A/N: Last edited August 14, 2020
I strongly suggest you re-read the last section, especially if you found it difficult to follow. Again, thank you all so much, and I apologize for the confusion!
Chapter 4: Tangled vs The Alma Mater
They rode on for Corona, just a short distance away now. At a comfortable gallop, they would be there within the hour.
Trying to displace the bitterness sprouting in her at Eugene's suspected lie, Rapunzel soon began squirming. She blamed it on the position and speed, though, and thus insisted on riding with one leg on each side, her skirt hiked up to do so. Eugene tried, but was woe to stop her. Settled once more, she watched the forest and woods blur by in a daze. The familiar weight at her back again made her feel strangely safer than her hair ever did, as she was propelled towards this new life.
Eugene kept his head tucked down onto her shoulder, his arms strapping her in close. A simple direction to Max had ensured he did not need to look where they were going. He could not bear to, anyway. On her sides, his hands gripped her fleshy waist, pulling her hips backward. This was not just for his own want to hold her, but also because doing so arched her upper back, to press into him. Her bottom also pushed back against him. He was not about to waste their last moments with being too much of a gentleman.
She relished the tenderness, and feared if those hands would ever stop. She leaned back into him, savoring his warmth and closeness. Wary of disrupting this favored position, she hesitantly turned her head to nuzzle his cheek at her shoulder. Her worried eyes went big and lips pouted. Can we even kiss or is Max moving too fast?
He popped his head up to her, instantly reading her. His lips glued to hers, but the horse's jostling did make it slightly cumbersome. One arm remained embracing her, while the other held her jaw steady with his. His fingertips brushed through her hair over and over. Eventually the kiss became too clumsy, and he took to just whispering more warnings and instructions behind her ear, as he stroked her hair.
"Don't let anyone hurt you. Don't you lose that spirit. You're beautiful, and smart, and wonderful. Don't you ever doubt that. You are worth more than the whole damn world, don't you ever forget that."
Their murmuring and caresses and occasional kisses continued on the rest of the way.
At first sight of the bridge through the trees, Rapunzel panicked. "Whoa, Max," she suddenly but gently pulled the reins back to stop him.
Eugene looked up, the sight of the bridge leaving a rock in the pit of his stomach. He asked in a forced calm, "What's the matter?"
She sighed, and answered without turning around. "You've gone far enough. I'll take Max in alone."
He started. "No- ah, no, no..." Not so soon! "I'll take you to the door, the balcony where the King and Queen receive guests." He pointed ahead of them. "We... um..." He rubbed his forehead, trying to figure out the best way to proceed. "They already know I slipped back into the city once; they'll be patrolling the supposed only in and out even better now. But if we can get you to the back of the castle, you can get up to the third story, and then there's a turn..." his hands tried maneuvering in the air, but suddenly he could not remember how to explain which wall to climb nor how many turrets there were in total. He sighed. "It's been quite a taxing few days since we did this, and we had a map on us then. I'd have to be there to remember anyway."
Max snorted, but they paid it no heed.
"There won't be as many big crowds to hide in, will there?" Rapunzel added in. I thought you had at least some kind of a plan! She rested her hand on his forearm that lay across her stomach. "If it's just me and Max, we should be fine."
"But he helped me escape. Maybe if the rowboat from the other day is still there..." Eugene thought out loud. Unconsciously, his other hand rested atop hers.
Max snorted again and shook his head.
"If that's still there," Rapunzel pessimistically predicted. She twisted to see his face. He's so worried, but I swear I'm going to make things right... All this is because of me...
"We could try to from farther down the shore, and, and see if..." he trailed off. It's broad daylight.
Max scoffed at this idea as well, this time breaking into a full whinny, shaking his head and stamping his feet.
Eugene scoffed back this time. "Oh yeah?" he snapped, "Well what's your idea, smart guy?!"
Max shot a glare back at Eugene. All of a sudden, he reared up just enough to cause him to clutch Rapunzel's waist for dear life with one arm, while his other hand flew to grab hold of the horn of the saddle, as they both yelled out. Rapunzel pulled hard on the reigns, merely tucking Max's chin down, but not deterring him in the slightest. He came back down hard, so that Eugene's weight collapsed atop Rapunzel. With complementing oofs, they were both left bent over in jockey positions. They stopped crying out for only this moment. Max set his eyes on the bridge, and bolted.
Rapunzel squealed, partly in terror, but mostly in excitement.
"MAAAaaaAAAX?!" Eugene screamed. "Not agAAAA-eee-AAAin!" In another panic altogether, he checked his collar; Pascal was just as freaked out, but secure.
Max galloped them at full speed through the woods, but following the shoreline, down towards the entrance of the bridge. He began neighing out at the top of his lungs, trying to let his voice carry.
Crouched over Rapunzel, Eugene bitterly whined to her. "Stupid horse, is he turning me in?!"
She laughed out loud. "No, I don't think so!"
Nevertheless, he put a hand on her shoulder and she covered it with her opposite hand.
By the time Max sprang from the brush onto the road right in front of the bridge, the two mounted guards' horses at the entrance there were already in a tizzy. Both brown horses were prancing about in circles, braying and rearing up, trying to shake their riders off kilter. The guards did not even have their crossbows drawn, since they were confused and desperate to simply regain control of their animals. Max clicked in approving gratitude as they blew past. Befuddled shouts followed them.
"What the Devil has gotten into these horses!"
"Was that the Captain's horse?!"
"Was that them?!"
"That is- It's Rider!"
Eugene closed his eyes and prayed the entire length of the straightaway. He leaned down harder on Rapunzel, and kept his arms bent up at her sides, trying to shield her as much as possible. If they start shooting... "Please don't, please don't, please don't, please don't!" he repeated over and over through gritted teeth, his anxiety bursting out of him loud enough for Rapunzel to hear plain as day.
"Eugene, you have to trust us!" Rapunzel exclaimed. This is it, I'm so close! As they sped down the road, all of her years of longing bubbled back up again. A smile blossomed across her face and a giggle escaped, as the cool salty wind whipped refreshingly at her eyes. A new life- my new life- This is just the beginning!
I'm dead. I'm dead, I'm dead, I'm a dead man. Eugene was much less positively thrilled. Just gotta get her there. He opened his eyes, squinting ahead of them. To him, the sea air was dingy and ominous, for once they crossed that bridge, he certainly did not have anymore extraction plans or exit strategies for himself. "Max!?" he yelled, "Do you know where to go?!"
Max whinnied what they assumed was affirmatively.
At the height of the hump of the bridge, they lifted their faces to what awaited them.
Rapunzel gasped. Her eyes and mouth likewise opened in wonder once more. The stone castle looked even more wonderful and even more perfect than it did a few days ago. She would not be going here for just a once in a lifetime trip, which she might forget some details of. She was going to live there! The tip top spire was so high that it looked fuzzy in the distance. The colossal architecture formed perfectly to the island itself, looking like a single massive mountain. Inside, she was sure there had to be no shortage of amazing places and winding halls for her to wander. My tower was nothing compared to this! More rising columns than she could see from this angle all soared toward the sky, along with her spirits, only growing as they approached. She swore that the whole of this rocky kingdom was absolutely glimmering, just waiting to excitedly welcome her home.
Eugene groaned a little. This strange and beautiful castle had once been his dream palace, right out of a fairy tale. This kingdom had been his home in the past, but that was a long time ago. Now it felt weird, racing to the royal residence, heading straight for everything he had been running from for so long. For all the boundless sea beyond it, and the immense stretch of glistening sand of the bay that curved about the peninsula - they were actually heading back to the darkest place for him. He knew that the indistinct details ornamenting the structure were both granite gargoyles and slender seraphim. It was a masterpiece in stone lace, with charming swirls and frail foliage bursting throughout, in stark contrast to the massive supporting buttresses. He was certain he had been the only one, since the architects and monks who had built it centuries before, to see it all up close in order to fully appreciate it. A terrible, terribly wonderful, masterpiece. Despite his fears, his admiration swooned for this godly jewel of an island, and its cameo castle rising out of the shimmering sea.
They passed through the eye of the arch at the end of the bridge, but the pounding hoof beats of the over-packed horse had already caught the attention of some residents. Women grabbed children out of the street, who tried to gravitate towards the sense of adventure in awe. Some men tried to defend their wares, while others cried out and shook their fists in indignation.
Max, however, was unaffected. His vision was tunnel focused. His attention zoomed to a giant stack of bird cages to the right, with riled wings flapping out the sides. To the left, a heavily loaded merchant cart was stopped up on an incline with wheel blocks. As he galloped by, he jumped to the right, shouldering the precarious stack just so. The birds quarbbled and honked, squawked and clucked, whichever suit their species, in pure fright. Their small wooden cages suddenly wavered, and toppled the structure over, back towards the middle of the road. Max was already out of the way. Some cages busted open, feathers erupted, and some flightier birds escaped out of the wreckage. On the left, he stopped short, looked back to aim, and back-kicked the side of the merchant cart. The whole cart jerked violently, and the wheels popped up and away from their blocks. Slowly but surely, it started rolling down into the road, driving directly toward the avian mess of broken wood. Again, Max was already well on his way again down this entrance road.
"Sorry!" Rapunzel winced and cried out to the townsfolk, genuinely feeling horribly responsible for the destruction. "Excuse us!"
Eugene yelled directly at the horse actually responsible. "Nice job blendin' in with the crowd, Max. Who ya rootin' for, death?!"
Any guard stationed on this side of the island would have the advantage of higher ground. Max saw this, and narrowed his eyes, scanning around them for a plan. Rapunzel and Eugene both instinctively ducked when he galloped under an overpass. Suddenly, he darted off the entrance road with a hard left, screaming passengers in tow, under another overpass.
But this was a short street, that curved back toward the mainland. To their left, was a small group of guards, without weapons drawn yet, running from the mess of the entrance road, to assess what was going on. Max quickly maneuvered to take a hard right, but in the close quarters could not properly account for the whiplash he was creating. Just as he was taking another hard left turn to head back down another short street towards the side road, Max nearly whacked against a wall. Eugene, however, did. Pascal flew out of his collar, only still hanging on by the grip he had on the white shirt's unused button hole.
Eugene and Pascal recovered, but Eugene began thinking about how practical it really was for him to still be there. He was used to running from the guards, sure, but he was running toward their base. And what help was he actually being?
Max was on a long straightaway again, not the main road, but a prominent side road that rounded the west side of the island. The commotion and cacophony, set in motion from the start, had spread quickly up the rocky town's levels. They began to make out calls to arms, and shouts alerting whatever guards were around. But Max was set on his task, and his gritted face showed how hard he was pushing himself, what with all the weight he was carrying.
"Have we lost them?" Rapunzel tried to look back, but could not see past Eugene's arm.
He looked behind them. "Uh, no we haven't." Two mounted guards were on their tail, crossbows drawn. A few looks back and forth showed they were gaining. "They're gaining on us!" He looked down to Rapunzel in his arms. He grabbed the hair away from the side of her face, and kissed her temple. "Plan B," he announced. "Don't stop for anything."
What. Rapunzel's heart sank too fast to even say anything to object.
The purple pennants bearing Corona's sun insignia were still strung across the streets. Eugene stood up in the stirrups, reached up, and caught hold of one of the pennant ropes. Beneath him, Max kept charging, right out from under him. His body still swung forward from momentum, his legs swung up, as he tried to swing as high as he could, increasing his hang time. At the weightless peak, he switched his hands to turn around as he came back down.
Legs spread, with the downward swing his boot heels each hit one of the guards square in the chest. He let go at just the right time, and managed to tuck and roll safely to avoid injury himself. The guards had been knocked unconscious as their helmets hit the cobblestone. He ended up up on all fours, facing back towards them and ready to pounce, but he was able to take a breather and slowly get to his feet.
