~Chapter 16~

Eugene

The closer we became, this is what I had always feared. It wasn't working to give her the cold shoulder and I was now an indentured servant of her family and she was the noble daughter. If we were going to perish at all in this desolate, winter wild, I wanted someone to know my name, my true name. After the words left my lips it was freeing and she reacted just how I thought she would. Blank stares and looking betrayed.

"All this time," She muttered,

"I know, but it wasn't just you. It was everyone."

"Oh, so that's supposed to make me feel better?"

"No," I sighed pinching the bridge of my nose trying to make myself clear and try to say something, anything to wipe that look of hurt from her face.

"Life in the orphanage was lonely and I was just one of many kids who longed for a family. I was scared that my ridiculous last name would keep me from that, so when I left with Logan and Leeland, I took a new name."

"So Eye Patch and Scarface knew your name?"

"Actually no, they called me 'kid' during our years there. I didn't mind because they noticed me and we often got into trouble together. We definitely weren't Mrs. Mabry's favorites."

"It makes sense why you stuck with them for so long."

"They were the closest thing I had to family."

Rapunzel bit her lip glancing at me sympathetically.

"Look Rapunzel, I'm sorry for not revealing my true name until now, but it was in no way to hurt you or lie. Just a simple name change to leave my past behind. Haven't you ever wanted to forget about something or erase it altogether?"

"I'll tell you right now, I don't like the name Alivia." She nodded.

I couldn't tell if she was trying to just humor me or was serious. Either way at least this was out there now. The fire began to wane with the winds blowing in from the cave entrance even though we were pretty far back inside. Pascal was stirred by the sudden increase of the winds and climbed in Rapunzel's lap to keep warm.

"I better fetch more wood." I told her, "We can resume finding the flower at daybreak. It'll be safer that way."

I walked a few steps before I heard Rapunzel clear her throat and curiously I faced her again. She held a kind smile on her face.

"Just for the record, I think you look more like a Eugene than a Flynn."

Her green eyes locked with mine and I felt her sincerity. She has been nothing but herself since the day I met her in the forest of Corona.

"Rapunzel suits you better as well." I replied, walking outside into the bitter cold.

I had no saw to cut off branches, so I had to do my best with finding broken-off ones. My eyes adjusted to the darkness fairly well and the moonlight did help with seeing around the general area. Though I didn't want that creature from earlier to sneak up and attack me either. I found some branches around the vicinity of the trees and I gathered as much as I could before following my footprints back. As I came inside with my wood, Rapunzel held Pascal cupped in her hands as she was laughing. A sound that warmed my heart as I moved toward them feeding the wood into our fire. She started to circle around the fire holding Pascal almost as if she was dancing. Making wide steps so as not to trip on her hair, but I believe she was trying to dance. Swaying this way and that, but there was no music for her and yet she moved as if there were some. I moved around them going to give Maximus some company. He snorted at me as I rubbed his snout and I kept glancing over at Rapunzel. Leaning against Max's side crossing my arms, I wished I could have some music playing for her at least. Though after watching for this short time, I stepped toward her tapping on her shoulder.

"May I cut in?" I offered.

Rapunzel turned toward me as she stopped suddenly.

"Not sure I know what you mean, cut into what?"

I smirked stepping even closer to her.

"Just a figure of speech, Blondie. I figure if you love dancing so much, you might want to try it with somebody with arms."

I looked at Pascal who promptly stuck his tongue out at me. Rapunzel rubbed his head and moved Pascal onto Max's back before turning back to face me. I stepped toward her making sure to avoid her hair that was lying all around us all over the place.

"Let's see if I remember how to do this,"

"You don't know," She questioned.

"It's not exactly a skill I use daily." I shrugged.

Offering her my left hand, she looked at me blankly unsure of what to do.

"What, do you want a handshake?"

"Take my hand with your right and put your other on my shoulder."

She seemed nervous as that wouldn't help her dance.

"You'll be fine. This will be fun."

"I just don't want to mess it up,"

"Follow my lead and you'll be fine." I nodded.

Placing her hand on my shoulder, I brought my hand down to her waist as she sucked in a sharp breath.

"Is this okay?" I asked, not wanting to make her feel as if I was encroaching on her personal space. Her green eyes looked up at me as I looked back and she nodded. She had a firm grip as I'm sure those were her nerves. I began to count, so she could understand the timing as she looked down watching my feet. After three tries, she grew less stiff in her movements.

"I think I got it!" She said excitedly.

"I knew you would, but how about we try with some music this time?" I offered.

"Eugene, do you sing?" She asked, in disbelief.

"When the occasion calls for it." I nodded.

I had no words, but as I began to lead Rapunzel around the fire in a four-step count, I was humming a soft tune. Circling around the fire, my blood was flowing down through every corner of my body. Her green-eyed gaze locked with mine and mine with hers. I worried if my hands were sweaty, would she notice? I didn't want to trip her up with my movements. Stepping over her hair again, I twirled Rapunzel around three times spinning her away and she followed my leading perfectly. Her right foot got caught on a piece of her hair as she began to fall forward. I caught her waist pulling her back upright. A blush flooded her cheeks as she groaned stepping back from me.

