AN: Anyone else ready for a pissed off Rapunzel? Because I sure am. Just a warning, there will be a lot of dialogue occurring in the next few chapters, only to get the plot rolling. I hope you enjoy anyway, because I'm having a lot of fun writing it.

Time for our favorite disclaimer: I don't own Tangled or its respective characters.

Chapter 2: True, Angsty, Heartbroken Teen Fashion

Rapunzel walks through the palace's extensive system of garden courtyards, enjoying the maze of perfectly trimmed hedges. As she walks, she reflects contently on the beauty of her home as the sun slowly sinks below the horizon behind her. The young princess smiles to herself, letting her mind wander to her best friend and the love of her life, who are probably still bickering away in the barn loft where she'd left them.

The king and queen are seated at an outdoor patio section of the garden, eating a late evening meal of pheasant, mixed vegetables, and some sort of vanilla cake that immediately fixates Rapunzel's interest.

The princess pulls out a seat, smiling at her doting parents, noting their long faces with confusion, but reaching for a piece of cake anyway.

"Hi, sweetheart. How was your day?" Queen Arianna asks, a tentative look in her eyes.

Rapunzel shrugs, coating her finger in frosting before licking it clean. She hadn't exactly gotten the whole 'royal table manners' thing down quite yet, but why did it matter? The only people she ever ate with, aside from rare occasions when the palace had an important guest, were her parents, who never explicitly said anything about her table etiquette, and Eugene. After a particular night of eating something called 'chocolate mousse,' Eugene had teased in private that he liked when she sucked her fingers clean. So, sometimes she did it at the dinner table, just so she could watch him squirm a little in front of her parents.

No matter what they were doing, it was always fun to have Eugene around, and for a moment, Rapunzel feels guilty for leaving him up in the barn loft with Cass, where he was surely getting scolded for his slightly big ego or perverted sense of humor.

"My day was good." Rapunzel replies shortly without offering elaboration, distracted by the sweetness of the cake melting on her tongue.

"What did you do?"

The young princess's mind floods with images of breathless whispers, heated kisses, and calloused hands all over her yielding body. Rapunzel plays with her fork, twirling it around on her plate, because the cake suddenly doesn't look as good as it did when she first sat down – at least, not when contemplating some of the other activities she'd participated in that day.

"Oh, you know… I just painted the sunrise this morning from my balcony, attended my morning lessons, ate lunch with Cassandra, took an evening horseback ride with Eugene…"

Well, no more than twenty minutes ago she'd been on the very edge of riding /something, Eugene involved, but it wasn't a horse. Although, the horseback ride wasn't a complete lie.

"That sounds lovely, dear." Queen Arianna responds softly with a strangely sad look, which Rapunzel questions, but doesn't prod about out loud. Perhaps her mother had had a hard day – after all, it couldn't be easy to be queen. Rapunzel was just getting used to the daily responsibilities of a princess, and they were extensive as it was.

"Speaking of Cass, she said you guys wanted to talk to me about something urgent?" Rapunzel licks some more frosting from her fingers, remembering why she and Eugene's 'feel-good-happy-fun time,' as he'd so elegantly called it, had been interrupted in the first place.

The queen clears her throat, but King Frederic speaks before his wife has the chance.

"Yes, we do, actually. It's quite important, and we hope that you'll hear us out before getting too… upset." The king chooses his words carefully, as he normally does. He did so mostly because of the emotional tendencies of his daughter, who was still, understandably, adjusting to the world outside her tower.

"Why… why would I get upset?"

"Well, it's a rather… delicate issue, sweetheart."

"O…kay…" Rapunzel's gaze darts between her parents, before falling back to her mother. "You're starting to make me nervous, Mom. What's going on?"

The royal couple remain quiet for a very long moment, in which Rapunzel sits perfectly still, staring at her parents. Is she in trouble for something? Did they find out that she and Eugene kiss a little too often, and more than just a simple peck on the lips?

Both the king and queen open their mouths several times, but no words come out, causing them to resemble two fish out of water. Finally, King Frederic guiltily blurts the news that he knows will ruin any amount of normalcy his daughter has worked so hard to gain in the last year.

