Chapter 6


Somehow, the thugs that chased Eugene away from Rapunzel haven't managed to find him again.

Eugene hasn't run into them either, not like he is looking for trouble anyway, despite what some may think.

As much as he loves getting a rise out of idiots who think they can outsmart him, the last thing Eugene wants to do is get himself arrested or killed while Rapunzel is out there alone.

He knows she can handle herself. He taught her everything she knows about surviving on the road. The fighting is another story – in fact, Rapunzel has even taught him a thing or two about that.

Everyone knows Rapunzel can easily defend herself if she ever needed to. Eugene just worries about her getting herself into something she can't get out of, and the worst part about this is that he doesn't even know if she's okay or not.

They've pulled many tricks together in the past two years, and they'd always found a way to get out of them together, but they've always worked as a team. Which is why after three days of being separated, Eugene feels lost without her.

He'd never relied on anyone but himself before – not until he met Rapunzel. She makes him weak. Eugene would never admit it though.

When he stumbles across a secluded cabin hidden in the forest late one morning, he thinks nothing of it.

Eugene has come across plenty of houses, camps, and towns as a traveler over the years. It isn't until he recognizes the horse standing outside the front porch, flicking its tail and chewing on the grass, that he feels instant relief on his weighted mind.

It's Rapunzel's horse, their horse – the one Rapunzel had convinced him to rescue from smugglers many months ago.

Somehow, she'd been able to tame the thing, which Eugene never understood – and the steed hasn't left their side since. He supposes she has a way with animals somehow, and an obvious soft spot for them, which Eugene learned to admire.

Before he met her, he would've never paid a second glance to something like that.

If their horse is here, that means Rapunzel has to be inside. Either that or she was here, at one point, though Eugene can't think of a reason she would leave the companion behind.

She's probably staying put, expecting him to find her. Still, knowing the kind of people that are out here, Eugene can't be too sure.

He suppresses the excited urge to burst through the front door hoping to find her inside. Instead, Eugene cautiously approaches the cabin in the distance.

He gently pats the horse's neck as he passes it. The animal merely shakes its head in response before continuing to pick at the grass.

When he steps up onto the front porch, he doesn't hear anything inside.

Eugene peers back the way he came, not finding any sign of people nearby.

The surrounding forest is completely calm, with nothing but the sound of leaves blowing and various wildlife cooing and chirping from within the trees.

He can't see a thing through the windows, all of them covered by curtains from the other side. There are no shutters, and it doesn't look like they can be opened.

When Eugene cautiously turns the handle on the door, it doesn't budge.

That's odd. Maybe she'd locked herself inside for protection, which isn't a bad idea.

"Rapunzel?"

Nothing.

Maybe she's not in there, and that's why she locked the door behind her. Though, what would she be trying to protect in there? And why didn't she take the horse?

Eugene has to get inside somehow.

He doesn't shout again, in case someone else hears him.

Instead, he examines the covered window next to the door. It looks old and rickety, just like the rest of the building. The glass is murky from the coat of dirt on the surface, blocking out his own reflection.

Hoping he won't regret the noise this will make, Eugene braces himself and jams his elbow into the window with as much strength as he can muster.

It cracks underneath the force. He tries it again, the surface shattering completely the second time.

He takes a step back from the exploding shards of glass at his feet, expecting something else to happen afterwards.

Nothing. It's still completely silent inside.

Eugene draws the sword from his hip holster, just in case. He pulls back the sheer white curtain and climbs over the windowsill.

Almost immediately after stepping inside, a figure darts out in front of him, plummeting their blade down toward him.

Eugene instantly ducks out of the way. He blocks the next attack, swords clashing and ringing throughout the inside of the cabin.

It all happens so frantically that he doesn't even see who it is at first.

As Eugene stumbles back, he instantly recognizes Rapunzel's short brown hair, her green eyes glowering and angry, her sword raised out in front of her and pointed directly at Eugene as if he were any other ruffian they've ever come across.

"Rapunzel?" Eugene marvels, dumfounded – not entirely shocked to find her here, but rather stunned at the way she just tried to kill him and hasn't apologized for it yet.

He expects her eyes to light up after recognizing that it's him, but if anything, she only looks more angry the longer she looks at him and before Eugene can say anything more, Rapunzel is swinging her sword at him again and he has no choice but to fight her back.

"Whoa, hey—Rapunzel, it's me!" He jumps away from her, blocking every one of her attacks as she backs him up effortlessly.

Rapunzel takes a step away and holds her sword out at Eugene, glaring at him down the blade. "Stay away from me," she demands, breathless - in a tone that Eugene is not sure he's ever heard from her, at least never directed at him.

"Blondie? What are you doing?" he exclaims.

"I know why you're here, Flynn Rider. And I'm not afraid of you," she says.

"Whoa, okay," Eugene chuckles briefly, despite the circumstances. He can't remember the last time she called him Flynn Rider. "I know it's been a few days but you really don't—"

"I know you're that thief they're looking for, and I am not trusting anything you say to me," glowers Rapunzel.

Whatever weird game she is pulling with him, he'd expected her to drop the act by now.

Realizing he can't break her with a joke like he usually would be able to, Eugene suddenly becomes serious, all humor leaving his voice.

"Okay, okay, I think… you're not feeling well, Sunshine," He raises his hands in front of him in an attempt to calm her. "So just… put the sword down… and we'll figure this out, okay?"

Without breaking eye contact, Eugene slowly places his own sword on the floor. He slowly steps toward her, reaching out his hand.

"Don't touch me!" she only continues to point her cutlass at him, sounding terrified.

"Rapunzel, hey… You're freaking me out a little here, come on," Eugene only continues to reach toward her, not wanting to scare her any more than she already is. "It's me. It's Eugene."

Whatever's going on, he's entirely aware that Rapunzel could actually hurt him right now if she wanted to.

Considering that she only seems to be getting more impatient with him, a part of him fears she might do just that, which is why he needs to get her to calm down before this gets any worse.

"Stop lying to me!" exclaims Rapunzel. "Just leave me alone and go back the way you came."

"I'm not gonna do that," insists Eugene, his voice remaining level and calm.

He's not going to fight her, but there's also no way he is leaving her again. Especially in whatever state that she's in.

"Then I'm afraid I'm going to have to make you," she threatens.

Rapunzel lunges forward with her blade.

Eugene dodges her swing just in time, sidestepping behind Rapunzel and grabbing her wrist before she knows it.

Thankfully, he knows how she fights. Their numerous practice rounds against each other have taught him that.

It isn't enough to hurt her, but his grip manages to get her to drop the sword and the weapon clatters at their feet.

It doesn't stop her though. Rapunzel struggles against his hold, but she is so much smaller than him that her strength is no match for his own.

Rapunzel rams her knee directly into Eugene's abdomen and he doubles over in pain, stumbling back for a moment.

With her arm now free, Rapunzel grabs the frying pan on the counter next to her, gripping the handle with both hands.

She raises it over her shoulder and swings it directly into the side of his head, knocking him out cold.


A/N: HAHA I really did laugh when writing that ending.