AN: Hello, my friends! I'd hoped to be able to get this chapter up sooner, but unfortunately its finals week at school, so I've been spending a lot of time elsewhere. Thankfully, my university has a SEVEN WEEK LONG Christmas break this year, so you know what that means… lots of new chapters coming your way soon. Because what else would I possibly do with all that free time, but write this story?
In other news, last night, I outlined where I want the entirety of 'Killing Me Slowly' to go, and I'm really excited for the upcoming twists and dark turns, and I hope you are too. Today's featured song is Mr. Brightside by The Killers. Yes, I'm a big fan of the classics. Enjoy the new chapter!
Chapter 9: Operation 'Take Down Fitzherbert'
Prince Charles of Maddoline has felt positively strange all week. In the wake of the morning he'd spent watching (okay, maybe a more appropriate term would be spying on), his wife's ex-boyfriend and contemplating his own role here in the royal palace, Charles feels a newfound jovialness for life in Corona. That morning, he'd decided that he would try his best to enjoy life here, to make the most of this arranged situation. He would prefer that Rapunzel return to his beloved Maddoline kingdom with him, but it doesn't appear as though that's going to happen – not right now, anyway.
That same morning, he'd concluded that enough was enough: coming second to Eugene Fitzherbert in his own marriage, simply will not do anymore. His wife will find a way to let go of the former thief, one way or another. Charles simply needs to figure out a feasible method of making that happen.
Speaking of his wife, whenever Charles sees the princess lately, whether it's passing her in the hallway between lessons, from across the dinner table, or before blowing out the candle at bedtime, he feels a tad… shaky, if not a little sick. He feels as though an army of butterflies have erupted in his stomach, ones he hadn't even realized were cocooned there all this time.
Charles has come to the realization that the princess is… pretty. Really pretty, the kind of pretty that leaves you speechless. Her presence, though she usually brushes him away politely, often leaves him wonderstruck, itching to talk with her, yearning for her attention. Maybe he just likes the chase, and wants to prove to himself that he's capable of catching a girl who's playing so hard to get. Regardless, Charles isn't exactly sure where these sudden, sappy feelings toward the princess have come from, or when they'd become rooted – but they're rooting themselves within him now – and deep.
This evening, sitting at the dinner table with the king and queen, Charles really looks at Rapunzel for the first time, harder now than he ever has before — even harder than he had on their wedding day. She looks especially pretty today in a simple green dress, which compliments her similarly colored eyes, and the short, dark hair framing her face. On anyone else, the choppy hairstyle would honestly look a little silly, but something about it is just so... fitting for her.
He leans forward a little, wondering if he can count the freckles that cover the bridge of the princess's nose from across the table.
"Charles, dear, how was your day?"
He hadn't been paying any attention to the dinner table small talk between Rapunzel and her parents. Queen Arianna is looking at him with a soft expression, awaiting his answer patiently.
The king and queen are nice. They're always friendly, and they seem to like him, enough – enough to at least tolerate his sudden presence in their home. Similarly to the princess, the older couple is still a little awkward around him, maybe. If not because they had already become attached to Fitzherbert, and because they still feel guilty about bursting the delusional little bubble their daughter had been living in with the former thief. But, just like with the princess, if Charles is patient enough, he reasons with himself, the king and queen will soon treat him like a son of their own, just as they had Eugene. With time, they will treat him even more like a son than they had the notorious ex-thief, because Charles is the future co-ruler of their kingdom.
That has to be worth more than being their daughter's temporary boyfriend. Right?
Then again, Eugene is the only reason Rapunzel is even sitting here at the dinner table now. The man had returned to the king and queen the daughter they'd been yearning eighteen years to have back, had put his neck on the line for her, more than once. They obviously liked him enough to clear every one of the thief's outstanding citations against the kingdom. Charles has a long road ahead of him before they appreciate him as much as they surely are eternally grateful to Eugene for rescuing their princess, regardless of his questionable past. Charles knows that, but isn't off-put by the challenge.
The prince clears his throat, deciding against counting each of the princess's freckles. Maybe later, if he could find a way to strike up a conversation before bed, before she would surely roll over and ignore him for the majority of the next twenty-four hours.
"Oh, yes, my day was... my day was fine. Thank you for asking, ma'am." Charles half-heartedly returns the queen's gentle smile, side-eyeing Rapunzel, who's far too busy diving into a piece of chocolate cake to pay him much attention.
"How have you been enjoying your lessons?" The king asks in that big, booming voice of his.
Frederic was definitely less talkative and less inviting in nature, less warm than his wife, but Charles takes it as a good sign that the king is making an effort to make conversation. For the majority of the last three months, the king has followed his daughter's cue, keeping the prince just at arm's length, never going out of his way to pursue any kind of real relationship beyond diplomatic conversation and public outings.
