Epilogue
One year later
"Listen… buddy…" Eugene slowly walks backward with his hands out, finding himself cornered, "I'm sure we can work something out here. From one nice guy to another, come on."
The highwayman with his piercing glare and threatening demeanor only continues to stalk toward Eugene with his fists clenched at his sides, far from convinced. He stops when Eugene finds himself backing directly into the wall of the stone bridge that arches above them, suddenly left with no where to go.
The underside of the bridge is bare of any lingering figures, the massive structure blocking the afternoon sun and casting shadows onto the dock alongside the river below. The stacked crates and barrels on either side hides them from view of the village above, leaving the dock secluded.
The highwayman, with a crossbow holstered across his back and a black mask over his mouth, sizes him up with a raised brow. He towers over Eugene easily with his muscular figure.
"Ain't you that thief everyone's been looking for?" His voice is rough and gravelly, and devoid of any humor or sympathy.
"Well, that depends," says Eugene in a cheery tone, before stroking his own chin, "Does this thief happen to be devilishly handsome? 'Cause if so, then yes, it's probably me."
Eugene winces as the highwayman roughly grabs him by the collar and slams his back against the wall, apparently in no mood for jokes at the moment. "Heard they'll pay a shiny penny for your capture. You and that new partner of yours," he growls.
Eugene's feet have left the ground, with their faces now level and inches apart. He can clearly see the scar across the other man's eye and the tattoo wrapped around his neck.
Eugene chuckles nervously, albeit louder than he needs to, "Ha! That's very funny. Now correct me if I'm wrong, but I think in order to do that… you'd have to catch us first," he points out smugly, before gesturing to himself, "You see, I'm just the distraction here while she steals that shiny gemstone off you." Eugene then points to somewhere behind the other man.
"Huh?" Instantly, the highwayman releases his hold on Eugene and begins frantically patting himself down in search of something. Not finding anything, he whips his head around to find Rapunzel standing in the distance behind him, with her hands behind her back and a giddy smile on her face.
"Hi," she says in a cheery sing-song voice.
Her brown hair reaches just below her ears, and she's dressed in a black corset top with white sleeves, tight trousers and tall laced up boots. There's a sword holstered to the leather belt around her hips.
The highwayman lunges toward her before she chucks a small pouch of dirt directly at him.
He jumps back with a strained grunt as it explodes against his face, dust flying everywhere. His palms press over his own eyes when he finds himself temporarily blinded.
As the bandit doubles over in pain, Eugene darts parts him and toward Rapunzel. He grabs her wrist as he runs past, bringing her along with him and never slowing his pace.
They race down the dock, along the water, and up the ramp that connects to the bridge. They can hear the highwayman shouting at them to stop as Eugene and Rapunzel sprint into the forest that neighbours the town.
When they glance behind themselves through the trees, there are now three burly bandits dressed in black, chasing after them with scowls on their scarred faces. The man with the crossbow has it raised in front of him as he runs, the other two holding a longsword and a blunderbuss.
"Did he say anything about having friends?" Rapunzel asks Eugene in a panic as she peers over her shoulder.
"Nope!" He quips.
They dart around trees and leap over fallen logs, dodging crossbow bolts with every step as they create distance from the enraged band of thugs. The arrows can be heard whizzing through the air and plunging swiftly into trees from all directions.
Eugene climbs up an incline, running atop a hill of grass as he sees Rapunzel speeding along the forest floor below.
When he reaches the end of the hill, he jumps off the short cliff at the edge, landing roughly with a forward tumble roll and a grunt.
He instantly springs to his feet as Rapunzel races around the corner and appears in front of him moments later.
He grabs her arm as she passes, pulling her back behind the rock wall that is twice their height, encasing them in shadows. During the panic, he ends up pushing her against it with his hands propped on either side of her.
They hear shouting and stomping footsteps approaching in the distance, becoming louder.
Moments later, the band of highwaymen sprint directly past them with their weapons rattling, oblivious to the pair hidden silently behind the rockface.
They wait until the forest is completely quiet around them, listening to the bandits running further into the distance.
Once they're sure the highwaymen are gone, Rapunzel and Eugene emit a shared breath of relief.
Rapunzel begins to giggle beneath him, and it makes Eugene grin too at all the chaos that had just happened.
