A/N: omg another thing completed!
Just 1 playlist for all epilogues on Youtube as PiaM Epilogue
Prison is a Marriage
- Epilogue: Part IV-
Feelings… And Lawyers
With a sudden gasp and shake, Eugene woke up.
He did not know what threw him from sleep, but it took only a moment to reorient himself in the hard makeshift camp bed, between thick blankets, in his own clothes, with the soft warm body lovingly draped around him. The cool night air blew the canvas of the tent, warping the sides up to the peaks inward and outward accordingly. The comforting realization calmed his nerves from whatever had rattled them. He took a deep breath.
"Eugene?" Rapunzel's small voice snuck over to his ears.
"Hm?" he answered and asked, newly worried from the worried tone it sounded like she took, but also thrilled to have her right there with him, and awake even.
"Are you alright?"
He sighed happily. "Yeah, heh, yeah, I'm alright."
"You've been in a fitful sleep," she reported.
"Ugh, I'm sorry. Hope I didn't disturb you…"
"Not too much," she said guiltily. "I'm just happy to have you back. And, I hope you're comfortable?"
He grinned. "I am very comfortable. And I'm happy to be back. But, I guess sleep is still hard…" He sighed. "I dunno what woke me up, but I could go for a drink- well, water. You want any?"
She yawned out, "Yeaaah…"
He smirked down at her and smushed his face to hers for a sleepy kiss as she giggled, but then pushed at her legs. "Here, lemme up. I'll go get us some."
Eugene headed back to the tent with two tin cups full of water.
The sharpening of a rapier in the shadows caught his ear first, hidden from the full moonlight. But then the glimmer sparkled on the metal, for an extra flash of light to see who it was: Cassandra.
Eugene nodded to her, but continued walking, assuming she would not want anything to do with him, especially at whatever unholy hour this was.
"Eugene," she said with ominous deadpan.
"Yo." He stopped short and turned back. "What's up, soldier?"
Cassandra looked up at him with cold steely eyes. "Everything alright?" She sounded suspicious, but also very tired.
Eugene just smiled, carefree, all worries still at bay. "Pfft, I'm fantastic," he giggled, showing off his splotchy neck.
"Eughlc..." Cass cringed, then stood and stepped out of the shadows. He could now see that a dark splash and other spots dotted and smeared her tunic.
He startled terribly. "Cass, are you okay?!" he hissed in a hushed whisper. Is that…?
"I'm fine. You two holding' up good though, I take it?" She pointed to the two cups.
"We're fine, but… is that blood?"
"What?" She looked down at herself where he was staring. "Oh. I guess. Anyway it's not mine."
"Wha…?"
Cassandra locked eyes with him. "You don't have to worry about her anymore."
It sunk in slowly, til Eugene felt faint at the conclusion. "Cass…"
"If they brought her back to Corona, you'd have to testify, it'd go public, and she'd be let go anyway."
"W-why…" He tried to shake his head clear of the storm that scenario just blew through his mind. "Why would she have been let go? I'm telling the truth-!"
"Because you were right about one thing, Fitzherbert. Women don't get convicted of rape. No one else would've believed you. Sorry, but ex-Flynn Rider's ex-girlfriend? You wanna convince the entire kingdom you didn't just fall back into old ways? That you didn't want the first quick fuck you could get after being cooped up for a year?"
He jerked his head aside indignantly. "I-"
"I believe you. We believe you. But none of us, not you, nor even me and my dad, wanna see Rapunzel have to fight her dad for you, or put the entire Royal Family -including you- through the spectacle of a doomed, pointlessly sensationalized trial. You're gonna be Prince Consort someday, so you've gotta start thinking about your public image, too- in a way that benefits the kingdom. But you're not Prince Consort yet, so they'd still have to have a trial. You would've had to face her in front of the King. You would've had to convince the King himself - publicly - of everything that happened. If he believed you, if he'd still want you, then he'd still have to make the divorce public, still possibly turn public opinion against you marrying in... IF she'd made it back."
