Im sorry it took me a while to get this show on the road! Things pop up in school and life, but I'll be sure to try to update every week or so. I am happier with this chapter more so then the Prologue because I got to test out keeping in character (Which I've always loved to try to do as a writer). And I also want to say thank you very much to those who commented! You guy raise my spirits when my days are long and hard. I hope you can enjoy this chapter.
Alive
Chapter 1
I could write a book. Not just a book, but a whole series of adventures. It would absolutely put Fynnagen Ryder to shame too. Eugene thought as he reflected back on what all had happened. Glowing magical healing hair, thrilling high speed chases and fights, narrow escapes, and he couldn't forget the handsome main character – Himself of course. Silently, Eugene glanced over at Rapunzel, who had fallen asleep quite some time back and he grinned with self-satisfaction. Perfect, everything is absolutely perfect. Just like in the Flynnagen Ryder books, He had won over the girl. Always he had thought that the only way he could have done that was by being Flynn Ryder – All around adventurer and ladies' man – but somehow this girl liked a whole different side of him. Rapunzel liked Eugene Fitzherbert, not Flynn Ryder. Eugene gently moved a strand of hair from Rapunzel's face and smiled once again. I could write a book about you alone, Eugene thought as he continued to gently rub his finger on her calm sleeping face. The girl was so fascinating, and don't get Eugene started on her story. Rapunzel had lived her whole like with a twisted mother who sealed her away in a tower. Now where had he heard that before? It was a sort of a reoccurring theme for children books to have to do with a damsel in distress who is locked away in some far off tower, but never had he thought that he'd ever meet somebody in such a predicament. He knew that there were people would be doing cartwheels if they only knew what had happened. How could anybody not feel bad for the poor girl?
Moments passed and Eugene fell asleep next to Rapunzel. How could one blame him? Dying and coming back again was stressful enough on its own. His peaceful slumber was awoken when he heard the galloping of what sounded like horses getting louder and louder, along with the sounds of somebody dishing out commands to a group. Oh shoot! Eugene shot up from his sleeping position and looked around. The guards! His first instinct was to shake Rapunzel and wake her up. "Rapunzel, Hey, Rapunzel," He called in a hushed tone to the sleeping girl, who opened one eye and raised her hand to block out the sunlight from her eyes. "Wakey-wakey sleepy head,"
"E-Eugene? What are you doing?" She asked, groaning as she sat herself upright on the ground and yawned. "Why'd you-" Rapunzel stopped mid-sentence when she heard the sound of a horse neighing from out the window. Immediately she got on her knees and tried to crawl to the window. "Maximus?" She questioned as she tried to stand up to look out the window. Eugene grabbed onto her arm and pulled her away to keep her from being seen from the guards. "W-Wha-?"
"Shh," Eugene put his finger to his mouth and looked around the tower for a place to hide. There was a small nook in behind the stairs almost completely out of sight and swiftly pulled Rapunzel into the dark nook. "Somebody's here. Stay quiet." He quickly explained as he clamped his hand around Rapunzel's mouth and dragged her down to the floor and out of sight. As he did so the trap door in the floor of the main room burst open, causing a huge crack. Rapunzel jumped slightly from the noise and clenched her eyes shut.
At there was only an officer standing in the room, but once he gave a signal to the rest of his men there were at least 10 of them. "Don't touch anything," He ordered sharply as he scanned the room once again, letting his mouth drop open as he noticed the walls as decorated as an art gallery. The officer began to walk heavily into the room, making clanks as he walked due to his metal armor. "What is this?" He asked, putting emphasis on his statement. "Hair?" The officer grabbed ahold of Rapunzel's now amputated rope of hair. After examining what was the longest stand of hair he had ever seen in his life, he dropped it to the ground and traced it's path with his eyes. "Peculiar. Quite Peculiar. Guards, Search the tower. Ryder must be in here somewhere."
"Yes Sir," The men shouted back as they began to split up throughout the tower. Soon the clashing of plates and pottery could be heard and Rapunzel couldn't believe her ears. How could anybody just come into her home and just destroy it? Eugene gripped onto Rapunzel's mouth tighter and squeezed her stomach as he held her down. The destruction continued for a few minutes. "No sign of Ryder Sir," The men told their officer as they walked down the stops. "We searched every nook and cranny. He's not here, but we have found this in the bedroom," A guard tossed the wadded up purple flag embedded with a golden sun. The officer looked at it for a moment, thinking, but then he tossed it aside.
