Eugene's Letter to Rapunzel
Back when he was at the orphanage, Corona was having a rough time. He was about to be 13, his friend Missy at the orphanage was eight, and Lance was eleven going on twelve. There were a lot of people falling ill, and they couldn't figure out why. Later on they would find it was something to do with contaminated water. But before they began to figure it out, when the source of the illness was a mystery, food was scarce as farmers and suppliers struggled to produce the same output as workers were falling ill.
It was even scarcer for children without parents. To her credit, despite her past cruelties, Matron Eva tried everything she could to prevent her charges at the orphanage from starving. Her cruelties didn't extend that far that she didn't care about their lives at all. But everyone in the orphanage was still hungry. Some of them began looking for more desperate means to find food, including Lance and Eugene. An older boy at the orphanage named Patrick talked to them. Or at least "Patrick" was how Eugene remembered him in his head, whether that was his real name or not. He would always be Patrick in his memory.
So anyway, Patrick told them about a crime lord in Corona named "The Baron", who was giving street urchins a chance to work for him for some dough. At this point, he almost meant literal dough, as food was as important as currency in Corona at the time. The catch was the work was thieving. Lance and Eugene didn't think they were going to go through with it, but Patrick promised them if they would at least listen to his pitch, he'd offer them a free meal, no commitment necessary. They thought they'd go listen to his spiel, eat to their heart's content, take some back to Missy and the others and be done with it. They had to sneak out of the orphanage late afternoon, to be able to meet and talk with Patrick.
Then he planned for them to actually meet the Baron that night. Missy didn't really know what they were up to, only that they both thought they might find a way to grab some grub. "Be careful!" She told them. "You know we will!" They said back. They hadn't really eaten any of the porridge the orphanage had that day. As hungry as they were, it smelled funny and they didn't trust it. Missy stomach was grumbling. "Don't eat any of that porridge!" He warned her. "We'll be back with food later." He promised. "Wait up for us!"
"Ok I will!"
Patrick arranged to meet them at the water fountain at the town plaza. There was the most foot traffic around there. "Awright gents!" He said, when he spotted them. "You think you got what it takes?"
Lance and Eugene looked at each other. "Got what it takes to take stuff?" Eugene asked, keeping his voice low. "How hard can it be?"
"Yeah you just got to have two hands!" Lance piped in.
"Aw gentlemen, gentlemen, you are obviously very naive to the ways of the world. You may have two hands, but can your two hands work magic?" He lifted up his hand and showed a silver coin. He had lifted it just then from a passerby's pocket.
"Whoa!" They had to admit, that was pretty good, even if it was stealing. "Yes sirs, yes sirs, it took me weeks to learn how to do this. You see it all in the wrist, curvin' your arm at just the right angle so as not to disturb their back pocket."
"Like this?" Eugene asked. He had already done it and was holding a comb that a stuck out of the back pocket of a pedestrian. The pedestrian didn't even turn around, completely unaware of becoming the victim of theft. Eugene knew the comb was worthless, he just wanted to prove it wasn't that hard.
"Wow there! You're a natural!" Patrick denoted, eyeing the comb. "Of course it was only a comb. You'd have to steal larger things than that to impress the Baron." He turned to Lance. "Now you try." He beckoned.
"Uh I don't know if I can."
"Just try!" Urged the older boy. Lance tried a few times, but was caught in the attempt a few times. He tried to play it off like he just accidentally bumped the person. Sometimes they believed him, sometimes the boys were forced to run out of sight. On the fourth try he finally got it. "There you are! Now yous two just got small stuff, but the Baron could teach you how to think and strategize to net larger things. I think he would be interested that you two nabbed something on your first day."
"Where is this Baron?" Lance asked, the sun was setting. He had told them he would take them to meet him that night. "Patience lads! I will take you to him." They turned a corner, and then another corner and then another, before they knew it they were far from the center of Corona now. "How far are you taking us?" Eugene asked. It was night now. He knew he had to get back to Missy and the others. "What? You worried? We're almost there." Patrick chided. A few moments later they stopped in front of a huge town house. In the dark, it was hard to make out, but it was tall and narrow. The colors were shaded by night-time shadows but it was made distinctive by its sharp awnings and gables.
Patrick knocked. "Hello there!" He tipped his hat to a tall skinny man who opened the door. "I have something to trade for the Baron?" That was their code for new recruits. "Come in." The man growled. "Hurry up! I don't know if we need anything." The man said. He always said that. When they went inside, it was hard for them to keep their mouths closed. It was the fanciest house they had ever seen.