"Eugene – Run!" Rapunzel cried out to him, though her voice was faint to him in the distance already. She could hardly turn much to look back against the momentum. "Max!" she screeched. "We have to go back!"
The horse had of course noticed the close to 200 pound drop in weight, but shook his head and gruffed. He continued racing ahead, faster now.
Eugene looked wistfully up the hill of the city towards the castle. Max'll get her there safe. Maybe I should just take my chance to leave now –
Something warm squirmed against his neck, then gargled and croaked.
He grabbed his collar and looked down into it. "Ugh, Pascaaal!"
He chirped, smiled, and gave a thumbs up.
Eugene rolled his neck and his eyes. "Great, I'm glad to see you're doing good," he quipped. "Come on, let's get outta here." He groaned as he picked up running the way Max had headed, though he had already lost sight of him.
The road Max had dashed down ended in a sharp U-turn, as the cliff side proved too unmanageable for the builders of old. Instead, the road wound back the way it had come, only at yet a higher elevation. It continued on this way, zigzagging back and forth, as far as they could see before their disadvantaged viewpoint proved to only show the underside of buildings and such.
"Comon, Max, hurry!" Rapunzel goaded him. Okay, NOW I'm panicking. "If we can get to the King and Queen, they can stop everyone from chasing Eugene, right?" Her voice was a desperate whine.
Max's positively determined whinny covered for his own doubts. He knew this side road would be less patrolled, that he was fast enough and would do anything to deliver Rapunzel, and that Eugene was very good at eluding his guards. But as for how Eugene would fare now, running on foot, toward the castle, he had no idea.
Escaping the roof of the prison and jumping down through the city had been a lot easier than it was getting back up it. Aggravated with so few options and hard going, he eyed up the houses around him, and in his memory. Apparently having come up with a plan, he galloped with renewed confidence, which showed in his smirk. At the end of this very road, which they now took back toward the center line of the island, stood the front of an unusually large, rather prominent house.
Rapunzel grew worried, as Max was not slowing down. The front door was propped open, while a plainly dressed man was unloading a cart, delivering milk bottles. A woman in a dull dress, apron, and hair tied back had just disappeared inside with some other goods. "I'm so sorry!" Rapunzel called out ahead, and ducked as low as she could, assuming the wildest from her ride.
Sure enough, Max lowered his head a bit, and charged through the propped-open door. In the parlor, an elderly woman screamed in fright, threw down her knitting needles, and started trying to jump up from her seat. "No, don't get up, please!" Rapunzel winced. Max did not stop, trotting around a coffee table and twisting toward a swinging door, that lead them to the kitchen, as if he knew exactly where he was going. Rapunzel was overwhelmed with the smell of cooking cheeses and cured meats melding together. Her stomach growled as she took in a glorious deep breath and smiled. "Smells delicious!" she called out to whoever would have heard the horse tearing through their house. She heard a younger woman call back, "Who's that?" Max was quick to head through a short pantry room, and shoulder his way through the spring screen door, out of the house and into a hedged-in backyard.
In one corner stood a small shed, the side wall of which was covered in posters and scarred from target practice. A sword lay on the ground beside a straw practice post. A tall, built man was just emerging from the shed with his arms full of firewood. He wore slick black boots past his knees and sharp navy blue pants, but his shirt was loose and dirtied off-white. At the sight of Maximus charging out of his own house, his thick neck and squared jaw stiffened indignantly. His nose flared, mustached mouth snarled, and brown eyes bulged out. He dropped the wood at his feet in disbelief, and could do nothing but watch as his horse raced by him.
Max looked just as angry, and yelled at him incoherently.
Rapunzel readjusted her eyes to the sunlight, and smiled at the sight of the lovely green grass oasis they had entered. "Lunch's ready!" she called to the man, certain that the man's expression was because this was a silly thing they were doing, but at least Max had done it, not her. She giggled.
"What?" the man stared blankly at the rider now; a petite girl with short brown hair, barefoot, in a pink dress. She was quite the opposite of the person he had seen escape on that horse, but there was something familiar about her. He blinked as he recognized her dress. Stunned and confused, he made a fist, stomped his foot, and bellowed out after them, "MAXIMUUUS!"
Max ignored him. He was more focused on jumping over the six-foot high hedge.
Rapunzel was likewise focused on bracing herself for the jump, but she suddenly recognized the man now that she had also heard his voice. She shuddered and gasped as she looked back over her shoulder. She took the landing a bit harder for her distraction, ending up hugging Max's neck. As she straightened herself, though, she cried out to him. "Max, we have to go!"
He nodded, and picked up the pace once more down this new road.
Eugene quickly realized that there was probably good reason why Max had chosen to go this route, and re-re-confirmed his ultimate hatred of him. He squinted his eyes at the armory, coming up on his right. They musta flown right by here. But now, there were four men outside scrambling to get in their gear and grab their weapons. MAX... WHY.
He eyed up his options. Oh forget THIS. "Hang on Pascal," he warned his tiny collar stowaway. Eugene ran just past the group of men, appearing to still follow the road he was on, which was about to go through a covered archway between two buildings on either side. But he ran straight at the wall of the left building, farther from the men and the armory, on the ocean side of the road. The guards stumbled, confused, as they watched him. He leapt at the wall, planted his foot a couple feet up it, then jumped back away and up, leading into a side flip in the air. In one fluid motion he had turned the direction of his momentum 90 degrees, so that when he landed facing the armory, he was still propelled forward.
The men were amazed, and further debilitated as the trick stunned them. Eugene continued running right between them, to a pyramid of barrels in the corner between the earthen wall stretching up to the next level of road, and the armory. He made it look easy as he strode up the barrels like stairs. On the highest one, he jumped straight up, just gripping the top of that stone and earth wall. He paused and dipped his body down as low as he could, enough to kick that last barrel backward, tumbling the whole stack down, crashing and cracking open onto the dumbfounded, and now screaming, guards.
His grip snapped from his fingertips to his palms, then his feet scurried against the wall to pull himself up in one last pop. He teetered standing on the edge as he regained his balance, but a moment too long, and the guards actually twanged a few shots off at him. The bolts lodged in the stone just below his feet, but one chipped the heel of his boot. As soon as he had solid ground again, he started running again, while checking his collar. Pascal's eyes were closed tight, and he was holding onto that buttonhole for dear life. Even through his heavy breathing, Eugene had to chuckle at him.
This path was level with the rooftops of the houses of the level below, but lower than the next higher road. It was a scenic park area with a meandering pathway, directed by decorative short walls, just a couple feet high each. Trees and bushes around here obstructed the view upwards, though he could just make out that wealthy man's property he had learned long ago to avoid at all cost. A higher wall, facing the mainland, curved more gracefully in a long arc hugging the whole of the island, with few interruptions. Every so often, a cut in it would allow stairs to pass from this level, down to access the street below.
He palm-slid over the short walls' ledges, vaulted over hedges, and smoothly leapt from one obstruction to the next without slowing. There were hardly any people here; just a few meandering bystanders who luckily did not require dodging.
Once he had re-crossed the center line of the island, he noticed the bright red and gold from a pair of guards coming down from the higher street, heading down towards the commercial businesses below on this side. They had not seen him heading across, and he strode from a bench to a ledge, over the stairs they would soon head down, and with ease landed light on his feet, still unnoticed. The next break, however, another pair were farther down already, and could easily break off their course and follow him at this level. Up ahead, he could see the top floor of a house situated at the lower level, and its small open window. At this ledge, he did not hop over the descending stairs, but rather down the ledge and turned to hang on its edge. From there, he hopped to a lamppost, swung around its vertical pole, and slipped into the open window. The guards did indeed spot him, yelled and pointed, but had to continue down the stairs toward the front door on the first floor.
Inside the room, Eugene finally allowed himself to roll and sprawl out onto the floor, clutching the stitch in his side, and intended to lay there for a another breather. That is, til it dawned on him that a young woman had screamed. He jumped to his feet once more, hands up defensively, ready to apologize, but his eyes betrayed him as he took in that she was only wearing a robe. She had quieted, but froze clutching herself and staring at his face.
"Wha- uh, whoa," he stuttered as he tried to collect himself. "I am sorry, I..."
Suddenly, she giggled and blushed. "Aren't you–?"
"Yeah," he gasped, still panicked, still out of breath. But then he reciprocated the giggle. "Hi, how ya doin?" He smirked, as he kept breathing hard through his mouth, and his eyebrows attempted to fall into place. Along with his eyes, his cheeks, frown, and remaining furrow in his brow, however, showed it for merely a bad facade. "Flynn Rider," he tried to convince himself, but again, only proved his fake confidence was nowhere to be found.
The woman merely looked him over, confused.
Eugene looked down as he rubbed his face and took one last deep breath to appease his lungs. Without another thought, he turned back to the window. He stuck his head out carefully, to check both directions and plan his route from here. No more guards were in sight, and there was a drain pipe on the side of the house. He climbed out the window, leapt from the ledge over to the drain pipe, and shimmied his way up to the roof.
Once he hoisted himself up, he was off and running again, up and down across the peak of this roof, then up and down across its connected twin. Another hop, and he continued on to the next block the same way. After that block, however, the next rooftop was too far away, and he had no way of gaining any more elevation. So, he resorted to launching off the edge, into a tree in between the two houses, and switching back and forth and around, til he made his way down to the ground.
He managed to make his landing without being immediately spotted. He pressed against a wall and tried to peer around the corner. A single guard was standing close to him with his crossbow at the ready, but still unaware of him and facing the opposite direction. Trying to move as smoothly as possible, Eugene darted out to continue running down the street. The guard still heard his footsteps and turned to yell after him and take up the chase again. Another small band was steadily catching up, and another pair were heading down steps to their level.
The street quickly gave way from residential houses to storefronts and carts and tables of pop-up shops. On his way weaving through the growing number of bystanders, Eugene toppled a stray barrel over behind him. It rolled back into the guard right on his tail, but the man recovered quickly and clumsily hurdled over it. With a groan, Eugene kept his motion fluid as he continued running down the street.
Panting, he dashed out of a covered archway, straight towards a street vendor. He ran under the vendor's banner, and yanked it down behind himself. The guard predictably ran into it and was blinded just long enough to lose sight of where he could have gone, and it caused him to trip and crash over the man's table. While watching the scene unfold behind him, Eugene darted down what he thought was small alleyway between two very close buildings. "OOF!" Immediately, his toes and knees met with more stone steps, bringing him down onto his hands several steps higher. He jerked his head up, saw that the steps lead up to the higher road, and began climbing, frantically, on all fours.
Finally at the top, the warm sun shone in his face again as he emerged from the cool staircase. But then just as suddenly, it was cut off by another large obstacle stepping in its way. Eugene froze, as he stared at the hooves before him. Before he could even make a sound, something grabbed the back neck of his doublet and yanked him up. His hands flew behind his head to fight it, and at last his voice desperately attempted a objecting yell, but his collar dug into his throat and strangled the noise.
"There you are!" came Rapunzel's voice.
He turned his head up for his eyes to adjust to the glare of the light, to see her just as she spoke. Max set him on his feet. He quieted, newly stunned. Dumbfounded, his face gaped open at Max, who was smugly smirking at him. Then his eyes dilated as he looked past them, and froze.
The lone guard had come up a different set of stairs, and ran out behind Rapunzel and Max. He looked side to side, and spotted them. He ran right up to behind Max as he pointed to them with his crossbow. "Hey you!" He paused and leveled his aim, wavering somewhere between Eugene's chest and Max's snout. "Freeze!"
