Please don't hate me. All I'm going to say.

Disclaimer: Yes. My name is C.S. Lewis. Charlotte Staples Lewis, like the character on Lost, so I own this. *BEEP!* Dang, that was the lie detector. The little man behind is giving the questioner a thumbs down. Fine, fine! My name isn't Charlotte! *sigh* And I don't own Tangled or Narnia! *sob*

Chapter XI – Trial and Tribulation

Eugene Fitzherbert fought against the men holding him. He couldn't believe that Rapunzel was right before his very eyes! The two fauns (he didn't know that's what they were) that were holding him tightened their grips and a third creature grabbed hold. He saw Rapunzel rush over, holding that frog thing, but the fourth guard, a giant horse-man thing, blocked her path.

"You aren't supposed to be down here!" he commanded.

"But I have to speak with Eugene!" she cried. He had forgotten how wonderful her voice was.

"Go back upstairs," the centaur demanded.

"Oreius, please!" Rapunzel cried. "Just let me speak with him!"

"I'm under strict orders from the High King himself that no one is to speak with Rider."

Rapunzel huffed and puffed, fighting against the centaur as he dragged her back upstairs. Eugene continued to fight, even though he was being pulled in the opposite direction. "Eugene!" Rapunzel shouted, turning toward him. He was already gone. Rapunzel decided that she would confront Peter immediately. Or maybe after the ball was finished, to prevent making a scene.

As soon as she was pushed into the ballroom, Rapunzel sought out Edmund. She didn't have to look too far. He was looking for her, too. "Where did you go?" he asked her.

"Did you know Eugene is here?" she asked him, ignoring his question to her.

"How did you find out?" he asked.

"Pascal took me to him!" Rapunzel held up her chameleon friend. Edmund looked shocked that she had a chameleon in her hands. "How long has he been here? How did you know he was here?"

"Peter told me earlier. Pete and Lu found him before they came back to Cair Paravel with a horse and a chameleon. That one, I guess."

"Why didn't anybody tell me?"

"They probably just didn't want you to know yet." Edmund was getting frustrated with her constant questions. He knew that he would never have a chance with her if Eugene Fitzherbert was here now. "Let's just enjoy ourselves, please? It's Christmas!"

"And Eugene is spending it locked in a cell! That's a pretty bad Christmas if you ask me!"

"Fine! Go spend it with him!" Edmund shouted.

"Maybe I will!"

"What's going on here?" Peter asked. Neither had noticed him walking up.

"Why didn't you tell me that Eugene was here?" Rapunzel demanded.

"Eugene who? Oh, you mean Flynn Rider? I didn't think you cared. His trial is in the morning."

"Trial? For what?"

"The crimes he's committed in Narnia and Corona. I spoke with King Harold and Queen Julia about him and they said that whoever finds him can try him. We found him, so he will be punished under Narnian law."

Rapunzel's eyes widened and filled with tears. "You're going to kill him?" she asked, but before accepting an answer, she ran away. Rapunzel ran and ran and ran through the halls of Cair Paravel. She had no idea where Eugene was, so she didn't even bother attempting to run there. She ran to her room and slammed the door behind her.

Tears streaming down her face, Rapunzel tore off her dress and threw it on the back of the chair at her vanity. She tossed the nightgown over her head and pulled her hair free from under the dress. Not bothering to unbraid it or take out the diamond pins, Rapunzel just threw herself onto her bed, staring out the windows and crying into her pillow.

The time passed slowly. Eventually, the faint music that she could hear from her room faded away and the voices died down. She couldn't sleep. Her bedroom door opened. "Rapunzel?" a soft voice called.

"What?" she replied in a whisper.

"Are you okay?" Susan asked, sitting down on Rapunzel's bed.

Rapunzel sat up and faced her friend. "No. Eugene's here and no one bothered to tell me."

"He's here?" she asked, stiffening. "No one bothered to tell me either. They were probably afraid of our reactions. I want to kill him and you want to save him. They're two pretty opposite and drastic reactions." Rapunzel gave a little laugh. She pulled her enormous braid in front of her and started picking at it. "Let's take the pins out so you don't lose them." Susan fetched the box and then started carefully pulling the pins out of her hair. Rapunzel pulled a few out and placed them in the box. Soon, they had counted all fifty out and closed the box.

