I'm back! Please don't hate me! Things have been so busy.

I choose the worst possible place to stop, didn't I? That last chapter was depressing. But I finally got around to it, and I present to you, months late, chapter 10!

Eugene woke up in a tree, which surprised him. He'd fallen asleep in a jail cell, after witnessing the trial.

Her trial…

No. He wasn't going to think about that.

Instead he focused on the rather daunting prospect of getting out of the tree. He was extremely high up, which he was used to, but the ground was covered in sharp rocks and brambles. He felt someone push him, and losing his balance, he fell, tumbling, yelling, preparing for the impact.

But it didn't come. Someone was waiting at the bottom to catch him.

The person who'd pushed him landed expertly on his feet moments after. A pair of thugs, theirs skulls covered in ginger fuzz, glared at him.

"Okay, let's keep this short and sweet," the one who'd caught him said, giving Eugene a mean smile, "Where is she?"

"Wha-What?"

"Blondie. Legendary theif? Seventy feet of hair? Ring a bell?"

"I…"

"She escaped from her prison cell yesterday, just vanished. Not. A. Trace." With each word, he jabbed Eugene in the chest with a surprisingly strong finger."

The news didn't surprise Eugene. But it did light a spark of hope. Maybe… maybe she'd run away to another town, stopped stealing. Maybe she could have a good life, free of all her crimes, her tangled past.

"I don't know where she is." He said honestly. But the thugs seemed unconvinced.

"Do you know who we are? We're the brothers Stabbington. I'm Quinn, he's Angel."

"Angel?!" Eugene, despite himself, couldn't help but laugh. Angel, who apparently didn't talk, pointed his dagger at Eugene's throat.

"You got a problem with Angel, punk?" Quinn hissed.

"Uh, no."

"Good. Do you know how long we've been looking for Blondie? When she made her first raid, we thought it was a fluke. A gypsy girl with a bunch of hair? No threat. But as time went by… she was amazing. No-one could catch her on that horse of hers. She was legendary. We looked up to her. We dreamed of making a partnership, Then one day…"

Without warning, Angel plunged his dagger into a nearby tree, hissing.

"… One day, she crept into our camp and stole this gold timepiece of ours. Best thing Angel ever got his hands on. We woke up in time to see her take it. Angel went after her, unarmed, defenceless. He just wanted to talk. But she turned and stabbed him right in the eye with a sword."

Angel gestured his eye patch, scowling.

"Ever since, we've plotted our revenge. Take her hair, lock by lock, cut it all off. See how she likes that. Then her little horse, make it bolt. Leave her with nothing, a laughing stock."

"Oh?" Eugene felt queasy. He should hate her. He should sympathise with these brutes, who'd done nothing to her. He should… But the very fact that they wanted to hurt Rapunzel made him hate them.

"We rescued you because you know where she is, surely? A little squirt, assisting Blondie in her endeavours."

"I don't know where she is."

"DON'T lie to me." Eugene gulped.

"Why did you put me in a tree?"

"Because it's our camp. Look up."

Eugene did, and felt his breath catch in his throat. The tree's gnarled branches were covered in jewellery. Trinkets. Trophies of their thievery. And beside the jewellery were skulls, necklaces of bones, swords and daggers. High up he could see a cabin, carefully camouflaged in the leaves.

"And also, if we should need to dispose of you, the sharp rocks and brambles make an excellent asset."

Gulp. Eugene had absolutely no idea what to do. He could make up a lie about where Rapunzel had gone, but how? He had no idea about Corona, or any of its locations. How could he lie when he had no idea how to?

"Your camp is beautiful."

"Don't you sweet talk me! WHERE IS SHE?"

And then it hit Eugene. A perfect plan. Bribery. He'd learnt it off Gothel. When he was small, she used to make him do her chores, cooking, mending , brushing her hair, and in return, she would promise him some information about the outside world.

She never told him anything, just laughed at him and said he didn't do his chore well enough, but he used to fall for it every time.

"I know where Zelly is." He admitted, trying to sound unhappy. Quinn seemed pleased.

"But if you want to know, you need to train me."

"WHAT?!"

"You heard me. I need to learn how to survive out here, and if you want to know where she is, you have to train me."

Quinn seemed to slowly take in what Eugene had just said.

"You little… I can't… No… But… How dare you…"

"There's no need to be rude."

"How about you tell us where she is, and then we train you?"

"How about no."

"We have ways of forcing it out of you, boy." Quinn drew out a sword, and Angel tugged his dagger out of the tree.

"The meaner you are, the less I'll tell you." Eugene said stubbornly.

"What do you mean?"

"I know her weaknesses. I know what weapons she uses. I know her strategies. She trusts me. You don't want to lose that advantage, now, do you?"

Quinn lowered his sword, cursing.

"Alright boy. You disgust me, but alright. We'll play nice. We'll train you. But you live by our rules now."

Eugene nodded. The Stabbington brothers retreated, climbing their way up their tree.

"Join us soon, boy. Wolves live in these forests, you know." Laughter.

Eugene sat down on a root, staring into space, dreaming.

"Zelly. Rapunzel." He whispered, looking at the stars. He didn't what he had gotten himself into. And now he was going to be a thief. Just like her.

He had never wanted to write a song as much as he did in that moment, but the words wouldn't come.

"I'll find you someday." He promised the stars.

Then he had an odd realisation. Maximus was nowhere to be seen.

...

Rapunzel woke early. It was still dark outside. Her hands hurt, her heart hurt, her mind was dull. But as she looked into the sky, she saw stars. Such stars. Bright as his eyes.

Maybe. Just maybe.

He couldn't be dead, surely, if the sky was that beautiful.

He could be out there somewhere. No, he was out there somewhere, she was sure of it. Gothel was lying. The sky shone with hope, and as she let herself smile, let herself shed a few tears. That's when she saw the chameleon. It had made itself comfortable in her hair, changing its skin to blondie gold. She remembered the day she'd been riding, and seen the chameleon sitting on his head, seen it on Eugene's shoulder the day she last saw him... It had somehow found her, here in Gothel's tower. The little creature must've come a long way. And now it was fast asleep. Rapunzel laughed, for the first time since... since… she couldn't even remember.

She hadn't known chameleons could snore.

Do you like it? I'm coming close to the end. Five more chapters maybe. Then again, don't quote me on that. I might end up dragging it out further, or shortening it.

No, I did not kill off Eugene. Course not. Mother Gothel is evil! (Insert thunder and lightning sound effects here)

I'm proud of this chapter. I found this great music on YouTube that just unclogged my writer's block.

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