"The council has found you… goodness, how do I put this lightly… they have found an appropriate match for you. His name is Prince Charles, and he is fourth-in-line to the throne of the Maddoline Kingdom. And he'll be here tomorrow."

"An appropriate… match?" Rapunzel isn't sure that she quite understands what her father means by this. The only kind of matches she knows about are the kind that light candles, and the kind she always wins when she convinces Eugene to play chess with her. "What's that supposed to mean – "

Rapunzel is interrupted by the cheerful voice of her love entering the garden, a proud smile on his face, a pouting Cassandra trailing far behind.

"Eugene, Numero Uno. Cassandra, zero!" Eugene waltzes up to the table, having obviously won their latest rift with some below-the-belt comment about her haircut, or maybe about her ever-present know-it-all attitude. "Ooh, cake!"

An awkward silence ensues, lost on Eugene, who is busy sticking out his tongue at a defeated Cassandra. He watches victoriously as the spunky lady-in-waiting disappears behind the large oak doors leading to the gardens.

"You should've seen her face! I had the ultimate comeback, Blondie. After she told me how stupid my face looked, I really gave it to her. You should've been there. I – Did I… interrupt something?"

Eugene finally realizes that no member of the royal family has spoken a word since his arrival, and he hopes he doesn't have a stray piece of hay in his hair, giving away his and Rapunzel's latest indiscretion.

King Frederic clears his throat, loudly. He clears it a second time, and Eugene wonders if the king has a frog stuck in there. Eugene makes a mental note to go looking for Pascal after dinner, because he hasn't seen the little guy all day.

"We were just telling Rapunzel about Prince Charles of Maddoline."

"Prince Who of What?"

"Rapunzel's… fiancé. Prince Charles… who will be arriving here tomorrow."

Eugene blinks. He blinks again. The gears are turning in his head, but the words aren't processing themselves quite right.

"Pardon me, sir. But did I just hear you say Rapunzel's… /fiancé/?"

"We had a meeting with the council this afternoon, and they brought to our attention a decision they've recently made… " The king takes a deep breath, and tries to ignore the guilt rising in his chest as the former thief looks at him like he's spontaneously grown three heads. "…To arrange Rapunzel to marry the prince of an ally kingdom. They made this decision completely behind our backs – Arianna and I knew nothing of it."

"That's a good one, sir… "Eugene is only so bold as to say so because, he reasons, this must be some sort of prank. "Because I was under the impression this entire time that it was pretty clear to everyone that Rapunzel is already taken. You know, by /me/?"

Queen Arianna leans forward, placing a motherly hand on Eugene's forearm in response to the obviously growing panic on the younger man's face.

"We know, Eugene, and we're incredibly sorry. We had no idea about the council's intentions until today. It's completely governmental, and nothing personal." The queen sighs deeply, clearly troubled. "We haven't had much say in Corona's legal direction for the last ten years or so. The council has completely taken over, despite our best efforts. And they've been very…" The queen shakes her head, as if searching for the correct words. "On edge… since the crown was stolen."

Eugene doesn't say anything, just stares at the queen. This isn't personal? Was she serious? It all sounds pretty personal to him, what with the crown comment and all. Obviously Rapunzel, as well as the king and queen, could forgive him for his past identity and believe in his genuine transformation, but the council couldn't?

Eugene turns to Rapunzel suddenly, who's submerged in a trance, as if she's watching everything happen in slow motion – it's like she's stuck in some other faraway dimension, observing the conversation happening before her from the outside in.

"Can we talk for a second?"

The princess nods, but doesn't make a move to leave the table, completely fixated on that faraway place.

"Alone?"

"Oh. Of course."

Rapunzel sets down the fork she had been holding in a balled up fist, smoothing her dress as she stands. The two lovers rise from the table stiffly, the king and queen looking on silently with grimaced faces.

Eugene takes a shocked Rapunzel gently by the arm, leading her under a large willow tree, shading their faces from the light of the setting summer sun. What with the rolling hills in the distance and the fading evening sunlight, it would've been a beautiful scene for the two of them to enjoy together, if it weren't for the gut-wrenching news they'd just received.

Eugene looks at his dear princess for a long time before he can trust himself to speak without transforming into a puddle of pleading tears – and Eugene Fitzherbert doesn't cry.