He shakes his head as he releases a breathy chuckle. Somehow, they had managed to trick their pursuers so easily and make an escape, despite there being two more than they'd anticipated.
For a bunch of thugs, they really aren't that smart.
After a moment, Rapunzel raises her hand up between their faces, revealing the very trinket that had caused this entire endeavor in the first place.
A small, shimmering gem is clasped between her fingers, big enough to fit as the pendant of a necklace. Its color is as deep a blue as the ocean, encased in a thin and delicate golden trim.
"Well, look at you. I'm impressed," Eugene tells her, his hands still pinning her against the rockface. "You don't even need me anymore."
"What can I say? I learned from the best," she smirks up at him with an amorous glint in her eyes.
Eugene lowers his voice to a murmur, "Well, that is true." He shrugs, satisfied with himself, before leaning down to plant a soft kiss on her lips.
When he pulls away, Rapunzel grins up at him. "We should get back to the tavern," she says quietly, their faces hovering inches apart.
Eugene clears his throat, remembering they have a job to do. He takes a step away from her, forcing himself out of his distractions, "Yeah. Right."
The bright afternoon sun shines through the lush green leaves of the trees overhead. The dirt of the forest crunches underneath their boots and birds are distantly singing as Eugene and Rapunzel stroll silently through the lively forest.
While they walk, Eugene finds Rapunzel drifting off their path and slowing to a stop a few paces ahead of him.
Once he catches up to her, he notices her silence and the way her mind suddenly seems to drift elsewhere.
Upon second glance, he observes the thick tree trunk she had stopped in front of and the pieces of parchment that are pinned against the bark - their edges ripped, and their colors faded.
Eugene instantly recognizes the first one as his own wanted poster that has been scattered around the seven kingdoms for as long as he can remember.
Despite Rapunzel being the only one who calls him by his real name, the rest of the world still knows him as the notorious thief Flynn Rider that had somehow escaped his own execution in Corona a year ago. It had been a significant event at the time that most every kingdom has heard about by now.
However, when he reads the second parchment underneath his own, Eugene suddenly understands the girl's silence.
'MISSING, REWARD: Princess Rapunzel of Corona.'
Beneath the words is a charcoal sketch of Rapunzel with her long, golden hair.
Eugene had almost forgotten what she used to look like. It's almost as if she were a different person back then.
Since she became a fugitive, Eugene had cut her hair for her in the weeks after her escape, and she'd dyed it brown and changed her clothes to help hide her identity.
Despite the initial feeling of Rapunzel losing a part of herself that day, they've both agreed they prefer her this way. If anything, she feels more like herself now than she ever has. And now, no one can ever find her and bring her back to that place, she hopes.
The atmosphere suddenly shifts into something more dire, and it seems so much quieter around them now.
Rapunzel's shoulders have fallen, her expression gloomy as she realizes, "They're still looking for me."
They've come across these posters before – more so in the first few months after she left. It seemed the entire world had fallen into disarray after their princess' mysterious disappearance. But as Eugene and Rapunzel gradually travelled further away from Corona, they began to see the posters less and less.
Now, so far away from her home, Rapunzel had begun to think they'd given up on searching for her. Until now.
Discovering this now only reminds her of everything she left behind. Though, she doesn't regret it in the slightest, because running away had truly been the best decision of her life. But Rapunzel misses her mother, more than anything.
Eugene sees it in her face. For countless nights, he had stood by her during her nightmares and the tears that were shed over her lost mother. Rapunzel hasn't cried over her in a long time.
She doesn't dwell on the past anymore, much to Eugene's encouragement. Yet Rapunzel can't help but assume that even to this day, Arianna never told a soul what happened that night. And neither did Cassandra.
She wishes she could thank them for that.
Eventually, Eugene wraps his arm around Rapunzel's shoulders and gently guides her away. "Come on. Let's keeping moving."
When they arrive at the tavern later that day, the sight of it nestled in the middle of the woods would bring comfort to anyone after a long day.
The charming tudor building with its brick exterior leans over a flowing creek within the surrounding trees, melding with the uneven landscape of the forest. A smoking chimney protrudes from the pointed roof and there's a rickety staircase up the side that leads to the balcony of the inn on the second floor.
There's a small stone bridge that arches over the river, connecting to the dirt path leading to the front doors. Horses and donkeys are picking at hay bales outside and there are various wagons and wooden barrels stacked around the front.