Rapunzel went to get her hairbrush. She undid the braid and started brushing her hair. Softly, she sang, "Flower gleam and glow; let your power shine. Make the clock reverse; bring back what once was mine. Heal what has been hurt; change the fates' design. Save what has been lost; bring back what once was mine…what once was mine…" Her hair glowed brightly as she brushed it out to its full length. Susan was always surprised by how long it was. The glow faded and Rapunzel smiled.

"I think I'm going to go to bed now. Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Rapunzel said. As soon as Susan left the room, Rapunzel lay back down and closed her eyes, quickly falling into an abyss of darkness.

The next morning, Rapunzel got dressed as quickly as possible. Susan helped Rapunzel braid her hair because it was faster than Rapunzel doing it herself. Neither girl had been told of the time of the trial, probably because Peter didn't want either of them there. Traditionally, Queen Susan would be required to attend the trial, but she had been involved personally with Flynn Rider, and Peter was afraid that might affect the Gentle Queen's judgment.

The girls ran through the deserted castle, stopping briefly by the kitchen to grab a quick bite to eat. They continued running as they ate. Susan stopped Rapunzel from bursting straight into the throne room by pulling her into a hidden corridor that's entrance was concealed by a large tapestry. "Lucy and I found this a few years ago so we could spy on the throne room when Peter was having private meetings," Susan explained in a whisper.

Thankfully, they had not missed much. Peter was reading all of Flynn Rider's crimes off a scroll. Both the Kings and Queen were dressed in full Narnian royalty regalia. "Flynn Rider," Peter spoke, looking down at the man in chains. "While your crimes are numerous and equally criminal, you are subject to Narnian law. So while I would absolutely love to take your head off for the grief you caused my sister, I cannot."

"I can't just watch from here," Susan said. Rapunzel followed her into the back of the throne room.

"Flynn Rider, you are hereby banished from Narnia, Corona, and Archenland. You are to set sail tonight for Galma. From there, you may travel wherever you like, but if you return to Narnia, Corona, or Archenland, you will be killed. Understood?" Eugene nodded solemnly. "Good. Take him away!"

"No!" Rapunzel cried out, unable to stop herself. The entire room turned to look at her. "Let me speak with him!"

"I can't let you do that—" Peter said.

Rapunzel interrupted, "As princess of Corona, I demand that you let me speak with him!"

Peter didn't know what to say, as Rapunzel and Susan made their way to the front of the room. Susan went directly to Flynn. She slapped him across the face and said, "That was for stealing my bow and arrows." She raised her hand and slapped him again. "And that was for flirting with me." Content, Queen Susan walked up to her thrown and sat, smirking.

"You have ten minutes," Peter said quietly to Rapunzel.

"Thank you," she whispered with a weak and grateful smile. Rapunzel followed the guards into a side room. Eugene was sitting on the floor, still chained. "Oh, Eugene…how come every time I see you, you're locked up?" she sighed. "Unchain him!" she ordered.

The guards exchanged a curious look and did as she asked.

Eugene stretched his arms and embraced Rapunzel. "I thought I was never going to see you again," he murmured against her hair.

"I thought so, too," Rapunzel agreed, glad to finally be in his arms. Her vision was clouding from the tears that filled her eyes. "We're never going to see each other again. It would have been better if we never met. None of this would have happened."

"Rapunzel, look at me." Eugene took her dainty hands in his rough ones. "I'd rather have known you for the best two days of my life than to have never known you at all. Those few days I spent with you back in Corona were the best days of my life. Being with you was the best thing that's ever happened to me. You opened my eyes to new things and I saw the world in a different light. You changed my life, Rapunzel, and I am grateful for that. You are the best thing that's ever happened to me."

Rapunzel smiled weakly at him and tucked her hair behind her ear. Then she grabbed his collar, and pulled him toward her, closing her eyes and pressing her lips to his.

Eugene was surprised at first, but quickly caught on. The kiss was brief, but meaningful. They pulled apart and embraced tightly. Rapunzel and Eugene just sat there for a few minutes, wrapped in each other's arms. "Time's up!" a guard called.

"I love you," Eugene whispered.