"Tell me this is some sort of sick joke, and I'm just missing the punchline." Eugene demands, only when their conversation will be out of her parents' earshot.

"I wish it was. But we both know my parents wouldn't do that to us."

"Rapunzel," Eugene speaks slowly, trying his best to be very careful not to take his frustration out on her. "Tell me that I'm just getting old, so my hearing must be going bad, and that I didn't just hear that you're getting MARRIED to some prince you've never met!"

Rapunzel just shakes her head, looking up at him, her eyes welling with tears. She's sorry, she's so sorry, and he can see that, though he knows she has nothing to be sorry for.

"Eugene, I-I had no idea about any of this, I swear!"

What could he say, really? Of course she hadn't known about this, how could she? If the king and queen were telling the truth, they had found out about the council's little arrangement only this afternoon. Eugene sighs deeply, running a hand through his hair, considering his options. He could react with rage, like any normal man would when finding out the love of their life was about to be unexpectedly married to another man.

Or he could comfort her, because she was clearly in just as much shock as he was.

"I know you didn't."

Rapunzel stares at her bare feet, tears falling to meet them there in the grass. The sight is enough to soften Eugene's heart completely, and sends a deep anger ripping through him, all at once. Mostly, he's angry with himself. After all, if he hadn't been a thief, the council wouldn't be out to get him.

"Come here."

He takes Rapunzel in his arms, and they rock together under the weeping willow as she cries, and Eugene wills himself not to weep, too.

Queen Arianna and King Frederic watch from afar as their beloved daughter and the man they'd grown to think of as a son, exchange heated words back and forth, before eventually falling together in a tearful embrace. The queen's face twists painfully as she looks on, watching as Eugene pushes his hand into the sobbing princess's hair, cradling her head tightly to his chest. Queen Arianna swallows back tears of her own, completely distraught.

"We've devastated them, Frederic."

"I know, dear."

"What are we going to do? What will /they/ do? They're in love. I've never seen two people so attached at the hip, they can't survive this! How could we let the council finalize something so catastrophic without our consent, something that concerns /our/ daughter?"

"I don't know. Frankly, dear, we have been losing our grip on this kingdom, especially since last year. They'll just… have to find a way to live with this, I suppose."

But the queen won't accept that, not so quickly.

"There was a time when we had to be separated when we were young and in love, and I remember that I felt like dying every day that we were apart. And you never had to watch me marry someone else. You know how Rapunzel is. She feels everything so deeply. I love that about her but… it's why I'm so afraid for her in this world. She loves that man with a love that is completely unconditional, and I have a feeling that his love for her is the same. This will absolutely destroy her."

"That's what I'm afraid of, also. But I'm also afraid there isn't much more we can do. We tried to make a case for Eugene this afternoon when the council gave their decision. I know in my heart that he's a changed man, a man who's good for her, good for this kingdom, even. But we cannot expect everyone to see it that way. He has done many things that some simply cannot turn a blind eye to. If you'd told me a year ago that I'd be defending the man who stole our kidnapped daughter's crown, I would've laughed, but that's what happened. He's changed, Arianna, for Rapunzel. I believe that, but unfortunately, the council does not."

"I can't believe that after a year of Eugene living here in the palace, they still have no faith in him. How much more can he prove himself? There must be something more we can say, or do. I'll do anything to fix this! I can't just stand by and watch her heart be broken."

"I'm not sure there is, but I suppose it's worth trying, for her. I'll call for a meeting of the council first thing in the morning."

"Blondie, Sunshine, umm… you know, I'm not so sure it'll help our case to storm into the meeting unexpected, crossbows blazing –"

Rapunzel, who had undoubtedly woken up on the murderous side of the bed this morning, whirs on Eugene, and if he's being honest, the look in her eyes scares the crap out of him. She'd spent the majority of the past night pacing the length of his small bedroom over and over again. Eugene had watched how the sorrow and fear she'd been harboring the evening before, had turned into pure rage toward the council by morning.

The heated princess reaches forward, grabbing at Eugene's vest, pulling him down so that he's forced to her level.

"Eugene, this is our chance to change the council's mind, maybe our /only/ chance to change their minds. So buck up. If we can convince them that /you/ are the 'appropriate match' for me, or whatever my dad called it, then I won't have to marry this Prince Charles guy!"

