forced out of the tower to live with someone who wasn't even her mother.
What kind of name was Gothel anyway?
However, a question struck Eugene; how could she be so sure she was the Princess? Fine, they both had blonde hair... but wasn't that it? Then again, he didn't really spend time observing the mural at the Town Square so he couldn't compare Rapunzel's and the baby's complexions.
Maybe I should leave something for her, in case she ever comes back. Eugene thought. Then she'll know he had come back to the tower. He looked through his satchel for anything that would symbolise his arrival.
He found a wanted poster of his face on (the nose was still absurdly incorrect) and placed it on the table. Hopefully she'd get the hint if she ever came back. He put her note into his satchel for safekeeping before finally descending from the tower and onto the ground.
"I'm gonna find her... I'm gonna find her..." Eugene repeated to himself. But simply repeating the same sentence over and over again wasn't going to do him any good. Where on earth should he start? What direction would they have taken? He had no idea and Rapunzel also had been clueless when she had written him the note.
The note!
Perhaps by figuring out how old it was, he could have some idea if she was near or far away.
He highly doubted Gothel had a horse and cart to take Rapunzel in so he assuming and hoping they were walking to wherever they were going.
He sniffed the parchment. It smelt... well, like parchment. The attempt to date the paper was fruitless.
Not daring to be put down with a minor setback, Eugene Fitzherbert set off on his journey to find his dream.
Several days ago...
"Let me go! Let me go!" Rapunzel cried tugging at the chains Gothel had secured her with. But alas, they were far too tight for even Rapunzel's relatively tiny hands to squeeze through. Gothel had no intention of setting her free ever again into the outside world.
"No! You have disobeyed my orders for the first and definitely the last time," Gothel roared. "Look what happened! You fell in love with the most wanted thief in Corona and he's just left you. He had no feelings for you; he fooled and tricked you. You're too naive to be in the outside world Rapunzel!"
"I'm not! I c-can control ruffians!" Rapunzel said desperately. Gothel simply laughed.
"Ruffians? You mean those pathetic, uneducated men?" Gothel sneered. "My dear, I could get them to follow my orders with a click of my fingers."
Rapunzel didn't believe a single word. She continued to struggle under the woman's grasp. However, this time, Gothel pulled with all her might and Rapunzel felt her hands being thrown up into the air and her wrists breaking. Tears immediately poured out of her eyes, but not because of her broken bones, but because of the pain in her heart.
How could Flynn simply leave her like that? She thought she had brought out the Eugene in him completely. A personality of his which she loved much more than his Flynn side. They had almost kissed and she had seen all the love in Eugene's eyes while they watched the lanterns in the middle of the lake. No one could ever fake that, it was so obvious.
But then again, what did she know? Being cooped up in a terribly tall tower for most of her life hindered her knowledge of the people's tendencies and abilities to lie and love.
Eugene had not loved her, Rapunzel concluded.
She stopped resisting Gothel all of a sudden and buried her face into her knees. There was a short moment of silence where Rapunzel thought of Eugene coming to save her from her capturer and then telling her he loved her and then-
"Rapunzel, get down that ladder now! We're leaving before you decide to be a ruthless, disobedient child again." Gothel barked.
I am not a child! Rapunzel thought angrily.
"I will..." Rapunzel said. "But I want to do something first."
"No." Gothel said.
"Yes."
"Rapunzel!"
"Just one thing. Please. Release these chains... I promise I will not run away." Gothel narrowed her eyes so they were reduced to slits.
"How can I trust you?" Gothel hissed.
"I never break my promises." Rapunzel said simply. She looked at Gothel expectantly who returned the look with a scrutinising glare. Rapunzel hadn't necessarily promised Gothel that she would never leave her tower.
"Fine." Gothel said. "You have a minute." Gothel freed her of the chains. As fast as she could, Rapunzel raced over to her paint box. She dug around and found a quill and an ink pot. She found some parchment and scribbled her note to Eugene without hesitation.
"Hurry up Rapunzel; we need to leave now before anyone comes and takes you away!"
Is she talking about Eugene? Rapunzel thought to herself as she left the piece of parchment on the table. Pascal rushed over to Rapunzel and Rapunzel hid him in her hair before Gothel saw.
Without warning, Rapunzel was ordered to climb down the ladder. She did, with a heavy heart as she left what had been her home and prison for most of her life. She imagined what her life would be like now if she had not dared to leave her tower with Flynn:
She couldn't bare thinking about it. Even though she was now to be imprisoned even more securely, she had experienced freedom and learnt the outside world had contradicted Gothel's lies.