Charles considers his daily lessons. The many boring, painstakingly long lessons he's expected to partake in, lesson's with a purpose of teaching him about each intricate detail of Corona's government, because he would be Queen Consort someday. He'd attended his own lessons back in Maddoline for many years, but none quite so demanding and extensive. All of this time and energy will be worth it though, Charles supposes, if only because he is fourth in line to the Maddolineon crown. Unless all three of his older brothers were to simultaneously croak early on in life, he had no chance of being acting ruler of his own kingdom.
Queen Consort of Corona would have to be the next best thing.
"I've been learning a lot, Sir, thank you. I'm grateful for the opportunity to immerse myself in the inner workings of life as a citizen of Corona."
Okay, that was a little bit of a white lie. Charles mostly cares about his own citizens back in Maddoline, and had only agreed to marry Princess Rapunzel (not that his parents had given him much of a choice), because he'd been promised that the union would benefit his kingdom greatly. This promise had made the decision practically brainless, because Charles genuinely wants the best for his kingdom. Being as selfless as he is will always come with a hefty price.
Trade and diplomatic relations between Corona and Maddoline are currently at an all-time high, and the economies of both kingdoms have already vastly improved in the last several months since the prince had moved to Corona. But, Charles concludes, Corona is his home now, so it would be in his best interest to show a little more care for its subjects. After all, they would be his subjects someday, whenever Frederic and Arianna step down, or subsequently pass away, ultimately leaving him and their daughter in charge.
"Are you excited to experience your first Christmas season here in Corona?" The queen asks, an obvious light in her eyes at the thought of Christmastime.
Charles considers the approaching holiday season. After all, it is December now, and in Corona, it's tradition for the entirety of the kingdom to participate in a four-week-long festival, which would celebrate the upcoming holidays. This festival would come to an end with the big Christmas Eve ball, in which Charles and Rapunzel would make their debut into the royal social circle as a married couple. The four-week festival will provide the prince and princess plenty of opportunities to show their faces in the kingdom, connecting with the local villagers, lending a helping hand to those who need it.
"So, I assume that means you'll be accompanying Rapunzel to the village orphanage tomorrow, to donate toys for the local children and meet with some of them. This event always kicks off the festival, and a lot of generous people contribute to make it happen." King Frederic, Charles has noticed, shells out orders far more than he asks questions.
"I'd be happy to escort her, Sir."
"Good. Oh, and by the way…" The king continues with a strange expression, as though he were trying his very best to hold back a belly laugh. "I've appointed Eugene Fitzherbert as the head security detail for the event."
"You… what?" Charles asks, his eyebrows furrowing together at the mention of the former thief's name.
"What?" Rapunzel exclaims simultaneously, looking up suddenly from her cake, immediately interested in the conversation.
The king shoots Charles a hard look, assumedly not appreciating the tone the young prince had taken with him.
"Is that going to be a problem?"
"No, Sir, of course not. What I meant to say was… that's great." Charles smiles nervously, backpedaling. He prays silently that King Frederic won't banish him from the palace before he can at least get the princess, his wife, to so much as like him, even a little.
Looking over to the princess, he notes the way that all color has drained from Rapunzel's face as she returns her attention to the chocolate cake on her plate. The young princess stabs at the cake with her fork, her eyebrows pushed together tightly, as though she were suddenly very angry.
Honestly, an entire afternoon spent with the princess, in its own right, doesn't sound so bad, even if they have to visit a place as utterly depressing as an orphanage. Charles has been wanting an excuse to spend time with her this entire week, to get to know her better, but she usually brushes him off, making excuses that she has somewhere to be. A day spent in the village would've been the perfect opportunity to win some points with her, to show her what an upstanding royal figurehead Charles really is – to prove to her that he is the right choice to someday be her partner in ruling this kingdom.
Now, an entire afternoon spent with the princess, watching her make doe eyes at Eugene Fitzherbert, sounds like absolute hell.
The next morning, bright and early, the three of them have been stuffed like sardines into a suffocatingly small carriage, inching painfully through the village to the orphanage building.
Eugene is quite sure he's never hated his life more than he does in this moment. And he's spent a significant amount of time in jail, been stabbed, and died.
"It's a beautiful day today, huh?" Rapunzel leans forward to peek out of the carriage window, a wide smile on her face as she waves brightly to a few villagers as they trot by.
"Yeah. Just beautiful, alright." Eugene mutters under his breath, side eyeing Charles as the prince stares longingly at her.
Why is he looking at her like that? He's looking at her like he wants to –
"Not as beautiful as you, Princess."
Eugene watches from his side of the carriage as Rapunzel blushes furiously, sheepishly returning the prince's smile. Jealousy burns through Eugene's veins, and he wonders why in the hell the king asked him to be here today. Frederic must find his entertainment in torturing the former thief, Eugene concludes.
Charles isn't wrong – she does look beautiful today, with the little purple flowers that have been braided into her short hair, donning a pretty, champagne-colored dress that compliments her skin tone rather nicely. She's wearing her crown today, because this is an important public event, and a million memories come flooding back, plaguing Eugene with an immense nostalgia.