"I love you, too," Rapunzel replied.

They were pulled apart and as Rapunzel was quickly ushered from the room, Eugene was chained again. Tears flowed down Rapunzel's face, and she didn't care that everyone was staring at her as she fled from the throne room. She ran straight for her room. Halfway there, Rapunzel realized that there was absolutely nothing keeping her in Narnia. She would go with him!

Rapunzel threw open her door and grabbed a small bag that Susan had given her. She quickly tucked a few dresses in it, as well as her hairbrush and hair pins. Rapunzel hid it under her bed and walked out onto the balcony. She leaned against the railing and stared out at the Eastern Sea. How confined she felt here! It was almost as if Narnia was her new tower. Rapunzel knew that she would follow Eugene to the end of the world if she had to.

She looked down at the ground. It was a long way, probably farther than her tower. But maybe she had just forgotten the height. If she looped her hair around the balcony, she should be able to make it to the ground with only a short jump, if she even needed to jump at all. It would be easier to slide down her hair than sneak through the castle where guards were walking. If Eugene was leaving tonight, the cover of darkness should be enough to hide her. It's not as if her hair glowed all the time.

Rapunzel stared at the sea and waited patiently for the time for her to make her escape.

Lucy changed out of her formal clothing and into something more comfortable. She hated punishing people, even if they deserved it. Hate was not part of her nature, except when it came to Flynn Rider. As much as she hated Flynn Rider for how he had hurt Susan, she didn't like the idea of banishing him. Lucy knew that it wasn't her call and that it shouldn't even bother her at all, but she had seen a glimpse of the love that Rapunzel and Flynn had for each other. She and Edmund had snuck out of the throne room and watched through a secret vent. Lucy knew that it was wrong, but she and Edmund were simply curious.

It wasn't until later that she found out that Edmund liked Rapunzel as more than a friend.

Now, Lucy was heading to out to the beach to watch the sun set. That was one of the best things about Narnia, compared to…that other place. Narnia's sun was beautiful and the colors that it cast upon the sky while rising and setting were simply breathtaking.

Once she was at the edge of the sand, Lucy took her shoes off and pulled up her skirt. She walked toward the Eastern Sea so that she was soon at the edge of the water, but not where she would get wet. The Valiant Queen sat down and dug her feet into the sand. The bottom of the sun was barely touching the edge of the horizon.

She tilted her head to the right and looked out over the water. The tide was coming in, and a trickle of water came up and tickled her toes. She smiled as the cool water disappeared. Lucy's smile disappeared as she felt a presence come up behind her.

Worried, she turned around and gasped. Standing, Lucy ran down the beach, crying for help. Lucy knew that no one could hear her because she was too far away and no one had come down to the beach with her. Her pursuer followed with a smirk. Lucy tripped over a small sand dune, and was captured by coarse hands that tightly grabbed her wrists and clamped down over her mouth. She struggled, but to no avail. She was carried off just as the sun dipped below the horizon, the ocean water erasing the footprints from the sand.

Peter walked out to the stables. He wanted to look at the horse that had been found with Flynn Rider. They had found earlier that the horse was a dumb animal and was called Maximus, according to the name that was engraved upon the collar. Peter figured that Flynn Rider had stolen the horse. From what he heard, the horse seemed to be a very fine steed. Fast, too.

The sun was setting. He took the long way to the stables, around and through the lower levels of Cair Paravel. He looked out the window toward the Eastern Sea, thinking that he saw something suspicious on the beach. It must have been his imagination because there was nothing there now. But then something very long, like rope that had been taken apart fell from above. Peter gasped. It was hair!

Then came the girl. Peter rolled his eyes and opened the nearest window. "Rapunzel!" he called. He saw her flinch and turn toward him. He was about ten feet above her. "What are you doing?"

She looked lost for words for a moment as she gathered up her hair. "I, uh," she stammered, "I'm going with Eugene. I don't need to stay here, and I won't be happy without him!"

"Rapunzel," he sighed, "you can't just pull the whole 'I'm the lost princess, I can do whatever I want' thing and then run away! Everyone knows that you're the princess of Corona. You're going to have to go back!"

"But I can't leave Eugene!" she said.

"He's already gone," Peter said.

