AN: Psycho by Puddle of Mudd, Burn by Papa Roach, Miss Jackson by Panic! At The Disco, and In Flames by Digital Daggers are the featured songs for today's chapter. There are so many songs that I've used for inspiration for the rescue sequences (mostly because I've been planning them for nearly a year now), and it was so hard to narrow down the featured songs to only four.
Oh, and by the way, please don't plot push on me. I've had this entire story mostly planned out for over a year now, and I'm not going to appreciate it if you push for the plot to move along to the quickness of your standards. I wrote this story for me, and the fact that I have so many beautifully invested readers is simply a bonus. Ninety-nine percent of you are amazing and have been nothing but lovely to me, and I appreciate your patience so much. I know I shouldn't ever let one person get me down when I have the most wonderfully loyal readers in the world, but if you've been here for a while, you know my writing style. You know that these characters mean everything to me, and because I'm overprotective of them, I always want to give them a voice and do my due diligence of delving into their deepest thoughts and feelings. That is the focus of this story: getting into the heads and hearts of these characters in spite of their circumstances. That's just how I write, because I enjoy it. One thing I'd promised to myself when I began writing this story was that I was not going to rush it, because I wanted it to feel right.
Okay, okay, I'm getting off my soapbox now. I'm sorry to rant before such an exciting, long-awaited chapter. I really don't mean to be negative, but I just needed to get that off my chest. I appreciate all of you so much for still being here, nearly a year later! I promise that the payout of this story will be worth it and I hope you enjoy today's new chapter!
Chapter 30: So it's Gonna Be Forever (Or it's Gonna Go Down in Flames)
Hand in relieved hand, Rapunzel and Eugene – followed closely by Lance, after he'd hastily closed the hidden trapdoor which led from the ballroom and into the dimly-lit hall – begin making their way toward the end of the candle-illuminated corridor. Leading Eugene a bit, so eager to simply get out of this horrid, nightmarish place, Rapunzel bounds around the corner… though she quickly stops short, Eugene bumping abruptly into her from behind.
Standing there – short sword in hand – is Charles, a murderous look of bitter recognition creeping upon his face at the sudden sight of them.
"Fitzherbert. You're here."
At the haunting sight of her abhorrent husband in the orange flicker of dozens of candles overhead, Rapunzel immediately backs away, knocking into Eugene's steady frame behind her. She feels Eugene's hands promptly upon her shoulders, gently guiding her back to press fully against him in a wordless expression: 'I've got you. You're safe with me now, I've got you.' And maybe he's got her, but Charles still does, too.
Legally, at the very least.
Damn! They'd been so close, so close to escaping from the hell which Charles seems to be the very devil of!
With each slow and tentative backward step that Eugene and Rapunzel take together, Charles takes an equal, confident step forward, purposefully mimicking their flustered movements. Almost dazed, Rapunzel registers one of Eugene's arms coming up across her front, pulling her flush to his chest and keeping her there while they move back as one whole unit.
A deafening silence fills the corridor, a silence so ironically loud that it makes Rapunzel's ears ring, the anxiety of it all nearly too much to bear. Silently, she grieves for the girl she'd once been — the girl she'd been before meeting the horrendous, evil man before her — and she grieves for her freedom as it appears to slip right through her fingers once more.
She wants to go home! She just wants to go home. She wants to sleep for hours — for days — warm and safe in her bed, wrapped up in Eugene's arms. That's all she's ever wanted!
But, her gaze darting between Charles and Eugene as they wordlessly glare at one another, Rapunzel has a sinking feeling that leaving the manor won't be as easy as she'd hoped it would be. The animosity between the two men in her life is too great, their competition left unsettled for far too long to leave this place without a properly-evened score.
She'd foolishly thought, with Eugene here, that nothing could keep the universe from finally aligning in their favor. Her naivety, Rapunzel realizes, is still somewhat of a downfall of hers, constantly battling with her newfound jaded attitude. Charles, after all, has never made things easy for them. Twirling his wrist to twist the short sword in tantalizing, circular motions as Charles lingers toward her and Eugene, Rapunzel knows that her husband isn't going to start making things easy for them now.
The two men stare spitefully at one another for a long time, glowering from their respective ends of the hallway. Ultimately, Eugene releases Rapunzel from his protective grasp and steps out in front of her, nearing closer to a furrow-browed Charles. Eugene's slow movements make Rapunzel want to scream at the top of her lungs, 'Stay away, stay away from him!' But she knows it's no use.
Vengeance will be enacted tonight, one way or another.
When Rapunzel pads forward tentatively, not wanting to be more than a foot away from Eugene ever again, he puts his hand out behind him, silently commanding her to stay put. She does, bare toes wiggling anxiously on the cold floor beneath her feet. Rapunzel so badly wants to place herself between Eugene and Charles — knowing this is all her fault — but doesn't dare contradict Eugene's better judgement.
She doesn't dare oppose Eugene's ability to deal with this, once and for all. To deal with him. Not right now. Not with murder in his eyes, Eugene's tongue acting as a sharp sword of his own.
"Bet you didn't see that one coming, huh? Thought you could just get rid of me, didn't you? Like I don't mean anything to anyone?" Eugene seethes as he saunters forward, holding Charles's hard gaze of disbelief as nearly six months of bitter hatred finally rears its ugly head. "Thought you could pay Stalyan out to take care of me? It's really too bad that your little plan didn't have much traction. Or logic."
Eugene knows full well that this insult regarding Charles's revenge execution (or lack thereof) will be the ultimate blow to the young prince's fragile ego. It was made perfectly clear to Eugene back in Corona that Charles had spent weeks planning out his watered-down version of Eugene's demise, even before knowing about the affair; watered-down, because Charles hadn't gotten to know Eugene well enough to know that he would burn down the entire world looking for Rapunzel.
Rapunzel gasps loudly behind him then, Eugene's recount of the past several weeks in the sitting room earlier that night fully clicking into place before her. It hadn't just been Stalyan who'd attempted to hurt Eugene — her own jealousy raging to the point of physical harm — when she'd mercilessly shot him in the bicep with an arrow. It had been Charles's lousy attempt at getting Eugene out of the picture for good!
Of course!
"You. Of course it was you! It's always all you!" Rapunzel makes to rush past Eugene's outstretched arms before he can effectively hold her back, apparently ready to go for Charles's throat, marching right up to him and fearlessly getting into her husband's smirking face. "You tried to have him killed! You sick, sadistic piece of shi —"
"Aw." Charles slowly reaches forward, gently brushing his knuckles against one of Rapunzel's angrily flushed cheeks; knuckles which she quickly slaps away, the blatant sarcasm dripping from Charles's lips like honey gone bad. "That's no way to talk to your husband, now is it? I wonder how such a respectable young lady like yourself learned to have such a naughty little mouth."
"I learned it from him." Rapunzel glares upward, though she points back to Eugene, who's standing on guard close behind her just in case Charles decides to get a little too handsy (which, in Eugene's opinion, he already has. Thankfully, Eugene knows, Rapunzel can take care of herself). "I've learned almost everything from him. Not you."
Rapunzel steps forward confidently, so close to Charles now that their noses almost touch, a hint of a sarcastic smile brimming the edges of her own lips.
"And knowing that kills you inside." Rapunzel searches her husband's eyes, dying to gain back even a shred of her own agency after everything he's put her through; dying to make him pay. "Doesn't it?"
At this, Charles sneers down at his traitorous wife (but can someone really be a traitor if they never even wanted you in the first place?), gritting his teeth so hard that his jaw flexes and aches. "You really are okay with acting like a whore, aren't you?"
With a crisp click of his tongue, Charles lifts his thumb to run it aggravatingly across Rapunzel's bottom lip. Eugene is immediately at Rapunzel's side, grabbing her by the wrist and yanking her back to him, forearm pressed across her chest once more to pull her flush against him. Charles only inspects his thumb silently, as if he'd picked something up from her lips on his finger, beginning to pace in a lazy circle around them.