"Suck up." Eugene coughs under his breath, receiving a pointed look from the princess.
Charles glares at him, leaning back in his seat, placing his arm on the headrest behind Rapunzel's head arrogantly.
Two jealous men in one small carriage, can't end well.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Fitzherbert." Charles speaks with mock guilt dripping from his lips, a hand to his heart. "I didn't realize that complimenting my wife would offend you."
"It didn't offend me." Eugene inspects his nails nonchalantly, before looking back to Charles with an easy shrug. "I just think you're a suck up."
The carriage comes to a sudden halt, and the trio peeks their heads out the window, realizing they've reached their destination.
"Oh, look. We've made it to the orphanage." Charles looks pointedly at Eugene. "This must be so nostalgic for you."
Charles knows he should be trying a little harder to make a good impression on the princess, as he'd promised himself he would slowly build their relationship from here on out, that he would get her to trust him. He knows that acting like a top tier douchebag isn't going to get him very far with her.
But something about Eugene always being around causes an immense anger to bubble up inside of Charles, because he just wishes the guy could leave them alone. Charles can't help himself as the crude comment slips unwarranted from his mouth, knowing it's surely not going to win him any brownie points with the princess.
Eugene exits the carriage first, stepping down to offer Rapunzel a steady hand, which she gladly takes, following him from the carriage and into the cobblestone street. Charles follows, a deep-set scowl on his face. The two men face each other, jealousy ringing in each of their ears, the testosterone running rampantly between them. Rapunzel can't help feeling a bit sick to her stomach, recalling the heated night of the engagement ball, praying that Eugene won't throw a hard, perfectly-aimed punch at the prince like he already had once before.
She wouldn't really mind if Eugene were to punch Charles for his rude comment behind closed doors. If anything, it would be warranted, and in all honesty, he was kind of hot when he was jealous over her. Just not in public, with so many eyes to see, to judge –
"Making orphan jabs again, huh, Charles? Real classy. You know, your face is just as punchable now as it was before, and I'm not afraid to put you on your ass again –"
Eugene clenches his fists, leaning forward, his teeth gritted. Much to Charles's dismay, Rapunzel places a small hand to the former thief's uniformed chest, backing him away gently. The gesture clearly comforts Eugene, and he ungrits his teeth, but not without first rolling his eyes. The princess looks up at him pleadingly.
"Eugene, please, now's not the time –"
"Yeah, Eugene." Charles folds his arms over his chest, smirking a little.
"If I come over there, you're gonna regret it!"
"Bring it on, buddy! You're looking at Maddoline's royal arm wrestling competition reigning champion, four years running!"
"Oh, I'm trembling in my boots." Eugene backs away in a mock gesture of terror. "What will I ever do to one-up a man who wins arm wrestling competitions against a bunch of foppy noblemen? Do you see my face?" Eugene points to himself dramatically. "Color me unimpressed!"
"Stop it, both of you! Have you forgotten why we're here?" Both Charles and Eugene look to the princess as she shoots each of them a hard look. Sheepish looks cross their own faces, her eyes darting between them furiously. "You should be ashamed of ourselves. This isn't about us." She sighs, pushing her short hair back, squaring her slim shoulders. "I know that none of us like this situation, but do you think we can peacefully co-exist for just one day? Can we just slap on some fake smiles and get through this, for them? Please?"
Rapunzel motions to the group of overly-excited children standing outside the orphanage, all of whom are over the moon to be meeting the princess today.
"For you, Blondie, I will." Eugene glowers at Charles, letting his hand rest on the sword hanging at his hip. "Only for you."
Charles wordlessly shakes his head, stalking off toward the orphanage, but Rapunzel holds back for a moment, grabbing Eugene's arm gently.
"Hey." She speaks softly, her eyes trained closely on Eugene as he gazes at the rundown building. She wishes she could caress his face, provide some momentary comfort. "I know this is probably a hard day for you. I'm sorry that my father asked you to be here. But I'm here, if you need to talk about –"
"Look, Blondie, I'm fine." He's completely on edge, and she can see right through him. "I'm just here to do my job. Can we not make this anymore awkward than it already is?"
"Right. Okay. You don't want to talk about the whole orphanage thing. Noted." She lowers her voice, looking around quickly to ensure that no one is within earshot. "But… if you behave yourself around Charles today, I'll give you a reward, okay?"
"Ooh, a reward." Eugene leans a little closer, trying not to be obvious, as they are still in public, with a lot of prying eyes around. Although, when he's with her, it feels as though the world consists of just the two of them, and its incredibly hard not to get caught up in that feeling. "What did you have in mind?" Eugene wiggles his eyebrows, grinning suggestively.
"Oh, come on, Eugene. Get your head out of the gutter. There's children around." She teases with a laugh, before turning to skip to the building's entrance, where the orphanage children are standing in pure anticipation of the princess's arrival; the princess who had been saved from her tower by a certain heroic man who used to live at this very orphanage, the princess who is kind, and sweet, and loves her kingdom fiercely.