"That's absurd. He has to be here," The officer scoffed as he kicked at the ground. "See that hair? Remember that girl he was seen with in town? We have witnesses saying he had brought along a girl- a girl with blond hair as long as at least 20 feet! Nobody In their right mind has that much hair" He exaggerated with his arms as he continued to stomp into the pile.
Rapunzel frowned at the officer's comment about her hair. There was 70 feet Mister, and you're not the one who had to brush it every day. Yes, her hair looked quite ridiculous once she caught a glimpse of the girls who had nice comfortable length hair. It wasn't her fault- In fact she loved her long hair.
The room became silent for a moment after the Officer's temper tantrum. "Sir," One of the guards stepped forward and picked up a clump of hair in his hand. "This clearly isn't blond hair," He replied, correcting his leader. It was a dumb choice and mistake on his half, because before he knew it the Officer had a sword to the guard's neck.
"Don't make a fool of me," He snarled as he glared angrily at the now trembling guard. The officer's face turned red, only making the guard even more nervous about what was going to happen to his head. After mumbling an apology the sword was put back into its carrier and the Officer began to pace in a line. "Move out, we'll search the surrounding forest. Mark my words, Ryder was here. I can smell it." He pushed a few guards out of the way and began to climb down the ladder that led to ground level. After a moment of hesitation the rest of the guards followed suit and climbed down.
"That was close," Eugene took a deep breath and exhaled, releasing Rapunzel's mouth from his grip. They were alone again, and from the distance they could hear the guards moving away from the castle. Rapunzel ran back into the room to assess the damage that had taken place. Glass was shattered across the floor with bits of pottery smashed about. It horrified her to see the world she once lived in looking so awful. "Hey Blondie- I mean, Brownie, I think it would be a smart thing to make our escape right about now," Eugene pointed towards the open trap door, but Rapunzel didn't seem to have heard a thing he had told her and just picked up a piece of decorated pottery from the floor. "Um… Blon-Brownie?"
"This is absolutely… sickening! How can somebody just come into a home and tear it apart!" Rapunzel was clearly upset, and from behind a dark corner of the room scurried Pascal, her best friend and Chameleon. She knelt down and picked Pascle up to place him on her shoulder. Pascle sadly looked down along with Rapunzel at the scene in front of her. "All because you stole some crown-" Rapunzel stopped and dropped the piece of ceramic onto the ground, only to have it shatter again. "Crown…" She said aloud again, blankly looking out the window into the forests, "The crown.. That is… Mine!" She excitedly exclaimed to Eugene as she spun around and threw her arms open. "I know how we can get our ways out of this whole mess! The answer isn't running away, it's running back to Corona!" Pascal looked over at Rapunzel and let his eyes widen, trying to understand what she was saying. Was she trying to run to her death?
Eugene was taken aback by Rapunzel's sudden mood swing and leaned against the railing of the stairs. "Woah, Woah, Woah. Calm down here and repeat what you just said,"
"We need to go back to Corona," Rapunzel said, nodding her head in self-agreement. "It's the only way to fix things," She nodded once again, looking over at Pascal who began to nod with her.
Eugene quickly shook his head. "No, I meant before that, sounds like you said something about the crown?" Eugene asked, twirling his finger in the air, thinking; You've got to be kidding me.
Rapunzel paused, remembering that she never explained her realization. "Well, I guess you can say that I- Well…" She began, pushing a strand of hair out of her face and motioning Eugene to stop. "Let me try this; can you see those seashells up there?" Rapunzel pointed towards the ceiling where various conch shells that she once saw in a picture book were decorated in a circular pattern. "If you look up there you can see a sun, just like the one painted on the flag from Corona! Can't you see it?" After bending over and grabbing a flag that was once tossed on the floor, Rapunzel held it up so Eugene could compare the two. It was proof, and the only hard evidence that she possessed, but still it was evidence nonetheless.