"Honestly, Raps, would it really be so bad? I mean, there's Eugene, and then there's a /prince/." Cassandra lifts both hands in the air, as if balancing them on a scale, placing one clearly higher than the other. "You have the choice between an idiotic, freeloading windbag, and a prince. Seems like a pretty obvious decision to me."

"/Hey/! I am NOT a freeloader!"

Rapunzel's eyes narrow further, this time directed toward her lady-in-waiting, and she lets go of the bit of Eugene's vest that she'd crumpled in her fists.

"Are you seriously suggesting that I marry a man I've never even met, Cassandra?"

"Well, you somehow fell in love with this bozo after knowing him for like, two days, so –"

Rapunzel looks at Cassandra like she hopes her best friend will spontaneously combust. Cassandra lets her hands fall to her sides, trying to hold back a laugh. Of course, she cares about her closest friend and the stressful situation at hand, but it's difficult for Cassandra to imagine not taking the opportunity to break up with Eugene.

"No, no you're right. Please, proceed on your warpath."

"We've got your back, Princess!" Lance murmurs, still wearing his guard uniform, as he'd just been relieved from the night shift rotation. He'd run into the tense trio in the hallway on their way to the meeting only a few moments before.

With Eugene, Lance, and Cassandra in tow, Rapunzel pushes through the heavy doors that lead to the council meeting that King Frederic had called to order only five minutes ago. It's apparent immediately that the king and queen are already submerged in a heated, round table debate with the rest of the council, most of whom are men in their upper 60s and 70s, all of which are clearly balding, losing all sense of hearing, or both.

"Rapunzel, sweetheart, this is a private meeting –"

Queen Arianna eyes her daughter's entourage: the loyal, assumedly heartbroken boyfriend, the lady-in-waiting with an endless chip on her shoulder, and the burly former thief who mostly stuck around for the sake of his lifelong friend and a paycheck.

"Really? Because I think this actually has a lot to do with me, Mom."

Rapunzel strides to the front of the room where Mr. Sinclair, the head of the council and her father's most trusted legal advisor, prepares for the tongue lashing he just knows he's about to receive from a naïve teenager in the name of young love.

Eugene, Lance, and Cassandra trickle in behind, leaning against the back wall of the large room designated for meetings like this one. Meetings that are called to determine the future of Corona. As much as they hate to admit it, all three of them secretly enjoy when this overly-bold side of Rapunzel makes its rare appearance, and they know they're about to be in for quite the show.

"Hello, Mr. Sinclair."

"Hello, Your Highness. I see you'd like to join our meeting this morning."

"You know, I would, considering the topic of discussion is my arranged marriage that I knew absolutely nothing about until yesterday." The princess smiles at the older man sweetly, with the kind of smile that Eugene immediately recognizes as 'If you piss me off, I'll give you seven concussions with a frying pan.'

Not that he would know from personal experience or anything.

"Prince Charles of Maddoline is a wonderful fit for you, Princess, a wonderful fit for this kingdom. I ask you to please think of your people," The head of the council's eyes dart to the back of the room briefly, where Eugene is standing, arms crossed in quiet observation. "Before you think of your… personal desires."

"Don't guilt me into a marriage with someone I've never met by telling me to 'think of my people.' My people are just fine. And they'll still be just fine if I'm married to Eugene."

Mr. Sinclair sighs, pushing away the papers scattered on the table before him, folding his hands with a small smile, as if to snarkily imply that she has his full attention after barging into the meeting uninvited.

"Princess, if you'll forgive me, I'm going to be completely blunt with you for a moment, if only to avoid dragging this meeting out for much longer than necessary. Corona law strictly states that a royal family member /cannot/ and /will not, under any foreseeable circumstances, marry someone of non-royal status, let alone a /wanted thief/. Who, might I add, wreaked absolute havoc throughout your kingdom for several years!"

Eugene, well, the very small part of him that still operates as Flynn Rider, can't help but be a little proud of himself. He'd wreaked absolute havoc, alright. Good times.

Rapunzel's response to the comment isn't so mild.

"Then excuse me, if I'm blunt with you for a moment, Mr. Sinclair. That 'wanted thief' is the only reason I'm even standing here right now. Without him, I'd still be /trapped in a tower/. You realize that, don't you?"

