Chapter 14: Ultimate Suffering.

Gothel strolled through the forest with a wicked smile on her face. It had been several days since Rapunzel and Walter's announcement. As promised, Walter had his four fastest ships out to look for the Dread Pirate Flynn Rider. They might find his ship, but only she and her co-conspirators knew where the man himself was. She hit the secret knot on the tree and descended into the Pit of Despair. She found Yzma and the Stabbingtons sitting around a table looking completely frustrated and dumbfounded.

"What's wrong with you three?" She asked.

"We've tried everything on him, Countess!" Tyrone Stabbington groaned, motioning to the main room where Eugene was held. "He won't break!"

"That's ridiculous! Everyone breaks eventually!" Gothel snapped. "You just haven't found the right method yet."

"Not for lack of trying." Yzma sighed. "We tried cutting him…"

"Ouch! Did I feel a paper cut?" Eugene asked nonchalantly.

"Crushing him..." She continued ticking off her fingers.

"More weight, I wanna get some more reps in!"

"Freezing him…"

"Perfect way to cool down after a work out!"

"Burning him…"

"Just the thing to sooth the tight muscles."

"Boiling him in oil..."

"Mmmm, Jacuzzi."

"Whipping him..."

"Could you go a little lower? I have an itch."

"Making him constantly listen to terrible maddening noise…"

"It's a small world after all, it's a small world aft… you know, it kind of grows on you after a while."

"I even tried turning him into a llama!"

"You know, I never would have dreamed that there could be such a thing as a sexy llama… But danged if I don't pull it off!"

"…And he's shrugged it all off!" Yzma groaned, slamming her head on the table.

"Hmmm, he's stronger than I thought." Gothel frowned and stroked her chin in thought. "Well then, it's time to start him on the Machine."

"Already?" Yzma asked.

"Why not?" Gothel shrugged. "Time to put this dreamboat to the test."

"You're the countess." Tyrone Stabbington stood from his seat.

"Good, then get to it." Gothel waved them off. "Oh, and don't kill him right away, I want him to linger."

"Check. Hold on the killing, pile on the lingering." Yzma wrote on a pad.

"Excellent. Now, I've got to set a few things up before the wedding." Gothel turned and swept out of the Pit for the next part of her plan, while her minions set to work on Eugene.

The Stabbingtons pulled Eugene off the rack, jolting him awake. "Aw, come on guys, I just got my back to pop back in! Don't stop now! This is the best chiropractic service ever!"

"Shut up." The red-haired brutes grumbled as they strapped him to a table and rolled him over to the Machine. It was a giant mass of levers, cogs, wheels, pumps and hoses. At the back of the machine was a water turbine that seemed to power the machine itself. Just above Eugene's head was a dial with several numbers written on it. The Machine looked dangerous, but its purpose wasn't apparent at all from looking at it.

"So, what's this thing?" Eugene raised an eyebrow. "A giant hamster cage?"

"Laugh all you want, Rider." Tyrone grinned sadistically. "In a few minutes, you'll beg for mercy."

Yzma went up to the machine and grabbed a series of hoses and wires and began attaching them to Eugene's chest.

"In the countess' quest for immortality, she hit upon the idea for the Machine." The more talkative Stabbington explained, as Yzma attached a set of tubes to Eugene's temples. "It works on the same principle of the suction pump, but instead of sucking water, it sucks out life. Unfortunately, she was unable to find a way to harvest the extracted life so she could use it herself. So, she stuck the Machine down here for use on people that get in her way."

"That's interesting, though I immediately question the science behind 'sucking life' out of a person." Eugene looked at the brutish man in confusion.

"I don't really understand it myself." The evil footman shrugged as he pulled the lever. "This is only your first time, so I'll be gentle and use the lowest setting."

Water rushed in from an aqueduct system and the machine activated. It rumbled to life and began its unspeakable work. Eugene tried to brace himself, but there was no way he could have anticipated such intense pain. He felt his body being yanked apart from the inside. Eugene squeezed his eyes shut, trying to ride out the pain, but it just wouldn't leave.