In a daze, he nodded. The two halves of his life suddenly knocked heads again. Oh, so SHE knew all this time Rapunzel wanted to marry me from the start! - Stalyan's, dead? After what she did to me! But… I just don't know how to feel… She was my girlfriend, for so long- but she did- she- she- she raped me, ME?! and Cass- I did want her gone, too… But, really? And Cass?! Blondie?! The King… I would've had to tell him-... Tell HIM, that… He gulped. "But, won't you get in trouble for this?"
"No. My dad and I talked it over. We're an occupying force here; she was just a casualty. This was the best possible outcome for you, and now it's already done. It's taken care of."
Eugene blinked, waiting for more, frozen.
"Are you alright, Fitzherbert?"
"ME?!" he snapped, "I…" I can't handle all that! - But she's saying now I don't have to…
She stepped up close and grabbed his arm. "Your hands are shaking." The water in the cups was indeed vibrating.
"Yeah, well, I'm kinda freakin' out," he said faintly. "I hadn't even thought of- what would happen after- tergh-..." he choked, "To her..."
"Eugene," she called to him, as his expression looked more and more distant. "Hooo boy. Here," she decided, "Gimme those." She easily snatched the cup handles from him in one hand, and grabbed his elbow in the other. "I'll get ya back to Raps."
"Thank you…" he said, in a catatonic whisper.
As they walked, Cassandra explained. "Like I said, I talked it over with my dad, and we decided this would be best."
"For me?" he cringed, still in shock.
"For you, and Raps, and Corona. Like I said."
"No, I mean, YOU, did this, FOR ME?"
She hesitated. "You fought her all month, alone, didn't you?"
"Yeah…"
"And you captured her and turned her over."
"Y-yeah…"
"Then you did enough."
"But I thought you hated me- and especially as a boyfriend for Rapunzel?"
She sighed and chuckled. "Iii… I know you love her. And you obviously make her happy, so," she shrugged.
"Yeah," he whined.
"Eugene," she cringed as she stopped walking and turned to him, but still held his arm. "This is what you wanted, wasn't it?"
His breathing trembled. He stared off into the ground, thinking back to earlier in the day when he had watched the sun rise, his hand on his knife handle – compared to his perfect paragon girlfriend, and what she would think of his thoughts. "This morning, I found her outside our- huh-" he gagged, "'Our' bedroom, and told her to follow me to escape… I said I loved her and would protect her..."
Cass stood up straighter, listening intently.
He scoffed, sadly. "And she actually believed me. Of course I didn't mean it to her, but I made her believe me and she did. I took her to the great hall, where I'd already dropped Weasel and the Baron. Then, right outside the doors, I…" He gritted his teeth. "I tackled her and tied her hands…" He cringed in on himself, losing his breath. "She's like half my weight- I-! I could've done that at any time! I could've-!"
"Nooo," Cass shook his arm. "No, you couldn't have. Hey."
He looked up to her.
"Leverage."
'Riiight there… I'm the Princess's boyfriend! I come with a lot… more… Leverage!' Eugene's eyes widened as he remembered. "Right…" He finally smiled. "Right."
"You knew the whole time, one wrong move from you, then the guys were dead. And when you made it back to us, you said you wished she was dead. So?"
He remembered sitting atop her, tying her hands… And yeah, wishing she were dead. The same as every night. "Yeah…" he concluded, slightly surprised at himself. "You know it's not my modus operandi, but… yeah. I… I haven't wanted anyone dead so much since I found Rapunzel tied up. Or-" He choked. "When I read your letter that she was sick. I-..." He gasped and studied the ground. "This morning I had a knife… and she was still asleep… I almost did it then." Finally, he sneered. "But I wanted her to see she hadn't won. I wanted her to see how wrong she was. About everything and everyone."
She smiled at him with pride and sympathy. "Well there ya go."
"Um," he worried at his lip, "If you don't mind, um… Did she- did she say anything?"
Cass tensed. "Are you sure you can handle it right now?"