Eugene follows easily behind her, because he's quite literally being paid to protect her today – but mostly because Eugene would've followed the princess anywhere for free, even into the damp, depressing place he'd spent some of his most formative years – a place he's spent a lot of time trying to avoid since returning to Corona.
He studies the building closely as he approaches, noting the gutters filled with fallen leaves, the crumbling brick foundation, the worn, wooden front steps. He'd once sat on these very steps, counting the horses and carriages as they trotted by, wondering what it would be like to escape the raincloud that drenched his little orphan head. Eugene wonders if the roof still leaks from the third floor, where his childhood bed had once been, shoved away in the attic. Eugene wonders if the old, leaning bookcase is still there, housing the entire Flynnigan Rider series, which he'd read and reread to the younger children every night before bedtime. He'd spent so much time here, imaging himself as the swashbuckling rogue, imagining what it would be like to travel the world with no one to answer to, to become rich beyond his wildest dreams.
He'd spent so much time here thinking he would never amount to anything at all, thinking money would be the only thing that could give him a happy life – when really, he'd recently learned, only love can do that.
Now, he's a palace guard of all things, in love with the lost princess he'd heard the whispers about when he was so young, living in this very building. He'd been only about six years old the summer she'd gone missing, but he remembers wondering if the kingdom would ever see her again. Of course, she'd been worth waiting for.
Nearly twenty years later, he's now trying his damn hardest to keep that very same, once lost princess from slipping through his fingers completely, and into the hands of another man.
Even Flynnigan Rider couldn't have dreamed up a storyline quite this fucked up.
Prince Charles is still getting used to sharing a bed with the same woman every night, especially a woman who frequently talks in her sleep.
The princess moans and hums under her breath, her eyes still shut tight in the midst of her slumber, and Charles lies completely still, listening closely. It had been a long day of meeting the many rambunctious orphanage children, keeping an eye on the spirited princess, and keeping an even closer eye on Eugene Fitzherbert. Being kept up by her sleepy mumbles isn't doing any favors for his exhaustion. Rapunzel sighs a few incoherent words, before something slips out of her mouth that Charles does not want to hear.
"Eu... Eugene... "
Oh hell no. Was she —?
"Eugene!"
Charles looks over to her small form in the darkened room, noticing that she's shaking, her sleepy tone turned pleading. She's shaking hard, thrashing now, her face twisted, as though she were terrified out of her mind.
"No, please! Please, just let me heal him!"
Heal him?
Charles quickly scrambles over to Rapunzel's side of the massive bed, closing the many feet between them. Intrigued, and a bit irked at the sound of another man's name being called in his bed, he leans over her petite, shivering body as she squirms about.
"Let me — let me heal him! Please…"
He'd heard the whispers, the rumors, about what had really happened in that tower of hers. That Eugene had escaped the noose to save her from her lifelong captor, that he'd chopped her long, magical hair from her head, explaining why it was so short now – but no intricate details have ever been confirmed. The royal family remains quite hush hush about their daughter's entire ordeal, even with him, and Charles understands why. He hasn't wanted to broach the subject with her, lest it cause Rapunzel to push him away, even more than she already has.
"Rapunzel, darling, wake up. Rapunzel, you're having a bad dream!" The prince hisses quietly, trying to shake the princess awake. She doesn't budge, caught in the claws of the dreamscape playing out inside of her head. Charles sighs, feeling a little impatient, wanting to know what's frightened the girl so deeply. "Rapunzel." He repeats her name again, louder this time, shaking her shoulder with greater force.
The young princess snaps awake suddenly, rising quickly from her lying position.
"Huh — wha…" She rubs her eyes, her brain working to process where she is and who she's talking to, also still not accustomed to sharing a bed with someone – well, someone other than Eugene, when she often used to sneak into his room late at night. "What happened?"
"What were you dreaming about?" Charles immediately demands, watching her closely in her half-asleep confusion.
"I don't... I don't know." She stares into space for a long moment, her voice groggy.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, I…" The princess yawns, falling back into the pillows, realizing she hasn't been awakened for an emergency. "I don't remember. I'm sorry if I woke you."
Charles leans forward, tentative.
"You were calling for..." He doesn't even want to say it. Why does he say it? WHY does he bring it up, in his own bed? "For Eugene."
The princess awakens at that, a bit more alert at the sound of her former flame's name.
Why is Charles not surprised by that? He'd been, thanks to the king, forced to spend the day with Eugene, watching the thief-turned-guard look his wife up and down all morning. And now, Charles has to listen to the princess moan his name at night, too? Some marriage he's got going here.
"Oh. I – I'm sorry." The princess shrinks back, looking embarrassed. "I was just —"
"What was your dream about?" The prince repeats the burning question. He really does hate to pry, but he wants to know — even if he won't like the answer.
The princess nervously hugs her knees to her chest under the sheets, shrugging a bit. She looks like a scared little girl lying there in the moonlight as it illuminates her soft face — much younger than nineteen. Her lip trembles and Charles wonders if she'll cry; then, he wonders what he would even do if she does cry. Would she even let him console her? The possibility is doubtful.