Eugene froze indeed. He could not defend all of them against a point-blank shot, unless he alone drew the fire...
Max's smirk turned into an unamused frown. He barely turned his head to look behind himself. Ever so calmly, he back-kicked the guard. The man flew back and landed flat on his back, out cold. He whinnied a laugh, quite pleased with his shot.
Eugene shuddered and gulped, staring back and forth between the unconscious guard whose bolt almost had his name on it, and the Captain-who-wanted-him-dead's former horse. He whimpered, "I swear this kingdom has it in for me!"
Rapunzel had twisted in the saddle, also watching the guard on the ground, to make sure he showed no signs of movement. Worse than that prospect, though, she heard shouts directing more men through the way he had come. "Alright," she said, settling back in the saddle straight. "They've spotted us." She held the reins naturally, ever so gently actually guiding Max to step and turn his broadside toward Eugene. "Okay," she held her hand out for him. "We have to go!"
Automatically, he grasped her forearm, as she grasped his. He leapt up, but otherwise relied on her to pull himself up enough to swing his other leg over. Holy crap I keep forgetting she's so strong...
"Let's go, Max!" she quietly urged him.
Max immediately took off again, through another overpass, hopped a low-hanging chain, and continued on up this service road around to the back of the castle.
They both... just... keep saving my life... "I, uh, I've got Pascal. He's alright."
"Oh, thank Goodness!" Rapunzel turned her head to look. Pascal still looked a little queasy from all of the jostling and excitement, but he gave a shaky thumbs-up. She smiled back apologetically.
Eugene leaned forward and pointed ahead. "Best spot to sneak in is this way, across the courtyard."
"Right. You heard him, Max!"
Max pulled up in a secluded corner. Before them, the rockiness of the island itself took over. Brush began to grow more wildly, some managing to grow into decent sized trees. Here the cobblestone road had long been neglected, leading into a tight pathway, and a back door.
Eugene dismounted, then turned and reached his arms out to help Rapunzel dismount. She hesitated, unsure how to maneuver with him.
"Comon," he smiled.
She blushed. "Eh- Alright." As she placed her hands on his shoulders, she felt a fresh spark flow through them. It made her feel happy, all tingly again, somehow genuinely loved, though she could not understand why. But I can do this myself! Her stomach and heart soared as she descended, and he held her up from under her arms. I can do things for m- Her eyes caught in his, and her breath caught in her chest. ...mys-self...
As soon as her feet touched the ground, Eugene slipped his arms the rest of the way around her back and pulled her into a tight hug. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to steady his breathing and his nerves.
"Eugene?" Her arms came to wrap around his neck, but in her confusion, she did not hug him back as tightly.
"Hm." Eugene cleared his throat and swallowed back any bubbling over emotions. "Thank you for everything..."
Rapunzel pushed them back apart but gripped his upper arms. "What is it?"
He kept his eyes down to the side, not ready yet to look directly into hers again.
She could still see the terror in his eyes, hear it in his voice, and feel it in his arms. She squeezed his biceps where she held him.
"I dunno," he spilled. "I mean, I figured this would be tough, but, this place," he picked his head up to look up at the castle wall they stood beside, then back the way they had come, "It's just a lot to take in, ya know..." This is the worst day of my life.
"Then... Maybe you should stay here," she offered. "I can tell them about you first and then we could-"
"No," he finally looked her square in the face. "To the door, I said, remember?" I neeeeed to see that she gets taken in safely- that she'll be alright!
At his stubborn resolve, Rapunzel inhaled sharply, pursed her lips, and averted her eyes, but did not say anything. Her brow creased more and more, but she simply let go of him. She gently fished Pascal out of his collar, then turned back to Max to deposit him upon his head. She sighed and tried to offer them a strong smile. "We'll come back for you two later."
Eugene decidedly ignored her 'we' statement, but also turned his attention to Max's packs, unhitched a wound up circle of rope, and tried not to think. He tied a slip knot at one end of the length, then squinted upwards and licked his lips.
Rapunzel followed his gaze, and instantly spotted an anchor. She turned back to Eugene, who was still staring up. "Here, gimme." She snatched the rope from his hands.
His eyes snapped to her, and in a split second realized this should have been obvious. He gladly held his hands up and open with a smirk. "Have at it."
She deftly felt out the weight of the rope, loosed some slack, and then flung the slipknotted end high up above them. The loop soared over its target, and dropped down encompassing a small, but solid, spire. A firm tug from below secured the loop snuggly, and a harder yank proved it should hold their weight. "There," she nodded curtly.
Eugene watched in open admiration. "Ni-iiice..." he drew out.
"Hm." She smiled proudly at him, cocking her hips, with one hand upon her side and the other still holding the rope. "I still got it."
He took hold of the dangling rope and began climbing up, walking his way up the broad outer wall of the castle. She followed his lead right behind him.
When at last they reached the peak of a steeply slanted rust-red roof, Eugene helped Rapunzel to stand up beside him atop it, both still holding fast to the rope. From here, though, he focused solely on the difference in himself, which he was only being made more and more keenly aware of. The last time he was here, he was en route to steal the crown. Now, the Lost Princess herself was trailing behind him, holding his hand. Yet, he still had to remember what the layout of the original heist had been. "Still with me?" he called over his shoulder.
"Yup!" she cheerfully answered. "This is sure gonna beat climbing the single spire of the tower!" The stone and clay tiles below her feet had been warmed by the sun, but not so much that they burned. She wriggled her toes and shifted her feet around to soak it up. She was too wary to really take the view in yet, but a squeeze to Eugene's hand conveyed her readiness and excitement.
Eugene's brow popped, worried about her past safety in her casually mentioned climb, but at least more confident in this one. He removed the loop of the rope from its anchor, wound it back up, and hung it across his shoulder and chest. "Alright." He glanced to her bare feet, and frowned. "Hold onto me." He wrapped his arm instead around her waist, pinning her to his side and stealing her footing away. She gasped and grabbed around his chest and back. Suddenly, he turned and stepped off the peak. They slid down the other steep side of the roof, his boots generating a gentle clak-clak-clak-clak against the tiles all the way down to the ledge. They both found their footing again at the edge, but his arm remained tight around her.
"Whoa," Rapunzel breathed, finally grasping the dangerous height they were now free-climbing.
"Yeah. Careful." He pointed with his chin, gingerly releasing her. "Over there next. Right after I'm out of the way. Got it?"
"Yeah, I think so."
"'kay." And he was off. He leapt to another ledge that wrapped around one of the towers, then quickly continued his momentum to creep around it.
Rapunzel watched him intently, but quirked her face in a tilt at how he used his own weight's momentum, greater strength, and longer limbs. She had a different idea. In a graceful ballerina leap, she bounded from one ledge to the next. With her head still bowed from the move, she swiftly scurried around. On the other side, she saw him crouched upon a chimney stack, turned back watching her and waiting. She launched herself at the higher ledge of a closer chimney, securely grabbing the edge and pulling herself up, also to crouching. "Now what?" she giggled.
Eugene took a deep breath, trying to swallow down and wipe from his face just how deathly worried he was for her up here. "Now c'mon. This way." He turned and leapt to yet another higher ledge and pulled himself up, then simply stepped to the very close, but yet higher one above that to wait for her.
Rapunzel followed in kind for the next chimney and ledge. Here, however, they found themselves right above the large public receiving balcony and front entrance. She looked up to Eugene.
"We're here," he simply said with an unexpectedly giddy smirk, and pointed down. He shrugged the rope off, found the looped end, and fastened it to a decorative curve on the stone raking cornice entablature. He looked over at their landing options.
Rapunzel leaned against him and looked over the edge as well.
"Hold on," he whispered. He felt her nod against his shoulder, then checked his landing spot again. "Okay, here goes." Holding onto the rope, he stepped out to rappel off the rest of the entablature's facade, as silently as possible.
There was only one guard on the terrace below. Normally, there should have been more at this most auspicious entrance. Given the number we've seen crawling elsewhere, though, seems they really have already spread out over the whole countryside. Eugene made a face as he analyzed the situation of the lone guard. Heh, he looks bored. The slouching, gangly man below wore a redcoat uniform with no armor, and only a poleaxe for a weapon, tucked in his arm as he leaned on his shoulder against the wall of the castle. His chin, in turn, leaned on the heel of his hand. He moved his head every so often, and sighed so loudly, they could hear him from their perch above. "Well, let's go give him the surprise of his life." He smirked devilishly to Rapunzel, who smirked back just the same.
Eugene rappelled down to just above and to the side of the guard's back. A quick deep breath, and he let go of the rope as he gracefully dropped down right behind him. As perfect a landing as it was, there was no deceiving the man any longer. Eugene's boots hit the ground and the guard spun around with a gasp- which was immediately cut short by Eugene's hand over his mouth. He took a further intimidating step towards him, pressing the guard back against the wall and closing any space between them.
The poor guard's eyes popped in pure shock.
"Hey, hi," Eugene smoothly flashed pearly whites at him. He kept his voice low and steady. "How ya doin'? Yeah," he cocked a brow and jerked his head to throw his bangs back. "It's me."
Behind them, Rapunzel took her turn to drop in. It's always nice to know he can keep up with me. She smiled widely at him as he worked.
"And this," he swallowed as the next few words each got stuck in his throat a little. "Is the Long Lost Princess Rapunzel of Corona." He forced a smile despite his neck twinging and one brow starting to wrinkle. The guard looked to Rapunzel as instructed, who waved pleasantly to him, then looked back to the infamous criminal restraining him. He was thoroughly confused. But Eugene blinked and shook his head back to the task at hand. "Now, I need you to pay very close attention. I won't be here when you get back, but we need you to go get the King and Queen, okay? Tell them their daughter is here to meet them. But DO NOT tell them who brought her here, alright? And JUST the King and Queen, NO other guards. Alriiight?"
The guard shifted his weapon in his hand, in an attempt to lower it, but the metal bottom scraped against the stone ground. He cringed at the noise it made, alerting Eugene to his intentions, in spite of the futility of such effort in these close quarters.
Eugene simply sighed and shook his head at the man. With his other hand, he drew the dagger from his belt. "I was asking nicely." He brandished it in front of his face for him to see, before sticking the point to his throat. "Now, I'll ask you again, do you understand? Or do I need to completely repeat myself?"
"Eugene!" Rapunzel exclaimed, shocked.
Now Eugene cringed. Dammit, Blondie, the NAME!
"Why couldn't you have just brought the frying pan if you were going to-! I can't believe you- ugh!" Rapunzel turned her attention to the guard and winced. "I am so sorry, sir. And I really, really would appreciate it if you could just," she approached the pair and laid both of her hands on Eugene's arm with the dagger, lowering it a bit as he allowed her. "Forget you ever saw him." She waved her hand around toward Eugene, as if to dismiss him as nothing more than an illusion, with a hopeful shake of her head and smile upon her face to hide her worry.
The guard had been becoming entranced by her juxtaposing sweetness, and her undeniably striking resemblance to the Queen.
Eugene rolled his eyes but tried to maintain form. "Anyway. Ya got that, buddy?" He scowled at him.
The guard nervously returned his attention to him and nodded carefully.
"Good man." Eugene released him, but snatched the loosely-held poleaxe away.
The man stood there, unfazed by losing his weapon, still trying to figure the trio out. "Is that a frog?" He squinted with one eye and timidly pointed at Eugene's shoulder.
"What?" He made a face, but looked over his shoulder, only to come face to face with Pascal mimicking his own scowl. The tiny green creature had been atop his shoulder all this time, assisting in the intimidation. "Er, no!" he cried indignantly at the guard. "He's a chameleon."
Rapunzel chuckled at the guard's parallel mistake, but scooped Pascal up. "You little stinker, how'd you get here?"
