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Lantern Chapter 9

The rest of the day went by incredibly slowly, as I found myself at the constant beck and call of the Stabbington brothers. It seemed as if they couldn't go two minutes without needing something.

All the time I felt myself sinking back into my old life, a life I had promised I would never return to. I still had the chain around my ankle, as a constant reminder of how trapped and alone I am. Finally the brothers fell asleep on chairs near the fire. Chairs that belonged to Gothel and I.

In a way being trapped by the brothers was easier than when it had been Gothel. At least I knew I was trapped this time, something that had taken me a long time to realise when I lived here with Gothel.

However it was still painful when I gathered the courage to go to my old bedroom, and couldn't resist a look out of the window. A look, I wish I hadn't made as I saw the world outside. A world I desperately need to be part of once again.

After a few minutes I couldn't help wonder where Eugene was now. Was he still searching for me? I hope so, for the thought of living the rest of my life restricted to the tower seemed impossible. Especially not now I had seen for myself the wonders of life outside the tower.

An even more unbearable thought, however would be living without Eugene, for I now understand that without love everything seems incomplete, unfinished and amazingly lonely.

Feeling a tug at the bottom of my dress I looked down to see Pascal trying to move me away from the window. He himself hadn't even glanced out of the window, it was almost as if he had accepted that once again we were trapped and was trying to block out the world that now seemed far, so out of reach.

..

As Eugene awoke he felt a warm sun glowing down on him and opened his eyes to investigate. As he saw the position of the sun he felt panic spread through him.

"Maximus! Its almost midday already, we agreed we wouldn't sleep for long, oh how could you have let this happen, what about Rapunzel she's all alone and-" Eugene stopped mid-sentence as he saw the look he was getting off Maximus.

He realised he was going off on one and so quickly tried to hide it.

"Ermmm well what I mean is we best be getting off," he said scratching the back of his neck, the way he always did when he was nervous.

Once again he found himself not knowing where to go or what to do. The only thing spurring him on was the thought of Rapunzel being back in his arms once more.

..

"Rapunzel darling, go make us some dinner," Punch shouted with a smirk on his face.

"Do it yourself," I muttered as Pascal nodded in agreement. Quietly I finished painting the drawing I had been working on, on the back of my chest of draws.

I had replaced one painful image with another, for Gothel had once featured on the back of my draw's, however now mother stood in her place.

"Please let her be alright," I whispered to myself before making my way down to the kitchen in search of some food to prepare.

That night the brothers feasted on hazelnut soup and warm bread. I didn't get anything, as I hadn't worked hard enough. Well according to Fist.

The truth is that I hadn't really stopped all day as I had been busy cleaning the now dusty tower and preparing rooms for the brothers to sleep in. Purposefully I choose the rooms that were the furthest away from my own.

It was a cold and windy night outside but that didn't stop me from leaving my window open when the brothers finally went to bed, meaning that I could to.

But I didn't. I found myself slumped in the corner of my bedroom, with my knees against my chest, rocking gently from side to side as the tears began to fall down my cheeks.

I stayed this way for a long time, before realising what I had been staring at. The necklace Eugene had given me. That did it. Deep sobs began to fill me as my vision became blurred from all my tears.

In the end I found my hands clutching the sun pendant so tightly that I heard a click and thought that I had broken it. The one real reminder I had of Eugene, it was now broken, like we were. Broken and incomplete.

Just as I began to lose all hope I noticed a small piece of folded up paper in my lap. I then looked at the pendant again only to see that it wasn't broken but open. It was a locket. Carefully I unfolded the paper to find that it wasn't paper at all but a small white lantern with the sun symbol in the middle.

The thing however that caught my eye was the small black writing at the top of the lantern. Four words that restored my hope and brought on new tears, but this time they were tears of happiness. Quickly but quietly I crept downstairs and took a small piece of wood, with a flame at one end from the fire. I then sneaked back upstairs, not wanting to wake the brothers or Pascal, and went over to my window.

It was there that I lit the lantern and let it off into the night. The sky immediately lit up as I continued to watch the lantern fly upwards.

All the time I was thinking about the four words on it and how I so wanted them to be true. It wasn't much but it was all I needed. Oh how I needed to see those four words.

I'm on my way.