Chapter 4: I won´t fall in love

Hey there everyone! I must say I´m really sorry for the lack of updates. Life has been quite busy for me for a while. Anyway I´m here again to continue this story, so I hope you like it.

You might find the characters a little OOC, especially Flynn since he´s not exactly the dashing thief that appears in the movie. But don´t worry, he´s still his usual charming self.

Btw thanks a lot to the ones who reviewed, followed and made this story one of their favorites, it really means a lot to me!

The song for this chapter is "Love Somebody" by Maroon 5

Disclaimer: nope I don't own Tangled.

xoxoxoxoxo

Rapunzel POV

Oh please, please, please just shut up! It was hard to think like that when it came to the woman I loved like my second mother, but honestly, I was not a little girl anymore! I was perfectly capable of taking care of myself, and of course, knowing who I could trust and who not!

I was just tired of hearing Mother Gothel complain about how I was too young and innocent and naïve to even know who was good enough for me and who not. And then the stupid speech of how people out there are dangerous and treasonous and you just can´t trust them. And of course, her favorite part, how Eugene was just playing with me, and that he was only going to hurt me in the end. Because that´s what people like him do. Just wanting to have money and live the good life that they can´t afford.

Of course, I didn't believe her one bit. I wasn't naïve. I was pretty capable of taking care of myself. And people weren't that bad, like she always liked to describe ever since I was a little girl living in the tower. And Eugene was definitely not a bad person.

So, after five minutes of hearing her incessant complains, I just tuned her off, not really paying attention to her anymore and instead focusing on how I was going to dress and do my hair.

I found in my wardrobe a pretty lavender dress, with short sleeves and a comfortable skirt, perfect for a day outside. I changed quickly, while Mother Gothel kept talking, glancing at herself in my vanity mirror, checking for any wrinkles or imperfections in her face.

Next I redo my hair in a slightly different complicated braid that hung to the side, over my left shoulder. And after I was satisfied with my look, I turned to look at Pascal for approval. He nodded slightly and smiled. Perfect. Now I was ready to go.

I turned around and approached Mother Gothel, who was still talking as if I was actually paying attention.

"Well, goodbye mother. See you later!" I gave her a quick hug and a peck on the cheek. For a moment she looked baffled, but then she glared at me annoyingly.

"Are you actually going out with him? After all my warnings!"

Honestly, what was her problem with Eugene? "It´s okay mother. He is a good guy, I´ll be fine." I said dismissively as I approached the door.

"Fine! Go and get in trouble. But one day Rapunzel, one day you´ll realize that all that time that you spend with him isn't worth it. That boy will never be good for you, and he will just hurt you, one way or another. And don't say I didn't warn you."

Yeah, yeah, whatever… "Okay mother. Bye!" I said as I waved at her and left my room, heading to the main entrance of the castle and to the courtyard. I was so excited to see Eugene again. I hoped he felt like that too.

xoxoxoxoxo

Flynn POV

I kept glancing at the clock in the corner of the room. It was already midday. She probably was going to be here in any minute now.

I started cleaning my stuff and work area while I waited. After I tidied my tools and the small wooden table where I was working, I went to the right corner of the room, where I kept a small vase full of fresh water.

I cupped some cold water in my hands and splashed my face with it, trying to get rid of the dust and ashes that covered my face and hands from working near the fire in the smithy.

Yup, working as a blacksmith was a hard and tiring job, but it kept me busy, and Mr. Fennex, my boss, said I always did a wonderful job. He didn't pay me much, but it was enough for me to live. I even shared a small cottage in town with an old friend from the orphanage, Tom. We were about the same age, and we helped each other with the bills paying equal parts. The only problem was that he was going to get married soon, and obviously, he was going to move to another place. But I could deal with it. Mr. Fennex promised to increase my pay if I worked hard this month, which I did.

My life was definitely not what I had expected. When I was a child I always dreamed of living a life full of adventures. Like the ones I read in my favorite book. I wished I could go and explore new places, travel around the world, fight dangerous villains, and even own a castle and have a lot of money.