"I like you, Rapunzel. I do. One could even go as far as to say that I've fallen for you. You're a sweet girl when you want to be, witty and attractive and undoubtedly respected by your people, if not cherished." Circling them like a hungry cat, Charles reaches out to nonchalantly brush the very ends of Rapunzel's choppy hair. "But you've always been far too distracted by this… this criminal, and you've subsequently always acted like a little bit of a who —"
"Don't touch her. Don't you fucking touch her." Eugene grinds in Charles's leering face, and with her back pressed up against his chest, Rapunzel can feel Eugene's quick-beating heart. Much as he doesn't want to show it, she knows that he's scared; scared for her, scared for them. How couldn't he be? They've already lost so much, too much. "I swear to God, if you touch her or even talk to her like that again, I will cut your goddamn hand off and your useless tongue out of your mouth."
"Well, in all actuality…" Charles grins wickedly, regarding Eugene with an impossibly calm air about him. "I don't need both hands to touch her. Just one will surely do for my intents and purposes."
He's just trying to get to you, he's just trying to get to you -
"I'm going to fucking kill you." Eugene promises, wondering how many years he'll get in prison for murdering a royal family member. Probably thirty to life, but to protect Rapunzel, he'd take it. He'd take it in a heartbeat. "And I'm gonna enjoy every last second of it."
Charles and Eugene share an intense stare, a long look of boiled-over hatred which Rapunzel closely watches, anxiously waiting for something to give; for everything to give. Still glaring at Charles with a burning animosity, staring so hard that Rapunzel worries Eugene might give himself a splitting headache, Eugene addresses the shaking princess in his arms. The tense atmosphere of the hallway shifts then, and so does Eugene's expression, as if he'd just found peace with something he'd been denying for his entire life.
"Rapunzel... I want you to go with Lance."
"But —" Rapunzel begins to argue as she grabs at Eugene's forearm, holding it tighter against her chest - as if to keep herself perpetually glued to him - because leaving Eugene is the last thing she wants to do right now. She can't leave him tonight, can't risk something happening to him, not after they've finally been reunited after all these weeks apart!
When Rapunzel immediately starts to testify, Eugene looks down at her with raised eyebrows in a pleading, brown-eyed warning after ripping his gaze away from Charles, as if daring her to disagree with his better judgement at a time like this.
"I said... go. Please."
He's really never told her what to do before. He's never had to. He's never wanted to. Eugene has never wanted to take away from Rapunzel the small amount of freedom that she'd actually gained when she'd left her tower; the small amount of freedom which had so quickly been snatched away from her again when she'd been promised to Charles without her consent.
I never want to boss you around, never want to take your freedom away from you, but right now... please, just go! I need you safe! Selfish as I am, I'd rather take your freedom away in this one, small moment than have you taken away from me again!
Eugene desperately looks to Lance then, his tone urgent, quickly realizing he's not going to get anywhere with Rapunzel. Not when their emotions are so heightened, their hearts so tired.
"Please, just… just get her out of here. Get her to the horses and get her to the boat, if it comes down to that. If I'm not back to the horses in twenty minutes, leave. Cass should be waiting with them by now, but if you can't find her, just get her the hell back to Corona. I don't care what you have to do, just keep her safe." Eugene points to Rapunzel before flickering his gaze back to Lance, who's listening intently to his friend's strict orders. "You go without me if you have to, do you understand? Do you understand, Lance? You protect her with —"
"My life." Lance finishes soberly for him, raking sad eyes over his best friend and knowing in his gut that he can't possibly talk Eugene out of putting himself in such grave danger, but wishing that he could. "I know."
Eugene unwraps Rapunzel from his arms so she can face him, taking her by the shoulders and intending to kiss her goodbye (for now), the rage still burning in his eyes as she pleads with him.
"Eugene, come on! This is stupid!" Rapunzel's bottom lip quivers, and it breaks Eugene's heart to see her looking so disoriented, so small and vulnerable in his hands. "I'm not leaving here without you —"
"Hey, look at me. Look right at me. Everything's going to be okay." Eugene takes her face into shaking hands, and Rapunzel isn't blind to the tears welling in his own eyes as Eugene proceeds to make promises that he can't quite keep. "I love you. You're my dream. This is all going to work itself out, but I need you safe first."
"And I need you!"
Tearfully, Rapunzel reaches out to grab for Eugene's hand before he can direct her toward Lance, intending to hold on for dear life. But Lance quickly rips the hand away, knowing what Eugene would want, an unspoken conversation happening between the two men in their looks and in their actions; in the way Eugene has to look away from Rapunzel's pleading eyes, and in the way Lance wraps the princess in his thick biceps and pulls her away.
"I love you." Eugene murmurs regretfully, not wanting to be separated from her any more than Rapunzel doesn't want to be separated from him, but knowing in his gut what he needs to do. "I love you more than I've ever loved anything in my entire life. You're the only reason I've ever wanted to be a better person."
"Eugene —" Rapunzel states firmly with a stamp of her bare foot on the cold floor beneath, anchored in her spot beside Lance, as though she were accusing her love of something horrible.
"I love you so much, my sweet girl. So, so much." Eugene steps forward to place a quick kiss to Rapunzel's gaping mouth, his lips gone before she can fully register that they'd been there upon her at all, pulling back with an equally-as-pleading look in his almond-colored eyes. "Now go. Now, please."
"Eugene, stop!" Rapunzel suddenly exclaims - her shrill voice echoing up and down the otherwise empty hallway - shaking her head frantically and causing the halo-like braid resting upon the crown of her head to fall loose, framing her prettily-flustered face. "You're being ridiculous! There's no way I'm stepping foot on a horse, much less on a boat, unless you're with me —"
"Please, Blondie. I need to do this. I need to take care of this. Once and for all." Eugene places both hands on either side of her face once more, all but begging her to leave. "He's not going to hurt you anymore. I won't let him. But I need to be sure."
Rapunzel stares up at Eugene with those big green eyes of hers, tears sitting patiently on her eyelashes, threatening to spill over and onto her cheeks as she clutches his wrists in her hands.
"But Eugene... Eugene, you… you can't —"
We've only just found one another again! I can't possibly bear to lose you to him! I simply cannot bear it!
"I have to." Eugene leans down to whisper close to her lips, and Rapunzel's never seen him look so sad and so determined, all at the same time. "I have to."
Meeting Eugene's eyes as he nods wordlessly to his best friend, Lance rushes over to pull the princess from Eugene and attempts to take Rapunzel into his arms as she quickly backs away from him, able to infer immediately what Lance intends to do with her.
"Lance, don't you dare —" Rapunzel threatens fiercely, wishing she had her frying pan to somehow ward him off.
Rapunzel hopelessly tries to side-step Lance, though it's no use (she's quick, but he's bigger) as she's easily scooped up, pressed into his thick, strong arms, and thrown over his broad shoulder.
"Eugene! Eugene Fitzherbert, I swear — Lance, put me down!" Rapunzel punches at Lance's back with small, angry fists — sobbing rather uncontrollably now — her pure fury shifting to frantic begging altogether. "Put me down, put me down, put me down!"
"I'm sorry, Princess." Lance murmurs sympathetically, silently wishing there were some other way and shrugging as though he hadn't had a choice in the matter. "Captain's orders."
"Ugh!" In an emotionally overwhelmed fit, Rapunzel snatches the sparkling Maddolineon crown from atop her head, chucking it with a bloodcurdling scream over Lance's shoulder and down the hallway to land immediately at Charles's well-shined shoes. "If you hurt him, I will come back for you! I swear it! I will come for you!"
"I'll see you later, my dear!" Charles sing-songs, apparently unphased by his wife's enraged promise, crouching down to pick up the diamond-encrusted crown at his feet and brushing it off as if to ward away any dust or dings, ultimately turning back to Eugene with a demonically-soft smile. "She really is a spitfire, that one."