But, Eugene didn't see it. For a while he glanced between the flag and the shells, "Um…" He stuttered as Rapunzel raised her eyebrow at him and narrowed her eyes. She just didn't know how to make it any clearer. "Look in the middle, right?" He said looking back at the painting. "Now that you say… Nope, don't see a thing," He replied
Rapunzel hit her forehead with her palm and walked up to Eugene until they were standing rather close. "I'm the lost Princess of Corona!" She exclaimed. Eugene cringed; after all he hated these bomb shells. "So I were to go back to Corona and-"
"And what? I get arrested and you get locked up for impersonating the lost princess?" He replied in a sarcastic tone, which didn't please Rapunzel the slightest. "Look, I'm not trying to sound like I don't believe you but… how the heck did you come to that conclusion? I mean, the princess was kidnapped when I was 8 years old, don't you think that she'd return by now if she was alive? And didn't she have blond hair? Your-" Eugene stopped, realizing where he was wrong. Now that he thought about it, Rapunzel was 18 –which would have made her the right age, She had blond hair – until he had cut it off to save her life, Rapunzel also looked strikingly like the Queen with her brown hair, and yesterday was her birthday like the princesses! His mouth dropped open and he couldn't make any verbal noise except for a small high pitched squeak. "My god your right," She finally said. Pascal grinned and nodded his head, which only made Eugene feel more uncomfortable.
Rapunzel put her hand on Eugene's shoulder, "Are you okay?" She asked, concerned when he couldn't seem to wipe off the strange and shocked look on his face. "Eugene?"
"Fine, Dandy, couldn't be better! Hey, can you get your frog to stop smiling like that at me? It's freaking me out," He hyperly replied, stepping away and turning his band from her. What was he going to do now? If Rapunzel was indeed right, that means that he's responsible for taking care of her as well! Why was it that is seemed that Rapunzel's life was right out of a book? He wasn't going to write a book about her- there already were thousands. "And you say to run back to Corona? Well that doesn't solve our problems here Brownie! Oh boy what are we going to do now?" He began to pace back and forth, acting like a worried old woman. "I can't let you get killed, I mean not that I'd let you get killed if I didn't believe that you could be the lost princess, but we have no proof! How are we going to persuade a whole village that your who you think you are?"
"First, Pascal is a Chameleon!" Rapunzel Explained to him for the thousandth time and looked down at the flag as she felt the smooth fabric in her hands, "And I'm not sure on that," She replied, thinking hardly. There was a low chance of them even making their way back to Corona now that the guards were after Eugene. If they captured her then she'd defiantly be charged with assisting a criminal. Then what? She'd hang as well, right alongside of Eugene. "Maybe… I should go alone?" She asked. "I mean, It's even more dangerous if I'm with you… and I'll just make it easier for you to get caught," She suggested, looking over at Eugene who was still pacing back and forth.
"No can do Brownie. I'm sorry, but you won't last long out there without this bad boy," Eugene pointed over towards the frying pan. That weapon was his now, and Rapunzel wasn't going to strip him of his most handy weapon – that could also fry an egg. What other weapon can do that? "And I'm not giving it back. Besides, I want to keep you safe. I can't just hide knowing that you could be in danger," he admitted as he felt slightly embarrassed about confessing that he would never want her be in danger. It was his job to save the damsel in distress- It was the Flynn Ryder inside that wouldn't let him stand by- and he was going to get the girl in the end, but how could he if she was dead or kidnapped? No, Eugene was defiantly going to go with Rapunzel. Rapunzel smiled softly at Eugene. He was could be a sweet guy when he ditched his sarcastic and narcissistic tone. "You're stuck with me whether you like it or not,"
Yay for books! Oh boy, Probually not the best ending to the first chapter, but I had to end there because it was a cute moment and- I just wanted to. So, Did you like this any more? I'm not sure if things came of confusing, but Ill be sure to explain more as things go on. Is this seeming like other "Continuations" of Tangled? Probually. Again, I really havent read most the stories on here since I do get bust with Art and Colorguard and stuff so If things are strangely simmular at the moment then Its all coincidence. Maybe great minds think alike, eh? As for how long this story is going to be... I can't say at the moment, but Im more focused on getting to where I want with the story and the content then the size. Some chapters may be longer then others, some shorter. Sorry if I'm going off a little bit, but I am the type of person who needs the right feeling to want to write... which can get irritating. Somedays Im just not in the mood, but others I want to sit here for hours planning and thinking about it all.
And here is a little response to my reviewers :)
An Unknown Foreign Beauty
I'd love to talk with you about ideas, but I can't contact you sadly since you don't have an account. Thank you for reviewing, and Im glad i made you want to read this with what little I gave you.
C5FE
Im glad my writing looks my fluid then my head is. I always worry about how I portray my ideas and thoughts on paper.
And to everybody who is reading and not reviewing, Thank you so much! As long as your reading I am happy!