Chapter 61 - The Weekend Of: Part 3 of ?
"So..." Rapunzel tapped her pointer fingers together as she followed her mother through the now silent and darker halls of the castle. It was night-time now, so of course the normal, bouncy and vibrant-colored hallways of Castle Corona were now mostly desolate, for most of the castle staff workers and servants had been given the early night off in lieu of the early morning preparation that would soon be coming the next day. "You said you needed to talk to me about my coronation...?"
Arianna looked back to her, nodding silently. She only spoke as she returned her gaze forward. "I have a feeling you won't like what I have to say,-" Rapunzel's eyebrows raised in surprise, "-but it's important you and I make some things clear before anyone does something they'll regret." Her voice wasn't strict or stern at all; it was soft, composed, even. But Rapunzel took the way her mother worded the statement that she was in some sort of trouble.
And she had a horrible feeling about it what it may be about.
The rest of the short walk was quiet until they reached the Queen's personal study. And when Rapunzel's jaw shockingly dropped after her mother opened the door:
Just inside sat Cassandra, wide-eyed, staring at her with closed lips from one of two seats in front of her mother's desk.
"Hey... Raps..." she said awkwardly, waving a hand.
Rapunzel quite literally felt her heart drop. She looked up to her mother, who was frowning sadly at her. She then turned back to Cass, and with an agape mouth and widened eyes, she took a step back.
No... no... this can't be happening, she thought frantically, Cass wouldn't - Cass promised she wouldn't! Why is Cassandra even here!? Why am I even here!? Mom knows, oh my god, she knows! She looked up to her mother, who now looked more concerned for wear.
"Rapunzel, dear," she extended a hand to her, but found no avail as her daughter only took another step back. Rapunzel's lip and jaw were now trembling. "Rapunzel, you're not in any kind of trouble."
"Raps." Cassandra stood up from the seat, her voice and face both equally concerned. "Rapunzel, I know what you're thinking," she said quickly, "but I didn't-"
"You told her!" Rapunzel hissed, her voice all of a sudden fierce. Her eyebrows narrowed in a ferocious manner, and she pointed a daring finger at her friend, "Cassandra Jones, how dare you go behind my back and break a promise like that!" Cassandra jumped in response to the tone of her voice.
"Rapunzel-" Arianna stepped towards her, but Rapunzel walked by her as if she was not even there.
Rapunzel approached her, now fearful, friend and lady in waiting. She glared at Cass, who stared at her with frightened eyes, until the dreadful feeling in her heart was too much. Involuntary tears welled up in her eyes as she said, "How... how could you do this to me? You... you promised..."
"Oh, Raps," Cassandra gasped. She pulled her close, and Rapunzel immediately dropped her head into Cassandra's shoulder, silently sobbing there. "I'm sorry..."
Cassandra looked up to see the Queen, who had since entered the room and closed the door shut. Her majesty stared at her with longing and regretful eyes, and Cassandra knew from that look the pain she was now wearing inside her heart.
It had all happened like a blur. Cassandra had been working on the dress that Rapunzel was set to wear for the coronation the next day when the Queen came in and asked to privately speak with her. At first, Cassandra didn't know what it was about. It could've been something not at all related to the conversation they had earlier, for all she thought. But it was when she re-took the seat in her office that the Queen revealed she knew about Rapunzel, and what her daughter may/might of been dealing with. And before Cass could even say a word to retort, the Queen requested that she stay put while she went to go fetch her daughter so they could all talk... and, as you know, the rest is history after that.
Queen Arianna made the decision to stay off to the side for the few seconds after as Rapunzel slowly calmed down in Cassandra's arms. Cassandra had been rubbing her daughter's back, and every so often, shot her one of those unappreciative looks implying that she was unhappy about the current circumstances. And Arianna completely understood why Cassandra was unhappy. The talk they had earlier was when her suspicions began to grow about her daughter's emotional and mental well-being, purely because Cassandra described this "friend" of hers in such a similar light to Rapunzel, but it was only during that split second out in the courtyard when Rapunzel's face turned pale at the mention of losing her freedom that Arianna truly understood what was plaguing her daughter:
Rapunzel saw the marriage as a... as a means to seclude and isolate her in one place for the rest of her life.
