Disclaimer: I only own this plot, Edith, and anything else you don't recognize, though I would love to own Tangled.

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Chapter Four

Lord Jonathan Hughes was not often one to be distracted by a pretty face, but in this case…He couldn't help glancing back at the girl that had helped him. She was more than just a pretty face, he was sure. Oh, she was certainly pretty enough with her reddish hair that fell in elegant waves that most ladies in Jonathan's circle would kill for and those large blue eyes. But there was something more that…while Jonathan had not spoken to her long enough to be truly aware of much of her personality, he was certain that she was incredibly intelligent.

When he noticed that the girl had gone back inside of the house, Jonathan turned his attention back to the road, idly reaching down to gently pat the neck of his horse. "Only a little longer, Amadeus," he said with a smile. "Then I swear I'll let you have a nice long rest."

The horse glanced back at Jonathan and snorted as if to say, 'yes you will.' Chuckling to himself, the young lord gave the horse's neck another pat and silently urged Amadeus on. It would not do for him to be late to this meeting with the king and queen with regards to what should be done with his newly-inherited estate.

For a long time, Jonathan hadn't even known that his father was ill, let alone dying. And then his mother had deemed it necessary to tell him that soon he would become lord of the manor. To say that such news had been a blow to Jonathan would be an understatement. He and his father, while not remarkably close, were very fond of one another. There had always been a mutual respect for one another in their relationship, so to lose his father was a harsh blow to Jonathan. And now, only a few months after the death of his father, Jonathan was learning the hard way all that being Lord of the manor entailed.

At least now he could go to the capitol city to speak with the king and queen. There might be some easier way for him to get used to this change in his life.

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The next day, Edith was surprised to find that Eugene and Rapunzel had ridden out to visit her. Smiling in amazement, Edith walked over to her brother and the princess, cleaning her hands of the flour from the baking she had been doing.

"Eugene!" she called happily. "What brings you here?"

"I need a reason to visit my sister?" Eugene said with a grin as he dismounted the large white stallion, helping Rapunzel down as well. "We thought we'd come and visit you after the letter you wrote."

Ah…yes, of course. Still, it was wonderful to see Eugene again. With a slight smile, she wrapped her arms around his neck, grinning a little to herself when she realized that she still had bread dough on her hands. Eugene seemed to notice this as well and gave a sharp cry of protest, pulling back and rubbing his hand over his hair in an attempt to get rid of the bread dough.

"Edith!" he bellowed, earning giggles from both Edith and Rapunzel.

"Small price to pay for eighteen years," she teased in response, returning to wiping her hands off with her apron. "But come in, come in!"

Still grumbling to himself, Eugene followed after Edith and Rapunzel as the two young women instantly made their way to the kitchen, doing their best to avoid stepping on any little children. Thankfully, most of the children were outdoors at this time of day, otherwise they would be tripping over toddlers.

The kitchen was much as Eugene remembered it, though it felt a great deal smaller than when he was a child. And it was starting to fall into disrepair, he noted with a frown, sitting down slowly when Edith ordered him to do so. The plaster of the walls was willed with cracks, there were bits of glass missing from the window panes, and the old fireplace smoked much more than Eugene recalled it ever doing. Frowning deeper as he took in all of this, Eugene glanced at his sister and wondered what to do to help her.

Edith didn't seem to notice her brother's concern as she chatted happily with Rapunzel. It had been years since Edith had a young woman around her own age to talk to, and she found Rapunzel's wide-eyed naiveté charming. A part of her marveled at how her brother had managed to snare such a prize for himself, especially after Rapunzel's explanation of how Eugene had taken on the persona of Flynn Rider during the Princess' first visit to the orphanage. How did the thief Flynn Rider fall in love with someone like Rapunzel? Still…it was clear to even Edith, who had no experience in such matters, that her brother worshiped the very ground that Rapunzel walked on, and Rapunzel clearly thought the earth revolved around Eugene. Smiling slightly at this thought, Edith returned her attention to the dough she had been kneading when her guests arrived.

"…And there's this new young Lord at the court," Rapunzel was saying as she tied an apron around her waist. "What was his name, Eugene?"

"Jonathan, I think," Eugene muttered, only half-listening to the girls' conversation. "You know I don't pay attention to names, Blondie."

…Blondie? Edith glanced over at Rapunzel and had to admit that she was very confused by this nickname. There was nothing blonde about Rapunzel's hair. Or was it just one of Eugene's jokes? Most likely that was the case. Then she seemed to realize what name Eugene had said in reference to the young Lord and a soft blush crossed her cheeks. Neither Eugene nor Rapunzel seemed to notice this—a fact that Edith was very grateful for—and Edith hastily lowered her face so that a few loose wisps of her hair covered the blush.

"Oh?" she murmured as nonchalantly as she could. "Are there often new arrivals at the court?"

"Not since I've been there, no," Rapunzel said. "So Lord Jonathan is a bit of a novelty."

Eugene made a snorting sound which earned a scolding look from Rapunzel, and soon the conversation turned to other topics, such as what sort of bread Edith was making. A safe enough topic, in Edith's mind, and one that would keep Eugene from interrupting too much. At the moment, she would much rather enjoy listening to the Princess' chattering.

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Author's Note: Quick filler chapter. I wanted to continue this chapter a little longer, but I just couldn't figure out how to. Don't worry, though, the conflict will start up in the next couple of chapters!

Also, I would like to encourage all my readers to let me know what they think of this story! Tell me what you think of Edith, for starters. She's my first Disney OC, so…I'm a little worried about her. Also, if I have any artists among my readers, I encourage you to sketch my characters. Go to town with it! Just let me know if you do! Enjoy, my lovelies!