"What?" Rapunzel asked, tears filling her eyes.

Peter's eyes widened as he saw a chameleon on her shoulder. What in the world? he asked himself. "He took a ship that left an hour ago. He's already on his way to Galma by now." Quietly, Peter added, "I'm sorry."

Tears filled Rapunzel's eyes, but she didn't let them fall. Brushing them away quickly, Rapunzel muttered, "Oh. Well, I suppose I'm too late then. I'm just going…um, back upstairs now." She disappeared from sight, presumably through a door below.

Peter felt bad for her. What he said was true, though. Flynn Rider was gone. Peter had no idea where he would go once he reached Galma. If Peter knew, he would tell Rapunzel. He could see that the two really cared about each other. And despite how Edmund felt about Rapunzel (Peter had coerced the truth from him earlier), Peter knew that Rapunzel and Flynn—Eugene really cared about each other.

The High King continued to walk through the halls of his home, once again noticing something on the beach through a window. This time, he stared out, seeking the danger that he could sense. And then, as the sun sunk lower in the horizon, he saw two dark figures on the beach. One pursued a third person, who looked small and feminine. The sun glinted off something on her head, something that looked silver. Lucy! She said that she was going down to the beach! The dark figure grabbed the Valiant Queen and the two men dragged her off.

Peter was in shock. He recovered quickly, and took off through Cair Paravel, running for the stable, shouting, "Queen Lucy's been kidnapped from the beach! Help!" People everywhere were astonished, but leapt into action.

The High King sprinted to the stable, and jumped on the first horse he could find, which happened to be Edmund's horse, Phillip. The two rode toward the beach, but no one was there. There weren't even footsteps to show the direction of Lucy's kidnappers! The waves had washed away any traces that were actually traceable.

Peter felt anger rise within him.

He rode back to Cair Paravel, irate that he could even follow them! It would be a waste of time and resources to follow a blind trail. He didn't even know what direction they had gone.

Susan and Edmund and Rapunzel met Peter in the throne room of Cair Paravel. Peter threw the doors closed and stormed up to his throne. He thrust himself into the seat and buried his face in the palm of his hand, shutting his eyes.

"What happened?" Susan asked gently.

"Lucy was kidnapped," Peter struggled to say. "There aren't any footprints or anything that would be possible to follow. We have no idea who kidnapped her, why they kidnapped her, or where they went."

"I'll round up the rest of the army," Edmund said. "We can follow—"

"Follow what, exactly?" Peter asked, not looking up. He felt a migraine coming on.

"We can spread out and search for Lucy and her kidnappers."

"We don't even know where they went!" Peter shouted, finally looking up from his hand.

"It's better than sitting here and doing nothing!" Edmund yelled, becoming very angry.

"There's nothing we can do!" screamed Peter.

"Would you just get off your high—" Edmund bellowed furiously.

Susan interrupted him, "Shut up! Both of you! Don't you see what's happening?" The men grew silent. "They're tearing us apart! First the Beavers, now Lucy…who's next? They're getting to us through the ones we love! Whoever these people are…they're slowly destroying everything we have. They're weakening us bit by bit. Soon, our army will be too spread out to defend anybody. The army won't be able to get together in time in case there's an attack because they'll be days away from here."

"Susan's right," Edmund muttered.

"I agree that we can't just do nothing," Susan continued calmly, "but we can't allow ourselves to argue like this. We'll be angry with each other, and we won't be able to focus when we need it."

"You're majesties!" a voice called. The group turned toward the door. "There was another attack!" the dwarf said bravely. "It was close to here. It was on the village."

"What?" the three Pevensies, plus Rapunzel, asked.

"Was anyone killed?" Peter asked.

"We haven't finished checking everybody out," the dwarf said. "But there were many injuries. Some of the town has burned down—"

"Who was injured?" Susan asked, rapidly growing fearful. "Were any of our friends injured?"

The dwarf seemed to be struggling to gather his words. "The faun Tumnus was injured badly. He's been treated now in the hospital wing, but no one knows—" The dwarf didn't have the chance to finish his sentence, because the Susan, Edmund, Peter, and Rapunzel rushed out of the room and toward the hospital wing.

When is this nightmare going to end? Susan asked herself.