Just like her old tower-
No.
Exactly like her old tower...
And... oh, how it broke Arianna's heart to see her little girl thinking that way. It devastated her that Rapunzel saw things like this for whatever reason, and she set an inward goal for herself that by the end of this night, she and her daughter's lady in waiting would make it clear to Rapunzel that marriage is by far the complete opposite of what she's convinced herself it is. Though, of course, Arianna knew this wasn't the case in her own experiences, being that she was arraigned to marry Frederic and only to soon after take the highest of thrones with the death of his father. But in Rapunzel's case specifically, both her and Frederic are in good health, so Rapunzel won't be having to rule the Kingdom just yet, and she has actually been given the luxury of being able to choose who she marries. Rapunzel was actually marrying someone she had fallen helplessly in love with, someone she actually enjoyed being with, rather than going through the excruciating process that is arraigned marriage.
After a minute of watching, the Queen sighed and walked to behind her desk, where she took her seat. Rapunzel's head was still being held in the nook of Cassandra's shoulder as the lady in waiting gave her a questioning and confused look. Arianna then dropped her head after a few seconds, regretfully sighing, feeling guilty that she had not been able to see the signs sooner. Her one job as a mother is to understand and be there for her daughter in her most trying times of need... and this is the second time in the span of a year that she felt as if she had failed her sweet, precious little angel.
Soon after, Rapunzel lifted her head back up. She wiped her nose with the backside of her right hand, then turning her eyes to her mother, who sat slumped over forward in her chair. "You think you'll be alright now?" she heard Cassandra softly ask.
"I..." She saw her mother lift her head, and saw how pained her eyes were, and she felt her breath get caught in her throat. "I hope..." she finally said.
Cassandra nodded slowly, and helped lead her over to the two chairs seated in front of the desk. Rapunzel sat down carefully, having calmed down now, but couldn't pull herself to look her mother in the eyes. She instead chose to stare down at her bare feet that poked out of the bottom of her dress. Cassandra took the next seat, and fiddles with her thumbs in her lap as the Queen stared at them both with solemn, reddened eyes.
After a few agonizing seconds of silence, the oh-so-much needed dialogue (that would hopefully help fix these lingering issues!) finally... began.
"Rapunzel," Arianna said, her voice careful. Rapunzel did not lift her head. "Dear, you are not in any sort of trouble. And your friend,-" she eyed Cassandra, "-did not go behind your back like you believe she did. Cassandra did in-fact come to me seeking advice on how to handle things earlier, that is true. But she left your name ambiguous, something I now presume was out of respect of your own wishes." She bit her lip, fighting back a slight burn in her eyes. Rapunzel's head lifted slightly, and she finally saw her daughter's eyes once more. "I came to my own conclusion after that slight face you made at your Aunt Willow's rather rude and out of place joke she made about your freedom being taken away through your and Eugene's marriage." Rapunzel clenched her jaw, still frowning and looking to the side, and Arianna's voice softened, "I want to apologize, sweet girl; I can only imagine how long this has been eating you up inside."
"It's not only about how I feel, though," Rapunzel mumbled.
"What was that, sweetheart?"
Rapunzel finally matched eyes with her mother, though the slight tremble in her lip was rather obvious. "It's not just about me, okay," she sighed, agitation growing. "Since it's already out in the open and everything is about to turn to ashes now,-" she brought her hands to her hair, clearly a sign of exasperation, "-and that there's absolutely no chance of preventing the inevitable, why don't I just let everything off my chest now, hm?" Her voice grew more agitated and cranky. "You really want to know what I've been dealing with, Mom?" Tears welled up in her eyes, and she chose not to fight them now. "For these past four stupid months, I've felt this god-awful sense of claustrophobia with marrying Eugene! Is that what you want to hear!? I was so stupid to not see it before but when he reminded me that we're going to be living in this castle-" she said that word with an added bite, "-for the rest of our lives, I felt like how I felt when I first returned back to the tower after Gothel had me convinced that Eugene ran off with the crown and left me!"