He nodded. "I'd rather just know…"
"She said to tell Flynn that she loved him."
It pierced him in a way that seemed so strange and foreign now. His face knotted up for a second, but he only heard one thing blaring through his head instead, even as his heart took the hit: 'I like Eugene Fitzherbert, much better than Flynn Rider.'A singular but invincible rock that none of those waves crashing against it could budge or wear down in any way. He sniffled and regained his composure quickly. "Yeah she can go ta hell."
"Are you okay?" she checked with concern.
He shook and nodded his head around, biting his lips together to keep tears back, then just shrugged, his voice waterlogged: "My name's not Flynn." He looked her in the eye, letting her see everything.
Cassandra brightened up on him. "Come on, Eugene." She continued escorting him back to Rapunzel's tent.
"Cass, um, thank you." He looked to her again as they stopped.
"No problem. Camps can get a lil confusing to navigate when everything looks the same."
"No, I mean, for what you did. To even just hear that you and your dad care that much it's- I mean about Rapunzel and the family is one thing, but, me…? If I ever caused too big of a scandal, I know I could be replaced at the drop of a hat, so, protecting me like this? Is huge." his voice strained, but he reached to hug her- then paused. "Uh?" he asked hopefully.
Cassandra huffed a laugh at him, but threw one arm around him, which she then patted his back with a couple times, and he did likewise. "It is good to have you back. Certainly would rather have you here than Flynn Rider out on the loose. Plus you know I don't like a mopey Princess, and, well, I guess you two work."
He chuckled as he released her. "Thanks, Cass."
"Good night then," she nodded and left.
"Good night." He looked back to the tent flap and took a deep breath as his nerves shook again. He stood there dumbfounded before his voice kicked in, shakily. "Blo-ondie?"
In just a few seconds, Rapunzel opened the tent flap for him, happy to see his return with the twin tin cups. "Hi! Oh, thanks!" She went to take one from him, and he almost fumbled handing it off.
"S-s-sorry-" he muttered.
"Eugene?" she looked him over with alarm. "You look like you just saw a ghost…"
"I just might, for real this time."
"What?"
"Let's get inside," he directed.
Inside, Eugene sat down on the edge of the cot, cupping his drink. "Cass just killed Stalyan."
"What-..." Rapunzel blinked, paling with a shock washing over her, not believing what news it sounded like he had just dropped. "What did you say?"
"Cass… just killed Stalyan. She's… dead…" He gulped down some of the water.
Rapunzel remained frozen and wideeyed.
He looked to her, curious, but prepared to trust her answer. "Did you know?"
"N-no… no, of course not! I thought maybe as a sentence, but not til after a trial. But…" She sighed. "I guess I'm not surprised."
Eugene gulped and shook his head, setting his cup on the ground. "Cass said she and her dad talked it over, that she's just a casualty. She said they did it, 'cause… She said she'd get let off, after embarrassing all of us with a public scandal…"
Her eyes fell away. "Yeah, like my dad said…"
"Yeah…" He looked away.
Her arms flew out as she rushed to embrace his arm, sliding in to sit beside him. "I don't care, it doesn't matter. People will see that I still trust you, that we all still trust you, and they'll see that you took down the Baron! No one ever has to know anything more of the truth than that. Especially now, I guess."
"Okay…" The possible catastrophe with the Coronan public made his head spin worse so he put that aside. "But… she…" His eyes narrowed, still finding it partly difficult to comprehend. "She's... dead…?"
Rapunzel took a deep breath, then waited. Finally she whispered, "...are you okay?"
"I mean, yeah!" he said with an honest chuckle, though he remained unsure of any feelings or morality here. "I've thought about it so much-" He stopped suddenly and gulped. Yeah. Whether it makes me good or evil, I did. "When I…" he gagged on confessing this to his sweet Princess who had no idea about such things, but he got it out: "When I was choking her, every time, I thought, if I just…"
"What?" she asked in a gasp as she leaned away, more confused than anything.