Mostly ignoring Charles's ridiculous mumbling, Eugene longingly watches, heart absolutely aching in his chest, as Lance carries away the whining princess over his shoulder; as Lance carries away the love of Eugene's life, praying to the sun - which has long since set - that they'll be reunited again soon.
Rapunzel tearfully looks back at Eugene one last time, ultimately disappearing around the corner with Lance, hopefully to wherever Cassandra is safely waiting for them. Eugene internally prays that the duo will be able to make it out of the manor and to Cass — to the horses — without getting hurt, without running into a group of blindly-loyal guards.
Eugene prays that he will, too.
He prays that Rapunzel will someday be able to forgive him for making her leave without him.
Watching her go — whether it be into a chapel on her wedding day from afar, on a boat en route for Maddoline as he desperately chases after her, or around the corner with Lance now, tears streaming down her furious face — is the hardest thing Eugene's ever had to do. He would follow her if he could, but he knows what he has to do tonight. He knows what he has to do in order to protect her in the way that he should've protected her months ago. Eugene knows that Rapunzel would follow him anywhere, too, if given even the slightest chance.
Even right down into hell.
But tonight is going to be the only exception to her endearing loyalty, much as Eugene normally wouldn't want to make Rapunzel's decisions for her. Much as Eugene has never wanted to even remotely resemble Gothel, he's not even going to give Rapunzel the option to stay behind with him. Not this time. He's not going to allow Charles to hurt her anymore, because frankly, the asshole prince isn't worth a single hair on her perfect head.
When Eugene finally turns back around, ripped away from the guilt of separating himself from her for long enough to focus on the new issue at hand, Charles is standing only a few feet away from him.
"Well, that was just adorable, wasn't it?" Charles mocks, inspecting the nails on one perfectly-pampered hand before lifting his lashes to focus upon Eugene's angry face once more, his own expression shifting to a plain display of undoubted irritation. "Here to steal my wife, I see."
Eugene chuckles darkly, menacingly, at that. He can't help it — he's been waiting patiently for this moment and he's been waiting for far too long. Shrugging casually, Eugene dives headfirst into a cocky, Flynn-Rider-like attitude, slipping into said attitude far more easily than he'd readily like to admit.
"Once a thief, always a thief, I guess." Eugene saunters forward, and now it's his turn to circle Charles like a feral cat ready to pounce. "Besides, I'm just returning the favor, aren't I? I mean, all is fair in love and war. Or so they say."
Charles scoffs, crossing his arms over his expensively-dressed chest.
"You can't steal your own wife, though I understand that I can't expect you of all people to know anything about a committed marriage. You are a bastard, aren't you? Regardless, I didn't steal her." Charles reasons aloud, mostly to himself, a foot deep in denial and even deeper in his naivety toward his own hero complex. "I finally put my damn foot down, and I'm glad that I did. Your little affair — no, your little teenage romance — went on for far too long. She's better off now. Why can't you just let her go?"
"Teenage romance? Really?" Eugene throws his head back in a healthy laugh before lowering his voice to a menacing level as he peers down his nose at his lover's husband. "I've lived more life than you have, buddy. Lots more. And I think you're just mad that you can't get laid by your own wife. Quite the hit to your fragile little ego, isn't it?"
"I would watch your mouth, Fitzherbert. You're in my kingdom now." Charles warns with a seething sneer, leaning in close and pointing his short sword in the general direction of Eugene's chest. "You'll be lucky if I don't have you bound by the neck and make Rapunzel watch you hang. The king back in Corona should've hung your lying, thieving ass when he had the chance."
Eugene suddenly pushes Charles to the wall as the prince's short sword clatters to the ground in the abrupt movement, pulling out the small dagger strapped to his waist. Using his free hand to grab at the back of Charles's hair, right at the nape of his neck, Eugene yanks hard and pulls the prince's head harshly to the side, pressing the blade to Charles's newly-exposed throat.
"And you'll be lucky if I don't burn this fucking place to the ground." Eugene whispers hotly, nudging Charles harder against the wall with his good shoulder. "With you inside."
"Oh… come now, Fitzherbert." Charles looks down to his pressed suit jacket, casually brushing away a loose strand of fabric and acting as though a sharp blade weren't currently pressed to his neck by a murderous man four years his senior and several inches taller. "There's really no need for such dramatics."
"I'm not being dramatic, you spoiled, narcissistic asshole." Eugene defends vulgarly, feeling like his head might actually explode if he doesn't find a way to shut Charles up for good, and soon. "You kidnapped the love of my life, and you're going to pay for it. Over and over again. Whatever you did to her, I will do to you ten-fold."
"You know, I had a feeling that you'd come for her... if you survived, which you weren't supposed to." Charles rolls his eyes, sighing loudly against the dagger's blade. "You're supposed to be dead. Apparently, you're unkillable! Regardless, that little ex of yours agreed to a prettily-priced deal to kill you on the off-chance that you escaped from that prison cell, but it seems that I can't depend on anyone to follow through on a promise these days. Great girl, though, nice rack. I mean, I can see why you liked her. A little too obsessive and money hungry for my taste, but I get it."
Charles looks up to the chandelier-lined ceiling, the orange candlelight flickering in the depths of his blue, psychotic eyes, and hums thoughtfully to himself.
"She had the whole 'if I can't have him, no one can' thing going for her, and I'm not really one for that sort of drama in a relationship. Ya know?"
What the fuck does he think this is, girl time? What's next, are we going to braid each other's hair or giggle around the fireplace while telling one another our deepest, darkest secrets?
Eugene can manage little more than staring at Charles for a long moment, blinking hard and wondering if simply talking to the completely out of touch prince could actually cause him to lose brain cells.
"Are you fucking joking me right now?" Eugene demands, his face deadpanned and his patience wearing increasingly thin. "No, seriously. Are you joking? You're not one for being obsessive? Says the guy who fucking kidnapped someone! Who fucking kidnapped the Lost Princess! Can your small brain even register the freaking irony there?"
Ignoring Eugene's question entirely, Charles brings a sarcastic hand up to his chin, as though he were very deep in thought, nonchalantly ignoring the dagger still pressed violently to his neck.
"I'm actually a little surprised at how long it took for you to get here, considering that you're alive and breathing. Unfortunately." Charles pretends to appear sympathetic, reaching out to pat Eugene on the shoulder just once. "I really didn't want anyone to get hurt… but I had to get her away from you, you see. You were distracting Rapunzel from her duty to her kingdom and her duty to me, driving her crazy. Taking her innocence away from her. And I just couldn't have that. Not in my marriage."
Not in your marriage? But what about her? What about what she wanted? Hasn't that ever mattered, isn't she ever going to be given a freaking choice, just once?
"When are you going to understand, Charles? I mean, for fuck's sake. When are you going to get it through your thick skull?" Eugene mercilessly interrogates, tapping roughly with his index finger on the side of Charles's head, just below his dazzling crown; a crown which he doesn't even remotely deserve. Charles quickly swipes Eugene's hand away, dodging his fingers irritatedly. "It's not up to you! Any of it! She doesn't want you, she never did! That doesn't mean you have the right to just take her away! From her parents, from her people. From me! When will you see that? When will you see that you don't own her?"
"When will you see that, as her husband, I can do whatever I want?" Charles counters confidently, his lips down-turning into a deep, displeased frown.
"No, you can't. Not anymore." Eugene shakes his head, pressing a calloused palm into Charles's chest to keep him firmly pushed against the wall. "Your little reign of terror - of fucking with the things that I care about - is over, Charles. It's over."
"Well then," Charles offers simply, his smart, tantalizing mouth once again curling into a putrid smile; the kind of smile that makes Eugene's stomach drop to his feet like a dead body falling from the side of a steep cliff. "You'll be pleased to know that I fucked her."
Eugene stares at him, blinks once. Twice. Tries desperately to somehow register the newly-presented information and fails miserably.
There's no way — but it's been weeks. Of course there's a way, of course it's possible. But he couldn't… she wouldn't let him! She would've fought… oh, God!
