Author's Note: I LIVE! I am back and better than ever, baby! Let's get this show on the road! There's a lot to cover in this chapter, so I'd better get started! This is where things start to get interesting. Oh, by the way, you can imagine Eugene and Rapunzel still having their duet; I couldn't come up with anything for Janine and Phillip.
When Things Go Wrong
I enjoyed Rapunzel's awestruck expression before turning back toward Phillip. I didn't bother watching the lanterns; I'd been watching them since I was a child, so I was used to it. Phillip, on the other hand, seemed to be enjoying it almost as much as Rapunzel. I quickly discovered why when I looked at the water: it was like we were floating in a sea of lights!
"Jan?" he asked quietly. I turned to look at him, my heart fluttering a little at the crooked smile he sent me, exposing his overlapped tooth. He looked nervous as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a necklace. "I, uh, wouldn't normally do this for a girl I just met," Phillip explained softly, "but, something about you…anyway, here." He held it out, and I gasped in delight. The pendant on the chain was a polished copper horse caught in mid-run, and the glow from the lanterns made it seem like it was bathed in fire.
I took it and slipped it over my head. "It's beautiful," I whispered, running a finger over the smooth metal. Phillip took my hand, gently rubbing his thumb across the calluses on my palm. I was worried he wouldn't like how unfeminine they were, but he sent me another lopsided smile. I liked that smile.
We sat there for a while when I decided to glance over at my brother's boat, but there was one problem: it wasn't there. Attempting to quell the rising sense of panic, I repeated over and over in my head that they had probably gone back to Max, or maybe they had decided to watch from the beach. Yes, that was it: Rapunzel had never been on a boat before, so she probably got seasick and asked to go ashore.
I looked up and notice most of the lanterns had floated away. "Do you mind if we head back?" I asked as politely as I possibly could; I didn't want him to think I didn't like him. He nodded and started rowing back toward the docks. When we reached the pier with Max, Phillip helped me out of the boat and offered to walk me home. I refused for two good reasons: one, I needed to wait on Eugene and Rapunzel. Two, I was not about to go on an hour trek back to my little shack in the woods.
I sat down on the pier, dangling my feet off the edge after I removed my shoes. Max clopped up behind me and gently nuzzled my shoulder. This was the first time he had given any indication of something besides hatred for me. Maybe we were starting to warm up to each other.
"Rapunzel!" a voice cried. I leapt up, looking around frantically.
"Eugene?" I called, worry creeping into my voice. Max grabbed my sleeve and turned me around to see guards dragging Eugene off a ship. I gasped when I saw what was in his hand: it was the crown. "How did he—wait, where's Rapunzel?" I exclaimed. I looked back across the river, my heart pounding. I considered immediately going after her, but a sudden realization slammed into me like a ton of bricks: if they grabbed Eugene because of the crown, that means they thought he was me! And last time I checked, I was on the list for the noose.
Thinking quickly, I ran to the place where I had stashed my clothes and changed. "Max, can I get a lift?" I asked frantically. Luckily, he seemed to understand the gravity of the situation, so he moved with his left side facing me. I hopped on and spurred him out of the city and across the bridge. If I was going to break Eugene out of prison, I needed help. And I knew exactly where to go.
I wasn't a very religious person; never had been. But that night, I prayed to whatever God who might be listening that this was going to work. It had to.