After one minute, that from Eugene's perspective lasted a year, the pain stopped. Eugene's body shook in agony and finally relaxed as he fought for breath.

"The machine has just sucked out a year of your life." Tyrone explained. "The higher settings will take several years away at once, and presumably amplify the pain. The countess doesn't want you drained all at once, though, so, you're not going to die from this. At least, not until she says so,"

"The countess wanted us to document the effects of the machine for posterity." Yzma said pulling out her notebook again. "So, how do you feel?"

Eugene had no strength to speak or move or even form a thought. He simply moaned and burst into tears.

Yzma quickly jotted down her notes. "Interesting."

Rapunzel strolled through the castle after meeting with the baker handling the wedding cake. She had felt better over the last few days since Walter had given her a way out of the wedding, but in the back of her mind, she wondered if her mother was right. She had been the one who walked away from Eugene. The four fastest ships had taken her message out to search for Eugene's ship, The Smolder, but there had been no word. Every day, she wondered if he really would come back.

"Pascal, do you think Mother's right?" Rapunzel asked as her chameleon friend perched on her head.

Pascal shook his head vigorously.

"It's been a few days; the ships should have found him by now." She went on nervously.

Pascal skittered down and nuzzled her cheek.

"You're right, it's probably too soon." Rapunzel rationalized. "Still, I guess it wouldn't hurt to ask."

She walked down the hall towards Walter's study. Unknown to her, however, a secret meeting was taking place there. The king, the queen, the prince, her mother, the captain of the guard and a chipmunk all sat around a table in the study, with the doors and windows locked.

"What's this all about?" Gothel asked.

"This is a top secret matter of security." Prince Walter said seriously. "This information can't leave this room."

"Son, what's wrong?" Queen Nancy asked.

"Show them, Captain Phoebus." Walter ordered.

"Ahem." The chipmunk let out an annoyed cough.

"Sorry. Show them, Captain Phoebus and Pip." Walter corrected himself.

"That's better." Pip nodded satisfied.

"My intelligence network intercepted these messages." C set several rolls of parchment on the table.

"These don't look too good, Ya Highnesses." The chipmunk said, unrolling the paper. "Me and the boys saw somebody in a black cloak drop this in the forest. The birds lost track of the guy, but he was up to no good."

"You sure?" Nancy asked.

"Would anybody who isn't evil go sneakin' around the forest in the middle of the day wearin' an ominous black cloak?" Pip confidently stated.

"He's got a point." Edward nodded.

"More kidnappers are planning to come after Princess Rapunzel." Phoebus said, reading off the top page. "They're hiding out in the Thieves' Forest and intend to strike on the wedding night, no less!"

"The newest message also implies that these kidnappers are agents of Corona." Walter frowned in indignation.

"What?" Edward jumped to his feet. "They tell us to leave them alone all these years and now they're suddenly sending people here to cause trouble?"

"Looking back on the abduction a week ago, it seems to make sense. Rapunzel was taken to Corona, we even found her on the outskirts of its capital city." Walter rubbed his chin. "Perhaps those kidnappers were in their employ as well."

"This makes no sense." Nancy shook her head in disbelief. "How could they do this?"

"Oh, my poor daughter!" Gothel whimpered. "She can't be taken again, she just can't!"

"And she won't." the prince said, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Tomorrow, I'll send the men into the Thieves' Forest. It'll be emptied and the thieves and thugs will be jailed."

"Oh thank you, Your Highness." Gothel gratefully kissed his hand.

"That may be a problem, Your Highness." Captain Phoebus spoke up. "The Thieves' Forest is a very large area to secure and our guards are pulling double shifts to guard the castle and the wedding preparations. We may not have the man power."

"That's true…" Walter frowned. "Then I will have to form a brute squad then. We have to keep her safe."

The group was startled by a small knock on the door followed by Rapunzel calling, "Hello?"

"Put these away." The prince ordered, as he and the captain gathered the papers and shoved him into a drawer. Walter went to the study door and unlocked it. "Hello, Rapunzel."