She jumped out of her seat, prying and clawing at the hairs on her head, beginning to pace behind the chairs at the desk. Cassandra and her mother stared at her with frightened eyes. "And that feeling was so awful and so heart-wrenching; I would've rather died at that point than go back and live in the tower! I didn't want to go back to the way things were after I had finally got the glimpse of the outside world I had been dreaming about my entire life! So when Eugene brought it up how we're both set here and are never going to have to leave ever again, I couldn't control it, okay! Do you think I like to feel this way? Do you think I want to feel this nagging feeling in the pit of my stomach!? I don't! I hate it, I hate all of it! But...-" she laughed darkly, her face all teary and strained now, "-that's not even the worst part," she cried. "The worst part is that in the back of my head, I know I mentally can't take being cooped up here for the rest of my life. I know I'm a ticking time-bomb that's about ready to explode at any given second. But every stinking castle servant, guard, nobleman and noblewoman can see from a freaking mile away how much this all means to him. My sweet, caring, lovable Eugene Fitzherbert who has done absolutely nothing wrong except for that little slip-up at that stupid dance-
(author's note: that dance is still mentioned far more than it needs to be!)
-last year! He's the person I care about the most in this world, the person I can't live without! Because without him, without the sacrifice he made back up in my tower that fateful day and the sacrifices he still makes even now, I'm not free!" She sniffled rather hard, "He deserves the world... he deserves so much for all he's done for me... and this one little thing, this marriage, is all he's ever asked for in return. And I feel so guilty for feeling the way I do because there's nothing wrong with what I have here! I know how lucky I am! I've seen the townspeople out there! I've been to a few of our smaller villages, and I see the struggle some people are going through each and every day! So why do I feel like I have nothing when I'm a girl who has everything she could ever want!? Why do I feel this way!?" She pulled hard at her hair again. "GAHHHH!-"
Just then, the door to the room slammed open.
"Your majesty! Are you alright?" asked Nigel, who was backed by both Stan and Pete with raised halberds.
"EVERYTHING IS FINE!" Rapunzel turned and roared at them with clenched fists.
"EEEK!" Pete screeched, dropping his halberd, then taking off into a sprint off and away. Stan and Nigel's eyes were both widened, and the royal advisor slowly closed the door. Muffled and faint footsteps then could be heard through the wall, before eventually dissipating into silence.
When gone, Rapunzel huffed a few exasperated breaths. Her neck was now dotted with a few popped veins, and she looked as if she was about to strangle someone to death right then and there. Cassandra, who had been staring at her with an agape mouth, just as the Queen was, didn't know what to say. The way Rapunzel broke down here was nothing in comparison to the way she acted earlier the morning...
Rapunzel's breaths eventually slowed, and she released her tightened grip on her strands of hair. By now her face was an entire mess, snot and tears running rampant, and her short locks of brunette hair were frizzy and all over the place. She looked to her mother and friend, finally sighing rather quietly, letting her shoulders sulk. She rubbed her arm, all of a sudden feeling guilty. "I... I'm sorry..."
Arianna blinked her way through a few tears before silently rising from her seat. She didn't take her eyes off her daughter for even a split second as she walked to the side, then to the front of the desk, before standing right there with her. Without saying a word, she slowly wrapped her arms around her little girl, rubbing her short, cropped hair. Rapunzel immediately returned the gesture, staying silent, as well.
..
..
..
"I'm so sorry," Arianna finally whispered. "My precious girl, I'm so sorry..."
"It's... it's okay," Rapunzel whispered back. "None of this is your fault."
"No," Arianna sniffled, "it is." She backed away, and broke in before Rapunzel could say anything in reply: "I know what you're thinking, but I am not speaking of your abduction all those years ago. I'm speaking about how your father and I, and Eugene, too, failed you where you're convinced marriage is this sort of prison where you're locked up in a cage with the key thrown away. Marriage is absolutely not that, dear, especially in your case." She waved and gestured a hand, "Come sit down... let Cassandra and I talk to you. That's all I'm asking." Rapunzel reluctantly nodded, and went back to sit down next to her friend. Arianna walked behind the desk and re-took the seat of her own.
