I'm really sorry for the long wait everyone. I'm afraid I don't have a good excuse, I'm just lazy and very good at procrastinating. But this is the last chapter of Switched, and I'd like to thank everyone who took the time to read and review it. It means a lot to me :) Enjoy.
In the clearing the gypsy caravan stood, practically unchanged. A fire pit smouldered out the front, and the windows glowed with welcoming light. Rapunzel breathed in the smell of wood smoke. Ah yes, this was home. She lingered, wondering what she would do. Should she knock on the door? See the people she had grown up with? See her mother? Eugene squeezed her hand. She didn't need to look at him to tell that he was nervous.
"Shall we?" she asked, turning to smile at him. He nodded uncertainly. Together they climbed the steps. Rapunzel rapped her knuckles lightly on the door. A freckle-faced girl opened it. Rapunzel vaguely recognised her. This girl would have been, what, six when Rapunzel left?
"Whatdaya want?" she demanded. Rapunzel touched the tips of her hair self-consciously. Of course they wouldn't recognise her.
"This used to be my home. My mother… Sylva? Does she still live here?" the girl hesitated.
"You'd better come in." and so they came in, and sat down and were bombarded with questions. When they found out that she was Blondie, there were celebrations and praise and introductions. Eugene sat awkwardly in a corner, wondering how Rapunzel could stand so many people and so much noise.
"So," Rapunzel said finally, raising her voice, "My mother. Where is she?" Dead quiet. Eventually a little boy pointed to a willow tree at the edge of the forest.
"We go and visit her there," he said solemnly. Rapunzel stood up and exited the caravan without a word. She hurried over to the willow tree, ducking under the branches, and froze. Two crudely fashioned wooden crosses, both laden with flowers, stood side by side. Rapunzel read the engravings.
Patch, a loving son, friend and brother. R.I.P. She had carved that message herself, years and years ago. She turned to the second cross, which simply read Sylva.
Rapunzel knelt beside the grave for a long time, hugging herself. She was too shocked to cry, or even speak. She had always told herself that one day she would return to her caravan, and she would meet her mother there, tell her stories of her adventures. It had never occurred to her that she might be too late. Eventually, she started to sing her song to the sad little cross.
Flower gleam and glow
Let your powers shine
Make the clock reverse
Bring back what once was mine
Heal what has been hurt
Change the fate's design
Save what has been lost
Bring back what once was mine
What once was…
Mine
Eugene appeared soon after, with a few hastily gathered wild flowers. He laid them on the earth.
"She was my mother too," he said softly, kneeling beside Rapunzel, "even if we never met." They grieved Sylva in silence, side by side, underneath the willow tree.
…
"Let's run away," Rapunzel said suddenly. They were tucked away at the back of a pub called the snuggly duckling. It reeked of sweat and ale, but at least no-one seemed to notice them. Eugene looked at her sideways.
"Where?"
"Anywhere! This whole kingdom is corrupt, I've made a mess of everything, Eugene, you know that better than anyone. There's nothing left for me in Corona."
"Your parents-"
"They're not my parents. All I've got is you." Eugene felt himself weaken. He let himself consider it. Rapunzel had a point. They had nothing left to lose.
"You're thinking about it, I can tell. There's a whole new world out there, Eugene," she was almost her old self again, with her eyes and honey voice, every bit as persuasive as she had been when they first met. That was what broke him, in the end.
"We'll take a boat, okay? And a map, and-"
"Yes! I can't believe we're doing this!" her eyes were sad for a few moments, then she shook herself back. Eugene caught her hand and squeezed it.
"We should go before I come to my senses."
It took a while to find a boat, something sturdy that would carry them across oceans. They found one eventually, used on the lake on the princess's anniversary. They cut a sail from the fabric of Rapunzel's old tunic and stocked the boat with supplies bought with Eugene's spare money. Among them were strange foods in jam jars and incense that made Eugene sneeze. Gifts from the gypsy caravan. It was dark when they were finally ready to set sail. They stood together in their little boat.
"Well I guess this is goodbye to Corona…" Rapunzel's eyes kept darting back and forth, as if she were afraid something might leap out of the shadows and stop them. Eugene, without really thinking about it, wrapped his arm around her shoulders.
"You ready?" He said softly. She smiled at him.
"Yeah."
She untied the boat from the dock, and they began to bob away from the shore, picking up speed as the breeze caught their sail. The lights of the kingdom started to disappear, fading from view until all they could see was the black ocean and endless stars. It didn't scare them. They had each other.
A little cheesy sure, but I hope you liked it anyway. Thanks for reading, and have an amazing Christmas break.