"Oh..." The guard's mouth hung open as if he were a schoolboy dunce again.
"Just," Eugene grimaced at him and gestured with the blade again to shoo him away, "Get going." He slipped the blade away into his boot.
"Right." The guard scrambled away with a growing grin in addition to the general disbelief all over his face. The trio watched as the double doors finally closed behind him, then let out a collective sigh.
"Blondie," he said very firmly, "You can't tell anyone my real name."
Rapunzel was taken aback at his scolding tone, but quickly flipped it on him. "And why not?" She stuck a hip out with her hand on it while the other motioned to all of him. "You're not going back to thieving, so?"
"Right, but-" he did a double take. "Hold on! I never said that!" He groaned and ran a hand through his hair. "But regardless, 'Flynn Rider' has been sentenced to death. They already know my face; they don't need another name to go with it."
"Eugene," Rapunzel took his hand, "I'm going to take care of that anyway. I promise." Her voice strained with the weight in it.
"Blondie," he squeezed her hand back, but shook his head and eventually pushed her hand away as he casually turned. "You can't promise that."
"But I will!" She stomped her foot forward, losing her cool confidence, but doubling her courage.
Eugene scoffed but blushed. His thumb automatically went to rub his palm. "Well, then, I appreciate the effort," he nodded towards her.
"You-" Rapunzel's voice finally cracked. Her heart pounded, as this moment had finally come. "You can't go."
Eugene winced. "Rapunzel," he stepped up to her again. "If you want me alive, I'm better off disappearing. If you want me free," he ran a hand through her hair to fix it from the rifling breeze, then held her neck. "Then I have to."
"Ugh!" Rapunzel scoffed and tore away from him. She thrust her fists down at her sides and paced away.
"Look, I'm sorry!" Eugene lowered his stature and threw his hands out before him, following her as she wandered to the stone railing at the center of the balcony.
Rapunzel absently rested her left hand on the thick ledge of the stone railing. She gazed down over the city below. With slow, deep breaths, she steadied her breathing. Everything's going to be fine, she told herself. But she could not stop the rest of her thoughts. Eugene... If I never see you again- what would I do? How can I go on without you after you've changed my whole entire life forever? I do want you to be safe, but I also want you to be happy and I don't think you'd be happy alone anymore. She settled her body down, as the tempest in her mind swept her away. And of course I suppose there's always the possibility he's just trying to get rid of me, again. Either way, he probably wouldn't want me annoying him with a hug right now...
"Blondie..." Eugene tried to soothingly whisper her less-grave nickname. He crept up to her right side, and tenderly wrapped his arm around her lower back, which she tensed at for the first time in a while. This is all for her. He closed his eyes as he exhaled. "Listen..."
She finally relaxed into his embrace with a sigh and a smile, even wrapped her arm around his waist. Her heart could always intuitively feel his love through his embrace, and it was a lot easier to trust what her heart felt when she had something tangible to go by.
He adjusted his arm to her resting atop her shoulders, still pulling her close. Her hand quickly found his wrist, holding it there in approval. "It's all going to be alright," he spoke softly against her temple, then burrowed into her hair and planted a kiss. I really do believe that. "No matter what happens."
No matter what happens, she returned the nuzzle against his neck, but forced herself to tear away with a sigh. I don't want him to get in trouble for anything. Their hands, however, remained entwined.
Even if she hates me, he sighed, this is what's best for her. Without a doubt! "Uh, I only have a moment," he said resignedly. He rested their still-connected hands on the ledge, and turned to look out the other direction across the city. He squinted at the light reflecting off the bay, but his eyes adjusted. It was where he had rowed the boat out to the other night. Suddenly he noticed his heart had dropped to his stomach and began pounding.
And my parents! As soon as she turned from Eugene, the sudden thought hit Rapunzel – what they were actually there for. What will they be like? What will I even call my 'Mother?!' Will they like me?! Am I anything like they've been expecting?! Will a shy and quiet girl even make a good 'princess?' Or maybe I'm too wild and clingy!? Will I like THEM? What is my life going to be like, now?! She bit her lip, looking out at the town, but not really seeing it. Eugene, you just CAN'T leave me all alone in this world – not again!
Corona... His eyes dilated wide and focused in closer, away from the shoreline, to the town itself. He skimmed the rooftops and trees, the decorations still left, the storefronts and homes. It was nearly as breathtaking as it was from the perch above them. Am I REALLY leaving Corona... forever? I- I can't imagine not EVER coming back here. I still feel like this is where my soul belongs, and now beside her. This place- feels too important- to my entire life... Is this all part of that Fate and Destiny she's been-? She'd been slowly convincing me– but this path, leads to my death...! I'd be wasting her gift if I let that happen, so I need to take this into my own hands! He tried to move his legs – but could not.
Rapunzel felt herself wobbling back to closing off, retreating to appeasement, giving in to keep the peace. I certainly don't want him to leave while he's annoyed with me... "You should get going." Her voice was small and fragile; her lip quivered. "So they don't..." She turned her head even farther away.
Rapunzel-! He whipped his full wide-eyed attention to her. Hearing her give up on him so easily and without warning, hurt more deeply than he could have ever anticipated. She's really gonna let me go? ...no... Regardless, he tried again to take a step. Still, he could not budge. What's wrong with me?! My legs feel like dead weight! This is not good... This was not a normal adrenaline rush. His blood ran cold and his head felt light. He gulped. Gh'kay- Ohhhkay... Oh no. Nooo, no, no. Death's not gonna make it an easy exit for me this time! His knees locked up. He frantically scoured the cityscape, the bay, the bridge, the forest beyond where they had just had the greatest adventure of a lifetime! I ca-an't! Rapunzel! I can't leave you! Outwardly, he was completely frozen.
"Okay, Eugene..." she whispered one last time, "Go."
His tiny whispered response lodged in his throat, barely audible let alone discernible. "No..."
Rapunzel did not hear him, and so tried to move on to distracting herself with the future. How will they even know I'm really their daughter? If I'm really their daughter? And WILL they like me? I wonder what it was like for them, when I was a bab –
The doors clicked open behind them; the dreadful sound they had been anticipating forever, yet somehow never expected would ever come. Everyone's stomachs collectively flipped.
I'm dead. Eugene felt faint.
They're HERE! Rapunzel's mind screamed, then blanked.
Slowly, she and Eugene both turned around... and saw them. Standing there. Just as stunned and dumbfounded as them.
SHE LOOKS JUST LIKE ME. Rapunzel's heart soared, and time became irrelevant. Her hand slipped from Eugene's, but she heard his voice echo in her memory. 'Your mother's name is –' MOTHER. 'Your father's name is –' Father...? She could not recall the exact names he had said, but she thought back to watching the lanterns rise over the castle. 'The lantern thing they do for the Princess.'
Eugene took in a deep breath. ...Blondie... He locked eyes with her father, the King, while trying to look calm and collected, and some combination of subservient pride. Lord help me! Luckily, the old man seemed just as shocked, and without the faintest idea of what a 'criminal' even was. Eugene felt a smile tug at him. I brought her back... The Legendary Lost Princess... Suddenly Rapunzel's resolve clicked in him. I-I did that! I... don't think the crown matters... He swayed where he stood, still feeling a twinge of protectiveness, but glad to watch her walk away towards them.
The Queen's mouth hung open in disbelief, and Rapunzel subconsciously mirrored her. The two women floated closer and closer, undeniably drawn together by an invisible, eternal bond.
Rapunzel paused, realizing how different and new this feeling was. This... is... my family? Can it really be...? Her mind explodedwith questions about her whole family, their lives, their history, their own struggles and dreams, even their daily interests. However, it blanked once more as the Queen honed in on her, and touched her face. All she could do was to smile and futilely try to hold back floodgates she felt ready to spill over from behind her eyes. My REAL- Suddenly the Queen was hugging her. Those floodgates burst. Momma... She did not know where the word had come from inside her, but she did know that this was the single most healing hug in the world, ever. She WANTS me...! ...me... She... wants ME.
Eugene forgot about his own worries as he watched them, almost giddy that Rapunzel was right about her parents not immediately demanding his neck, and moved to tearing up at seeing her find where she belonged. And likewise, Rapunzel's worries about Eugene fell away. As she basked in her mother's welcome, she felt strong and confident, like she could save him with her bare hands from a fire-breathing dragon; which she really hoped there were not any around at the moment, because this was simply such a perfect, wonderful, moment.
Is this how it was supposed to feel? All those years, hugging her – who was nothing more than a kidnapper, and she her cheery captive. 'Such a shame you can't look just like your Mummy. ...You weren't meant to have children.' She herself had been the very worst of all the things she had warned me of. She had 18 years to change, and so many, many, more years before that. But she never did. In the end, she simply turned all the more vicious in literally tying Rapunzel down. But this Queen. This was as strong a love as she had felt from Eugene's hug. She remembered his words, as well, about the lantern festival. 'It was all for you.'
A pang of well-deserved pride puffed Eugene's chest up, and stayed there as he choked back a sob. It was no longer just for Rapunzel, but he could identify with each of them. They're a family again... For his entire life, he had imagined a set of loving, accepting parents welcoming their long-lost child home, and how much they could have missed him. Now, at least for Rapunzel, that scene was unfolding before his very eyes. For the time being, it completely left his mind how scary the King was to him, as the old man approached them.
She felt her father hugging them both, and then they were kneeling and she just blissfully curled up into her mother, her real mother, so full of happiness and relief that she was not sure if her heart would burst or if she would fall asleep right there.
She felt her mother's hand discreetly leave. The Queen reached out to Eugene, and he happily extended his hand to accept, smirking at the irony and pure absurdity of the situation. Next thing he knew, he was on his knees among the small family, arms wrapped around his monarchs, and theirs around him.
She felt Eugene's presence enter, pressed to her back. Eugene is hugging with them- us! too! She chuckled through her happy tears, she was in such rapture in this embrace. She passingly wished they could all just morph into one of her paintings on the wall, so they would never have to leave it.
What the... Eugene simply bowed his head behind Rapunzel's, squeezed into the hug, and did not even try to wipe the grin off his face. She's safe– safe and sound, safe, and so happy...
Rapunzel tried to continue soaking up the obvious display of love, of long lost reuniting, but a tiny fear wormed its way into her thoughts. I should prooobably stop hugging them before it gets to be 'too much.' And oh my Goodness – WHAT IF I am compleeetely wrong?! What if I'm not their daughter, the Princess? What if I was just kidnapped from, like, some baker family?! Maybe my real father was a thief, too, and–?! She shot her eyes back open to re-center herself, but did begin to shrink away from the hug. No, no, Gothel confirmed I was 'The Lost Princess.' But still, I should get a hold of myself.
Eugene felt her squirm, and immediately broke away. The King was startled, but just stared, watching them carefully. The Queen was too enthralled with gazing at her, she hardly noticed it as strange.
The men half-stepped back the directions they had come, but the Queen kept her hands at Rapunzel's waist and shoulder, ever-ready for another hug. Her smile shined through her tears, but she could not even think to speak yet.
"Um, hi," Rapunzel giggled out while simultaneously nearly sobbing. "I- I guess the last time you saw me, I had blonde hair?" Right? Or... I don't know ANYthing about where I came from – well, I guess I know where I came from, but – is that different from my hair?
The Queen nodded, trying to fight through her tears to find her voice. "Oh, my Sweetheart," she looked deep into her eyes, and squeezed her shoulder as her other hand ran down her cheek, "Are you okay?" Her voice was barely a whisper; the only way she could control it.
