Twelve: The New Beginning

My eyes fluttered open. Rapunzel sat over me.

"Rapunzel?" I whispered. Her teary eyes filled with happiness. Relief flooded me as I looked up into her beautiful face.

"Eugene?" She tried to brush the short brown hair out of her face.

"Did I ever tell you I've got a thing for brunettes?"

"Eugene!" She squealed and threw her arms around me without hesitation. I wrapped one arm around her while I sat up. I felt my heart pounding in my chest against hers. I hugged her tightly, burying my face in her neck. She pulled away from me for a moment, her eyes scanning my face and laughing pure joy before kissing me.

Everything stopped for a moment when her soft lips pressed to mine. My heart skipped before I closed my eyes and felt my own lips move with hers. My arm that was wrapped around her pressed her against me as I shifted, bringing my other hand off the floor and up her back. Her knees fell to either side of me as she kissed harder and with more desperation. One of her hands combed into my hair and grabbed a fistful as the other pulled gently at the collar of my shirt.

"I love you." I whispered against her as my lips moved from her mouth to her neck.

"I love you." She answered in a half sigh with her eyes closed as her hands moved to my chest. I moved my hand down to her waist and the clinking of the chains made me stop.

"Wait." I said, pulling away and biting my bottom lip. She paused and looked at me, her face flushed with red. "Where's the key?" She giggled before getting up and going to the other end of the room where the key lay forgotten. She half ran back to me and I held out my arm for her to unlock the manacles. Her hand lingered in mine before I got up and stood with my head bent, my lips brushing her forehead. She tilted her face up to mine and kissed me again. I gently ran my tongue over her lips and felt her shiver in my arms.

I scooped her up and she giggled, throwing her arms around my shoulders and kicking her feet before planting kisses in the space on my neck where it met my shoulder. I walked up the stairs slowly, trying to walk despite the way her kisses made my knees weak.

"There." She said, pointing with her foot up to an archway with red curtains acting as a door. I walked into her room, pushing the curtain aside gently. Her kisses had returned, ripping my attention from my surroundings.

I dropped Rapunzel down onto the bed and kissed her as I kicked my boots off behind me. Her hands fumbled at my vest, ripping and pulling it off of me. She pulled away from me to yank my white shirt over my head and tossed it aside absently as her eyes drank me in. I pulled her up against me, my body aching for her, and my fingers felt clumsy as they worked the strings of her corset. Once there were no more clothes she pulled me to her, kissing and nipping at my bottom lip, sending shivers down my spine.

"Do you want this?" I asked, our eyes locking.

"Yes." she whispered, pulling me closer and kissing me deeply.

Rapunzel's head was on my shoulder as she played with my hand. Moonlight spilled in through the bedroom window, illuminating the small space. A vanity stood near the door with its mirror tipped. All of the things that should have been on it were scattered or broken on the floor. The small purple flag with the kingdom's sun emblem lay on the floor.

"What happened?" I whispered, my lips against Rapunzel's temple.

"When?" She asked softly. Her hands had stopped moving and gently held two of my fingers.

"When you got here."

"Mother brought me here and took my hair down from the braid and took all of the flowers." Rapunzel whispered, her voice so soft I could barely hear it. "She left to go make soup and I saw the Sun."

"The Sun?"

"The kingdom has a Sun and so does everything." She said slowly and vaguely. "What happened to you when you left?" She asked in a louder voice, bringing it back to normal volume.

"I saw these two guys I used to work with and they wanted the crown that I'd stolen with them a few days ago. I went to go give them the crown and tell them I wanted no part anymore. They told me they wanted you for… your hair." I cleared my throat. "I woke up tied to a boat with the crown tied to my hand. The guards took me to jail and were about to hang me when the guys from the snuggly duckling came and broke me out. Max brought me here. How am I alive right now? I cut off your hair." I fingered the tips of her short brown hair.

"I don't know. I cried and sang because that's all I know." She moved to look up at me and kissed my cheek.

"What were you saying about the Sun's?" I asked gently as she moved her hand to touch my side where I'd been stabbed.

"I'm her." Rapunzel whispered, nuzzling her face into my chest shyly.

"What?"

"I am the lost princess." Rapunzel said quietly, lifting her head so that he words came out clearly. A chill ran through me as she said it.