"So, really…" Charles arrogantly continues with a satisfied smirk. "It appears that you're just a little too late, Fitzherbert."
"No." Eugene refuses, slightly backing away with a shake of his head. "No, you didn't. I don't believe you. You didn't —"
"Oh, yeah. I did. And she was good."
No. No, no, no —
"Really… really… good."
"You disgusting, miserable motherfucker!"
Before he can logically think about his quick, vengeful movements, Eugene is haphazardly throwing the dagger to the side and fisting the front of Charles's suit jacket, shoving him to the ground with a satisfying thud as the prince's shining crown falls from his blonde head, loudly clinking on the marble floor. Immediately straddling him, Eugene swings hard and his fist connects with Charles's nose for the second time in the last six months with a rewarding crack.
"I'm gonna fucking kill you!" Eugene bellows, following Charles's lead as the prince's head falls back, hitting the hard floor from the well-aimed punch, his angry voice echoing up and down the empty hallway and nearly rattling the chandeliers with his fury.
Straddling Charles's lap to keep him down, Eugene goes for the throat and starts to choke the waste-of-space prince for all he's worth, hating himself for liking the way that Charles's struggling throat feels against his palms, miserably gasping for air. Charles, though, wiggles around beneath him and manages to find the dagger which Eugene had foolishly cast aside in his blind rage, bringing the blade up to Eugene's neck in the same way he'd done to Charles only moments before. Holding the dagger there against his throat, Charles smirks as Eugene reluctantly backs off, releasing Charles's neck from his hands.
"What now, Fitzherbert?" Charles taunts, though the taunting is a bit less effective as he coughs and gapes for breath like a beached fish with the life squeezed out of it. "What, still scared of knives and the like? I've heard through the grapevine that you have a… a thing for them, don't you? A thing for getting them stuck in the side."
Waving the dagger in Eugene's face, Charles finds his leverage, having caught Eugene off guard just enough to bring up his knee and kick him hard in the ribs, causing Eugene to fight for air and kneel over, gasping himself. Charles scrambles to stand above him, waiting, kicking him in the side to prod Eugene further as he grips the handle of the short dagger, having lost his own weapon.
"Would you like to go again?" Charles grins as he looms over Eugene, referring to their first fight at the engagement ball, and the subsequent fight which had followed when he'd imminently found out about the affair. "Third time's a charm, or so they say. Maybe I'll finally get to end your ass. Rapunzel can grieve your body as it hangs from the foyer rafters for all I care."
"Yeah, I would." Eugene steels himself, crawling up onto his knees and catching his breath. Looking up through fallen bangs, Eugene spits on the ground at Charles's feet and rolls his bad shoulder, the arrow wound ripping through his bicep muscles. "Round three, bitch."
Two fights in my home, one in his, and no more. This ends tonight. I'm going to finally get this motherfucker to leave us the hell alone; to leave her alone, for good.
Surging upwards, Eugene tackles Charles just below the knees, taking him down to the floor once more. The dagger slips from Charles's grip when he's suddenly thrown off balance, sending the blade clanking to the floor along with the abandoned crown. Eugene reaches for the first thing he can grab - which happens to be Charles's hair - yanking hard and causing Charles to yelp embarrassingly as Eugene punches him in the nose again, causing a sudden rush of outward blood flow. Charles manages to clip Eugene in the mouth as he struggles to fight back, but with Eugene sitting heavily on top of him, the punch isn't as well-aimed as Charles might've hoped.
Liking what he sees as the red liquid streams down Charles's face, Eugene throws punch after manic punch, his knuckles going raw and cracking under each hard blow. Charles desperately reaches up with both hands, trying to shield his face, but Eugene is having none of that.
"No, you look at me!" Eugene screams, not even noticing the tears running down his face as his knuckles split when they meet with Charles's nose for the third time, grabbing Charles by the chin and forcing him to look up. "You look at me and you think about everything you've taken from me! What you've taken from her! She was supposed to be my wife, she was supposed to be mine!"
Eugene winds back, fist clenched and prepared to force Charles into a blackout state.
Tonight's the night all of this finally ends —
"Sir! Sir!"
Eugene feels himself being abruptly ripped from Charles's body, a stranger's hands at his armpits, roughly pulling him upward and haphazardly throwing him to the side.
"Sir, we need to go. Now." The young guard huffs, trying hard to catch his labored breath as he quickly helps a bloody-nosed Charles up from the floor. "The manor has been infiltrated! And what - are you alright? What's going on here?"
The surprised guard glares suspiciously in Eugene's direction, but is soon distracted by Charles, who's desperately reefing his rumpled suit jacket out of the guard's grasp.
"I know that, you imbecile! Of course the manor's been infiltrated!" Charles sputters, trying to free himself from the young man's protective grip, but not getting very far. "I'm dealing with it now, don't you see?"
With open palms, Charles gestures impatiently to Eugene's spot on the floor as Eugene half-rises from the ground and casually brushes himself off. The guard quickly disregards him, though, turning back to Charles and offering a pocket handkerchief to him. Charles, who still has a steady river of bright blood streaming from his nose - which is likely broken beyond foreseeable repair - snatches the handkerchief without so much as a simple thank you to the young guard.
Eugene silently wonders if he looks as insanely disheveled as Charles does right now - hair sticking up this way and that, masquerade clothes wrinkled and blood-stained - and he realizes just how satisfying it really is to see Charles not looking so prim and proper for once.
"Oh, nevermind that!" The boyish guard advises frantically, clearly unable to keep his jumbled thoughts straight. "We need to go, Sir, right now. I need to evacuate you from the premises, effective immediately. I'm under strict orders from your father to find and escort each member of the royal family -"
Eugene crawls onto his knees, resting upon them with blood dripping from his mouth where his lip has been split from the impact of one well-aimed fist, creating little, baby pools of blood on the cold floor beneath him. Manically, Eugene begins to loudly chuckle, the blood filling his mouth and coating his gums in the taste of rotted-out iron. The uncontrollable giggles vibrate in Eugene's tired, aching chest and echo through the empty hallway as the guard stares confusedly down at him.
Have the love of your life married off and kidnapped, and then tell me that you wouldn't lose a few marbles, too!
"And just what do you think you're laughing about?" Charles sneers, his voice muffled and funny sounding as he clenches both fists angrily, tightening his grip around the blood-coated handkerchief pressed against his nostrils.
"You can't even finish your own fight." Eugene laughs like a madman, actually feeling a little bit woozy now, his vision beginning to blur slightly as he peers up at Charles through squinted eyes. Even the flickering, orangey candlelight overhead somehow feels too bright all of a sudden. "You're a prince for fuck's sake, and you can't even finish a lousy fight with a 'good for nothing orphan' like me! Didn't they teach you this shit in finishing school or something?"
The guard nudges Charles gently, trying his best to ignore Eugene's rabid rambling and still attempting to convince his stubborn, arrogant prince to simply walk away.
Yeah, right. If only it had been that easy to begin with, we wouldn't be here.
"Please, Sir, I've been given direct orders to evacuate you from the area -"
Charles appears to be completely torn then, looking over at Eugene and finally pointing at him, glaring down his straight nose. Eugene only shrugs, holding his hands up in the air, as if to say: 'What're you gonna do?'
"Duty calls. Sounds like your daddy's looking for you." Eugene grins, a few wayward chuckles escaping from his throat. "Better go check in before he cuts your curfew."
I need to get back to Rapunzel, anyway, get her out of here… but I really wanted to get back at you.
"This isn't over, Fitzherbert." Charles states venomously as he finally - reluctantly - allows the young guard to usher him away, and Eugene knows that he means it. He means it. "I'll be seeing you again. I'll be seeing her again."
Eugene doesn't say anything, just glares back so hard that he actually starts to develop a headache, watching regretfully as his singular chance at rightful revenge slips through his fingers like water. Charles disappears around the corner at the end of the hallway with the frantic guard still at his back, urgently nudging him along as Charles frustratedly shoos the guard's hovering hands away.