"I... I was dreaming about the last day that I spent in my tower."
So, his assumption had been correct. She had been dreaming about her past life – the life she'd lived before arriving at the palace, before she'd realized she was the Lost Princess of Corona.
"You seemed like you were really scared."
"I was..." She fingers the material of the sheet, unable to look at the curious prince. "It was a horrible day."
"Do you... want to talk about it?"
"No… no, not really."
Not with him, she means. But if he were Eugene, she probably would.
"Look... I know you didn't really... expect to be with me. And I'm sorry about my behavior earlier today. But we're here now and... I'm here, Princess. If you ever need to talk."
That sounds good, supportive. Right?
"Thank you." She smiles a little, nodding.
"Do you think you'll be okay now?"
"I think so." She sighs, pushing her hair back from her face. "I am sorry, if I woke you. Sometimes I just... sometimes I have these bad dreams. Eugene, he... he was stabbed that last day in my tower, and I guess... well, sometimes I just have nightmares." She shrugs sheepishly. "Maybe I should've warned you."
Yes, she's letting him in! Finally!
At least she hadn't been moaning the ex-thief's name in an erotic dream, as Charles had originally assumed.
"No, I understand." He rushes to reassure her. "You went through a horrific thing."
She doesn't say anything for a long moment, just blinks at him there in the dark, as if she's deeply puzzled about why he's suddenly being so kind to her.
Charles supposes she's never really seen this compassionate side of him before, not until today, but something about the princess lately is making him want to… know her, to gain her trust, to understand each of her intricate details. He wants to know everything about her, like her favorite color, and what season she likes best, and what she'd choose for her last meal. He hadn't felt this compelling urge to understand her in the first three months of living here in Corona. Until now, Charles has simply viewed Rapunzel as a means to an end, an end that would benefit his kingdom, viewing the marriage as something he had to do, to help his own people back in Maddoline – the marriage was simply something that was expected of him. A duty he needed to fulfill.
So, why does Charles suddenly feel this rushing need to understand Rapunzel far better than he does right now, to know what it's like to be on the receiving end of her affections?
Maybe it's because he's getting sick and tired of knowing her affections lie elsewhere, sick of knowing that she'll never even try to explore the possibilities of their relationship, as though he's not worth exploring. Maybe it's because he's truly looking at her for the first time, here in the darkened bedroom, when everything is much more vulnerable and quiet than usual. Typically, they only spend time together at public events, when they're expected to pretend to be the cheerful, newly-married couple, or at the dinner table with her parents, where she usually doesn't make much of an effort to converse with him.
But here, with the moonlight streaming from the big windows of their bedroom onto her pretty face, he sees Rapunzel for the first time, for all that she is: a kind, gentle girl – a scared girl, who has always had the trajectory of her life decided for her. He's concluded that the princess is a force to be reckoned with when angry, but he likes this vulnerable side of her best; the side of her that whispers, maybe. Maybe I'll let you in.
Charles feels a strange twinge of guilt for the way he's acted since arriving here, a pang of… empathy for the princess – an emotion he's not all that accustomed to. Any other girl he's ever courted in the past had never been as mysterious, as complicated, as intriguing as her and her past are. Charles has never let his conscience get the best of him before, but rather, had once relished in knowing he was a heartbreaker, someone women sought after.
But this girl, this girl he actually wants, doesn't want anything to do with him. Some of that is to blame for his own behavior, for pushing the princess's beloved ex-thief to the brink one too many times. Charles doesn't feel guilty for the way he's acted towards Eugene, because honestly, the guy deserves it, but he does feel guilty for doing so in front of her, for making her life harder than it already is.
Obviously, as her tossing and turning had showcased, the girl has some deep-set trauma, which probably explains why she's so attached to Eugene, and why he just won't leave.
"Well, I'd... I'd like to try to go back to sleep, if that's okay."
Charles suddenly feels a little deflated, a little... disappointed. Sure, he'd spent the last three months with the princess, but their relationship has always remained formal, diplomatic even, never crossing the line into even friendship territory. In order to have a successful marriage, wouldn't they, at the very least, need to become friends? A perfect way to get there would be to swap stories in the middle of the night, the most vulnerable time of day. He's married to the girl, for goodness sake, and Charles can't even reach the friendzone, can't even wrap a single finger around it.
The prince nods absently, lost in his own thoughts. Is he starting to really... like the princess? Does he have... feelings for her? Charles notes that he's suddenly starting to feel a little fuzzy around the edges, his stomach aching a bit.
He hadn't anticipated this. He'd assumed their marriage would be more of a friendship built upon mutual respect than true love, just as his parents' marriage reflected. But now… now he's finding himself wanting to be the one she opens up to, the one to hold her in the middle of the night when she's awakened by a haunting nightmare, dragging her back into the past. He wants to be the one to drag her back to reality, the one to console her.