Rapunzel gave a weak smile. Though her mind raced, she was terrified of what to actually say. Everything rode on this. I'm fine – so much better than fine – I hope? But, she knew my hair was blonde... "I'm fine-" she stopped short. What do I call her? I guess we'll figure that out later – she'll tell me at some point, I'm sure, but – Her hand pinched the sheared ends of her hair. "I really am- well now, I am, but..."
Eugene's jaw clenched. Did they know about it? Oh fuck they knew about it and I cut it. I stole her crown, I stole her hair, I-I... He swayed a bit, then squinted up towards the sun, suddenly trying to blame it, or anything really. ...help...
"But?" the Queen urged her to continue.
"But," Rapunzel nervously glanced to the King, then back to the Queen. "I'm sorry, but my hair doesn't – anymore – I mean, once it's cut, it stops working."
Eugene inhaled sharply and audibly.
The Queen and King exchanged confused, worried glances.
"I'm sorry, I don't even know if you knew, or if you knew about it turning brown an-and – I'm so sorry, but-! But he had to! And please-"
"Rapunzel, Rapunzel," the Queen tried to regain her daughter's focus. She ran her hand through her short brown hair, long fingernails gently grazing her scalp, calming her frantic nerves. "Baby, slow down. I don't know what you're talking about."
Rapunzel blinked, trying to comprehend, as her mind flashed back, racing through doubts of her own perception. What? I mean, my hair DID really heal – it was real! I did NOT imagine that. Eugene saw it! That really happened, I swear – BUT – do I really want to fight with her about this? I want them so badly –
"Just, start over." The Queen glanced around to the King, then Eugene. She spoke slowly and deliberately. "We all are going to have to just, start over."She looked back to Rapunzel. "Okay?"
Rapunzel gulped.
Eugene spaced out into a quizzical stare at the Queen. Start over? He noticed his heart leap to hoping, and subsequently tried to stamp that back down.
The Queen prompted her more specifically. "What do you mean, 'working?' I mean what did your hair, um, do?"
"Well," Rapunzel tried to clear her throat to speak coherently, "It's always been super long ever since I can remember. And, when I si- well, when I would sing, this specific song, it would glow, and it could heal. Anything. Even aging, or- or like, a bad stab wound. But, when it's cut, it turns brown and loses its power. I- so now, it's, just..."
The Queen looked like she just put two and two together. With a gasp of realization, she turned to the King, who likewise was nodding a silent "Ohhh..."
Rapunzel noticed their looks. "What?"
The Queen returned her full attention to Rapunzel and rebrushed her hair. "It's alright, we'll explain everything else that we can, but, where have you..." she inhaled sharply, but tried to continue. "How–…?"
Rapunzel gave up on sniffling and dared to quickly wipe her nose with the side of her hand. "I was, um, in a tower. Forever," she chuckled. "Well, my whole life, er, at least since she brought me there- I guess- but of course I- I don't really remember anything before. Except the sun symbol must've gotten stuck in my head somehow 'cause -it was really weird, hah- I- um-" Rapunzel realized she had been rapidly mumbling away. She stopped herself short suddenly, and silently looked wide-eyed at the Queen, awaiting some sort of reaction. "That symbol ended up in a lot of my paintings," she quietly finished.
The Queen finally realized the cue. "Oh, well, yes, you were barely a week old, when-" Her throat stopped her short. She painfully put on a graceful smile to cover it. With a distracting deep breath, she changed the subject. "I guess we have just as many questions as you must have. But so you two...?" She looked between Eugene and Rapunzel, absolutely beaming.
Eugene jumped. Already his mouth popped open, ready to say anything to defend himself, or blabber the whole truth. He was not sure himself which would fall out.
Rapunzel knew his fear, so she tried to distract from him. "Oh, yes!" she mimicked her mother's tone, "I- uh, we," she giggled. "He helped me escape. And- and really," she nervously laughed. "If it hadn't had been for him, I never would have made it here on my own," she stressed. "Never. Eu- ah... Youuu never... would believe how... invaluable, and important, he's been, to me..." Thinking about how protective he had been of her over the past few days warmed her and calmed her down. "He's been absolutely wonderful," she sighed with a smile.
Eugene gulped at her blatant lies. She didn't need me at all. And she's not saying my name – not that it matters. Once they saw my face... Sweet thing thinks she can help me, aw! He weakly smiled at her, without realizing. On a natural inclination to help her, to be close to her, to let her off the hook; he took a step up to stand beside and a little ahead of her. Somehow, the presence and interaction of this whole family had ignited a repertoire of courage he did not know he yet had. Only once he moved his eyes from her to her parents did it hit him what he was about to do. "Your Majesties." The blood drained from his face and his head felt light again. There's just, nothing left. I got no fight left for this. He took a deep breath, then let it all out. "You know me as Flynn Rider. But my real name is Eugene Fitzherbert."
"Eugene!" Rapunzel rocketed back to freaking out. She frantically whirled on him and grabbed his arm to tug on it.
"Rapunzel, it's alright." He tried to wave her away.
The parents were once again shocked, watching the pair.
"I stole the crown the other day," Eugene confessed. "Her crown. You know that."
"Eugene, no!" She jumped in front of him, and pounded her tiny fists on his chest. "You can't!" He can't just give himself up that easy!
He gently set heavy hands on her shoulders, stunning her into stopping. "Please, Rapunzel, let me do this." He offered her a small smile, but then lifted his head higher to look over her head. This allowed him to avoid looking into her red rimmed eyes, but he found that the King's eyes were not any easier. "I didn't bring her back for any kind of reward. I, ah... Heh, I wasn't expecting to still be around by the time you folks got here. But, now that you all know," he cringed, "All I can do, is ask to leave here with my life." He wanted to start backing away, but his feet once again betrayed his survival instincts, as did his fear of letting go of Rapunzel.
"NO! Eugeeene," Rapunzel entwined her arms around one of his again and yanked down. "You can't!"
Behind her, the Queen gently touched her elbow, and when she looked, she was offering a smile. "Darling, it's alright," she tried to quietly comfort her.
The King smirked. "We recognized you alright. But, 'your life?'" He laughed as if Eugene's entire manner was ridiculous. "Without question, yes, of course, but," then he himself turned gravely serious. "I am afraid we cannot just simply let you just leave."
"Whuh...?!" Rapunzel gasped, the wind knocked out of her. She continued turning back to face her parents, desperately searching them for clues. What is that supposed to mean? Why is he laughing? He says he'll live – but that can't leave. Is this gonna be good or bad?
So prison for life. Great. Eugene sighed in despair, briefly, still desperately ignoring Rapunzel hanging off of him. "Your Majesty, I..." he eked out, but had nothing. He gasped and sighed, trembling, terrified, defeated, deflated. I just want to hug you, Love... Instead, he pried her arms off of him. He held her hands as he pushed her away and whispered to her, "It's gonna be alright. Don't worry about me."
The King cooled his joking, growing concerned over how distraught the pair looked. "It seems my daughter will have nothing about you leaving so soon, anyway."
"Um, Eugene– is that right?" the Queen soothed, "You know we can never repay you for, whatever it is you've done to help Rapunzel, and to see her ho-ome," her strong mystique proved evermore difficult to maintain. "Safely," she whispered at the end.
"You don't have to thank me," Eugene automatically refused the praise.
"What are you gonna do with him..." Rapunzel quietly questioned out loud, not expecting anyone to pay any attention to her. She shook a little when suddenly everyone's eyes turned to her. "Ah-..."
Although, as everyone paused in hesitation to answer her, the King smiled back and forth between her and Eugene. "Well, why don't we start, with lunch?"
The Queen rejoiced at the prospect. "Yes! We were just waiting for lunch to be ready. Won't you-? I mean, of course, both of you, should come join us."
"Sounds good to me!" Eugene's nerves jumped the gun. "Lunch. Lunch sounds great! Who's hungry?" He clapped and rubbed his hands together, slowly regretting letting his mouth shoot open. His grin began to fade away, but he tried keeping the energy up. "Anyone? I know we are!"
Rapunzel calmed down at the thought of all of them sharing a meal together. She smiled up at Eugene, then addressed her parents. "Lunch would be wonderful, thank you. We're starving-! Well," she hesitated nervously, "Not starving, but I mean- we haven't eaten since last night. Which was-! Oh, it was a huge, delicious dinner!" She ended forcing a smile. He's taken such good care of me – they have to know.
The Queen's smile never faltered. She reached out to take Rapunzel's hands and walked with her arm in arm towards the door. "Oh my Baby, you can tell us all about your journey here, and then, oh! Anything you want to talk about. There's so much to tell you, so much we want to know about you – what's happened over all this time."
Rapunzel was entranced, watching her mother be so welcoming and interested in her life. But she quickly panicked and looked back to Eugene, only to find him smiling fondly at them. She weakly returned it.
Eugene sighed in unexpected contentment, glancing away as he thought, Wow. And to think, if I had left not 5 minutes ago, I'd still be on the run... For the rest of my life. He huffed another sigh at himself and shook his head. Sounds absolutely exhausting. He swung a melancholy foot out to begin following them. But as he focused his attention ahead of him, he saw the large, over-pompously dressed, older man standing almost in his way, and he stopped short, outright cringing in fright. Eeep!
The King's narrowed eyes stared down his nose at him warily, yet he simply grinned mysteriously before bowing at the waist ever so slightly and sidestepping, to allow him to pass ahead of him. Eugene gulped and cautiously went on.
At the dining room table, the King decidedly did not sit at the head. Instead, he and the Queen sat side by side in the center of the broad side. On the other side, Rapunzel sat across from the Queen, and Eugene across from the King.
The King had taken command of the conversation from the start. "No one would take the risk of going after something like that without already having a client; a buyer, a patron."
Rapunzel had not thought of such a reason. Wouldn't that make it even less his fault? She looked to Eugene.
He looked completely unfazed by the King's grilling. His serious face gave nothing away, save for silently, respectfully, taking in all that was being conveyed to him. Not even a finger moved.
The King narrowed his eyes a twitch. "Who."
Rapunzel finally noticed a hitch in Eugene's chest.
But he decided to emphatically clear his throat. He nodded with a smirk, "Well," before resuming eye contact with the King. "You've already had the crown returned to you. And I-"
Rapunzel jumped as the King cut him off, "And its thief as well. In good faith-"
"Your Majesty, with all due respect," he dared to cut him back off, serious once more. Rapunzel bit her lip as Eugene tried to assert what he wanted to say. "I am from Corona. I would like to tell you what I know about who commissioned this." He laid it all out slowly. "But if I do, I can never go backthere." So pleeease keep it to anything below exile from Corona, let alone this plane of existence! I need to stay in Corona, where she will be.
"Even if you consider Rapunzel your bargai-"
Eugene blinked incredulously as he realized where he was going, and so cut him off. "Rapunzel is NOT a BARGAINING CHIP." She in question jumped again as Eugene snapped in an angry voice she had not heard the likes of from him yet.
A small smile tugged at the King, as his glare changed to one of intrigue. "Too right. So you're not exactly in a position to negotiate."
Eugene pursed his lips. His voice was level once more. "I know."
Now the King pouted his lips in thought, nodding to the side as he idly watched his flicking of the corner of a napkin. "Especially if you're off the hook for this infamous heist, I need someone to go after for this."
Eugene's eyes lit up, but Rapunzel recognized how. That's not him. He made a face like that when he was trying to trick me back to the tower. She watched him with an open smirk and her own critical stare.
"Perfect," Eugene mused. "See that's what I ne-"
"I said IF."
Eugene dropped like a lead weight back to deathly somber. I think I just lost my appetite... "Your Majesty," he began more quietly, "I just need some protection here. At least-!" A hand finally twitched, wanting to reach out to plead. "At least your word that I can stay in Corona."
"What is there for you here?" the King honestly inquired.
