A/N: Chapter 4! I didn't have all that time to review it properly, so I hope it's not too bad...

I decided I'm probably going to update on Tuesdays and Fridays. I hope I'll be able to keep up with that schedule :)

Eugene had always hated waking up. That had changed once he and Rapunzel had started sharing a bed, three months earlier. He usually woke up a while after Rapunzel, but when it was the other way round, he liked to watch her sleep, then wake her up with a kiss on her forehead. She'd open her big green eyes and smile at him, letting the day start in the most perfect of ways.

But that morning, when the sunlight coming through the window disturbed Eugene's sleep, he woke up to find he was alone in their big bed. Awful way to start a day. He wondered where Rapunzel might've been, maybe washing her face in the bathroom, maybe it was so late she'd decided to go downstairs and have breakfast without him, maybe something had happened in the middle of the night and she hadn't wanted to wake him up… There were a lot of options. And those were just the one he was considering. There were other possibilities, ones he didn't even want to think about. He brushed away the sleep from his face with his hands, then ran them through his hair. He jumped out of bed, got dressed and decided it was time to find out what was going on. Rushing down the staircase, he became more and more worried. The possibilities he'd tried not to think of were slowly creeping into the back of his mind, making his heart beat faster. He wasn't even looking where he was going, so he bumped into a palace guard.

"Sorry, I didn't see you.." he excused himself, as he walked on.

"Don't worry, Your Highness" replied the guard. A second later, Eugene spun around, hit by an idea "Have you seen the Princess?" he asked the guard.

"I'm afraid not." Answered the guard, looking down at his feet. Bad liar thought Eugene as he moved closer to the guard "Would you please tell me what's going on?" he asked again, saying every word very slowly. He hated it when people tried to hide things from him. Especially if they were hiding something about Rapunzel.

"I… Ehm… It would be better if you followed me, Highness" said the guard, as beads of sweat started forming on his forehead. He had no idea how to tell the Prince Consort what was really going on. Eugene nodded "Fine." And let the guard lead him to the throne room, where the King and the Queen were giving orders to a group of soldiers.

"What's going on?" Eugene asked, knowing that his tone could've been considered rude, but he was starting to freak out. What could possibly be happening? Why didn't the guard want to tell him? What if Rapunzel.. No! He couldn't let those thoughts get into his mind. Everybody in the room stopped, even the fly that had been annoying one of the soldiers. Tears started welling up in the Queen's eyes, as she took a deep breath.

"Rapunzel is… gone" said the Queen at last, sobbing desperately. Eugene begun shaking his head violently, as the world went crumbling around him "No. No, no, no! This can't be happening!" he told himself. His worst nightmare had become reality: he'd lost Rapunzel. He wished he could wake up, as he did every time he dreamed of Rapunzel still locked up in that tower with Gothel, but he knew he couldn't. Everyone in the room stayed quiet as Eugene quickly made up his mind.

"I'm going to find her." He muttered, then left the room. Almost everyone knew exactly where he was going.

"Max! Max, Rapunzel's gone!" he yelled as he reached the horse's box. Max's eyes widened, then he put on his battle expression, as to say "let's go after the bad guys."

"Good boy." Said Eugene as he patted his back and started to saddle him.

"Son, you know you can't just go out there looking for her." Said a voice behind him. Eugene turned to see the King looking at him sympathetically. His eyes were sad as the Prince Consort had never seen them.

"I have to." He replied "I can't just sit around wondering if I'll ever see her again!" He mounted Max, ready to go.

"I was expecting that kind of answer." The King smiled sadly "Good luck then."

"I'll find her, I promise." Said Eugene. Then he took Max's reins and held them so tight his knuckles became white "Let's go". Max took off, leaving the King in the courtyard. He was sure Eugene would find his daughter. The question he couldn't answer was whether they were going to come back alive.

...

Max was running through the forest, not exactly following a path, but hoping he'd find one soon. That's when Eugene felt something climbing onto his shoulder. To his surprise, he found Pascal looking at him reproachfully. If the situation had been different, he would've probably asked the frog (chameleon, whatever) what was wrong, but he had more important things on his mind. Like how he was going to find Rapunzel. And figuring out who'd kidnapped her. He knew Gothel was dead, but he still feared there might be her behind all of this. The thought of Rapunzel being kidnapped by Gothel made him sick. That woman had already ruined the Princess's life for eighteen years, and that was far more than enough. But if Gothel wasn't behind all of this, then who was? He wondered. It was like a giant puzzle, one of those with a thousand little pieces, and he was trying to position the center tiles first. He knew it was wrong. He knew he'd never complete it if he kept going that way and he'd better start form the corners if he wanted to achieve something, but he'd always been the kind of guy who acted before thinking. As Pascal decided being angry at Eugene for almost leaving him behind would be no use, Eugene thought "Hang in there, Blondie, I'm coming". It was some sort of promise, and he knew nothing would ever make him break it.