Well, it appears this is the first time since Eugene's known him that Charles has been right about anything.
This isn't over.
"Aw, come on, Princess. Don't be mad at me -"
"I appreciate you coming with Eugene to get me, Lance. Really, I do."
Rapunzel sighs heavily from her unadmittedly-comfortable spot - as she's still slung over Lance's broad, warm shoulder - ultimately breaking her well-intended silent treatment. Much as Rapunzel doesn't want to admit it, being with Lance - being with someone who's a piece of home again - is soothing her anxiety a little. Not as much as being with Eugene would, but enough to make it count.
"I'm just really… I'm just really pissed off at the moment! Excuse my language."
"I know." Lance answers simply as he determinedly stares forward, swiftly making his way down the hallway to find the back entrance and hopefully meet up with Cass, praying to the heavens that he's capable of getting the princess out of the manor with little suspicion and little interference. Eugene is counting on him, after all, and Lance really doesn't want to let him down. Not on this. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for… taking you like that. I just wanted -"
"It's not… it's not your fault. It's his." Rapunzel sniffles against Lance's shoulder, so tired of crying, but not sure how to hold it in anymore; not sure if she even needs to hold it in. "It's Charles's fault. This is all his fault. I know that. And it's not really you that I'm angry with. I'm thankful you came for me, Lance. Truly."
"Don't mention it." Lance waves his hand in the air in dismissal, reaching back to pat Rapunzel gently on the head. "I'd do anything for you two lovebirds. To keep you together."
Rapunzel silently considers this for a moment. She's always liked Lance, but they've never been particularly close; not because she didn't want that, but because Lance kind of held everyone except for Eugene at arm's length. At first, he'd actually been pretty skeptical of Rapunzel's relationship with Eugene, convinced that the entire thing was some scheme on Eugene's part. Lance had come around, eventually, and she'd even convinced him to stay in the castle and make an honest living as a guard. But their friendship hadn't progressed much since then, and that was months ago. It especially hadn't progressed since the marriage and the affair, if only because Rapunzel has been focused on so many other things, operating completely in survival mode.
"Wow, Lance. That really means a lo -"
"Wait. I think someone's coming." Lance suddenly whispers, quickly ducking into the shadows of the low-lit hallway and putting a finger to his lips. "Be quiet for a second."
Frantic, light footsteps follow, and Rapunzel peeks around Lance's head to try to get a glimpse at who they might belong to. Much to Rapunzel's relief, a very familiar face appears around the corner, that face looking stressed and unsure, as though they were searching for something and failing miserably at finding it.
"Fallon." Rapunzel yells abruptly, wiggling from Lance's arms, dropping to the floor, and mindlessly darting toward the young maid. "Fallon!"
Lance reaches for the back of Rapunzel's dress, not wanting to feel the wrath of Eugene if she were to get hurt or lost on his account. Rapunzel quickly shakes Lance's hand away, though, slipping easily out of his grasp.
"Rapunzel! Oh, I'm so glad that you're okay!" Fallon rushes down the hallway to greet the pair, a brilliant, reassured smile replacing her previously worried expression as she envelopes Rapunzel in a quick hug. "Where on earth have you been? I've been looking everywhere for you! A group of guards came into the kitchens. They told me there's been a huge breach of security and that they're getting the royal family out of the manor before notifying any of the guests. I was so worried about you!"
Rapunzel can't help but grin widely as the two girls ultimately pull away from one another, the image of a masked, gorgeous rogue filtering into her brain and making Rapunzel all the more antsy to be reunited with him for real.
"That breach of security was most likely Eugene."
Fallon looks between Rapunzel and Lance for a quiet moment, realization shifting across her face as she silently regards the unfamiliar man.
"Wait a minute. Is this -"
"No, no. This isn't Eugene." Rapunzel explains hastily, looking up at Lance with a shy smile as she introduces her two friends. "Fallon, meet Eugene's best friend, Lance Strongbow. Both of them came for me. They're probably the ones to blame for the security breach."
"But that means… your Eugene. He's really here?" Frantic, Fallon's eyes go wide with worry, grabbing for Rapunzel's wrists with both hands and pulling her a bit closer. "Do you still need me to guide you to the edge of the woods, to make sure that you're able to get to the road more easily? If there's a breach of security, the guards are going to be extra on edge, extra cautious. Although, they'll be extra distracted, too…"
Looking to Lance, who minutely shakes his head, Rapunzel paces forward to take both of Fallon's hands into her own palms, linking their fingers between the two girls like a sturdy bridge of sorts.
"He's here. And I think we can find our way back to the road just fine, now that we have one another, but…" Rapunzel confirms with a conflicted pause, searching the young maid's eyes for an answer that Fallon might not even be willing to give. "Come with us."
"What?" Fallon blinks, surprised, drawing back a pace but not retracting her hands.
"Come with us! You deserve so much better than this place, Fallon! I know it, and so do you!" Rapunzel pleads, looking all kinds of heartbroken. "And you could send for your family in a few months, once you're settled! We have ships in Corona to send for them later, I'm… I'm the princess, for crying out loud! We could make something work, if you would only just consider -"
"Rapunzel, I can't. This is my home." Fallon whispers firmly as she looks away, the marble floor and its royal-red rug suddenly rather intriguing as she drops Rapunzel's hands from hers, letting her own fingers fall awkwardly at her sides. "This kingdom is all I've ever known."
"I was terrified when I left my tower, you know. Terrified." Rapunzel lowers her voice, bending her head to search for Fallon's eyes, desperate for the maid to look at her directly. "But it ended up being the best decision that I've ever made. I had to make that decision for myself, no matter who it might hurt. I had to make that decision so that my soul wouldn't die in a place that couldn't water it anymore."
How can I possibly convince you to come with me if you don't even want it for yourself? How can I get you to see that you deserve better than this, that anyone deserves better than this?
"You can be brave like that, Fallon. I know you can. You're meant for greater things than this, greater places than here!"
Rapunzel clutches at her heart as she speaks, as if the notion that Fallon would refuse to leave with her is threatening to absolutely burst her chest and everything in it apart. Smiling sadly, Fallon finally locks eyes with Rapunzel once more, lifting the small, wicker basket lodged in the crook of her elbow and handing it over to Rapunzel.
"Not all of us are meant to lead an extraordinary life, Princess." Fallon shrugs, looking defeated but at peace with her vanquish. "For some of us, the pain is just supposed to hurt, and it's not supposed to mean anything more. We might've shared this hell for a time, but I can't stop myself from being burned here. You can. It's not too late for you! But for me…"
Dumfounded, Rapunzel shakes her head in a devastated refusal of Fallon's words.
"That's not true." Rapunzel whispers, horrifyingly considering what Fallon's analogy of being burned really means. "I don't believe that, I refuse to believe that! The pain isn't just supposed to hurt. Not for you. You're not just damaged goods, you're not… you can escape here, you can escape him! We both can, together!"
Fallon smiles wistfully at that, pushing the basket into Rapunzel's hands and gently wrapping the princess's shaking fingers around the handle for her.
"Your inherent optimism warms my heart, Rapunzel. I wish I could still find that part of myself. And I wish that my revival was still possible, in the way that you're so admirably capable of saving yourself. But my soul stopped being watered a long time ago."
Rapunzel can only defeatedly stare back at the loyal maid, mechanically taking the wicker basket as though she were in some sort of trance.
"I'll never forgive myself if I just leave you here." Rapunzel reasons, her voice cracking with guilty emotion.
"Don't give it a second thought. I've already forgiven you, even though there's nothing to really forgive you for. I don't see this as you abandoning me, Rapunzel." Fallon rushes in to hug her new friend, wrapping Rapunzel in warm arms. "You need to go home. Rebuild your life, rebuild your love. Heal yourself from this."
"And so do you!" Rapunzel whines, stubbornly pulling away from Fallon's grasp. "You need that, too! You deserve to heal! Why can't you believe that?"