Eugene recoiled with a sharper inhale. He slowly lowered his gaze back to the food. Everything... and nothing. "Well, ahhh..." He looked him back in the eye, armed with a truthful reason. "Obviously, it would be safer, for me, to remain here, where I can be under your protection, in exchange for that information."
The King's brow raised. "And how badly do you want to tip that scale of IF?"
Though allowing a slight frown, Eugene answered just as honestly. "If you can't give me that, then I'm as good as a dead man anyway."
Rapunzel looked away.
The King smiled sympathetically. "I've already trusted you, inviting you in, not as a prisoner," he nodded. "But you understand we are going to need your FULL cooperation, Mr. Fitz...?"
"-herbert. Fitzherbert," then added under his breath, "Junior." I brought your fricken long lost daughter back; of course you trusted me, 'cause you're a sap like the rest of us. "I thank you for that, obviously. And you're right," he took a deep breath. "I should trust you in return. I'm just, nervous."
Rapunzel was taken aback, looking back to him in shock. But he ADMITS it?!
Nervous how I'm gonna live day to day under HER as PRINCESS! He bit his lip and looked back down. As he continued opening up his body language, his hand resting over his forearm began fidgeting. Fuck the knife in my boot, I can't even move my hands in case they get extra suspicious...
The King had brought his hand up to lean on and rub his beard as he gauged him, but now lowered it as he dipped his head to offer his small concession. "I can't deny you must have some kind of smarts, and you understand the gravity of the situation. So, I assure you, you have my word. Cooperate fully and you shall be a free man of Corona again."
His face lit back up.
Rapunzel smiled, relieved herself. Now THAT'S Eugene. She nearly giggled, He looks like I just gave him a cupcake!
"Thank you, sir," he nodded with a huge sigh of relief. "I do have some idea of how politics work. I know that without an heir apparent, we've been more vulnerable, and as time went on," he glanced to the Queen sadly, "It seemed like we weren't going to have one..." He glanced to Rapunzel, then back to the open table. "And a royal baby kidnapped without a ransom? Forgive me, I know you must've heard it a thousand times, but that doesn't sound like a kidnapping. That's a murder." His direction finally settled on the King, "And you refused to name a proper heir in her stead. I figured it wouldn't be that bad. At worst it would lead to some kind of change, ya know? Prompt you to finally declare someone..."
"And would have put a large sum in your hands," the King predicted, sure of it.
"Yes. It would have." He did not hesitate. "Her crown is valued at fourteen million gold, just, in case you didn't know. [I know] that it was someone from Westergaards of the Southern Isles." He shrugged. "I wanted loads of money to live my own dream, and you're both prosperous kingdoms. You could afford that ransom. Or, if you chose not to, either way, I'd get paid. And besides that crown hadn't even been worn in 18 years. But now..." He smiled to Rapunzel, finally softly meeting her eyes again. "You have your original rightful heir."
Rapunzel smiled back, but once Eugene looked back to the King, she blinked fast as her smile turned fake. 'You have your original rightful heir.' But... I may not end up staying, if he-... I need to take this conversation off 'me as an heir!' "Um, excuse me," she winced as she addressed Eugene, but glanced back and forth between her parents. "But, what 'guards of the Southern Isles?' Where is that?"
Her parents suddenly stared at her, both bewildered how she could not have heard of such a major kingdom.
Eugene glanced back to her incredulously as well, but only momentarily before his goofy smirk opened up and he laughed. "Hahaaa, hooo-oookay. And, now, time for Rapunzel's story."
Rapunzel tried to chuckle with him, through her embarrassment. "Heh, yeah, I, uh... wasn't kidding when I said I'd been in that tower forever!" She clammed up when no one else found it amusing.
Eugene kept a firm lead on the story this time, almost never noticing whenever Rapunzel wanted to talk. Her signs that she wanted to were small ones anyway; just a twinkle in her eye, a raised brow, or silently parting her mouth, waiting and watching for an opening before she spoke. He saw them all, despite keeping his eyes off her. When she did get a word in, he cut her off as quickly and excitedly as he could. Each time he continued to pass her over, not only did her eyes, expression, shoulders, and hands fall, but so did her spirit. Through it all, though, he remained pleasantly polite otherwise. Rapunzel did her best to maintain a graceful smile and look. It worked on her parents, but not on him. Eugene hid it all, even his regret for doing so. She soon realized why, but she did not like it. He was downplaying any danger she was ever in, and omitting any trace of romance.
Rapunzel watched as Eugene kicked back his wide mouthed glass atop a comically skinny stem, with something yellow and bubbly in it, while he was happily grinning.
The story and its tangents lasted the remainder of the meal. Every so often, Rapunzel would get to talk about her life in the tower, as there was little else for her to pull from, but she trailed off to end each detail nervously, trying not to upset anyone. Their expressions gave her the feeling that they did not find stories from the tower as cheery as she did. Desperate to find something remotely positive to talk about, she fell back on the subject of the floating lights. "Sooo, anyway," she brushed off her previous failed attempts at relatable conversation, "What made you guys choose flying lanterns?" She grinned at how her curiosity was able to successfully bloom into words that sparked intrigue on their faces, rather than gloom. Rapunzel poked and munched on her salad, as her appetite had been coming and going throughout the meal. With Eugene's safety settled, and a minor conversation victory, it had finally picked up.
"Well," the Queen began, "After I married your father, ah, I did some traveling and I met a-"
"LUNCH?!" Suddenly the Captain's voice boomed from beyond another set of doors, behind Rapunzel and Eugene.
"But sir-!" Another higher-pitched, nasally guard called out, too late.
The Captain, now in full armored uniform, burst through the set of double doors, each slamming into the wall behind them. The chandelier tinkled and the glasses clinked with the china. "WHERE IS HE?!" His voice bellowed throughout the room. They all glanced at him, but hardly anything could rattle the family's nerves in their newfound serenity.
The other guard's lanky arms could be seen grabbing for him, futilely, as he just barely reached to peer over his shoulder. "Ahhh, you should know that-" He shrunk back, frightfully choosing to remain in the hallway. "Eh, nevermind..."
The Captain froze in horror at the scene he saw in the dining room: the distinct back-quarter-profile of the longtime thorn in his pride- his number one target, and the growing nuisance of a young woman in pink at his side. Both were within a knife's reach of his Lieges; mere inches. Like the mythical low-hanging fruit and water of Tantalus, how he had chased them, only for them to ever elude his final grasp. Now that he was so close, he dared not take another step, fearful to learn the true nature of this situation.
Eugene calmly finished a drink of plain water from his goblet and gently placed it back down, before licking his lips and finally turning in his seat. Rapunzel watched him, and then turned in her own seat to settle in to watch the disturbance play out. The King and Queen looked to their head of defense to see what he had to say, if anything. Everyone stared expectantly at the Captain, who merely blinked wild-eyed between the younger couple, with his jaw on the floor. Rapunzel blindly popped another grape into her mouth. Eugene sucked anything out of his front teeth behind his lips, then flashed an uncertain smile.
Ohhh, Rapunzel thought upon remembering her most recent encounter with the Captain. THIS is going to be funnnnn-ny!
"Um," Eugene cleared his throat and threw an arm over the back of his chair. "Uh, good afternoon, Captain, Sir." He purposely kept his tone meek and polite.
"'Good After-?!'" The Captain raged back, but lost his capacity for speech as his voice devolved into grunting, before abruptly recovering and marching forward. "Your Majesty, if not a hostage situation, then WHAT, on God's green Earth, is the meaning of this?! Flynn Rider himself there, STOLE the CROWN, -AND my HORSE- and then SHE has been terrorizing the entire city!"
The King and Queen blinked back and forth between everyone as they spoke...
Eugene quickly turned back to the King. The smile he brought forth was now embarrassed. "Uhhh, may I just add on my apologies in advance for all of the trouble we had in getting here?"
"Well, really, it was Max's decision," Rapunzel added with a indecisive shrug.
"Ah-" Eugene raised a finger along with his fork, but realized what she had said. "Truuue," he pointed to her instead and smirked with one eye squinted. Back to the King, he resumed his smooth salesman smile again. "May I rescind those latest apologies?"
She leaned over and pinched Eugene's sleeve as he took another sip of water. She whispered to him, "I think Max and I rode right through that man's house..."
Eugene nearly spit; luckily it merely spurted bubbles in his drink.
The Captain had been boiling over, waiting for an explanation, but only getting further enraged by being ignored. "You're a dead man, Rider!" he shouted, still red in the face. "And who is this girl!"
"Captain!" the Queen finally cried out indignantly. "The young man's presence may understandably confuse you, but THIS is no way to at long last greet your Princess!"
The Captain's rage deflated like a balloon. His mouth fell open to speak, but he ended up just staring at Rapunzel, speechless.
Eugene snorted under his breath and whispered back to her from behind his hand, "This is hardly sportsmanlike, Blondie." He wiggled in his seat, enjoying the show nonetheless.
Rapunzel smiled cheerfully, but carefully, at the Captain, and waved. "Hi there!" she giggled, trying to laugh off her awkwardness.
"Captain." The King finally spoke up. "It seems your Flynn Rider here is actually quite a brave lad, ah, one actually by the name of Eugene Fitzherbert."
The Captain still stared at the King in confusion, awaiting more explanation than that.
"He escaped yesterday," he went on, "With the help of Maximus, to rescue a young lady he'd met." He held his hand out to present her. "Our precious Rapunzel."
Rapunzel blushed at her father's pride in her, then addressed the Captain herself. The man had at least relaxed a little. "We first met at the dam, kind of, uh- sir. My hair was still really long and blonde then." She ran her fingers through it and dragged it out the side of her head to emphasize its new severe lack of length. "Oh! But please don't be mad at Maximus. He's been a real sweetheart and he helped us get back here safely." She fell somber, hoping her words would sink in. "And if it hadn't had been for Eugene, well..." I would have gone alone anyway, but it wouldn't have been a fraction as great... "Well I don't know where I'd be." She turned to smile at him and rested her hand on his shoulder. Surely that would send only the right messages.
Eugene could not help but beam back at her, losing his own restraint in how he looked at her. You're amazing...
"Captain," the King picked up again, pointing with his fork, "You and I need to have a little chat with Mr. Fitzherbert here. After we've finished eating of course."
"'A little chat?'" Eugene squeaked.
The Captain smirked smugly, yet uncomfortably. "Yes, Sire."
"I'll be with you shortly to brief you," he still addressed the Captain, but then turned to Eugene. "Then we shall call on you when ready."
Eugene gulped.
The King brushed his beard out and wiped his mouth with his napkin. He narrowed his eyes on Eugene and grinned. "DON'T go anywhere," he said, then chuckled as he tossed his napkin down and rose. "Come Captain. It's a rather fun story, I assure you. Ooh, and you're in it!" He hooked his poof-adorned arm around the Captain's hard shoulders as they walked out. Eugene and the Captain shared one last incredulous look of suspicion, before the doors closed behind the two men of state.
Once they were gone, Eugene slunk down in his seat. "Ugh." He ran his hands down his face and his entire demeanor fell into self-pity. "Think I'm DONE eating." Rapunzel touched his arm in concern.
"Hm," the Queen hummed an aloof smile. "Would you two like to hear the story of how Rapunzel was born?"
Their interests piqued at her, happy to give her distraction their full attention.
Eugene eventually found himself being ushered through the halls, the King in front of him and the Captain in back. Finally, the King held open a door for Eugene to enter in before him.
He stepped inside to see a mostly empty room, brightly lit but with no windows, and a single, decadent, plush chair in the middle facing a small writing desk quite a few feet from it. A slim, unassuming man sat at the desk in an identical chair, and two more flanked either side of the desk. Eugene whirled around, defensive. "What is this?"