Maybe even, dare he say it… be the one to love her?
He's never been in love before. Sure, Charles has courted plenty of young, attractive noble women from the highest royal circle of Maddoline, but he'd never found the one. What with the arranged marriage, he'd accepted that he probably never would find his soulmate. Soulmates are only a far-fetched myth for a royal, where arranged marriages are so common. The notion is nothing more than a folklore story that few actually get the chance to experience.
Charles had always believed that. But Rapunzel… could she really be it for him after all? Could this arranged marriage be the great, fated relationship of his life?
Charles thinks maybe it could. He's ready, more than ready to finally advance their relationship, to take this marriage to the next level. For heaven's sake, the marriage wasn't even consummated yet, meaning it may as well have never happened at all. He'd been so patient with her, not wanting to frighten her away.
Why couldn't she, at the very least, just let him all the way in?
Well, that's a bit of a rhetorical question. Charles knows why. It hadn't been hard to figure out. He'd seen it, the moment he'd met her, that the princess of Corona would be hard to grasp, difficult to get ahold of, because someone else had already been holding her upon his arrival. Her apprehension for being with him has everything to do with a certain man with dark hair, a perfectly trimmed goatee, and an unbelievably checkered past.
As long as Eugene is around, Charles concludes, she's never going to be able to fall for him back, and Charles will live his entire life competing for his own wife's attention.
That's not the kind of life he's willing to sit back and watch, remaining a pawn in his own game. Charles could be the poor sap who takes the cards he's dealt at face value, or he could take control of his own fate. He'd always known an arranged marriage would be inevitable, being the member of a predominant royal family, but he'd hoped that his future wife would, at the very least, respect him, and make some sort of effort to grow their relationship – but that's not what Rapunzel has done.
Charles wants to be the sole receiver of his wife's affection, the only one she sees in a crowded room. He wants her to try, with him. He deserves love, Charles reasons, just as much as anyone else. And suddenly, as if butterflies have erupted in his stomach, the prince yearns for that love to come exclusively from the gorgeous princess lying in bed beside him.
Despite wanting more information about her nightmare, about her past – about the dynamic of her relationship with Eugene, both in the past and the present – Charles knows that he shouldn't push the shaken up princess. This is the most he's gotten out of her in three months, and what with her still-trembling body, it's all clearly a touchy subject.
He's just going to have to take baby steps with her. It will require small, baby steps if he wants her to open up to him. After all, Charles had all but bombarded into this young woman's life, tipping it upside down, ripping away any choice she's ever had – and it appears that making her own choices is not a luxury that Rapunzel has been granted very often in her nineteen years. She'll only push him away if he forces too much out of her too soon.
Of course, Charles's choice of a wife had been ripped away too, and no one would see him complaining about it.
Charles decides, if he even wants a chance at Rapunzel developing feelings for him in return, he'll actually need to work on being likable – which will probably start with not being a blatant asshole any time Eugene is around. At least, not when she's around. No matter how hard it may be, he'll need to bite his tongue, at least when she's within earshot. Winning the princess's affections would never be achievable if Charles's dislike for the former thief continues to remain as obvious as he'd made it. If he can't help himself from making jabs at Eugene, he would have to do it only when Rapunzel won't overhear. Insulting the man she'd fallen in love with is only going to piss her off, and despite how sweet she is by nature, Charles had quickly learned that a pissed of Rapunzel is not something to be taken lightly.
"Of course. Good night, Princess." Charles moves back to his side of the bed, which feels like a mile away, wishing she would allow him to sleep closer to her. "And sleep well."
"Good night, Charles."
But Charles doesn't have a very good night, not after that. He lays there for a long time, tossing and turning. He wonders what he needs to do to get Rapunzel to feel even a fraction of the passion she clearly still feels for Eugene… for him.
Maybe she just needs to hate Eugene more than she hates me for coming between them.
As Charles finally drifts off to sleep, he decides that tomorrow... Operation 'Take Down Fitzherbert' will commence.
About an hour passes before Rapunzel dares to move. Charles is snoring lightly, having finally fallen back into a deep slumber. She pulls back the covers, letting her bare feet drop to the cold floor, the nighttime chill of the palace covering her skin as she leaves the warmth of the blankets.
She walks somberly through the hauntingly quiet halls, allowing her feet to take her to the room she'd ventured to before so many times in the middle of the night. She hopes that she won't run into any of the palace guards on the night shift and be ushered back to her bedroom. When she arrives at her ultimate destination, Rapunzel knocks on the door. She knocks softly, hoping he'll hear, not wanting to wake any of the other guards, all of which have bedrooms located in the same long, dark corridor.
He had always been a light sleeper, what with constantly being on the run in his youth, so Rapunzel is surprised when the door doesn't open in a matter of seconds, as it usually does. After several moments with no response, she knocks again. The door swings back suddenly, causing the tired princess to jump back a bit in surprise.
Eugene rubs his eyes sleepily, holding onto the doorframe for support in his sleepy haze.