"I knew my hair would mess me up sooner or later."

"You did better than anyone I know especially for your first try."

"Well, I had a great teacher." She smiled

"Would you like to do it again?" I asked.

She nodded rejoining me again and as I placed my hand at her waist again, a large blue hue lit up the cave.

"What in the-" I started to say.

"Beautiful," Rapunzel said, "This can't be a coincidence. This place must house the Luna Callima."

"How do you figure?" I asked.

Rapunzel moved toward the nearest wall placing her hand on it. Blue veining stretched out from her hand and continued further down the wall out of sight into the depths of the cave. She moved her hand away staring at her palm curiously.

"You okay?" I asked.

"My hand felt a strange sensation, there is magic here."

"Given the blue hue and the nature of the walls. I'd be an idiot not to agree."

She snatched Pascal putting him on her shoulder as I took Max's reins. Rapunzel grabbed my hand, a welcome gesture, as we moved deeper into this mysterious cave.

The blue hue lit up our path as we moved from our fire, we didn't need a torch to my surprise. The path narrowed to the point of needing to go in a single file line. Max had to remain behind as he couldn't fit in these narrow passages. It was strange watching as Rapunzel marched forward in this cave. It seemed like something in this cave was reacting to her presence being here, but why? After following the path, we eventually dumped into a large cavern that appeared to be a dead end. Nothing, but stone walls encased us here.

"So much for Luna Callima. Someone must have already taken it." I reasoned.

Rapunzel glanced around the room and remained silent.

"We should get back, Rapunzel. I'll share the news with your father so I'll get the brunt of his anger." I said.

Rapunzel remained silent as she put her hand on the wall again. What was she trying to do? The blue veining went up the wall at least a hundred feet where she touched and there was a small ledge that had an opening on the other side of the wall.

"Unfortunately I don't have rock climbing gear."

"Leave it to me." She nodded.

With no sign of fear or hesitation, Rapunzel began to climb the wall. She did so effortlessly even with all her heavy winter clothes that should have slowed her ascent. Higher and higher she went and as she stopped at the top she waved down to me.

"Nicely done, Blondie."

I tried to follow her lead and climb the wall, but I couldn't find any footholds. How did she do it?

"Climb my hair, Eugene," Rapunzel called to me.

I hesitated not thinking she was serious.

"Uh, won't that hurt you?"

"Do you trust me?"

"Of course, I do."

"Then climb,"

Grabbing onto the blonde hair that lay against the wall, I began to make my climb up. Beads of sweat dripped from my forehead as my arms were burning, but I made it onto the ledge as Rapunzel pulled up the rest of her hair from off the wall.

"That was exhausting," I said wiping my brow, "How did you make that look so easy?"

"It was easy," She shrugged.

As we looked down on the other side of the ledge, there was another enpty room with an adjoining path leading further in. Hanging off the ceiling there were some stalagtites, narrow stone points that hung off the ceiling. Rapunzel flicked her hair around the largest one and it clung onto the stone. She pulled it tight as she turned toward me.

"Hold onto me, we're going down."

I didn't entirely know what she meant, but I wrapped my arm around her side as she put an arm around me as well. Then we both leapt off the ledge gliding down to the ground. My stomach dropped in that moment of freefall that made me a little queasy out of surprise, but it only lasted until my feet were safely back on ground. Rapunzel clapped excitedly as she gathered up her hair letting go of me.

"Wasn't that a blast?"

"Let's not do that again, yeah?" I said putting my hands on my knees.

"C'mon Eugene, you gotta get out more." She laughed.

What an ironic thing to say coming from her. Rapunzel placed her hands on the wall and the blue veining continued on down the path. Several yards straight forward until we came into the largest room with small rock platforms across a cavern. At the other side was an opening in the wall with a light shining above it with a moon carved into the stone.

"If that doesn't say, moonflower found here, I don't know what will." I teased.

I glanced back briefly the way we came just taking in the surroundings and potential dangers in addition to the bottomless pit below us. In my momentary distraction, Rapunzel was already halfway across the stone platforms leading across. They were narrow and looked tricky to hop on.

"Woah, Blondie. Wait for me,"

"What happened to ladies first?" she teased.

"In most circumstances, yes, but this is an exception."

"Hurry up, Eugene."

She made it across to my relief as I hopped the first three stone platforms easy enough, but the last three were tricky. Continuing to follow the blue veining of the walls into the room. Rapunzel moved into the room not even waiting for me as I called to her. As she went through, the wall started to move up to close the opening as I leapt off the last platform. Racing to get inside, I ran toward the door, but it closed completely by the time I got there. Pounding on the door, I yelled for Rapunzel unsure of what she could be facing on the other side alone. Curiously, I looked up at the moon-shaped symbol above the door and there was no longer a moonbeam of light hitting it as now sunlight streamed into the cavern.