Several days later...
"Hello, Thugs and Ruffians!"
Said people turned to look who had appeared at the door of the Snuggly Duckling. Hook Hand looked up over his piano, Big Nose, Bruiser, Killer, Gunther, Ulf, Vladimir, Attila and all the other common visitors to the less-than-quaint place turned their heads to look at the newcomer.
It was none other than Flynn Rider.
"Have you seen Rapunzel?" Silence ensued after that.
Their surprised expressions slowly transformed into deathly glares which bore into Flynn's eyes, making him tremble ever so slightly.
"You... lost... Rapunzel?" Hook Hand boomed, standing up from his rickety piano seat. Yes, believe it or not, the thugs and ruffians had developed quite the liking to the kind girl.
"N-no!" Eugene said (though according to the Viking men, he was Flynn Rider), "Not exactly..." There was suddenly an immediate rush of bodies as two grotesquely large hands squeezed Eugene's sides and hauled him up and then down again on a wobbly chair. Most of the thugs in the pub circled around the small table, brandishing their swords viciously and baring their teeth. Only the guy being the bar, who looked strangely normal, stayed where he was, having not bonded with Rapunzel.
"Now, whaat *hic* did you dooo with her?" hiccupped Shorty the Cupid, standing on the table and pointing his stubby finger directly at Eugene's nose.
"Did you take away her virginity?" Killer asked candidly.
"No!" Eugene said immediately. He couldn't have done that to Rapunzel. She probably didn't even know what a virgin was.
Well. Maybe she did.
"Did you hurt her?"
"No!" Eugene paused. He hadn't hurt her psychically, but perhaps mentally. "Well I-"
A knife was brought to his throat. With one swift movement, he could be dead.
"Now, now come on! Is violence really necessary?" Eugene reasoned sheepishly, eyeing the point of the blade. It was digging into his flesh but not enough to penetrate it.
"Tell us what you did to her," Bruiser growled.
"You broke her heart didn't you?" Big Nose gasped. Ah yes, wouldn't the secret expert in love realise Eugene's and Rapunzel's predicament? Eugene nodded his head with shame. The thugs puffed out their chests so they could have a good yell at the thief but Eugene quickly began to explain what had happened. He emphasised his idiocy when his greediness got the better of him and ran off with the satchel without stopping to check his feelings for the girl. He even told them the story of him selling the crown and living on an island and so on and so forth.
During his explanation, Eugene hardly noticed the knife being drawn back.
The thugs relaxed their hold on the fatal weapons when they heard the regret in Eugene's voice.
"... she is my new dream." He finished with a sad undertone. A few 'awwww's sounded around the burly crowd in their response to Eugene's last line.
"So you're saying Rapunzel's not in her tower anymore?"
"No. Her 'mother' who really isn't her mother has taken her away somewhere else. She's actually the lost princess."
"Stab me with Hook Hand's hook and Shorty's arrow!" Gunther cried. Similar exclamations rang out which amused Eugene ever so slightly.
"I'm looking for her; and I'm not going to stop until I find her," Eugene said.
"That's right!" Big Nose said, banging his fist on the table. It jilted slightly.
"So have you seen her?" Eugene asked hopefully.
"No,"
Drat.
"Helpful," Eugene muttered under his breath. "Erm... well, do you know any secluded or less-known places Gothel would've taken her? She doesn't want anyone to find Rapunzel you see. Magic hair; the selfish woman wants it all for herself."
"Well, we know a dark village nearby." Bruiser said. "It's called Yegrac. Terrible place. Even we're too scared to go there."
"It gives me the creeeeps!" Shorty slurred.
"Rumour has it that no humans actually live there. Only mutants," Vladamir said.
"Right." Eugene said. "Mind giving me the directions to the place?"
Bruiser gave him the directions.
"But you can't go like that!" Killer said. "You look as easy to kill as a fair maiden." Eugene's face contorted into annoyance.
"Hey! I know I don't look that strong but I've got some damn good-"
"You need to be prepared for the dangers Yegrac has to offer. Follow me." Hook Hand said to Eugene, indicating with his hook. Eugene followed him, thankful the thugs were helping him to achieve his quest of finding his love.
It's not that great because not much action as happened yet. I hope I've emphasised with Eugene and Rapunzel well and portrayed their emotions correctly...
Reviews would be awesome! So leave me one. NOW. :)