"Your boyfriend's act of heroism isn't lost on me, Your Highness. And as a father myself, I understand the caliber of Mr. Fitzherbert's contribution to Corona in returning you to us safely, after so many years of waiting and wondering. This is why the council has been as lenient as to not have him thrown into prison. Or, honestly, have him executed for his extensive list of crimes as originally planned. We have been turning the other cheek for the entirety of a year, but we have come to a mutual consensus that a marriage between yourself and the Prince of Maddoline is the best decision for this kingdom."

Eugene thinks about the day he'd almost been hung, the day he'd actually died in that tower, and shivers a little at the haunting memory. He kicks himself now, considering the fact that if he'd never been a thief, it wouldn't be so hard to be in a relationship with Rapunzel.

Then again, if he hadn't been a thief, he might have never met her in the first place, and that alternative reality sounds much worse.

"Regardless, Princess, the law is the law, and even if Mr. Fitzherbert had never stolen a thing from this palace or from the innocent people of Corona, he is still not of royal blood. You are of marrying age, and soon enough, the people will be questioning why a successor to the crown has not been born in /nineteen years/."

"So what, you don't punish people for their crimes anymore, but you'll punish them for the things totally beyond their control? Like the name they're born with?"

"Rapunzel… "King Frederic warns, rubbing his brow stressfully. The last thing he needs right now is a full-on showdown between his most trusted advisor of twenty-five years, and his spirited, passionate daughter.

"I think you've done enough, Dad." Rapunzel retorts.

And by that, she means that he's done absolutely nothing at all. The princess refocuses her glare on the council head.

"And if I might add, Mr. Sinclair, there is more to life than providing 'successors' for the crown. I might be of marrying age, but I refuse to marry a man that I don't love. Or don't even know, for that matter."

"Well, I'm very sorry to hear that, Princess. But if you refuse to comply with the agreement that we have settled upon with the kingdom of Maddoline, by law, I will be forced to strip your parents of any remaining legal authority. And you, of any future legal authority you may have had. In such a situation, I will act as temporary head of the kingdom until the three of you can get your act together."

"Harold, really, is all of this necessary? Mr. Fitzherbert has been an excellent addition to the palace guard, not to mention has helped my daughter through a tremendously difficult time of adjusting to this world. There must be some sort of consideration you can make for that – " King Frederic pleads on his daughter's behalf, but he's cut off by Mr. Sinclair, who's growing more irritated with this outspoken, inexperienced princess by the moment, and the king and queen's clear lack of ability to reign in their daughter.

"Yes, Frederic, you have mentioned that already. And yes, all of this /is/ necessary for this kingdom and for the succession of the crown, and you know it. Corona has had a rough ten years, and we need to do everything we can to rebuild both our economy and our reputation. Letting your daughter marry a thief isn't going to do that. I /have/ considered all of the options, and frankly, the current option does not appeal."

Another pointed look to Eugene before the council head continues on.

"Besides, last I checked, /you/ and the queen signed off on this arrangement when your daughter was a baby. We as the council simply pushed that decision through in due time. So, unless you want to lose the little say you have left in the legal decisions of this kingdom, I would suggest that you don't make a big fuss of this. Arranged marriages happen all the time, and this is a marriage that will greatly benefit Corona and secure its future."

Rapunzel steps forward, registering the information dump.

"Wait, wait a second. You mean, you signed off for me to be forced into an arranged marriage when I was /born/?" Rapunzel turns to her parents, shaking like a leaf in the wind, betrayal set deep in her eyes.

"Sweetheart –"

"I think I'm gonna be sick."

Mr. Sinclair reaches for the gavel resting on the large, round table between him and King Frederic, knocking it against the oak several times. The sound echoes throughout the otherwise silent room, and Rapunzel is sure she's going to throw up any moment.

"Princess Rapunzel of Corona will be married to Prince Charles of Maddoline in no more than three months' time. This meeting is adjourned."

Before Rapunzel has the chance to storm from the room in true, angsty, heartbroken teen fashion, the meeting hall doors swing open, revealing a blonde, starkly dressed young man who appears to be in his early twenties.

"So, are we talking about me?"