Cassandra gave Rapunzel a silent look of sympathy. She hesitated for a second, but eventually worked up the strength to grab her friend's hand, in a way to hopefully show she's here for support and to help her get through this. Rapunzel noticed the gestured and smiled back to her, before finally turning back to her mother.
"Rapunzel... before anything," Arianna said carefully, "I believe you mentioned you only started feeling this way a little bit after Eugene's proposal in November. Is that right?"
"Ye-yes..." Rapunzel slowly nodded, "Back in February, he... he said something to me..."
"Okay, okay... good. That's progress." She leaned slightly forward, hoping to not come off as intimidating. "What did he say to you?"
Rapunzel's voice choked in her throat, and this was when Cassandra decided to break her silence in a way to help her friend. "Eugene told her something about... living in the castle for the rest of their lives, and that they're apparently never going to travel outside Corona ever... again...?" She shook her own head now in confusion, "Which is something that, now thinking about it, makes zero sense. I don't even know why he would even say that."
Arianna gave a silent 'thank you' to her, before turning to Rapunzel. "Is what Cassandra said right, Rapunzel?" Rapunzel slowly nodded, and Arianna sighed, sitting back. "Eugene Fitzherbert, what on Earth were you thinking..."
"Please, Mom," Rapunzel pleaded, "don't blame Eugene. None of this is his fault. He..." her voice grew quiet, "he doesn't know about any of what... of what I've been dealing with. That's my big concern, honestly," she shrugged. "I want to marry him; I do, I really, really do. I know he's my true love, the only person I'm meant to be with-"
"But because of this narrative you've involuntarily been convinced of, you're afraid to," Arianna continued for her. "Mentally, you're convinced that marrying him is going to bring your small world crumbling down into something even smaller."
Rapunzel bit her lip. "Yeah... but, really, I'm more afraid of what might happen to him if I don't go along with it, though. The last thing I'll ever want to do is hurt him..." Her voice hallowed.
Arianna pursed her lips. "Rapunzel, dear... I want to make something clear to you. No matter what Eugene or anyone else has said, marriage is not a prison. Do you understand that given the chance to, you'll still be able to go and travel the world despite having a husband? Please tell me you understand this."
Rapunzel, for the first time during this whole affair, genuinely smiled. It felt weird to, because, after all, the marriage and wedding hasn't provided her with genuine positive and happy thoughts in who knows how long. She knows now that all those times she thought she was feeling good about things was actually a ruse she came up with to make herself feel better.
But now... now she felt relieved. As if the weight that had been holding her down for all these months had finally been lifted. "You're... you're being serious? I can still go out and travel outside Corona even though I'd be an official married Princess?"
"Well..." Arianna looked to Cassandra, who seemingly knew already what she was about to say. "Yes..." Rapunzel's face lit up, "and no." And... Rapunzel's face then fell. "Rapunzel, while the last thing your father and I want is to isolate and seclude you in our kingdom against your wishes, you... you should understand what your rank of royalty means. Being a Princess... being a member of Corona's royal family is important business; such business that, for the most part, requires you to stay within the territory of our land..." She saw Rapunzel's saddened expression, and hoped her next words would be enough to cheer her daughter up. "But you've been given a chance of a lifetime, sweetie. Not many royals your age are given the luxury of choosing their spouse, and most of the more current official duties needed to be attended to here in Corona will be up to your father, and me at times when he requires the assistance. So... while it isn't typically normal for Princesses to go out travelling the world,-" her expression lightened, "-I think an exception can be made for you." She chuckled, "I mean, my goodness. We've been making exceptions all throughout this first year since you've returned!"
Cassandra snorted. "Exactly. Who would've ever thought a... former-" (she emphasized the word former after Rapunzel sent her a subtle annoyed look) "-thief of all people would wed into a royal family?"