"Your Eugene is probably waiting for you," Is all Fallon says, nodding toward the opposite end of the hallway. "Go on now, before you get caught over something as silly as me."
Fallon folds her arms across her chest and stands there like a tall, sturdy tree, as if intending to see Rapunzel off like a stubborn parent saying goodbye while their child leaves for six months of boarding school or something of the sort.
"I can't bear to just leave you here!" Rapunzel argues, though Fallon is entirely unmoving and completely stoic. At peace with her decision, even if Rapunzel isn't.
"Go, Rapunzel. Please. I'm begging you to go now." Fallon pleads, a sad smile on her lips as she gently nudges at Rapunzel to return to Lance's patient side. "Oh, and by the way… I left a little surprise for you in the basket. Just something to remember me by."
Still reluctantly pacing away - albeit moving much slower now - Rapunzel lifts the linen cloth covering the top of the wicker basket. Inside, Rapunzel notes a colorful arrangement of oranges, apples, bread, and cheese. Beside the small plethora of fresh food, tucked against a far corner of the basket, is the leatherbound journal which Fallon had gifted to her only a few days prior; the same journal that Rapunzel had initially taken her anger and pain out on, and had later poured all of her love into while writing a brokenhearted letter to Eugene.
A letter which Rapunzel had gloomily presumed he would likely never get to read. For a tortured while, she'd assumed the very worst, the hope sucked right out of her. She'd spent so many sleepless nights absolutely terrified that Eugene might be hurt - or worse, dead - terrified that she might never find her way back home again. But now, because of Fallon, there really is a chance...
Rapunzel turns back to Fallon then, unforgiving tears leaking from her emerald eyes, and runs to the maid like a small child seeking comfort. Fallon opens her arms, softly receiving Rapunzel for one last hug, not having anticipated this departure to be quite so difficult for either of them. Tearfully, Rapunzel tucks her face into Fallon's neck, wetting the frilly, lacy collar there with her liquid sadness.
"I don't want to say goodbye." Rapunzel whispers hoarsely, the inside of her throat scratchy and thickly coated by pesky tears. "I wish there was some other way…"
I wish you were willing to save yourself in the selfless way that you were so willing to save me.
Pulling her gently back by the shoulders, Fallon gingerly fixes the rumpled collar of Rapunzel's dress, reaching out to smooth her choppy hair back into place.
"You… are going to make a magnificent queen one day." Fallon smiles as though she were in complete awe of the young woman standing before her, her own tears falling upon pink, flushed cheeks. "And you're already an even better friend."
Aside from Eugene when he died in my arms, I've never wanted to save someone so much… not even myself!
Rapunzel laughs softly, though the laugh quickly becomes convoluted with even more tears, turning into a mixture of a giggle and a sob that makes her throat burn from the salty river of sorrow there, making it hard to breathe and even harder to see through blurred vision.
"I'm not much of a friend if I can't even convince you to get out of this horrible place! Fallon, you really deserve better -"
Fallon takes Rapunzel by the shoulders once again, more firmly now, effectively shushing her.
"Now you listen to me, Princess, and you listen well." The older girl advises sternly, albeit lovingly. "That has nothing to do with you, and I don't want you to blame yourself for my decision to stay. This is about me. My responsibility. Before I can even consider leaving this place, I need to find a way to save my family, too. If I only save myself, what will I have to live for?"
Fallon smiles through her own salty tears, reaching over to softly smooth down Rapunzel's crumpled sleeve and somehow soothe her saddened heart.
"But you? You have an entire kingdom to live for. You can save yourself now. Please, please don't worry about me. Just go, and don't you dare look back!" Fallon lowers her voice, though her desperation level doesn't change. "It's time for you to be free. Really, truly free."
Pulling her in for a final hug, Rapunzel whimpers against the tidy, shiny bun situated at the nape of Fallon's neck.
"I'll never forget you, Fallon. You've done more for me than you know."
"Nor will I ever forget you, sweet Princess." Fallon returns the loving notion as they hesitantly pull away, laughing softly as she wipes at her wayward tears. "But you have a kingdom that's waiting for you and I, a manor to attend to and a certain prince to keep an eye on, so that you can get yourself home. So that you can get back to your Eugene."
Turning abruptly on her heel, Fallon calls over her shoulder one last time with a wink.
"Give him hell, Princess!"
With a sad wave goodbye, Rapunzel watches Fallon disappear around the corner, turning back to Lance with a deep sigh and shrug of her shoulders.
"Well, that was…"
"Depressing as shit?" Lance offers as he sticks out his tongue, as if to somehow get a bad taste out of his mouth.
"Yeah, something like that. She was… a really good friend when I needed one the most." Rapunzel toes dismally at the ground for a moment, brightening quickly. "But hey, you're here and Eugene is here, and we don't have time for me to be all mopey anymore! We should probably get going, before we run into a group of guards or something."
"I would agree with that," Lance testifies, eyes widening. "But I think I hear -"
"Footsteps?" Rapunzel groans under her breath, taking hold of Lance's thick bicep and tugging him back into the hallway shadows. "Again?"
But before Rapunzel can complain any further, Eugene stumbles around the corner, looking like he'd just gotten into a fight with a rabid bear and lost. Frantically jumping into the lit portion of the hallway once more, Rapunzel scrambles to Eugene's side and immediately notes the fresh blood stains covering his jacket, wordlessly wondering if they belong to him, Charles, or a healthy mixture of both.
"Eugene! Oh, God…are you okay?!" Rapunzel gasps, eyes darting all over his face with loving concern as she rushes toward him, inspecting him closely. "Your arm!"
"I'm fine. The bandage came loose, that's all. Popped the shitty stitches that Lance did on the boat, probably." Eugene tiredly reassures her, suddenly taking Rapunzel's biceps into his hands and pulling her close, a subtle panic in his eyes. "We need to go, Rapunzel. Now."
"But you're hurt! Your mouth -" Rapunzel protests, reaching up to gently run her finger along Eugene's broken lower lip, watching worriedly as the pad of her thumb picks up the dripping, red liquid from the still-bleeding cut there.
"Blondie! Listen to me! None of that matters now!" Eugene abruptly takes her by the shoulders, much more roughly than he would in any other circumstance, and much more roughly than he really even means to, his own anxiety taking control. "We need to get the hell out of here. I'm not fucking around!"
"Okay!" Rapunzel whimpers as she shrinks back into herself, taken aback by Eugene's unusual display of harsh sternness with her. "Okay."
"I'm sorry. Hey, I'm sorry." Eugene immediately softens and pulls Rapunzel to his chest, hugging her tight and never wanting to let go ever again. "I'm sorry for yelling. We just… we just need to go. We need to meet back up with Cass and we need to get out of this shithole."
"Oh, Cass is here, too?" Rapunzel gasps happily, pulling away from Eugene and looking up at him with wide, surprised eyes. She hadn't even heard Eugene's reference to Cassandra waiting outside for them earlier, because she'd been so worried about leaving Eugene's side. Rapunzel had a feeling that Cass would be here - especially if Lance was, too - but she hadn't wanted to get her hopes up until she knew for sure. "She really came with you?"
"Of course she did." Eugene dramatically rolls his eyes, though a grin quickly grows on his face as he lovingly tucks Rapunzel's hair behind her ear. "It's Cass."
"I can't wait to see her, I…" Rapunzel jumps up and down for a moment, pure excitement coursing through her veins at the thought of seeing her best friend after being separated for so long. "I've gotta see her! I've gotta see Cass!"
"Well then, let's go!"
Eugene chuckles lightly, grabbing Rapunzel's hand and gently tugging her toward the end of the hallway in a brisk jog. He doesn't move too fast, though, well aware of Rapunzel's tired, bare feet and the heavy layers of skirts that she must carry in her free hand; well aware of how skinny she's gotten, and well aware of the dark circles under her eyes that she'll likely never admit to.