"Sorry, am I interrupting something?" She asked.

"Nothing that important." The prince shrugged. "Was there something you needed?"

"Um," Rapunzel twisted a strand of her hair and uncomfortably asked, "Well, I was wondering if there was any word from Eugene?"

"Ah." The prince said, keeping his face neutral. "I'm afraid not, Milady. Rest assured the moment we hear anything, we will inform you."

"Thank you." She smiled awkwardly. "Well, I, uh, I guess I should get back to helping the baker."

"I'll help you, Flower." Gothel smiled as she came to the door.

"Oh… thank you, Mother." Rapunzel strained to smile. "Well, see you later, then."

After the princess and her mother walked away, Walter shut the door and turned to his parents and the captain.

"She will not be taken again!" Walter declared forcefully. "Get to work at once!"

"Yes, Your Highness." Phoebus bowed. He walked to the door but hesitated. "Where'd Pip go?"

Suddenly everyone heard a muffled voice and knocking coming from the desk drawer. "LEMME OUTTA HERE! COME ON! THIS AIN'T FUNNY!"

Meanwhile, Rapunzel and Gothel walked down the hall towards the kitchens.

"So… did you ever find where that draft was coming from?" Rapunzel valiantly tried to make small talk to avoid the subject she was afraid her mother would bring up. Pascal hid in her braid to avoid Gothel.

"Draft?" Gothel looked confused, before she remembered her cover story. "OH! Yes, I did find it the other day. It was coming from a small hole in my room. It's taken care of. But there's something more important to talk about."

"Oh?" Rapunzel asked rhetorically. She knew very well what was coming.

"Darling, you need to face the possibility that this Eugene won't come." Gothel explained, almost sounding sympathetic. "I know you think you two had something special, but-"

"We did-we do have something special." Rapunzel interrupted.

"Rapunzel, I know you two had a fling when you were younger, but you're being very naïve about this. Maybe there was a little nostalgic excitement at seeing him and the whole romanticized idea that he got you away from the kidnappers in your mind, that doesn't mean you two are meant to be."

"He chased me down across the ocean, climbed cliffs, fought thugs and ruffians and ran cross-country to save me!" Rapunzel insisted. "Why would he go that far if he didn't care for me?"

"Being in line to become a princess might have something to do with it. Ransom or reward would have made him a very rich man."

"He wouldn't do that!" Rapunzel snapped, taking Gothel by surprise. The princess sighed and regained control of her temper. "Sorry, Mother. Eugene only ever wanted the two of us to be together."

"People change, dear." Gothel sighed. "The world is a hard place and sometimes it makes people you thought you knew into cruel and selfish people."

"Eugene isn't like that!"

"There's no need to get angry, dear. I'm just trying to protect you from being let down if it turns out he doesn't care."

"No, you're trying to convince me that Eugene and I shouldn't be together." Rapunzel turned to her mother with angry tears in her eyes. "You treat me like I'm too weak to do anything on my own! You think I'm too stupid to make my own decisions without it becoming a disaster!"

"Well, I'm sorry for looking after my daughter's best interests!" Gothel replied in an equally angry tone. "I'm trying to protect you!"

"This is way past protection, Mother. All my life, you've smothered, stifled and guilt me into doing everything your way because 'mother knows best!'" Rapunzel raged.

"Right, because Rapunzel knows best!" Gothel sarcastically hummed. "You think you know everything about the real world because of what you experienced when those villains took you?"

"No, not everything! But at least I've had a chance to make my own choices for once without worrying you'll disapprove of every single move I make!"

"Well, I'm sorry if you think I did a bad job as a mother, but I will not apologize for looking after my flower!" Gothel yelled back.