It had a spiral staircase, curved ceilings, everything was painted in yellows and oranges that made it look gold. It had to have more than one room that wasn't just a commons area and a kitchen. "Look Eugene!" Lance pointed to a door that had been left open showing a bed. "They have individual bedrooms!" He whispered in awe. Eugene was impressed too. They were led to a large dining room. Several other boys looked up. They were boys that already worked for the Baron, and potential recruits like them.
Apparently they weren't the only ones being given the Baron's offer today. On a table, a huge feast was laid out before them. They weren't allowed to touch it though yet. Not until the Baron arrived. Any boy would dared try to disobey and sneak some in, was consequently smacked on the hand. Then a man who seemed big as a barn came in. He was barrel chested, and broad shouldered, with shoulder length blonde hair, bushy eyebrows and a beard.
A hush fell over the rowdy boys and as they whispered to each other "Look out. Watch it. It's the Baron." They sent the whispers down the line to each other. The Baron grinned a smile that was too big for his face when he saw the boys. "Alright boys! What'd ya got for me today?" He spread out his arms in a welcoming manner. The boys already working for him quickly emptied any pockets or bags they had, to reveal to him their stolen goods. A large pile of jewels, watches, coins and other things coalesced into one big glittery pile on the table next to the food. Patrick himself dumped a big bag of coins out into the pile. He directed to them to put the comb and pearl button Lance had stolen too, in the pile. When the Baron saw the comb and the pearl button he laughed.
"What is this?" He asked picking them up. "Um," spoke Patrick nervously. "That is quarry from these two here new recruits, see?" He pointed to Eugene and Lance. "Actually!" Eugene spoke up quickly. "We aren't actually new recruits per se! We just wanted to hear out what Patrick here had to say!" The boy named Patrick looked at them like they had stabbed him in the back. Lance made it worse. "Yeah for some free food." He said. Patrick looked like he wanted to disappear.
"Is that so?" said the Baron.
"Well they acted like new recruits!" Patrick answered defensively. "They stole something on their first day!"
"And no wonder!" The Baron replied fingering the comb and the button in his hands. "These are pretty worthless."
"Well that one," Patrick pointed to Eugene, "Stole that comb on his first try!"
"Your first try huh?" The Baron keened in on Eugene with renewed interest. "You might have some talent then." He tossed both their stolen items back at them. "You both can keep what you stole today. They aren't worth anything."
"Hey this button is pearl!" Lance protested, a bit offended.
"It's imitation pearl." The Baron said drolly. "It's not worth anything."
"Oh." Lance said, pocketing the button. Eugene held onto the comb too. Besides the peddler they had met a year or so back, no one had ever told him he was talented at anything. "New recruits or not, you boys stay here. Join in the feast! We eat well around here, don't we boys?"
The street urchins whooped and hollered. They dug in. No table manners were necessary, they were able to tear off meat, bread and fruit at will. The Baron's thugs had to police the boys to keep from fights breaking out. Lance and Eugene got mouthfuls for themselves. The food went down so satisfactorily. It was difficult to sneak any food to bring back to the others at the orphanage. They wound up being able to just get enough for Missy. "Is it like this with food all the time?" Lance asked Patrick. "Well we are guaranteed our three crusts of bread each day!" He answered in a chipper way. "And if we do well with bringing stuff back to the Baron, he lets us have a feast like this at the end of the month."
"Ok not exactly as advertised! But still better than we have at the orphanage." Eugene noted.
Lance agreed. They only got one meal at the orphanage these days. And it usually didn't taste that good. They hadn't even eaten today's. Now that they had eaten here, they needed to get back. But the boys and chatter around them lulled them into a sense of community and belonging. They felt respected for once, not overlooked and tossed aside. And their hunger pangs subsided. Still Eugene knew they needed to go. He used the opportunity of when the Baron was talking to a few other boys to sneak out with Lance. As they headed for the door, a shadow made it obvious that a thug was following them and wasn't going to let them go that easily. His long legs were catching up with the boys' short ones. They had to get out of here! How were they going to escape?
In the present, the fire from the fireplace crackled, popping loudly. Eugene almost wanted to stop here, but he had made a promise. He kept writing the letter about his past to Rapunzel.
The thug from the Baron's was closing in on him and Lance. They apparently didn't like to just let boys who hadn't committed to the cause, go.
"Lance quick," Eugene whispered. "Give me your button!"
"My button? What do you want with my button? Why don't you just use your comb?"
"Because it won't work as well. Here just give it to me!"
Lance forked it over. Eugene tossed it at a vase in the entranceway. It shattered the vase with a loud clattering noise, making the thug turn back to see to it, giving them just enough time to run out the door. "Hey!" The thug called, raising his fist in the night air. He went to step out of the doorway after the boys, their shadowy figures already disappearing. "Let them go." The Baron said, laying a hand on the man's shoulder. He had seen most of what happened. "They have talent. They will be back. I guarantee it." When they had ran far enough away, Eugene and Lance held their hands on their knees and panted rapidly. "Are they still following us?"