He winced and collapsed his arms around her beside him there; she hugged him back comfortingly. "Oh you precious-" he sighed, too exhausted to be too delicate. "Some people like pain during sex. She liked it. It's just pressing on the muscles and veins, though, 'cause if you get the windpipe…" He sniffled. "God, but yeah her dad would've had us all killed before we even knew what hit us."
"Oh…"
"I don't care, though, I'm never doing that with you. And I thought about just like slicing her- um, thrtyesterday morning before we set off the explosion signal. Thought maybe I should just get rid of her then, but, I… I wanted her to know that she hadn't won after all. That I was still loyal to you. Kinda rub it in… But- wow… I just..." He shook his head. "I dunno."
She ran her hand through his hair, which he leaned into. "Well, you're free now…"
His face screwed up with the weight of that, and the weight it lifted off of him. No divorce necessary. With a clear of his throat, he tried to broach the topic. "I hadn't wanted to be a downer, but…" He tucked his face against her neck, breathing her in, nuzzling. He took her left hand. "What about me already- well, having been married now?"
Rapunzel gripped his hand back and leaned into him. "I," she gasped breathlessly. "I haven't read into Coronan marriage law yet, actually."
He suddenly leaned back and eyed her seductively. "You're so sexy."
She giggled. "Not what we were talking about, but thanks."
He smirked as he slid his palm up to her cheek. "It's sexy when you talk about law, and all the things you're so knowledgeable in."
She blushed. "Well, and I'm not letting you go, no matter what the law says. We'll make our way through this, or we'll find a way around this, I promise."
"And I promise," he at last reached for her lips again. "I'm all yours."
They kissed, then sat there leaning against each other in silence for a few moments…
Rapunzel reluctantly cleared her throat. "Ya know, she… was holding you against your will. And she…" She took a deep breath and sighed. "Regardless of anything else, those are, 'capital' offenses. So, had she been properly convicted, she would have been facing that anyway. And if Cass is right about Corona's record in getting those proper convictions, then… At least we know justice was served, even without due process."
Eugene blinked, slowly realizing what she was implying. He leaned away and looked her in the face. "Stealing your crown was a capital offense." He shook his head. "I can't- you know I can't support that for anything!"
She shook her head. "Normally, I can't either. But my parents would have…"
"Rapunzel!" he exclaimed, sitting up straight in shock. "She only-!"
"She hurt you, Eugene!"
"And I hurt your parents!"
"Oh, Eugene do you really think they haven't forgiven you? That bringing me back didn't make up for stealing a thousand crowns, and that ring - that you also brought back?"
He threw his head to the side. "Oh come on, you know I didn't just valiantly 'find the lost princess' and bring you back. I know that's the official story, and I did eventually help you plenty enough, but."
She huffed back at him, "You helped me and you did save me. What are you always telling me? Don't sell yourself short."
He sputtered out some starting sounds, rolling his head around. "Alright, so we should've given her a chance to make it up to them- I mean- I guess-" He realized it and slowly hesitated. "Make it up to me."
"You stole things, Eugene. Not people. Not… that. That's not something she could ever give back to you. From day one, you've more than made up for everything. And, Eugene, you know, she was set on refusing any chance to be good- any chance to even treat you decently at all! She was nothing like you. Even when I first met you, you were a jerk, but you were still good enough to me. Still wouldn't have hurt me, still didn't want me to get hurt."
He sighed heavily and ran his hand through his hair. Quietly, he tried to sort out his own conflictions. "You know how hard it was for me at first even thinking of the Stabbingtons being locked up while I ended up dating you. We all stole your crown…"
"But then they-"
He nodded as he interrupted and repeated her. "But then they tried to kidnap you, to- to…" They both averted their eyes and he sighed. "Yeah, I know you're right..." He looked back to her, remembering how she had described that minute of terror. "I'm sorry, again, Rapunzel. I'm sorry I couldn't stop them. I'd teamed up with them because they were stronger than me. And I'd never thought-"
She silenced him with a kiss. "I know. And that, is certainly a long way in the past."