"I'm not a flower! I'm a human being!" Rapunzel shouted. The assertion caught Gothel completely off-guard; she just stared at Rapunzel as seeing her for the first time. "You're my mother and I love you, but you don't own me! Yeah, I'm your daughter, but I'm still my own person! I have my own thoughts and feelings, and you only ever make me like something to show off to people and have sing to you when you feel run down! Well, I've had it! I'm not spending the rest of my life having you deciding everything for me! Eugene will come for me and we will get married! And maybe, when you see that we are happy and love each other, maybe you can finally realize that I'm actually worth something and maybe even be happy for me!"

Rapunzel turned and quickly marched down the hall, leaving Gothel staring after her in shock. The countess slowly processed what had just occurred and a dark look passed over her face.

"Oh, I see how it is." Gothel said under her breath as a sinister smirk curled her lips. "Well, I won't say I told you so."

The day of the wedding had finally come. There was no word from Eugene, but Rapunzel held out hope. The royal family kept things going on schedule for the wedding, and Gothel and her minions continued their secret evil plans. Thanks to Gothel's false messages, security was increased around the castle and the brute squad had their hands full emptying the Thieves' Forest.

"Captain!" A guard named Conli ran up to Phoebus. "We've got everyone else out, that's left is a drunk Spaniard and a mime."

"Good. Take care of them. And meet up with the wagons." The captain said, spurring his horse. "Achilles, heel!"

The guard went back to the old shack and found the two hold outs; Hook Hand and Ulf the Mime. Ulf tried to pull Hook Hand up, but his drunken despair made it impossible.

"I had them, Mom and Dad!" Hook Hand moaned as he took another swig of the cheap ale he'd been drowning himself in for days. "They were right there! I was gonna wreck-rock-wreak vengeance and then what happens? A tidal wave washes us away! It's not fair!"

"You there, thug!" Conli called to Hook Hand. "You need to get out of here or you'll be arrested!"

"Shut up." Hook Hand hurled the tankard at the guard. "I've got bigger problems!"

"This is on the prince's orders. You need to leave." The guard repeated, trying to sound more forceful.

"I DON'T CARE!" Hook Hand drew his sword, knocking Ulf down in the process. He stumbled forward, still swinging his sword. "I don't care if the prince, the president, the pope or Disney Himself! I'm not leaving until I find a way to get those red haired killers!"

"That's it; I'm calling the brute squad!" Conli stuttered. "You, there, I need some help!"

"Coming." Replied a low voice.

Hook Hand looked up at the huge shadow that fell over him. "Come and get me, you big lug!"

"Wouldn't you rather have a big hug?" Replied the brute. Hook and Ulf looked at the brute's face.

"Hey, it's Vlad!" the Spaniard smiled drunkenly.

"Aren't you glad?" Vladimir asked. The muscleman turned and knocked the guard unconscious. "Let's get him sobered up, Ulf."

The mime nodded as he and followed his friends into the shack.

After a few hours, Hook Hand finally began to sober up. Unfortunately, he now suffered from a hangover that could kill a dragon.

"Uggggghhhhh." Hook Hand moaned.

"Hair of the dog." Vlad said, passing his friend a cup.

Hook Hand took a slight sip and spat it out. "Blah! Whatever that dog rolled in, it tastes awful."

"Great, once you're ready, we can get to work." Vladimir smiled.

"What work?" Hook Hand asked, wiping his eyes. "The only work I care about is tracking down those murderers. I'll need to go back to Corona to find them."

"You don't understand, Hook!" Vlad interjected. "They're here!"

"What?" Hook Hand's mind cleared in an instant upon hearing this news.

"They're called the Stabbington Brothers. They're Countess Gothel's footmen!"

"WHAT?!" Hook Hand nearly fell out of his chair in astonishment. "Are you sure?!"

"Dead sure!" Vlad replied. Ulf nodded vehemently in agreement. "They're in the castle right now, with the countess."

"YES!" Hook Hand jumped up with a savage grin on his face. "Come on!"

"Wait, Hook!" Vlad put a massive hand on his friend's shoulder. "They beefed up security for the wedding. The front gate is guarded sixty men!"

Hook Hand's face fell. He paced and thought for a long moment. "How many could you handle?"

"I don't think more than thirty." Vlad shook his head.