Rapunzel giggled slightly, enjoying that small little joke, also happy her friend got her message. But her face grew serious one final time, and she asked, "So, you're saying it'll... it'll be okay, then?" She glanced back at Cassandra, who gave her a soft smile.
Arianna smiled, too. "That is exactly what I'm saying, dear. Though I don't know when, I promise you that at some point or another, you're going to go out there and travel the world. And, in doing so, you'll hopefully find and learn more about just who you are as a person."
Rapunzel grinned warmly. "Thank you, Mom..." she whispered, tears in her eyes. "Thank you so much..." She turned to Cassandra and laughed, "You too, Cass. C'mere." She leaned forward, and relished in being able to hug one of her closest friends once more.
"I'm glad you were able to work through this," Cassandra told her in a soft voice, then backing away. Arianna, by now, had gotten up and was standing over by the door. "Does this mean you're going to willingly go through with the wedding, then?"
Rapunzel looked to her mother, then to her friend, then to the ground as she smiled sheepishly. "Yes," she whispered, more confident than ever. She nodded her head, tears in her eyes, "I'm going to marry him." Her face then lit up in realization, "I'm going to marry Eugene!" she cried happily, jumping up. She ran into her mother's accepting arms, crying tears of joy, "I'm going to marry the love of my life!"
Arianna joined in, laughing, "Yes you are, my sweet girl." She leaned back and kissed her forehead. "You're going to make a wonderful wife and Princess, dear. Oh, I can't wait!"
Soon after ending the conversation and having her scope widened through the help of her best girl friend and mother, Rapunzel exited her Mother's office with Cassandra in tow. The hallways were still dim, the only specks of light being emitted by the candle-holders held up every so often on the wall, and of course the bright moon that shined through the windows that had not been covered up with banners.
"So..." Cassandra said this with one hand behind Rapunzel's back, having been leading her forward back in the direction of her bedroom. "You're feeling all better, then?" she asked, voice hopeful.
Rapunzel abruptly stopped walking, staring at the darkly lit barely visible end of the hall. A warm smile crept up on her face, and in her head, she imagined a lovely melodic slow guitar tune beginning ever so softly. She turned to her friend, her voice gentle, but also reeking of joy, "I feel better than I've ever felt before! For the first time in who knows how long... I feel..."
"Free," Cassandra finished for her, smiling warmly.
Rapunzel's own smile grew, and she vigorously nodded her head. She pulled Cassandra into a hug. "Cass... thank you, for everything."
"No..." Cassandra was practically being squeezed to death, and her voice came out more as a gasp when Rapunzel let go, "no problem, Raps." She coughed in an attempt to re-compose herself. "You think you'll be okay, now? Your Mom... kinda dragged me in there out of nowhere, and I promised to help my Dad with the weapons inspection tonight. He's really keen on everything going to plan tomorrow and on Sunday."
"Oh! Yes, yes," Rapunzel nodded again. "I'll be fine! You... go on and do your thing, Ms. Guard-to-be!" She waved a hand, and Cassandra chuckled, waving one back while walking the other direction.
When gone, Rapunzel sighed a breath of content. Truly, for the first time... in months, really, she felt free. She felt weightless... as if she could take on anything and everything the world had to offer her...
The melodic tune she had begun imagining came back a bit louder this time, and she walked forward in this empty, dark hall.
"Is this life after happily ever after?" she sang in a quiet whisper. She walked forward, stopping in front of a window. She looked out to the clear night sky that was speckled with hundreds, thousands of bright and dazzling stars.
"Is this who we have always been meant to be?" Using the stars, she imagined a picture of herself putting her tiara on top of her head, with Eugene doing the same with his new crown. The depictions she imagined then turned to one another, smiling happily.
"I can tell now, we're different somehow... from who we were before,-" she said goodbye to this window to continue her walk forward, "-and so at-last... with you, I am forever free." She smiled at a stray banner on the wall of her and Eugene's faces, before then taking off into a dancing sprint.
"After all that we've done, we've seen and been through..." She looked out a corner of her eye at a nearby window, where she imagined the stars lining up and making their dancing form from the night of her birthday.