Dipping and ducking in and out of the shadows, the trio hastily weave their way through the lengthy system of dark hallways, navigating the manor the best that they can in the low candlelight and attempting to avoid at all costs the unnerving sound of heavy boots as groups of guards rush by. From the main wing where they'd started, Rapunzel attempts to guide them - with limited knowledge - to the back wing where the kitchens are sure to be located, trying to remember exactly how Fallon had explained the manor's extensive layout. Around another seemingly-quiet corner, there's Thomas, who Rapunzel nearly runs right into.
How hard does it really have to be to leave this freaking manor!?
"Rapunzel? Rapunzel!" Thomas - on his hasty way past her, a confused expression plastered across his face - grabs gently, though abruptly, for Rapunzel's arm in an attempt to stop himself from running directly into her. "Is everything alright? Do you know what's going on, where Charles is? I heard there's been a huge breach of security, and I can't find him anywhe -"
Quickly pulling her close against his chest, Eugene frowns deeply and narrows his violent eyes at Thomas as he looks the prince up and down, immediately noting just how similar Thomas is to his younger brother in looks; so much so that their physical similarities leave Eugene feeling sick to the stomach.
Or maybe that's the bleeding arrow wound.
"Who the fuck are you?"
Thomas, surprisingly taken aback by Eugene's harsh, threatening tone, clears his throat awkwardly and tries his best to straighten his shoulders under Eugene's intense glare.
"I… I'm Prince Thomas of Maddoline, at your service. And you are —"
"Eugene Fitzherbert, royal boyfriend of Corona. At your service." Eugene snarkily cuts the young prince off, leaning his face a bit closer to Thomas's. "And if you touch her again, I'll break your fucking fingers."
"Eugene, it's okay." Rapunzel looks up at him and nods reassuringly, though Eugene doesn't let go of her right away. "Really."
Rapunzel steps out of Eugene's protective embrace and he reluctantly lets her go as she tentatively inches closer to Thomas. She doesn't allow herself to move too far away from Eugene, though, her trust in the Maddolineon prince not being quite as strong as Rapunzel wishes it could be.
"Thomas, I — I'm sorry. I have to leave Maddoline." Rapunzel visibly struggles to honestly explain her situation in a way that won't offend, though the truth is all kinds of derogatory. "Your brother, he —"
"You didn't come here of your own free will." Thomas peers closely at her as Rapunzel attempts to explain, deeply frowning himself now. "Did you, Rapunzel?"
Rapunzel doesn't say anything right away, so Thomas tentatively nears closer to her - only by a step - his weary eyes glued on Eugene for a long, uncertain moment, as if he's testing Eugene's tolerance.
"Did you?"
Thomas doesn't seem angry with her, per say, just… disappointed. Concerned. Sorry.
Really sorry.
"No. No, Thomas, I didn't. Your brother, he... he took me from my home. He took me from my family, from my kingdom, from... from Eugene. From the man that I love. From the man that I was supposed to be with." Rapunzel looks behind her, thankful that Eugene's hard expression has softened at her words, but only by a little. "I never wanted this. Any of this. I never wanted to be married to Charles. It wasn't my choice to marry him, and it definitely wasn't my choice to come here to Maddoline. I was forced here. I was drugged, I…"
Rapunzel closes her eyes and takes a deep, exhausted breath, willing away the memories of the horrid ship ride with Charles to his coveted kingdom and every miserable day after. She can feel Eugene's eyes upon her, angry and loathing over what's happened to her - angry enough for the both of them - as Rapunzel recounts her kidnapping out loud to someone other than Eugene or Fallon for the first time.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry for whatever legal issues I'm about to cause, but I have to go home." Rapunzel hastily explains, pleading with Thomas not to make this any harder for her than it already is. "I need to be with my family and with my people. They need me. I don't belong here and I've never wanted to belong here."
Thomas stares back at her for a heavy few moments, soaking in all of what Rapunzel's said. Finally, with a heaving breath, Thomas licks his lips and shakes his head regretfully.
"I love my brother dearly, but he is — he's always been a bit... troubled." Thomas sighs deeply, rubbing at his temples for a quiet minute before lifting his head to look grimly into Rapunzel's eyes. "I'll take care of him. You guys go."
"Really?" Rapunzel blinks, unable to remember what it feels like to fully trust someone who isn't Eugene. "You mean, you're not even going to try to stop —"
"Go." Thomas repeats firmly, his blue eyes softening in the low candlelight. "I have spent a long time defending my little brother and his selfishness, and I... if what you say is true, Rapunzel, then he doesn't deserve you. You seem like a strong young woman, and clearly, you have a lot of people who love you very much. They'll need you back in Corona."
Thomas smiles then, though the smile is short-lived as he looks past Rapunzel to meet Eugene's hardened eyes, nodding so minutely that she almost doesn't see it, as if they'd reached some sort of wordless agreement.
"Go." Thomas persists, motioning toward the hallway's dark end. "I'll try to find Charles and distract him for a while. I wouldn't doubt that he's looking for you now."
"Thank you." Rapunzel murmurs gratefully, reaching out for Eugene's hand behind her, relieved when he immediately takes her own. "Really, Thomas… thank you."
She turns to go, though Rapunzel registers the breath of her name on Thomas's tongue, so quiet that she almost doesn't hear him.
"Rapunzel, wait."
Thomas opens his mouth and quickly shuts it again, as though he were contemplating the right thing to say.
"I'm glad that you have someone who loves you enough to come for you." Thomas finally states, swallowing hard, as if to push down his own vulnerability. "I can only hope that I'll find that someday, too."
Rapunzel nods with a soft smile, tears welling in her eyes as she clenches Eugene's hand in hers.
Maybe in another life… maybe in another life, we could've been friends. And maybe in another life, your brother could've been a good man like you.
"You'll find it, Thomas. Someday, you'll find it."
"I wish this place could've been better to you, Princess." Thomas admits, backing away slowly. "I wish my brother could've been better to you."
So do I... trust me, so do I.
With a wordless nod of goodbye, Rapunzel fully intertwines her fingers with Eugene's, tugging him gently back down the hallway as Thomas disappears around the corner on the opposite end, fading into the dull flicker of the chandelier light.
Eugene, Rapunzel, and Lance eventually do find their way to the kitchens, which are thankfully dark and empty, almost eerily so. Eugene swiftly pushes the back door open, and waiting there in the grassy field behind the manor, is Cassandra and the two horses which the trio had borrowed from the generous thrift shop owner earlier in the week.
"Rapunzel!" Cassandra brightens as the three burst through the back door and into the expansive meadow, having been busy sharpening her short sword impatiently in the waning light of borderline dusk.
"Cass." Rapunzel is beyond relieved to see Cassandra standing there, sloppily shoving her sword back into its sheath at her hip and rushing toward the princess. "Cass!"
Rapunzel springs from Eugene's arms, allowing her best friend to envelope her completely, holding her tight. A soft sob actually escapes Cassandra's mouth, which only drags Rapunzel into a deeper shock at the sight of her, because she's never seen Cassandra as much as tear up before, let alone display her emotions so openly like this.
"I thought I would never see you again." Rapunzel breathes tearfully, holding onto Cassandra for dear life, the heavy, bottled-up anxiety of the past several weeks finally streaming down her own face and a new wave of shock washing over her as she registers the small, grinning chameleon perched upon Cass's steady shoulder.
"And Pascal! Oh, Pascal!" Rapunzel shrieks gleefully, cupping her hands as Pascal scampers from Cassandra's shoulder, down her arm, and into Rapunzel's awaiting, familiar palms. Overcome with relief, Rapunzel leans down to kiss all over Pascal's tiny, green body, his scales turning a bright, sunshiny yellow from her kisses. "You're here, too! Thank goodness you're here! After that night, I wasn't sure if I… I wasn't sure if I'd ever see you again, either -"
"Don't be ridiculous, Raps." Cassandra answers easily as she pulls Rapunzel in for another hug, an affectionate display so unlike Cass, but so welcomed in the emotionally-heightened moment. "Never see us again? You couldn't get rid of us if you tried. We'd burn the world down looking for you."