"Leaving another thirty for me and Ulf. We couldn't take that many at once" Hook Hand said mostly to himself. "Gah! I need somebody like Yzma to plan this out. I'm no good at strategizing anything but sword fights."

"But Yzma's gone. We looked all over and we can't find her." Vlad threw his hands up in defeat.

"No…" Hook Hand's eyes lit up. "No, we don't need Yzma! We need the Dread Pirate Flynn Rider!"

"The Man in Black?" Vlad asked. "Why him?"

"Think about it! He beat me with swordsmanship, he beat you two with strength, and he outsmarted Yzma! And, he's Princess Rapunzel's true love, so he'll have even more reason to crash the wedding! He's the perfect one to lead this attack!"

The door to the shack suddenly burst open. The three friends looked up as two more large men ran inside and slammed the door behind them. One wore a honed helmet that covered his face, and the other wore a winged helmet and sported a giant nose.

"Hey, I know you two!" Hook Hand jumped out of his chair. "You were at the bar fight! You worked for Flynn Rider! Good! We need you too…"

"SHHHH!" Big Nose shushed. "We've been on the run for days!"

"I don't remember seeing you two when I signed up for the brute squad." Vlad frowned.

"It's not the guards or the brute squad we're running from." Attila said, peering out the window. "The soldiers after us work for Countess Gothel."

"The countess?" The others gasped.

"Why would she be after you?" Hook Hand asked.

"We came looking for the Captain, but he never showed up to the rendezvous point." Attila explained. "We went looking for him and saw Gothel's men dragging him off."

"When we tried to save him, we were ambushed." Big Nose grumbled. "Most of the crew was captured and sent of the palace dungeon, the rest of us hid here in the Thieves' Forest."

"It's all coming together." Vladimir muttered. "The countess is up to something. She hired us to kidnap the princess and frame Corona, she captures the princess' true love, imprisons anyone who sees it…she's planning to hurt the princess and start a war!"

Ulf chewed his nails in fear.

"Now we know we need Flynn Rider!" Hook Hand said, grabbing his sword. "He can plan the castle onslaught, and once we're inside, we'll release your pals, save the princess, stop the countess and I'll finally get my revenge on the Stabbingtons! Come on, we gotta find him!"

"But we don't know where he is!" Vlad tried explaining.

"Don't use your fancy pants logic to confuse the situation! This is kismet! This is fate!" Hook Hand raged, grabbing his sword. "Tonight, innocent blood will be avenged! Villains will fall to heroes! Heroes will become legends! And legends will become… legendary! Come on, boys! Our destiny awaits!"

Vladimir and Ulf watched their friend charge out the door. They shared a concerned look, until they both broke into a smirk. The muscleman and the mime charged out the door after Hook Hand towards their ill-conceived adventure.

"Sire." Walter looked up from his desk to see Captain Phoebus saluting him. "The Thieves' Forest is empty, sixty men guard the castle gate and I have the only key."

"Bring in another forty men." Walter ordered. "The princess must be protected."

"Of course, Your Highness." Phoebus bowed. 'But I gotta ask, what do we do if the Dread Pirate Flynn Rider does show up?"

"You escort him to the throne room for an audience." Walter explained in a clipped tone. "If he tries anything restrain him, but he is not to be harmed until this business is taken care of."

"And what if he tries anything funny?"

"Then, you can kill him like a chicken." Walter shrugged.

"Yes, Sire." Phoebus left, only for Rapunzel to walk in at that very moment, looking very nervous.

"Hello, Walter." She bowed.

"I wish you wouldn't bow to me like that." Walter sighed. "After tonight, you'll be my wife and we'll be on equal footing."

"Assuming Eugene doesn't show up, of course." Rapunzel mumbled.

"Yes, unless that happens." Walter grumbled.

"Your Highness!" A guard burst into the room. "The Dread Pirate Flynn Rider is at the gate! He's wants an audience."

Before Walter could answer, Rapunzel bolted out of the room.