But I had a little problem. To achieve my dreams, I needed money, which I hadn't. I once considered becoming a thief. I would live on the run, travelling and visiting new places, staying there just a few days before going to explore a new place.

But sweet, innocent Rapunzel didn´t like the idea. She said that we would never see each other again, because I would be too busy running and hiding from the guards, and besides, I couldn't just leave her with her boring life in the castle. After she said this, and a lot of time convincing me to have a good descent job, she helped me find this one.

Yeah, my life was normal and descent and the people in the kingdom definitely didn't hate me for stealing their things. So I guess it was okay. Even so, I still felt like something was missing. Like my life wasn't complete. The problem was I didn't know exactly why.

After I washed my hands and dried my face with a clean cloth, I went to the other side of the room. There was a small wooden cabinet where I kept my working material, tools and stuff. I opened one of the drawers, and took out the little velvet box that I had kept hidden there for a few weeks already.

I opened it to reveal a beautiful gold bracelet, with a golden, heart-shaped pendant with the words "best friends" engraved in a beautiful manuscript, and at the top of it, were two little embedded diamonds. It was simple, but beautiful, the kind of things that Rapunzel liked. She didn't like fancy, extravagant things that reminded her of her life in the castle. Besides, I couldn't afford anything more expensive than this. I had been saving money for months and I barely managed to buy it.

But I was sure she would like it. And it was worth it. After all, it was her eighteenth birthday. I had to give her something special.

"That is a very beautiful bracelet." I jumped a little in surprise, and turned to look at Mr. Fennex standing right behind me.

He was an old man. He wasn't short, but neither tall. His dark, grey hair now replaced his once dark locks. He had a big, grey mustache, and little bright brown eyes, hidden behind his half-moon glasses. He had a very kind expression, and always liked to help other people.

"Yeah, I hope so. It cost me three months of hard work."

"I suppose the princess is worth it." said Mr. Fennex with a knowing look on his face.

I admit I was a little unsettled. "H-how did you know…"

"Oh boy, it doesn't take a genius to see the special relationship that you and the princess share." He cut me off.

Oh no, not again. "How many times do I have to tell you? We are just friends!" I said a little annoyed. Why must everyone in this kingdom think that just because Rapunzel and I spent a lot of time together meant that we were a couple?

"Yeah, sure… everyone in town thinks that you two are eventually going to get married secretly and elope." He said with a teasing smile. Apparently, yes. Everyone thought that.

"Well, I´m telling you now. We are just friends and nothing more." I said stubbornly.

"Eugene, my boy, you honestly expect me to believe that you two are just friends and nothing more, but you still spent three months saving your money and working extra shifts just to be able to buy her that bracelet?"

"Well, yes. She´s the princess and it is her eighteenth birthday, she deserved something special." I said, growing more annoyed by the minute. It was pretty normal that I had done that for my best friend, right?

"Hmm, I´m sure she would´ve appreciated more a declaration of love. It´s about time you two start making it official."

Okay, now that was enough. "What do you mean?" I said I little more rudely than I intended. There was nothing to make official. Me and Rapunzel had nothing to make official. And I definitely wasn't going to declare my love for her as a birthday present. Not that I loved her in that way obviously… or at least that was what I tried to reassure myself every day.

"For goodness sake boy, that girl is head over heels for you! Well, most of the young girls in this town are… but anyway that´s beside the point. The princess is obviously in love with you, and you don't even notice!" he said as he patted me on the shoulder. "You should really open your eyes, Eugene. She´s not going to wait forever." And with that he left the room, leaving me alone with my own thoughts, and to let the words he had just said really sink in.

Rapunzel loved me? No way! She would´ve let me know by now, wouldn't she? Besides, we were just best friends. And our relationship would never work. We were from different worlds. She was a princess. She was destined to marry a prince, someone of her same social class. And I was just a poor orphan, without a past, and without a future. What could I offer her? Exactly, nothing.