"Blondie?" He asks, squinting down at her as she stands there in the dull candlelight of the hallway. "Are you okay?"
She wrings her wrists together, looking up at him nervously.
"Can I sleep here, with you, just for a few hours? I promise I'll leave before the sun comes up." She looks to him pleadingly, and he notes the tears gathering in the corners of her eyes. "Please?"
"Yeah, of course, Blondie. Is… is everything alright?" Still half-asleep, he ushers her inside, closing the door behind them. She gets into his bed, pulling the warm blankets over her, liking the way they smell just like him. She scoots over to make room for him to return to the mattress, and it dips in the dark as he gets into bed beside her, immediately wrapping her in his arms.
"I had a nightmare." She murmurs, once they've settled in together. Rapunzel revels in the heat of his body, mostly because she's tired of being so cold every night in the massive bed she must share with Charles. "It was a bad one. I dreamt that you were… that you died. And I couldn't save you."
It had been a while since she'd had a nightmare, at least that Eugene knew of. In the first six months of living in the palace, Rapunzel had spent many nights sneaking away to Eugene's room, to crawl in his bed just like this, to allow him to console her: to reassure her that yes, he was still breathing, and no, he wasn't going anywhere ever again. Just before Charles had arrived, the nightmares had been few and far between. She had finally been able to see the light at the end of the tunnel of her healing process. Eugene had been so relieved for it, hating to see her relive the trauma of her tower over and over again, night after night.
Unfortunately, Charles's sudden arrival three months ago, has seemed to rip any progress her and Eugene had made together to shreds.
"Oh… oh, sweetheart… I'm still right here. You can't get rid of me that easily." Eugene caresses her face, running a hand through her hair, glad that he's able to evoke a small giggle from her.
She's had plenty of similar, traumatic dreams before. Dreams that typically end in Gothel not allowing Rapunzel to heal him, Eugene ultimately passing away, and her being taken into the depths of the earth with Gothel, never to be seen again – never to fulfill her destiny as the kingdom of Corona's lost princess.
That alternate ending is one that still makes Eugene shiver a little when he thinks about it.
"Do you wanna talk about it?"
Rapunzel recalls the same words Charles had asked her only an hour ago. The prince had been so curious, so intrigued to know what she'd been dreaming about. It had made her a little uncomfortable, as if she were being placed under a microscope. She knows that Charles had probably meant well, but she'd felt awkward opening up to him about the things going on inside her head, even if she'd only opened up a little. In comparison, everything is just so easy with Eugene. It always has been. He knows everything about her – her darkest thoughts, her hopes and dreams, how to drive her crazy in bed – all things she could never imagine sharing with Charles.
When the same question comes from Eugene's mouth, Rapunzel feels cared for, comforted, rather than interrogated. Because he's familiar, and she knows that she can trust him with her deepest fears, no matter how dark, no matter how scary or silly they are.
"Maybe. I think so." She sighs heavily, because it had always been so easy to talk to him before. Now, she feels self-conscious about what she really wants to get off her chest, scared to bring up her conversation with Charles. She's worried that it might make Eugene angry, because he'd been so irritated with the prince earlier that day, with good reason. "I don't know."
"You can tell me anything, Blondie. I'm all ears." Eugene squeezes her a little tighter, wrapping the blankets around them as if they were in a cocoon together.
"I know…" She responds, slinging a leg over his hip to pull him closer, to breathe him in. "I just… I don't want to upset you. I feel so horrible about what happened today."
"You couldn't upset me, I promise. I just wanna know what's going on in that pretty head of yours." He whispers, his goatee rubbing playfully against her soft cheek, and she wishes she could see his face in the dark. She can't help but smile a little, because he's always so sweet with her, so gentle, and she loves him for it.
"When I was dreaming… I woke up Charles. He heard me… he heard me talking in my sleep, heard me calling out for you." She breathes in, recalling Charles's furrowed eyebrows and slightly irate expression when he'd first shaken her awake. "I think it upset him."
"So what?" Eugene narrows his eyes on impulse, puzzled as to why it would matter if Charles was upset by something she has little to no control over. "You don't owe that guy anything, Rapunzel. It's not your fault that you went through something so traumatic."
"I know that… I just feel like, I don't know… he was suddenly trying, you know, to be nice? For the first time, he was really trying to understand me, but I couldn't let him in. I couldn't talk about it. I don't want to, not with him. I didn't want to hurt his feelings, but… I just can't talk about this stuff with anyone but you. I mean, you were there in my tower with me. No one else could ever understand, not even if they wanted to."
Eugene understands. He'd had his own fair share of flashbacks and traumatic dreams, dreams that forced him to relive the moment he'd climbed her tower, gotten an eyeful of her chained and gagged on the tower floor, screaming his name, before he'd ultimately gotten stabbed in the gut. He remembers looking up at her with heavy eyes, seeing her with that freshly cut, short brown hair, clutching him desperately to her body, knowing he'd done it. He'd used his dying breath, his last bit of strength, to save her. He'd looked at her as the world slipped away, and told her that she was his new dream. She still is. Then, she'd saved him with those magical tears of hers, and now, here they are.