"Well, que sera sera." Walter sadly muttered as he trudged after her. "Have him meet us in the throne room."

Rapunzel ran through the halls, not noticing she ran right past her mother and the king and queen.

"Was that… Rapunzel?" Gothel asked.

"I'm not sure; I just saw a yellow and purple blur." Nancy commented, looking down the hall.

By the time the royals caught up with her, Walter had explained the situation and found the princess pacing in the throne room waiting for Eugene to be escorted in.

"Now, calm down, dear." Gothel said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "He'll be here shortly."

"I know, it's just…" She gulped in anticipation.

"Flow-Rapunzel? I know I come on a little strong, but if you and Eugene really do decide to be together… I'll support you and be happy for you." Gothel began regretfully. "Just don't forget that I love you, all right?"

Rapunzel turned to her mother and smiled, touched by the sentiment. "Only if you remember I love you more."

"And that I love you most." Gothel finished, kissing the top of her head.

At that moment, the doors opened and there, in all his Dread Pirate glory was Eugene Fitzherbert. He switched out the plain clothes he wore during her birthday for the old black pirate coat, gloves, boots and hat. All that was missing was his mask. He was escorted into the throne room by the guards and, surprisingly, Maximus.

"Max, what are you doing?" Rapunzel asked.

"He insisted on keeping an eye on Rider, here." One of the guards said, nodding towards Maximus, who gave Eugene an unwavering glare.

"I appreciate it, Maximus, but it's all right." Rapunzel laughed at the seemingly endless rivalry between the two of them. She then turned her attention to Eugene. She ran up to him and threw her arms around him in a tight hug. "I knew you'd come!"

"You did?" Eugene asked, not returning the hug she gave him. His voice was neutral, as was his expression.

When she let go, she looked at him in confusion. "Of course I did."

"Well, I'm here now, so what's up?" Eugene asked, folding his arms impatiently.

"Well, Walter has graciously agreed to call off the royal wedding because he's seen how much we care for each other. So, now we can be together and-"

"Eh, I don't think so." Eugene shrugged.

Rapunzel's heart fell into the pit of her stomach. "…What?"

"Yeah, sorry, that's not gonna work for me." Eugene flippantly said, picking a piece of lint off his sleeve.

"Wh…What do you mean?" She asked, feeling panic rise in her chest. "We… You and I were…"

"Sorry, Blondie, but I'm over you." Eugene bluntly said, giving her a look of irritation.

"What?!" She stumbled back as if he had punched her in the face. "What do you mean, 'you're over me?' What about everything we've been through? Everything we meant to each other?!"

"What about that? Here's what about that: it means nothing!" Eugene snapped at her. "You are too much of a weakling! You don't love me; you just want me as your little fantasy to rebel against your mother! When the chips were down, you folded and ran out on me!"

"You would have died if I didn't!" Rapunzel defended.

"Yeah, whatever you say, Blondie." He snidely replied, mocking their old secret version of "I love you."

"I was trying to save you!" She screamed in desperation.

"You were trying to save yourself!" He shouted back. "You just wanted to avoid the consequences of making grown up choices, so you abandoned me to run off and be a princess!"

"That's not true! Eugene, I love you!" Rapunzel cried, tears streaming down her face.

"Eugene Fitzherbert died five years ago! My name is Flynn Rider!" He punctuated each word with a poke to her shoulder. "And I. Don't. Love! You!"

Rapunzel fell to the floor, staring up at the hateful face of her true love. She could only gaze up at him in disbelief. "No… no."

"Now, if that's all, I'll be going now." Flynn Rider gave a casual smirk to the royal family.

Edward and Nancy glared at the pirate with utter loathing at his heartless display, and their son was absolutely shaking with rage.

"I was prepared to offer mercy for my beloved's sake." Walter said in a quiet controlled voice as he drew his sword. "But if you think for one second that you can walk in here, insult my princess and walk away, you are sadly mistaken."

"And you seem to have forgotten one minor detail." Flynn smiled arrogantly.

Walter raised his sword. "And this is…?"