I really didn't need Mr. Fennex to come and tell me that, I already had a bad time thinking about it myself.

It´s not that I didn't like Rapunzel, in fact, she was a beautiful young girl and I had always found her rather pretty, and I liked her personality too, soft and gentle, yet stubborn and confident. She was just the perfect girl, and everybody could see that. The thing is… that I found myself really liking her, like… liking her not just as my best friend, but as the young, beautiful woman that she had become.

But that was completely and definitely wrong. I couldn't have those kinds of feelings for her. We were not meant to be together. Besides, she probably already had an arranged marriage planned for her. And she really hated the fact that she always knew she would have to marry a prince and become a queen. That was why I could never encourage her to have a love relationship with me, or anyone else who was not royalty for that matter.

It was not right for us, that´s why I only wanted us to remain friends. Falling in love with her and develop stronger feelings for her would only hurt me in the end, and probably her too. It was better to stop when you still could, when the feelings were small enough to forget easily. So I did the right thing to do. I tried not to think about it and tried so hard to deny it. It was the best for both of us, because either way, we were never going to be together.

I was so wrapped up in my thoughts that I didn't notice someone entering the smithy. The door opened and close without me noticing, and I probably would have still been oblivious to the fact that a person was there if I hadn't felt a pair of tiny soft hands covering my eyes playfully, from behind me.

"Guess who?" said a giggling sweet voice from behind me. I grinned as I immediately recognized it. I would recognize that voice anywhere.

I chuckled slightly. "Oh I don't know… a crazy hyperactive young girl who is about to turn eighteen maybe…?" I said teasingly.

"Hey!" she said as she smacked me playfully, she dropped her hands from my eyes and allowed me to see again. I turned around to see her pouting face and angry glare. It was cuter than it was threatening, so it just made me laugh in her face.

"It´s not funny." She said, trying to sound serious and angry, but a hint of a smile appeared in her face, which was a huge give away.

I smiled warmly at her. "Aw c´mon, you can´t be mad at your best friend, whom you haven't seen in four days by the way." I said as I shoved her playfully.

"Yeah I can, because my best friend just happens to be a jerk." She said with a fake angry scowl and stubborn expression.

"Fine… then you won´t get your birthday present…" I said while I shoved the black velvet box in my pocket.

Her face seemed to change completely to one of shock and disbelief, and a hint of… was it annoyance? "You bought me a present?! Eugene I told you not to buy me anything this year!" she said indignantly. You would think that a girl would be grateful that her best friend had bought her a special present for her birthday, but Rapunzel was not a typical girl. She was so selfless that she was more worried about me spending my money than her getting a birthday present.

"But Blondie, you turn eighteen tomorrow! I had to get you something special." I said trying to make her understand. But she was as stubborn as I was which is saying a lot. She would tell me to not buy her a present and I would still do it anyway, no matter how many explanations she gave me as to why I didn't have to. But now she probably would not even accept it. Well, two can play that game.

"But of course if you don't want it… I may have to go find another young pretty girl who might accept this, instead of you…" I said teasingly. Rapunzel´s face seemed to change once again. She tried to make it appear completely calm and indifferent, but I knew her, maybe even better that she knew herself. I still could see a hint of anger and jealousy.

"Yeah, probably every single girl in the kingdom, seeing as you have every one of them swooning at your feet." She said bitterly. Yeah, I knew she would react this way. Rapunzel always seemed to get slightly jealous and annoyed whenever I mentioned the young women at town who seemed to admire me like I was some Greek God. I don´t know if it was because it seriously affected her, or because she thought I changed my usual behavior to arrogant and cocky, either way this seemed to annoy her pretty much, which meant my plan was working. I knew that after I mentioned it, she would accept my present. She was too pride to reject it, now that I had mentioned that I would give it to another girl.