And he'd do it all over again, if he had to.
Really, in hindsight, she'd saved him – from an unfulfilled life that overflowed with immoral behavior, a lack of the love he'd craved since he was just a little boy, and too many one-night stands to count. He'd lied to himself for a long time, lied to himself that Flynn Rider was the person he was meant to be. In actuality, he was meant to be Eugene, and Eugene was meant to be with Rapunzel. And now, they have to navigate moments like this one while she's married to someone else, moments that should remain between the two of them alone, as they once had.
"Rapunzel… I say this as kindly as I possibly can, with your delicate ears in mind… but Charles is a total douchebag. Maybe he really is trying to get to know you, but I don't trust him. And neither should you."
"I didn't say I trust him, Eugene." Rapunzel pulls back a little, offended by Eugene's insinuation, as if accusing her of giving herself to Charles.
"Good. Because guys like that want one thing from you, and one thing only."
Sex, Rapunzel thinks. He means that Charles was only being nice to me in response to my bad dream, because he wants sex from me.
A long silence ensues.
"We can change the subject, if that would make you feel better."
"Would it make you feel better?" Rapunzel asks, noting that Eugene is very obviously on edge now.
"Yeah. I think it would."
"Okay. How do you feel after going to the orphanage today?"
"Alright, that's not exactly the subject change that I was hoping for."
"I think you should talk about it."
"What if I don't want to? What if I just want to pretend it never happened?"
"If that's what you really want, then I'll drop it. But, if you want to talk about it, I want you to know that you can. You can tell me anything, too, you know."
Eugene sighs deeply, knowing she's right. Visiting the orphanage today had been hard. Along with Charles's annoying presence, it had caused a lot of emotions to rush to the surface, emotions he'd spent a lot of time repressing since he'd ditched the orphan life for a life of crime at such a young age.
"I know. I'm sorry. It's not you I'm mad at, Blondie. I guess, sometimes… sometimes it's just hard to think about the person I used to be. And the orphanage made me think about that person today. A lot."
Rapunzel props her elbow on the mattress, resting her head in her palm. She traces gentle, soothing circles across his chest with the other hand, listening.
"You don't have to be ashamed of your past, Eugene. We all have one. You did what you had to do to survive."
"Yeah, that's partly true. But I also did a lot of things that I shouldn't have, that I didn't need to do. A lot of things that I regret. I've hurt a lot of people and betrayed a lot of people's trust. And when I think about the person I used to be, it's like a ghost is looking back at me, and I'm not sure how to make it stop haunting me."
"You're not that person anymore." Rapunzel reaches into the blackness, caressing his face as she whispers to him. "Just like I'm not the same naïve, scared girl that I was in my tower. She still haunts me sometimes, too, and I still dream about it every now and then. But I'm not the girl I was, and you're definitely not the same man I met when he was calling himself Flynn Rider."
"Well, that's all thanks to you, Blondie."
She's quiet for a long moment.
"Hey, Eugene?"
"Hmm?"
"Do you ever think about… running away?"
"What?"
"Do you ever think about leaving? The palace?" She asks quietly, as though she's terrified of the answer.
He sighs deeply.
"I'm not going to lie to you, Blondie, the option has crossed my mind since you got married. I thought, if I'm around… you would never have a chance at happiness again."
"Oh, Eugene, that's not true! I could only be happy with you."
"And that's why you should know that I don't plan on going anywhere. Someone needs to keep an eye on you around here." He reaches over to tickle Rapunzel's stomach, making her giggle quietly in the dark. "Besides, I like it here. I like my job, but I especially like you." He leans down to kiss her on the nose. "And I made a promise to you, a long time ago, that I would never leave you again. And I intend to keep that promise. So, if anyone wants me gone, they're gonna have to kick me out."
She sighs herself.
"Well, sometimes I think about it. Running away, I mean. With you. Some days… some days I hate it here, and as horrible as it sounds… some days I wish I'd never come back. Don't get me wrong, I love my parents, I love Cass. But I hate being married, and sometimes…" She shakes her head. "Sometimes I even hate being the princess. And if I wasn't the princess anymore… you and I could really be together again."
Because being a princess almost feels like being back in my tower all over again.
"Hey… hey, Blondie, don't say that. I know things have been hard these last few months, but this is still where you belong. Right here, with your parents. You were destined to be the princess of this kingdom. Me and you? We're like this," He grabs her hand in the dark, squeezing it tight to signify the strength of their relationship. "Don't you worry, we'll figure this out. I'll do whatever I have to do."
Including stick around the palace like a schlump while you have a husband.
She squeezes his hand tightly back, yawning loudly.
"I love you, Eugene."
"I love you, too, Rapunzel. Now, what do you say we both get some sleep? Because today sort of kicked my ass, and I need my beauty rest, or I'm going to start getting wrinkles."