"This is a sitting room," the King answered coldly. "Which I'm sure you'll notice is decidedly not located in the prison."
"What-..."
The King pointedly looked to the secretary, who was testing out his ink in the corner of a page, then to the lone chair in the center.
Eugene followed his gaze, and understood. "Interrogation..." he voiced out loud.
"You agreed to cooperate."
He sighed. "I did. I will." Obedient yet awkward, he flumped down into the seat. He tried to get comfortable, only to settle on leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, hands folded.
The Captain had followed the King a few steps, but then nabbed his arm momentarily. "Sire," he muttered in flat monotone, "Illus veris regni maximus fur est; Et non credatur."
Eugene's ears involuntarily pricked as the words' meanings clicked in his mind, waking a dormant part of his brain. Three of the words that caught his attention first were ones that always brought a prideful smirk to his face, which they did now, without a thought as to further incrimination. Regni Maximus Fur – The Kingdom's Greatest Thief. His tongue rolled around in thought, remembering the old conjugations. 'Do not trust him.' He noticed too late that the King had not responded.
Both men were staring at him, intently.
Eugene cleared his throat and looked away. Shit, shit, shit... Don't take this card from me, too!
"Eugene?" the King questioned, with an air of hoping to give him a chance to be honest, while also sounding cautionary as to if he did not.
"Yes, Your Majesty?" Eugene looked back to the King, but locked his eyes only on the man's golden sun emblem pendant.
The King ambled around him and took a seat beside the desk. The Captain opted to stand at attention, arms crossed over his chest, in front of the door; the only door. He had a clear view the scene before him: Eugene squirming to his left, and the King to his right, ready to put him through the wringer.
The King settled his own set of note paper and pen in front of him. "Shall we begin?"
Eugene took a deep breath and nodded.
"Full name? Again, please, for the record."
"Eugene Fitzherbert, Junior."
"Fitz-?" the secretary now asked.
"-herbert."
"Forgive me, but of Lord... Who?"
Eugene groaned. "No, not me. Back farther than I know. And Junior; I said Junior." He dipped his head to hide his rolling eyes and slouched farther in frustration.
"Ah," the man said, and wrote on in a tinier, quicker, scribble.
"Date of birth?" the King asked next.
"September 29th."
"House Loyalty?"
"Corona. My parents had been, at least."
"And uh," he tried to sound as sensitive as possible. "Your... family?"
"My parents are dead, and I never had any siblings. Never-" married. A lump caught in his throat; he cleared it. "And I have no children or anything."
"So, where did you grow up?"
"In uhh..." he gulped and switched direction, "I was an orphan. My parents were both dead by the time I was 8."
The King clasped his hands together beside his face, elbows on the table, and lowered his head as his gaze turned just a little harder. "Where did you live?"
"Co-" he began, but his voice cracked. "Corona."
"And sooo, as a citizen of Corona, quod absolute in officium meum exequi te proditione."
Eugene's breath caught and eyes dilated, the corners of his mouth pulled down into a pout. '...absolutely in my office,' execute- to execute you'... ablative cause for- 'treason.' He met the King's stern eyes with his own pleading ones, defeated on both fronts, with one stone. I hear you, I hear you... Knowledge for my life. He felt silly for worrying about a thing this small, but he still felt awful. Well, now they know.
"Eugene," he began again, in a gravely low voice. "Dice. Ubi habitavisti?"
Eugene gulped again and hung his head a moment. 'Speak,' a command. 'Where you live...d?' He made sure to look the King in the eye as he started to answer. "Hab- Habita... bas... Habitaveram." His gaze honestly drifted away as he tried to dredge up such an old part of himself. "In Brephotrophium Innocentium* Coronae habitaveram." He bit his quivering lip as he winced at the King. You remember that, don't you?
[*Latin for Ospedale delgi Innocenti, 'Hospital of the Innocents.']
As Eugene had expected, there was a startling recognition on the old man's face, but it was quickly reigned in. "Ubi gnoscabas."
'Where learning... you studied.' Eugene's lids drooped slowly. He closed them as he nodded, then simply stared off into the floor. "Yes- etiam." he mumbled before licking his lips. "I ran away when I was 16."
The King paused, studying the young man's expressions and body language. He seemed to be telling the truth about everything. The reluctance and sadness in doing so made sense in line with someone who was making a conscious effort to comply, while every other fiber of his being was used to running and hiding. The King could not pick out any other easy signs of deceit versus honesty, but he did notice how Eugene kept rubbing the palm of his left hand.
"Your Majesty?" The Captain called over, noticing how the King had fallen contemplative.
The King cleared his throat. "Uh, how old did you say you are now?"
"26."
He rubbed his beard in thought. "How old were you when my daughter was kidnapped?"
Eugene's brow retwisted, quizzically. ...you think I took her? Or helped? What? "I was 8..." he said slowly. Or just checking my math?
"You said your parents were dead by the time you were 8," the King recalled out loud.
Eugene nodded. "Ye-"
"So you were already at the orphanage then?"
"Yes, Sire."
"So, you..." The King stroked his beard, unsure how to word the question, and how leading it should be or not. "Eh..." He rolled his hand around.
Eugene saw the opportunity. He already knows. Now it could look like he was eagerly offering up information. "Sire, I don't have many meaningful memories from that time, but I do remember when Her Majesty would come visit, if that's what you are trying to ask."
The King watched him steadily, then set his inferences aside and instead went onto the next thing. "Eugene, your theft of the Crown of the Lost Princess was a crime against this crown, in favor of another. Correct?"
Eugene physically jerked at the derailing question, and paused before answering. I got nothin. "Yes, that's correct." A 'crime against the crown' means death – but he gave me his word! A gulp and a twitch of his neck steeled his nerves for the time being.
"And why did you steal the crown?"
"Uh..." I thought we went over this already, and besides weren't we talking about my childhood? I mean, I don't know why, but, well, anyway. "Forrr... monnneyyy...?" His voice crescendoed to a squeaky pitch at the end.
"Why?" he immediately pressed. "You had a good education. What happened- Did something happen to you?"
"Uh, no-" he began, startled at the concern. "No, no..." That's just it, though- "Nothing happened."
"Then why not make something of yourself without having to live on the run? Why turn to thieving?"
"I- uh..." he stuttered and false-started quite a bit before finally just regretfully shrugging. "I don't have an excuse, I know that. I guess I just, it just seemed like the more romantic life. Ya know, adventurous, and all... I thought it was my only real chance of actually making the life I wanted for myself. Can't really do anything with education unless you've got connections. I had no parents to set up an apprenticeship or to take over their trade... 'Nd I had to stop dreaming that someday, someone would wanna bother with me- with adopting me. A teenaged boy. Ya know?" He startled himself with so casually dropping the word "dreaming." I've started dreaming again... And it's only gonna hurt again... He became aware of holding his left palm, and instead clenched it shut and wrapped his right entirely around the fist.
The King listened on thoughtfully, as did the Captain, though he tried to make it seem he was not listening. The King nodded along sympathetically with Eugene's rambling. "Well," he began, "We'll see what we can do about all that- what we can do with that education." Then he abruptly got down to the point. "Now, we need to know HOW you broke into this castle and stole the crown. You mentioned over lunch that you were commissioned? Tell us about that. Who did you steal the crown for? And remember, IF you cooperate fully, you'll earn your freedom."
Eugene sighed at the King's ignorance. "I wasn't commissioned directly. This guild I was checking out for 'jobs,' had someone looking to hire a thief to nab the crown. That was about a month ago- May 20th. And the whole point of the guild is so that I don't know who the real patron is, and ideally, the patron doesn't know who I am. Obviously, I don't know if they've I.D.'ed me, but I guess that depends on their spies and how much information you've made public."
The Captain's grainy voice took over. "Well, I heard you couldn't wipe the idiot grin off your face as you were stealing it. You made it seem like you wanted people to know it was you."
Eugene sneered a mocking face at him, but otherwise ignored his comment. Well, that's true, but shut up.
"All these other people," the King tried to both follow the exposition and keep it on task, "The guild and all, what, eeelse can you tell us about them?"
"Eh," he false-started again, then tweaked a look at him. "I agreed to tell you about this job..." Please don't push me to dispel people I barely know- who are not involved in this!
The King grinned, showing deep cheeks and dimples just like Rapunzel's. He bowed his head, "Fair enough, for now. Honor amongst thieves, ey?"
"More like guidelines of reciprocity," he reciprocated the friendly smile, relieved that he understood.
"Understood. But do you know who the go-between was between this guild and the, uh, alleged patron?"
"No, I didn't need his name or anything. He would have been a representative acting in the stead of one of the princes or whoever, to interact with the guild." Pride took over his face. "Again, not supposed to know who that was, but, little bit of business insurance, my guy tailed their guy. Said he saw him go in through a secret entrance to the royal family's quarters. Is he still writing all this down?" He pointed at the secretary.
"Ya got all that?" the Captain checked.
The secretary was scribbling away furiously, but nodded along nonetheless. The King pointed out to him which royal family allegedly in question.
"On your end," Eugene half-frowned as he forged ahead, "There must have also been someone in contact with your architects or someone for schematics. I always try to get some kind of layout of places I'm going into, and..." He sucked air in through his teeth loudly. "For here, this map was extensive. And obviously reliable. One of your guys probably sold a copy off, maybe looking for a cut of this, too."
The Captain perked up at this information. "You have a map?"
"I did. If it matters, someone had nicknamed it 'Glass Castle.' Anyway, I trashed it on the way over here the first time. So, no, Captain Awesome, don't worry. You didn't miss anything in my satchel." -oh shit, can I get that back?! Where is it?! I need to get that back!
The Captain ignored the sarcastic title and called over, "Your Majesty, we should check that out as soon as possible." The King nodded in agreement.
"By the way," Eugene addressed the Captain directly, "That crown is valued at fourteen million gold, in case you didn't know, or maybe you just forgot." Whether the King had briefed him on that specifically or not, he wanted to drive that point home.
The Captain frowned, but Eugene could not tell if it was in hostility, or just his natural resting face. "And what was gonna be yours and the Stabbingtons' cut?"
"Oh, please." Eugene snickered. "Our cut?" He laughed a little more fully. "Didn't you- ehh... I left the brothers at that little cliffside for you." Again, his tone turned cocky and fanciful. "My cut could've possibly been whatever I could personally negotiate with the Westergaards' representative. Considering they wanted fourteen million ransom from you, I could probably have gotten at least seven, maybe Ten. Million. Gold."
The King smiled sentimentally at Eugene, as he was busy smirking at the Captain, who was busy glaring him down. "Anything else, Eugene?"
The Queen had taken Rapunzel for a walk around the castle, both as a tour, and to start to get to know each other at last. Both had some awkwardness in conversation to get over, but there was an unspoken comfort between them. Rapunzel felt more and more welcome to talk about absolutely everything, though she still held herself back from doing so. She decided to go as far as to give the impression that Eugene had become a very good, platonic, friend of hers. The Queen shied away from verbally broaching the idea of romance, but her grin positively glowed whenever her newfound daughter touched upon her newfound "friend."
The castle seemed to go on forever, but the Queen always knew the way. With her real mother by her side, even a building of so much strange grandeur felt like home already. And somehow, despite its endless mazes, the Queen timed it perfectly for them to arrive back at this one sitting room just as the door was opening.
The Captain came walking out first and noticed the ladies. "Oh, Your Majesty," he greeted pleasantly. His greeting to Rapunzel was more hesitant and awkward. "And, uh, Your- Your Royal Highness." He joined the Queen's side, anticipating a gathering in the hall. Rapunzel, however, stepped forward eagerly.