"Yeah, I know. I will probably have to give it to the first pretty girl that passes by, which is a shame because I bought this little thing…" I said as I took out the black velvet box and opened it, revealing the beautiful bracelet. "…specially for a certain blonde princess, with freakishly long hair and huge green eyes… which so happens to be in front of me."

Rapunzel´s eyes widened, becoming impossibly larger than they already were, and she gasped in surprise. "Eugene!" she whispered in awe. "You didn't have to…"

"Oh shush Rapunzel. We´ve been over this a thousand times." I cut her off because I knew exactly what she was going to say.

"It´s… it´s beautiful, thank you!" she squealed in delight and threw her petite arms around my neck and hugged me tightly. But then she seemed to realize that something was wrong, because she quickly let go and looked seriously into my eyes.

"But… I can´t possibly accept this, Eugene. It must have cost you a lot!" she exclaimed, horrified by the thought that I had spent a lot of money in her present.

"Rapunzel." I said sternly.

"But…"

"No."

"But you…"

"Rapunzel, don't."

"But I can´t…"

"Rapunzel!" I snapped. "I already bought it, Blondie, so the fact that you don't accept my gift for you will not change anything. If anything, it would be worse, because then I spent my money for nothing!" I said trying to convince her to just accept the bracelet already.

Rapunzel sighed in defeat, but then she smiled sweetly at me. "Thank you." She whispered as she stood on her tiptoes and planted a soft kiss on my cheek. I tried to hide the blush that was beginning to creep up my cheeks. Oh God why was I even blushing?! Rapunzel was the only girl who managed to make me nervous.

I shifted uncomfortably in my place as I watched her inspect the small bracelet intently, with an expression of pure joy and happiness in her face. "Aw Eugene, it´s so beautiful! Thank you so much." She exclaimed again as she gave me a grateful smile.

"Happy birthday Blondie!" I said cheerfully as I hugged her tightly, in a friendly way, of course.

Rapunzel giggled in my embrace. "But my birthday is tomorrow." She said as we pulled apart.

"Yeah, but every year you spend it with your parents and you´re so busy that you never have time to see me. So I guess I had to tell you now."

She seemed to have forgotten about the fact that we were never able to see each other in her birthday, because a look of realization hit her and her happy smile broke into a sad frown. "Oh, right. I had forgotten about it." she murmured sadly.

"Hey, don't worry about it. We´ll see each other again the day after tomorrow." I said soothingly. "Besides, it´s your birthday! You always enjoy it."

"Yeah, but sometimes I wish I could join you in the festival at town. I´d rather do that than spend the whole day preparing for the ridiculous fancy ball that my parents throw every year for my birthday." She said bitterly. "I have to fake I´m enjoying every minute of it, talk with the snooty royals and dance with every single prince that asks me to dance with him."

"It´s so much more fun at the festival. You get to do whatever you want, enjoy the day however you want, and dance at the towns square with whoever you want. And the floating lanterns look much prettier from down here!" she complained loudly. It honestly made me chuckle. She always wanted what she couldn't have.

"Oh c´mon it can´t be that bad. Most girls in the kingdom would do anything to go to that fancy ball that you so much hate." I said matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, because they don´t know how it really is. I wish it was like fairytales, and I could spend the whole night dancing with the guy of my dreams, which conveniently is a prince too." She said dreamily, while I gave her a strange look. Rapunzel had never been one for liking fairytales. What was up with her? But she continued speaking, ignoring my curious gaze.

"Instead I have to dance with complete strangers." She whined like a little girl.

I snorted. "Yeah… tell me about it…" I said as I recalled all the times that random girls dragged me to the towns square, where the small band usually played and danced with me the whole day if they could. Not that I was actually complaining about it, but sometimes it just got disturbing. I didn't even know most of them.

"I just wish I could have a normal life, like all the other girls, you know? Do whatever I want, date whoever I want without him having to be part of royalty." She sighed as she sat down on the old wooden chair next to my desk.

"Yeah, I wish that too…" I found myself muttering under my breath before I could help myself. I gasped and covered my mouth with my hand as if I had said something horrible, which probably I did. Luckily she didn't seem to notice, as she was too busy complaining about her own problems.