The shutters of the small square windows have been swung wide open. The sounds of quiet chatter emit from inside, as well as the smell of ale and freshly baked bread.
After sauntering inside, Rapunzel and Eugene comfortably plop themselves on a couple stools at the bar.
The tavern is nearly empty now in the middle of the day, with only a few lingering travellers slumped over the various tables, enjoying a quiet meal and ale.
Rapunzel swings around on her chair, presenting the gemstone from the pouch on her hip. She holds it up toward the barman on the other side of the counter who is currently wiping down empty tankards with a rag.
"Is… this what you were looking for?" Rapunzel chirps at him with a satisfied smirk, her other arm leaning over the counter.
The barman stops what he's doing to peer at the trinket held between her fingers.
His brown hair rests atop his broad shoulders and he has a curled mustache on his sunken aged face. He wears a torn apron overtop his grease-stained tunic whose sleeves have been rolled over his elbows.
The barman glances around himself for wandering eyes, before snatching it from her and shoving it into his back pocket. Though, the few people inside are too preoccupied to pay any attention to them.
"I'll be damned," He raises an eyebrow at her after a moment, impressed. "You two actually pulled it off."
"Are you kidding? A couple of cunning tricksters like us?" Eugene asks sarcastically from next to Rapunzel, puffing his chest out proudly.
"What's so important about it anyway?" Rapunzel asks curiously.
"Family heirloom," grumbles the man as he wipes down the counter between them, "The rest is none of your concern."
Eugene clears his throat. "Ahem… aren't you forgetting something?"
The barman flashes him a glare. He retrieves a small sack of coins from beneath the bar and plops it down on the surface. "For your troubles." He then places down two full tankards of ale. "And a little extra something. On the house."
Beaming, Eugene wastes no time in grabbing the small pouch and emptying its contents into his palm. The sound of the gold coins clattering in his hand is like music to his ears. "Ha ha! Look at this! This'll last us another couple weeks. Whataya think, Blondie?"
The barman had promised to pay them more than what the gemstone was worth if they managed to retrieve it. Everyone knows those highwaymen have been terrorizing the area and robbing anyone they can find.
Once offered the job, Rapunzel and Eugene had decided it to be easy money and a step ahead of surviving on the road. They'll take anything they can get for wherever they may end up sleeping a week from now.
While Eugene is lost in admiring their reward, the barman takes one of the gold coins straight out of his palm. "For this week's rent."
At first, Eugene looks offended, as if he might argue. Then he shrugs in acceptance. "Okay. Fair."
A few minutes later, the doors to the tavern swing open, momentarily illuminating the room in sunlight.
Lance saunters directly toward the bar with the same cheery grin he always wears on his face. He says something to one of the other customers as he walks by, waving to them at their table.
"I'll have the usual," Lance tells the barman as he fills the empty seat next to Rapunzel.
The man only responds with an annoyed grumble and an eyeroll before turning to fill up another tankard.
"Fancy seeing you here," Eugene greets casually before taking a sip of his frothing ale.
Lance is the only other person besides Eugene that knows of Rapunzel's identity. She'd decided to tell him she was the princess during their days sailing away from Corona all that time ago, though everyone else only knows her as Cassandra. Over the past year, she's grown almost as close to him as Eugene is.
"Guess what?" Lance says, turning in his stool to face them with his elbow propped over the counter. "Got a new job on the line for you two."
"Oh, yeah?" Rapunzel beams.
The barman places a full tankard down in front of Lance.
"Ran into a couple guys. Heard you were up for hire," he continues.
Rapunzel looks to Eugene excitedly then back at Lance. "That's great!"
"I'd love to hear all about it. Tomorrow," comments Eugene as he sets down his drink. "I think we deserve to call it a day, right, Sunshine?" All this running for their lives earlier has left him exhausted.
The number of jobs they've been getting lately is starting to surprise him less and less. It seems a lot of other outlaws are willing to pay the best thief in town and his fugitive partner to run errands for them. Well, thieves, now – plural. Though, Eugene prefers to call themselves survivors.
They can't say they expected to become partners in crime, but it's worked out in their favour if it makes them a few extra coins, considering the money Rapunzel had brought with her from the castle started to run low months ago.