She turned back and continued her run, "After all our choices made, both right and wrong." She looked out another window, where the stars had formed into the scene of that ballroom dance from last year, when she slapped Eugene's face and ran off crying. She turned away, acknowledging that moment happened, but knowing it's only made their relationship into something stronger.
She slowed down to a walk, looking out another windows, "Through our doubts,-" the depiction of the one night she never talked about with anyone, where she had walked into Eugene's room a week after he began that work at the docks, her thoughts running rampant then; she remembered how she slowly convinced herself it was because he no longer wanted anything to do with her anymore... "-fears,-" the stars then transformed into confining walls around her, "-our joys and the tears,-" the scene changed to when she had accepted his proposal on the couch in what was now both their room, the tears of joy evident as day on his face, "-all that and so much more." She turned forward, and saw that she had come to a halt right outside the throne room.
Before entering, she looked just to the side where another one of her and Eugene's banners resided on the wall, "With you here, I'm finally where I belong." She turned back to the door and opened them, where she envisioned a grand scene in her head. The room was packed to the brim with citizens, family, friends alike... and right in the middle of the vacant space of the floor was her and Eugene, crown and tiara donned respectively, dancing a slow dance as everyone looked on.
She finished her little song in a slow whisper, standing still, "And now there's no boundaries... no limits to our love. Now there's no tower, no fear. Now that we're living,-" she giggled in happiness, "-this won-der-ful dream. This-is-our happily ever after... after all..." The scene in her mind slowly disappeared, and she smiled, feeling warm and fuzzy inside. She sighed happily before feeling a slight tug on the bottom of her dress, when she looked down to see a rather joyous and friendly faced Pascal looking up to her.
It was long later when Rapunzel next saw Eugene. She had just gotten out of her shower and was wearing her light-blue, thin nightgown. She was sitting on the sofa in their room by the fire, humming silently as she read a fairytale picture book when she heard a knock at the door. Pascal, who of course was resting happily on her shoulder, jumped in surprise. "Come in!" she called.
Eugene walked in, his clothes all wrinkly and dirty with specks of dirt, his hair a truly frizzy and frantic mess. Her eyes jumped at such a sight, and he sighed a happy sigh when he met her eyes. "Rapunzel! I've been looking all over for you." He shut the door.
Rapunzel silently stared at him for a few lingering seconds, smiling with a warm feeling growing inside. She clearly didn't know how off she looked while doing so, until Eugene cocked his head and gave her an odd look. "You're... staring at me," he laughed, looking down to his clothes. "It's the dirt, isn't it? I knew taking the girls and Max for a night-time ride before bed was a bad idea. Remind me to listen to the advice of that cousin of yours for next time, because I'm sure there's gonna be one."
Rapunzel shook her head, only hearing the first part of his statement. "Oh! Was I... just..."
Eugene walked over to behind where she sat, his own eyes full of love. "Staring at me with those gorgeous green-emerald eyes of yours? Yes... yes you were." He made intention to extend his hands to her shoulders, before stopping mid-way.
Rapunzel was expecting him to gently grab and caress her shoulders, as he often did before bed, so she was rather confused as to why he stopped. She turned and looked up to him. "Is something wrong?"
"No..." He stepped back, face all serious for a second before letting out a laugh. He gestured his dirty hands to his dirty shirt, "Can't be touching you looking like this, now, can I?"
Rapunzel giggled and creased the side of her page, then closing and dropping it off to the side. "Look at you, my thoughtful and considerate little Prince..." she lovingly joked, crossing her arms.
Eugene smirked at her over his shoulder as he walked to their bathroom, "Prince Consort... love," he taunted. "Can't allow you or anyone else to misrepresent my official title! That's some serious business."
"Oh really?" she quirked a daring eyebrow, asking, "And why is it 'serious business' that you're correctly represented?"
"Because,-" Eugene called behind the now closed door, "-I am proud of the fact that starting Sunday, I am to be your second in command, my dearest Princess. And there's absolutely nothing in this world that would ever change the way I feel about that. Nothing, nada, zip. Now, if you would excuse-GRUH!" A loud *THUMP* came from right inside, and Rapunzel's eyes jumped.