Lance checked. "No, I don't think so."
They had far outrun them. "C'mon let's get back to the orphanage."
When they got back, Missy was just finishing some of that nasty smelling porridge.
"Missy! I told you to wait up for us!" Eugene said.
"I was too hungry!" The girl complained.
"Well look what we brought back for you!" Eugene pulled the decadent food out of his shirt. "Wow!" She gasped, immediately gorging herself. She stopped. "Did you get some for everybody?" She asked. They looked at each other. "We weren't able to get some for everyone." Eugene admitted. Missy swallowed, looking a little guilty. "Hold on let me check. There might be something else." He searched his shirt for any crumb. "This is ruining my shirt you know." He complained. He didn't find any food, but the comb fell out.
"What is this? This is pretty!" Missy said picking up the comb to admire it.
"Uh never you mind!" Eugene snatched it back. "Just finish enjoying the food."
Missy stared at him. "You stole that comb didn't you?"
"Stole? Stole is such a harsh word!"
"Eugene!"
"Alright, alright I did. But only to get some of this good food for you."
"Eugene don't do it again."
"We weren't planning on it." Lance explained. "We were just trying to get some food. We don't plan on going back there."
"Back there?" Missy asked. Lance decided to be honest with her.
"The Baron's."
"That crime lord!?"
""Shhh." They told her. Everyone else in the orphanage was already asleep. "You all need to be careful." She said. "Patrick never came back here after deciding to work for him." They had only seen him here and there on the streets, on the rare occasions Matron Eva trusted them with errands.
"We will." They pledged. They all hunkered down in their bunks for the night. During the dark of the early morning hours, they were awakened by Missy's groans. Lance fumbled around for a match and struck it. "Missy? Missy? Are you ok?"
"Lance I don't feel so good." She confessed. Eugene was awake too now and came to check in on her. Both he and Lance gasped when they saw her. Even in the flickering light of the match, it was obvious she had the same look of the mysterious illness that was spreading through Corona. Two kids from the orphanage had died from it already. "Missy no!" Eugene shouted. Now everyone in the orphanage was up and came to see what the ruckus was about. "What! What is it? Why are you all disrupting my sleep?" Matron Eva grumbled. She looked at Missy. "Oh dear one." She gasped. Seeing the other kids suffer with the illness had taught Matron Eva a little compassion. She could be greedy and vindictive, but she wasn't beyond caring about a child's life. "Here let's make her comfortable." She ordered the kids. She knew enough now to know there was nothing else they could do at this point. Eugene caught onto her resigned tone. "Well don't just give up! There's gotta be something we can do."
"I don't think so Eugene. Only nobles are starting to get a hold of some new medicine that they say might help with this, but we cannot afford that."
She was telling the truth. The generous stipends she had been getting from Eugene's father had stopped because it was agreed that Quirin was supposed to take in Eugene. Quirin had not come to the orphanage yet to collect Eugene however because he was dealing with his own family tragedy. Neither Matron Eva nor Eugene knew any of this. They only knew they didn't have enough money to afford the medicine. Eugene thought of how easy it was for him to steal earlier today. He hadn't wanted to steal again, but this was for Missy. She was like a sister to him. "Well, I'm going to find something!" Eugene said, running out the door.
Lance stayed behind at Missy's side. The sun was rising. Eugene ran towards the nobleman's district, the part of the city where there was more wealth. He noticed with a shiver, the Baron's house was here! He ran past quickly, hoping he wasn't noticed. He had no idea where he was going to get a hold of medicine or what it would even look like. It was morning time and servants were throwing their masters' waste and chamber pots out from the night. He dodged to miss them as they were spilled out onto the street. "Look at that! The master's daughter is all better! Just a few drops of that medicine are left in the bottle. Not enough to help anyone anymore I reckon. Might as well toss the bottle out! We don't need it anymore and we don't need any more junk collecting around here!"
Eugene couldn't believe his ears. The bottle was tossed out with waste, but he caught it, just barely missing the more unsavory parts of the dump. There really didn't seem like there was enough in there to help Missy, but he had to try. "What are you doing with that bottle?" He heard someone roughly address him as he turned to run. He turned around, feeling caught. "Sir it was waste!"