The former princess has had years of practice sneaking around. And Eugene – well, he's good at talking. So, it seems word has gone around of their perfect team dynamic.
Rapunzel takes one sip of her ale before placing it down in front of Lance. "Here," She whispers as she rises to a stand next to him, trying to be secret about it. She's never been much of a drinker.
"All right!" Lance cheers, excited about the free extra beverage.
With that, Eugene and Rapunzel stalk up the staircase and retire to the small room they've been renting out above the tavern, despite it being four o'clock in the afternoon.
It isn't much, but the bed and the roof over their head is luxurious for a couple of wandering travellers who merely hop from town to town.
After Rapunzel closes the door behind them, the sounds of the tavern downstairs are immediately silenced, and they are finally left alone in peace.
Eugene wastes no time in falling back on the mattress with an exasperated sigh. He crosses his hands behind his head and folds one ankle over the other.
"You know, Blondie? Despite the constant threat of death we seem to keep running into, it really doesn't get any better than this." He professes with his eyes closed and a contented smile.
Rapunzel chuckles at his phrasing, "I couldn't agree more."
She walks toward the bedframe, and Eugene lazily reaches a hand out toward her. Her fingertips latch onto his own and he takes that opportunity to pull her toward him.
Rapunzel laughs again as Eugene pulls her even closer until she's leaning over the mattress and crawling into his lap. She eventually settles with her hands propped on the pillow on either side of his head, his palms resting over her thighs.
"So…" Rapunzel says as she hovers over him, "Where are we going next?"
Being a couple of fugitives, it's best they don't stay in one place for too long. Besides, there's still so much Rapunzel hasn't seen yet. They don't usually plan a thing, but rather travel where the day takes them, in whatever way the circumstances unfold.
"Wherever you want," Eugene murmurs, gazing up at her green eyes and freckled nose that always manages to take his breath away.
Rapunzel bubbles excitedly, despite knowing he would say that. "Really?"
"Really," he smiles. "As long as I'm with you… I'm the happiest man alive."
In that moment, she can't help grinning ear to ear.
As Rapunzel feels herself bursting with delight, she cups his face in her hands and leans down to close the gap between their faces. She kisses him with all the warmth and fuzziness of that drunken night they'd once shared beneath a rainstorm.
Growing up, Rapunzel heard the name Flynn Rider many times. When she got older, she remembers seeing his wanted posters around town and the idea of meeting an outlaw had fascinated her to no end. Until now, that was all he had been to her – a name on a poster and a fable to the seven kingdoms.
Now, he is Eugene - sweet, funny, stupid Eugene.
Meeting him had somehow turned into an adventure she never expected, and now, everything in her life is exactly where she wants it to be. It all sounds like a fairy tale she'd read from one of her books when she was younger. But if it weren't for him, she'd still be in that castle, miserable and married off to a stranger.
All those years of longing and loneliness had been worth it in the end.
And now, Rapunzel guesses she could call herself an outlaw too, even if that means running from a kingdom that was never hers and living on the road with the same criminal she'd read about as a child. Despite it all, she wouldn't have it any other way.
Rapunzel pulls away from him, the feeling of his lips against hers lingering long after they're gone. Her palms still rest on either side of his face, "I love you," she murmurs.
It still manages to blow him away every time she says it, but Eugene's lips tug into a delicate smile as he tells her, "I love you too."
In this moment, Rapunzel feels safe. She sees her future in his eyes – a lifetime of unexpected journeys, like nothing in this world can stop them. As she looks at him now, she wonders what more adventures await them in the coming years.
She can't wait to find out.
The End
A/N: Writing the end of this story made me a little emotional. I'm so proud of it, even though there are some things I wish I did differently. I hope you all enjoyed it regardless, and I'm so happy to know there are still people in this fandom who love these characters as much as I do.
I saw Tangled in theatres on its premiere date when I was 12 years old. As I grew older, my love for it slowly drifted away from me as I lost my spirit for animated movies. Now I guess we are all depressed adults who enjoy age regressing to a time where things were simpler. xD
Huge special thanks to:
- the_writer1988
- A
Thank you so much for being constant readers of mine and leaving comments on pretty much every chapter as well as my other Tangled stories. I looked forward to reading your comments every time I posted a new chapter, and they always made my day. I can't thank you enough! 3
Thank you to everyone else who has read, commented and gave kudos!