"I'm the Dread Pirate Flynn Rider!" He snapped his fingers and a large black horse leapt through a window and ran over to him. In a flash, he jumped onto the creature's back and rode out of the throne room without a word.

"AFTER HIM!" Walter roared as the pirate galloped out the front gate. He turned and saw Rapunzel still sitting on the floor in a daze. She just stared off into space where the man she thought was her true love stood. He sheathed his sword and bent down to her. "I'm so sorry, Rapunzel. I never wanted you to be hurt like this."

"I know." She answered in a very small, far away voice.

The prince helped her stand up, which led to a huge hug from her mother, the prince, and the king and queen.

"I'm sorry, darling." Gothel ran a comforting hand down her hair.

"It'll be all right, Punzie." Nancy whispered, hugging her close.

"Yes, it will." She replied in an emotionless voice. "I… I need a few minutes to… to um…"

"Of course, Milady." Walter nodded.

"Then, we can finish everything for the wedding tonight." Rapunzel finished.

"Of course." The prince agreed. He felt a surge of guilt at getting what he wanted at such a horrible cost.

"I'll take her to her room." Gothel intoned, leading the shell shocked Rapunzel out of the room. The walk to her room was quiet; even Gothel couldn't find words to describe what had happened.

"You were right…" Rapunzel said out of nowhere as her face crumpled. "You were right about everything."

"I know dear, I know." She said, patting her back. "I really did try to warn you what it's like out there. The world is dark, selfish, and cruel. If it finds the slightest ray of sunshine, it destroys it."

"I'm sorry I didn't believe you." Rapunzel sobbed, wiping her eyes.

"It's all right dear." She said as she opened the door to Rapunzel's room. She guided her towards the bed and sat her down. "Do you want me to make you some hazelnut soup? You're favorite?"

Rapunzel just shook her head. "I just want to be alone for a while, please, Mother."

"Of course." Gothel gave her a final pat on her head as she turned and left the room. When the door clicked shut, she gave a small triumphant smile. "Just one last loose end to tie up."

As Flynn galloped out to the courtyard, Maximus took off after him at top speed. He was never as fond of Eugene as Rapunzel or Pascal were, but now he was out for blood. There was no way on Earth that insolent stable boy was going to break Rapunzel's heart and live. He chased the pirate through the forest, leaping over every obstacle, smashing anything in his way, but he was still falling behind.

He lost the trail after twenty minutes chasing, but he went on trying to pick up the scent. Finally, he picked up the smell of the heartless pirate he had been chasing. Curiously, the scent was different. It definitely belonged to the man he was chasing, but it didn't smell the same as when he smelled it in Corona.

Suddenly, he heard a rustling in the bushes. He jumped behind a large rock waited. Sure enough, Flynn Rider came sauntering out of the woods towards a twisted tree.

"Well, that was easy."

Maximus reared back to charge when Flynn suddenly pulled a necklace of some kind out from under his shirt. With a yank, he pulled it off and his body began to change before Max's eyes. He grew a foot taller, his long dark hair became short and red, his body filled out with bulkier muscles, and he quickly placed an eye patch over his scarred left eye socket.

The horse was stunned. He recognized the man as one of Rapunzel's mother's footmen. He had pretended to be Eugene and broke Rapunzel's heart! The horse snorted in mounting rage. The red-haired footman hit a knot on the gnarled old tree, and Max watched a door swing open. To his further surprise, the old woman who kidnapped Rapunzel before was there too.

"Did you get the job done, Stabbington?" Yzma purred. The evil footman nodded with wicked satisfaction. "Excellent! The countess will be pleased!"

"Indeed, I am." Max's eyes widened as Gothel came strolling up to them as well. "Now come on, I think it's time we gave Mr. Fitzherbert one last round on the Machine!"