She immediately rose up from her seat and ran over to the door. "Eugene! Are you okay?"
After a few agonizing seconds of silence, she could hear a groan. "Yeah!" he called back, voice pained. "Just... accidentally stubbed my toe against the toilet... again."
Rapunzel couldn't help herself and felt a bit guilty for smiling. She looked down to Pascal, who rolled his eyes before smirking along with her. She then turned back to the door, "Do you think you'll be okay? Is it bleeding? Do you need-"
"Rapunzel, I'm fine." She heard the sound of water being run, "And don't... worry. Please don't worry about me," he chuckled. "I've dealt with far worse than a sore toe."
Yes... oh, yes you have, Rapunzel thought depressingly, thinking back to the time she held.. his... cold... lifeless... head-
She shook herself out of her slight little trance, sighing.
"One more day," she breathed quietly, looking down to Pascal, who curled up close to her neck. "And once Eugene and I are married, we'll plan a trip... we'll go see the world..." She was already envisioning it already, all the places she and her beloved could go and explore! Rain-forests, deserts, savannas; different kingdoms! All places she's read and heard about so many times through her short life, and she's going to get the chance to explore all of them!
Feeling content, Rapunzel wasted not a second more to roll into bed. She blew out the candle on her side of the bed, and purposely let the one on Eugene's side stay lit for when he'd eventually walk out and put on those adorable purple sun-encrusted pajamas she's convinced him to keep wearing, despite his insistence that they make him look "goofy and unmanly", when in actuality they make him look rather cute.
Well, cute to her, at-least.
She was still awake fifteen or so minutes later when he strolled out of the bathroom. Her back was to him, but she heard his footsteps move towards his dresser, and she heard the faint rustling of clothes for a few split seconds before the faint vibration their bed gave from him crawling in. She rolled over and looked at him, just as he did the same. "Can you believe we're this close?" she asked quietly, smiling ever so softly.
Eugene smiled, too. "I've had a hard time believing it since the day I asked you,-" he bopped her nose, "-you beautiful angel. This all still feels like a dream..."
She silently giggled and shuffled up close to him, grabbed his hand under the covers. "That's because it is a dream, Eugene. It's our dream... the dream we're going to live together for the rest of our lives..." She leaned in close and kissed his cheek, "And it begins after one more day of waiting..." She sighed a heavenly sigh.
Eugene grinned a goofy grin that spanned practically from ear to ear. "One more day, Rapunzel." He closed his eyes as she snuggled up closer, "One... more... day..."
"One... more... day..."
Rapunzel awoke slowly, the light shining through the curtains into her room. She carefully brought her hands to her eyes, wiping them as she sat up and yawned.
"One... more... day..."
She lifted her head, startled by the odd voice coming from the far corner of her room. There sat a huddled up, cloaked figure, back towards her... a voice that sounded familiar, but ultimately she could not put her finger on to recognize.
"One... more... day..." it chanted again, voice coming out as a hoarse, slow whisper.
Rapunzel quirked an eyebrow in confusion, and looked to the side where Eugene normally slept. He wasn't there, to her surprise. She next chose to look up to the rafters where Pascal always slept, but like Eugene, he was not here, either.
"One... more... day..."
She jerked her head back to look at the mysterious figure. "Hello...?" she said, cautiously.
"One... more... day..."
"Okay, Mr. 'One More Day'," she mumbled, pushing the covers off her body and twisting herself to the side so her legs could dangle freely off the sides. "What's your deal..." She scooted down, her bare feet hitting the cold floor with a quiet *THUMP*.
"One... more... day..."
She didn't know why, but that phrase felt familiar to her. Maybe it was just because this was like the 6th or 7th time this figure had chanted it by now.
"One... more... day..."
"Sheesh," she grumbled, straightening her nightgown. "One more day until what? The apocalypse?" she joked.
"One... more... day..."