"All the other girls have such an easy life."

"Yeah, because working hard everyday to live is every girl's wish." I said sarcastically.

"No, I didn't mean that. I mean, they don't have the responsibility of ruling a kingdom. Like Valerie, the florist´s daughter! She just has to help her mother water the flowers and help her father sell them at their stall in town, and she´s dating William. He´s such a good guy and he is handsome too. I tell you, she has the perfect life."

I tried not to get jealous by the comment. I was a good guy too, and much more attractive than William!

What did I just think?! Stop it, Eugene you´re making no sense. I scolded myself. And I´m definitely NOT jealous.

"Err, no Blondie, they´re no longer dating." I said vaguely.

"What? But… I saw them together less than a month ago!" she exclaimed, surprised by the new information.

"Apparently, they needed their time off to think things, or some stuff like that…" I said, waving my hand in a dismissive gesture.

"Oh what a shame… they made such a good couple… but wait, how do you know all this?" she asked curiously.

And suddenly, I froze on my spot. "Um… because Valerie told me." I said shifting nervously.

"And since when are you friends with Valerie?" she asked suspiciously, quirking an eyebrow.

"Well… I wouldn't exactly call it a friendship…" I tried to avoid the question.

Rapunzel´s eyes widened and she gasped in realization. "Are you both dating?!"

"What?"

Her eyes narrowed at my response. "Don't avoid the question Eugene. Are you dating her?"

"No, I´m not!" I said defensively. "We just went out a few times, nothing serious, really. It didn't even last a week."

"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked a little hurt.

"I didn't think it was necessary. It was nothing serious." I tried to explain myself. But honestly I didn't even know why. Her annoyed reaction wasn't something I was expecting. In fact, the reason I had been reluctant to tell her was because I was sure she would tease me endlessly.

"Dating someone IS serious Eugene!" she exclaimed, and for some odd reason, I could see a deep feeling of hurt and betrayal flicker in her bright green eyes.

"God, Rapunzel I never dated her! We just went out a few times, it was less than a week and nothing happened. It was nothing serious that you needed to know about." I could feel myself getting annoyed by her reproachful attitude. Honestly, it was not like I was suddenly going to get married and I never told her.

"But it was something. A sort of relationship that you had with her, and it could´ve been more, but you never take those things seriously." She said accusingly.

"What do you mean?" I asked a little defensively.

"That you never take any relationship seriously! You never refer to the girls that you have shown any interest in or have gone out with, as your girlfriend. "

"Because I´ve never had one Rapunzel!" I said matter-of-factly. "I´ve never wanted a serious relationship with anyone, and you know it!" I exclaimed. And she did know it. I had explained my reasons to her many times in the past, and it was too painful to bring up the subject again. I knew that we were on the verge of a very bad argument. This rarely occurred between us, since we agreed with each other most of the time. I really didn't understand why she had to pick this very moment to start one. We were supposed to enjoy this day!

"That´s because you´re just too stubborn to accept one! What is so bad about love, Eugene, that you can´t even seem to think about it? You´ve never let anyone get emotionally close to you. You´ve never let anyone love you, or care for you the way you deserve. And most importantly, you´ve never let yourself truly love anyone." She said. Her voice softening with each word until the last part was almost a whisper.

That´s not entirely truth. Sure, I had never let anyone get close to me, or loved anyone that way. I had learned that love can only hurt people beyond repair, because when you lose someone you love dearly, there´s no way in life you can recover from that kind of pain and loss. Yes, I learnt that from a very young age. When I lost my family I lost everything I had, both my parents and my sister. It had been a horrible experience. I was only five when the pirate attack to the kingdom happened. We lived near the coast, by the docks, where we had a beautiful sight of the sea and the boats arriving and leaving the kingdom.