Max watched in horror as the door swung shut, the countess' evil laughter echoing in the clearing. Rapunzel was being manipulated and Eugene was being held captive and he was the only one who knew. He had to do something, fast. The horse hesitated, not knowing what to do. Rapunzel could communicate with he and Pascal, but how could he convey this subterfuge? Would she even believe that wasn't Eugene and her own mother had taken part in this dastardly deception? He needed help! With a neigh of angry determination, the valiant horse took off in search of aid. He would not stop until his friends were safe and the guilty were punished, or his name wasn't Maximus.

"I was hoping never to see you again." Gothel sneered as she paced around the table Eugene was strapped to.

"Well, life isn't fair." Eugene shot back. He had been through unimaginable pain the last few days. The Machine had sucked away nearly thirty years of his life, and every setting hurt worse than the last.

"When I paid that merchant ship to sail into the Dread Pirate Flynn Rider's path, I hoped that would have been the end of it." Gothel sighed. "And yet, here you are, meddling with my plans for the future."

"Yeah, that's my job." Eugene smirked at her. "You know, I knew even back then that you weren't all there, but you really are ten different types of crazy."

"Says the fool who was insane enough to stand in my way." The countess sneered.

"When I get out of here, me and Rapunzel are probably gonna move out and get a place of our own. And, just so we're clear, I think it would be best if you didn't visit us for a while." He joked back.

"You're going to die down here and Rapunzel will never know." Gothel gloated. "Thanks to me, she thinks you don't love her and never want to see her again."

"Sure, tell me another one." Eugene rolled his eyes.

"No, I'm serious. She's heartbroken and all set to marry Prince Walter, and that's not even the best part." Gothel smiled as she leaned down to face him.

"What's the best part?" Eugene hissed. Gothel whispered her answer to him. His eyes widened in horror at her revelation. She pulled back, grinning evilly at him. "You're lying. You're lying! That… that can't be true!"

"Oh, it is. I want you to think that over while you die." Gothel said evilly. "You and Rapunzel truly loved each other and you might have been truly happy. No other couple in a century has that kind of chance, no matter what the storybooks say. So, I don't think another man in a century should suffer as greatly as you will." Gothel grinned sadistically as she walked over to the lever and pulled it up. The dial went higher and higher than any previous session. Five years, ten, twenty, fifty.

"Not to fifty!" Tyrone Stabbington yelled, jumping out of his chair.

"No, not fifty! I said no one in a century will suffer like he will!" Gothel cackled as she pushed the lever to one hundred.

Eugene's eyes slammed shut and his mouth opened wide in an ear-piercing scream. It was a scream beyond pain, loss, rage, despair or agony. It was the sound of ultimate suffering. It filled the Pit of Despair and still carried out across the kingdom.

Men and women stopped whatever they were doing and shivered in terror. Children ran to their parents and cried. People locked themselves in their homes or dashed into the nearest building. Everyone in every church for miles around began desperately praying. Every bird in the kingdom took to the air to flee whatever was making that horrifying sound.

By all logic, a human being shouldn't be capable of making a noise like that. It was worse than a wounded animal or a man in torment. The only thing anyone could think of that could produce a sound like that was if the evil Chernabog had begun one of his hellish revelries on Bald Mountain.

King Edward and Queen Nancy held each other close as the scream filtered into the throne room. Walter drew his sword and looked around; expecting whatever was making that noise to jump out at any moment.

When Rapunzel heard the noise, she was curled up in bed crying in despair. As she registered the noise, her sorrow only intensified. Her heart had continuously made that sound since "Eugene" broke her heart and crushed her soul. Now, it pierced through her body right to her bones. She felt physical pain as the sound of ultimate suffering overcame her. She passed out from shock as the scream spread across the kingdom until it finally found…

"Whoops!"

"What?!" Rose and Zachary practically screamed.

"Sorry, children. It slipped out of my hands." Their grandfather said as he picked the book up off the ground and flipped back through the pages. "Let's see, we were on page 236, I think."

Author's note: Wow, this chapter turned out a lot darker than I had planned. Oh well, I'll just have to up the comedy in the next update.

Leave a review cause it makes me update faster. And every second there isn't an update, Rapunzel and Eugene remain stuck in ultimate suffering mode.