Rapunzel laughs with a loud sniffle - not hearing Eugene's thoughtful noise at Cass's last comment - quickly wiping her tears against Cassandra's silky ball gown sleeve as she throws herself at the lady-in-waiting, so thankful for the unnatural amount of well-received hugs. Rapunzel quickly pulls away, though, inspecting Cassandra's committed getup a bit more closely, releasing a mix between a chuckle and a sob as she registers the entire outfit.
"What on earth are you wearing?"
"You see the kinds of things that I'm willing to do for you, Raps?" Cassandra laughs at herself, motioning down to the huge, poofy skirt and tight, matching corset. "You totally owe me for this one."
"Not to interrupt this incredibly heartfelt reunion, but we should really get going."
Eugene moves between the two best friends, earnestly taking Rapunzel into his own arms, anxiously shifting his weight between feet and glancing back at the manor every few moments.
"I'm not sure how many more guards are swarming around this place, and I'd kind of prefer not to find out."
Cassandra curtly nods in response, her face turned positively sour at the sound of Eugene's voice, and Rapunzel notes the obviously cold air between her two most dear companions. Their already-rocky relationship has clearly taken a turn for the worse since she'd left Corona, traveling very quickly downhill, shifting far beyond their usual careless bickering and the insults that were typically only the half-truths of a sibling-like bond.
"What do you say we get you back to your own kingdom, huh Princess?"
"Mmm..." Rapunzel squeezes Cassandra's hands at the suggestion, smiling contentedly, so grateful to be with each of her dearest friends again after convincing herself over and over that she might never see them again. "That sounds - Eugene? Eugene, where are you going?"
Rapunzel immediately drops Cassandra's hands when she realizes that Eugene is actually walking back toward the manor now, entirely confused, because he'd just been hellbent on leaving as quickly as humanly possible.
"Go stand with Cass." Eugene bites out snappily, not bothering to turn back to look at her; not needing to turn around to know that she's still following close behind him. "Rapunzel, go stand with Cass. Or, better yet, go get on a horse and wait for me."
Stopping dead in her tracks, Rapunzel only stares after Eugene as he stomps toward the manor's rear entrance, willing her joyous-turned-surprised tears to stay at the back of her throat.
He's never… he's never talked to me like this before, never acted so out of sorts. So all over the place.
You were kidnapped. You've both been through a lot. He's just stressed. But what is he...
Per Eugene's command, Rapunzel wearily walks back to Cassandra, Lance, and the horses, turning around every few steps to watch Eugene as he stops at the kitchen's back entrance, pacing around the door for a few moments and raking his fingers roughly through his hair. He pauses, like he's thinking really hard, digging around in his pocket for what feels like forever.
Through the still-open kitchen door, Eugene can hear frantic footsteps down the hallway, the pounding of guards imminently drawing near.
"Shit!" Eugene breathes frustratedly, ultimately finding what he's looking for and pulling it out of his pocket.
After fishing around for one, Eugene shoves a single match between his teeth, frantically searching for a rough surface which will light it. Striking the match against the stone on the outside wall of the manor, Eugene stares back for a moment - contemplating - gazing into the dark, empty kitchen as the flame dances between his pinched fingers. He can hear the muffled voices, the yells and heavy footsteps coming after him.
Probably Charles — Charles, ready to hang Eugene for taking Rapunzel away from him like this.
But Eugene is only returning the favor, isn't he?
Eugene stressfully watches as Rapunzel struggles to keep one of the horses settled, having listened to his request for her to get on a horse and wait for him, though the uneasy stallion fights the reins in her hands and prances in stressed circles, pacing around Cass and Lance as they settle onto their own horse. Anxiously, eyes darting between Eugene and the small flame flickering in his hand, Rapunzel's horse rears up onto its hind legs and she nearly falls out of the saddle.
"Eugene, hurry up! Come on!" Rapunzel begs with a surprised yelp as she grasps the reins tightly in white-knuckled hands, barely keeping herself from falling from the saddle as the edgy horse paws at the ground. "I can hear them coming!"
Rapunzel can see Eugene standing there motionless in the open doorway, match in his hand, and she can see his hesitation. Cassandra and Lance simply watch him in silence, nervously looking between Eugene and Rapunzel as she pleads with him to get on the damn horse.
They know what he's thinking. Rapunzel doesn't realize his intentions quite yet, but they do.
And he should. He really should just get on the damn horse. He really should just walk away, he really shouldn't do anything stupid. He shouldn't do anything that will put her in danger any more than she already has been.
But right now, he doesn't care. He doesn't care about anything other than Charles's vulgar words, 'I fucked her,' running through Eugene's head over and over and over again. Torturing him. Eating away at him from the inside out.
Right now, Eugene wants all of the rage, and the hurt, and the anxiety of her being taken from him to burn. He wants it all to go up in fucking flames.
So, Eugene drops the match to the kitchen floor and walks away, not bothering to shut the heavy kitchen door behind him.
I hope you burn in hell, Charles. I hope you fucking burn.
"Eugene... Eugene, what did you do?" Rapunzel whispers, hugging him around the middle and tucking her face into his neck as the smell of smoke rises in the air around them.
Eugene somberly shifts his gaze away from her, back turned to the manor once he's settled into the saddle in front of Rapunzel. Stoic tears run down his face as Eugene forces a smile, staring back at Canmore Manor one last time as hundreds of well-dressed guests begin to filter from the front door in the mass hysteria and confusion of it all.
"I did what had to be done."
Rapunzel simply stares at him, noticing the tears glittering in Eugene's eyes and across his cheeks as her own tears begin to form, the crushing weight of their situation finally coming to a single point of doubled relief and horrific realization.
"What does that mean, Eugene?" Rapunzel shakes her head, lips trembling as she tries hard - and fails - to hold her tears back. "What does that even mean?"
Reaching out to brush a soft hand through her hair, Eugene smiles sadly and feels regretful for not having the right answers for her.
He had, once. A long time ago. But not anymore.
"It means that no one's going to hurt you ever again. It means we can go home now."
"Eugene -"
"Please." Eugene swipes angrily at his tears with the back of his hand before grabbing for the reins, not wanting her to see him crying in this selfish moment. "Please, Rapunzel, can we just… can we just go home? I wanna take you home."
"Yeah." Rapunzel whispers, leaning her cheek into his good shoulder. "Yeah, of course."
Rapunzel gently reaches up to wipe his tears away for him, settling against him as Eugene nudges the horse forward and into the dark forest. Reflecting in Eugene's eyes, she can see the pain and the anger which has been inflicted on the both of them in the last few months, still resting there inside him.
Burning there.
"Let's go home."
Spring breaks loose, but so does fear
He's gonna burn this house to the ground...
AN: Eugene really said: 'This bitch is going up in flames!'
I've been waiting for MONTHS to post this chapter, and to finally write Eugene going absolutely feral. I can't lie, it was so much fun to create. I'm sorry that it's been two months since I've updated, though. I'm really sorry for that, but life has been insane lately. But hey, I've posted just in time to celebrate Killing Me Slowly's first birthday at the end of the month! Can you believe it's already been a whole year since I first started writing this story? I sure can't! To everyone who's been here since the beginning, I simply adore you. And if you haven't been here since the beginning, don't worry. I still adore you, too.
Now, ivy by Taylor Swift is one of the main songs that I think of when I think of this story. Back when it was a featured song for Chapter 18 when Charles initially found out about the affair, these lyrics applied to him, though metaphorically. And now, the tables have turned and they apply to Eugene… quite literally, huh?
He's going to be in just a bit of trouble for this one…
Lastly, I've recently posted a one-shot set in the Killing Me Slowly universe, exploring Charles finding out about New Dream's affair in a different way. If you have the time, consider checking it out! See you again soon, I hope!