I remember hearing the canons, the screams of people, my father telling my mother to stay inside the house while he went to help the people outside. I remember the way the house trembled, with the huge explosion of a canon hitting the side of it, the flames immediately engulfing most part of the place I had called home for my whole life. I remember the screams of my mother, telling me to get out while she went for my little sister, who was crying upstairs, screaming for help. I still remember perfectly well, how when I got out of the burning house, it collapsed to the ground in flames. How I screamed for help, but no one listened, everyone was too busy trying to protect themselves of the attack. How the palace guards had to take me away from the burning remains and ashes of what used to be my home, and took me to the towns orphanage. How in my naïve young age, I kept waiting for my mom and dad to come for me, but they never did. I never saw any of them again.

Since then, I swore to never love someone as dearly as I had loved my family, because once you lose them, you can never replace them, never get rid of the feeling of emptiness in your life, or fill the gaping hole that they left in your heart.

But once I met Rapunzel, I had troubles keeping that promise. From all the people I´d known since the terrible death of my family, Rapunzel was the only one who had managed to get closer to me than anyone else. Her kind nature and sweet attitude made my walls break and she immediately had a special place in my cold and broken heart, as much as I tried to deny it to myself at first. She was the only one who I really trusted entirely, the only one who knew almost all my secrets and deepest fears. The only person in the world who I actually loved and cared for, whether it was brotherly love or something more, I didn't know, but I sure loved her with all my heart. And that scared me out of my mind.

She was just another prove that love hurt terribly. I loved her, I cared for her as my best friend, as my partner in all my greatest adventures (which weren´t a lot for that matter), as my own sister, and even though I tried so hard to deny it, maybe even as something more. But we would not be together forever and I knew it. She was a princess, I was a poor orphan. She had so many things to take care of, while I barely knew what to do with my life. She had a perfect future as Queen of Corona, and I just didn't have a future at all. We were from different worlds, came from different lives, and as much as she tried to convince me and the entire world that it didn't mattered, it did. And it hurt to know that someday, I would not wake up to the illusion of seeing her sweet smile or hearing her perfect voice.

"You know why I don't want to." Was my reply to her. It almost came out as a whisper, a whisper of defeat.

She came closer to me, and gently took hold of my hand, squeezing it softly. "You can´t be alone forever Eugene. What about love? What about spending the rest of your life with the only person you truly love and that you can´t live without? What about forming a family of your own and living happy? You can´t keep living in the past. I know it was painful, I know it hurt, but don't you think this is not what they would want for you? You deserve to be happy Eugene. You deserve a chance in love." She said as she stroke my cheek tenderly with her free hand. I took a shaky breath, trying to control all the emotions that thinking about the past and my family brought. Trying to hold back a few tears that had stubbornly welled up in my eyes. I was NOT going to cry.

I knew she was right. I knew that was what my family would want for me, and I knew that it was what she wanted for me. But I had just a little problem. The only person that I pictured myself with in the future, holding her in my arms, making her the happiest woman on earth, calling her my wife and spending the rest of my life with her, was the only woman out of my reach.

Rapunzel was a wish that I couldn't dare to dream of. It was impossible and it could never be. And as she smiled at me with those emerald eyes sparkling with love and affection, I felt a tiny bit of my heart break, at the thought that one day, she would be giving that same smile to someone else.

A future together was impossible, and I knew it. That´s why I just had to stop thinking about her like that, I had to stop myself before I truly fell for her, because if that ever happened, I would never be able to recover. I would never be able to forget, and I would never be able to live without her.

I just hoped it wasn't too late.

xoxoxoxoxoxo

So… what do you think? Like it? Yes? Then please let me know by clicking that little button that says "review"! I would love to hear what you guys think :D

Also, what´s your opinion about Eugene´s big dilemma? Think he will ever admit to himself that he does love her? Or more importantly, that he will admit to Rapunzel his true feelings for her? I honestly don't know, he´s quite stubborn… what do you think?

If you review I may or may not tell you in the next chapter… just saying… ;)

Hope you liked it guys! I will update as soon as possible.