All of a sudden, Rapunzel felt a faint, chilly gust of wing brush up against her neck; along with it, a familiar pull. Not a controlling pull she couldn't fight against even if she wanted to, but more of a... calling. Without even thinking, she had already begun to silently walk her way over to the corner where the hooded figure resided in a crouched down huddle.
"One... more... day..."
She inched closer to the figure, moving at a slow pace. Each footstep she took had a residing effect on the ground, creating slight little pulsations that flickered around, as if she was stepping on a puddle.
"One... more... day..."
Rapunzel finally reached the hooded figure, and began to carefully inspect his features. Because the voice they had was definitely one of masculine descent, she knew for sure. There wasn't much to be seen when she looked intently, though. They appeared to be well-built; muscular, even. And nothing stood out, for their entire body was mostly covered in this brown and, she could now see, worn down fabric that felt... ancient. But then she looked down and saw the faint image of what they were wearing on their feet.
"Are those...-" she inched closer, leaning forward, "rocks?" She quirked a confused eyebrow in response to the apparent footwear made up of these black-colored rocks.
"One... more... day..."
"Hm..." She stood up straight and tapped her chin in contemplation, when her eyes widened. With a small, agape mouth... and curious eyes that were absolutely dying to figure out the mystery behind this rock-wearing hooded mystery man that somehow got into her room and decided to camp out in its far corner, she extended her right hand, slowly drawing her pointer finger out as she drew close to the man's right shoulder. She didn't see it, but a faint, light-blue glow was being emitted from the black rocks he wore for shoes...
After a few seconds of anticipation and a rather agonizing silence, Rapunzel made contact with the figure's cloak...
"ONE MORE DAY!" the figure roared. He threw and extended his arms, palms open, out to each of his sides.
Before she had the time to react, an explosion of a white, light-blueish light rocked the room. A gust of wind took Rapunzel by surprise, throwing her backwards onto her bed. She slammed back-first against the headboard as her entire room and everything in it practically jumped in response to the sudden change in stature. She laid there for a few seconds, gasping for air as the dust slowly settled in her room, and she could've swore there was a faint ringing in her ears.
She finally sat up, her upper back aching in pain. She groaned and looked forward, staring at the figure that now stood in the wake of the destruction of what was once her bedroom, with a similar faint, white light-blueish light emitting as an aura stinging off her body, as if it was attached to him through some other-worldly way. The figure stood there, presumably staring right at her, because Rapunzel felt an odd sensation of being watched.
"What... what have you...-" Her voice came out hoarse and raspy, but caught when a...
"Oh my god," she gasped, eyes widening. A strand of glowing blonde-hair fell right in front of her face, and she immediately seized hold of it. Her hand and fingers trembled, and she felt a warm glow near the top of her head; she looked up and watched up close as her hair slowly began to grow and turn blonde, glowing its bright golden color. There were no words that described the level of shock she now felt, as the hair grew and extended all around the room, twisting and twirling about in a slow manner as an uneasy silence filled her ears. It lasted a minute until finishing, but to Rapunzel, it felt like hours... not only was she in a state of shock due to the hair, she also was trying to handle the fact that her room was now all in shambles. Her lip trembled, and she turned back to the figures, whose... one eye had finally been revealed. The other one, the left one in particular, was still blocked. The one eye was unrecognizable and unfamiliar to Rapunzel, the pupil having been painted in an electric-blue color.
"Embrace... the call of the rising dawn," the figure said in a chanting-like, but yet desperate, voice. "Follow... the trail of the high crescent. Raise caution... for the ancient warlock. Beware... of the coming eclipse. And bring back the balance... that has been broken in our world." Rapunzel stared wide-eyed at them, her breaths panting.
The figure closed the eye, cringing it shut, before opening it to reveal it enveloped in an ominous, sickening bright white light.
"One... more... day."
Everything went dark, except for a slight grim hum. The only sight left was a faint, glowing image of the moon pasted right in the middle of Rapunzel's point of view. It wasn't long after when all of Rapunzel's senses; her sight, her hearing, her taste, her hearing, and her smell... went silent.
And then... there was nothing.
..