He nodded and turned to pull her close into a hug. "So, you're sure you're not mad at me?"
"What?" she laughed. "Eugene, I said I wasn't mad at you."
"For anything?"
"No-"
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, I'm sure!"
He clutched her all the more tightly. "I don't wanna wake up to being extra-judicially executed…"
"Oh, Eugene!" she squeezed him as tightly as she could. "What on Earth- we would never!"
"But you could, and right now no one would question it. YOU are all I have, Blondie."
She pushed him away to hold his face. "Eugene, you have the respect and gratitude of every single person in this city and in this camp. I'd told everyone you were captured from the beginning; if they do know about the wedding then they still know very little. You're not Flynn Rider here. Any wrong you did to take them down was just a means to that end, and that end was good! You're a hero…"
He sniffled as he tried to turn his face away a little. "And if I'd failed?"
She quieted and tucked in on herself.
He lifted his eyes back to her and asked, frightful but also accusatory, "Blondie?"
"I know you. If you had failed, you wouldn't be alive– and not because of our side."
He dropped his head back to her shoulder. "Okay, yeah, you're right. And now I know the plan always was to come in and get me, regardless."
"Eugene," Rapunzel choked, "Do you really think, I would do all this, come all this way, and still let anything happen to you?" She shook her head. "Every single person in this camp, from Cap and Cass, every guard and soldier, down to the cook and squires– I personally, explicitly, told EVERYONE… that you were not to be harmed. If the unthinkable proved true, then fine, arrest, but…"
"But? Blondie, arresting me for treason would still have ended in a noose or–"
She snapped harshly, "It would have ended with me letting you go."
He watched her resolve with a careful and reverent respect. "Then, thank you… Thank you for believing me, for saving me… From everything. From myself..."
"Oh, Eugene," she held his cheeks adoringly, "You're not alone anymore. And you haven't been alone, not really, not since we met. I'm just sorry we didn't find you before we left the city last month."
He pitched forward, pressing his face back into her shoulder. "I know… I know, Sweetheart."
"Eugene..." She held him there, and bounced him in her arms, running fingers through his hair, squeezing more tightly for all the reassurance she could give. "I will always take care of you. No matter what. I love you, and I will always love you. I promise."
"I love you too… I love you, Blondie… Same. Forever. Promise."
"And you have nothing to ask forgiveness for, but I am here to help you heal. You're back, where you're so loved, and wanted, and missed, and looked up to. You're back now."
He screwed his eyes shut, face twisted up with so many emotions, but nodded against her.
"You're back, and you're mine."
He leaned away to find her lips, locking them tightly together with all his desperation. Without parting, he laid them down and slid into place in the cot, with her perfectly wrapped in his arms, and him in hers. He snuggled into a lower position, happily accepting her comfort and protection. Finally, he left the kiss to nuzzle into her shoulder. "Mine."
She chuckled, rubbing his arms and back. "Mine," she teased petulantly.
His smirk took up his whole face."No, MINE," he repeated in an escalating manner, winding his arm around her waist.
Rapunzel laughed with a joyous freedom. "Well, I think you'll be pleased to know, that I hereby decree, that for as long as you want, I plan to keep you right here. As MINE." They both fell into a fit of chuckles, til she returned with a soothing, "Love you, Eugene."
His laughter had turned into a long yawn, which he struggled to come back from with a noisy groan. "Okay," he said with cheerful resignation. "I give up. Guess I'm yours forever then," he snickered, but quickly found himself almost dozing off, so he added, "Mmm, I love you, Blondie… Always..."
She hummed a loving smile.
He forced himself more awake though, gazing at her. But eventually, his focus wandered into staring into space.
"Hey," she brushed his hair back, as she watched him. "What're you thinking?"
His eyes switched back to hers, and he paused, then retreated to staring down. He stated matter of factly, "If you don't count this, then, otherwise… I just want you to know, that I could never cheat on you, Rapunzel. I would never. I can't even imagine it." Eyes flicked away again. "Unless it was something like this I guess..."