The man growled, "My servant is an idiot! You don't waste something like that! I don't care if we need it or not! We might need it again someday! Give it here!" The man was dressed in the most eloquent refinery. It seemed to Eugene he could probably easily afford to buy more if he needed. He tried to appeal to the man's sympathetic nature, if he had one. "Sir, it's for my friend. She's dying." The man seemed to consider him for a moment. Just then Patrick came up from a distance hollering at him. Patrick had stayed at the Baron's that night and caught Eugene running past. "Hey Eugene I knew you would be back! The Baron said you would! He said you were so talented!"
"No Patrick! I want nothing to do with that! Really bad timing!" Eugene shouted. His mouth always did run faster than his head. It was too late. The nobleman scowled deeply at him.
"You're one of the Baron's boys aren't you? You little rat! No one can prove what the Baron is doing over there, but I know! You are all thieves and liars! That sob story! You were probably going to sell this bottle to the highest bidder! And to think you almost fooled me!" He snatched the bottle back from Eugene and boxed his ears until they bled a little. "Sir I am not a Baron's boy," he cried. "And I wasn't stealing from you. It was in the garbage."
"You know what? Even if all that's true I don't care! You and your kind are lower than scum! My garbage is worth more than you! You have no right to it! Now get out of here!"
Eugene walked back to the orphanage, nursing his ears. It was a long walk. The air against them made it too painful to run. He wondered how Missy was doing. When he finally got back, he saw Lance outside orphanage at a distance waiting for him. Lance shook his head at Eugene as he approached. Eugene knew what that meant. Missy hadn't made it. She was gone forever. He was too late and he had failed to save her.
He ran. He went out and stayed out into the night. It had to be the porridge, he knew it. The others had not wanted to touch it. Matron Eva only ate the left over bread that day. If only he had come back earlier to bring Missy food before she ate it. Or, if only he had just run off with the medicine and not tried to talk the man into giving it to him. Everyone only cared about themselves. That was the only way to get ahead it seemed.
He was gone a good part of the night, so Lance went looking for him. Lance found Eugene in a back alley flicking stones with the comb he had stolen. Eugene noticed Lance was wearing a gold necklace that he hadn't worn before. Lance noticed a hardness in Eugene's eyes that he hadn't seen before. Lance sat by him. "I don't want to go back to the orphanage Eugene. What about you?"
"Nope."
"So what do you want to do?"
"I say we go to the Baron's."
"Sounds good to me Eugene."
"But Lance?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm not Eugene anymore. I'm Flynn. Flynn Rider." He smirked. He'd take on a new identity of an adventurer in charge and forget all about his old life as Eugene.
They went back to the orphanage just to grab some of their stuff and say good-bye to Missy one last time. After that they never looked back.
Eugene finished writing and wiped water from his eyes with the heels of his palms. He had not thought about the events in his letter for decades. When he and Lance had gotten to the Baron's, the Baron's beautiful fourteen year old daughter Stalyan caught sight of him. "My, my, my what a handsome one we have here!" She said to him in that predatory tone he would come to know. "Come on, you big lug, I'll show you the ropes. I think my father will have big plans for you!" Since then, he had always been able to run from his memories and who he really was. Until Rapunzel. She always seemed to be able to draw the best out of him. He would protect her at all costs. He wrote Rapunzel that he didn't know what was going to happen tomorrow, but he loved her and the knowledge that he was soon to be a father was one of the best things that ever happened to him. He looked at Rapunzel and kissed her forehead.
He didn't want to leave, but if he didn't tear himself away and figure out where he wanted to have the duel, he never would. He left to go look at a map of Corona to see where it would be best to have the duel and where Phineas couldn't play any tricks on him. He would need to get back to Phineas about his choice by the end of today.
Ethel, Rapunzel's handmaiden and the palace spy, saw him leave. She wondered if he left any clue as to where he was going to choose to have the duel. She hadn't heard anything yet. When she stepped into the room, the princess was still asleep. She saw a letter with Eugene's handwriting on the desk. Maybe he had written Rapunzel where the duel location was going to be, since he couldn't communicate to her for the time being.
When she picked it up she decided this time she would read it through before she handed it off to Phineas or did anything else. Too many times she had done something without realizing quite what she was doing. She didn't want to be in the dark any more. It was going to get her in trouble. As Ethel read through the letter, she couldn't stop reading, even after she realized it probably didn't mark the duel's location within its contents. When she neared the end, she started crying. What had she done?
How did she go from occasionally giving the Humpherts a bad report about the royal family to doing what she was doing now? A door creaked open, but Ethel was too emotional to care. She was done with hiding. She looked up, the letter still in her hands. It was Queen Arianna. Arianna saw the private letter in Ethel's hands and the caught and crying look on Ethel's face. She put two and two together.
"Ethel, you are the spy aren't you?"
"Yes. I am." She answered.
Queen Arianna crossed her arms. "You have a lot of explaining to do."