Eugene unwittingly followed the Captain, not registering the pair until Rapunzel popped up in his face. "Ah- Blondie!" He froze in his tracks with his hands thrown up. Oh God not again.
She giggled with her impish grin again. "So, how did everything go?" she asked to both Eugene and her father, who was just joining them as well. However, she and Eugene caught her father giving her mother a tilted, ambiguous look accompanied by a one-shouldered shrug. Her mother smirked but did not seem convinced of whatever he was trying to convey. "Uh, Daaad?" Her smile faltered.
The King conceded to his wife and finally faced Rapunzel. "Everything is fine," he assured her nonchalantly.
Eugene visibly relaxed to a great degree, but he kept his eyes on the Captain standing across from him. Rapunzel could tell he was still coiled as tightly as when they had arrived. "Yup, yup," he gave her only a glance, "Perfectly good." Goddamnit.
"Well that's good," Rapunzel tried to put on a smile as she tested placing a hand on his upper arm.
Please stop... Eugene crossed his hands behind his back and his voice jumped to redirect the tension. "So! Your Majesty, now what?"
She noticed his holding back again, but turned her attention to her father as well to see what was next indeed.
The King deliberately gave Eugene a calculating smirk. "To the Head Architect."
"That's the guy who should know about the map leak," Eugene reiterated.
"Thanks, genius," the Captain quipped. "Just saved us a lot of investigative work there."
Eugene narrowed his eyes at him. "Wow, sarcasm," he hissed as he planted his hands on his waist, shirking Rapunzel's arm off, and shifted his weight to one leg. He further challenged him with a roll of his eyes, "What a great way to start off working together, huh?"
Rapunzel wound herself up, ready to spring. "You're doing an investigation?! Together?!" she exclaimed. "About the guy who originally commissioned stealing the crown, right?! That sounds so interesting!" She finally bubbled over squealing, and waved her fists around a little up in front of her chest. "Like solving a mystery, right? Can I come, too? Can I help?"
Eugene jerked his head to watch as her antics commanded his attention. He huffed an admiring chuckle as he laid dreamy eyes and a soft smirk on her. He could almost feel himself splitting in two again. But this time, Eugene had gotten stronger and harder for Flynn to control. And yet, he wanted so badly to say Sure, Blondie, but his mouth stayed shut. -No, Blondie, don't screw this up for me!
"No, Sweetheart," the King cooed, "You don't have to worry about this."
Eugene watched through Rapunzel's big green eyes as a piece of her freshly tender heart began to fracture. Automatically he turned back to the King. "No, she can come if she wants."
The King was speechless. "Ah- bwha- what?"
Rapunzel lit back up and hugged Eugene's arm again. "Thanks!"
Eugene strategically, desperately, ignored how his bicep was smushed between her breasts, however brief the moment was. "Yah, hokay. Let's just go then." He gingerly reclaimed his arm to hold behind his back again. He did not seem happy about the new party plan, but he was not about to let someone tell her what to do.
Rapunzel's hope had been replenished just enough. "Yeah! I mean, Eugene already knows how good I can be at solving puzzles, but I can't wait to see what this is gonna be!" I'll take what I can get! She beamed as she walked beside even a distant Eugene, following the King, and flanked by the watchful Captain.
"Wooow," Eugene drawled out, raising a finger towards the Captain's nose in a painting on the lower level hallway wall. "Even got every wrinkle!" Same guy who did my Wanted posters, probably, the talentless hack. He chuckled to himself, then turned back around to seek the King's approval of his ribbing, only to find an unamused frown. The mirth died out in his voice as he noticed how close the Captain had gotten.
The burly man was fuming again. "I can hear you."
"Twinkle," he slyly corrected himself as he gulped, "In his eye."
The Captain growled and pushed his red, gnarled face dangerously close to Eugene's.
"Eyes!" he corrected further, nervously throwing his hands up and leaning away.
The Captain punctuated himself with a snort, and resumed his position as the group filed into an office.
"Ah, what good timing, My King. It seems we have a situation," the apparent Head Architect came right out and said to the King and Captain as they all gathered around the man's worktable. He looked over the two new faces quizzically, but did not question.
Eugene, hoping not to draw attention to himself, seemed to take little notice of the man. Instead, he tried reading what he could off of the scattered papers around. Mostly it seemed to be maintenance orders, though, and quickly his eyes glossed over, instantly bored.
Rapunzel however, looked him over intently fascinated. He stood about Eugene's height and build, but with a sharper cut jaw, which was shaded by his close-trimmed full-styled beard. His short, dark brown hair was combed back, though it swirled around a flattened curve atop the front as it did so. The beginnings of slight recession swept around each side; the back tapered off at the base of his head. His warm glowing cheekbones and full ribboned lips signaled amiability, but his unflinching gaze and stern brows warded off any attempts of it. Given Eugene's age for a marker, she would guess his age around 30, but he already had puffy bags under his eyes and a couple permanent creases across his forehead.
His voice was a deep authoritative one, with a thick and strange, yet stoic, accent. "One of our masons has gone missing. We've not seen nor heard from him in two days time." He slid over a larger parchment, with pencil sketching of a man, and lettering which, at the top, decried "Missing." It was the layout plan before it would be etched into rubber for printing. "His wife begged us to have copies made and spread."
Eugene had been hanging back, while still trying to peak over and between the King's and Captain's shoulders as they shuffled around. Suddenly, something caught his eye. "No way..." He easily elbowed his way to the table and picked up the "Missing" paper.
Rapunzel perked up as she watched him. "Do you know him?"
Eugene bit the side of his lip as he looked away, the paper lying limply in his hands. "Yeah," he nodded a little. With a deep breath, he continued. "He was at the orphanage, he taught classes at the monastery."
The Head Architect's eyes blinked in surprise. His eyes continued honing in as he listened.
"Your teacher also worked as a mason here?" Rapunzel asked. She peeped over at the paper he held. George Fleming. She tried to commit yet another new name to memory.
"I guess; he taught math," Eugene answered, then posed his own question to the architect. "Is that right?"
The Captain smirked with pleasure as he stared at Eugene and his spilling of info.
The Head Architect eyed him narrowly now. "That is correct... Mr. Fleming used to tutor at a few places around the kingdom."
And we're here looking for who could have leaked a map out... Rapunzel remembered the brief amount of information she had overheard. She thought of another suggestion to contribute, and spoke right up. "Do we know what kind of information he could have gotten access to while working here?"
Eugene's impressed attention snapped to her as he carefully considered what she said.
The architect sighed and tilted his head in worry. "He's handled many sensitive projects for us over the years. But any leak could still prove to be truly devastating."
The King hardened his eyes at the architect in thought; Eugene gulped as he felt the gravity in the room bear down.
Rapunzel, however, leaned over the table, beaming. "How can we help?"
The King finally addressed Eugene. "Actually, I'd like your help in finding and detaining him, Eugene."
Eugene blinked, completely blindsided by the extent of this new proposal. "Wait, me?" He pulled a hand out to point at himself. "You wanna send me, t-to- to what?"
"Fleming was once your teacher," the King explained, "If we find him, you can bring him in."
"Look, I-I..." Eugene stammered to gracefully decline. "I really don't think I'm your go-to guy on this part." He took a step backward, recrossing his arms.
"Your knowledge of this Mr. Fleming and the heist is key here!" an all too eager Rapunzel pointed out.
"We're clearly at a disadvantage for any attempt to engage with him," the Captain reluctantly admitted. "Anyone being questioned is bound to get suspicious – and they already have all been questioned, when we were looking for you. You, however, have a personal, unrelated connection. "
"Yeah, I do have a personal connection," Eugene snapped back, "If this is the guy, though, I have another, very bad personal connection. Look, you guys have the crown, okay? And I'm right here. So can't you just-"
"Excuse me," the Head Architect tried to intercept the conversation. "Who is this?" he pointed a weak finger out.
"Eugene." the King ignored the question, but instead glowered down at Eugene and said his name to him in a firm bellow.
I don't have any choice in this, do I? I'm in no matter what... Eugene rubbed his palms together, anxious to please but nervous to risk himself any further. "Well maybe you can find someone else to help you for this part. Maybe, a coworker- just this part. I can't- I'm not supposed to know who-"
The Captain picked up the slack with snideness. "Or maybe you had something to do with his 'disappearance,' too."
"What?!" Rapunzel and Eugene both gasped.
"Are you crazy?!" Eugene continued on, "I'm not gonna have some poor mapmaker rubbed out just 'cause I got ONE thing offa him for a job!"
"Structural engineer," the Head Architect corrected, though he looked more concerned about the rest of his words.
"So what would you have a guy rubbed out for?" the Captain snarked.
"Oooh," Eugene glared at him, stepped up and wagged a finger. "Ya knowww..." he growled lowly himself, before Rapunzel pulled him back with a most concerned look. Around the corner of the table, the Captain took a step up towards him as well with a sadistic smile. Chairs shifted across the stone floor as the two men postured, adding to the disturbance. The King gripped the Captain's shoulder. He stood down.
Above the noisy turmoil, the Head Architect added a shout, "Who IS this man?!"
"Oookay," Rapunzel force-laughed it all off. "Ummm..."
Eugene regained his restraint and calmed down. He answered the architect before anyone else could have a chance, "I'm nobody." Then he stared down both the King and the Captain. He shot a steady glance back at Rapunzel. In a tryhard bout of ambition, his mouth spoke before he could check it. "You in?"
Rapunzel's eyes took on a happy glow again, and a genuine grin returned. "You bet!"
Eugene returned a cocky determined smirk back to the Captain and King, mirrored by a cheerier version on Rapunzel beside him.
The Captain took a deep breath and resolved himself back to friendly coercion. Between gritted teeth, he reiterated, "Yours is a friendly face, Rider. Your teach sees his old class clown, he'll be bound to remember you, and more inclined to cooperate with you interrogating him. Capisci?"
The Head Architect's confused expression was instantly sent into slight shock at the name drop. His mouth parted and he froze, staring at Eugene.
"ME?! Interrogate him, too?! Oh, Come On!" Eugene flailed. "And, excuse you, I was not the class clown!" I was the one who looked like I wasn't paying attention 'cause I was either reading my own thing or daydreaming...
"Search party leaves in three. Main courtyard." And with that, the Captain left.
Rapunzel gently placed a hand on Eugene's arm, startling him. "I'm really proud of you," she whispered softly to him. Eugene huffed a weak smile at her. The King smirked delightfully at them both.
She turned to the Head Architect. "By the way, um, hi! Nice to meet you." She stiffly held her hand out to shake. He quirked a brow as he watched her, but awkwardly shook it anyway. "My name is Rapunzel. And I guess, up until today, I was the Lost Princess."
The man's hand fell away from her. His lips parted again, and a shudder ran over him. Dumbfounded, he softly replied, "Bryn."
A/N: Holy hell I'll proofread for typos, etc. tomorrow. I am profusely sorry for the wait, but I love you all for the ongoing support. Jan 16 starts the new semester, at a brand new college in a brand new city. A lot has happened. A lot is going to happen. Please don't expect me back until summer. Classes end mid-May, then who knows what. Send me reviews to help me through my first day? (It wasn't too much Chuck, was it? Cuz even if it was I mean I can't really do anything about it now I guess.)
If you didn't watch Tangled: The Series, first off what are you doing with your life, beware of spoilers on my tumblr, and get thee to a streaming or download site! Or message me somewhere. And as always...
Follow me as MiraNova23 on tumblr for Tangled Fandom Resurrection, messaging, keeping up with what's goin on in my life, how the writing's going, my other fanworks, lots of Chuck vs Tangled, and all-around general Disnerdiness.