"Eugene," she sighed, "Let me ask you… If this had happened to me, instead, would you consider it-"
"No," he said flatly. "No. If you were kidnapped and…" He winced. "I don't even wanna think about that."
"Then why do you still feel responsible?"
"Because it was all my fault that we got involved back then, so it was all my fault she was after us in the first place…"
"Your fault…"
"Yeah…"
"Because of your past…"
"Yeah," he sighed.
"That you've left behind."
He looked away. "It's still there, though. It still happened. I still did all those things. And it can still catch me. Just like how my warrants are still out in other kingdoms and towns, other people want revenge..."
"Eugene," she cried, "How could I hold any of that against you?"
His bottom lip quivered, and finally he dug his face back into her chest. "I…" He gasped and choked and gulped, trying to hold everything together. "I know you don't, because you know, I don't ever wanna hurt you," he cried, holding onto her tight. "But back then, I… I didn't care about being faithful or loyal or committed to her. But you? I've just naturally FELT all those things about you since your birthday last year."
She held him there, petting through his hair. "I know, I do know, Eugene. See?"
"I was a scumbag and I don't deserve you, but-"
"No, no you're not. And I do believe you belong here, with me-"
"But I-"
"Eugene," she said adamantly, moving him away to see his face. "I know, you're devoted to me. I know. Do you really think anyone else in this world could ever compare to you?"
"Rapunzel," he cried to her big green eyes, "I slept with another woman..."
"And no matter how much you argue, I will not be angry with you for it! Because Eugene, I know, and I understand, that you never wanted any of it." He looked away but she continued. "It's what she did to you."
"She raped me," he repeated, emptily, "I… let her…"
"No, Eugene- Under threat of the death of your friends?! No…"
He closed his eyes as he nodded, easily conceding, but ready to explain what he really meant. "I know, I know, but, I just feel like I can hardly believe that happened. Being here with you now, it all feels so far away already. But… I guess, there is still- I mean when I really think back on it then, for the past week, I was the one initiating-"
"To throw them off, you said."
"Yes, but…" He cringed. "I didn't realize how the guilt would kill me…" He lost his breath. "I thought it was rougher when I was resisting everything, but at least I knew I was resisting, ya know? Once I gave in…" He shook his head. "It was too easy to just… slip back into that… I am so sorry- I just don't know how to forgive myself…"
She snuggled him close again, and pressed her hand over his heart. "Then I'll help you until we figure that out. But that guilt is not yours. And Eugene, like I said, I love you, and I understand. So please, I know it still hurts, but let that guilt go, please. No matter what you've done in the past, that was wrong of her. You had moved on. She decided to set this whole thing up."
He nodded, but pulled her away to look her in the eye again, and let his mind wander without judgement. "I remember thinking… That I would do anything to get back to you. Even sleep with her. If it meant actually getting out safely. Getting back to you. Even just to see you, to try to explain- I couldn't let that meeting on that hill be the last things I ever said to you."
"And here you are," she smiled and cupped his cheek. "As long as we have tomorrow, we'll be alright. You'll have me, and you'll be alright."
His brow knit up and he pouted, but gasped, "I love you." Then he dove for her lips, which eagerly met his. I am enough for even HER. After everything I've done! She loves me…
She held the back of his neck, fingers playing up in his hair. "She's gone. Forever. And you? Are safe. Right here. In my arms. Just as you are. Forever. I promise."
He touched their foreheads together where they lay facing each other on the pillow. "And Blondie, you are still, and will always be, my Dream."
Rapunzel felt flushed. She reached to entwine their arms and hands together between them. "And you're mine, Eugene. You'll always be my Dream, too."
He drowsily grinned ear to ear. "I am all yours, Darlin'." Freely secure in her arms, at the sound of her acceptance and encompassed by her love, he finally dropped off into a peaceful sleep.
"Goodnight, Eugene." She kissed his forehead, bringing an unconscious smile to his lips.
A/N: I wrote the main part of this before The Eye of Pincosta had even been promo'ed. So. Yeah. Fuck that.
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